On the city walls of Puyang.
Lu Bu and Chen Gong faced the biting wind, gazing into the distance. Not far away, sand and stones flew, dust and smoke filled the sky, and the footsteps of tens of thousands of armored soldiers made the surroundings of Puyang rumble.
Cao Cao's army had arrived. According to the scouts, they had forty thousand armored soldiers and eight thousand cavalry, a number more than three times that of Lu Bu's army.
But… the entire city of Puyang was ready, showing no signs of panic.
Not far from Lu Bu's side, Zhang Liao and Gao Shun frowned. The Bing Province Wolf Riders and the Vanguard Camp were already prepared for defense. Battering rams and rolling stones were placed on the city walls, ready for a desperate battle!
"They're here!"
Chen Gong murmured softly.
Lu Bu sneered, "Since they were bound to come sooner or later, it's better they come sooner!"
Chen Gong nodded gently. "Marquis Wen, this first defensive battle must be won. Only by doing so will the scorched-earth policy and the shortage of grain make Cao Cao anxious and flustered. Once Cao Cao is flustered, our opportunity will come."
According to Chen Gong's plan, as long as they could withstand Cao Cao's initial fierce assault…
Then the scorched-earth policy would yield remarkable results!
If they could endure this most difficult first month, Cao Cao's grain would run out. At that time, Cao Cao would surely become impatient and flustered…
When people are anxious, their judgments are often inaccurate, and they tend to take risks.
And at that time, the large net Chen Gong had set would be enough to ensure Cao Cao's demise in Puyang.
"Let's wait and see, Marquis Wen. This month depends on you. You must hold firm!"
Chen Gong did not forget to remind Lu Bu.
"Hahahaha…" Lu Bu laughed. "With Lu Fengxian here, Cao Cao won't break the city so easily!"
That's right… Lu Bu was by no means a weakling like Tao Qian.
The generals under Lu Bu were far more outstanding than the generals of the Xu Province Danyang faction, not to mention that he also had the brave and battle-hardened Bing Province Wolf Riders and the well-equipped… that's right, the Vanguard Camp, which could be called the foremost special forces of this era in terms of armor and weapon sharpness.
If it were about holding the city for one or two years, Lu Bu might not dare to guarantee it, but for one month, it was truly not a problem.
"Come on! Heh heh… Cao Cao, your Qing Province soldiers, Yan Province soldiers, and Qiao-Pei soldiers do not seem to be skilled in siege warfare, while I, Lu Bu, have fought in battles against the Xianbei barbarians at Yanmen Pass since I was young!"
"Defending the city? Heh heh…"
Lu Bu murmured, a confident smile appearing on his lips.
…
Five days later.
As the sun rose, the mist gradually dissipated, and Cao Cao's army, which had been resting and recuperating for several days, launched a general offensive on Puyang city.
It was still the familiar encirclement with one escape route…
It was still forty thousand infantry, eight thousand cavalry, and two thousand vanguard troops, a total of fifty thousand men. They wore green armor, which looked like rapeseed in the fields, stretching as far as the eye could see!
"Dong dong dong…"
As the drums sounded rhythmically, Cao Cao's fifty thousand troops advanced, their vast green expanse resembling a dense jungle!
On the city walls, Lu Bu's Bing Province soldiers, clad in black armor, stood like solid rock under the sunlight.
These were two armies of comparable strength. Not to mention Cao Cao's army's imposing momentum and the Bing Province soldiers' strict formation and fierce killing intent, the few generals commanding the battles were also among the top leaders of this era.
On one side, Cao Cao personally commanded the Cao Cao army. Xiahou Yuan led the vanguard, closely followed by the siege ladder and battering ram teams, advancing under a dense hail of arrows.
Cao Hong led the infantry forward, their countless shields forming a barrier against the flying arrows.
On the other side, Lu Bu held his Fangtian Huaji on the city wall, directing the battle with unwavering composure…
None of his generals, Zhang Liao, Gao Shun, Hou Cheng, Wei Xu, Cao Xing, Cheng Lian, or Song Xian, were mediocre.
The drums and horns sounded, and the standards fluttered in the wind…
Cao Cao's soldiers, protected by the shield formation, advanced step by step towards the city!
Every few steps, they were accompanied by a unified, thunderous shout. "Kill… kill… kill…"
Siege ladders were erected, and countless fanatical soldiers fearlessly climbed towards the city walls.
