Eastern Han Dynasty, not the Three Kingdoms

After a desperate fight by Zang Ba and Sun Guan, Cao Bao finally broke free from the encirclement. All three were bloodied, their armor tattered, and covered in wounds of varying sizes, each one a testament to the ferocity of the battle. Cao Bao gasped for breath, his heart filled with both relief at having survived and immense shame and indignation at his crushing defeat.

Zhou Yu watched Cao Bao and his men flee, a flicker of resentment in his eyes. He immediately ordered, "Pursue them with all your strength! Do not let them go!" The Shanyue soldiers shouted and surged forward like a tide. However, at this moment, another deafening roar of killing rang out in the distance. Tao Ying's army, dispatched from Yong'an City, arrived, their banners flying, their swords and spears drawn, and their momentum was fierce.

Zhou Yu reined in the reins, brow furrowed, as he rapidly weighed the pros and cons. He knew that if he continued the pursuit, facing a pincer attack from both sides, despite his superior numbers, heavy casualties would be inevitable. Furthermore, this battle had already dealt a heavy blow to Cao Bao, effectively exacerbating internal tensions within the Xuzhou army. After a moment's deliberation, Zhou Yu decisively ordered, "Sound the horns to withdraw!"

The clear sound of the horn rang out, and although the Shanyue soldiers were reluctant, they quickly and orderly withdrew. The fierce battle finally came to an end, leaving countless corpses and discarded weapons on the battlefield, and the blood dyed the ground red.

The Shanyue won a resounding victory, seizing vast quantities of food, weapons, and horses. The soldiers rejoiced, piling the spoils into mountains, celebrating this hard-earned victory. Zhou Yu gazed upon the mountain of spoils with a satisfied smile, but he knew this battle was only the beginning, and the struggle with the Xuzhou army would be even more intense.

Cao Bao, on the other hand, suffered heavy losses. He retreated back to Yong'an City, humiliated and dusty, leaving only a handful of defeated soldiers behind him. These soldiers, wounded and dejected, walked with heavy steps, as if they were all shrouded in the shadow of defeat. Looking at these soldiers who had fought with him through thick and thin, now suffering heavy casualties, Cao Bao felt a surge of guilt and self-blame.

Cao Bao, grappling with the pain, dragged himself to the ground, and began to count the losses. When the results were laid before him, he felt a wave of dizziness, and nearly lost his balance. Of the once 20,000 elite Danyang troops, only 5,000 remained, wounded and demoralized. The army led by Zuo Rong had also suffered heavy losses, with only 4,000 to 5,000 men left, and the painful groans of the wounded filled the ranks.

Cao Bao's anger and resentment surged like a flood. He blamed Tao Ying's pressure on him to send troops for the entire defeat. He felt that if it weren't for Tao Ying's harsh words, he wouldn't have rushed out and landed in such a desperate situation.

Cao Bao, enraged, rushed straight into Tao Ying's tent. Tao Ying was checking the map and planning his subsequent response strategy. Seeing Cao Bao rushing in aggressively, he couldn't help but frown.

"Tao Ying!" Cao Bao roared, his eyes wide with rage. "Look at my miserable state! If you hadn't repeatedly provoked me to send troops, how could I have fallen for the Shanyue's treacherous scheme? Of those 20,000 elite Danyang soldiers, only a few remain. What are you going to give me as compensation?"

Upon hearing this, Tao Ying's anger surged. He slammed the map onto the table, stood up, and responded without hesitation, "Cao Bao, stop your nonsense! The battlefield is constantly changing. You're a general, yet you lack strategy and easily fell into the enemy's ambush. And you have the nerve to blame me? It's clearly your own incompetence, yet you dare not admit it and instead place the blame on me!"

Cao Bao was so angry that his whole body was shaking. He took a step forward, pointed his finger at Tao Ying, and his voice trembled with anger: "You are a brat, what do you know about battlefield strategy? If you hadn't insisted on your own way and forced pressure on me, how could I have made such a wrong judgment? You must give me an explanation today!"

Tao Ying sneered, his eyes full of mockery. "Confession? I think you've been frightened and your mind is muddled! I sent troops to rescue you out of kindness, but instead of being grateful, you come here to accuse me. If you had any real ability, you wouldn't end up like this!"

The two exchanged barbs, neither willing to give in. The voices grew louder, the atmosphere thicker. The atmosphere in the tent was tense to the point of flaming, as if a single spark could trigger a violent explosion. The surrounding soldiers were so frightened they dared not breathe, retreating to the side, fearing they would be affected by the fury.

"Okay, very good!" Cao Bao laughed in anger, "From today on, you and I are completely done with each other and have nothing to do with each other anymore!" After that, he turned around abruptly and strode out of the tent, leaving Tao Ying standing there with a sullen face. He smashed the teacup on the table to the ground fiercely, and with a "bang", fragments flew everywhere.

Zang Ba watched as Tao Ying and Cao Bao completely broke off their relationship, their emotions agitated and the situation precarious. He secretly thought that if the two were allowed to continue this quarrel, the Xuzhou army would inevitably fall apart, which would undoubtedly be a disaster for the situation in Xuzhou.

Zang Ba was extremely anxious and hurriedly said to Sun Guan, "Brother Sun Guan, please go and persuade the second young master to calm down and stop acting impulsively. I will go after Cao Bao right now, and we must not let him make any foolish decisions in anger!" Sun Guan nodded and immediately ran towards Tao Ying's tent.

