Yan Prefecture, Puyang City!
The long-lost banner bearing the character "Cao" fluttered once again over this ancient city…
As the rolling black smoke gradually dissipated, marking the final chapter of the great battle, the biting killing intent within and without Puyang City began to fade.
In the early morning, as the dawn light shone down, people were already starting to clear the battlefield, using countless buckets of water to wash away the carnage of a night where rivers of blood had flowed.
These soldiers cleaning the battlefield were busy, yet they chattered excitedly amongst themselves…
It seemed that all the Cao camp’s soldiers in Puyang City were discussing this topic.
“Did you hear? The Dragon Wielding Camp went berserk last night, especially Commander Dian from the Dragon Wielding Camp… They say he was covered head to toe in enemy blood, and in the end, he even made Lu Bu flee in utter disarray…”
An old soldier, stroking his beard, recounted the tale with relish…
“Ai, disarray? Lu Bu almost lost his life to Commander Dian’s twin halberds. Commander Dian chased from behind, Lu Bu ran from the front, and Commander Dian shouted, ‘The one riding the red horse ahead is Lu Bu!’… Lu Bu quickly swapped horses with a knight beside him!”
“Commander Dian then shouted, ‘The one wearing the purple gold crown with two dragons playing with pearls is Lu Bu,’ and Lu Bu, startled, hastily removed his crown and let his hair loose; who knew that Commander Dian would then shout, ‘The one holding the Fangtian Hua Ji in front is Lu Bu,’ and Lu Bu immediately threw away his halberd. Commander Dian, with sharp eyes, finally shouted, ‘The one wearing the hundred-flower robe and carrying a sword is Lu Bu,’ and Lu Bu cut his robe and abandoned his sword, scared to the point of almost wetting himself!”
Upon hearing this… soldiers from the surrounding Cao camps gathered around.
“Is that true? What happened after that?”
“Yes, yes, what happened after that?”
Many were curious about the story’s continuation…
The old soldier, stroking his beard, continued, “Later, Commander Dian chased after him, and the soldiers of the Dragon Wielding Camp also pursued. It was thanks to several hundred desperate warriors who blocked blows for Lu Bu that he managed to escape!”
“Even so, he broke out in a cold sweat. He rode thirty li further and still asked the knight beside him, ‘Is my head still on my shoulders?’ Damn it, from now on, if I see Commander Dian, even if I’m urinating, I’ll have to pull up my trousers and run!”
“Hahahaha…”
“Hahahahaha…”
The old soldier’s narration was vivid and animated, and the surrounding armored soldiers roared with laughter.
Who would have thought that the renowned and celebrated God of War, the peerless Flying General, who fought against three heroes at Hulao Pass, Lü Bu, Lü Fengxian… would be so pathetic when facing the “Bravest of Ancient Times”?
“Speaking of which… why is Commander Dian so formidable? Even… Lu Bu is no match for him! How did he cultivate such martial prowess?” a soldier asked…
The old soldier stroked his beard, his voice filled with emotion… “You all don’t know this, do you? Who do you think is behind Commander Dian?”
“The Dragon Wielding Camp is the personal guard of our Lord Cao’s highly regarded Official Lu. The weapons in the Dragon Wielding Camp are all sharp enough to cut iron, and their armor is impervious to blades and spears… Heh heh heh, let alone one Lu Bu, even two, three, ten, or eight of them, Commander Dian could take them down without breaking a sweat! Ai ya… Right, letting Lu Bu escape last night infuriated our Commander Dian. This morning he was shouting… that he wanted to fight ten Lü Fengxians!”
The boasting was almost reaching the heavens, yet the old soldier showed no sign of stopping, continuing his tale with gusto.
Of course, his words quickly spread throughout Puyang City, throughout the entire Cao army…
Nowadays, whenever Lu Gongcao, Commander Dian, or the Dragon Wielding Camp were mentioned, everyone had to give a thumbs up. No need for further words, they were simply amazing!
Of course, these words also reached the ears of Lu Yu and Dian Wei.
The two were on their way to a medical clinic, where the injured soldiers of the Dragon Wielding Camp had been arranged.
“Young Master Lu, don’t listen to their nonsense!”
