Near Xu County, close to Luoyang City.
The Second Battalion of Cao's army had arrived here more than ten days ago. Under Xun Yu's overall coordination and the full effort of Yu Jin and Le Jin, a portion of the palace had been constructed.
However, they were now facing a difficult problem.
"Alas... what is this situation! They say even a clever housewife cannot cook without rice. Now, without stone and wood? How can we continue building the palace!"
It was no wonder Le Jin complained so much.
All the stone and wood that could be gathered near Xu County had been brought, but... building an imperial palace, even a slightly smaller one, was not that easy.
"Sigh..." Le Jin sighed helplessly, the palace could not be built.
"Sima Xun? You have the most ideas. Now... what should we do?" Yu Jin asked Xun Yu.
In stark contrast to Le Jin and Yu Jin's helplessness, Xun Yu seemed to be in good spirits. In his hand, he held a letter from Chenliu Commandery in Yan Province, written by Lu Yu himself.
It contained an intelligence, an important piece of intelligence!
"Have the scouts been dispatched for several days?" Xun Yu asked...
Scouts?
Le Jin and Yu Jin were a little bewildered...
Indeed, Sima Xun had sent out a large number of scouts to investigate the surrounding situation, but... the immediate priority was not external reconnaissance. The stone materials in Xu County were depleted. How could Sima Xun still have time to worry about scouts?
"Sima Xun... you are also... also..." Le Jin scratched his head, wanting to sigh, "Sima Xun, you truly have a big heart!"
Just then...
"Report..."
Several scouts returned in a hurry.
They quickly approached Xun Yu, Le Jin, and Yu Jin. "Sima Xun, Generals... we have discovered troops from Jing Province fifty li east of Xu County."
Hmm.
Jing Province troops. As soon as these five words were spoken, Yu Jin and Le Jin's eyes narrowed. They muttered to themselves, could it be that Cao Gong's plan to welcome the Son of Heaven had been discovered by Liu Biao, the Governor of Jing Province, and he too... had come north to welcome the Son of Heaven?
Given Jing Province's current military strength... if they were to mobilize, Cao Gong would be in danger, and the plan to welcome the Son of Heaven would be in jeopardy!
Yu Jin and Le Jin instinctively broke out in a cold sweat...
On the contrary, Xun Yu's eyes suddenly opened, and his tone was exceptionally calm. "How many Jing Province troops?"
"Five... five hundred!"
Hiss... As soon as this was said, Le Jin and Yu Jin let out a long sigh of relief. Five hundred... what could five hundred do?
Wait...
They suddenly realized a serious problem. Five hundred Jing Province troops marching north? What for? To deliver themselves to their deaths?
Before Le Jin and Yu Jin could speak.
The scout's words continued, "They... they are escorting a large amount of stone and timber northward to Luoyang, seemingly... seemingly to prepare stone and timber for the construction of the palace in Luoyang City by imperial decree!"
Hmm...
As soon as this was said, light appeared in the eyes of Le Jin and Yu Jin.
"Haha..." Xun Yu smiled lightly and nodded. He picked up the letter in his hand again. Lu Yu had clearly written in this bamboo slip that Liu Biao, the Governor of Jing Province, would send the materials needed for the palace.
Of course, Xun Yu was also very surprised...
Had Liu Biao's brain been kicked by a donkey? According to Lu Yu's letter, the Son of Heaven would issue an imperial decree to him, asking him to provide the stone and funds needed for the construction of the palace...
At such a God-given opportunity, Liu Biao actually did not go north to welcome the Son of Heaven?
He was simply and purely sending stone and money to Luoyang?
This was no longer just foolish; it was adorably foolish. Xun Yu really couldn't think of any other words to describe Liu Biao's absurd operation.
"Cough cough..."
Clearing his throat, Xun Yu turned to Yu Jin and Le Jin. "Generals, look, here come our stone materials, don't they?"
Come? They've come...
Yu Jin immediately came to his senses, while Le Jin paused for a moment and added, "Strategist... if we were to snatch them, would it be... immoral?"
Morality? This question stumped Xun Yu...
He considered himself a distinguished gentleman!
"Cough cough..."
With another light cough, Xun Yu turned around and stood with his hands behind his back, looking up at the sky. "Did I say we were going to snatch them? We are building a palace for the Son of Heaven. Can this be called snatching? This is taking... taking, not snatching, understand!"
Heh heh...
As soon as Xun Yu said this, Yu Jin and Le Jin chuckled. They loved hearing Xun Yu's serious and nonsensical talk!
The two exchanged glances. Snatching... no, taking, was not shameful!
"Sima Xun, we will go and take those stone materials. We take our leave, we take our leave!" Yu Jin cupped his hands and departed...
