"Father... Father..." Huang Xu murmured.
Hearing this voice, Huang Zhong turned around... Father and son met eyes.
"Brother Hansheng?" Zhang Zhongjing also spoke, the crying tone gone in an instant, replaced by the joy of meeting an old acquaintance in a foreign land.
But upon seeing Huang Xu...
Huang Zhong's brow suddenly knitted. He said nothing, walking towards Huang Xu step by step. His footsteps were firm, his expression exceptionally stern.
Uh...
Cao Xiu was taken aback. This... could this be the legendary Huang Zhong, who was said to be renowned throughout Jingnan?
After all, Huang Zhong's fame was not limited to Jingnan; even in the Central Plains and the North, his legend had spread!
Of course... as these rumors spanned the Yangtze River, no one could say for sure how much was true and how much was false.
But... in every rumor, Huang Zhong's unparalleled archery skills were always mentioned!
Phrases like "never missing a hundred shots," "arrows never miss their mark," and "piercing willows from a hundred paces" were common. In short, according to the rumors, Huang Zhong's archery was unmatched in his time.
Furthermore, popular discourse even ranked him as the best archer in the Great Han Empire – "Huang Zhong in the South, Lu Bu in the North..."
With so many rumors surrounding him!
No wonder Cao Xiu was stunned when he first saw Huang Zhong, seemingly... intimidated by the imposing aura that emanated from him even when he wasn't angry.
At this moment, Cao Xiu had only one thought: Huang Zhong, Huang Hansheng... his renown in Jingnan was clearly not in vain.
And now, Huang Zhong, with his fists clenched, his great bow slung across his back, and his saber in hand... was walking towards Huang Xu step by step, looking as if he were about to discipline his son.
Logically, Cao Xiu should have made a symbolic attempt to intervene, but... he didn't dare!
With Huang Zhong in this state, who would dare?
Even Zhang Zhongjing remained motionless, not even bothering to mediate... he simply let Huang Zhong walk right up to Huang Xu.
"My son..."
As expected, a scene that made everyone's jaws drop unfolded. Huang Zhong shouted, then embraced his son, Huang Xu.
He held him tightly...
He repeatedly said, "From Changsha Commandery to Yan Province, such a long journey, why didn't you tell your father? Did you suffer along the way... Did the cold sickness flare up? Oh dear, you've lost weight... my son has lost weight!"
Huang Zhong, who had been exuding an aura of killing intent, saw his son Huang Xu, and his sharp gaze instantly melted away. He held his son tightly, no longer willing to let go.
"Xu'er... Hearing that you were ill with the cold sickness, your father was frantic in Lingling Commandery and rushed here without rest. When I arrived at Changsha Commandery and learned that your illness had already recovered, it is truly a blessing from heaven, from our ancestors, and from the gods!"
In Huang Zhong's words, there was the profound concern of an old father for his son.
This was Huang Zhong. Ever since his wife passed away, he cared about nothing else but his son, wishing only to stay by his son's side.
As for Huang Xu, let alone hitting him, Huang Zhong wouldn't even bear to scold him loudly, this valiant general. He cherished him as if he were the most precious thing in the world, fearing he would melt if held too tightly, or break if held too carelessly.
Ah... Ah?
Seeing this scene, Cao Xiu rubbed his eyes, thinking, "No way?"
He could never have imagined that the warrior Huang Zhong, renowned throughout Jingnan, would... would utter such "doting" and somewhat mushy words. No way?
For a moment, Cao Xiu thought of his own father. It seemed that before his father's demise, he had always been strict with him, always solemn and reserved.
The saying "filial piety comes from the stick" was thus the reason for Cao Xiu and a retainer carrying his father's coffin for ten li around the village to bury him, moving heaven and earth with their filial piety, after his father's death.
It seemed... Huang Zhong's way of expressing love for his son was completely different from Cao Xiu's father's way of expressing love for his son.
However... for his son, to travel from Changsha Commandery to Yan Province, this paternal affection made Cao Xiu quite envious.