When Sun Guan rushed into the tent, Tao Ying was still throwing things in a rage. Sun Guan hurried forward, grabbed Tao Ying's arm, and said, "Young Master, calm down, calm down! We are facing a powerful enemy now, we can't lose our composure."

Tao Ying was so angry that he couldn't listen to any advice. He shook off Sun Guan's hand and shouted, "Sun Guan, don't try to persuade me! Cao Bao has gone too far. He didn't reflect on his defeat and instead put all the blame on me. Regarding today's matter, I will never reconcile with him!"

Sun Guan, known for his bold and righteous character, saw Tao Ying so enraged, and his blood was ignited. He had come to mediate, but after hearing Tao Ying's fiery words, he was moved and united against a common enemy. His attitude towards Cao Bao also changed. "Hmph, Cao Bao was indeed wrong this time! Young Master, please don't be angry. If he dares to act so presumptuously again, I, Sun Guan, will be the first to show him no mercy!"

Instead of trying to persuade Tao Ying to stop, Sun Guan was dragged into the same camp by Tao Ying. Meanwhile, Zang Ba galloped his horse and finally caught up with Cao Bao, who was now marching towards Xuzhou with the remnants of his army, looking gloomy.

Zang Ba reined in his horse and stood before Cao Bao, panting, "General Cao, wait a minute! You can't just go back to Xuzhou like this. The Shanyue region is still under siege, and we need our men now. If you leave, what will we do?"

Cao Bao looked up at Zang Ba, a flicker of gratitude in his eyes. He knew that if Zang Ba hadn't risked his life to save him on the battlefield, he would have perished long ago. But when he thought of the fierce conflict with Tao Ying, his face darkened again.

"Brother Zang Ba, I, Cao Bao, will always remember your life-saving grace." Cao Bao sighed and said, "But now that Tao Ying and I have completely fallen out, I simply cannot bear to stay here any longer. I have made up my mind to lead my troops back to Xuzhou. I leave the affairs here to you."

Zang Ba was filled with anxiety upon hearing this. He earnestly advised, "General Cao, please reconsider! Master Tao Ying is young and impulsive, and his words may be a little harsh, but he means no harm. We are all concerned about the safety of Xuzhou. How can we abandon our common goal because of a momentary dispute?"

Cao Bao was unmoved. He shook his head and said firmly: "Zang Ba, I appreciate your kindness. But I really can't let go of what happened this time. You don't have to persuade me anymore. I have made up my mind to leave." After that, Cao Bao walked around Zang Ba and continued to move forward with the remnants.

Zang Ba sighed helplessly as he watched Cao Bao's retreating figure. He knew that reversing the situation would be incredibly difficult. The internal division within the Xuzhou army undoubtedly gave the Shanyue an opportunity to exploit, and the situation would become even more severe and complex.

Zang Ba returned to the camp, feeling lost and helpless. The atmosphere inside was still oppressive and suffocating. Seeing Zang Ba's return, Tao Ying hurried forward, his previous anger fading, replaced by a look of concern. He knew Cao Bao had deep roots in Xuzhou. If he could persuade Cao Bao to surrender and bring him under his wing, he would surely be able to use him in the future. Even the loss of over 10,000 elite Danyang troops might be worth it in the long run.

"Zang Ba, what happened to Cao Bao?" Tao Ying tried his best to make his tone sound calm, but his eyes could not hide his expectation.

Zang Ba lowered his head slightly, his expression gloomy, and said softly, "Sir, Cao Bao has made up his mind. He has returned to Xuzhou with the remnants of his army. My persuasion has been fruitless."

Upon hearing this, Tao Ying's emotions, which had just calmed down, were instantly ignited again. The muscles on his face twitched slightly with anger, and he cursed: "This Cao Bao is such a useless and stubborn person! Facing a powerful enemy, he is so impulsive!" But after cursing, he took a deep breath, suppressed his anger, turned to look at the generals around him who also had depressed expressions, and comforted them gently: "Don't be discouraged, everyone. Although we failed in this matter, it is not irreversible. Victory and defeat are common in the military. Let's make new plans and we will definitely defeat Shanyue!" After hearing this, the generals nodded one after another, and a trace of fighting spirit was rekindled in their eyes.

Meanwhile, Wang Lang, in Yong'an City, was completely panicked by this sudden defeat. He had secretly instigated discord between Tao Ying and Cao Bao, hoping to capitalize on their conflict after defeating the Shanyue and consolidate his power and control. But now the Shanyue still loomed like wolves, and his own forces had suffered heavy losses. Of Tao Ying's 20,000 troops, 15,000 had been lost, with most of the remaining troops severely wounded, their combat effectiveness severely reduced. Cao Bao had only returned with a little over 5,000 of his 20,000 elite Danyang troops. Such devastating losses, coupled with Cao Bao's sudden departure after his break with Tao Ying, left Wang Lang overwhelmed and at a loss as to what to do.

Wang Lang paced back and forth in the room, frowning, muttering to himself: "What should I do? Shanyue has not been pacified yet, and there is chaos inside. How should I deal with this situation?" He knew very well that if he could not come up with a response plan as soon as possible, not only would the plan to wipe out Shanyue be ruined, but his own position would also be in jeopardy.