In the entirety of Cao Mansion's study, all eyes were focused on Xi Zhicai.
Xi Zhicai, with his eyes narrowed, spoke clearly.
"First, let us assume General Lu's calculations regarding the Yin-Yang school are indeed accurate, and his predictions are precise."
"Whether it be the Five Qi and Eight Cycles or the Yin-Yang and Five Elements, if General Lu's calculations are correct, then the current situation of the three armies lacking provisions is true. However, with the great drought in the fourth month, locusts in the sixth, and crop failure in the seventh, provisions will become even more strained. Lu Bu's army's advantage in grain will not only not shrink but will be infinitely amplified. In this light, it would be better to attack Puyang with haste than to attack it slowly!"
"Of the two evils, choose the lesser! Moreover, if all these calculations are true, then our army attacking Puyang is not just an option, but an urgent necessity. We must remember that the grain stored within Puyang city can resolve the urgent needs caused by drought and locusts."
At this point, Xi Zhicai paused, his tone becoming even more solemn.
"Second, let us assume General Lu's calculations regarding Yin-Yang and Five Elements are incorrect. With a bountiful harvest in the seventh month, our army's provisions will be ample. While Lu Bu's army's advantage in grain will cease to exist then, we will be in the open. If we can think of attacking Lu Bu in the seventh month, how can that brat Lu Bu and that old dog Chen Gong not think of it?"
"At that time, they will have undoubtedly recruited more soldiers, fortified their city walls, stabilized the populace, and prepared thoroughly with the advantage of being well-rested. At that time... even if we can chew off this bone, our teeth will surely be chipped. Instead of that, let us act contrary to their expectations. How can Lu Bu imagine that we, lacking soldiers and provisions, would march our army towards him? Perhaps... the purpose of General Lu's Yin-Yang assertion is none other than this."
"Third..."
Before Xi Zhicai could speak, Cao Cao, Xun Yu, and Xun You's eyes all sharpened as they deeply pondered Xi Zhicai's words.
It was strange, and even more preposterous, that these four most intelligent individuals in Cao's camp were earnestly discussing and fantasizing about this seemingly absurd theory of Yin-Yang and Five Elements.
"Zhicai, is your third point related to Lu Yu's words about procuring grain?" Xun Yu, sensing something from Xi Zhicai's gaze, immediately retorted.
"Precisely!" Xi Zhicai nodded. "The reason we originally planned to attack Puyang in the seventh month was constrained by provisions. But Lu Yu confidently proposed that he could solve the provision problem. Since the provision problem is solved, what difference is there between attacking Puyang today and attacking it three months later?"
"Moreover, based on General Lu's past predictions, his insight into the current situation, and his deductions, I am certain he would not speak without basis. And if he says the provisions are secure, then it must be that he has already considered methods for procuring them. He will surely be able to gather grain to supply the front lines."
Huo... huo...
Xi Zhicai's words were direct and unusual. To summarize, it didn't matter if Lu Yu was of the Yin-Yang school; if his calculations were correct, the battle should be fought. Even if his calculations were wrong, the battle could still be fought. Furthermore, since he claimed he could procure grain, all concerns were removed. What were they waiting for? Let's go for it.
Seeing Xi Zhicai ready to roll up his sleeves and act, Cao Cao, Xun Yu, and Xun You were inexplicably encouraged.
A bold idea surfaced in their minds—Puyang simply had to be attacked without delay!
Immediately, these four most intelligent men in Cao's camp did not raise any objections.
Of course, this involved a matter of risk. With Lu Yu's mysterious Yin-Yang identity upfront and Xi Zhicai's incisive words following, anyone who objected at this point would easily be blamed.
If the fourth month indeed brought drought, the sixth month locusts, and the seventh month crop failure, then this blame would not fall on Lu Yu, nor on Xi Zhicai, nor on Cao Cao, but on the unfortunate soul who voiced the objection.
So, you take the credit, and I'll take the blame? Xun Yu and Xun You were intelligent people; they wouldn't make such a low-level mistake.
"What do you think, Gongda?" Cao Cao turned his gaze to Xun You, the always solemn advisor.
At this moment, his eyes were darting about.
"My Lord, victory in battle relies on surprise. If the timing of our attack is foreseen by others, how can it be called 'surprise'? Attacking Puyang immediately is beyond our expectations and beyond the enemy's expectations. This is what is meant by surprising the enemy, enough to catch Lu Bu and Chen Gong off guard. In such circumstances, they are more likely to make mistakes, and more likely to leave us opportunities to capture the city!"
