Among the generals, Jingzhou had fierce warriors like Guan Yu, Zhao Yun, and Wen Ping, while Nanyang had Cao Zhen, Xu Huang, Zhang He, and others.
At first, Cao Zhen had wanted to defend against Guan Yu in the west while swiftly attacking Jiangxia in the south. That way, he could take Jiangxia early and threaten Chaisang from upstream.
But after Zaoyang fell, Cao Zhen worried that his retreat would be cut off. Somewhat conflicted, he asked Xu Huang, "General Xu, you know this area better than I do. Which direction do you think we should attack?"
Cao Zhen had asked Xu Huang because the last time they fought Guan Yu in the field, Xu Huang had somehow escaped without getting killed. It showed that Xu Huang had some skill as a commander.
In truth, Xu Huang had felt lucky to escape last time, unlike Yu Jin, who had suffered such a disastrous fate. Now that he was facing an even more formidable Guan Yu, he had little confidence.
Xu Huang clasped his hands toward Cao Zhen before replying, "Great General, the enemy is powerful. I think we should focus on holding the towns we still have. Once we spot an opening, we can choose to attack."
Seeing that even Xu Huang felt uncertain, Cao Zhen could only turn to Zhang He. "What do you think, General Zhang?"
Zhang He had yet to suffer a defeat himself. He had only heard that Guan Yu had fought his way through five passes and defeated six generals, then captured Yu Jin alive. He knew Guan Yu would be difficult to handle.
So he said to Cao Zhen, "Great General, if we defend without fighting a single battle, I'm afraid we won't be able to answer to His Majesty.
"Guan Yu is strong,