Xu Province, Pengcheng.
"Hoo..."
With a long sigh, Liu Bei stood on the city wall. He first glanced at the countless Cao troops below the city, then looked back at the archers on the battlement without arrowheads.
And the most crucial... the cloth strips tied to the arrows, covered with densely packed small seal script characters.
This was already the nth volley from the Cao army into the city in three days.
Without arrowheads, Cao army's goal was undoubtedly not to harm the enemy, but to shake the morale of the army and the people.
Liu Bei knew without looking that the writing on these cloth strips must be extremely unfavorable.
For example... Cao Cao's heart-wrenching words, such as avenging his father and only punishing Tao Qian, with no guilt for others;
That after punishing Tao Qian, the land tax of Xu Province would be halved for three years, and granaries would be opened to distribute grain;
That surrendered soldiers would be promoted one rank, and surrendered generals would be promoted three ranks!
These few words on the cloth strips made Tao Qian feel like he was sitting on pins and needles, and made Liu Bei feel as if he had thorns on his back and a fishbone in his throat.
"Psychological warfare, a brilliant tactic of psychological warfare!"
Liu Bei narrowed his eyes... He helplessly punched the city wall. He, Liu Bei, was good at hiding his thoughts, but it seemed Cao Cao's mastery of psychological warfare was even superior.
At this moment, Liu Bei was also doubting whether his decision to abandon Gongsun Zan and come to rescue Tao Qian was right or wrong.
Although it was already spring, the weather in Xu Province was not clear. Last night, it even snowed lightly.
The Cao army seemed to have deliberately left one city gate open, allowing the remnants of Dongguan City, Langya Commandery, and Donghai Commandery to retreat into Pengcheng. At the same time, they brought more information from outside to the defenders of Pengcheng.
"What? Cao Cao really opened the granaries and distributed grain? And didn't harm the common people at all?"
"He... he even posted notices, and the reduction of land tax is also true?"
"Then... the brothers who surrendered, did they really... really get promoted by one rank?"
The common people and soldiers began to discuss, and at this moment... their steadfast hearts were all shaken.
More people realized that Cao Cao was not like the bloodthirsty gods of ancient times, who killed surrendered soldiers or massacred civilians at the slightest provocation...
On the contrary, he genuinely considered things from the perspective of the common people.
After all... this was under the premise of Cao Cao's "death" of his own father! With such great enmity, he could swallow it in his heart. Perhaps... it wouldn't be bad for Xu Province to be ruled by Cao Cao?
More and more soldiers and common people had this thought, and even some aristocratic families had secretly sent people to sneak out of the city to try to contact Cao Cao.
Lu Yu's strategy of "punishing only the ringleader, treating the common people kindly, and prioritizing psychological warfare" had already begun to show results.
The situation was excellent. Anyone could see that if the siege continued for another month... Pengcheng would fall without a fight!
...
"This is truly unbearable..." Liu Bei on the battlement sighed again.
He couldn't help but gaze into the distance, muttering to himself, "Could it be that I overestimated Lu Fengxian? Could it be... he didn't go to raid Yan Province?"
Liu Bei narrowed his eyes. At this moment, he was a little flustered.
Admittedly, he had betrayed Gongsun Zan and abandoned his position as governor of Pingyuan to come and assist Tao Qian. However, Liu Bei had an element of gambling in this. Did he not wish to seize Xu Province, the granary of the Central Plains?
For this very reason, when Liu Bei heard of the tragic death of the renowned scholar Bian Rang in Henei, he keenly sensed a scheme at play.
It seemed that... the deaths of Cao Song, Cao Cao's campaign against Xu Province, and the mutual destruction of Cao Cao and Tao Qian were all preparations for someone else – Lu Bu, Lu Fengxian!
Lu Bu's Bing Province Wolf Cavalry would inevitably move east from Sili to raid Yan Province.