Dian Wei scratched his head. Despite his imposing physique, he was quite thin-skinned. The rumors had gone too far; if they continued, he wouldn’t be human anymore but a character from a fairy tale!
Dian Wei quickly explained to Lu Yu, “That Lu Bu’s Red Hare horse runs too fast. I’m wearing steel armor and am heavy, so even Lord Cao’s fine horse couldn’t catch that brat Lu Bu!”
“What a shame… If I had a Red Hare horse, I would have certainly cut off that scoundrel Lu Bu’s dog head this time.”
Heh heh…
Lu Yu let out a “heh heh.” He sized up Dian Wei. With his build and steel armor, forget Red Hare; Lu Bu could escape on any horse!
Even if he borrowed Cao Cao’s fastest horse, “Jue Ying,” it would be useless. This was the drawback of full steel armor; it was formidable in combat… but it couldn’t catch up!
Seeing Lu Yu looking at him, Dian Wei felt a bit uneasy. He was an honest man; he had only shouted, “Brothers, stop him… the one riding the red horse is Lu Bu,” there was no talk of swapping horses, throwing halberds, or cutting robes and discarding crowns.
Awkward… it was truly awkward!
“Young Master Lu, how about… I tell them not to spread these rumors? I’m not that formidable, you know? They’ve made me feel so embarrassed I’m blushing.”
“No need!” Seeing Dian Wei’s embarrassed expression, Lu Yu waved his hand and said with a smile, “Let them boast. The more they boast, the better. The more outrageous, the better. The farther it spreads, the better… Only this way, our Dragon Wielding Camp’s reputation will be established, and whoever fights us in the future will have to weigh their options… Before the battle even begins, the opponent’s morale will be significantly weakened.”
“Oh…” Dian Wei scratched his head. With his intellect, he couldn’t quite grasp the intricacies of this. However… he was willing to do whatever Young Master Lu said. He preferred to be a simple tool, one who acted but didn’t think.
Turning a corner and passing a street, they arrived at the medical clinic of Puyang Commandery.
Currently, five or six medical officials had been specially assigned here to treat the Dragon Wielding Camp’s soldiers. The battle last night, despite the exquisite steel armor, still resulted in considerable losses…
Over fifty Dragon Wielding Camp knights had perished, and more than three hundred sustained light or severe injuries.
After all, steel armor couldn’t protect every part of the body, and combined with being caught in an ambush, and the Bingzhou soldiers not being pushovers, this casualty figure was already quite good.
However…
Looking at the neatly arranged soldiers lying on the ground in the medical clinic, never to rise again, Lu Yu couldn’t help but sigh.
Was this what they called the triumph of one general built upon the bones of ten thousand soldiers?
At this moment…
He suddenly understood why Xiahou Dun was so good to his subordinates and distributed all rewards to them.
One wouldn’t truly understand the camaraderie of soldiers unless they had fought together, unless they had shared the same trench.
Of course, Lu Yu was a bit cautious and would often position himself in a safe location during major battles, but… this didn’t mean he wasn’t a brother in the same trench as the soldiers of the Dragon Wielding Camp.
“Have the names of our fallen brothers not been compiled yet?” Lu Yu asked Cao Xiu…
Cao Xiu also had a minor injury on his shoulder, at a joint, which the steel armor couldn’t protect. However, it wasn’t serious.
“They are being compiled according to Young Master Lu’s instructions, including where their families are and how many people are in their households,” Cao Xiu replied truthfully…
He didn’t know what Lu Yu intended, but he had a faint inkling.
After all… Lu Yu had previously taken out a considerable sum of money and distributed it to the families of Xiahou Dun’s subordinates, and what’s more… it was distributed in Cao Cao’s name!
Just then, the sound of hooves from a few warhorses approached, “dada dada”…
Xiahou Yuan arrived. Upon seeing Lu Yu, he dismounted directly… it seemed he had come specifically to find him.
“Official Lu… My elder brother has finished tallying the spoils of this battle. According to my elder brother’s wishes, the Dragon Wielding Camp made a supreme contribution in this battle, and all spoils are to be awarded to Official Lu for distribution.”
Xiahou Yuan conveyed Cao Cao’s words to Lu Yu verbatim…
And this was precisely the art of language.
