Outside the tavern in Chen Country.
After more than an hour, Cao Cao finally walked out of the tavern. He looked back at Lu Yu behind him and said with a smile.
“The moonlight is beautiful, it shouldn't have delayed your good deeds!”
“Sikong Cao jokes…”
Lu Yu felt a bit embarrassed. He muttered to himself, what’s wrong with Old Cao, why is he always thinking about him and the Qiao sisters, as if he can’t wait for something… intimate to happen between him and the Qiao sisters!
Could “Human Wife” Cao have a peeping fetish?
Lu Yu felt a little… drunk!
At this moment.
“Hahahaha…”
Cao Cao burst into hearty laughter, looking like he was in a good mood.
Recalling the few matters he had discussed with Yu’er in the past hour, his lingering melancholy was instantly resolved.
First, the situation in Lujiang!
Ever since Lu Yu eloquently explained his plan to cooperate with “Huang Zu of Jiangxia,” Cao Cao felt more at ease. If nothing unexpected happened, he would receive victorious news tomorrow.
Similarly, according to Yu’er’s prediction, tonight… Lujiang city would change its ruling banners!
As for… the other matter!
It was how to handle Liu Bei, a point… he and Yu’er had discussed in-depth and at length.
Cao Cao’s original intention was to let Liu Bei go, and Lu Yu’s intention was also to let Liu Bei go.
However…
Yu’er’s “letting Liu Bei go” and Cao Cao’s “letting Liu Bei go” were as different as the two jujube trees outside Lu Xun’s door!
And after hearing Yu’er’s proposal, Cao Cao realized that “letting Liu Bei go” was a pre-planned part of Lu Yu’s future strategic planning.
—Look East, Cage West, Cross South, Harmonize North, Stabilize Center!
These ten characters, five phrases, were precisely Lu Yu’s proposed grand strategy and direction for Cao’s camp for the next five years!
Moreover, Yu’er had elaborated on each point, which earned Cao Cao’s profound admiration.
For instance, “Look East” was to adopt a wait-and-see attitude towards Lu Bu and Liu Bei in the east.
Liu Bei was a flood dragon, and Lu Bu was a fierce tiger.
Now…
Liu Bei had made contributions by suppressing rebels, and Cao Cao had no choice but to let him return!
Then…
If Cao Cao immediately took military action against Xiapi city, Liu Bei and Lu Bu would surely unite and resist together.
This was something Cao Cao did not wish to see.
But if he merely observed and allowed them to remain in Xiaopei, Xiapi, and Guangling, then this mountain could not accommodate two tigers. When two tigers fought, one would surely be injured, and their internal affairs would inevitably loosen.
One must know…
Liu Bei and Lu Bu already had existing grievances;
The commoner faction of Xuzhou, which Liu Bei relied upon, and the Danyang faction of Xuzhou, which Lu Bu relied upon, were already at loggerheads!
Coupled with the Xuzhou gentry faction, which ostensibly pledged allegiance to Lu Bu but had actually already defected to Cao Cao!
With them instigating from the sidelines.
Liu Bei and Lu Bu would inevitably engage in a fierce battle. Once one party could no longer bear it, surrendered to Cao Cao, and asked Cao Cao to send troops!
At that time, with legitimacy, marching east would easily conquer the entire Xuzhou!
This was the so-called “Look East” strategy…
And this was only one of the macro strategies formulated by Yu’er.
The content of the others, such as “Cage West,” “Cross South,” “Harmonize North,” and “Stabilize Center,” was even more incisive and penetrating!
Even Cao Cao had not fully grasped them all and needed to return to discuss them with his strategists to formulate them in detail!
Undoubtedly…
Yu’er had already provided Cao’s camp with a general and convincing template for their next “Five-Year Plan”!
“Agri-Officer Lu!” Cao Cao patted Lu Yu’s shoulder again. “You must have thought of these future strategies when you were campaigning against that rebel Yuan Shu, right?”
“Sikong Cao jokes, how could I know things before they happen?”
Lu Yu displayed his usual humility. “Actually, Sikong Cao has probably thought of many of these points, but… you simply didn’t have the time to organize them. As I’ve been free recently, I’ve taken the liberty to compile and summarize them.”
“Haha…”
Upon hearing this, Cao Cao chuckled…
As for the other four major strategies, they could wait. The immediate priority was to resolve the issue of Liu Bei, which was the so-called “Look East,” also known as the “Release the Tiger to the Mountains, Two Tigers Competing for Food” strategy!
