Cut off your beard and throw away your robe. Describe being defeated and down and out.
During the Three Kingdoms period, Zhong You, the general of Cao Cao, failed to attack Shu and retreated to Tongguan, so he sent Cao Hong and Huang Xu to Tongguan. Cao Hong lost Tongguan in only nine days. Cao Cao led an army to attack Tongguan and was defeated by Ma Chao. In order to escape, Cao Cao cut off his beard, lost his shirt and fled back to the base camp in disguise.
Strengthen defense engineering
The strong city wall is to strengthen the city wall and fortress; Clearing the field is to collect food and property in the wild. It is untenable to reinforce fortifications and transfer all residents and materials in the four fields so that the enemy can neither break into houses nor take anything. This is a way to confront the superior enemy.