The relay station on the road from Chen to Shouchun.
Cao Cao, Xiahou Yuan, and Xu Chu rested here for a moment.
Tiger guards were already waiting and handed an urgent dispatch, newly received, to Cao Cao…
"Urgent dispatch from Pengze! Urgent dispatch from Lujiang!"
Upon hearing the report from the tiger guards, Cao Cao's eyes narrowed slightly. He seemed to have thought of something and quickly took the dispatch, unfolding it rapidly.
It wasn't until he unfolded it that he realized…
As his gaze swept over the text, Cao Cao immediately took a deep breath. The words on the urgent dispatch were like an electric current, surging down from the top of his head.
He thought he had misread it and quickly rubbed his eyes, looking again. It was indeed true.
Suddenly, his body trembled.
Because…
The content of these two urgent dispatches was ten, even a hundred times more shocking than what Yu'er had told him a few hours ago…
To know that what Yu'er told Cao Cao was merely that Cheng Yu was dispatched to cooperate with Liu Xun and Huang Zu in setting up an ambush at Pengze and Lujiang, to lie in wait for Sun Ce's Jiangdong troops.
Considering the fighting strength of Liu Xun and Huang Zu's forces, Cao Cao's original hope was simply for a victory, to hold Lujiang Commandery.
After all…
Whether it was the increasingly renowned Little Hegemon Sun Bofu, or that valiant Jiangdong contingent, neither was to be trifled with.
But…
The conclusion mentioned in the letters, or rather, the battle reports, contained only two words – a complete victory!
On the Pengze battlefield, all eight thousand Jiangdong soldiers perished, and even Sun Ce's clan brothers, Sun Ben and Sun Fu, were shot to death by a barrage of arrows!
Even more exaggerated was the Lujiang battlefield…
Of the over twenty thousand Jiangdong soldiers, fewer than three thousand managed to escape. Sun Ce's maternal uncle, Wu Jing, perished, and Sun Ce's uncle, Sun Jing, was killed in battle.
The entire battlefield saw over fourteen thousand enemies slain and over three thousand captured, along with the seizure of over a hundred warships.
If this…
Was enough to shock Cao Cao immensely!
The final piece of news, as Yu'er had predicted, was that Lujiang Commandery had hoisted the "Cao" banner.
An envoy from Huang Zu was also en route, seeking to establish friendly relations with Cao Cao…
Even… neighboring commanderies surrendered at the mere sight of this victory.
This…
It seemed that overnight, the entire situation in Yang Province had completely changed, becoming clearer and exceptionally favorable to him, Cao Cao.
As the night wind blew, Cao Cao's body trembled. He was overwhelmed with excitement!
A complete victory, and one with a massive impact!
Cao Cao, a veteran of countless battles, understood this all too well.
Even with an ambush, achieving such a complete victory was not easy.
It required not only anticipating the enemy but also making extremely meticulous deployments, seamless and interconnected, where even the slightest oversight would not be tolerated.
But… Yu'er had accomplished it!
Cao Cao's lips curled up unconsciously.
Finally, as his emotions continued to swell, he laughed, bursting into a hearty laugh, his devilish laughter echoing under the moonlight!
"Big Brother, why do you laugh?" Xiahou Yuan quickly asked.
"Haha…" Cao Cao replied with a laugh, "Lu Sinong took Lujiang city without shedding a drop of blood. The Prefects of Pengze and Shangliao cities have also surrendered, and half of Yang Province is now in our hands."
What?
What?
Xiahou Yuan was a bit bewildered…
What was going on?
Lu Sinong took Lujiang, Shangliao, and Pengze? This… shouldn't be!
After all, Xiahou Yuan had besieged Shouchun city for a full month before finally taking it down with a series of "Inner Discipline Orders."
But… Lu Yu was in Chen, and how many soldiers did he have? Only a few hundred from the Dragon Cavalry?
How… could he have taken it down so easily?
This sounded utterly preposterous!
"Big Brother? Could it be… fake? Or… is it a trick by these Yang Province warlords?" Xiahou Yuan remained full of doubt…
"Impossible, absolutely impossible!"