“Go on, you can go back.” Cao Cao waved his hand. “Don’t keep the beauties waiting too long! And…”
As he said this, Cao Cao paused. “Take care of yourself. You can also occasionally drink the medicinal decoction you prescribed for Yuan Rang! Its effects are quite good!”
Ah… ah…
As the words escaped, Lu Yu was a bit stunned. Old Cao knew… he had prescribed a kidney-tonifying prescription for Xiahou Dun?
Wait… what did he mean by “effects are quite good”?
Old Cao was also drinking it?
Lu Yu had no idea that Cao Cao had specifically asked Xiahou Dun for the prescription. After all… he was also…
During the period before the expedition, Lady Ding seemed to have been possessed by something and went to ride horses every night… no, she sought him out every night.
One day, two days, ten days, eight days, Cao Cao could still manage, but he couldn’t withstand a month after month of this!
It seemed that Cao Cao was like a tireless hoe, and if not for… those few days each month, Cao Cao would probably be on duty year-round without rest!
What’s more, Lady Ding was his principal wife, and the Ding and Cao families had intertwined connections. Cao Cao had always respected her, and he couldn’t refuse her wishes if she had such intentions!
In desperation, Cao Cao could only ask Xiahou Dun for the prescription!
Don’t mention it… Yu’er’s prescription was very potent, so potent that Lady Ding had to hold onto the wall for support.
Of course, this was not important.
What was important was that the current Cao Cao was worried about Yu’er’s small physique. He felt that facing one person was already a struggle, let alone facing the two Qiao sisters.
“Hahaha… Take care of yourself, take care of yourself, Agri-Officer Lu… stay well!”
With these words, Cao Cao mounted his horse and rode away briskly.
Lu Yu, however, was a little bewildered?
Did he look like he needed to take medicine?
“Cough, cough” He cleared his throat lightly.
Taking advantage of the bright moonlight, Lu Yu walked towards the yamen… it was time to meet these two “replacement maids” who had volunteered.
Of course, Lu Yu’s mood was hard to describe.
When something unusual happens, there must be a reason. The Qiao sisters traveled a long distance from Lujiang to Chen Country, and they claimed to be “replacement maids.” It would be strange if there wasn't anything unusual about it.
As for… what kind of strangeness?
Lu Yu couldn’t say for sure.
Shaking his head, he decided not to think about it anymore…
At worst, it would be a simple sentence— “Demon, where can you escape? Eat my old Sun’s staff!”
…
…
Under the walls of Lujiang city.
Fifty Dragon Cavalries were still galloping, as if entering a land of no one.
Every strike of their steel halberds, and a Jiangdong soldier would either die or be crippled!
Liu Xun’s tens of thousands of troops were also inspired by the Dragon Cavalries, their morale soaring like a rainbow.
The fierce killing intent continued to rage, and Cao Xiu’s bloodshot eyes finally fell upon the Little Hegemon Sun Bofu, who was surrounded by his generals.
Once upon a time, the name “Little Hegemon” struck fear into Cao Xiu’s heart.
But… now!
Because of the steel halberds and steel armor, Cao Xiu’s confidence had been fully boosted. He now dared to challenge this opponent of similar age, whom he had once looked up to.
Cao Xiu’s cold gaze sent a chill down Sun Ce’s spine, as if he had been targeted by some ferocious beast.
His expression changed slightly.
He had a premonition that this general of similar age might… might be more troublesome than any opponent he had faced before.
Closer…
Even closer.
Cao Xiu charged directly at Sun Ce on his horse. The steel halberd, imbued with terrifying momentum, swung down from above, aiming directly for Sun Ce’s head.
“Protect the Lord!”
“Quick, stop him, protect the Lord!”
The surrounding personal guards and knights shouted as they charged forward, but… the Little Hegemon Sun Ce showed no fear. He raised his Hegemon Spear and, without waiting for the cooperation of his personal guards, directly met Cao Xiu’s halberd.
“Hmph… you scoundrel, die!”
A cold snort.
“Whoosh…”
The steel halberd smashed down!
“Clang, clang, clang…”
Both of them delivered powerful blows.
The steel halberd and the Hegemon Spear clashed fiercely in the air, sparks flying.
The sharp edge, plated with a golden glow by the moonlight, shimmered on the ground…
Two extremely brilliant sparks appeared exceptionally dazzling and eye-catching under the night sky!
As the sparks died down…
To everyone’s astonishment, and in Sun Ce’s wide-open pupils, the tip of his Hegemon Spear was actually shattered by the halberd.
