When the current Son of Heaven, Liu Xie, managed to survive and live to this day, it had to be a miracle of life.
To speak of this matter, one must mention that woman with a heart of venom.
During Emperor Ling's reign, Empress He held absolute power in the inner palace. To prevent any other concubines from conceiving, threatening her status, any concubine who became pregnant was certainly given an abortion potion.
Logically, after taking the abortion potion, she should have been able to rest easy.
But, as it happened… Lady Wang was an exception.
Although she feared Empress He's deterrence and took the abortion potion, her child in the womb was like an unkillable cockroach, treating the abortion potion as nourishment and continuously growing stronger.
It even appeared in Lady Wang's dreams; she always dreamed of carrying a big sun.
Eventually, even while in the womb, Liu Xie, who had been "drinking" the abortion potion as if it were water, was born with a cry. In her rage, Empress He directly bestowed a cup of poisoned wine upon Lady Wang!
One could say…
To have survived amidst bowls of abortion potion, Emperor Liu Xie was given a script of "comeback against the odds" by fate. It was just a pity… who would have thought that twenty years later, his opponent would be too powerful, and he wouldn't be able to turn the heavens around.
Lu Yu recounted this story to Cao Mu, who listened, stunned…
Completely engrossed.
"And then what? Didn't Empress He try to eliminate the little emperor again whenever she had the chance?" Cao Mu asked, blinking her eyes repeatedly…
"Later…" Lu Yu paused slightly. "The story that follows is a long one, after all… the inner palace wasn't solely dominated by Empress He!"
"For example… her son, Liu Bian, was sent to the common folk to be raised by a Taoist priest surnamed 'Shi,' hence he was known as 'Marquis Shi.' As for the current Son of Heaven, he was raised under the care of Empress He's mother-in-law, Empress Dowager Dong, who doted on him, known as 'Marquis Dong'! If Empress He wanted to eliminate the little emperor? Would Empress Dowager Dong agree!"
"Oh…" Cao Mu seemed to understand, tapping her forehead lightly. "So… in the imperial palace, there were also mother-in-law and daughter-in-law conflicts…"
Ugh… Cao Mu's words almost made Lu Yu spit out his "soda water."
This girl was quite precocious, capable of connecting the story to mother-in-law and daughter-in-law conflicts.
Of course, the issue of mother-in-law and daughter-in-law conflict has been a great challenge from ancient times to the present. Emperor Ling of Han likely encountered it too… the eternal dilemma of whom to save if Empress Dowager Dong and Empress He both fell into the water.
Ahem…
Lu Yu realized that Cao Mu had led him astray.
The topic he intended to discuss was not this, but rather… why creating these palace miscellaneous items and artifacts could earn merit?
"Let's talk seriously…" Lu Yu's expression returned to seriousness. "Ahem… do you know what your father's most pressing matter is right now?"
"Welcoming the Son of Heaven!" Cao Mu blurted out instinctively…
"But after welcoming the Son of Heaven? Will the Son of Heaven trust him? Will the Son of Heaven have a good impression of a strange feudal lord? Will the Son of Heaven guard against your father, just as he guards against Dong Zhuo, Li Jue, and Guo Si?"
The rapid-fire questions left Cao Mu completely bewildered.
This… Cao Mu blinked and shook her head. "Then… how can we gain the Son of Heaven's trust?"
"Very simple," Lu Yu smiled slightly. "It's these palace miscellaneous items we are creating!"
"Think about it, for these past few years since the Son of Heaven ascended the throne, he has been wandering and living rough. He hasn't lived like an emperor at all! The Emperor is a nostalgic person, as can be seen from his painstaking efforts to return to Luoyang."
"…If we create these imperial miscellaneous items well and move them into the new imperial palace, what will be his reaction when he sees them?"
"The Son of Heaven will…" Before Lu Yu could finish speaking, Cao Mu interjected, "Feel a sense of familiarity, and this familiarity will allow him to quickly build trust with Father…"
"You can be taught!" Lu Yu smiled slightly.