"Farewell! Hahahaha..." Le Jin also cupped his hands and said, laughing as he spoke.
Xun Yu suddenly thought of something and hurriedly called out, "Wait..."
Ah...
The two turned back. Cough cough... After a light cough, Xun Yu finally instructed, "Even though it's not snatching, it's 'taking,' we still need to save face, change your clothes!"
Oh... Oh!
Yu Jin and Le Jin nodded in agreement. Sima Xun was indeed thoughtful.
Acting in disguise, this Sili region was not peaceful, with bandits and stragglers everywhere. Who knew who had intercepted the stone, wood, and money?
"Hahaha..." Yu Jin laughed. "Sima Xun is truly thoughtful!"
Le Jin nodded, saying nothing, but muttering in his heart, "When honest people become shameless, those bandits and soldiers have no chance."
...
That day.
A group of "bandits" plundered the Jing Province convoy. The Jing Province soldiers adhered to a policy of non-resistance. Seeing the overwhelming strength of the bandits, they dropped their goods and fled.
This was consistent with the behavior of Jing Province troops.
Moreover, in Lu Yu's opinion... this matter would be downplayed by Liu Biao and eventually dropped!
After all, Lu Yu understood Governor Liu Biao, the "number one person for forums in the Three Kingdoms," all too well.
The reason Liu Biao was to provide these materials to the Son of Heaven was for the sake of appearance. As a member of the imperial clan who had received imperial favor for generations, how could he not lend a helping hand when the Son of Heaven was in distress!
But... if this batch of stone materials was actually sent to Luoyang, what if... the Son of Heaven made further unreasonable demands? Liu Biao would still have to comply!
It would be better to send fewer troops and let the bandits intercept this batch of stone materials.
In this way, it would not be Liu Biao who refused to help the Son of Heaven, but rather that there were too many bandits and soldiers between Jing Province and Sili, and Liu Biao's materials could not be delivered. He, Liu Biao, could not do it either!
This was like certain "iron rice bowl" jobs. If you do your job well, the leader will continue to use you, hence "whipping the fast ox."
But if you do your job poorly, and show that it's not that you don't want to do it well, but that your ability is limited.
The next time, the leader would not dare to use you, for fear that you would drop the job.
In this way, the latter would have an easier time at work.
And the former, working themselves to death, would earn the same amount of money. This was the so-called iron rice bowl.
Liu Biao was well aware of this principle...
Under the pressure of reputation, he had to help, but he couldn't fully help... he had to show that it wasn't that he didn't help, but that his ability was limited.
It could be said that Yu Jin and Le Jin's plundering this time had actually helped him greatly!
Regardless, this large batch of stone materials fell entirely into Cao's army's hands. Now, they could continue to build the palace in Xudu. It was truly a case of the moon shining on the dark path, leading to another village!
"Heh heh, I didn't expect... Liu Biao to be quite wealthy!"
Le Jin looked at the carts of stone materials before him and couldn't help but exclaim...
"Hahaha..." Yu Jin stroked his beard and also said with a smile, "I finally understand why Sima Xun sent scouts to investigate everywhere. So... Sima Xun sees further! We might not be able to gather this stone material even if we quarried for half a year."
"Eh..." Hearing this, Le Jin waved his hand. "Wenze? Do you still remember when Sima Xun began sending scouts?"
"When?" Yu Jin stopped, quite curious.
Le Jin's expression became a little more serious. "It was after reading that letter from Yan Province. I heard that this letter was personally written by Officer Lu!"
Hmm... Officer Lu?
As soon as this was said, Yu Jin's eyes narrowed. Good heavens... had this legendary Officer Lu once again spoken the truth?
However... why didn't it feel very surprising this time?
It seemed that this had already become his routine operation, hadn't it?
Thanks to them, the "threshold" for surprise for generals like them had become even higher.
...
...
Five days later!
"Dada-da..."
On the Mangdang Mountain path, Cao Cao was galloping with several thousand cavalry.
As they reached a high slope, one could overlook the entire dilapidated city of Luoyang.
Cao Cao was only one step away from Luoyang City.
And having received the news that the Son of Heaven had entered the border of Luoyang, the timing was just right!
"Stop, stop, stop..."
Jueying's warhorse neighed, and Cao Cao reined in his horse, causing the entire cavalry formation to halt instantly.
"How exhilarating, how exhilarating! Look, we have ascended Mangdang Mountain together with the sun."
Cao Cao exclaimed...
"Cao Gong..." Mao Jie, riding his horse, gasped for breath repeatedly. "For the last stretch of the road, we have traveled over six hundred li in three days. Not only are the men tired, but our horses are also tired. Let's rest a bit!"