“Crack…”
It shattered, as if crushed by a thousand-kilogram giant hammer!
The entire spearhead shattered and scattered on the ground, a horrifying scene.
“What… What?”
Countless Jiangdong soldiers were stunned. If, just now… the armor of this Black Armored General could block Sun Jing’s spear, which was already incomprehensible and defied common sense, then now…
The faith of all Jiangdong soldiers, their invincible Little Hegemon.
Even his Hegemon Spear was shattered?
This…
Suddenly, the fear in the hearts of all Jiangdong soldiers intensified, and their hands, holding their weapons, trembled incessantly.
“Those who block me die!”
A hoarse, low voice echoed. Cao Xiu and the Dragon Cavalries did not pause in the slightest. Taking advantage of the enemy’s stunned moment, the steel halberd swung down again.
“You…”
At this moment, the Little Hegemon Sun Ce’s face turned as pale as paper. This was the first time he had encountered such a situation on the battlefield!
The Hegemon Spear was forged from the finest refined iron. It… it was shattered by that halberd?
Sun Ce instinctively drew his saber and blocked instinctively.
However…
If the Hegemon Spear could not withstand the sharpness of the opponent’s halberd, let alone a mere saber?
“Crack”!”
The saber shattered, and the fragments of the blade scratched Sun Ce’s face, making him feel the flow of blood on his cheek, and… a sense of death.
Cao Xiu’s steel halberd did not stop for a moment. Carrying a surging gust of wind, it chopped down from above.
Just as the generation’s Little Hegemon Sun Bofu was about to meet his doom on the battlefield!
“Not good!”
Zhou Yu’s brow furrowed in concern from the platform.
The situation had actually… completely reversed because of these fifty riders, which already made Zhou Yu’s expression grim.
What was even more terrifying was… Sun Bofu had no weapon left to block the enemy general’s powerful strike!
“Bo… Bofu…”
Zhou Yu murmured a name.
His good brother was about to die, and he… was powerless.
Whoosh…
Whoosh…
In this fleeting moment, from somewhere unknown, a spear lunged out. It was aimed directly at Cao Xiu’s face, a place that the steel armor could not block.
The spear was sharp and swift… like the wind, like the waves!
Cao Xiu instinctively dodged, but in doing so, he missed the opportunity to deliver a fatal blow to Sun Ce.
“Who are you?”
Cao Xiu asked urgently…
“An unknown soldier from Qu’a!”
A handsome young man emerged on his spear, seemingly having grasped the weakness of the Dragon Cavalries. The few spear thrusts he made were all aimed at places that the Dragon Cavalries could not block!
Facing cavalry with infantry combat…
He, with his spear, managed to repel the attacks of dozens of Dragon Cavalries.
Phew…
Cao Xiu breathed a sigh of relief.
“Such sharp spear skills!” he exclaimed involuntarily.
This swift spear technique was completely different from Sun Ce’s domineering spear skills. And clearly, the Dragon Cavalry did not fear brute force, but rather agility and a tricky spear.
Phew…
Exhaling again, Cao Xiu intended to organize the Dragon Cavalries to fight again.
But…
The young general from Qu’a before him was already holding Sun Ce’s horse and retreating rapidly, disappearing into the chaos of the army.
“Quick, quick… cover the retreat of General Sun!”
The personal guards beside him quickly gathered, blocking the pursuit of the Dragon Cavalries!
Retreat! Sun Ce retreated in a sorry state!
But the entire Jiangdong army was still in a daze.
It seemed… their general, the Little Hegemon who had swept across Jiangdong, had… not lasted a single move against the opponent?
This was somewhat hard to believe!
Not just the Jiangdong soldiers, everyone found this unbelievable.
Even Liu Xun included.
Heavens, how terrifying were the Dragon Cavalries!
Dimly, Liu Xun felt fortunate that he had not chosen to oppose Cao’s camp and the Dragon Cavalries. As Lord Liu Gong had said, surrendering to Cao Cao was indeed a wise move.
Liu Xun forcefully suppressed the shock in his heart. Taking advantage of the stunned Jiangdong soldiers, Liu Xun began to quietly lead his subordinates to stab them in the back.
Screams echoed endlessly…
It wasn’t until large numbers of Jiangdong soldiers fell that some Jiangdong disciples realized that their general had already fled, and this battle had been lost… What were they still waiting for? Death?
They quickly turned around and ran back, wailing like ghosts.