Cao Cao could have directly awarded the spoils to the Dragon Wielding Camp, but he didn’t. Instead, he awarded them to Lu Yu, letting Lu Yu distribute them to the Dragon Wielding Camp.
This action was deeply meaningful.
Of course, if it weren’t for Lu Yu’s status, Cao Cao would never have done this.
“General Xiahou, please convey my thanks to Lord Cao.” Lu Yu cupped his hands in a bow, representing all the soldiers in the camp to thank Cao Cao.
Xiahou Yuan waved his hand. “This is what Official Lu and the soldiers of the Dragon Wielding Camp deserve… No need for thanks. However…”
Xiahou Yuan paused here. “Having just retaken Puyang City, my elder brother has numerous matters to attend to. Even with the assistance of two strategists, they are overwhelmed. If Official Lu is not busy, perhaps you could help my elder brother!”
Conquering the city was a temporary matter, but after the conquest, many subsequent affairs arose.
Foremost among them was pacifying the populace… for example, dealing with destroyed civilian homes, accidental civilian casualties, and even civilians who had provided assistance to the army. Specific protocols needed to be established for these matters!
In addition, promulgation of laws, appointment of local officials, and even exemption of a certain proportion of land taxes, and… punishment of those who were opportunistic, such as… the Tian clan. These all required someone to take the lead.
It was no wonder Cao Cao, Xi Zhicai, and Xun You were so overwhelmed.
However…
Upon hearing Xiahou Yuan’s suggestion, Lu Yu immediately refused. “General Xiahou, I… regretfully cannot obey this request!”
“Currently, I still don’t know how many brothers in my own camp will not be able to return home? Nor do I know their names? Or their families? And I haven’t made appropriate arrangements for them. How can I go and help Lord Cao first?”
As he spoke, Lu Yu’s gaze fell upon the more than fifty knights who had fallen forever.
Upon hearing this, Xiahou Yuan felt it was reasonable. After all, his cousin Xiahou Dun would often inquire about the names of fallen soldiers and distribute pensions after major battles.
In this regard, Lu Yu bore some resemblance to his cousin Xiahou Dun.
“Alright… After Official Lu has finished with these matters, you can then assist my elder brother,” Xiahou Yuan said, then mounted his horse and swiftly departed…
Reminded by Lu Yu, Xiahou Yuan felt that after finishing his own tasks, he should also visit the military camp and comfort the wounded.
Watching Xiahou Yuan leave…
Lu Yu turned and walked into the midst of the assembled soldiers.
“Ahem…”
He cleared his throat and immediately announced in a loud voice, “Brothers, Lord Cao has decreed that all the spoils of this battle belong to us…”
Mm… Instantly, many armored soldiers turned their gazes towards Lu Yu.
As soldiers, what were they fighting for if not for food and generous rewards to ensure their families lived better lives?
Before they could ponder further, Lu Yu’s voice followed, “However, I have an idea. I intend to distribute seventy percent of these spoils to the families of our fallen brothers. In addition, starting today, for every brother who falls in our camp… their monthly salary will be distributed to their families as usual. The salary portion will be calculated by increasing their rank at the time of their death by two levels!”
Whoosh…
Upon hearing this, all the armored soldiers’ eyes widened.
Young Master Lu is…
They were momentarily stunned!
Logically, fallen soldiers would receive a pension, but according to past practice, the amount of this pension was not large, let alone seventy percent of the spoils, even twenty percent would have been substantial!
As for… distributing monthly salaries to their families after the soldiers fell, this was something the armored soldiers had never even considered.
Cao Xiu was the first to react. “Then, Young Master Lu… how long will these salaries be paid?”
Lu Yu’s eyes fixed, and he replied without hesitation, “As long as I, Lu Yu, am alive, this money will be paid indefinitely!”
This was something Lu Yu had learned from Xiahou Dun. In this regard, Lu Yu learned very quickly!
These were brothers who had died for his, Lu Yu’s, glory. In his opinion, it was not excessive to distribute any amount of money or provisions to their families.
Of course, Lu Yu’s answer was simple and unpretentious…
But it was precisely this kind of answer that brought tears to the eyes of all the watching soldiers.
