Yuan Tan waved the scouting cavalryman away, then asked with a pained expression, "Gentlemen, the situation is lost. Yuan Xi will soon arrive with his troops. What should we do?"
The civil and military officials all frowned bitterly, unable to come up with any solution.
Under such circumstances, even a top strategist would have been powerless to turn things around, much less second-rate advisers like Guo Tu and Wang Xiu.
Guo Tu felt deeply uneasy and said, "My lord, Qingzhou is no longer within reach. Before Yuan Xi's army can surround the city, we should abandon it and flee north to seize Youzhou! Youzhou is where Yuan Xi raised his army and built his power. The twenty thousand Youzhou soldiers he leads have yet to return home. Youzhou is empty and weak; it certainly cannot withstand your army's edge!"
Xin Pi looked down on Guo Tu and said:
"We must not. Marching north into Youzhou is a path to death. An army attacking a city cannot take it quickly. By the time our troops reach the city walls, Yuan Xi's army will already be at our rear. Caught between two forces, our army will surely be defeated.
"My lord should heed Yuan Xi's words, surrender military authority, and peacefully enjoy the stipend of a General of the Van. This would preserve your wife and children, spare the bonds between brothers, and save both armies from the calamity of war. Why not do so?"
Yuan Tan raged, "You want me to surrender?"
Guo Tu said, "Xin Pi's words disrupt our army's morale. His crime deserves execution. From this, it is clear that the Xin brothers intend to defect to Yuan Xi. Otherwise, how could his elder brother, Xin Ping, have lost Qingzhou overnight? It is highly suspicious!"
Fury filled Yuan Tan's