Lu Fan and Yuan Xu fought for a day, but they were not sure of the outcome.

Lu Fan's subordinates were more refined and had relatively better equipment. They had always taken the initiative, but the double-difference in military strength still made Lu Fan feel more pressured. He wanted to reveal a flaw and lure Yuan Xu to attack, but Yuan Xu was very cautious and took every step forward, but instead made Lu Fan dare not take it lightly.

Both of them played conservatively and neither of them took much advantage.

That night, Lu Fan received a message from Sun Ce that Zhang Chao and Dong Fang led 20,000 Chen Liu troops to Suiyang. Sun Ce asked him to retreat immediately and return to Suiyang to preside over the war. Although he had known this possibility for a long time, Lu Fan still felt it was a pity. However, he knew Sun Ce's plan and knew that it was a very good opportunity. Without saying a word, he pulled out the camp overnight and withdrew.

The next day, when Yuan Xu finished breakfast and was about to lead his troops out of the camp to fight, the scout came to report that there was no one in Lu Fan's camp.

Yuan Xu was stunned for a while, and didn't know what was going on, so he had to send scouts to inquire about the news. After a day of struggle, Yuan Xu finally confirmed that Lu Fan had withdrawn and was in a hurry. In one day, he rushed to Jishi and almost marched quickly.

Yuan Xu didn't understand why, but he still sent a letter to Yuan Tan to explain the situation, and continued to lead his troops to advance towards Changyi.

After reading Yuan Xu's military newspaper, Yuan Tan took a lot of effort to hold back his smile.

"George, Sun Ce should have received the news, what do you think he will deal with it?"

Xinpi was very calm. "He will retreat in the end, but he shouldn't retreat so simply. If he had the chance, he would definitely raid Yuan Jiyin and then retreat again so that he could retreat more decently."

Yuan Tan felt that Xinpi was right. Chenliu and Jiyin sent troops one after another, and Lu Fan was forced to retreat, indicating that Sun Ce's offensive was curbed and he would have to retreat next. With Sun Ce's character, how could he swallow this breath if he didn't fight a war and retreat again.

"Are we going out of the city to pick us up?"

"No, please remind Yuan Jiyin to be careful. Even if Sun Ce kicks the camp successfully, it will not affect the overall situation. Let him be arrogant for a while first, and wait until the army is assembled and then lure him, and maybe one blow will be successful."

Yuan Tan nodded repeatedly. "I was angry and stumbled, and humble and arrogant, which was consistent with the style of military strategy. George, should I write a letter to stimulate him?"

"You can try it."

Yuan Tan immediately called the master Ruan Yu and asked him to write a letter to Sun Ce. Ruan Yu was from Chenliu and a disciple of Cai Yong. When Sun Ce entered Yuzhou, he asked Cai Yong to ask for a letter to invite Ruan Yu, but Ruan Yu ignored him. Yuan Tan entered Yanzhou, and Mao Jie of the same county recommended him to Yuan Tan to write a document for Yuan Tan. Writing articles was a matter of family skills. He could write them in a short while.

After reading this, Yuan Tan laughed. "George, would you say Sun Ce be so angry that he wanted to kill someone when he saw this letter?"

Xinpi also read it and smiled and said, "I guess not. Why don't we make a bet?"

"Go and bet." Yuan Tan was in a very good mood and agreed immediately. After making an appointment for the bet, he asked again: "Why did you say you didn't?"

"Sun Ce is not Sun Jian. Although he is young, he still has a certain ability to control anger. Besides, there is Guo Jia around him, Guo Jia will definitely remind him. The gap between the enemy and us is huge. No matter how reckless Sun Ce is, he will not act impulsively and will die." Xinpi raised his eyebrows, and a cruel smile appeared in his eyes. He paused and said, "But the small effect does not mean that there is nothing. It is like a small flame, which may be blown out in one breath, or the entire house may be burned."

Yuan Tan thought. "George, if it weren't for you, I wouldn't have defeated Sun Ce. You are my ovary."

Xinpi turned his gaze away. "Empress, this is the beginning of the counterattack. It is still far from victory. Don't take it lightly."

Before Sun Ce received Yuan Tan's letter, he had already received news from Lu Fan and knew that Yuan Xu was coming. After reading the letter, he laughed and reached out to bounce the letter paper. "This Ruan Yuanyu is worthy of being a disciple of Cai Boyi. The article is very well written, and he doesn't spit out dirty words."

Guo Jia took it and took a look, pinched it into a ball, and threw it aside. "If the article is well written, you can decide the outcome, and the world will be simple. Don't look at Ruan Yu's arrogance and conceit, and when the general wins the world, he will write an article and scold Yuan Tan, he might write better than this article."

Sun Ce couldn't help laughing loudly. Guo Jia was a stubborn young man. He had read some ancient Chinese and thought that a good article could turn the world around the world. He yearned for stories like Li Bai's drunken cursive Chinese calligraphy. Later, he learned a little about historical events and realized that these are all legends in the market. Articles are articles, and they cannot play such a big role. Those so-called stories that influence history only saw the articles, but deliberately or unintentionally ignored the history behind them.

Not to mention anything else, Ruan Yu is also a noble person in folk legend and does not cooperate with Cao Cao, but in fact he is ranked among the seven sons of Jian'an and sang with Cao Pi and others. He is a guest of the Cao father and son. If he can win the world, Ruan Yu must have written articles to praise him or scold Yuan Tan for him.

As a literati, there are a few who are truly honest, at least Ruan Yu is not, nor is his son Ruan Ji.

"Then how do we deal with it?"

"Ignore him."

"It's that simple?"

"Ignoring him is just because he is angry and cannot be expressed. He has been angry with him, but he has not yet reached the point of losing his mind. A letter is useless, but it is Xinpi's means to test the general. The general needs to give the reaction he wants to see so that he can think he can make himself be able to lead him into the trap step by step."

Sun Ce pondered for a moment. "Then should we vent before we retreat?"

"It doesn't matter whether or not to vent, but the general must grasp the standard and not backfire." Guo Jia thought for a while and said, "I think it's better to endure it first. This is just the beginning. If the general loses control at this time and does not match the general's previous record, it will easily arouse Xinpi's vigilance. We should give him a little surprise. For Xinpi, the stronger the general, the more fulfilling the defeat of the general, the more tempting it will be to him. If the general is too weak, he may not be interested."

Sun Ce shook his head. These people are masters who can understand people's hearts, and none of them are good at it. Needless to say, Guo Jia, Xinpi is also an important figure in helping Cao Pi compete for the throne. So if you count it carefully, Sima Yi is his junior.

"Okay, it's up to you."

Sun Ce did not write a reply, and asked someone to bomb the messenger directly, then drove away from Changyi and retreated to Dongchang.

After hearing the reward, Yuan Tan was deeply moved and convincingly offered a bet: a jade pendant, and then asked Xinpi if he wanted to go out of the city to chase him.

Xin Pi shook his head, stared at the jade pendant in his hand for a long time, and raised the corner of his mouth slightly. "Don't worry, wait for news from Liu He. If he can break through the East China Sea, Pengcheng, and cut off Sun Ce's retreat, this battle will be a pleasure."

"Can Liu He do it?"

"If he can, his losses will not be small. If he wants to survive, he must obtain the support of the envoy. If he can't..." Xinpi raised his head and looked at Yuan Tan with a smile. "Then he will have to lower his head even more when he sees the envoy."

Yuan Tan woke up in his dream, patted his forehead and laughed loudly.
Chapter completed!