At this time, Cao Cao, unable to attend to both ends, would have to retreat, and Xu Province's Tao Qian would also be greatly weakened. For him, Liu Bei, there would certainly be an opportunity to plot for Xu Province!
That's right, Liu Bei had an element of gambling. In fact, in this chaotic world, if he didn't gamble, how could he gain a province?
It's just that... as of today, why hasn't the intelligence from Yan Province arrived?
Did Lu Bu raid or not? Does Yan Province still belong to Lu, or to Cao?
Hoo... Liu Bei exhaled a breath of turbid air. Pengcheng was about to collapse. If Xu Province was already lost, then Liu Bei's plan this time would be a complete failure, and he would even be branded with the name of "betrayer."
Although Liu Bei appeared calm now, in reality, his back was covered in sweat...
Cold sweat poured down.
"Big Brother... didn't we receive news earlier that Lu Bu had already moved east from Sili?" Guan Yu, with his long beard, reminded him. "The Bing Province Wolf Cavalry has always been brave, and it's a surprise attack. The Yan Province garrison only has about twenty thousand men, mostly infantry. Stopping Lu Bu would be like a fool's dream. Most likely, Yan Province has already been captured, and the victory report is on its way!"
"Ah..." Zhang Fei, who didn't care about so many things, looked annoyed, "Whether Yan Province falls or not, Big Brother, just give the word, and let me lead troops to charge down the city, and I'll surely stab Cao Cao a hundred times through!"
Zhang Fei looked eager to try...
But in reality, the commander of Pengcheng at this time was Cao Bao, the leader of the Danyang troops under Tao Qian. And he looked down on Liu, Guan, and Zhang, so he wouldn't divide his troops among them. Liu Bei could only command the thousand men he brought from Pingyuan.
"Third Brother, no!" Liu Bei grabbed Zhang Fei. "Let's wait a bit longer. Second Brother has a point, perhaps the victory report is already on its way."
Liu Bei wanted to preserve his own strength. His goal was never Cao Cao, but Xu Province. Good iron should be used on the blade, and money spent wisely!
Hoo...
Liu Bei muttered, "The spring cold is biting, and it's warm and cold again, a late spring cold, light snow falling, Xu Province is now freezing cold and the Cao army must also be facing considerable hardship, right? The art of victory and defeat, it seems we have to wait for the situation in Yan Province to be reported."
In short...
Liu, Guan, and Zhang brothers turned and went back to their rooms. It was indeed very cold on the battlement of Pengcheng.
...
At the same time... the border between Xu Province and Yan Province.
In the vast white snow, endless... pristine new snow had no traces of being trampled or damaged...
Only on the official road covered by heavy snow, "dada-da"... hurried horse hooves could be heard.
In the light snow, a man and a horse galloped past. The messenger on the horse was already frozen stiff, and the horse beneath him seemed to have been replaced at the post station not long ago.
Even so, a large amount of snow clung to its four hooves, and it kept snorting. It was both cold and tired.
A villager near the official road saw this scene and muttered to himself, "Rushing... rushing so urgently?"
Of course, he was urgent... He was a messenger from Yan Province, and he had to report the situation in Yan Province to Cao Cao as quickly as possible. If he was late, it would be too late.
Less than an hour after he left the official road, another fast horse galloped over. He was an informant from Xu Province within Yan Province...
The situation in Yan Province was equally important to Tao Qian and Liu Bei.
Almost there, the messenger and the letter were about to reach Xu Province.
...
...
Yan Province, fifty li outside Puyang City.
A contingent of Cao's army had set up camp here. The banner in the main tent bore the word "Xiahou," and this camp was the Qing Province troops led by Xiahou Dun.
At this time, Xiahou Dun in the main tent was frowning deeply, with a look of fury in his eyes.
"Your (Li) grandma's... that little brat Lu Bu dared to trick me!"
