On the city walls of Puyang City, Yan Province.
"My lord, your plan is truly brilliant!" Under the moonlight, Lü Bu opened his eyes and looked at the refined man beside him, seemingly enjoying the moment standing on the walls of his city.
"Haha..." This refined man was none other than Lü Bu's strategist, Chen Gong.
Chen Gong gave a slight smile. "Xiahou Dun is brave but foolish. If I can outsmart him once, I can outsmart him again. It's nothing to boast about..."
At this moment, they had received intelligence that the thirty Bing Province soldiers who had feigned surrender had succeeded, and Xiahou Dun had been taken hostage.
What next...
"Haha... My lord, please wait for me for a moment. Let me launch an attack to annihilate Xiahou Dun and establish my reputation in Yan Province!" Lü Bu took the Fangtian Huaji handed to him by a subordinate and prepared to crush the Cao army in one fell swoop.
Upon hearing this, Chen Gong waved his hand to stop Lü Bu.
"No need to rush... I have already arranged for Zhang Wenyuan to lie in ambush near the Cao army's camp. Xiahou Dun has been taken hostage. When the Cao camp gates are wide open, he can charge with all his might and slaughter the Cao army!"
"Most of Xiahou Dun's subordinates are Qing Province soldiers, who are infantry. Once the camp gates are open, how can the entire Cao army stop the Bing Province wolf cavalry?"
As expected of Chen Gongtai, such meticulous planning. Lü Bu nodded repeatedly...
He had witnessed Chen Gong's strategies thoroughly in the past few days. Turning defeat into victory, reversing the situation against the wind – these sets of intricate strategies were truly dazzling!
"Haha, since my lord has already made arrangements, it was I who worried needlessly." Lü Bu handed the Fangtian Huaji back to the attendant, his eyes gradually narrowing as he gazed into the distance.
Xiahou Dun had been taken hostage. As long as the Cao army's camp gates were open, cavalry would charge infantry.
No matter how this battle was fought, it would be a complete victory.
The Cao army camp, flying the banner of "Xiahou," would surely be overthrown tonight.
Heh heh, Zhang Wenyuan's crescent halberd must already be whetted and ready, right?
Thinking of this, Lü Bu's eyes grew increasingly murderous.
...
...
"The general has been taken hostage? What should we do?"
"Quick... surround them."
"Release General Xiahou immediately, and we can spare your lives!"
Within the Cao army camp, various voices were constantly heard, but without exception, every voice sounded somewhat trembling.
Panic had engulfed the entire Cao army camp.
This was quite characteristic of the Qing Province soldiers – arrogant when winning, surrendering when losing. The slightest setback, and they would collapse entirely.
At this moment, all the deputy generals and soldiers looked distressed and flustered. Although their Qing Province soldiers outnumbered these "surrendering soldiers" by a hundredfold and had them completely surrounded, yet... General Xiahou was still in their hands, and everyone was holding back out of concern for their general.
"All of you, lay down your weapons, or I'll strike your general first!"
As he spoke, the dagger of the leading surrendered soldier moved closer to Xiahou Dun's neck. Xiahou Dun could already feel the chilling coldness.
"You damn old hag, if you want to kill, then kill..."
Given Xiahou Dun's temperament, how could he endure this?
But now... he was bound by ropes. Even if he wanted to struggle, there was no opportunity...
"Hahahahaha... What are you being arrogant about? General Xiahou, you must recognize the situation. You are merely a lamb waiting to be slaughtered. As long as I wish, with a slight flick of my wrist, you will immediately go to see the King of Hell."
Saying this... the leader of the surrendered soldiers glared coldly at the surrounding soldiers. "I'll say it one last time, lay down your weapons, or else..."
Seeing that everyone still had no intention of laying down their weapons, the leader of the surrendered soldiers deliberately pressed his dagger lightly into Xiahou Dun's neck. It was shallow, but drops of blood had already begun to flow.
"Don't... don't... don't hurt our general."