Cao Cao waved his sleeves. "Commander Cheng Si of the Dragon Cavalry and Wen Lie are both in Lujiang Commandery. Just a few hours ago, a great victory was won at the road connecting Wan City of Lujiang Commandery and Shangliao City. Sun Ce's Jiangdong troops were thoroughly defeated and fled like stray dogs! Even the Little Hegemon of Jiangdong, Sun Bofu, fell to Wen Lie's spear. Hahaha, in such circumstances, it's not surprising that the cities and commanderies surrendered at the mere sight of us."
Although Cao Cao spoke with a casual air…
In reality, he was still feeling a sense of lingering fear.
If… if not for Yu'er's prior planning and deployment!
Or if there had been even the slightest slip-up in the planning process, the control of half of Yang Province today would be a different story.
Once Sun Ce captured Lujiang Commandery, those surrounding cities and commanderies would inevitably have surrendered to him, Sun Bofu, under the force of his arms.
This would have created a significant advantage for Sun Ce, translating into tens of thousands of troops, hundreds of thousands of supplies, and dozens of cities.
Yu'er's actions had far-reaching consequences!
"Big Brother… then…" Xiahou Yuan still wanted to speak…
"Let's go, we've rested enough!" Cao Cao mounted his horse. "We'll return to Shouchun first. There, I will arrange for the defense of these cities and commanderies. Furthermore, there's also…"
As he thought of this, two names flashed in Cao Cao's eyes – Liu Bei and Lu Bu!
Besides the defense of Lujiang, Shangliao, and Pengze, it was time to settle matters with Liu Bei and Lu Bu in Xiaopei, Xiapi, and Guangling.
The grand strategy proposed by Yu'er, "Eastward Watch, Westward Unify, Southward Traverse, Northward Conciliate, Central Stabilize," was now time to be put on the agenda and set sail!
"Giddy up…"
"Clip-clop… clip-clop!"
Moments later, the neighing of horses and the sound of hooves echoed on the official road.
Mint was planted around the relay station, and the evening breeze carried a faint minty aroma, making Cao Cao, Xiahou Yuan, and Xu Chu feel particularly refreshed.
Especially Cao Cao, who now spurred his horse onward, his mood exceptionally good.
His heart was filled with an urgent, pulsating excitement!
If not for Lady Yin in Shouchun city to help him cool down, this excitement might have been difficult to quell.
However…
They were still some distance from Shouchun city, and as the saying goes – the whip couldn't reach!
…
…
Dawn.
In Jiangnan, at a port.
Dozens of ships docked, and Jiangdong soldiers, battered and bruised, their bodies weary, slowly disembarked from the vessels.
The chilling river wind swept across the entire riverbank. These exhausted Jiangdong disciples appeared particularly glaring!
They were truly tired, not just physically, but more so mentally. They had never been this weary before.
In the past few years, following the "Little Hegemon Sun Bofu," their idol, they had swept across Jiangdong. When had they ever been so disheveled?
This time, they had lost, utterly lost.
Like stray dogs!
But…
This was supposed to be a surprise attack planned by their strategist, Zhou Gongjin, just like all his ingenious plans in the past!
It was supposed to be led by their idolized god of war, Sun Ce, charging forward, just as he had conquered the six commanderies of Jiangdong. Yet, in the end… they found themselves trapped, facing certain death.
Many Jiangdong soldiers knelt on the ground, their heads hitting the boards. In this battle, they had lost their relatives, brothers, and comrades!
But after curses and anger, they found themselves still powerless.
Of the twenty-eight thousand who had set out, only three thousand returned, and most were wounded.
Such a disastrous defeat would become a nightmare for the Jiangdong soldiers, tormenting their dreams every night.
Discontent began to spread within the army…
Many were discussing whose fault this defeat was.
Was it a flaw in strategist Zhou Yu's planning?
Or perhaps… their lord Sun Ce was defeated by the enemy general, leading to a complete rout?
Or…
Or perhaps they should never have coveted Jiangbei, or places beyond their reach.
