Yuan family, destruction, utilization.
A series of keywords followed, but the conversation between the white-robed man and Mr. Shuijing, Sima Hui, became increasingly faint, and Zhuge Liang and Huang Yueying did not hear much clearly.
However.
Peeling back the layers, Zhuge Liang realized that the decisive battle between Cao and Yuan was imminent, and a new variable was about to emerge.
Jun Di...
Zhuge Liang's expression turned complex. He murmured softly in his heart, "Will you also be drawn into this increasingly complex whirlpool of the decisive battle between Cao and Yuan?"
Thinking of this, he looked up at the sky.
The situation was becoming more and more unclear.
He felt an inexplicable worry for his third brother, Zhuge Jun, and at the same time, a lot of inexplicable envy!
In the whirlpool... it tempers people the most!
(ps: The Shuijing Eight Disciples in this work are unrelated to "The Ravages of Time"; they are simply eight disciples of Mr. Shuijing, Sima Hui, and are logically eight disciples. The disciples in "The Ravages of Time" are a bit ridiculous!)
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Jiangdong, Wujun, Sun Family Mansion.
At this time, Madam Wu was taking care of Sun Ce, who was still unconscious.
The Little Overlord of Jiangdong had been in a deep sleep for over a month. He still had a breath, but he was in a deep slumber, which inevitably caused sighs and made Madam Wu weep continuously.
"Old Madam Sun."
A clear voice came from behind Madam Wu.
Madam Wu turned her head, and her eyes fell upon a tall, exceptionally handsome young man in a red robe. This person was none other than the famous handsome Zhou Lang of Jiangdong!
"Gongjin, you're back?"
"I received Madam Sun's letter and rushed back from Poyang Lake. I have persuaded the Zhou family clansmen to defend Jiangdong to the death and fight a decisive battle against the Cao army," Zhou Yu said with ease...
He and Sun Ce were known as the only two handsome men in Jiangdong, sharing mutual admiration and a life-or-death friendship.
Upon hearing that the elders of the Jiangdong Zhou family, who were of the same clan as him, opposed resisting Cao Cao and supported surrender, Zhou Yu was furious and rushed back. Coincidentally, he received Madam Wu's letter along the way...
"It is not in vain that Bofu and you share a brotherhood for me to have these words from Gongjin."
Madam Wu uttered a soft sentence.
Zhou Yu walked a few steps to Sun Ce's side. Seeing that his entire face was wrapped in bandages, he felt uneasy...
He let out a long sigh.
He immediately knitted his brows. Zhou Yu knew his good brother's personality too well; he always cared about his appearance. Seeing him like this... even if he woke up and saw his own face, he might...
Shaking his head, Zhou Yu dared not think.
"Since Gongjin received the letter, you must know about the Lu family's affairs," Madam Wu said softly, her eyes fixed on her son, Sun Ce.
The Lu family's affairs naturally referred to Lu Xun's resistance against Cao Cao. This had surprised Madam Wu, and how could it not have surprised Zhou Yu?
However...
Zhou Yu felt that this matter was not that simple. After all... there was still some animosity between the Sun and Lu families. Therefore, Zhou Yu had specifically sent people to investigate.
"Madam Sun probably doesn't know yet, but a few months ago, gold mines and dibble iron were excavated from 'Canglong Mountain,' 'Shenting Ridge,' and 'Yan'ou Ridge,' which the Lu family had purchased."
"What?"
This remark slipped out, and Madam Wu raised her eyes. She paused for a moment, and then... her eyes widened slightly. "No wonder the Lu family went to resist Cao Cao. To dare resist Cao Cao, it's because of this."
Madam Wu seemed to understand. It should be known that under the rule of the Sun family in Jiangdong today, the aristocratic families all possessed great power, such as armies, commerce, and territories. These were all privately owned by the major aristocratic families.
But...
If Cao Cao came, he might not touch the armies and commerce of the major clans, but the territories would inevitably be taken back by him, Cao Cao. Cao Cao had precedents for this.
In the past, in Yan Province, he distributed land to farmers, which was a precedent.
It was for this reason... Once the ruler of Jiangdong became Cao Cao, the 'Canglong Mountain,' 'Shenting Ridge,' and 'Yan'ou Ridge' held by the Lu family would also be confiscated by Cao Cao. Originally, this would have been nothing, but as it happened, these mountains and ridges had now yielded gold mines and dibble iron, which was another story.
One should know...
In this era, possessing dibble iron and gold veins undoubtedly meant possessing vast resources. As long as these resources were available, recruiting troops and raising armies was only a matter of time.