As expected, this tactic was very effective. Deputy General Xiahou Lian had never seen such a scene before. He hastily ordered the Qing Province soldiers around him, "All of you, lay down your weapons. This is a military order. Lay down your weapons."
"You..." Xiahou Dun wanted to say something, but the dagger was almost against his neck. With the slightest exertion, blood would flow profusely.
And these Bing Province "surrendering soldiers" seemed to have no intention of giving him a chance to speak, directly stuffing a rag into his mouth.
Xiahou Dun mumbled for a long time, but could not utter a single word.
These surrendered soldiers looked around at the Cao army soldiers again. Good, all the Cao soldiers had put down their weapons... Heh heh, on the battlefield, this was tantamount to giving up resistance.
"Now, open the camp gates and remove all the 'ju ma' (wooden barricades) in front of the gates!" the leader of the surrendered soldiers continued to command.
Uh... open the camp gates? Remove the 'ju ma'!
The so-called 'ju ma' were ancient, movable wooden obstacles. Wooden posts were crossed and fixed into frames, with blades and spikes embedded on the frames. They were used to block gates, prevent passage, and also in combat to stop and impede enemy horses, and to kill enemies!
These were some of the few military defenses that infantry had to effectively counter cavalry...
Instantly, a bad premonition arose in Xiahou Dun's heart. At this critical juncture, his not-so-bright mind surprisingly became agile...
Opening the camp gates and removing the 'ju ma', one could guess with their toes that the enemy must be lying in ambush... Lü Bu's cavalry was about to charge.
"Mmm... mmm.
Xiahou Dun desperately tried to make a sound, attempting to stop his subordinates, but at this moment, his mouth was stuffed with a rag, leaving only meaningless mumbles.
"Hmph, what are you still dallying for? Do you want your general to die?"
The leader of the surrendered soldiers seemed to have lost patience. He exchanged glances with his companions, and with a "swish," two soft swords were drawn again and placed at Xiahou Dun's neck.
Judging by the cold glint in their eyes, no one doubted that if they did not do as they were told, General Xiahou would truly lose his head.
"Quickly... quickly go and open the camp gates, remove the 'ju ma'!"
Xiahou Lian was completely panicked. While they were nominally the general and deputy general, in reality, Xiahou Dun was his elder cousin. They had grown up together since childhood, and Xiahou Dun's righteous nature always led him to help Xiahou Lian. They were like brothers... How could he watch Xiahou Dun die tragically before his eyes?
"What are you still waiting for, hurry... hurry and go!"
With another command, a few more Qing Province soldiers quickly ran out, directly opened the camp gates, and began to dismantle the densely packed 'ju ma' in front of the gates one by one.
Heh heh...
Seeing this scene, the thirty "surrendered soldiers" curled their lips. Haha, the plan was going even smoother than imagined. Indeed... Chen Gongtai was worthy of being recognized as the general's strategist.
Just as they were about to issue a signal flare to summon the cavalry five miles away for an attack...
The sound of "da da da" of horses' hooves suddenly resounded.
These were exceptionally crisp hoofbeats that cut through the silent night, arriving with a clear sound. The thirty "surrendered soldiers" were all stunned. This was not right. The signal flare had not even been sent yet, and Zhang Liao's cavalry should not have arrived so quickly.
While they were thinking, a cavalry of about two hundred men quickly charged into the Cao army's great tent. The two large banners held high at the forefront bore the character "Cao" on one, and the other was inscribed with the words - "Long Xiao"!
The surrendered soldiers had done some research. In the Cao camp, who else could have such banners besides the mysterious Long Xiao Cavalry?
"Long Xiao Cavalry? Why are they here... are they here to rescue us?"
The leader of the surrendered soldiers was stunned for a moment, but soon his brows relaxed. Xiahou Dun was still in his hands, and thousands of Qing Province soldiers were being held back out of concern for him. Now, another two hundred cavalry had arrived? What could they do to us?
