"Big brother... Big brother!"
In the prefectural office of Xiapi City, Zhang Fei's booming voice could be heard from afar.
"Big brother, indeed..."
Zhang Fei ran to Liu Bei's side and exclaimed with a laugh, "After today's siege, the number of stoves in Cao's camp has drastically reduced, less than thirty percent of yesterday!"
Hmm...
Upon hearing this, Liu Bei's brow furrowed.
"Truly?"
Zhang Fei pointed to the wisps of cooking smoke rising into the sky, "They say Cao Cao is cunning, but surely the cooking smoke can't lie!"
Liu Bei and Guan Yu, who stood beside him, hurried to the door and looked out.
Indeed, the cooking smoke rising above the Cao army's encampment was significantly weaker than before.
This...
Blinking repeatedly, Liu Bei sighed, "The Cao army has retreated. It seems... Yuan Shao's army has marched south!"
Clenching his fists, the days of steadfast defense had almost depleted their provisions and cut off reinforcements. Finally, today, they saw hope, hope!
"Big brother, this is a golden opportunity!" Guan Yu suggested. "With Yuan Shao's army marching south, the Cao army must be in disarray. If we launch a surprise attack tonight... we can defeat the Cao army in one decisive blow!"
"Moreover, the Cao army is not as formidable as imagined. After several days of siege, our army has lost nearly ten thousand men, but the Cao army's losses far exceed ours... This indicates that apart from that fearsome Dragon Cavalry, none of Cao's other troops are capable of fighting!"
"Yes, big brother, I've come to request battle," Zhang Fei bellowed... "I see these Cao soldiers as nothing but a flock of sheep!"
The period of defending the city had greatly frustrated the dark-faced warrior. He was eager to ride his warhorse and trample the Cao army.
"Issue orders: all camps to prepare meals at the third watch and march out at the fourth," Liu Bei immediately commanded. "Soldiers will gag their mouths, and horses will have their hooves wrapped. We will strike directly at Cao Cao's main camp... Brothers, if we can kill Cao Cao himself, this battle will be won!"
"Understood!"
Guan Yu and Zhang Fei replied in unison and immediately went to make arrangements.
Liu Bei's eyes gradually widened. Yuan Shao marching south... this would be followed by Liu Biao moving north, Han Sui and Ma Teng advancing eastward. Even without Sun Ce from Jiangdong, the encirclement of Cao Cao... was still foolproof!
...
...
That night, in the Cao army's grand camp, the main tent!
Weary from continuous campaigning, Cao Cao felt a headache. He leaned on his bed.
Just then, Cao Ren entered.
"Big brother, our provisions are ample, so why did you order only thirty percent of the stoves to be lit tonight? The soldiers are quite perplexed and are discussing it. I fear this will be detrimental to the morale of the army."
"Stoves, haha... The remaining seventy percent of the stoves were intentionally made for Liu Bei to see!" Cao Cao said softly, rubbing his temples.
"What? This..." Cao Ren still didn't quite understand.
Cao Cao slowly opened his eyes... "Zixiao, you have studied military books for so long, yet why has your progress in strategy and tactics not improved? It is because you are always rigidly adhering to the text! Rigidly studying the text will only turn you into a fool. When will you become a true commander?"
As he spoke, Cao Cao slowly rose and sat sideways.
"Let me ask you, how many men have we lost in the continuous sieges?"
"Nearly ten thousand..." Cao Ren replied truthfully. He really couldn't fathom the connection between the casualties from the siege and making the soldiers eat less tonight.
Cao Cao's words continued to flow, "Why have so many men died? It is because, in the continuous sieges, I have mostly used the weaker troops; the elite forces have not been deployed at all! The reason I haven't deployed them is that Xiapi City is strongly fortified, and Guan Yu and Zhang Fei are exceptionally fierce! If we were to launch a forceful assault as Prime Minister Lu suggested, although we might capture the city, the casualties would be too great!"
"Since casualties are unavoidable, I will leave these ten thousand weak soldiers' corpses for Liu Bei. Moreover, these ten thousand men were all former subordinates of Yuan Shu, much like Liu Bei's own troops. These Yuan Shu subordinates are mostly from bandit backgrounds, fickle and only pursuing profit. Keeping them would be a hidden danger eventually, and using them requires vigilance!"
Hoo...
Upon hearing this, Cao Ren gasped. He never imagined that due to Yuan Shu's subordinates' betrayal, his elder brother harbored such deep hatred that he wouldn't even spare these surrendered soldiers under his command.
For a moment, Cao Ren felt his elder brother's cold and cruel side.
Indeed, Cao Cao, praised in historical records as the "Number One Butcher Knife of the Three Kingdoms," was always a cruel man. It was just that, previously, due to Lu Yu's influence, this cruelty had been concealed, even packaged as a new image of a benevolent ruler who loved his people as his own children!