A single stone stirred up a thousand waves. With their general fleeing, the Jiangdong soldiers’ morale had already collapsed. How could they still have the will to fight?
They fled… fled like madmen.
And at this moment, for Liu Xun, for Cao Xiu, and for the Dragon Cavalry knights, wasn’t it the perfect time to “take advantage of the lingering courage to pursue the defeated enemy”?
Everyone imitated the Dragon Cavalries. They roared and began to beat the fallen dogs.
Until an hour later.
Sun Ce’s troops fled in disarray. Of the more than 20,000 Jiangdong soldiers who took to the ships to escape, fewer than three thousand remained…
In this battle, countless Jiangdong soldiers were captured, and weapons and ships were seized.
Phew…
With a soft sigh,
Cao Xiu removed his heavy steel helmet. He sat atop his tall horse, standing in the quiet night, enjoying a moment of peace.
Had he not disgraced his mission in this battle?
Phew… With another sigh, Cao Xiu opened his eyes. He loudly ordered, “Quickly compile the battle report and send it to Chen Country! Report the victory to Young Master Lu!”
“Yes!”
A uniform shout…
This was the cry of more than forty Dragon Cavalries.
Although they were protected by armor in this battle, seven knights still lost their lives, and more than ten knights suffered injuries of varying degrees.
Under such a brutal battlefield, such losses were almost negligible.
And every surviving knight looked towards the north, towards Chen Country. In this battle, they, the Dragon Cavalries, had not let Young Master Lu down!
A great victory!
—A terrifying great victory!
On the other hand, Liu Xun was also very pleased. Since arriving in Lujiang, no battle had been as exhilarating as today!
Of course, more important than exhilaration was that Liu Xun saw the gap!
His fifty thousand troops were simply not on the same level as the Jiangdong soldiers.
And the Jiangdong soldiers, compared to the Dragon Cavalries, were like infants…
In that case, what was he, Liu Xun, in the eyes of Sikong Cao and Agri-Officer Lu?
Do not pretend to be proud, or you will be struck by lightning!
“Cough, cough…”
After the fierce battle, Liu Xun quickly ascended the city wall. He stood before Officer Cheng Yu and cupped his hands in a salute.
“From this moment on, the flag of ‘Cao’ shall be hoisted high over Lujiang Commandery!”
“This humble subordinate Liu Xun wishes to pledge allegiance to Sikong Cao and Agri-Officer Lu, and hopes that Commander Cheng will act as an introducer!”
Upon these words…
The entire situation in Lujiang was settled.
…
…
In the backyard of the yamen in Chen Country.
“Yawn…”
As he walked to this spot, Lu Yu let out a big yawn.
He looked up at the sky. A gentle breeze blew, the moonlight was bright… the sounds of insects, frogs, and birds seemed to linger in his ears!
Everything appeared exceptionally beautiful.
Pitter-patter…
Taking two light steps, Lu Yu suddenly heard the crisp sound from the west wing in front of him, like the chirping of orioles.
— “Sister, I’ve told you several times, Agri-Officer Lu hasn’t arrived yet? You should put on your coat first. Look at the clothes you’re wearing underneath, they’re all torn open. Especially your waist, are you afraid people won’t see your slender waist? Hurry and put on your clothes… you’ll catch a cold easily.”
— “Little sister isn’t cold at all. Sister… Little sister heard that the replacement maids in Agri-Officer Lu’s residence were personally selected by Miss Cai Yan, and her taste is exceptionally high. If Little sister wears too many layers, he will surely find it uninteresting, and how can we ask him for favors then?”
— “Also, Sister… I just remembered, today seems to be your time of the month. If that’s the case, then… when Agri-Officer Lu arrives later, you should leave. Little sister alone is enough here. Sister can’t help anything here, can she?”
As these words were spoken…
The melodious voice in front became momentarily silent.
After a long while, that voice resurfaced, but… its tone became a little more bashful.
— “Who… who said I can’t help anything? Sister… Sister…”
Perhaps due to shyness, the latter part of the sentence was not spoken.
— “Sister, what can you help with?”
Uh…
“Gulp.”
Hearing this, Lu Yu swallowed a mouthful of saliva. He felt that the topic of conversation between the sisters in the west wing had become a bit… improper.
His exceptionally pure heart began to stir…
What did this pair of sisters in the house mean?
What about helping or not helping?
What exactly did Da Qiao and Xiao Qiao want to do?
Suddenly, a big question mark appeared on Lu Yu’s forehead.
This question…
— Waiting online, urgently!
…
…