The novel also writes that Cao Cao really retreated from Wulin to Huarong Road, and laughed three times on the way. Zhuge Liang and Zhou Yu were not wise enough to lie in a dangerous place. However, Zhao Zilong, who laughed it off, was able to escape thanks to Zhao Yun, the double enemy of Huang Xu and Zhang Liao. Two laughed out of Zhang Yide, two generals, Zhang Liao and Huang Xu, boycotted Zhang Fei and made Cao Cao escape again. San Xiao is serious, laughing at Guan Yunchang. He is on the narrow road of Huarong Road, which is dangerous, while one person guards it. In addition, Cao Jun has been unable to fight again at this time. Helpless, Cao Cao had to personally plead with Guan Yu to let him go. Guan Yu read the old feelings and let Cao Cao go back to Jiangling.
The above description of the romance of the Three Kingdoms is not entirely a pen out of thin air. Cao Cao retired from Chibi and took Huarong Road instead of Guan Yu; Cao Cao did laugh on the way, but not three times, but once; What Cao Cao laughed at was not that Zhuge Liang and Zhou Yu had no wisdom, but that Liu Bei was slow to act despite his scheming; After Cao Cao smiled, there was indeed an enemy situation, but there was no danger.
According to the Records of the Three Kingdoms, Cao Cao seized Zhou Yu's fire attack at Chibi, simply set fire to the remaining warships, and led his army to retreat to Jiangling through Huarong. Sun Liu's allied forces went hand in hand with land and water, and followed Cao Jun closely.
In fact, although Cao Cao was defeated at that time, the situation he faced was not very serious. Because before Battle of Red Cliffs, Cao Caoqiang, Sun Liuwei, Sun Quan and Liu Bei first considered how to defeat Cao Cao's powerful offensive, so that Cao Cao could not cross the Yangtze River to save his sphere of influence or ensure that he would not be wiped out by Cao Cao. In the case of the outcome is not clear, they did not and could not take out some troops to ambush on the route that Cao Cao might retreat. Therefore, on the way to retreat, Cao Cao did not ambush, although there were pursuers behind him. However, on the way to Huarong, I met unimaginable difficulties.
"The History of the Three Kingdoms and Emperor Wudi" Pei Songzhi quoted "Yang Shan Gong Zi Ji" as saying: Cao Cao's warship was burned and he led his army back on foot from Huarong Road. Huarong Road was muddy and impassable, and it was windy that day, which made it even more difficult to walk. So Cao Cao ordered the weak soldiers to mow the grass to pave the way and let the army pass. The soldiers were trampled by people and horses, got stuck in the mud and died countless times. Seeing that the army was about to pass Huarong Road, Cao Cao couldn't help laughing. The generals have panicked. When they saw Cao Cao laughing, they were puzzled and asked why Cao Cao was laughing. Cao Cao said: "Liu Bei's intelligence is comparable to mine, but his strategy is always one step behind me;" If he had sent fast horses to Huarong Road to set fire, we would have been wiped out. " As soon as Cao Cao's voice fell, Liu Bei, the pursuer of Ma Bao, started to ignite with the wind behind him. But Cao Cao's army has crossed Huarong Road and headed for Jiangling.
"Romance of the Three Kingdoms" wrote Cao Cao and San Xiao, laughing at three outstanding figures, in order to show that although Cao Cao was treacherous, he was not as clever as Zhuge Liang. In Huarong Road, Guan Yu's interpretation of Cao Cao was written to show Guan Yu's benevolence and righteousness, and the author tried to deify Zhuge Liang and Guan Yu, not historical facts.