The night was as dark as a rock, and the rain poured down. In the cold rain, several swift horses galloped from the official road towards Xu Du City.
"Clip-clop..."
With a neigh from a horse, several riders abruptly reined in their mounts at the eastern gate of Xu Du City. The horses reared up, their long neighs shattering the rainy night.
The guards at the gate intended to question them, but the riders shouted.
"This is an urgent dispatch from Jiangdong for Commander Cao and Minister Lu... If you delay, can you bear the responsibility?"
After this shout in the rain, the guards recognized the tokens in the hands of the riders. Among them were tokens of the Huben Army and the Longxiao Cavalry. Without daring to delay further, they hurriedly opened the city gates to let the riders in.
The riders exchanged glances and then proceeded towards the Commander's Mansion and the Minister's Mansion, respectively...
Even though the night was deep.
Such urgent matters had to be delivered immediately.
...
...
Outside the study of the Minister's Mansion, a line of Longxiao Camp armored soldiers stood ready, guarding the area.
Inside the study, at a desk, Lu Yu sat in the main seat. Opposite him sat three men, Cheng Yu, Liu Ye, and Xu Shu, each with a cup of strong tea before them.
This could be considered the core team of the Longxiao Camp.
Then the urgent dispatch arrived...
- Sun Ce was assassinated.
- A great victory at Guangling.
Along with it, a letter penned by Lu Xun himself.
The content of the letter outlined Chen Gong's plan for the Lu family's rise in Jiangdong, requiring significant cooperation from Lu Yu.
As the letters were read aloud,
Lu Yu's expression finally showed a hint of a smile.
Everything was proceeding according to plan. Could this be considered great news for everyone?
Lu Yu smiled faintly and spoke first, "Gentlemen? What do you say? Of the five routes to attack Cao, the first phase, the Little Overlord of Jiangdong, has already failed before even setting out!"
Hearing this, Cheng Yu and Liu Ye stroked their beards and chuckled.
Xu Shu, however, looked somewhat surprised...
This was too fast!
Whether it was relieving the siege of Guangling or assassinating Sun Ce, the Little Overlord, it was all done with lightning speed, such a swift offensive!
At this moment, Xu Shu finally recalled... what Minister Lu had mentioned a few days ago about the surprise in Jiangdong.
And what was even more important was not just these...
The offensive against Cao, which he had laid out with five routes, was a move that affected the entire situation. With Jiangdong failing before even starting, then... the room for maneuver for the other four routes would be greatly expanded.
"Minister Lu's divine foresight and planning, I, Xu, am deeply impressed, deeply impressed!"
Xu Shu cupped his hands and bowed to Lu Yu, admiration written all over his face.
Lu Yu waved his hand, "The great victory in Jiangdong, Sun Bofu's assassination, Chen Deng and Chen Gong certainly deserve great credit, but... Mr. Xu is also indispensable!"
Hearing this, Xu Shu instinctively lowered his head, feeling somewhat ashamed...
The strategy he himself had devised, and he himself was resolving it, how could he not feel ashamed?
"Mr. Xu..." Lu Yu's words followed consecutively. "What next? Which route do you think we should break?"
Hoo...
As this question was posed, Xu Shu's spirits lifted. He extended his finger and traced across the map before him on the table, finally landing on the direction of Xiapi City in Xuzhou!
"The 'vanguard' of the five routes attacking Cao has been soundly defeated and is returning. Next... we must break Liu Bei with lightning speed and take Xiapi City! Such an action has three benefits..."
Xu Shu explained in detail, "Firstly, the letter from Jiangdong explicitly states that Young Master Lu needs to send people to advance south from Guangling to directly threaten Jiangdong, to cooperate with the next phase of action. However, if Xiapi City is not taken, our army cannot be sent to Guangling City, and this southward plan will be impossible to begin!"
"Secondly, Liu Bei has lost the strong support of Sun Ce, and his troops are mostly former soldiers of Yuan Shu, consisting of mountain bandits and vagrants. These people are fickle and opportunistic, only seeking profit... Moreover, they have newly pledged allegiance to Liu Bei, and their morale is unstable, making them ripe for a swift conquest!"
"Thirdly, by swiftly defeating Sun Ce, it serves as a heavy blow to this so-called 'coalition'. Then... if we can also annihilate Liu Bei with overwhelming force... then..."
