Old Cao refused to accept this, and some of his generals clamored fiercely as well. Just as Xiahou Dun had said, they had to send troops out to block them. Whether they exchanged blows now or later, a battle was inevitable. They might as well fight one first and probe the enemy's true strength.
In any case, Wang Yan would definitely not cross the river within the next three to five years. He had to leave time to consolidate Henan. In truth, this was what people throughout the realm could not understand. Wang Yan's forces were simply too strong; if he deployed all his elite troops, there was a high chance he could end the war within a few years, unify the realm, and proclaim himself sovereign.
Just as Old Cao had originally done, he had kept fighting, with hardly any time spent recuperating and rebuilding.
Thus, Old Cao ultimately settled on a plan: hasten south, send Xiahou Dun and the others to defend Hangu Pass, and have Yue Jin, Yu Jin, Wen Chou, and the others head north to intercept Huang Zhong's forces. Once Old Cao's own forces had mostly withdrawn, they would look for an opportunity to engage.
The plan was to have soldiers fight soldiers and generals fight generals in a battle. This was a critical time for retreating, so Old Cao could not personally command at the front. Wang Yan, meanwhile, remained in Zhending and had not gone to the front lines either. It would be a small-scale contest between the armies' officers and troops.
Old Cao also intended to disgust Wang Yan. He understood perfectly well why Wang Yan had raised troops in winter, pressing against Hangu Pass on one side while crossing the river on the other: it was to settle and organize the