Zhang He advised, "My lord, do not pursue a desperate enemy. Cao Cao is cunning. Though he has suffered a crushing defeat, the troops led by Xiahou Dun and the other Cao Clan relatives have yet to enter battle. If we pursue too deeply, we may fall into an ambush."
Bai Xiaowen smiled. "General, your concern is sound military reasoning. However, I have other contingencies in place. This pursuit is foolproof."
The contingency Bai Xiaowen spoke of was naturally Han Qiong and numerous other generals, who had already taken Cao Cao's command token and tricked their way into Liyang. It was the second blockade against Cao Cao's southern escape.
Moreover, according to Bai Xiaowen's research, Cao Cao was an exceptionally resilient leader.
Romance of the Three Kingdoms itself praised Liu and disparaged Cao, so Cao Cao's few defeats were naturally given lavish coverage.
A certain unnamed turncoat diplomat, a strong contender for the best memory in the Three Kingdoms, had once summarized Cao Cao's defeats and mocked Cao Cao to his face when he boasted of being "invincible under heaven":
"...When you attacked Lu Bu at PY, when you fought Zhang Xiu at Wancheng; when you met Zhou Yu at Red Cliffs, when you encountered Guan Yu at Huarong; when you cut off your beard and discarded your robe at Tong Pass, when you seized a boat to evade arrows on the Wei River—was this what it meant to be invincible under heaven?"
Cao Cao had suffered many defeats, some minor and some disastrous. Yet after every defeat, he could learn from his mistakes and rise again. He was utterly unlike those leaders who lost one battle, became disheartened, and withdrew from the contest for supremacy.
Of course, some would say that was because Cao Cao's territory was too vast,