Of course... packaging is packaging, but Cao Cao's inherent ferocity would not change!
"Big brother... then?" Cao Ren was about to speak.
Unexpectedly, his voice was suppressed by Cao Cao's.
"Zixiao, listen to me finish!"
"With the dead bodies strewn across the battlefield outside Xiapi City, Liu Bei will surely think that although our Cao army is vast, it is not strong enough to overwhelm his Liu Bei in one go. He will underestimate me, Cao Cao, and the hundreds of thousands of Cao soldiers. He will place his hopes on Yuan Shao in the north, Liu Biao in the south, and Han Sui and Ma Teng in Guanzhong!"
"At such a time, if Liu Bei, who is cut off from outside contact... suddenly sees our reduced number of stoves, what will he think? Haha, he will assume we are forced to send troops to reinforce and that our Cao army is in disarray! So... what will he do? You tell me? What will he do?"
This...
Cao Ren was stunned for a brief moment, then replied, "He... he will surely attempt a night raid, hoping to take advantage of our army's disarray and internal strife to annihilate us in one go!"
"Exactly!" Cao Cao nodded heavily. "These are the ten thousand corpses, and the opportunity brought about by Prime Minister Lu turning the situation from five forces attacking Cao into five forces attacking Yuan!"
Having said this, Cao Cao paused, then suddenly stood up, his eyes narrowing, and infinite killing intent surging within them.
"Only by letting him underestimate me, Cao Cao, will Liu Bei come out of the city. We must lure Liu Bei out of the city so that we can eliminate him and achieve the greatest victory with the least loss. Lu Yu always mentioned these points when discussing 'The Art of War' – attack the enemy's mind, and subdue them without fighting!"
As he spoke... Cao Cao's gaze turned towards the outside of the tent.
"Tonight and tomorrow night, especially tonight, Liu Bei is bound to attempt a raid. Be doubly vigilant, set up ambushes, and ensure he has no return!"
With that said...
Cao Cao recalled how Yu'er had repeatedly advised him not to underestimate Liu Bei in the past.
He had indeed never underestimated Liu Bei. If it weren't for Liu Bei's desperate measures, using the five-stone powder and running naked to gain Cao Cao's momentary carelessness, how could he have escaped, and how could the current situation have arisen?
However... it doesn't matter.
Today, Cao Cao will use the same method against him!
Let Liu Bei underestimate him, Cao Cao, just once, and let him taste the consequences of underestimating him!
Hehe...
Being tricked is not a pleasant feeling.
With this thought in mind...
Cao Cao did not forget to remind, "Guan Yu and Zhang Fei are both worth ten thousand men. Do not be careless tonight. To capture Liu Bei, we must sever the connection between them and him!"
"Understood!" Cao Ren agreed and immediately went to make arrangements.
Cao Cao then narrowed his eyes and looked up at the sky...
At this moment, he truly wanted to know what Yu'er was doing.
Hehe...
Speaking of which, it was strange. Yu'er had performed exceptionally well in dealing with the five forces attacking Cao. Even his strategies... reminded Cao Cao of the saying – "Planning within the command tent, achieving victory a thousand miles away!"
The Master Strategist Zhang Liang... hehe, Yu'er's current deployment reminded him of the Master Strategist Zhang Liang of the past!
The only flaw was...
It seemed... every route was reporting good news...
Only his side, Cao Cao's, was left!
Hehe...
Cao Cao's eyes narrowed again as he looked at the sky, feeling the evening breeze. Tonight would be a sleepless night, an "interesting" sleepless night!
...
...
Xudu City, Situ's Mansion...
In stark contrast to the turmoil in Bing, Xu, Jing, and Jiangdong, the capital of the Han Dynasty appeared exceptionally peaceful.
However, the vicinity of Situ's Mansion had increased security.
Countless Dragon Cavalry soldiers guarded the entrance to Situ's Mansion.
In addition, Cao Cao had specially allocated a Tiger Guard legion of fifty men to guard the area day and night.
It could be said...
Under the current circumstances, Situ's Mansion in Xudu was the central hub of the entire Cao army. From here, commands were constantly issued, orchestrating the overall macro-battlefield.
"Very good..."
"Very good..."
At this moment, Lu Yu lay on a bamboo chair, having just heard the report from Cao Xiu. This was an urgent dispatch from Jizhou, detailing... the surprise attack by the five armies on Yuan Shao's rear, the progress of each army, and the retreat route of Yuan Shao's 300,000-strong army!
Upon hearing this news...
Even though...
He had been mentally prepared, Lu Yu still nodded repeatedly, quite pleased.