Indeed, she was a woman who could forge iron into steel; she understood immediately.
"So that's how it is…" Cao Mu nodded repeatedly, but soon, she realized a new problem. "But, that's not right… How many miscellaneous items and artifacts are needed for the imperial palace? How many can we possibly create?"
"Good question…" Lu Yu's eyes darted.
To be able to ask this far, Lu Yu truly looked at Cao Mu with newfound respect.
However…
"However many we can make is how many!" Lu Yu waved his hand slightly. "Moreover…"
"Moreover what?"
"How could your Cao family lack imperial items?" Lu Yu's eyes fixed, his tone adding a hint of teasing. "Your great-grandfather was the Marquis of Feiting, and the Emperor already bestowed a large number of imperial items upon him. Your grandfather, Song, was also a great corrupt… no, your grandfather Song took many imperial items from the palace and hid them in the Cao family!"
"When the time comes, along with this batch we are forging, presenting them together will surely make the Emperor overjoyed! At that time, your father will become the person most trusted by our current Son of Heaven!"
Lu Yu's tone was quite certain, and Cao Mu nodded repeatedly…
Indeed, Lu Yu was still Lu Yu, thinking three steps ahead. Before Cao Mu's father had even welcomed the Son of Heaven, Lu Yu was already calculating how to gain the Son of Heaven's trust.
Alas… Cao Mu sighed. She would never be able to match Lu Yu's intellect in this lifetime!
Of course…
The reason Lu Yu acted and spoke this way was not without basis.
Historically, after Cao Cao welcomed and escorted the Son of Heaven, although the Emperor initially trusted him greatly due to the miles he traveled to rescue him, it was more because Cao Cao helped him rediscover these cherished memories!
According to records in the "Tablets of Appreciating Artifacts" and "Books of Miscellaneous Items," after escorting the Son of Heaven, Cao Cao presented Emperor Liu Xie with a large number of palace imperial items, including artifacts and miscellaneous goods…
For example, five "double-eared copper pots," one small pure silver pot, one copper mortar for pounding medicine, one pure silver writing desk, two pure silver Yuan inkstones, one pure gold hair clasp, a two-inch gold file and iron mirror, a pair of lacquered leather pillows, etc., totaling over seven hundred items!
These alone were enough to move the Son of Heaven. If… Lu Yu created twice as many, then… wouldn't Liu Xie shed tears? And develop the perception of encountering a great loyal minister!
Trust could sometimes be found in such details!
Of course…
Thinking to this point, Lu Yu's eyes blinked slightly.
Imperial items were available, and Emperor Liu Xie could have a basic imperial demeanor. However, this comfortable life could not change the fact that he was a puppet.
With this thought…
Lu Yu looked west. He didn't know… where Cao Cao was? Had he passed through the passes? Were Yang Feng and Dong Cheng cooperating well?
He also didn't know… had Cheng Yu settled things?
Calculating the time, the Dragon Soaring Camp should be approaching Runan by now.
He Man? The Sky-Slicing Yaksha?
Lu Yu was very curious. Could he withstand Old Master Huang's arrow?
…
…
Yuzhou, Runan Commandery.
A certain encampment…
Cao Xiu and a group of deputy generals were discussing.
Cao Anmin was also present. Currently, within the Dragon Soaring Camp, he was in charge of thirty scouts, a not-so-empty title of centurion.
At this moment, Cao Anmin was calmly relaying the intelligence he had gathered.
"General, Runan Commandery is divided into five sections. Ahead is He Man's territory, followed successively by He Yi, Huang Shao, Liu Pi, and Xu Chu's righteous soldiers! Therefore, once these five forces are conquered, Runan City can be taken!"
"Very good."
Cao Xiu nodded.