No aristocratic family would allow such benefits to be given to others.
"No wonder the Lu family's stance was so firm... and no wonder the Lu family had the courage."
Madam Wu sighed again.
Zhou Yu nodded. In fact, he felt that this matter was not as simple as it seemed on the surface.
But... what other deeper meaning was there, which Zhou Yu could not see with the current intelligence?
"For this reason, Old Madam Sun? What do you think of the Lu family?" Zhou Yu asked Madam Wu proactively...
Madam Wu hesitated. "This is good. Because of these mountains and ridges, the rising Lu family will stand with us, at least proving... that the Lu family is trustworthy."
"I think so too," Zhou Yu nodded. "Let them resist Cao Cao first... If they lose, there is no loss. If they win..."
Before Zhou Yu could finish speaking, Madam Wu interrupted him directly: "If they win, it is advisable to reward them with more troops and support the Lu family... Jiangdong does not lack soldiers, but lacks loyal individuals who can step forward like Gongjin in times of danger!"
This...
Zhou Yu's eyes flickered. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but the words remained unspoken.
He had a feeling that the Lu family's actions were not that simple. As for why? Zhou Yu's eyes hardened, and he lowered his gaze. He couldn't see through it, so he would observe further.
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...
The southernmost part of Guangling and the northernmost part of Wujun were separated only by the Yangtze River.
At this moment, south of the Yangtze...
An army of nearly five thousand men had already encamped. This was a military stronghold and also a naval stronghold. In the central army tent, a large flag with the character "Lu" fluttered in the wind.
At this moment, on the bank of the Yangtze River...
Lu Xun stood alone, feeling the river breeze, his eyes slightly narrowed.
Just half an hour ago, he had issued a military order to Zhou Tai, leading eight hundred men to sneak across the Yangtze River... to surprise the Cao army camp stationed on the opposite bank!
Upon hearing this military order, Zhou Tai was stunned...
One should know...
According to scouts, Cao Ren and Xiahou Yuan's camps were not far from Chen Deng's camp. Even if a surprise attack was successful, once Cao Ren and Xiahou Yuan returned to reinforce them... they would inevitably block the retreat. Zhou Tai and these eight hundred men would have no return!
But precisely...
He and a group of fellow villagers from Jiujiang had just become retainers of the Lu family. With Lu Xun's order, how could he dare to disobey?
And just now... Lu Xun had specifically called Zhou Tai into the tent and talked with him in detail. It was clear... when Zhou Tai walked out of the tent, he was full of confidence!
Hoo...
Lu Xun let out a long sigh and looked at the sky... The moon was already hanging high, which was the time of day when people were most drowsy. He smiled and called out, "Are the one hundred and fifty jars of wine and one hundred and fifty jin of mutton all prepared?"
A soldier outside the tent replied, "All prepared!"
"Put the mutton in the pot... Prepare to celebrate the triumphant return of our warriors!"
Lu Xun's words directly stunned the soldier...
Zhou Tai was leading a few hundred men on a raid? It was clearly a desperate situation... But before they had even returned, the Lu family head was going to celebrate their triumphant return?
Where did this confidence come from?
As if seeing the soldier's doubt.
Lu Xun narrowed his eyes.
"Just give the order, and General Zhou Tai will surely return triumphantly. Moreover... if he loses even one man in this battle, it will be my dereliction of duty!"
These words slipped out, and the soldier was even more bewildered. He only managed to respond with a "Yes," and bowed to receive the order!
Go arrange the wine and cook the mutton!
Stomp...
After the soldier left,
Lu Xun was the only one left in the main tent. He walked out of the tent door and looked up at the moonlight continuously...
Tonight's grand show was about to begin!
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...
North of the Yangtze, dozens of small boats silently arrived at the shore.
With mouths gagged, the entire night was silent.
After disembarking, Zhou Tai leaped onto a stone step. "Brothers, gather around... and listen to my command!"
These words slipped out...
The soldiers stood expressionlessly. Over seven hundred men gathered like zombies. They... naturally knew the purpose of this mission. Among them were many fellow villagers from Jiujiang, many recruited retainers of the Lu family, and some were former retainers of those like Yan Baihu.
But without exception... they all ate the Lu family's food.
It could be said that in this chaotic world, if it weren't for the Lu family's generous and extravagant support, they didn't know how difficult their lives would be?
Of course, that was the logic, but they thought Lu Xun's military order was a bit of a joke. Lu Xun was too young. Seven hundred of them were going to raid a Cao army of fifty thousand? Wasn't this madness?
