According to Yu'er's plan, no matter how he calculated it, Cao Cao could steadily control Luoyang and hold the imperial court?
But… why did Yu'er say he would be disgraced and ruined?
And why would he perish in Luoyang?
Suddenly, Cao Cao, who was beaming with joy, became tense.
"Lu Gongcao, why don't you explain in detail? Why would welcoming the Son of Heaven lead to ruin, and why would it lead to the fate of Dong Thief?"
Hearing Cao Cao's question, Lu Yu slowly stood up, sighed "Alas," and then said loudly:
"Lord Cao, if you only think that the constraints of welcoming the Son of Heaven are Yuan Shao, Yuan Shu, Liu Biao? Or Yang Feng, Dong Cheng, Han Xian, Zhang Yang, then you are greatly mistaken. The biggest constraint is Luoyang city!"
Lu Yu said this with extreme gravity.
As if fearing Cao Cao wouldn't understand, Lu Yu added in detail:
"Luoyang city, though it appears calm on the surface, is actually surging with undercurrents. Can Lord Cao defeat Yang Feng, Dong Cheng, Han Xian, Zhang Yang? But… as long as they are still in Luoyang, there will be countless petty people coveting the Son of Heaven. They may not want to abduct the Son of Heaven, but they will definitely want to get a share of the pie, gain some titles, or even some territory!"
"These are minor lords. What about Yuan Shao? His reaction is slow, but he is not stupid. Coupled with the fact that he has many capable subordinates, what if he figures it out? Bing Province is connected to Sili. As long as he wants to, he can kill his way to Luoyang and abduct the Son of Heaven at any time."
Lu Yu paused at this point.
"So, Lord Cao, do you think it is appropriate and safe to establish the imperial court in Luoyang city? And the immediate priority, a matter more important than welcoming the Son of Heaven, is to find a more suitable imperial capital!"
After a long speech, Lu Yu's logic was very clear, and Cao Cao nodded repeatedly.
In fact, when he heard halfway, he had already roughly understood what Yu'er meant, that Luoyang was not suitable as the imperial capital.
There, let alone Dong Cheng, Han Xian, Zhang Yang, even he himself, Cao Cao, could not control it.
*Hoo.*
With a long sigh, a hint of doubt flickered in Cao Cao's eyes.
If Luoyang cannot be the imperial capital, then where can it be?
Moreover, this new imperial capital cannot be too far from Luoyang, otherwise it will lose the favor of the Son of Heaven and arouse suspicion from the imperial court! It must also be advantageous for both attack and defense…
This…
Cao Cao recalled the cities and counties near Luoyang in Sili.
Yingchuan? This birthplace of the "famous" Chinese nation, it seems possible, but the Ying River flows through it, and its defensive capabilities are inferior in terms of geographical location…
Then? Xu County, east of Yingchuan?
Don't say… thinking of Xu County, Cao Cao's eyes suddenly widened.
He had an idea, but Cao Cao wanted to hear Lu Yu's opinion.
"Since Lu Gongcao speaks like this, you must have already chosen the new imperial capital, right?" Cao Cao looked up at Lu Yu.
Seeing his confident tone, Lu Yu smiled slightly and retorted, "Doesn't Lord Cao also have an idea in mind?"
"Haha…" Cao Cao laughed, took two brushes from the desk, handed one to Lu Yu, and kept one for himself. "How about you and I both write it down on our hands?"
"Even better!"
Lu Yu turned around, his back to Cao Cao, and wrote two characters on his hand. Cao Cao also wrote two characters…
Turning around again, Lu Yu held out his hand in a fist.
Cao Cao said, "Together."
With that said, both reached out at the same time… the first character they both wrote was Xu, but the second character was different. Cao Cao wrote Xian, while Lu Yu wrote Du!
Xu "Xian", Xu "Du"…
Cao Cao paused, then burst into hearty laughter.
"Hahaha… Xu Du, what a Xu Du!" Cao Cao said, patting Lu Yu on the shoulder. "You have thought further than I have…"
Indeed, this is the vision…
Cao Cao only saw Xu County, while Lu Yu had already seen Xu Du. The vision was lacking.