"Good..." Cao Cao dismounted. "Then let's rest for a moment... when the sun is high, we will set off again!"
Sitting on a stone step, Cao Cao did not forget to ask, "Are there any movements from Yuan Shao, Yuan Shu, or Liu Biao?"
Mao Jie dismounted and also gasped for breath. "According to the scouts from Ji Province, Huainan, and Jing Province, the Son of Heaven issued three imperial edicts requesting Yuan Shao to escort him, but Yuan Shao did not comply! Yuan Shu is busy fighting with Lu Bu and Liu Bei, and has no time to look west! The most regrettable is Liu Biao..."
Speaking of this, Mao Jie paused. He was still a bit out of breath. As a civilian official, accompanying Cao Cao on this march of over a thousand li to Luoyang was a bit too much for his body!
Huff...
With a long exhale, Mao Jie continued, "The Son of Heaven issued an edict asking Liu Biao to cooperate with Dong Cheng in building the imperial palace in Luoyang. Unexpectedly, Liu Biao only sent five hundred soldiers to send some stone materials to Luoyang and did not personally lead his army to welcome the Son of Heaven!"
Hmm... stone materials?
Cao Cao paused slightly. He immediately understood Liu Biao's intentions.
This was not sending stone materials to the Son of Heaven, but clearly sending stone materials to the local bandits and mountain brigands!
This member of the Han imperial clan had a guilty conscience!
However, at such a God-given opportunity... Liu Biao did not go north to welcome the Son of Heaven. As Yu'er said, he was just a guest at forums.
"Haha!" Cao Cao laughed and lamented, "Yuan Shao and Liu Biao are so close to Mangdang Mountain, yet they did not come. Such stupidity is truly likable! Hahaha..."
After his laughter subsided, Cao Cao's eyes narrowed. "It seems that this Son of Heaven is destined to be mine."
Ah... ah...
Mao Jie was startled. This...
"Cough cough..." Cao Cao coughed lightly. He realized he had spoken out of turn. "I mean, it seems that only I, Cao Cao, can save the Son of Heaven!"
As soon as he finished speaking...
"Dada-da..." Another team of agile horses approached.
"Elder Brother, you've finally arrived..." The speaker was Xiahou Yuan. He and Cao Chun had led the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry ahead of time and had already dispatched scouts to ascertain the Son of Heaven's exact location.
"Have the Son of Heaven been found?" Cao Cao asked urgently...
Xiahou Yuan did not dismount and replied directly, "We found wheel tracks at the foot of the mountain!"
"What is the width of the wheel track?" Cao Cao continued to ask...
"Six feet six inches!" Xiahou Yuan blurted out.
As soon as this was said... Cao Cao was startled. When he studied the various crafts subjects at the Imperial Academy, his final graduation project was the construction of a carriage with Zhang Miao and Hu Mu Ban. No one was more familiar than he was with the specified width of the wheel track for carriages of various imperial ranks.
Six feet six inches. This was a specification only used for the Son of Heaven's carriage.
"Not good!" Cao Cao's brow furrowed. "The Son of Heaven's carriage has already passed... Set off immediately, pursue with all your might!"
This...
Xiahou Yuan paused for a moment and hurriedly reminded him, "Judging by the traces of the wheels, the carriage passed a long time ago. What if we can't catch up?"
"Can't catch up?" Cao Cao became excited. "Even if you have to chase to Luoyang City, to Changle Palace, to heaven and earth, you must catch the Son of Heaven for me!"
As he spoke...
Cao Cao no longer hesitated and directly whipped Xiahou Yuan's horse...
Instantly, Xiahou Yuan and Cao Chun, leading the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry, galloped away at lightning speed.
And at this moment, Cao Cao's eyes were filled with urgency and passion...
"Cao Gong..." Mao Jie reminded him. "General Xiahou has already gone. Shall we... rest a bit before we leave? Just now... Cao Gong ordered us to depart when the sun is high?"
"It's already high!" Cao Cao immediately remounted his horse...
Uh... Mao Jie paused.
"But... in my opinion, it doesn't seem to be yet past the third watch!"
"I said it's the third watch, so it's the third watch! Your opinion is useless... Go..." As he spoke, Cao Cao was about to whip his warhorse.
Just then.
"Report..." Another scout galloped over. "Cao Gong, General Dun and General Hong's troops are on their way from Xu County to Luoyang City. They have encountered Li Jue's forces pursuing the imperial chariot... The two generals only have over five thousand men, but... Li Jue has over twenty thousand Xiliang iron cavalry!"
Whoa...
As soon as this was said, Cao Cao's eyes narrowed sharply.
Good heavens... Li Jue actually brought twenty thousand Xiliang iron cavalry to pursue them. If they couldn't repel the enemy, how could they welcome and escort the Son of Heaven?