One should know...
Back then, Sun Bofu, with fifty thousand men, couldn't even take Lujiang. Sun Quan, with thirty thousand men, hadn't even touched the city gate of Jiangling. And them, a few hundred men? Wasn't this a joke?
Just then.
Zhou Tai spat out some saliva, then lowered his voice, but said excitedly, "The Cao army's central military camp is about a thousand paces ahead! The Cao army's commander, Chen Deng, is in it!"
"..."
No one responded to him. Everyone showed a numb face and indifferent eyes.
Chen Deng is in it? So what?
Sun Quan and Sun Ce couldn't defeat them, let alone a few hundred of them... Heh heh, everyone "Heh hehed."
Who would have thought...
Just then, Zhou Tai sneered, "Now, spread the order to burn all the small boats! Throw all the dry rations each of you carries into the river! This battle, either we defeat the Cao army, capture Cao army ships, and return to Jiangnan triumphantly, or we all die here with me!"
Uh... burning the bridges behind them?
This sentence made almost everyone think of the four words "burning the bridges behind them," and at the same time... they became more alert.
Damn it, this is for real! Didn't they say it was a raid? Why... increase the difficulty out of nowhere?
"General Zhou... Zhou..." a soldier stammered and asked, "Chen Deng is indeed in the center of the army, and the security in the center is not strict, but... but... Cao Ren and Xiahou Yuan are stationed nearby. We... we!"
"Swish..."
His words did not slip out.
Zhou Tai directly drew his saber... and stood on a large rock, looking around. The fleshy muscles on his face twitched, revealing a ferocious expression.
"I don't like to reason with people."
"Today, either charge with me and gain glory and wealth, or... be chopped by me right now!"
This is...
Looking at Zhou Tai's bare upper body, his bulging muscles, his eight-pack abs... and those scars, the soldiers' hearts turned cold, thinking... ten, or even twenty of them might not be able to defeat him alone!
"Gulp..."
Everyone swallowed hard. To die with a companion, ah no... to die with a fool, they could only go for it!
Only Zhou Shao, his son, a young man of eighteen or nineteen, saw something in his father's eyes.
Although his father was usually reckless, he... would never be so reckless as to throw an egg against a rock!
While the soldiers were replenishing their water and eating their rations...
He and his father, Zhou Tai, walked behind a tree root.
His father, Zhou Tai, had just urinated here and was wiping his brand-new armor back and forth, looking very unhygienic...
"Father seems quite confident..." Zhou Shao said loudly.
As the saying goes, a son knows his father best, and the reverse is also true, a father knows his son best.
"You've seen through it." Zhou Tai opened a bamboo tube and took another sip of water, then spat out some saliva and bared his teeth.
"Dad? What exactly is this..." Zhou Shao couldn't help but ask again...
Zhou Tai patted his shoulder and said earnestly, "This battle is a sure win..."
As he said this, he did not forget to remind his son, "Remember to cut off more heads, and then find the Lu family head to claim rewards and merit!"
This...
Before Zhou Shao could hesitate.
"Alright..." Zhou Tai leaped onto the stone steps again, blew a whistle, drew his saber, and shouted, "Assemble, all follow me and charge! You all watch carefully, I will be at the forefront. If I stop, you can cut me! I have four more lives than a cat... I won't die!"
"But if I see any of you stop, then this knife of mine, you might die!"
"Hmph, now, our food is gone, our ships are gone, either charge with me and break through this Cao camp, or die here. Remember, this is not a raid, this is not a raid!"
Zhou Tai deliberately emphasized this, raising his voice as much as possible.
"This is a death match! A decisive battle!"
After this command...
Seven hundred warriors instantly assembled, each drawing their saber... like tigers and wolves!
...
A moment later, the stern sword blades were drawn and gleamed in the moonlight.
The Cao army's central military camp was attacked...
The sudden Jiangdong soldiers seemed to descend from the sky, rushing into the Cao army camp like hungry wolves.
A group of soldiers, all clad in black, crazily hacked with their sabers, overwhelming everything...
And this Cao army central military camp seemed... completely unprepared.
No...
This could no longer be called unprepared. The entire "Cao army" in the central military tent seemed to have no resistance at all. In fact... their tents didn't even have the most basic weapons!
Facing these sudden enemy soldiers...
They realized they had to resist, but where were the weapons at hand? Before they could find bludgeons... they were already disemboweled by these "dog-like" soldiers with green eyes!
With distorted faces and no hint of mercy...
In just half an hour, the seven hundred warriors charged back and forth, killing tens of thousands of "Cao troops"!