Although distributing seventy percent of the spoils to the fallen brothers seemed somewhat unfair, not a single person raised an objection because… no one knew if they would be the next to fall?
As warriors from Qiao and Pei, they never feared death.
What they feared was that after their death, no one would care for their wives and children, leaving their families to live in hardship!
And this new military order from Lu Yu undoubtedly… removed all their worries, making every soldier of the Dragon Wielding Camp feel genuine gratitude and moved, willing to die fearlessly!
It also forged the entire Dragon Wielding Camp into one cohesive unit!
“Young Master Lu…”
Someone unknown shouted, “Young Master Lu!” Following this, countless armored soldiers shouted in unison.
“Young Master Lu…”
“Young Master Lu!”
“Young Master Lu!”
Each shout was louder and more unified than the last!
For a moment, the not-so-large official residence area was filled with thunderous cheers. Yet, tears welled up in the eyes of every shouting armored soldier. At this moment… they felt that being Lu Yu’s soldier was truly worth it!
…
…
Puyang had achieved a great victory. Now, Cao Cao stood on the eastern city wall, gazing towards the southeast.
This was the direction indicated by scouts where Lü Bu’s remnants had fled, seemingly towards Xuzhou and Huainan!
Speaking of which, the greater part of Xuzhou was now under Cao Cao’s jurisdiction. Only Xiapi and Guangling cities were still held by Liu Bei…
Besides that, the Jianghuai region was Yuan Shu’s territory…
At this time, Lü Bu fleeing towards Xuzhou and Jianghuai? Was he going to seek refuge with Liu Bei, or Yuan Shu?
Cao Cao’s heart stirred slightly…
In his opinion, whether Lü Bu joined Yuan Shu or Liu Bei, Cao Cao had some concerns. A powerful alliance would be formed!
Huuu…
Cao Cao let out a soft breath…
He shook his head, deciding not to worry about it for now. Taking Puyang City marked the complete pacification of Yan Province, and Cao Cao’s worries were removed. This was a great thing, and he should be happy.
Hahaha…
Cao Cao forced a smile.
But just then.
“Elder Brother…” Xiahou Yuan hurried over. “The spoils of war have been transported to the Dragon Wielding Camp, and the battle report has just been compiled.”
Saying this, Xiahou Yuan handed a battle report to Cao Cao…
Cao Cao took it, quickly unfolded it, and began reading the text line by line.
Battle reports could often explain many things…
How many soldiers were lost in total? How many soldiers were lost by each army? How many enemies did each army kill?
How many enemy soldiers were killed? How many were Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry? How many were locally recruited soldiers? How many were elite armored troops from the Vanguard Camp?
Cao Cao was a meticulous person. He would immediately commit many sensitive numbers to memory, which greatly aided him in future battles!
And the content of the battle report was indeed pleasing to the eye.
Lü Bu’s army had a total of over 4,700 casualties…
Including the Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry…
Indeed, it was a pleasing number.
After examining Lü Bu’s casualties, Cao Cao’s gaze moved down. The bottom of the report recorded the casualty situation of Cao’s various army corps.
Yan Province Cavalry: killed 320 enemies, lost 420 soldiers;
Qing Province Infantry: killed 622 enemies, lost 1,377 soldiers;
And Cao Cao’s personally led troops: killed over 600 enemies, but lost over 500 soldiers…
Looking at it this way, although it was a victory, it was a Pyrrhic victory. After all, it was a siege battle; the attacking side usually suffered more losses, which was normal!
Thinking about it, if it weren’t for the strategy proposed by Lu Yu, who knew who would have won or lost this battle?
Continuing down…
The next line was the casualty report for the Dragon Wielding Camp.
Wait…
Upon seeing this, Cao Cao’s eyes suddenly narrowed because he saw a number, a number that shocked him profoundly.
The Dragon Wielding Camp, trapped in an ambush and surrounded, had only lost fifty-five men, while the number of enemies they killed was…
“This… this number… impossible, right?”
Cao Cao involuntarily exclaimed.
In an instant, his eyes widened. He simply couldn’t believe it…
How was this possible?
It was still a corps of only seven hundred men, a corps of seven hundred men trapped in an ambush…
How did they achieve this?
…
…