"Lord Cao…" Lu Yu's voice followed immediately. "Xu County has a special geographical location, located at the junction of Yingchuan and Chenliu. Chenliu is already Lord's base camp, and Yingchuan is the hometown of Cao's strategists. Establishing the capital here will be beneficial for both talent transfer from Yingchuan and strategic support from Chenliu Commandery!"
As he spoke, Lu Yu's mind conjured up the topographical map of the present-day Xuchang City…
Mysteriously, Lu Yu thought of a large supermarket called "Pang Dong Lai" in Xuchang City, which was famous throughout Dahe. It was said that it closed every Tuesday for decades, which was a good story spread among the people of Xuchang!
*Cough cough…*
Lu Yu's thoughts strayed, he regained his composure, and continued:
"In addition, Xu County's geographical location can be described as perfect. To the northwest are the Songshan Mountains, to the west are connected by mountains such as Shiren Mountain, Baiyun Mountain, and Fuyou Mountain. To the south is the Dabie Mountains. Only the east is a developed plain! And it happens that to the east of Xu County is Yanzhou!"
"Our army is flanked by Yuan Shao to the north, Yuan Shu to the southeast, Liu Biao to the south, and Lu Bu and Liu Bei to the east. It can be said that the mountains surrounding Xu County completely isolate their ambitions, and the offensive and defensive positions are all in our hands!"
"The only place to pay attention to is Runan Commandery in Yuzhou. It is very close to Xu Du city, and it can be reached at dawn. It is best to send a surprise force to attack Runan Commandery while welcoming the Son of Heaven and establishing the capital in Xu Du, to eliminate this hidden danger."
Lu Yu rattled off so much in one breath…
Cao Cao immediately asked without thinking, "Who can attack Runan Commandery and eliminate this hidden danger?"
His intention was actually that he couldn't spare his hand to attack Runan because he was about to march west to Luoyang…
"Dragon Vigour Battalion!"
Lu Yu's words surprised Cao Cao…
With faint three words, it seemed to carry immense energy.
Lu Yu's tone was also extremely confident. "My Dragon Vigour Battalion can do it. Lord Cao, just go west to Luoyang, and Runan City will surely be victorious!"
*Huo… what great confidence.*
In Cao Cao's impression, the situation in Runan was also very complicated. There were "rebel armies" of unknown origin, and a large number of mountain bandits. It was heard that there was a clansman of the Qiao Pei Xu clan named Xu Chu, whose name was well-known along the Huai River and Jianghuai line, and was indeed famous throughout Jianghuai!
It is said that once, during an exchange after negotiating with the bandit soldiers, the bandit soldiers wanted to exchange grain for the rebels' cattle. But after the bandit soldiers moved the cattle away, the cattle ran back. Xu Chu then went to the front, grabbed the tail of the cow, and walked for more than a hundred paces.
The bandit soldiers were greatly shocked and did not dare to take the cattle again. From then on, the entire Huai, Ru, Chen, and Liang regions were awestruck when they heard Xu Chu's name!
It can be said that the most difficult thing to capture Runan was to win the heart of this righteous scholar Xu Chu. Xu Chu's heart was connected to the hearts of all the people of Runan. If he surrendered, then Runan Commandery would naturally surrender.
*Hoo…*
Cao Cao exhaled lightly and tried to ask, "Lu Gongcao, Runan is a tough bone to chew! Can you and the Dragon Vigour Battalion chew it down?"
"Yes!" Lu Yu showed a confident smile. "I am willing to sign a military order and break Runan within two months, but…"
"But what?" Cao Cao continued to ask.
"But I would like to ask Lord Cao, if Runan is conquered, can all the cultivated land in Runan be awarded to the Dragon Vigour Battalion!"
"Yes!" Cao Cao replied immediately without thinking.
"Doesn't Lord Cao ask why I want to do this?" Lu Yu was a little confused. Was this still Cao Cao? Didn't he have any suspicion?
If he didn't ask, wouldn't Lu Yu have prepared the answer in vain?
"Haha, what you are doing is only beneficial to Cao's camp and to me! I trust you!"
Cao Cao patted Lu Yu on the shoulder again, and his words were profound. "Runan Commandery will be handed over to your Dragon Vigour Battalion. Haha, I will personally lead the army westward to Luoyang. We can compare whose Dragon Vigour Battalion captures Runan first, or whose Cao Cao welcomes the Son of Heaven first?"