Just two hours ago, Xiahou Dun was still fighting Lu Bu. Everyone said Lu Bu was an unparalleled flying general, but facing him, Xiahou Dun was constantly retreating. With Xiahou Dun's temperament, how could he let Lu Bu go when he had the upper hand?
He was planning to quickly finish off Lu Bu and then lead his troops to reinforce Xun Yu, who was guarding Juancheng.
But as he pursued, a knight reported that Puyang City had been lost...
Only then did Xiahou Dun realize he had fallen into a trap. He had been too careless...
He was too foolish. Lu Bu wasn't unable to defeat him; he was simply feigning defeat. This was... luring the tiger away from its lair!
Xiahou Dun had little education, but his cousin Xiahou Yuan and Cao Ren often mentioned the book "Thirty-Six Stratagems" written by Lu Yu. Wasn't the fifteenth stratagem "luring the tiger away from its lair"? This time, he suffered from lack of culture!
With a "bang," Xiahou Dun punched the table, causing the entire table to tremble continuously.
Hoo... hoo...
Long breaths.
"Careless, (Li) grandma's careless." Xiahou Dun punched his own chest fiercely. No one knew the importance of Puyang City better than he did...
It was here that Yan Province's grain and fodder were stored, an important supply point for the Yan Province army.
Now that Lu Bu had captured Yan Province, with this grain and fodder, he would have enough to assemble a formidable army in less than two months.
"Alas..." With a long sigh, Xiahou Dun gritted his teeth, and suddenly... he remembered something.
Back when they were discussing matters in the government office, Lu Yu had earnestly advised his elder brother Cao Cao to change the garrison of Puyang City. It was he, Xiahou Dun, who insisted on guarding it and even made a military pledge...
Xiahou Dun was not afraid of death, but he was a man who greatly valued his reputation. Now it seemed, though he didn't want to admit it, that Lu Yu had calculated correctly. If they had followed Lu Yu's instructions and let Zixiao (Cao Ren) guard Puyang City, while he, Xiahou Dun, went to attack Xu Province, with Zixiao's steady nature, he would not have fallen into the trap, nor would Puyang City have fallen. Careless, still careless!
Xiahou Dun was so angry that he stomped his feet dejectedly. He gritted his teeth, wishing he could immediately attack Puyang, recapture it, and atone for his mistakes!
"Rest for a day, and at dusk tomorrow, the entire army will attack the city and retake Puyang!"
A sharp glint flashed in Xiahou Dun's eyes. He had a fiery temper, but he was a true, iron-boned, tough man. If he fell at Lu Bu's hands, he would definitely stand up again here.
"General, rest assured."
A tall man stood out from the side. He was named Xiahou Lian, Xiahou Dun's cousin and a much-valued deputy.
"Today was just a moment of carelessness by the General. News from Chenliu Commandery says that two days ago Lu Bu was defeated here, suffering heavy losses... Even if he has captured Puyang City now, he cannot have many elite soldiers under his command. Tomorrow's attack on the city can be decided in one battle."
"Good!" Xiahou Dun nodded heavily. He was also a very confident, very confident person...
He was confident in challenging Lu Bu, and he was confident in recapturing Puyang City.
Just then.
"Reporting to the General..." another deputy strode into the main tent. "Outside the gate are over thirty Bing Province soldiers. They claim to be Lu Bu's subordinates, with their hands tied behind their backs. They say Lu Bu is tyrannical and will eventually fail, and they have come to surrender to the General in advance... They also say they have an inside man in Puyang City who can unlock the city gate and help the General capture Lu Bu!"
This...
The deputy's words reached Xiahou Dun's ears.
Xiahou Dun frowned in thought, but in less than five breaths, he suddenly stood up. "Good, good... Hahaha... This is heaven helping me atone for my mistakes and retake Puyang!"
Xiahou Dun's eyes gleamed with excitement. This was a rare opportunity...