Xun You was always like this. His voice was low, not loud, even having a gentle breeze-like quality, yet it was enough to make Cao Cao firmly resolve.
"Hahahaha..."
Cao Cao burst into laughter. "Since everyone thinks so, then let us set out for Puyang city as a victorious army and annihilate the ungrateful and backstabbing scoundrel Lu Bu in one go!"
"Guards!" Cao Cao called out loudly.
"Lord Cao..." Several armored soldiers quickly entered the study.
"Issue my military order: Tomorrow, fifty thousand troops will set out for Puyang city. Miao Cai will serve as the vanguard, Zilian will oversee the rear guard, and I, Cao Cao, will personally lead the main force. We will not cease until Puyang city is recaptured!"
"Yes!" After Cao Cao's command, the armored soldiers cupped their hands and retreated, immediately going to relay the orders to the army.
Xi Zhicai, Xun Yu, and Xun You exchanged glances. For some reason...
They felt that this time, this seemingly extremely unreliable method of 'Five Qi, Eight Cycles, and posthumous Yin-Yang calculations' that led to the counter-attack on Puyang felt as solid as a rock!
Hiss...
Everyone had a feeling of awe and wonder.
Wait... Xun Yu suddenly thought of something and reminded him, "My Lord, aren't you back to attend the wedding of your eldest daughter and Xiahou Zilin? Tomorrow... are you sending out troops to Puyang?"
The wedding... Mentioning Cao Mu and Xiahou Mao's wedding, Xi Zhicai and Xun You also reacted. They had already prepared a generous gift and were looking forward to attending the wedding feast!
But, as this topic was brought up.
Cao Cao scratched his head. "Wedding? What wedding?" Cao Cao feigned confusion, playing dumb for a moment. "Mu'er's wedding? I don't remember. Oh dear, I've been too busy lately... I can't recall some things!"
Uh... this...
Xun Yu, Xun You, and Xi Zhicai exchanged glances. They seemed to understand something from Cao Cao's words.
Has their lord gone back on his word?
If that were the case?
Then what about Xiahou Dun... For a moment, the three of them were somewhat concerned about Xiahou Dun's emotions. If Cao Cao went back on his word, given Xiahou Dun's temper, he would surely fly into a rage.
Oh... no wonder Lord Cao did not appoint Xiahou Dun as the vanguard general this time!
So that's how it is, that's how it is!
...
...
The army moves not, without provisions preceding it.
Cheng Yu, who was purchasing grain in Fan County, received a familiar letter and hastily opened it.
The letter was from Lu Yu, and Cheng Yu had already anticipated its contents.
From three days ago when Cao Cao personally led fifty thousand troops to Puyang, Cheng Yu had already calculated: the army moves not, without provisions preceding it.
Speaking of which, the only one in the entirety of Yan Province and Xu Province who could now procure provisions was Cheng Yu.
He had purchased these provisions at several times the normal price of grain, which had also practically exhausted all the gold and silver he had plundered from royal tombs over the past four months.
Cheng Yu had anticipated that Lu Yu's high-priced grain purchase would be to support the front lines.
Of course, Cheng Yu also thought about why not wait until the harvest in the seventh month, but similar to Xi Zhicai's thoughts, Cheng Yu felt that Lu Yu was playing a grand strategy.
"Are all departments ready?" Cheng Yu's expression revealed no joy or anger. "Deliver all the provisions to the Puyang front lines within ten days!"
Cheng Yu immediately issued orders.
Cheng Yu had prepared the grain carts, troops, and laborers days ago, already waiting for Lu Yu's command.
"Commander Cheng..." A centurion from the Dragon Cavalry looked at the grain carts before him and asked doubtfully, "Young Master Lu asked us to deliver the grain to the Puyang front lines, but... I heard that Lord Cao dispatched fifty thousand troops this time. With the consumption of such a number of soldiers, this grain will probably only last for one month at most!"
"But... Young Master Lu seemed to have guaranteed Lord Cao continuous supply of grain... So... what about later..."
It was not surprising that the centurion was worried.
The daily consumption of military grain by fifty thousand men was an astronomical figure. Coupled with the fact that new grain had not yet arrived and old grain was in short supply, grain prices had skyrocketed. What Cheng Yu could purchase with his "bankruptcy" could only support fifty thousand troops for one month of expedition.
And this was also what Cheng Yu was worried about.
