The stratagem was decided upon. Soon the scouts told Tsʻao that the defenders of the city had moved to the north-west where noisy preparations for defence were going on. The opposite corner was left undefended. “They have fallen into my trap,” said Tsʻao Tsʻao gleefully. They prepared shovels and hooks and all the gear needed for scaling walls, and all day they kept up the attack on the north-west angle. But at the second watch they despatched the veterans to the opposite corner, where they climbed the wall, broke up the abatis and got into the city apparently without disturbing any of the guards. There was no sign of life anywhere as they entered. But just as they were leaving the wall suddenly a bomb exploded and they found themselves in an ambush. They turned to retire, but Chang Hsiu immediately fell on the rear. Tsʻao’s men were totally defeated and fled out of the gate into the country. Chang Hsiu kept up the pursuit till daybreak, when he retired into the city again. Tsʻao Tsʻao then rallied his army and mustered his men. He had lost five legions and much baggage, while two of his captains, Lü Chʻien and Yü Chin were wounded. Tsʻao Tsʻao being thus worsted, Chang Hsiu wrote off to Liu Piao to cut off his retreat that he might be utterly destroyed. An army was preparing for this purpose when a scout came to say that Sun Tsʻê had encamped at Hukʻou. Kʻuai Liang urged the immediate departure of the expedition as he said this move of Sun Tsʻê was part of Tsʻao Tsʻao’s strategy and there would be never-ending regret if he were allowed to escape. Wherefore Liu Piao moved out with his army to Anchung, leaving Huang Tsu to hold the point of vantage. Chang Hsiu, having been informed of the movement to attack his enemy in the rear, went with Chia Hsü to smite him once more. In the meantime Tsʻao Tsʻao’s army, marching very leisurely, had arrived at Hsianchʻêng. Walking one day beside the Yushui River he suddenly uttered a great cry, and when his officers asked the reason thereof he replied, “I remembered that here, only a year ago, I lost my great captain Tien Wei. Is that not a reason to grieve?” Thereupon he gave orders to halt while he should make a great sacrifice and mourn for his lost leader. At the ceremony he himself burned incense and wailed and prostrated himself. The army was much affected by his devotion. After the sacrifices to the lost hero, he sacrificed to the names of his nephew Tsʻao An-ming and his eldest son Tsʻao An, both of whom had died at the same time. He also sacrificed to his lost soldiers and even to his steed which had been killed by an arrow. Soon Hsün Yü wrote to tell him that Liu Piao had gone to help Chang Hsiu and was camped at Anchung, thereby cutting his road of retreat. Tsʻao replied to the letter saying, “I have been marching only a short distance each day and of course knew of the pursuit. But my plans are laid and, as I near Anchung, my enemy will be broken. You need not have any fears.”