"Ever since Zhang Jiao's Yellow Turban Rebellion, these small groups of Yellow Turbans have been occupying mountain valleys as bandits. In recent years, the warlords have been too preoccupied with their own territories to pay attention to them, which is why they dared to emerge and plunder the common people!"
"Ultimately, they are just a mob of refugees, nothing to worry about!"
Cao Xiu's tone was full of confidence, but Cao Anmin felt an ominous premonition. The enemy troops were numerous, their strength several times greater than theirs, and difficult to deal with. General Cao Xiu seemed overly confident.
"General, we must not be careless… He Man is known as the 'Sky-Slicing Yaksha,' and he has the largest number of troops, over twenty thousand. To breach Runan City, this first obstacle will not be easy to overcome!"
Before Cao Anmin could finish speaking, Cao Xiu laughed heartily. His eyes narrowed slightly.
"Runan can be taken in one battle. We only need to slaughter this 'Sky-Slicing Yaksha,' and the rest of the forces will surrender at the mere sight of it!"
Thinking of this, Cao Anmin patted his chest. He still had Lu Yu's method of defeating the enemy hidden in his mind.
If his calculations were correct… then…
"Report…"
Before Cao Xiu could ponder further, an armored soldier burst into the main tent.
"He Man is leading over ten thousand troops to challenge us before the camp!"
Upon hearing this, Cao Anmin's expression turned serious, while Cao Xiu smiled slightly, "He's here just in time!"
According to Lu Yu's plan, they weren't afraid of the enemy challenging them, but of them staying put and refusing to come out…
Of course, this possibility was very low. After all, Cao Xiu only had a few hundred men. How could He Man's twenty thousand rebel troops refuse to come out.
"General…" Cao Anmin kept reminding him. "Do not be careless. Even if our army does not fear He Man, He Man is surrounded by three other Yellow Turban forces. Once a battle breaks out, they will likely rush to reinforce us immediately. At that time, we will be surrounded on all sides, and our army… our army will be in a disadvantageous position."
Cao Anmin was skilled at gathering intelligence…
He didn't even dare to reveal the biggest crisis.
That was that the other rebel forces were all watching this battle. They had already assembled their troops, and once the great battle began, they would have enough time to reinforce them within half an hour.
If these words were spoken, the morale of the soldiers would be greatly affected, and the situation would be even more unfavorable. Therefore… Cao Anmin only pointed it out subtly.
"Anmin…" Cao Xiu's eyes remained exceptionally confident.
"You haven't experienced the Battle of Puyang, so you naturally wouldn't know how we, the seven hundred Dragon Soaring cavalry, managed to hold on until the reinforcements arrived against the charge of over ten thousand Bingzhou wolf riders, and how we made the Bingzhou wolf riders utterly miserable!"
Cao Xiu paused at this point. He patted Cao Anmin's shoulder. "Remember, we are the Dragon Soaring Camp, we are Commander Lu's soldiers. If there is a battle, we will win!"
With these words, Cao Xiu stepped out of the tent…
"But… but… we…" Cao Anmin chased after him, still shouting… "We only have seven hundred men, and this time, we have no reinforcements!"
"Hahahaha…" Cao Xiu laughed and replied, "Did you say seven hundred? Won't the enemy count them one by one? Previously, I, your General, have dispatched three units to prepare five thousand banners and plant them in the surrounding forests, kicking up dust… With the 'Sky-Slicing Yaksha's' brain, who knows if he'll think we have an army of thousands? Hahahaha…"
The more Cao Xiu spoke, the more confident he became!
Of course, banners and dust were not the main points!
The main point was… Young Master Lu had mentioned that He Man, the 'Sky-Slicing Yaksha,' was a brute, and his soldiers were also brutes. To deal with such brutes, one must start from the source and make them cower, cower until they collapse completely!
Moreover, Young Master Lu still had a trick up his sleeve!
…
The enemy was challenging them…
In the Dragon Soaring Camp, tense mobilization had already begun. Because most of them were veteran soldiers, they were well-trained, quickly forming ranks and marching out.