With Lu Bu and Chen Gong in Puyang city, it was not like Tao Qian, a weakling. It might not be taken down within a month.
However...
Upon thinking of Lu Yu, a hint of confidence flashed in Cheng Yu's eyes. "Let's deliver this month's grain first. We must trust Young Master Lu. Since he dared to make such a bold promise, he must have his considerations. Let's not worry about it."
"Your subordinate is guilty. Your subordinate should not have doubted Young Master Lu."
Hearing this, the centurion cupped his hands and pleaded for forgiveness.
Cheng Yu patted his shoulder. "It's alright. Not to mention you, I am also truly worried about the subsequent supply of grain, but now..."
Cheng Yu paused, looked back at the empty warehouse, and sighed with emotion.
"It is truly difficult for a clever woman to cook without rice!"
Thinking of this, Cheng Yu recalled something. "Oh right, have the seeds of dry rice and paddy rice that I sent people to purchase in Bing Province and Yang Province arrived yet?"
"They are almost here," the centurion replied truthfully. "However... where should these seeds be transported? I heard that the cultivation of dry rice requires the soil itself to have some moisture, and paddy rice requires a lake... but Yan Province..."
To put it plainly, the most crucial aspect lacking for the promotion of rice cultivation was the absence of lakes.
The best place for planting dry rice was terraced fields around lakes, so that the soil would be moist. The greatest advantage of dry rice was its ability to retain this moisture.
As for paddy rice... no water? What kind of rice is it then?
The centurion wanted to say that Yan Province only had large rivers... there were no lakes at all, and no possibility of creating fields around lakes! Where would they plant it?
But the words stuck in his throat. He had just pleaded for forgiveness for not doubting Young Master Lu.
Huff... Cheng Yu sighed. He could understand the centurion's meaning.
"When we encounter mountains, we carve them open. When there are no lakes, we fill them in. Young Master Lu will find a way, he definitely will... Who is he? He is the commander of our Dragon Cavalry, he is Lord Cao's official in the Privy Council, he is the Zhonglang General of the Earth Mover that even ghosts fear! How can he be stumped by a mere lake? Wait a bit longer, just wait a bit longer!"
...
...
In Yan Province, at a training ground in Puyang city.
"Watch me, block this, block block block block!"
A spear, like an arrow of dawn piercing the darkness before daybreak, a thirteen or fourteen-year-old girl was practicing her spear. The spearhead flashed like silver stars. A cold north wind blew, and the gaps in the wall seemed to emit increasingly chilling glints.
The person sparring with the girl in front of her was the commander of the Elite Assault Camp—Gao Shun.
"The spear is the king of all weapons. Pierce with the aura of a king. Faster, faster! Be confident when you thrust!"
"Spear techniques primarily consist of blocking, capturing, and thrusting, commonly known as blocking, capturing, and thrusting!"
"Blocking and capturing are defensive spear techniques. Blocking can parry attacks, and capturing can seize the enemy's weapons. Only thrusting is an offensive spear technique! Come... thrust!"
Gao Shun guided her while sparring with the girl, appearing quite relaxed. He occasionally stroked the spear in his left hand, his movements gentle, his fingers sliding inch by inch along the shaft as if caressing a lover's skin, his eyes filled with affection.
Gao Shun's weapon was a spear, and he had always regarded it as more important than his wife.
Similarly, Gao Shun held nothing back in guiding the girl's spear skills.
"Spear thrusts are divided into upper, middle, and lower levels, with the middle thrust being the most powerful."
"As the saying goes, the middle thrust is the king of spears, and the center point is the most difficult to defend!"
"Your spear technique is too slow, still too slow. What did your master teach you? 'A thrust like a hidden dragon emerging from water, a retraction like a fierce tiger returning to its gate!'"
Chī...
The girl's spearhead cut through the air, emitting a sharp sound.
After thrusting a middle-level spear, she immediately retracted her spear and then thrust again quickly, one movement out, one movement in, her actions continuous and swift.
"Not bad, not bad!"
It was rare to hear Gao Shun praise the girl before him.
The girl, however, raised her eyebrows. "Master Gao, you said I should be confident when thrusting, that my thrusts should be like fire, my spear like my heart. Within six feet, I am invincible!"
"Hahahaha..." Hearing this, Gao Shun was amused. This little girl had become confident and learned quite quickly.
...
On a high platform adjacent to the training ground, Lu Bu stood shoulder to shoulder with a woman.