By the end of the slaughter, everyone except Zhou Tai was stunned?
Didn't the Cao army always have a reputation for fierce combat?
How... was this battle so easy?
If the Cao army had such "trash" combat power, and if the Cao army did not carry weapons with them, then let alone fifty thousand, even one hundred fifty thousand or two hundred fifty thousand, these seven hundred warriors would not be afraid!
"Kill... leave none alive!"
Zhou Tai's bloodlust had further erupted...
After all, this was a one-sided slaughter, a slaughter with no room for maneuver!
And similarly, these bloody heads would become the fame of Zhou Tai, the merit and reliance of these seven hundred warriors, and the rise of the Lu family!
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...
Two sticks of incense passed, and the shouts and wails continued.
But at this moment... high up in the Cao army camp, Chen Deng, with a group of armored soldiers, looked towards the central military camp in the woods. His face was incredibly calm and composed, as if the lives and deaths of the soldiers in the camp below had nothing to do with him.
And the words he uttered...
Were completely unrelated to the slaughter in the main camp.
"General Wenyuan arrives just in time..."
Chen Deng spoke, and turned his gaze to the side...
Who else could be standing beside him but Zhang Liao, Zhang Wenyuan?
Zhang Liao threw his crescent halberd aside and lamented repeatedly, "Within the Cao camp, these more than ten thousand remnants of Yuan Shu are fickle and two-faced. They first defected to Yuan Shu, then to Prime Minister Cao, and finally to Liu Bei... Now they have become prisoners of the Battle of Xiapi. Using their fresh blood to cooperate in this play is indeed very suitable!"
As Zhang Liao said...
The central military camp stationed here was precisely the remnants of Yuan Shu who had previously surrendered to Liu Bei.
Cao Cao had originally ordered them to be buried alive after the fall of Xiapi City, but Zhang Liao arrived in a timely manner and relayed Lu Yu's words... which gave Cao Cao a completely new idea.
Buried alive? How boring! What a waste!
Wouldn't it be more interesting to cooperate with the Lu family of Jiangdong to stage this great defeat of the Cao army? In this way, these "rebellious soldiers" who were fickle and two-faced would die more worthily.
"Heh heh..."
Chen Deng chuckled, "In ancient times, the God of Slaughter, Bai Qi, buried thirty thousand Zhao soldiers alive, incurring infamy for an era. Today... Situ Lu, by borrowing a knife to kill, has slaughtered these more than twenty thousand Yuan remnants, leaving behind a beautiful tale! Haha... this plan can be considered ingenious..."
"It is indeed ingenious!" Zhang Liao took the initiative to mention, "It's just that it harms Yuanlong's reputation."
His meaning was clear: Lu Yu's move was a double-edged sword, indeed...
Extremely beneficial to both the Cao camp and the Lu family of Jiangdong.
But it only damaged Chen Deng, Chen Yuanlong's reputation...
After all, Chen Deng had never lost to the Jiangdong army before.
"What does my reputation matter? It's not important, not important at all!" Chen Deng waved his hand... "My life was saved by Situ Lu. The previous several great victories against Jiangdong were also due to Situ Lu's foresight in anticipating the enemy. My reputation is worthless compared to Situ Lu's plans, completely worthless!"
Speaking of which...
Chen Deng and Zhang Liao exchanged glances.
"Hahaha, hahaha..."
They both burst into hearty laughter.
After a while, the laughter subsided, and Zhang Liao seemed to suddenly recall something.
"Yuanlong? Shouldn't we send scouts to inform General Zixiao and General Miaocai of the attack here? Otherwise..."
Zhang Liao narrowed his eyes. "If these two camps still don't come to the rescue at this time, it will seem a bit fake."
"Yes, haha..." Hearing this, Chen Deng nodded. "Brother Wenyuan's consideration is thorough. To act a play, one must complete the whole act. We cannot ruin Young Master Lu's grand plan due to negligence!"
With that said...
Chen Deng called out, "Someone, immediately send scouts to inform General Zixiao and General Miaocai, saying that the Jiangdong navy has launched a surprise attack on the central army, and they should quickly reinforce..."
"Yes!" Hearing this, the soldier was about to report.
"Wait!" Chen Deng suddenly thought of something. "Tell them to go by land! If the enemy goes down the river, do not pursue!"
Yes... going by land, this is very important!
We must consider the retreat route for these warriors of the Jiangdong Lu family...
Giving away merits, weapons, ships, and escape routes, it's simply a comprehensive package...
This battle fought is truly "绝绝" (absolutely brilliant)!
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