"Father, I... I'm fine! It's all my fault for leaving without saying goodbye... But... but the young Master Lu of Yan Province saved my life, I..."
Before Huang Xu could finish speaking, Huang Zhong's voice echoed again.
"It's not your fault, not your fault. Gratitude and repaying kindness, that's what your father has always taught you. Your traveling a great distance to repay kindness is only proper. As for not telling your father, it must be because you were thinking of me, worrying that your father accompanying you would affect your official career..."
"Hahaha, Xu'er, you are my life! As long as you are safe, even if the King of Heaven himself came to me, I wouldn't do anything. Why would I care about some Zhonglang General, or a Taobo General of Jingnan?"
Filial piety and paternal love!
Seeing this, Zhang Zhongjing nodded repeatedly... this was as he had expected. He was actually quite worried that Huang Zhong would abandon his post for his son.
If that were to happen, the Changsha Commandery that Zhang Zhongjing had guarded for so many years would have no more protection!
"Alas..."
With this thought, Zhang Zhongjing let out a long sigh.
The facts proved that his worry was correct. Huang Zhong would definitely come. Huang Zhong's concern for his son was just like Zhang Zhongjing's concern for methods to treat the cold sickness.
Zhang Zhongjing could most deeply understand this feeling.
"Oh dear, you've lost weight... The journey must have been quite arduous, right? Fortunately, your complexion is good, and your hands are warm. This... this puts your father's mind at ease." Huang Zhong continued.
Zhang Zhongjing wanted to explain that the warm hands were related to these dumplings and the cold-dispelling soup!
Looking at the frost gathered on Huang Zhong's eyebrows, Zhang Zhongjing really wanted to remind him to have a bowl to warm himself up.
But... before he could speak.
Huang Zhong's words came out one after another, "Do you know where the Governor of Cao is?"
He subconsciously linked the benefactor who saved his son with Cao Cao...
"You guys still have the mood to eat? Chenliu Commandery is just ahead, let's go thank our benefactor first. I heard all along the way that Governor Cao is about to march. If we don't go now, we'll miss it!"
Uh...
Upon hearing this, Cao Xiu scratched his head. It seemed he had to explain again.
"Haha..." Zhang Zhongjing had already taken the lead. "Brother Hansheng, no hurry. Our benefactor cannot leave the city for the time being. Please have a bowl of these dumplings created by our benefactor first. I guarantee you will have a deeper understanding of our benefactor!"
Ah?
Huang Zhong was stunned. He seemed to have heard that the benefactor who saved his son was not Cao Cao?
Then...
"Zhongjing, don't speak in riddles. Who exactly is our benefactor?"
Upon hearing this... Zhang Zhongjing stroked his beard. "The Commander of the Dragon Cavalry, the Chief Clerk of the Governor of Yan Province, and the 'Immortal Doctor' in the mouths of the people – surnamed Lu, with the given name Yu."
"Brother Hansheng, quickly eat a bowl of dumplings and warm yourself up. General Cao will lead us to visit this Master Lu immediately!"
Hmm... Benefactor? Lu Yu?
This name was not unfamiliar to Huang Zhong...
All along the way, the entire Yan Province was filled with his legends and deeds, and the stories had become somewhat mythological.
Huang Zhong recalled, the most fantastical explanation was – Lu Yu's master was the Ninth Heaven Mystic Woman, and Lu Yu had nine golden crows within his body. Originally, the Ninth Heaven Mystic Woman did not intend to help the world, but... because the nine golden crows advised her with their lives, sacrificing themselves to move the Ninth Heaven Mystic Woman... she then left behind this "Treatise on Cold and Miscellaneous Diseases" to save all beings!
Huang Zhong was dumbfounded when he heard this... What was this all about?
Of course, he could not understand the people's high admiration for the immortal doctor who had saved their lives!
And this admiration... every time it was relayed by someone, it would grow and grow.