This woman's beauty was not striking. Perhaps it was due to her being in her thirties; her skin was far from the supple perfection of a young girl. However, from her deep eyes, it was evident that this woman was extremely steady and had experienced much.
She was Lu Bu's wife, Lady Yan. Lu Bu had one wife and one concubine. His wife, Lady Yan, was married when he was stationed in Yanmen. Over the years, they had drifted together, and they had a daughter named Lu Lingqi.
As for the concubine, she was the renowned Diao Chan. Currently, she was pregnant and rarely appeared in public. It was said that her beauty was peerless, so radiant that it could make the moon shyly hide behind the clouds.
Diao Chan was currently contemplating names for her unborn child. If it were a boy, Diao Chan wanted to name him "Peerless." If it were a girl, she would name her "Lingju."
Returning to the matter at hand... At this moment, Lu Bu and his wife Lady Yan were gazing intently at the training ground.
The reason was simple: the one sparring with Gao Shun on the training ground was their daughter, Lu Lingqi.
"Truly worthy of being my Lu Bu's daughter! Lingqi's spear technique has improved again, haha, hahahaha..."
Lu Bu displayed the smile of a proud father.
Lady Yan shook her head. "How can a girl be constantly fighting? What kind of conduct is this? I fear she won't find a good family!"
"How can that be?" Lu Bu immediately waved his hand. "Lingqi is this skilled at such a young age, she will surely be a match for thousands in the future. With such martial prowess, in my opinion, she will one day marry a talent comparable to Hidden Dragon, hahaha. One is learned, the other is martial, they are quite a match!"
In fact, there was a saying in the market: if a girl is particularly beautiful, or particularly talented, or has a special skill, when praising her, it must be said that she will surely marry Hidden Dragon in the future!
This was equivalent to when praising someone, you always say, "Your son will surely be admitted to Tsinghua or Peking University..." a similar concept.
Lu Bu was merely saying it, which was equivalent to praising his own daughter.
"My lady, look at Lingqi's every move. Her spear is like a venomous dragon, shuttling back and forth, thrusting repeatedly. Judging by the momentum of her movement... in terms of spear technique, Lingqi is no weaker than Hou Cheng or Wei Xu, haha... General Gao Shun teaches well, and our daughter is also extremely gifted."
Lu Lingqi indeed had talent.
Perhaps because her father was Lu Bu, she possessed almost divine strength. At just over ten years old, in terms of strength, she was already hard to find an equal among boys of the same age.
The reason she chose a spear as her weapon, rather than a Halberd, was because the Halberd was extremely difficult to operate.
It required not only strength but also skill. Without practicing for more than ten years, it was impossible to wield it properly. For women, it was more suitable to use the spear, the foremost of all weapons.
"Alas..." Hearing Lu Bu praise their daughter, Lady Yan sighed deeply.
It wasn't that she worried about her daughter's future marriage. In fact, there was nothing to worry about; at most, the son-in-law would suffer some grievances, some minor physical pain... What Lady Yan was most worried about now was the situation in Puyang city.
Cao Cao's army of fifty thousand had aggressively advanced. Even though she lived within her residence, she had heard about it. However, her husband Lu Bu showed no signs of worry.
He even had the time to watch their daughter practice her spear here and still smile... This truly baffled Lady Yan. But she was a woman, and women were not supposed to meddle in military affairs, which made her feel uneasy.
Just then.
"Marquis Wen..."
A voice came from behind. Lu Bu and Lady Yan turned around simultaneously. Standing before them was none other than Lu Bu's strategist—Chen Gong, Chen Gongtai.
"Teacher..." Upon seeing Chen Gong, Lu Bu, who had been smiling all along, became solemn, as if facing a formidable enemy!
And Chen Gong's words came out first.
"Lord Wen, rest assured, everything has been arranged. Intelligence has been received from our spies. As expected, although Cao's army is advancing aggressively, they only have one month's worth of provisions..."
"Everything is within our grasp. Cao's army will surely be defeated after one month, and we will capture Cao Aman alive!"
He said with great certainty.
"Hahahaha..." Lu Bu laughed heartily. With Chen Gong by his side,
He felt as if he had found his backbone, and his entire demeanor became mysteriously confident.
And Chen Gong's strategy this time was truly astounding to him.
Lady Yan, however, furrowed her brows. Everything is within our grasp? Then how do my husband and Master Gong plan to crush Cao's army? And how do they plan to capture Cao Cao alive?
Is everything truly within their grasp, as they say?
...
...