However… there were also some new recruits, for example…
A certain new recruit "squad"…
In this new recruit "squad," there was only one veteran soldier. The remaining four were all newcomers. The five men mounted their horses in sequence and joined the formation.
Counting from the left, the first was the squad leader, a man in his thirties;
The second was older, with a long black beard that was particularly eye-catching. He wielded a great saber and wore a bow at his waist, his entire body exuding heroic spirit.
But… he seemed out of place among these young men.
That's right, this person was Huang Zhong.
Beside him, the other three in the same squad were Cao Ang, Xiahou Heng, and Xiahou Ba, considered the only "connected" individuals in the Dragon Soaring Camp.
After all, Xiahou Yuan's wife, Ding Xiang, had personally visited Cai Zhaoji to request her favor. Cai Zhaoji could not refuse, and since Sister Zhaoji had spoken, how could Lu Yu refuse?
Thus, Cao Ang and the other two naturally entered the Dragon Soaring Camp.
Of course, to ensure their safety…
Lu Yu had specifically instructed Cao Xiu to assign Xiahou Heng, Xiahou Ba, and Cao Ang to the horse archer positions, which were considered the safest in the Dragon Soaring Camp.
Speaking of which, the three of them got along quite well with Huang Zhong…
Especially Cao Ang. He had been kind-hearted since childhood. He even felt that Huang Zhong, being so old, still had to join the army to make a living, which was not easy. Thus, he took care of this "elderly person!"
"Old Master Huang, the enemy is numerous in this battle. Later… please do not get too close to the front. Just circle around and shoot arrows." Cao Ang did not stop advising…
"What are you afraid of…" Xiahou Ba patted his chest. "Just hide behind me. If anyone dares to advance, my bow can kill people, so can my saber!"
"Second Brother…" Xiahou Heng quickly advised, "The battlefield is not a child's play. Do not be careless! We are horse archers, let's do our job!"
Compared to Xiahou Ba's brave forward charge, Xiahou Heng appeared much calmer…
Cao Ang repeatedly agreed. "Brother Heng is right. We in the same squad must work together and protect Old Master Huang!"
While the three of them were chatting heatedly, Huang Zhong remained silent… only raising his originally squinted eyes to gaze at the enemy's nearly ten thousand strong formation…
Heh heh…
A bunch of trash!
Huang Zhong had only these four words in his mind. It was no wonder he thought this way. Despite the enemy's numbers, what were they holding? Wooden sticks? Rakes? Hoes?
If it weren't for knowing he was the "Sky-Slicing Yaksha," Huang Zhong would have thought they were farmers coming to till the land. Such trash, Huang Zhong felt he could take on a hundred of them, no, a thousand!
"Huang Zhong ah…"
The squad leader did not forget to remind Huang Zhong. "You are old, so please take care of yourself later. Oh, by the way, can you lift this fine steel great saber? This thing is much heavier than ordinary iron sabers. You, at your age, why are you joining the army? Isn't this causing trouble for our Dragon Soaring Camp and Young Master Lu!"
This squad leader was very insightful. He knew exactly who was in this squad; they were all "connected."
But Cao Ang, Xiahou Heng, and Xiahou Ba… were young and had powerful fathers, so they must have practiced martial arts since childhood and were here only to gain military merits. But… why was Huang Zhong here?
Fifty years old… half his foot was in the coffin!
What was he doing? If something… went wrong, this squad leader was worried he would be blamed.
After all, they were "connected," who knew who this old man had behind him!
"Sorry…" After a long time, Huang Zhong only managed to utter these two words. He tried to lift the newly issued fine steel great saber.
"Heh, it is indeed a bit heavy…" Huang Zhong murmured…
Yes, ordinary soldiers used halberds because halberds were much lighter than great sabers. Of course, in terms of the power of chopping and the area of force during offense, the great saber was more fierce.
