Liu Yi barely managed to rush out of the city amid the chaos, but what greeted him was a rain of arrows. Before his horse's hooves could hit the ground, both he and his horse were shot like hedgehogs and rolled in the dust.
When Tian Yu saw that Liu Yi was killed in battle and a fire broke out at the south gate of the city, all the Liaodong cavalry were trapped in the city. He ordered his men to cut off the heads of the people, put them on spears and led his troops to kill eastward.
At this time, the Liaodong Army was still attacking the city with all their might. Many soldiers had already climbed to the top of the city walls. Their morale was high. Suddenly, they heard shouts of killing coming from behind them. The rear army was in chaos. Someone shouted, "Liu Yi is dead!"
The soldiers looked back and saw Cao's army turning back and charging towards them. Tian Yu was holding a bloody head. It was indeed Liu Yi. They were all shocked and turned around and left.
Many soldiers who were climbing the city wall were in a dilemma in mid-air. While they were hesitating, Tian Pengzu also led his troops to the scene and killed the enemy soldiers who were climbing the city wall. Arrows were shot down from the city wall, and the Liaodong soldiers screamed and fell to the ground.
Tian Pengzu divided his troops to guard the city gates and led his troops out from the north gate. He joined forces with Tian Yu and killed the enemy troops outside the city. The Liaodong army was defeated and fled.
Tian Pengzu was about to send people to pack up the military equipment and baggage and return to the city, but Tian Yu assembled his troops to chase after the remaining troops, saying, "Liu Yi is dead. The Liaodong army is nothing to worry about. We are lucky to have defended Beihai. Father, please don't chase after them anymore."
Tian Yuyan said: "You can't get a tiger cub without going into the tiger's den. The enemy army is leaderless and the defeated army is fleeing. They will surely be in chaos. Now is the time to destroy them in one fell swoop. Otherwise, the Wu army will arrive and the Liaodong army will regroup to take revenge. If we let the enemy go for a day, we will be in trouble for generations!"
Tian Pengzu was worried and asked, "What should we do if the Wu soldiers arrive?"
Tian Yu sneered, "Liu Yi has been besieging Beihai for half a month and has the upper hand. Now Zhou Yu is besieging Anqiu to capture Cheng Xi. How could he have expected that I would devise a brilliant plan to defeat the Liaodong army? Anqiu is still a hundred miles away. By the time the Wu army arrives, I will have already defeated the Liaodong army!"
"Father, that's a good idea!" Tian Pengzu suddenly realized, and immediately led his elite troops with Tian Yu to chase after the defeated army, leaving only the original 2,000 soldiers to defend the city.
The main force of the 5,000 Cao troops led by Tian Yu were selected from the Qingzhou soldiers. Another 1,000 cavalry were Hu people who surrendered when Cao Cao conquered the Wuhuan. Although they were not as elite as the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry, their equipment and strength were comparable to those of Xiahou Dun and Zhang Liao's troops. They were guarding the coastal area of Qingzhou to prevent further rebellion.
Although the Liaodong army was large in number, the great general Liu Yi was beheaded, and the front army was in chaos. They were ambushed by the troops led by Tian Yu, and some fled or scattered, and the army was completely defeated. When they fled back to their own camp, the whole army was in an uproar and the morale of the army was in chaos.
At this time, Gongsun Yang had just received a letter from Gongsun Kang, discussing with him whether to join forces with Cao's army to counterattack Dongwu. As he was hesitating over the plan, the defeated army suddenly escaped and reported the news, which shocked him beyond words.
Before they could come up with a countermeasure, Cao's army had already arrived in front of the camp. Gongsun Yang made a quick decision and ordered, "Retreat!"
Liu Yi ignored the advice and led his officers and elite soldiers to attack the city. The front army was defeated, so how could he count on the logistics soldiers left in the camp
Tian Yu took the lead and rushed straight into the camp. The elite troops of Liaodong all followed Liu Yi to the battle. The officers were killed in the battle, and there was no one to lead the troops in the camp. The whole army was in chaos and everyone fled for their lives.
Cao's army rushed into the camp and clashed with each other, but no one stopped them. Instead, the Liaodong army scrambled for supplies and fled, with soldiers and horses trampling on each other, and countless people died.
By the evening, Cao's army had captured the Liaodong army's main camp and obtained countless weapons, money and food. Tian Yu ordered Tian Pengzu to lead his troops to escort them, while he led his troops back to the city to deploy defenses.