It was probably like the saying "three people can make a tiger" (meaning something unbelievable can become believable if enough people say it).
"I won't eat the dumplings..." Huang Zhong patted the dust off his clothes... "Let's go, let's go, thanking the benefactor is important!"
With those words...
The four of them walked out of the wine shop. Outside the door, Zhang Zhongjing's carriage convoy was already waiting. Following him to Yan Province this time were more than a dozen of his disciples.
Of course, if Zhang Zhongjing could successfully become Lu Yu's disciple, these disciples would have to call Lu the Immortal Doctor "Grand-Disciple-Master"!
"Da da da..."
The sound of horse hooves echoed, and the horse team set off again.
...
...
Chenliu Commandery, Yamen.
It was morning. Lu Yu, clad in a green robe, led Dian Wei into the yamen.
Today... the yamen was holding an important meeting, primarily to discuss the upcoming expedition.
Cao Cao was making the final arrangements!
After his conversation with Lu Yu a few days ago, he had separately conversed with Xun Yu, Xi Zhicai, and Xun You, and then summoned Lu Yu again. All the details for marching west to Luoyang and welcoming the Emperor had been finalized.
Now that the Emperor was on his way back East, Cao Cao intended to personally lead this strategic plan.
Tramp tramp...
Entering the main hall, almost all the civil and military officials of Cao Ying were present today. Those who could appear here were all core figures of Cao Ying!
"Clerk Lu!"
"Clerk Lu..."
"Second Brother!"
Cao Cao had not yet arrived, but as Lu Yu entered the hall, Xun Yu, Xi Zhicai, and Xiahou Dun all greeted him.
"Greetings, everyone."
Lu Yu nodded slightly... then took his seat at the fourth position on the left.
A gentleman resides on the left, while in warfare, the right is emphasized. Therefore, Lu Yu sitting on the left indicated that among the strategists, his position was second only to the chief Xun Yu, the second-ranking Xi Zhicai, and the third-ranking Xun You!
Officials like Mao Jie and other Yan Province officials would sit behind Lu Yu's seat.
This was a special arrangement by Cao Cao. If Lu Yu were not his son, Cao Cao might have placed him in the second position.
But... due to Yu'er's identity, Cao Cao did not intend for him to be too ostentatious, nor did he want his son to become too proud!
A vigorous young sapling cannot be too proud, lest it grow crookedly!
The fourth seat was neither too high nor too low, just right for the position of Chief Clerk of the Bureau!
On the right side, Xiahou Dun occupied the chief position, followed in order by Cao Ren, Xiahou Yuan, Cao Hong, Li Dian, Yue Jin, Yu Jin, and others!
"He's here..."
Shortly after, Cao Cao hurried into the hall.
He lifted his robe and sat down, his gaze sweeping over the numerous civil and military officials. With great pride, he said,
"I have discussed with all of you strategists, and our army's primary task is to march west to Luoyang and welcome the Emperor. This battle is crucial to my life and death, and even more so to your success and reputation. Therefore, none of you can be careless!"
Having said this, Cao Cao paused, then gave Lu Yu a look.
"Everyone, please look..."
Lu Yu's words came out, and Dian Wei entered from the door. He took off a long wooden box from his back, and with a "whoosh," a map spanning over two zhang was spread out at everyone's feet, detailing every mountain, every road, every river, and every city, county, and village!
"This is a topographical map of the Sili region, including all routes from Yingchuan and Xu County to Chenliu Commandery and Luoyang City, as well as all the mountains and rivers here!"
Lu Yu's voice echoed again.
However, this one statement brought continuous surprise and shock...
A map?
In this era, such a detailed map was extremely rare. Let alone for an individual, even with the combined strength of the Great Han Empire, it might not be possible to draw one this detailed.
The reason was that rivers, roads, and mountains were extremely difficult to measure and scale down and evaluate proportionally.
Because of this, when marching to war, especially to an unfamiliar location, the first thing a general had to do was often to find a guide.
