The pursuing team caught up with the bait, but couldn't extract information about Ming Yu's whereabouts, so they killed them and then split up to search.
But there are three routes to Luoyang, and no one knows which one they've taken.
Searching and searching, they had crossed Yan State and were nearing Luoyang without finding anyone. Finally, someone realized, "Could they have gone south, directly into Yu State?"
"General Gou Chun is there."
"The border is so long, General Gou Chun can't possibly watch everywhere." Moreover, not to mention the small roads, some official roads are so worn out that they look just like wild trails.
If Ming Yu is hiding, they simply cannot find him.
Also, playing mind games with a military strategist, the teams sent out have searched to the point their eyes are nearly blind but haven't found anything.
