Cao Ren cupped his hands and said, "From Xia Pi to the west, we are entering the territories of Yuan Shu and Liu Biao. Lü Bu is likely to either seek refuge with Yuan Shu or Liu Biao."
Guo Jia analyzed calmly, "Yuan Shu is unstable and fickle. Given that their relationship deteriorated over the marriage between Lü Bu's daughter and Yuan Shu's son, Lü Bu will likely avoid him. He is more likely to seek shelter with Liu Biao."
Liu Biao, with his stronghold in Jing Zhou, commands eight districts, is militarily powerful, and has both civil and military talents. If it weren't for Yuan Shao and others in Hebei constraining him, Cao Cao would have already set his sights on Liu Biao.
Cao Cao asked gravely, "If Lü Bu seeks refuge with Liu Biao, what should we do?"
Cao Ren responded, "I request permission to lead an army to pursue Lü Bu, and we must capture him once and for all to eliminate any future threats."
To Cao Ren, Lü Bu's survival was an ongoing danger, and if he remained alive, he would certainly become a thorn in the side of Cao Cao's forces.
But Cao Cao didn't immediately agree. He turned toward Xun You and Guo Jia, seeking their advice.
Xun You clasped his hands. "My lord, I don't agree with sending an army after Lü Bu."
Cao Cao sighed. "Do you worry about the difficulties of marching in the cold and the likelihood that Lü Bu's cavalry will outrun us?"
Xun You shook his head. "Though Lü Bu has many cavalry, he also has the Xian troops and Zhang Liao's thousand infantry, and there are also the baggage and families of his soldiers hindering their speed. Our infantry may be slow, but if we give chase, we can likely catch up."
"However, the main goal of our campaign in Xu Zhou is to gain control over the land and manage it. Now that Lü Bu has left Xu Zhou, there is no need to continue the pursuit."
"Furthermore, Lü Bu will fight desperately for his life. Even if we catch up, there will certainly be heavy casualties, and we may still fail to capture him."
If Lü Bu had stayed in Xia Pi, Xun You would certainly support pursuing and eliminating him. But since he had escaped, chasing him down would only be a waste of resources, and even if Cao Cao managed to catch up, Lü Bu could likely escape.
Cao Cao was frustrated but understood Xun You's reasoning. Still, the idea of leaving Lü Bu to escape unscathed left him uneasy.
Guo Jia, ever the tactician, grinned and said, "My lord, do not worry. Even if Lü Bu manages to reach Jing Zhou, we may still find a way to deal with him."
Cao Cao, intrigued, asked, "What is your idea, Feng Xian?"
Guo Jia replied, "The name of Lü Bu is already infamous. If he heads for Jing Zhou, do you think Liu Biao will welcome him?"
Cao Cao frowned, "Normally, Liu Biao would certainly refuse Lü Bu. After all, he was once involved in the deaths of Ding Yuan and Dong Zhuo."
"However, considering the current chaos in the world, and Lü Bu's fighting abilities, if Liu Biao wants a strong man to defend his borders, he might accept Lü Bu and use him as a pawn, much like how Liu Biao employed Zhang Xiu in the past."
Guo Jia nodded. "Indeed, the world is in turmoil, and Liu Biao will likely accept Lü Bu as a way to defend his own lands. However, this depends entirely on whether Lü Bu manages to break through and escape our pursuit."
"If Liu Biao believes that Lü Bu was intentionally allowed to escape, it will cause him to become suspicious."
Cao Ren raised his brows. "If Liu Biao thinks we allowed Lü Bu to escape, he may either refuse to let him into Jing Zhou or pretend to accept him before secretly planning his demise."
"But Lü Bu's escape was due to his own efforts. Surely, Liu Biao cannot be fooled so easily?" Cao Ren said, concerned.
Guo Jia smiled. "The scouts sent by Liu Biao might learn that Lü Bu escaped, but they cannot ascertain the full details. They wouldn't know if we intentionally let him go."
"This is where we can exploit the situation," Guo Jia continued, "We can send a letter to Liu Biao. We could say that Lü Bu is a hero who once killed Dong Zhuo and is a powerful general. We can explain that we didn't want to kill him and instead allowed him to escape to Jing Zhou, where he could be of service to Liu Biao."
"If Liu Biao reads the letter, he will grow suspicious of Lü Bu's escape and may turn on him without us having to lift a finger."
Cao Cao's eyes lit up. "So, you're suggesting we sow discord between Liu Biao and Lü Bu by playing on Liu Biao's suspicion."
Guo Jia nodded. "Indeed, this is a classic example of using a wedge to create division and letting someone else do the dirty work."
"But do not expect too much, my lord. Liu Biao is no fool. Even if he reads the letter, he may not act immediately against Lü Bu."
Cao Cao smiled wickedly. "Let's proceed with this plan. If Liu Biao kills Lü Bu, then all the better. Even if he doesn't, we lose nothing. The most important thing is to make sure Liu Biao has doubts about Lü Bu. Once that happens, Lü Bu will never find peace in Jing Zhou."
This plan was a bold gamble. Cao Cao had already committed most of his forces to the Xu Zhou campaign, and now that the region was almost under his control, Lü Bu's escape was the last loose end to tie up. Cao Cao couldn't afford to let Lü Bu return to fight again.
With this new strategy, Cao Cao began drafting a letter to Liu Biao, using Guo Jia's scheme to turn Liu Biao against Lü Bu.
Meanwhile, Lü Bu, with his remaining forces, had finally reached Shu Nan, an area within Ruan Nan County, after two days of hurried travel. The area was once prosperous, but after the Yellow Turban Rebellion and Yuan Shu's mismanagement, it had become a barren land.
Lü Bu and his men were now far from the reaches of Cao Cao's army, but still, the next steps remained uncertain. He was heading to Jing Zhou, hoping to find refuge with Liu Biao, but as Guo Jia had predicted, even that would be no easy feat.