On this side, the thirty-odd surrendered soldiers were still frowning, while on the other side, a rider walked forward from the Long Xiao Cavalry.
Unlike the other riders, there were two people on horseback. One was slightly thin, but exceptionally handsome, while the other had a ferocious appearance. Seeing him in the middle of the night was like seeing a ghost.
The latter was naturally Dian Wei, the "evil demon of antiquity." The former handsome youth was Lu Yu.
Lu Yu couldn't ride a horse and had to travel quickly, so... he could only ride on Dian Wei's back. No, to be precise, he had Dian Wei carry him on the horse.
Fortunately, they had arrived in time...
Hoo... Lu Yu let out a long sigh.
A casual glance around told him the situation. Especially Xiahou Dun, with a rag stuffed in his mouth and at least three blades against his neck. It was no exaggeration to say that if the enemies around him exerted any force, Xiahou Dun would truly be finished.
Speaking of which, according to ancient records, Xiahou Dun was indeed once captured by Lü Bu's soldiers. But who would have thought that such a burly man would look so disheveled when captured?
Lu Yu and Dian Wei dismounted and walked directly towards Xiahou Dun.
"Stop... If you don't stop, your general will be gone!"
The surrendered soldiers were not afraid of Lu Yu. After all, he looked harmless and frail, with small arms and legs, and didn't seem to have much strength. They estimated he could fight one against ten.
But not being afraid of Lu Yu didn't mean they weren't afraid of the fellow beside him...
Broad-shouldered and robust, wielding a pair of war halberds with imposing might, especially the glint in his eyes, which was like a Rakshasa emerging from hell. It seemed... fighting thirty of them wouldn't be a problem.
"Tap tap..."
Upon hearing their words, Lu Yu and Dian Wei both stopped in their tracks.
This made the already extremely tense thirty-odd surrendered soldiers breathe a long sigh of relief... The flicker of timidity they had felt instantly vanished without a trace.
But the Qing Province soldiers who were removing the 'ju ma' also stopped.
"I'll say it one last time. If you want your general to live, remove all the 'ju ma'. Didn't you hear what I said?" the leader of the surrendered soldiers roared...
The Qing Province soldiers paused for a moment, then quickly began to dismantle the 'ju ma' again!
And at this very moment, a clear voice cut through the silent night, resounding in every corner of the camp.
"All soldiers, pick up your weapons and firmly close the camp gates. Anyone who disobeys will be executed!"
Everyone looked towards the source of the voice, and it was none other than Lu Yu.
At this time, his expression was meticulous, his eyes exceptionally deep, and every word and sentence he uttered was sonorous and powerful, forming a stark contrast with his not-so-sturdy physique.
...
Xiahou Dun was initially startled. He muttered to himself, why had the Long Xiao Cavalry come? Why had Lu Yu come?
The situation was extremely perilous now, and Lü Bu's cavalry would soon arrive... He himself was expendable, but why had Lu Yu come here? Wasn't this a deliberate sacrifice? One sacrificed to save another!
Just as he had this thought, Xiahou Dun realized he was wrong. This wasn't one sacrificed to save another, but one sacrificed to save two, because... he noticed that Cao Chun had also arrived behind Lu Yu.
It should be known that Cao Chun was now the backbone of Chenliu Commandery. If anything happened to him, then...
"What the hell are you doing?" Xiahou Dun cried out in his heart, but he couldn't speak, his entire body flushed red with frustration.
"Hahaha..." The leader of the surrendered soldiers grinned and let out a burst of laughter. It wasn't that he looked down on Lu Yu. At this age... and with such a frail appearance, could he command the Qing Province soldiers?
However, his face soon turned cold, and his arrogant words continued to ring out. "I'll say it one last time. Open the camp gates immediately and remove all the 'ju ma', otherwise your General Xiahou will perish here."
The dagger was pushed a little deeper into Xiahou Dun's neck, and new blood immediately flowed out. The amount of blood was still not much, but it was very bright red. The leader of the surrendered soldiers had judged the force perfectly.