*Uh…*
Compare?
Lu Yu's eyes rolled. Is there anything to compare? He said two months to break Runan, but actually… that was a conservative statement.
Estimate…
If everything goes smoothly, Runan City will proactively invite surrender within a month at the latest. By then, Old Cao will probably not even have reached Luoyang yet!
Isn't this a sure win?
Of course, there is a big prerequisite for Runan City to proactively invite surrender, and that is… Zhang Zhongjing!
This divine doctor… he has to come early!
If he doesn't come, it will be difficult to even plot the capture of Runan Commandery. If he comes, then Yuzhou… will also be recovered logically.
Thinking of this, Lu Yu's eyes blinked repeatedly. By calculation, Cao Xiu had already been gone for almost twenty days, right? Now… he should be back, right?
…
…
Chenliu Commandery, a restaurant fifteen miles outside the city.
This is a newly opened restaurant ten days ago.
Its name is very different from ordinary restaurants – Wei Family Sheep Farm Dumpling Restaurant!
This is the dumpling restaurant opened by Lu Yu and Wei Hong. The other shareholders are still the same three – Xiahou Dun, Xun Yu, and Cao Chun!
In this era, a sheep soup dumpling restaurant is a very distinctive name.
However, in the past ten days, more than a dozen such restaurants have opened in every city and county of Yanzhou…
Of course, the business was not good at first.
Except for Chenliu Commandery, only a few commoners patronized other commanderies and counties. But… as legends about "dumplings" spread through the streets and alleys, and as news spread that this dumpling restaurant was opened by Lu Yu…
More and more commoners came to patronize…
There was even a scene of thousands of people flocking to grab dumplings.
The dumpling restaurant was almost full every day, and even the dumpling supply could not keep up.
Lu Yu and Wei Hong decided to limit supply. Each person could only put two dumplings in their cold-dispelling Jiao Er soup!
Even so… these dumplings and this soup had a very important impact.
After eating dumplings and drinking soup, the commoners felt warm all over, their ears felt hot, and they called it magical!
It seems that within Yanzhou, even the number of patients suffering from the common cold has decreased.
The common people were overjoyed by this. They were warm in body and heart, and warm all over…
Even… because of the treatment of the common cold and the effect of dumplings in preventing the common cold, the people of Yanzhou gave Lu Yu a new title – Medical Immortal!
It seems that now… whenever the most renowned divine doctor of the current era is mentioned.
In the hearts of the people of Yanzhou, the first person that comes to mind is not the divine doctor Hua Tuo, nor the medical sage Zhang Zhongjing, but rather – Medical Immortal Lu Yu.
Lu Yu felt somewhat unworthy of this.
But when he thought about it, historical figures with "Immortal" in their titles often had very high prestige!
For example, Li Bai, the Poetic Immortal, Han Xin, the Military Immortal, Liu Ling, the Wine Immortal… Oh, Li Bai also had the title of Sword Immortal – the Green Lotus Sword Immortal.
When he thought of being on par with these people, Lu Yu was still a little excited.
Now…
At the Wei Family Sheep Soup Dumpling Restaurant fifteen miles outside Chenliu Commandery, it was bustling with noise. Many people were discussing something.
Among them, there were three special guests.
"In just over a month… Yanzhou has changed greatly?"
One of them was Cao Xiu. Looking at the steaming cold-dispelling Jiao Er soup brought by the waiter, Cao Xiu couldn't help but sigh. "I, Cao Xiu, have not been in Yanzhou for a month, and I don't know what these dumplings and cold-dispelling Jiao Er soup are?"
Shaking his head…
Cao Xiu took a bite, *hmm*… what a wonderful taste.
Sitting at the same table as him were Zhang Zhongjing and Huang Xu…
They both had just tasted the dumplings and the soup.
Huang Xu was fine. He just felt that the dumplings and the soup tasted extremely delicious, and were delicacies not found in Jingnan. He not only sighed… the Central Plains were vast and abundant, and even the delicacies were richer and more delicious!