As expected, Yuan Benchu, he is the man you can always count on. Whenever faced with a choice, he will perfectly avoid all the correct options.
Hoo... the pressure has eased...
In addition to the military intelligence from Jizhou... on the adjacent desk, countless urgent reports were laid out.
There was intelligence from the Jingzhou direction. As expected, after Xu Shu set up the "Eight Gates Formation," Liu Biao made a token attack, and then... there was nothing more.
As for the attacks by Han Sui and Ma Teng, they were like a raging storm, causing considerable distress to Gao Gan, Yuan Shao's "good nephew" defending Bingzhou.
The intelligence from the Xuzhou direction was unexpected for Lu Yu...
Old Cao did not adopt the swift offensive of "shattering the darkness with lightning speed." Instead, he was playing the long game with Liu Bei, like boiling a frog in warm water.
But it didn't matter!
In Lu Yu's opinion...
As long as Yuan Shao retreated, Old Cao would have more room to maneuver. Moreover, with the assistance of Xun Lingjun this time, the situation in Xuzhou was as stable as a rock!
The only thing that worried Lu Yu was the situation in Jiangdong. According to reports from spies, Sun Ce's injuries were not optimistic...
An arrow had struck his cheek.
As the saying goes, "Even when hitting someone, one avoids hitting the face." This arrow, even if it wouldn't take Sun Bofu's life, could... for Sun Ce, who was always obsessed with his appearance, it would be difficult to face.
After all...
Ancient texts record three accounts of Sun Bofu's death. Putting aside the mention of Yu Ji, Lu Yu believed the most plausible one was that Sun Ce saw his face in a bronze mirror and died of sheer ugliness!
Although it sounded absurd, considering Sun Ce's pursuit of appearance, this was not an exaggeration...
However...
It was necessary to ensure the rapid rise of the Lu family in Jiangdong before Sun Ce died of ugliness.
Wait...
Lu Yu suddenly thought of something.
The Lu family in Jiangdong currently had money and grain, with Lu Xun, Lu Ji, and Chen Gong... plenty of strategists, but were they lacking in brave warriors?
So, the question arises... were there any fierce warriors from this period who were in Jiangdong and had not yet pledged allegiance to the Sun family?
Lu Yu pondered that he needed to find some muscle for the Lu family!
This...
After a brief moment of thought, Lu Yu blinked.
He really thought of two people...
He immediately wrote a letter.
"Send someone to Lujiang and ask Prefect Liu Xun to find a way to secretly deliver this letter to Chen Gongtai or Lu Xun!"
"Yes..." Cao Xiu took the letter and handed it over to a Dragon Cavalry soldier. The soldier carefully put it away and immediately set off.
Lu Yu's eyes darted.
Then, he picked up his brush and wrote another letter.
"This letter is to be sent to Xiapi City, Xuzhou, via a seven-hundred-mile urgent dispatch, ensuring it is personally delivered to Situ Cao."
"Yes!" Cao Xiu took the letter again and, as usual, handed it over to his trusted subordinate.
After doing all this...
Lu Yu's eyes narrowed. He reviewed the entire situation in his mind, going through it completely.
This was his habit. Whenever he made a plan, he would always simulate the entire process to find any oversights.
This time...
"This way, General Wenlie, find a way to send someone... to inform Yang Xiu, Zhong Yao, and Qin Yilu that when they truly face Yuan Shao's army, they need not engage in a direct confrontation but can retreat in a flanking maneuver. If there is no place to retreat, they should all withdraw to Yanmen Pass. Yuan Shao will not launch a full-scale assault."
Actually...
Lu Yu was thinking of the second battlefield of the Battle of Guandu.
At present, it was undeniable that the Battle of Guandu was imminent...
And the primary battlefield would undoubtedly be Guandu. However, if a second battlefield could be opened to contain Yuan Shao from the flank, the pressure on the frontal assault would undoubtedly be significantly reduced!
While saying and laughing...
However, history had already been altered due to his, Lu Yu's, appearance.
The Guandu battlefield was no longer a matter of luck. Old Cao was not necessarily the absolute victor, and perhaps... this Battle of Guandu had already become a clash of true strength.
In this regard, Lu Yu had to be prepared for contingencies.
"Yes..." Cao Xiu agreed and silently noted all of Lu Yu's instructions. "Young Master Lu, do you have any further instructions?"
"Not for the time being," Lu Yu waved his hand. "Go and make arrangements..."
"Understood!" Cao Xiu replied and slowly retreated.
Unexpectedly, as soon as Cao Xiu stepped out of the gate of Situ's Mansion...
"Report, General Cao, something bad has happened..." A Dragon Cavalry soldier quickly ran over and saw Cao Xiu, immediately cupping his hands in a salute.
Cao Xiu's eyes narrowed, "What has happened?"