Even as they disembarked from the ships, some Jiangdong disciples, due to exhaustion, collapsed on the riverbank…
Many had no strength left and staggered, falling into the river, or by the riverbank, unable to rise again.
They wished for wine, strong liquor, to relieve their grief and bewilderment.
But… there was no wine!
Nor would any Jiangdong magnates offer them wine again. These magnates were very opportunistic.
Under the pretense of a great victory, intimidated by Sun Ce's might, these prominent families would offer money and grain.
But in defeat, who would be willing to support a pack of stray dogs?
At this moment… the Jiangdong soldiers longed to find women in brothels to vent their frustrations.
But… in defeat, it was even questionable whether their army pay for the next month would be guaranteed, and women in brothels were too luxurious for them.
Sun Ce rode his horse… across the Yangtze River, gazing far into the distance at the opposite bank.
He remained silent, constantly silent.
The sky was about to break, and the sunlight began to bloom from the darkness, falling into his eyes, filled with resentment and killing intent.
This battle…
He had not only lost four great generals: Sun Ben, Sun Fu, Sun Jing, and Wu Jing;
He had not only lost over twenty thousand Jiangdong disciples, but more importantly… the entire army had lost its edge.
The myth of the Little Hegemon of Jiangdong's invincibility;
The boast, "Father above, spirit protecting Jiangdong; Gongjin beside, wisdom deciding the world";
The vision, "With the might of Jiangdong, we shall contend for the Central Plains"…
All had vanished into thin air due to this great battle.
He clenched his teeth tightly, knowing that with such a crushing defeat and such heavy casualties.
The next time… the next time they crossed the Yangtze River to contend for the Central Plains, who knew when that would be!
Or rather, would it be within Sun Bofu's lifetime?
"Gongjin, I… I still don't understand why we lost this battle. Where did we lose?"
Sun Ce asked loudly…
As he spoke, his eyes still held a fierce glint, but it quickly faded, and Sun Ce's face became extremely aged.
"Yin Lin! It must be Yin Lin!"
Zhou Yu immediately spoke…
As soon as he said this, not only did Sun Ce's expression change, but even the surrounding Jiangdong disciples looked grim.
Zhou Yu continued speaking.
"Just now, news arrived from Jiangbei that the 'Liu' banner has been removed from Lujiang city, and the 'Cao' banner has been hoisted on the city walls! This clearly indicates… that Cao's army intervened in the Lujiang battle from the very beginning, and… and…"
As he reached the end, Zhou Yu suddenly choked up, as if… he didn't want to say the following words, fearing that once spoken, it would plunge the morale of the three armies to the bottom.
"Speak, Gongjin, continue!"
Sun Ce furrowed his brows, speaking each word with force.
"Bofu, I discussed this with you before, and now… it further corroborates our suspicion. 'Yin Lin' is indeed within Cao's camp, and the persuasion of Liu Xun, the alliance with Huang Zu, and the ambush at Lujiang and Pengze were most likely… most likely orchestrated by 'Yin Lin'."
"Since Yuan Shu's defeat, and since we sent envoys to persuade Liu Xun to attack Shangliao City, Yin Lin… Yin Lin has already intervened, weaving a vast net, waiting for you and me to fall into it, into this abyss of eternal damnation and entrapment."
Speaking to this point, Zhou Yu tilted his head and looked towards the void…
Facing the dawning light of day.
He sighed again, "We lost, we lost… This defeat is my responsibility. I failed to anticipate Yin Lin's intervention, and my strategy was flawed! I concede defeat!"
The "Kirin of Jiangdong," Zhou Gongjin, had surrendered, surrendering to "Yin Lin" of Cao's camp!
Unbelievable, Zhou Gongjin never admitted defeat or conceded!
Hoo…
After Zhou Yu's long speech, Sun Ce let out a sigh.
Even… even the usually proud Gongjin had conceded defeat?
This Yin Lin? Is he… really that terrifying?
"Gongjin, this battle, you are not to blame…" Sun Ce immediately comforted him, "It was me, it was me who couldn't defeat the enemy general in the two armies, but was instead forced to retreat. Otherwise… the situation could have been reversed, and Lujiang could still have been captured. The fault for this defeat lies with me!"