"Dong, dong, dong…"
Battering rams relentlessly struck the city gates…
Finally, Cao Cao's and Lu Bu's armies engaged in battle across a city wall. Huge rolling logs tumbled down from the city walls, resounding like thunder in the valleys, or like immense surging waves crashing against the mountains.
Arrows and long sabers clashed and flew, spears and javelins whistled and streaked, dense arrow rain covered the sky like a swarm of locusts, and the muffled shouts of killing and short cries made the entire city wall of Puyang tremble.
Iron men clashed, dying without turning back;
Ferocious faces, blood-stained swords and sabers, low roars, and pervasive dust…
The entire Puyang, both inside and outside the city, was enveloped and annihilated by this most primitive and brutal atmosphere of combat.
…
The siege battle raged from dawn until dusk, with both sides deploying almost all their trump cards.
Puyang City…
Thick smoke from the raging battle billowed and spread throughout the city. The fluttering "Lu" character banner on the city wall was tattered and appeared on the verge of falling at any moment.
Every time Cao Cao's army was about to seize the city wall, they were repelled by a Fangtian Huaji, which seemed to be imbued with an overwhelming force.
The ground beneath Puyang city was already littered with corpses, and blood flowed incessantly. No one had the time to clear it…
The strong smell of blood mingled with the smell of sweat, filling the air, pungent and unbearable.
Under the valor of Lu Bu, Zhang Liao, Gao Shun, and others, Cao Cao's soldiers who had just ascended the city wall were immediately met by countless Bing Province soldiers with drawn blades, outnumbered and unable to resist.
"Get down…"
"Die…"
"…" The shrill cries, the frenzied slaughter, the blazing fires, further enraged the soldiers of both armies. The battle grew more intense. This siege battle had entered a critical juncture for Cao Cao.
The setting sun, like blood, cast its final rays upon Cao Cao's face before the central army's drum.
At this moment, his expression was gloomy.
"I never imagined that Lu Bu and his Bing Province soldiers would be so valiant," Cao Cao lamented.
"My Lord, the sky is darkening, and it is not advisable to continue the assault. The soldiers have been attacking the city all day, and their morale is almost depleted," Xi Zhicai reminded him from the side…
He had been observing the battle situation. It was true that Cao Cao's army had suffered heavy losses in the siege, but Lu Bu's Bing Province soldiers had also not had an easy time defending.
The casualties of this battle were significant for both sides.
In fact, with the sturdiness of the city walls and Lu Bu's valor, it was impossible to capture Puyang city with such a siege. Xi Zhicai had already realized this.
"Stop the drums!" Cao Cao immediately commanded. Then, he looked at Puyang City with unconcealed reluctance, murmuring, "Sound the retreat!"
As the four words were spoken, Xi Zhicai let out a long sigh of relief. If the battle continued, the casualties would indeed be too great.
"Deng deng deng!"
The sound of colliding bronze gongs instantly echoed through the heavens. They retreated. Under the command of generals like Xiahou Yuan and Cao Hong, Cao Cao's army orderly withdrew from the battlefield.
However… many soldiers' eyes were filled with surprise and unwillingness.
Unwillingness, because they had not captured the city. Surprise… was that Lu Bu and his Bing Province soldiers were so strong, so strong.
After all, the previous reports they had heard were all about the great victory over Lu Bu at Chenliu, where the Bing Province Wolf Riders had suffered more than half their casualties and fled in disarray, like stray dogs.
In the eyes of all Cao Cao's soldiers, Lu Bu and his Bing Province Wolf Riders were mere fodder. Who could have expected their combat power to be so terrifying?
Then… the question arose?
In the past, when facing such a surprise attack from the Wolf Riders? How was Yan Province defended?
Could it be solely due to the mysterious Chief Clerk of the Shogunate… and his series of plans and deployments?
Many soldiers could not help but have such a huge question mark appear in their minds.
They became even more curious about that mysterious Chief Clerk of the Shogunate!
…
After a siege battle, Cao Cao's army and Lu Bu's army fell into a strategic stalemate. Cao Cao's army surrounded Puyang city, but did not launch any attacks for several days.
The grim casualty figures indicated that the idea of a swift victory was almost impossible to achieve.
Therefore… the battle situation in Puyang was destined to enter a stalemate.
And this… was not what Cao Cao wanted to see. A strategic stalemate, in addition to testing the resilience of himself and his soldiers, also placed a greater test on their grain supplies.
And these were precisely the advantages Lu Bu held at the moment.