But... the map Dian Wei unfolded was detailed down to the length of every river and the height of every mountain range. It was further annotated with the distances between two roads, making it extremely precise.
To be able to draw such a map of Sili, it would probably require months of investigation and travel!
Of course... for Lu Yu, he didn't need months. He spent a full ten days drawing this map, recalling and verifying as he went.
He was also greatly helped by Sister Zhaoji during this process.
Sister Zhaoji's mind remembered thousands of books, and these books naturally included those on geography.
As Luoyang, how could there not be maps drawn by predecessors around it?
With this as a basis, combined with... Lu Yu's recollection of Han Dynasty maps, it still took him ten days to complete just one region of Sili.
Recalling the many nights Lu Yu and Sister Zhaoji spent diligently drawing in the study... sweating profusely... ah no, it was the intense effort of drawing.
Lu Yu felt a sense of pain mixed with joy!
He had only finished last night, and Lu Yu had even fallen asleep in Sister Zhaoji's embrace. The next day when he woke up, seeing Sister Zhaoji blushing, Lu Yu knew that his head and hands had likely not been still in his sleep.
However, Lu Yu vaguely felt that Sister Zhaoji's body had... become a bit larger, and he had some new sensations!
This was a tactile sensation that "A" could never understand!
After the map was unfurled, Lu Yu signaled to Cao Cao...
Even before the meeting, Lu Yu had told Cao Cao about the map, but... Cao Cao never imagined that the map would be so large and so detailed!
With such a terrifyingly detailed map laid out before him, even a magnate like Cao Cao could not suppress his excitement.
Stomp... stomp...
Cao Cao carefully stepped onto the map. During the Han Dynasty, shoes were removed when holding meetings, so... there was no need to worry about his shoes dirtying the map. Cao Cao's action was not an insult or desecration to the map!
"Luoyang City!"
Cao Cao's foot landed on a small dot. He tried to calm his excited heart and said with a faint smile, "This is Luoyang City, the destination of our current march!"
Cao Cao followed a mountain path towards Chenliu...
"The place I've traveled through is the road previously opened up by Zilian. Most of the passes along the way have been occupied by our army. However, the closest passes to Luoyang are controlled by Yang Feng, Dong Cheng, and others! But... it doesn't matter. Master Lu and I have devised a strategy for entering and exiting Luoyang City. This welcoming of the Emperor will be foolproof!"
"However, Luoyang City is already in ruins. Instead of rebuilding palaces there and contending with various factions, my strategists have discussed and decided it would be better to... change the capital to another location!"
Having said this, Cao Cao walked to the location of Xu County and, accordingly, squatted down and pointed to the area around Xu County.
"Do you see? To the northwest of Xu County is the Songshan Mountains, to the west are connected by many mountain ranges such as Mount Shiren, Baiyun Mountain, and Fuyou Mountain. To the south is the Dabie Mountains, and only to the east is the developed plain! And precisely to the east of Xu County is Yan Province!"
"If the capital is established here, our army can advance offensively and retreat defensively. We also don't need to worry about the strong enemies to the west and north. Anyone who wants to capture the Emperor will either have to cross mountains and rivers, or... they will have to attack from Yan Province!"
Cao Cao specifically mentioned the strong enemies to the west and north.
Clearly, he was referring to Li Jue and Guo Si in Chang'an, and Yuan Shao in the northern territories.
Huo...
Indeed, with Lu Yu's map laid out, and Cao Cao stepping on it, all the generals craned their necks to look at the map.
Suddenly...
It seemed as if all the marching routes, and even the destination after welcoming the Emperor, were clearly presented before their eyes.
It could be said that one walk-through of the map by Cao Cao was more easily understandable than any meticulous deployment!
Let alone the exceptionally intelligent Xun Yu, Xi Zhicai, and Xun You, even those with less sharp minds like Xiahou Dun and Cao Hong could understand some of the implications just by looking at this map.
Xudu, what a great location!