As he said this, Sun Ce thought of that cavalry of fifty Xuanjia warriors, and… their general!
Clearly, clearly the opponent's halberd skills were ordinary and by no means his match.
But…
But with every swing of his battle halberd, the oppressive force was suffocating.
Even more terrifying was that Sun Ce's Overlord's Spear, forged from fine Wuzhu iron… was actually… not a match for the opponent's halberd, and was shattered in an instant. What kind of divine weapon was that halberd?
If it were a divine weapon of this era, Sun Ce might have felt slightly better!
But… but the crucial problem was that there wasn't just one such divine weapon. It seemed that all fifty Xuanjia warriors… each held such a sharp divine weapon! And their invulnerable armor!
Fifty divine weapons of this era, fifty divine armors?
This…
Sun Ce's gaze became increasingly bewildered. He didn't understand, he completely didn't understand… the sharpness of these weapons, the sturdiness of this armor, seemed to be in a realm unknown to him.
He thought more, and further… If… if he encountered these Xuanjia warriors again? How would he respond?
Would his weapons be shattered and cut again?
Hoo…
Infinite questions converged into a long sigh, and Sun Ce looked up, saying loudly.
"Gongjin, it seems we won't be able to leave Jiangdong for the next few years."
Helplessness, bewilderment…
But Sun Ce's words were the truth.
With Yin Lin in Cao's camp;
With those incredible divine weapons and armor;
Coupled with the heavy casualties of the Jiangdong army this time, let alone a few years, even ten or twenty years, it was uncertain whether they could make a comeback.
And what was even more terrifying was not this.
"Bofu, what we need to consider now is how to suppress those influential families in Jiangdong…"
Zhou Yu furrowed his brows and reminded him, "They have long harbored grievances against Bofu. This time… our army suffered a great defeat, and I fear they will all become restless. We must prepare early!"
This was consistent with Lu Yu's intelligence.
Jiangdong was never a monolithic entity. Sun Ce placed more importance on the "Huai-Si" faction, while the major clans of Jiangdong were all under his "suppression."
Forcing them to hand over grain, money, and soldiers had become commonplace!
Originally, under the deterrence of Sun Ce's sweeping across Jiangdong, they dared not speak out despite their anger, but… now, the situation had reversed, and this fragile balance had been broken!
Sun Ce's troops had suffered heavy losses, and his prestige had been greatly diminished.
At such a time, the Jiangdong magnates and influential families would not be so accommodating.
Ask for money? For grain? For soldiers?
Heh heh…
That would depend on the faces of the respective families!
Hoo…
Zhou Yu nodded his head, closing his eyes in resignation. Darkness… Jiangdong was about to usher in its darkest days.
Yin Lin, oh Yin Lin, your move was brilliant, truly brilliant!
As he thought of this…
Zhou Yu suddenly noticed the man beside Sun Ce, the man who had saved him, the young general from Qu'a!
Was it him?
Zhou Yu spoke, "You? I seem to have seen you somewhere… Weren't you once a subordinate of Taishi Ci? It was you who stopped the twelve generals back then, wasn't it? Who exactly are you?"
The young general was neither humble nor arrogant, merely sitting there, wiping the sharpness from his spearhead with a cloth.
"I am an unknown young general, from Qu'a. General Ziyi has always been someone I admire!"
…
…
Yanzhou, Lujiang Commandery, Wan City Governor's Office.
"What? Young Master Lu is coming…" Liu Xun, seated in the main position of the governor's office, leaped up, appearing extremely excited.
"That's right." Cheng Yu took out a letter from his bosom. "Just yesterday, Young Master Lu set out… He will arrive in five days. Young Master Lu specifically mentioned not to worry too much, as his destination is the Qiao Family residence on Mount Wuzhou."
Wait?
Mount Wuzhou? Qiao Family residence?
Liu Xun's eyes darted. Wasn't that Qiao Zheng's mansion?
The Qiao family was a merchant family in Lujiang City, dealing in horse trading. Liu Xun naturally knew this.