Huff...
With a long sigh, Cao Cao felt anxious. Yuan Rang and Zi Lian were both brave but lacked strategy... Now, facing Xiliang cavalry several times their strength, it was not good...
"All troops, listen to my command! First, we will go to the aid of Yuan Rang! You! Lead the way!"
With that, the scout turned his horse, and nearly seven thousand cavalry followed the scout's horse hooves, whistling towards the west of Luoyang City.
It seemed...
This would be Cao's army's first direct confrontation with Li Jue's main army!
...
...
Yan Province, Chenliu Commandery, in the Cai Residence.
"Miss Cai! Where is Officer Lu? I have something urgent to discuss!"
Early in the morning, Cao Ren rushed into the Cai Residence, his expression extremely nervous...
Cai Zhao Ji was slightly taken aback...
In her memory, General Cao Ren was always calm, remaining unperturbed even if Mount Tai collapsed before him. This was the first time she had seen him so flustered.
"Yu'er... Yu'er is in the study... I... I'll take General Cao there."
Cai Zhao Ji quickly led the way.
As they spoke, the two turned past the corridor and arrived at the study.
Outside the study, Dian Wei stood guard, cautiously surveying the surroundings. Because of his mother's instructions, he dared not relax his guard over young Master Lu for a moment!
"Please trouble Commander Dian to inform Yu'er that General Cao has arrived..." Cai Zhao Ji said.
"Since it is Miss Cai Yan and General Cao, there is no need to report. You two can enter directly." Dian Wei moved aside, signaling them to enter.
Creak...
The door was pushed open. Unlike Cao Ren's hurried expression, Lu Yu was actually... dozing!
Judging by his appearance, it was obvious that he must have fought three hundred rounds with some concubine or maid last night, and was now listless!
"Yu'er, wake up, General Cao has arrived..."
Yawn~~
Lu Yu let out a big yawn, then... rubbed his sleepy eyes. When he opened them, he saw Cao Ren's anxious gaze.
"General Cao? What is it... why is your expression so soul-stirring?" Lu Yu asked back...
"Something has happened!" Cao Ren said loudly. "According to the dispatches from the front lines, Yuan Rang and Zi Lian discovered Li Jue's army of twenty thousand three days ago. They did not retreat but charged directly at them! It is likely that today... the two armies have already clashed."
Speaking of this, Cao Ren felt very panicked...
How could he not panic?
Cousin Xiahou Dun and Junior Cousin Cao Hong only had a few thousand men, and most of them were infantry. Facing the Xiliang iron cavalry, there was no reason to charge forward! Wasn't this seeking death?
In Cao Ren's opinion, it must be the impulsiveness of these two cousins that had gotten the better of them.
And yet...
This situation had occurred, and there was no one by his side to discuss it with. How could he remedy it?
"Oh..." Lu Yu yawned again...
He seemed indifferent...
Good heavens, Cao Ren's eyes were practically spitting fire. He thought it was a big deal, but it turned out to be just this? Was this considered a big deal?
"Calm down, calm down..." Lu Yu slowly stood up... "Nothing major will happen. Besides, isn't Military Advisor Xun You still here?"
"Alas..."
Cao Ren still seemed a bit dejected and stomped his feet. "The location from Xu County to Luoyang is on the west side of Luoyang. It is a boundless plain. On such a plain, even with Military Advisor Xun's divine strategies, five thousand infantry cannot match twenty thousand cavalry!"
Cao Ren's speech became faster and faster, and his tone became more and more urgent...
"Calm down, calm down!" Lu Yu tried to soothe him... "General Cao, if I told you... that General Xiahou would repel twenty thousand elite cavalry in this battle without shedding blood? Would you believe it or not?"
Ah... ah...
Five thousand infantry repelling twenty thousand elite cavalry?
Why?
Cao Ren felt a bit bewildered. This was completely contrary to common sense. If Li Jue pursued them here, he would definitely want to recapture the Son of Heaven. How could he let Xiahou Dun and Cao Hong retreat without shedding blood?
Unless Li Jue's head was kicked by a donkey, otherwise... it was impossible!
"Officer Lu, don't speak halfway! Tell me, how... how can Yuan Rang and Zi Lian's five thousand infantry repel the enemy without shedding blood?"
Sigh... That's a good question.
Lu Yu's eyes fixed. "General Cao, this question requires us to go back to a letter I wrote to my elder brother ten days ago!"
Whoa...
A letter?
Cao Ren wished he could press his ear to Lu Yu's mouth. Could a letter... have such great power?
Of course, it was still the letter made of bamboo.
But the content of the letter was worth a hundred thousand troops.
...
...