But Zhang Zhongjing was different…
After eating the dumplings and drinking the soup, Zhang Zhongjing's eyes suddenly focused…
When an expert makes a move, you know if they're good or not…
Zhang Zhongjing muttered repeatedly: "Ephedra, cinnamon twig, qiang huo, ginger, angelica dahurica! All are cold-dispelling medicines… their properties are mild!"
"Sheep bones, a large amount of sheep bones, simmered repeatedly… their taste is liver-warm, and they also have a miraculous effect of dispelling cold!"
"Simmer the medicine first, then crush it into powder and wrap it in the dough skin, which can have a miraculous effect in resisting frost and cold! The person who came up with such a recipe is truly talented, truly talented!"
Others drink a bowl of sheep soup and eat a dumpling, and often say how delicious this meal is!
Of course, these are people who don't know the trade.
Just like Zhang Zhongjing, after a bite of dumplings and a bowl of soup, he could already discern the medicinal formula in this "medicinal cuisine."
Why use lamb in dumplings?
Why simmer the soup with sheep bones and herbs?
And why chop the herbs and put them in the minced lamb, wrapped in dough skin…
People who don't know the trade would never think of these things.
But… Zhang Zhongjing was different. He was too familiar with the effects of these medicines. The more he looked, the more he tasted, the more he felt shocked.
He even found something extremely familiar in the dumplings and cold-dispelling Jiao Er soup.
But he couldn't say exactly what it was, as if… in the dumplings and the soup, there was a shadow of the medical principles he had summarized through decades of studying medicine, but it was hundreds of times more exquisite than his summary.
This… isn't this the "food therapy and medicinal cuisine" recipe for resisting the common cold that he had always dreamed of?
Zhang Zhongjing, known as the "Medical Sage," had a profound understanding and sensitive sense of smell for every medicinal herb.
Because of this, he had been studying and summarizing methods for curing or preventing the common cold for decades.
But this path was pioneering, a path never trodden by his predecessors. Therefore… he had to overcome obstacles all the way, and in this regard, he was always lonely!
However… the half-scroll "Treatise on Cold Damage and Miscellaneous Diseases" sent from Yanzhou gave Zhang Zhongjing hope.
He realized that on this path of resisting the deadly common cold, he was not alone. Someone else was also trying, exploring, and even summarizing effective chapters!
Coupled with… this method of food therapy and medicinal cuisine of dumplings, Zhang Zhongjing's heart showed sadness!
This "Treatise on Cold Damage and Miscellaneous Diseases," these dumplings, were as if written specifically for him…
And as if written specifically for the millions of common people in the extremely cold weather.
For some reason, Zhang Zhongjing's eyes reddened.
"Found it, what I… what I have been searching for for decades, at this moment… finally, finally found it!"
"With the medical principles of this 'Treatise on Cold Damage and Miscellaneous Diseases,' with the methods of food therapy and medicinal cuisine of these dumplings and cold-dispelling Jiao Er soup, millions of common people in the Great Han are saved. And now… and now they are finally saved… saved, I… I Zhang Zhongjing, cough cough… cough cough…"
Because he was too excited, Zhang Zhongjing coughed continuously.
Cao Xiu and Huang Xu looked at Zhang Zhongjing…
They were thinking, it's just a bowl of dumplings, why cry? What's there to cry about? If you really want to eat, I'll buy you a few more bowls!
Huang Xu quickly helped his uncle, but in fact, he almost supported Zhang Zhongjing.
Zhang Zhongjing was truly moved.
After all… the goal he had pursued all his life was right before his eyes, within reach… how could he not be moved by this inner turmoil? Not shed tears and cry?
"Uncle Zhongjing, don't cry, it's just a bowl of dumplings. Why are you crying?"
"I… I…" Zhang Zhongjing still wanted to say something.
But the waiter preempted him.
"Hey, young master, let him cry… our sheep soup dumpling restaurant doesn't pass the day without ten or eight people crying."
*Hmm…*
This statement made Cao Xiu suddenly curious.
"Waiter? What's going on? Why… why are people always crying here?"
When this topic was brought up, the waiter's words became more voluble.
"Speaking of which, this is a good thing. Some common people cry because they are grateful for Young Master Lu's saving grace. As soon as they think that these dumplings and cold-dispelling Jiao Er soup were created by Young Master Lu, they can't help but cry while eating dumplings. Because of their tears, the dumplings are salty, but their hearts are warm."