Three sides were mountains, and the only plain was adjacent to Chenliu Commandery in Yan Province. The only hidden danger seemed to be Runan City to the southeast. If Runan City could be captured, then establishing the capital here would be without any problems!
Having said this, Cao Cao surveyed the generals again, finally turning his gaze towards Lu Yu.
"Clerk Lu, this strategy we discussed and decided upon? Should I explain it, or should you?"
Upon hearing this... everyone turned their gaze to Lu Yu.
The sharp glances thrown at him made Lu Yu a little embarrassed.
"I merely offered a few suggestions to Duke Cao. These three strategies were decided by Duke Cao, so naturally, Duke Cao should explain them!"
Cao Cao nodded, then stood up decisively and said loudly,
"This time, our army's aim is to 'march to Luoyang, welcome the Emperor, and establish a new capital.' To achieve this goal, I wish to divide the army into five camps!"
"In these five camps, each will have a chief and deputy general. Only with the synchronized advance of the five camps can we achieve victory!"
"The generals will be divided into civil and military. Military generals will fearlessly charge forward to stir up morale, while civil generals will use strategy and formation to win!"
"These five camps will be the vanguard. For now, let's temporarily assign the chief and deputy generals! After welcoming the Emperor and establishing Xudu, promotions will be based on merit. Among the chief and deputy generals of the five camps, whoever has the highest military achievements, I will request the title of 'First Grand General' for them from the Emperor!"
Huo...
'First Grand General'!
In fact, no matter how much Cao Cao said, none of it was as important as the last sentence, this title of 'First Grand General'!
Indeed, upon hearing this, Xiahou Dun, Xiahou Yuan, Cao Ren, and Cao Hong exchanged glances.
Even Li Dian, Yu Jin, and Yue Jin, who were usually reserved and did not compete, now had excited expressions and were eager to try.
'First Grand General', this was not a marquis title, nor was it a reward, but... being within Cao Ying and appointed by the Emperor, it naturally attracted attention. Who would not want to strive for such a title?
While everyone was still lost in their thoughts.
Cao Cao's words continued.
"This time, regardless of merit, let's first assign the chief generals of the five camps. I, Cao Cao, will personally lead the first vanguard camp. The chief of the second vanguard camp will be Yu Jin, and the deputy will be Yue Jin; the chief of the third vanguard camp will be Xiahou Dun, and the deputy will be Cao Hong; the chief of the fourth vanguard camp will be Xiahou Yuan, and the deputy will be Cao Chun. Cao Ren will be the chief general remaining in Yan Province, with Li Dian as deputy!"
Upon hearing this...
Everyone was stunned.
That's not right? It was supposed to be five vanguard camps, but there wasn't a fifth camp.
If Cao Ren and Li Dian were stationed in Yan Province, then... where was the fifth camp?
Just as everyone was pondering, Cao Cao's gaze fell on Lu Yu, and his resounding words followed, "The chief of the fifth vanguard camp will be Lu Yu, and the deputy will be Cao Xiu!"
Huo...
Upon hearing this, everyone fell silent!
This time, marching west to Luoyang and welcoming the Emperor... Elder Brother (Duke Cao) actually deployed the Dragon Cavalry Camp and appointed Lu Yu as the chief general?
This...
Is Duke Cao intending to train Lu Yu as a commander? For a strategist to lead a camp as chief general? Isn't that too risky?
Of course, they did not know that although all five camps were marching west, their missions were vastly different.
For example, the second camp, Yu Jin and Yue Jin, their mission was to proceed to Xudu to construct palaces in advance, creating objective conditions for the Emperor to establish his capital in Xu County.
For example, the fifth camp, Lu Yu and Cao Xiu, their mission was to conquer Runan Commandery and eliminate the only hidden danger to the southeast of Xudu City!
The missions of the five camps were all different, but each mission was crucial.
In comparison, the mission of Lu Yu and the Dragon Cavalry Camp was not too heavy.
-- As the saying goes, "The wind fills the building before the rain comes; the storm is about to arrive."
...
...