Zhang Liao had been preparing to strengthen his defenses when he received word that Guan Ping had captured Runan with an army of thirty thousand. Now facing another thirty thousand troops under Liu Feng, he withdrew to Hefei without hesitation and prepared to hold it.
Hefei was crisscrossed with waterways, making it a poor place to deploy a large army. Sun Quan had lost there once before, and under ordinary circumstances, Liu Feng would have been unable to take it.
But after seeing the catapults in Jiangxia, Liu Feng had brought them along. They were just the thing for a siege.
The only problem was that they were troublesome to assemble. That bought Zhang Liao and the others several days to organize their defenses. By the time Zhang Bao had used up all the stones and even smashed in the city gate, Zhang Liao, Li Dian, and the others were still holding the city stubbornly.
However, Liu Feng had received Wang Yue's orders to drive Zhang Liao out and head south to capture Sun Quan.
So he was in no hurry at all. Instead, he waited for more stones to arrive.
Zhang Liao, on the other hand, couldn't wait. They had already learned that Chen County, where Man Chong was stationed, had also fallen to Guan Ping. If they didn't retreat, they would soon be trapped south of the Huai River.
So Zhang Liao and the others withdrew north under cover of darkness, leaving behind only a damaged city of Hefei.
Liu Feng didn't enter the city. He pursued them all the way to Shouchun, and only after watching Zhang Liao and the others cross the river did he turn back and take Hefei. Then he headed toward Jianye.
Meanwhile, Wang Yue and Guan Xing led thirty thousand naval troops,