"Besides, there are also some people who realize that these dumplings and cold-dispelling Jiao Er soup can help them resist the cold and curb the invasion of the common cold. So… they think of our Young Master Lu again, thinking that he has a benevolent heart and always considers the common people. Naturally, they cry profusely! By the way, by the way, we no longer call him Young Master Lu. The common people all respectfully call him Medical Immortal Lu!"
*Huo… Young Master Lu? Medical Immortal Lu?*
The speaker spoke without intention, but the listener took it to heart…
Along the way, Cao Xiu had already explained to Zhang Zhongjing and Huang Xu that the half-scroll "Treatise on Cold Damage and Miscellaneous Diseases" was written by Lu Yu, the Gongcao of Cao Cao's commandery, not Cao Cao…
Now, upon hearing the waiter mention Young Master Lu again, Cao Xiu, Zhang Zhongjing, and Huang Xu were all struck by a shock. Cao Xiu was fine…
Zhang Zhongjing and Huang Xu were greatly surprised.
"This… these dumplings and soup are really… created by Young Master Lu?"
Zhang Zhongjing was still sobbing and choking, his eyes teary.
After receiving a positive answer, Zhang Zhongjing murmured, "Young Master Lu… Young Master Lu, what kind of person… what kind of person is he?"
"My young master is naturally a remarkable person. He can devise ingenious strategies and conquer cities and capture fortresses. With a flick of his hand, the common cold is no longer a worry. In our Yanzhou, he is a figure praised by everyone!"
Cao Xiu blurted out instinctively. In his mind, Lu Yu was such a person, a marvel!
Even in Cao Xiu's eyes, in the past five years, if there was any mysterious figure in the Great Han, and if Young Master Lu ranked second, then the first place would only be that "Hidden Dragon Youth" who leaked heavenly secrets with a single sentence and was praised by the Yue Dan Ping as "acquiring him can bring peace to the world."
Suddenly, Zhang Zhongjing was filled with solemn respect. Although he had already respected this Young Master Lu enough before.
But… he found that his respect was still not enough. The talent and character of this Young Master Lu were truly far beyond his reach.
In fact, along the way, Zhang Zhongjing had a bold idea. Young Master Lu… no, Medical Immortal Lu Yu, since he could compile the "Treatise on Cold Damage and Miscellaneous Diseases," then his medical books must be unfathomable.
If, if he were fortunate enough to be accepted as his disciple and listen to his teachings from time to time, then both his medical attainments and his dream of saving the common people would advance a step further!
"In fact, in my opinion… Medical Immortal Lu is not only skilled in medicine, but his most valuable quality is his noble character!"
Huang Xu spoke. "After arriving in Yanzhou, we have also met many disciples of our benefactor. We chatted with them… they all remember their benefactor's instruction – 'Be a noble person, a pure person, and a person detached from vulgar tastes!'"
"I often think that a person who can say such words must be as flawless as beautiful jade. If there is anyone in the world who can be called a perfect gentleman, I think, besides Benefactor Lu, there is no one else."
As soon as these words were spoken, Cao Xiu nodded. This Huang Xu knows how to repay kindness, and he is teachable!
As the saying goes, a tiger father has no dog son… Since Huang Xu is like this, his father Huang Zhong, who is famous in Jingnan, must also be like this…
Just as he was about to speak and add a few more words, and by the way praise the Young Master… at this moment.
"Get, get, get…"
The neighing of a horse echoed through the place.
"Waiter, just bring some dry food and a pot of hot wine, I'm in a hurry!"
As he spoke, a middle-aged man in a worn robe entered the dumpling restaurant. His steps were exceptionally steady, his voice was exceptionally deep. He carried a large bow on his back, a sword at his waist, and a seemingly very heavy saber in his hand.
Ah… ah…
Seeing this person, Cao Xiu didn't feel much.
But Zhang Zhongjing and Huang Xu both opened their mouths wide, and the reason was none other than… the person who arrived was none other than Zhang Zhongjing's sworn brother, Huang Xu's biological father – Huang Zhong, Huang Hansheng!
He traveled day and night, wore out three fast horses, and finally caught up.
…
…