He also knew more clearly that within the Qiao family residence were hidden two of Lujiang's… no, to be precise, the Qiao family residence hid the most beautiful pair of sisters in all of Yang Province – Da Qiao and Xiao Qiao!
Lujiang had surrendered, and Young Master Lu did not come to the administrative seat of Wan City first, but instead went to the Qiao Family residence on Mount Wuzhou?
This…
Was quite meaningful.
Liu Xun's eyes fixed. Since he had decided to join Cao's camp, naturally… he had to pay a visit to this Young Master Lu, whom Situ Cao valued most.
Furthermore, he had witnessed and heard it with his own eyes!
Whether in strategy or insight, Young Master Lu was far superior to ordinary people.
His use of troops, his planning… were simply beyond divine or ghostly reach.
With just a single strategy letter, and in a casual conversation, he had assessed the entire situation in Lujiang and, with a slight trick, caused the Little Hegemon of Jiangdong to taste defeat and suffer losses.
And the Dragon Cavalry also made Liu Xun greatly admire him.
Young Master Lu, Lu Sinong, Commander Lu… this was clearly a great opportunity!
Liu Xun had long wanted to go before him and pay his respects.
"Commander Cheng, are you sure? Lu Sinong is going to the Qiao Family residence on Mount Wuzhou?"
Liu Xun asked urgently…
"How could I not recognize Young Master Lu's handwriting? This letter was written by Young Master Lu himself, so there is no falsehood. However… what is this Qiao Family residence on Mount Wuzhou?" Cheng Yu couldn't help but ask.
"That is a good place!" Liu Xun became completely excited… He laughed heartily, "Hahaha, historically, beautiful women are matched with heroes. Those two stunning beauties in the Qiao family residence… can only be married to our Young Master Lu!"
"Hahaha… Commander Cheng, let's go… Let's go to the Qiao Family residence on Mount Wuzhou ahead of time to await Young Master Lu's arrival, prepare a banquet to welcome him, and then go to propose…" Da Feng Novel Network
Originally it was "go to propose," but Liu Xun shrewdly swallowed the last word "propose."
Even if Young Master Lu was going for the beauties, he couldn't reveal it!
He, Liu Xun, had to maintain Young Master Lu's glorious image!
Young Master Lu going to the Qiao Family residence on Mount Wuzhou was to care for the people's livelihood, to see the suffering of the common people. Young Master Lu was "always" a noble person!
Yes, a noble and pure person!
This was what he thought in his heart.
However… before Cheng Yu could react, what beautiful women matched with heroes? What "go to propose…"? Could it be that… beautiful women were hidden in the Qiao Family residence on Mount Wuzhou?
Immediately, he turned his head suspiciously towards Liu Ye.
"Director Liu? This…"
"Hahaha…" Liu Ye patted Cheng Yu's shoulder. After the great sins of a few days ago, the two were now like sworn brothers. "Brother Zhongde, you don't know yet, our Lujiang is blessed with both outstanding people and fertile land. The scenery here is like a painting, and the beauties are also like paintings!"
"Since Young Master Lu is going to Mount Wuzhou, he must be coming for the 'Two Qiaos.' Has Commander Cheng not heard the saying circulating among the populace: 'In Lujiang, there are the Two Qiaos; in Hebei, Zhen Mi is beautiful!'"
Upon hearing this…
Cheng Yu's eyes fixed. So that's how it is.
Throughout history, heroes have loved beauties. Even though Young Master Lu's methods of winning hearts are formidable, he is essentially still an eighteen-year-old youth!
In Lujiang, there are the Two Qiaos; in Hebei, Zhen Mi is beautiful.
Heh heh…
It was unexpected that Young Master Lu's move to conquer Lujiang had, nominally, three objectives, but in reality, there was this underlying deeper intention.
Indeed, Cheng Yu was always on the third level, while Young Master Lu was on the fifth. He was always so far beyond reach!
Wait?
The Two Qiaos?
It seemed that Young Master Lu was heading towards… "Sinong's manor locking up the Two Qiaos" momentum!
…
…