Xiahou Lian was instantly panicked. He dared not take the risk. "Quick... quick, remove the 'ju ma'!"
"Who dares?" Lu Yu's voice resounded again.
"You... Who are you?" Xiahou Lian was startled. To be honest, he had never seen Lu Yu before. If not for... the burly man behind Lu Yu, and the Long Xiao Cavalry, he might have mistaken Lu Yu for a clown invited to entertain.
"I am Lu Yu of the Long Xiao Camp!" Lu Yu's voice continued to echo.
Lu Yu?
... Xiahou Lian paused. This name was not unfamiliar. The commander of the Long Xiao Camp was also called Lu Yu. But... at such a critical moment? Would the Qing Province soldiers be under the command of the Long Xiao Camp?
"Since when could the Long Xiao Camp manage our Qing Province soldiers' military affairs?"
"Naturally, they cannot!" Lu Yu replied instinctively. However, he quickly took out a bamboo slip from his怀, and then raised it high. "However, Duke Cao has a document here. If there is an urgent matter, I can directly mobilize troops from all camps. If anyone disobeys, they can be executed first and reported later!"
Lu Yu's voice rose again... his words carrying a hint of coldness and resolve.
Cao Cao had indeed given him a document allowing him to mobilize local troops, which was for paving the way when tomb raiding or grave robbing.
But mobilizing local troops and mobilizing troops from all camps were two entirely different concepts...
Lu Yu couldn't care about so much now. He truly didn't believe that anyone would read the text word for word. Besides, it wasn't that Lu Yu looked down on Xiahou Dun, but that among his Qing Province soldiers, there were probably none who could read!
"All of you, pick up your weapons for this general!"
Shortly after Lu Yu's words fell, Cao Chun stepped forward... His voice was even more robust and powerful than Lu Yu's.
At the same time, with a "swoosh," he drew his saber and shouted, "In the Cao camp, anyone without weapons will be killed immediately!"
This...
If it were just Lu Yu, or the so-called document from Cao Cao, then... Xiahou Lian and the Qing Province soldiers would likely remain reserved.
But who was Cao Chun? He was the cousin highly regarded by Cao Cao, Cao Ren, and Xiahou Dun. He was the commander of the Tiger Cavalry... His words carried significant weight, even in Xiahou Dun's army!
But... if they truly picked up their weapons, then... would they completely disregard General Xiahou's safety?
General Xiahou... was still being held hostage!
"You're all crazy, aren't you? You're actually going to pick up your weapons... General Xiahou is still... still in their hands..." Xiahou Lian cried out desperately. "General Xiahou is Duke Cao's cousin. How can you disregard his safety!"
Hoo... encountered a tricky one.
Lu Yu raised an eyebrow. "General Cao Chun, take this guy who's disobeying the military order away!"
With the enemy at the gates, Lu Yu's tone was not polite in the least...
"Yes, sir!" Cao Chun gave a signal, and immediately, some soldiers took Xiahou Lian away... Suddenly, Lu Yu felt the whole world quiet down.
This would also allow him to better judge how to rescue Xiahou Dun.
Of course, having lived two lives, Lu Yu somewhat understood the minds of these Bing Province bandits...
Serving as a soldier in this era, who the hell did it for lofty ideals? It was all for wealth, fame, or profit...
If these bandits were to kill Xiahou Dun, they would certainly not be able to get out of this great Cao camp. In other words... Xiahou Dun was their only bargaining chip for survival, so they wouldn't dare to actually kill Xiahou Dun!
As the saying goes: the soft fear the hard, the hard fear the reckless, the reckless fear those who have nothing to lose...
At this moment, it was a competition of who was more reckless. Of course, Lu Yu felt that these thirty-odd people couldn't compare to him, because Lu Yu was not betting Xiahou Dun's life, but they were betting their own lives!
"Heh heh..."
Lu Yu narrowed his eyes. Come on, let's hurt each other. Let's see who's tougher? Who's more reckless? Who has nothing to lose?
...
...