"What should we do?" Xiahou Mao was utterly at a loss.
Yang Qiu shook his head. "Liu Bei has come to seize the Yong-Liang Region with the strength of an entire state. How could a prince consort possibly withstand that? Even General Zidan would find it difficult to face him alone. The ministers at court have failed to grasp the situation, and no reinforcements from Luoyang have appeared yet."
"The die is cast. Marquis of Linjing, help me come up with a plan." Xiahou Mao had completely lost his head and no longer had an opinion of his own.
"I heard earlier that Zhang Fei had marched out from Mount Qi, and now Chencang has fallen to Liu Bei as well. If General Zidan can see through their scheme early and dispatch troops to reinforce Chang'an by way of Long Mountain, or if Luoyang's reinforcements can arrive within a few days, perhaps we can still hold on." Yang Qiu spoke only of the facts, not the outcome. Once he uttered the words "abandon the city," this retired general might well be implicated in the future.
"The General of the Upper Army has been tied down by Zhang Fei. Even if he truly splits off troops to reinforce Chang'an, I doubt there will be many. There has been no word from Luoyang either; the reinforcements probably will not arrive so quickly." Xiahou Mao paced back and forth as he spoke. Suddenly, he looked solemnly at Yang Qiu and asked tentatively, "How about we make a tactical withdrawal from Chang'an before Liu Bei's main force arrives?"
"Er... holding is possible, and retreating is possible as well," Yang Qiu answered ambiguously.
Just as Xiahou Mao hesitated, a guard rushed in through the doorway, his face stricken with panic. "Prince Consort! To the southwest,