The strategy to defeat the enemy? Hearing these four words, Lu Yu's eyes darted.
As he had mentioned before, Cao Cao's initial defeat was entirely within reason and expectation.
The official army had few veterans, many new recruits, were unfamiliar with battle formations, and lacked combat experience. In contrast, the Yellow Turban rebels, having marched from Qingzhou to Yanzhou, were a mighty force that had engaged in countless battles, large and small, against the official army, possessing exceptional fighting strength. These facts had all surpassed Cao Cao's expectations.
As for the strategy for victory, it was not difficult. In fact, Lu Yu knew that with Cao Cao's intelligence, he would have figured it out within ten days at most.
However, now... since Mr. Xun Yu and Mr. Xun You had asked, and it wasn't a world-shattering secret, Lu Yu saw no reason to withhold it.
"The two Mr. Xuns think too highly of me. How could I have a strategy to defeat the enemy? I just... as a commoner from the lowest stratum, I understand the Yellow Turban rebels better!"
Hmm... Know yourself and know your enemy?
Lu Yu's words made the characters "know yourself and know your enemy" simultaneously appear in Xun Yu and Xun You's minds. Indeed... let alone them, how much did Cao Cao himself know about these Yellow Turban rebels within Yanzhou?
The circles of aristocratic families were always high above, while the plight of the poor and lowly peasants was humble and pitiful. There seemed to be an insurmountable chasm between the two. How could they understand each other?
"Young Master Lu, please elaborate," Xun Yu asked, while Xun You strained his ears. As members of aristocratic families, this was a domain extremely unfamiliar to them.
"Let me put it this way..." Lu Yu smiled slightly and continued. "The Yellow Turban rebels claim to have a force of three hundred thousand. But how many of them are strong, able-bodied men? How many have brought their families with them? And how many are the old, the weak, the women, and the children? Cao Cao does not know these things!"
"When Cao Cao dispatches troops to suppress the Yellow Turban rebels, if the rebels are defeated, their women, children, and elderly behind them will be brutally slaughtered by the official army. Therefore, they have high morale, advance courageously, and fight fiercely. If the official army dares to confront them head-on, how can they achieve a great victory?"
Hiss...
Although Lu Yu's words were brief, Xun Yu and Xun You exchanged glances, feeling they made a great deal of sense!
This was not something they had failed to consider, but rather, as Lu Yu said, they, members of aristocratic families, were too ignorant of the Yellow Turban rebels.
In fact... in the minds of Xun Yu and Xun You, they subconsciously regarded the three hundred thousand Yellow Turban rebels as three hundred thousand bandits, never considering that they had brought their families, and that they were protecting the old, the weak, and the young behind them.
Hoo...
Exhaling a long breath.
As expected of "Hidden Dragon," he had pinpointed the very crux of the Yellow Turban rebels' unstoppable momentum.
But? If that were the case? As long as these women and children were present, and this loyalty existed, then the strong men among the rebels would surely fight ten against one. Where were their weaknesses? How could the official army win?
Xun Yu and Xun You raised their eyes, looking at Lu Yu with immense curiosity, eager for the answer.
And Lu Yu's subsequent words, every character, every sentence, was incisive and insightful.
"Yesterday, Mr. Xun, you asked me about my understanding of 'complete victory' in 'The Art of War.' How could you forget so quickly?"
"Attack the enemy's mind; the supreme art of war is to frustrate the enemy's plans. What does 'complete victory' mean, if not just 'using the orthodox' in a clash between armies?"
"In 'The Art of War,' I believe the most brilliant part is 'to cause others to advance or retreat according to my will,' that is, to seize the initiative on the battlefield. To seize the initiative, one can 'employ stratagem and deception, know the enemy's dispositions, use the orthodox and the unorthodox, understand the division of forces, discern the time and the duration, know the indirect and the direct, and combine offense and defense!'"
At this point, Lu Yu finally presented the three most incisive characters, followed by sixteen smaller characters to elaborate!
"~!....!....!....!....!"
Nineteen characters, each word, each phrase was plain and simple, seemingly easy to understand.
Xun Yu and Xun You were both intelligent individuals. Their brows furrowed slightly as they began to ponder these nineteen characters.
Initially, their eyes were calm, but as time passed, their eyes gradually widened, and the gleam within them became increasingly sharp.
The more they pondered, the more they felt these nineteen characters were as vast as the sea, and as terrifying as hell!
In the end, Xun Yu and Xun You both gasped in unison. Then, they spoke as one, "This strategy is feasible! It will work!"
...
...
Under the escort of the Qiao Pei legions, the convoy had arrived in Chenliu Commandery.