Xu Shu did not finish his sentence, but the meaning was clear.
Sun Ce defeated first, then Liu Bei defeated, and then the remaining three lords, especially Han Sui, Ma Teng, and Liu Biao... would have to re-evaluate their relationship with Cao Cao.
"All the world is a stage, and all the men and women merely players!"
No one is foolish. If they don't get the mutton, there's no need to get themselves into trouble!
"However..."
At this point, Xu Shu paused, "The only thing to watch out for is Yuan Shao moving south! That is a force of three hundred thousand troops!"
"To defeat Liu Bei with lightning speed, it might not be difficult for Cao's army to press forward, but... once enough troops are needed to defend against Yuan Shao's invasion, then Xiapi City... might not be won in a single battle."
Hearing this, Lu Yu's eyes blinked.
He understood Xu Shu's meaning...
This was a game theory, how to quickly defeat Liu Bei while being able to resist Yuan Shao was the key to turning the current equilibrium into an advantage.
"Mr. Xu's strategies are profound. Next... let me give the specific orders!"
Lu Yu's eyes twinkled, and he looked towards Cheng Yu.
"Commander Cheng, may I trouble you to go north?"
North?
Cheng Yu pondered for a moment, then retorted, "Is it Yanmen, or Youzhou?"
That's right...
In his opinion, with Yuan Shao's army of three hundred thousand marching south, his rear was unstable. Whether it was Yang Xiu in Yanmen or Gongsun Zan in Youzhou, these were all potential threats!
Young Master Lu sending him to the northern border seemed to be to mobilize these two "threats"!
Unexpectedly, Lu Yu directly waved his hand and then said with a smile, "Neither."
At this point, Lu Yu beckoned Cheng Yu to lean closer, and then whispered a few words into his ear in a very low, fine voice.
It was very clear...
Cheng Yu's eyes widened, "It's him?"
One sentence escaped his lips...
Cheng Yu cupped his hands and bowed, "There is no time to lose, then I shall depart immediately. In this way, we can surround Yuan Shao, Yuan Benchu's Jizhou, from three directions!"
Cheng Yu said with great certainty.
However... as the word "three directions" escaped his lips, Lu Yu shook his head.
"Commander Cheng, it's not three directions, but five..."
"Yuan Benchu can attack Cao from five directions! We might as well return the favor and attack Yuan from five directions, using his own methods against him!"
Five routes?
What are the other two?
Now, Cheng Yu was a bit confused, but... he quickly came to his senses. He was not someone who liked to ask too many questions. He would do as Young Master Lu ordered, and it had always been like this for years.
"Young Master Lu, then Cheng Yu takes his leave!"
Cupping his hands and bowing, Cheng Yu was the first to leave the place.
After deploying the situation with Yuan Shao, Xu Shu had some questions in his heart and wanted to understand them.
But...
Lu Yu had paper and ink prepared and wrote three letters. One was to Qin Yilu in Youzhou, one was to Yang Xiu and Lü Bu in Bingzhou, and the last was to Zhong Yao in Guanzhong.
Of course, while writing the letter to Zhong Yao, Lu Yu tapped his forehead several times...
As if deliberately trying to recall something.
Finally, it took a full quarter of an hour to complete this letter.
After the three letters were written, he immediately handed them to Dian Wei, asking him to arrange for the Longxiao Cavalry to deliver them urgently, as the matter was of great importance.
After completing all this, Lu Yu's gaze returned to Xu Shu.
His tone was now filled with confidence.
"Thus, Guanzhong, the northern border, and Jiangdong are all properly arranged, only Jingzhou's Liu Biao remains..."
"As for Jingzhou..."
Lu Yu was about to continue giving instructions, but Xu Shu proactively cupped his hands and volunteered, "If Young Master Lu trusts me, then let me go to resolve Liu Biao's offensive!"
"After all, I am the source of this disturbance. If I were to stay in the central army, I would feel somewhat uneasy."
This...
Lu Yu blinked his eyes. He had originally intended to send the great persuader Jia Xu and the northern spear king Zhang Xiu, but since Xu Shu had volunteered, then... he could send him as well.