He wanted to prove himself, at least... to prove that his ability to defend the city was not as bad as Lu Yu had said!
"Lu Bu is fickle. This General was wondering why the Bing Province Wolf Cavalry would be loyal to such an indecisive person? As expected... he is unpopular, haha. The hearts of the Bing Province Wolf Cavalry are not with him, so... retaking Puyang City will be a piece of cake!"
With that, Xiahou Dun strode out to personally untie these surrendered soldiers.
"Big Brother..."
"General."
Xiahou Lian and Han Hao spoke in unison. The two exchanged glances, and it was Han Hao who stepped forward. "General? Could it be... this is another trick by that Lu Bu?"
"Hmph... Only thirty-odd people, with their hands tied? No weapons, what kind of trick is this?" Xiahou Dun waved his hand dismissively. "Even if it is a trick, would this General be afraid of them?"
As he spoke, Xiahou Dun had already walked out of the main tent and was heading straight towards the surrendered soldiers.
Xiahou Lian and Han Hao hurried to catch up, feeling that something was not quite right, but... they couldn't quite pinpoint it.
...
Inside the Cao camp.
Over thirty surrendered soldiers knelt in a row.
"This is our General Xiahou, why don't you kowtow!" A soldier, seeing Xiahou Dun approaching, immediately reminded these surrendered soldiers.
The thirty-odd surrendered soldiers immediately kowtowed, showing full submission and loyalty.
"General Xiahou, that... that... the villain Lu Bu is treacherous and rewards and punishments are unclear. We are willing to abandon him and pledge allegiance to you, to help you unlock the Puyang city gate and kill this villain!"
The leading surrendered soldier shouted loudly...
His voice was full of emotion, and tears were about to stream down his face. Anyone could see that he must have had deep enmity with Lu Bu...
"Brave warriors, there is no need for this. Since you have abandoned darkness for light, we are all family. I will first untie you, brave warriors."
Xiahou Dun was overjoyed and strode up to them.
"Thank you, General..."
The surrendered soldiers kowtowed again, their faces showing extreme sincerity. But... just as Xiahou Dun reached the middle of them to untie them, a sly smile appeared on the lips of all thirty-odd surrendered soldiers.
Immediately, with a "swoosh," they somehow broke free from the ropes, and in a flash, they all drew soft swords from their shoes.
Soft swords were rare weapons in this era, but they were often effective in assassinations and hostage situations!
Their movements were fluid, and their coordination was seamless, clearly... they had practiced countless times before.
Coupled with the speed and suddenness, even Xiahou Dun did not react. By the time he wanted to draw his saber, soft swords were already at his throat.
At this moment, the Cao camp general Xiahou Dun was taken hostage.
...
And at the same time.
A contingent of five hundred cavalry was roaring towards this direction.
Because there was a carriage in the middle, their speed could not be raised to the maximum.
Fortunately, Chenliu Commandery was not far from Puyang City.
After a day's journey, they were already close to Puyang City. Among these five hundred cavalry, three hundred were from the Dragon Mighty Camp, and the remaining two hundred were "Tiger Cavalry" warriors from the Tiger Leopard Cavalry. Leading the charge was the commander of the Tiger Cavalry, Cao Chun, wearing a pure silver helmet.
And the burly man driving the carriage, with a ferocious face and fierce eyes, was none other than Dian Wei...
At this moment, he was whipping the horses, as if he wanted to whip them to death. The horses, in pain, ran even faster.
Along the way, Dian Wei had already worn out three warhorses.
As for the reason...
Visibly, the young master Lu Yu inside the carriage was repeatedly instructing: "Fast, faster!"
Frankly speaking, Lu Yu was truly worried. What was the current situation? No one knew. What if he was too late, Xiahou Dun... along with his thousands of troops would return to Puyang City to die.
And the current situation... was even worse than Lu Yu had imagined. As he had mentioned before: "Careless Hou Dun will be doomed!"
...
...