The entire Cao Cao army fell into a strange and eerie atmosphere. Although many soldiers did not say it, they were all worried about their grain supply!
It was important to note that the first batch of grain sent by the Chief Clerk of the Shogunate, Lu Yu, could only last for a little more than ten days.
…
…
Xu Province, Xiapi City.
Liu Bei stood on the city wall, gazing into the distance. In his hand, he held a letter. To be precise, it was Yuan Shu of Huainan's ultimatum.
The meaning was clear: Cao Cao was currently at war with Lu Bu in Puyang, and Xu Province would inevitably be empty. Yuan Shu wanted to join forces with Liu Bei to attack Pengcheng, thereby reclaiming the entire Xu Province and dividing it equally.
Yuan Shu's attitude was clear and firm… Either you join me in eliminating Cao Cao, or I will conquer you first and then attack Cao Cao. It's up to you to decide!
"Heh heh…" Liu Bei gave a bitter smile. Did he have a choice?
How could he betray the benevolence and righteousness that were the foundation of his being, abandon the trustworthiness that made him famous, and instead ally with Yuan Shu to attack Cao Cao, who was nominally his "benefactor"?
If they were to fight, then they would fight. There was no other choice.
Alas…
Speaking of which, Cao Cao's… ah, no, it was that Cao Cao clearly showed a flaw, but he couldn't exploit it, which was truly frustrating!
"Big Brother, I just can't understand." Zhang Fei scratched his head behind him. In his opinion, Yuan Shu had been blustering for more than half a month but hadn't sent troops. It was all thunder and no rain, not a problem at all.
Zhang Fei's thought process was rather peculiar, and he was instead preoccupied with another matter.
"Big Brother, Second Brother, tell me, why did Cao Cao lead a large army to attack Puyang city, fighting a fierce siege battle? Why did Cao Cao choose to attack Lu Bu at this particular time? Isn't this just playing around?"
Zhang Fei grumbled. He had been troubled by this matter all morning.
He tried to fathom Cao Cao's intentions, but it turned out that his intelligence was not sufficient to understand the connection.
"Third Brother? What do you mean?" Liu Bei asked. "Why can't Cao Cao attack Lu Bu at this time?"
"Big Brother, isn't this what you said?" Zhang Fei lightly patted his forehead. "Cao Cao's grain was all stored in Puyang city, and now it has all fallen into the hands of that brat Lu Bu. Then what's the point of fighting?"
"Now, Lu Bu's soldiers are well-fed, while Cao Cao's soldiers can't even fill their stomachs. If Lu Bu were to close the city gates and defend himself like a shrinking turtle at this time, Cao Cao's punch would only hit a turtle shell, leaving his hand numb!"
"So… our spies in Yan Province sent news that Cao Cao attacked the city for a day a few days ago, but he couldn't break through a single gate! If this drags on, won't Cao Cao be finished? Big Brother, tell me, which string in Cao Cao's mind is out of place this time?"
Heh heh…
Liu Bei was amused by Zhang Fei's words, but his words, though rough, were not without reason…
It seemed that Cao Cao's decision to attack Xu Province was not wise.
"Big Brother, speaking of which, many recent actions in Cao's camp seem peculiar!" Guan Yu's ever-unchanging, stoic face showed a rare frown… "According to the news sent back by our spies in Yan Province, Cao Cao recently sent troops to Bing Province and Yan Province to purchase seeds for upland rice and paddy rice."
"He also posted a notice, calling on the people of the four prefectures of Yan and Xu to capture young locusts. I heard that one locust exchanged at the yamen could get thirty copper coins. Besides that…"
Guan Yu paused before continuing, "Recently, Cao Cao has been sending people to frantically purchase grain on the black market, regardless of the price. For this reason, many black market merchants have driven up the price of grain to the sky, heavily gouging him. What time is it now? In three months, it will be July, and the grain will be harvested. The new grain will be available. Cao Cao has spent this money in vain."
Having read the *Spring and Autumn Annals* extensively, Guan Yu was particularly sensitive to subtle actions, especially those concerning Cao Cao's camp.
From the intelligence provided by the spies, he shrewdly extracted and analyzed these subtle actions of Cao Cao's camp, raising a series of his own doubts.
And these reminders caused Liu Bei's eyes to narrow.
Finding rice, eliminating locusts, and purchasing grain at high prices – these three casual actions, when connected, made Liu Bei think more and further.