However… fine steel was inherently heavier than iron. Sabers like the Green Dragon Crescent Moon Saber were not something everyone could wield.
"I don't know what you're thinking. Why would you want a great saber when you have a halberd? In short, if you can't lift it, don't force yourself. Just shoot arrows from a distance. Oh well… In short, take care of yourself, and absolutely do not try to show off!"
The squad leader couldn't be bothered to say more…
Their formation had already begun to move.
"Take care of yourself?" Huang Zhong mumbled the words to himself. Not bad, he quite liked this phrase, "Take care of yourself!"
As he spoke, the Dragon Soaring Camp formed ranks to meet the enemy!
…
"Villain!"
The Sky-Slicing Yaksha He Man, wearing a "gold-inlaid forehead cloth" and a "fine green brocade robe," roared at the Dragon Soaring Camp's formation:
"How dare you be so presumptuous and not see who I, this Commander, am? How dare you run rampant in Runan City?"
"Hmph… only a thousand men, how dare a mere villain underestimate me, the 'Sky-Slicing Yaksha'!"
The nearly ten thousand Yellow Turban soldiers were not well-equipped, but countless bright red banners fluttered in the wind, bearing the words "Sky-Slicing Yaksha" in an exceptionally imposing manner.
A young general beside him reminded him, "Commander, I see dust kicking up all around, and there are faint banners visible. I fear… the enemy is more than just these thousand men. Should we wait for Commander He Yi, Commander Huang Shao, and Commander Liu Pi to arrive for reinforcement before… before attacking?"
"Nonsense!"
He Man's eyes immediately turned cold.
He had always considered his martial arts to be the best among the Yellow Turbans, and he did not even regard General Di Gong Zhang Liang or the Yellow Turbans' foremost spearman Guan Hai in the past. If he were to show fear today, wouldn't he be looked down upon by the other three Yellow Turban commanders?
"Hahahaha…"
A burst of laughter echoed from the Dragon Soaring Camp's formation.
Cao Xiu looked at this mob of refugees forming the Yellow Turban army, his eyes full of mockery. He thought to himself, such rabble, Young Master Lu was truly overthinking. Even without strategy… even facing them head-on, he felt that seven hundred Dragon Soaring cavalry could annihilate the enemy without issue!
"He Man, you villain, if you abandon your troops and surrender today, I can still intercede for you before Young Master Lu to spare your life. If you insist on being foolish, then…"
"Villain!"
He Man was furious with shame. Since joining the Yellow Turbans, he had never suffered such a great humiliation.
On the contrary, Cao Xiu, unhurried, turned his head and shouted.
"Dragon Soaring Camp, those aged fifty and above, step forward!"
Cao Xiu's intention was clear: he truly intended to send an old man to slay He Man…
Upon hearing this…
Huang Zhong's eyes narrowed, and then he spurred his horse forward.
"Old Huang…" Cao Ang quickly called out, trying to stop him… The reputation of the "Sky-Slicing Yaksha" was too resounding. For an elder like Huang Zhong, who was over half a century old, this… wasn't this sending him to his death?
"Ahem…" With a light cough, Huang Zhong glanced back at Cao Ang.
—"Heh heh, wait for a few dozens of my blows!"
With these words, Huang Zhong spurred his horse forward. He wasn't going to the formation; he was directly charging towards He Man alone…
This…
He Man was startled.
The Yellow Turban soldiers were also astonished… In the enemy ranks… there was really an old and weak person over half a century old?
Wasn't this an insult to their Commander?
Looking at He Man, he could no longer tolerate it…
If he didn't cleave off this old man's head today, his title of "Sky-Slicing Yaksha" would be disgraced!
"Giddy up…"
"Got it, got it…"
"Da da da…"
The warhorses neighed, and the sound of hooves echoed. Viewed from high above, two lights, yellow and black, rapidly converged, on the verge of colliding.
…
…