"Has any route encountered unexpected issues?"
As he asked this question, Cao Xiu felt quite nervous.
After all, he was aware of all of Lu Yu's deployments, but... in his opinion, every deployment was walking on the edge of a knife!
But... at least for now, the outcome was good.
Could it be...
"No!" the Dragon Cavalry soldier shook his head. "It's... it's the Tomb Robbery Camp, something has happened to the Tomb Robbery Camp!"
"What? The Tomb Robbery Camp?" Cao Xiu was taken aback.
He knew he had a special sentiment for this Tomb Robbery Camp. Before the Tomb Robbery Camp was handed over to Cheng Yu, he, Cao Xiu, was the "Number One Brother" of the Tomb Robbery Camp!
"What happened?" Cao Xiu asked urgently.
"Thirty brothers from the Tomb Robbery Camp... were... were burned to death in a royal tomb!" the Dragon Cavalry soldier replied truthfully...
This...
Cao Xiu's brows furrowed. The foot he had just stepped out of Situ's Mansion stepped back. "You come with me to see Young Master Lu! Quickly..."
...
...
Outside Xiapi City, Xuzhou...
The moon was high, and tonight there seemed to be a mist, making the already dark sky even more hazy, obscuring everything.
And at this moment, with a "creak," the large gate of Xiapi City opened... Liu Bei, who had been like a cowering turtle, was leading his troops out for the first time!
Nearly ten thousand troops, divided into three divisions, led by Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei respectively...
Their shoes and horse hooves were wrapped in thick cloth.
Over ten thousand people left the city in batches, leaving no trace.
In the dark night...
Figures flickered in the jungle.
Finally, the three thousand troops led by Liu, Guan, and Zhang arrived at Cao's camp. As expected, the Cao camp's defenses were lax.
"Big brother, look, Cao Cao is completely unprepared! Let's charge in..." Zhang Fei tried his best to lower his voice.
"Slow..." Liu Bei reached out to stop the eager Zhang Fei.
His eyes narrowed... "Something's not right. Why aren't there even any patrolling scouts? Cao Cao has always had strict military discipline. He wouldn't not set up scouts!"
"Big brother... look." Guan Yu raised his Green Dragon Crescent Blade and pointed to the guard post at the entrance of the camp. "Aren't there a few scouts there? They just seem to be drowsy?"
Hoo...
Liu Bei let out a sigh of relief, his eyes looking over there. After observing repeatedly, he said softly, "It seems the Cao army is indeed exhausted from the continuous sieges, and they still have to attack tomorrow morning. Therefore... even the scouts have fallen asleep."
"Big brother? Don't hesitate anymore, let's kill them!" Zhang Fei straightened his Heaven-Splitting Serpent Spear, his molars grinding.
"Slow..."
Liu Bei tried his best to calm himself.
He carefully observed Cao's camp. Once he located the central army, he gestured.
"Yun Chang, Yi De, look, there are three tents in Cao's central army, one large and two small? Cao Cao is inherently suspicious and would never sleep in the large tent. You two should charge directly towards one of the small tents, regardless of the cost... If you can kill Cao Cao, then... the great task will be accomplished!"
"Understood!"
"Understood!"
The Green Dragon Crescent Blade and the Heaven-Splitting Serpent Spear became even more sinister and chilling in the moonlight.
Liu Bei drew his twin swords from his waist...
"Advance..."
With a command.
"Light the torches..."
"Kill..."
Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, each leading over three thousand cavalry, charged directly towards the small central tent.
In the dark night, countless torches were lit, making the entire Cao camp appear as bright as day. Over six thousand soldiers rushed in like arrows loosed from a bow, instantly killing the few sentries who were still in dreamland!
"Dada-da..."
The sound of horse hooves echoed!
"Dede-de..."
The neighing of warhorses was incessant...
Suddenly, the entire military camp was filled with a cacophony of shouts and screams, merging into one.
As for Liu Bei...
The cavalry under his command were also eager to charge in, but he stopped them with his hand.
"Hold your positions..."
"Let's observe for a while."
"I always feel something is wrong... but I can't quite pinpoint it! In case there's an ambush, we can support my second and third brothers!"
As soon as he spoke...
"Swish, swish, swish, swish, swish," countless torches lit up, followed by figures surging from the surrounding bushes. But before Liu Bei could react...
"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh..."
A volley of ten thousand arrows, like a swarm of locusts, shot into the Cao army's grand camp in the dark night sky.
Rumble...
It seemed to ignite some flammable material.
Instantly, the entire Cao camp was engulfed in flames.
"Hahahahaha..."
A demonic laugh followed...
"Hahaha, you big-eared thief... don't think you're safe just because you haven't broken into the camp. This time... you have no escape!"
...
...