Xiahou Yuan, Xun Yu, and Xun You did not dare to delay and rushed directly to the yamen to meet Cao Cao.
Lu Yu and Cai Zhaoji, led by Wei Hong, directly entered the Wei residence by carriage. In Wei Hong's opinion, given Lu Yu's status and talent, it was not for him to meet Cao Cao, but rather Cao Cao should proactively visit Lu Yu!
Speaking of the Wei residence, it was as opulent and magnificent as the rumors claimed, with jade pavilions and ornate buildings, gate after gate, courtyard after courtyard... Lu Yu felt as if he had arrived at a "Qiao Family Courtyard."
Moreover, numerous young, handsome maids had already lined up on both sides... awaiting their new master.
Instantly, Lu Yu felt a sense of reward after hardship.
...
On the other side, at the Chenliu Commandery yamen.
Because Ji Bei Prime Minister Bao Xin's body was shattered, incomplete, and his face unrecognizable, Cao Cao sighed to the heavens, tears streaming down his face, while ordering people to find the best artisans to carve a wooden effigy of Bao Xin based on his likeness.
Taking this as Bao Xin's body, he then had him dressed in a full set of luxurious attire, and a grand memorial ceremony was held within the yamen.
Recalling this battle, he had brought more than seven thousand men, and only a few hundred returned. Even his good brother had died tragically... the losses were not small, and the lessons learned were not un-painful!
Cao Cao, eager for talent, had planned to summon the fifteen-year-old prodigy mentioned by his cousin Cao Ren to the yamen that night for a discussion.
As for now, he only wished to look at his good brother Bao Xin one more time.
Indeed, although Cao Cao was a cunning hero, he was also a man of true feelings.
After half an hour, the memorial ceremony concluded...
Xiahou Yuan, Xun Yu, and Xun You, who had been waiting at the door, then gracefully entered.
Xun Yu and Xun You exchanged glances, their meaning unmistakable. To treat their departed brother in such a manner, indeed, Cao Cao was a wise lord worth serving!
No wonder "Hidden Dragon" had ultimately chosen him.
"So it is Wenruo and Gongda. It feels like it's been a long time since I last saw the two of you!"
Cao Cao recognized Xun Yu and Xun You and went to meet them. His sorrowful expression, due to their arrival, finally showed a slight improvement.
Cao Cao had known the Xun uncle and nephew before...
When Xun Yu served as the Supervisor of the Palace, Cao Cao was one of the Eight Colonels of the Western Garden in the imperial court. Although they did not have much interaction, they served in the same court. He knew that Xun Yu had unique insights in terms of character, talent, and conduct. He had many fellow townsmen and close friends, a fact that Cao Cao envied.
As for Xun You, he was two years younger than Cao Cao but was Cao Cao's senior.
When Cao Cao, Yuan Shao, Yuan Shu, and Zhang Miao were in their final year at the Imperial Academy, Xun You had already graduated. His performance in subjects like military strategy, various crafts, and debate among the students of that year was outstanding. For a time, Cao Cao even used him as a role model. Of course... little known is the fact that Ji Bei Prime Minister Bao Xin had also attended the Imperial Academy. He was in the same cohort as Xun You, but the two were different in literature and martial arts, their personalities did not match, and their relationship was not harmonious.
"Wenruo, Gongda, I, Cao Cao, never dreamed that you two would come to my humble abode..."
Cao Cao excitedly grabbed Xun Yu and Xun You's hands... "With your arrival, you must bring me a strategy to 'defeat the Yellow Turban rebels'!"
Upon saying this, Cao Cao's gaze inadvertently fell upon the wooden effigy of his good brother Bao Xin in the coffin, a glimmer of hope appearing in his eyes.
It seemed... compared to the fifteen-year-old prodigy mentioned by Zixiao, Xun Yu and Xun You's strategies undoubtedly brought greater hope.
"Cao Gong, to be honest, my nephew and I have racked our brains for many days and have not devised a strategy to break the three hundred thousand Yellow Turban rebels. However..."
Xun Yu created a moment of suspense and immediately took out a bamboo slip from his embrace...
"Cao Gong, please read this. This was dictated by a supremely intelligent youth, and I personally wrote it down..."
"This contains a total of nineteen characters, each one incisive, each one a gem. With this bamboo slip, the three hundred thousand Yellow Turban rebels can be defeated with a mere flick of the wrist!"
Hiss...
As these words were spoken, Cao Cao's eyes widened sharply.
Nineteen characters? Could they break the three hundred thousand Yellow Turban rebels?
If Xun Yu's words were true, it would be like a thousand gold pieces for one character, no... one character could be worth more than ten thousand troops!
...
...