Taking them all away was the best possible choice.
Guandu.
Pontoon bridges stretched across the water. Under the soldiers' supervision and prodding, the common people formed long lines to cross the river, alongside horse-drawn and ox-drawn carts laden with grain and supplies.
"Hurry up! Move faster!"
"Stop dawdling, all of you!"
"If you don't hurry, I'll whip you!"
Whips in hand, Cao Army soldiers barked ferociously at the common people, urging them across the river. Anyone who walked a little too slowly received a lash.
Though the people crossing the river were full of resentment, they dared not resist Cao Army soldiers armed with weapons and could only swallow their anger in silence.
After all, this was Cao Cao's army-the army that had massacred Xu Province three times!
On the riverbank not far away.
Watching the vast stream of people crossing the river, Cao Ren turned to an exceptionally young officer beside him and asked, "Zidan, where have the imperial court's troops reached?"
Cao Zhen thought for a moment, then answered truthfully, "According to the report that arrived the day before yesterday, Lü Bu has crossed the Yellow River, entered Dong Commandery, and taken Puyang."
"We don't have much time left." Cao Ren's brow furrowed deeply at this, and he said gravely, "They've already entered Dong Commandery. It won't be long before they discover we've withdrawn from Yan Province."
"We must speed up the retreat."
Cao Zhen sighed. "General, it isn't that I'm unwilling to move faster. We simply can't."
Dragging so many common people along on a retreat was no easy task. They were not an army, after all, and managing them was extremely troublesome.
Although they had begun retreating several days in advance, nearly half the people had yet to be evacuated, and they would still need a