If there had to be a connection, Liu Bei felt… Cao Cao's army was preparing for the worst, and following this line of thought, were they preparing for drought and locust plagues?
That's right, upland rice corresponded to drought, and eliminating locusts corresponded to locust plagues… It seemed… Cao Cao's camp was indeed preparing for drought and locust plagues!
Liu Bei's eyes fixed…
Wait, just for a moment… his eyes narrowed again. That's not right. Locust plagues often occur simultaneously with droughts, but… drought?
It was now the end of March, and it had rained heavily just a few days ago?
The so-called drought had no trace at all. Then… locust plagues were even more unlikely! Based on past experience, years with abundant rainfall rarely saw locust plagues.
Was Cao Cao's brain kicked by a donkey to make such absurd moves?
This was Liu Bei's thought after a period of contemplation, but as soon as this thought appeared, Liu Bei shook his head violently.
And with this shake of his head, he felt as if his own head had been kicked by a donkey…
Hoo…
Liu Bei let out a long breath.
He almost forgot, Cao Cao had a wise advisor by his side!
In the past, entering Yan Province, defeating the Yellow Turbans, accepting the Yellow Turbans, seizing Xu Province, repelling Lu Bu… not a single one of these events could be judged by common sense. It was precisely because Cao Cao did not follow the usual path, and because the wise advisor behind him could always see more and further, that Cao Cao had achieved his current accomplishments and was able to survive in the cracks of this chaotic world.
In other words, Liu Bei and Cao Cao had taken completely different paths and encountered different fates. The facts proved that Cao Cao's path was a grand avenue, while Liu Bei's path was becoming narrower and narrower.
So…
Liu Bei narrowed his eyes. These seemingly unreliable drought and locust plagues…
Liu Bei decided it was better to believe it exists than not to believe it exists!
He had already made up his mind.
"Second Brother, from now on, our Xiapi City and Guangling Prefecture will also offer rewards for locusts. Set the price lower, twenty copper coins per locust. As long as the common people capture them, the yamen of each prefecture and county will immediately exchange them. There must be no mistakes!"
Ah… ah…
Liu Bei's words made Zhang Fei's mouth drop open instantly, as if he was about to have his jaw fall off.
Guan Yu's eyes also noticeably narrowed, as if he completely failed to understand the reason behind his elder brother's actions.
Was Cao Cao's head kicked by a donkey?
Did his elder brother's head also get kicked by a donkey?
Before they could ponder further, Liu Bei's words continued.
"Besides that, Third Brother, go to Yangzhou and purchase some paddy rice seeds. As for upland rice, send someone to Bing Province to buy some. Once they are transported back, promote their planting immediately. Our Xiapi City has many lakes, so planting paddy rice has a natural advantage!"
"As for… stockpiling grain, how about this… I will discuss with the Mi family and Zizhong (Mi Zhu) to have him ignore the rising grain prices and stockpile some grain as a precaution!"
As these words escaped his lips…
Guan Yu and Zhang Fei were both dumbfounded. Had their elder brother gone mad? Had he been infected by Cao Cao?
Zhang Fei's eyes darted back and forth.
"Big Brother… this…"
He intended to speak up and persuade him, but Liu Bei waved his sleeve and said, "Third Brother, don't ask questions. Just follow my instructions."
Speaking of this, Liu Bei sighed, "For many years, I thought many of my decisions were correct, but… the facts have proven that Cao Cao's every decision is more thorough and far-sighted than I thought. This time…"
Liu Bei paused and stroked his sexy little mustache. "This time, I will learn from him once. I will follow his actions and do the same. I also want to see, perhaps… Big Brother can also experience how Cao Cao has risen over the years? What process did he go through!"
Speaking of this…
Liu Bei's lips curved slightly. Initially, he had quite despised Cao Cao's series of inexplicable operations, but… unexpectedly, in just a moment, the more Liu Bei pondered, the more he felt that this operation must have a great reason behind it.
Since my methods cannot defeat you, let's try your methods. As the saying goes, return his favor with his own coin!
Who said I can't copy homework?
"Second Brother, send more spies to Yan Province and keep a close eye on things there!"
Liu Bei's words were quite firm. At this moment… his gaze once again turned towards the northwest. There, the Puyang battlefield was in a stalemate. So, could Cao Cao's grain supplies hold up?
With such high grain prices, even with the entire province's wealth to purchase grain… the stockpiled grain would not last for many months, right?
…
…