Though Liu Bei was outnumbered（数量上超过） by Cao Cao's troops in the Xinye battle, Liu defeated Cao thanks to the smart tactic he had resorted to. Cao soon commanded an army of 500,000 to take his revenge. When Liu Bei and his force of 3,000 got to Dangyang County, they were stopped by Cao's troops. A bitter fight lasted until dawn and the Liu army narrowly managed to loose the chasing enemy.

As day broke, General Zhao Yun discovered that Liu Bei's wife and son were missing. Zhao gathered 30 troops and fought his way back onto the battlefield to look for Liu's wife, Madam Mi, and son, A Dou. With the help of a middle-aged woman, Zhao Yun found Madam Mi and A Dou by the side of a dry well behind a collapsed wall. Madam Mi said: "A Dou is safe now with you, General. I'd rather die than encumber（阻碍，妨害） you." When Zhao Yun was not looking her way, Madam Mi threw herself into the well.

Suddenly, Cao troops came charging toward Zhao Yun. With tears in his eyes, Zhao Yun pushed down what remained of the collapsed wall to cover the dry well. He then held A Dou against his chest and rode his horse onward as he fought off attackers. It took Zhao Yun three rounds of combat to fight off the chasing enemy. At one point Zhao was engaged by General Zhang He and a unit of Cao's troops. Zhao and Zhang fought a dozen rounds and Zhao tried to break the siege（围攻） . But Zhao Yun and his horse unexpectedly fell into a trap. Just as Zhang He charged to pierce Zhao Yun with his spear, Zhao's horse leapt out of the trap. Zhang He was taken aback by the sudden move and his horse backed off several gaits（步行靴） . Zhao Yun fought Cao's generals and troops single-handedly. No one could get close to him. Cao Cao, who was watching the battle from a nearby hilltop, ordered that Zhao Yun be captured alive. Zhao Yun made the most of Cao's no-kill order and broke through the siege in the end. When he returned to his camp, Zhao Yun handed the young master to Liu Bei.