When he returned to the city, he saw that the four gates were tightly closed and the soldiers on the city were in very orderly order. Although there was still smoke from beacons, there was no sign of chaos. Tian Yu was puzzled. Could it be that there was another talented person in the army who was so skilled in commanding troops
He urged his horse to the foot of the city and ordered his men to knock on the gate. Suddenly, there was a sound of drums from the city wall, and the flag of Eastern Wu was suddenly raised. Tian Yu was frightened and turned his horse back a few steps.
Under the big flag, a general came out with a sword in hand, laughing and saying, "Tian Yu, can you meet Zhou Lang from Jiangdong?"
"Zhou Yu?" Tian Yu looked at the imposing general on the city wall in astonishment. He immediately became furious and pointed at the city wall and shouted, "How dare you, little Zhou Yu, steal my city?"
Zhou Yu laughed loudly and said, "The whole world belongs to the king. Cao Cao usurped the throne. This city was originally stolen by Cao Cao. I am acting on behalf of heaven. Do you dare to bite me back?"
Tian Yu had never thought that Zhou Yu would take advantage of the situation. Beihai was lost, and he was afraid that Qingzhou would be lost. He was so angry that he trembled all over and cursed: "Jiangdong rats, do you dare to fight me to the death?"
Zhou Yu laughed and said, "General Tian, Cao Cao is like Dong Zhuo. He has lost the hearts of the people and is about to be defeated. I respect your ability. Why don't you abandon the dark and join the light, and destroy Cao thief with me, and still preserve your reputation? If you are loyal to Cao, you will be infamous for thousands of years!"
Tian Yu sneered, "Prime Minister Cao was ordered to suppress the rebellion and protect the imperial power. I am a minister of the Han Dynasty, and I am ordered by the emperor to protect the territory. How can I be in the same group with you traitors?"
Zhou Yu sighed, "In the past, when the princes were fighting and the world was in chaos, Cao Mengde led the uprising army to eliminate the brutality and was a loyal minister! But now he has usurped the throne and established a country. His intention to usurp the throne is obvious. General, you are a hero of the time, how can you not understand the truth?"
Tian Yu laughed loudly and said, "Zhou Yu, don't be so arrogant. No matter how you think of Prime Minister Cao, I am only a Han official, serving the imperial court by imperial order. It is Sun Quan and his two sons who have ruled Jiangdong and have long revealed their rebellious intentions. You who have invaded our borders are nothing but rebels seeking personal gain!"
Zhou Yu's face darkened slightly, and he wanted to argue, but then he sighed: "The Marquis of Wu led Jiangdong and calmed the people's hearts. He had long intended to meet the emperor, but the emperor was held hostage by Cao Cao, and his mission was cut off. He had no choice. When the time comes for the king to quell the rebellion, the whole world will know."
Tian Yu sneered and was about to provoke Zhou Yu to fight, but suddenly he heard a noise from the rear. He was startled to see many defeated soldiers fleeing back, and hurriedly retreated his troops.
Tian Pengzu came in a panic, his armor in disarray, and reported: "Not long after my father left, we were attacked by the Wu army and our supplies were robbed."
"It's Zhou Yu's evil plot again!" Tian Yu was furious. He knew that the situation was hopeless and it would be useless to go to the city again. So he led the remaining troops to retreat to Jinan to meet Xiahou Dun.
Not long after Cao's army retreated, Ding Feng led his troops to escort supplies. As night fell, the team stretched out like a long dragon, large and small carts entered the city, and supplies piled up like mountains.
Ding Feng returned to the city to hand over the order, laughing and saying, "The Grand Commander has a brilliant plan. Tian Yu really hunted down the Liaodong Army and wiped out its main force. It feels so good to be the oriole!"
Zhou Yu said: "Although we have obtained Beihai, we have just arrived in Qingzhou and the people are not stable. Xiahou Dun's army will arrive soon. We need to stabilize the territory as soon as possible, win over the people's hearts, and reserve money and food before we can deal with Cao's army."
Ding Feng clasped his fists and said, "I will follow the orders of the Grand Commander."
Zhou Yu ordered: "I have ordered Liu Canjun to go to Donglai to persuade the counties to surrender. Now the Liaodong troops are defeated and their morale is low. They must want to return home. General Ding will lead the troops to take over the counties today. Those Liaodong soldiers who want to return will be sent back home, and those who want to stay will be incorporated into the army. It is important to take Qingzhou first."
Ding Feng took the order and left. Zhou Yu then ordered the magistrate of Pingshou County to write a letter to persuade Cheng Xi to surrender, and sent someone to Anqiu. He also ordered Xu Sheng to withdraw his troops ten miles and let Cheng Xi decide whether to stay or leave.