"Alright. Regarding Wancheng... General Zhang Xiu is quite familiar with Mr. Jia. I will send someone to inform Commander Cao shortly, and you will go together!"
"Yes!"
Xu Shu agreed, acknowledging the order!
Then, he also slowly withdrew, immediately making preparations for the southward journey...
Now, Yuan Shao, Sun Ce, Liu Biao, Han Sui, and Ma Teng all had arrangements...
Next, only Liu Bei remained!
As Xu Shu said...
To deal with Liu Bei, it must be to defeat him with lightning speed!
Lu Yu felt that this task must be completed by Old Cao. He probably... Old Cao was holding a grudge because of this matter with Liu Bei.
With this thought in mind...
Lu Yu immediately wrote a personal letter and sent it to the Commander's Mansion via the Longxiao Camp armored soldiers!
He then closed his eyes and reviewed all his plans and deployments in his mind...
As for this newly promoted Royal Uncle, Liu Ye, he was a bit bewildered...
Young Master Lu entrusted important tasks to others, but only him... this was a bit awkward.
"Young Master Lu..." Liu Ye suddenly stood up. "What should your subordinate do?"
Oh...
Liu Ye's words reminded Lu Yu.
He...
Lu Yu blinked his eyes slightly and said with a smile, "Royal Uncle Liu, you are different from them. You are a talented person. Compared to attacking strategy with troops, I have more faith in your craftsmanship."
As he spoke, Lu Yu took a piece of silk cloth and began to draw.
A catapult appeared on the drawing. Lu Yu pointed to the catapult and reminded, "I think there are a few areas in the current Cao camp's catapults that need improvement. For example... here, here... and here..."
In Lu Yu's memory, Liu Ye was a man who could build a "Catapult" in the future.
As for the blueprints for this catapult, Lu Yu did not have them.
But... it didn't matter if he didn't.
Lu Yu simply pointed out the drawbacks of the existing catapults...
Then, he asked this Royal Uncle Liu Ye to study them carefully, discard the dross and select the refined, and make good improvements. If a catapult could be developed before the Battle of Guandu, then the Battle of Guandu would be interesting.
Of course...
Liu Ye naturally did not know Lu Yu's thoughts. He just noted down the drawbacks of the existing catapults one by one.
Then...
He silently committed them to memory, his mind racing, his entire being appearing exceptionally spirited.
He was this kind of person; as soon as craftsmanship was mentioned, he would radiate twelve points of energy and spirit!
Just as Lu Yu and Liu Ye were discussing the improvement plan for the catapult...
"Report..."
A Longxiao Camp armored soldier reported at the door, "Young Master Yang Xiu and two others request an audience!"
Ah... Yang Xiu?
As this was said, Lu Yu was stunned.
Yang Xiu? Why is he here?
Wasn't he "jungling" in Yanmen? Just now... he had just written an urgent letter to him. Why did he return?
A series of question marks rose from his forehead, and finally, Lu Yu's eyes narrowed.
"Bring him in..."
Wait...
Three people?
Lu Yu subconsciously added, "Besides Yang Xiu? Who are the other two?"
The Longxiao Camp armored soldier replied truthfully, "According to Young Master Yang, one is named Yan Rou, and the other is named Zhao Yun!"
Ah...
Yan Rou was not much of a surprise!
But as the name Zhao Yun was uttered, Lu Yu's eyes widened instinctively!
Zhao Yun? Changshan Zhao Zilong?
Is this for real?
Why is he involved with Yang Xiu?
Now, Lu Yu's forehead was filled with even more question marks.
Yang Xiu's hurried return tonight was very strange, very peculiar!
...
...
Xu Du City, Commander's Mansion.
At this moment, outside the study door of the Commander's Mansion, Xun You and Xi Zhicai were discussing something.
As advisors, and even "chief advisors," they could not sit still.
"The situation in Guangling City is not optimistic!" Xi Zhicai sighed. "Even though Chen Deng, recommended by Young Master Lu as the Prefect of Guangling, may have some ability, facing ten times the enemy forces from Jiangdong, and the two sons of Jiangdong, the resourceful Sun Zhongmou, he is likely already in a tough battle."
"Moreover, I heard that Sun Ce, the Little Overlord of Jiangdong, has already assembled tens of thousands of troops and is about to march north to reinforce Sun Quan. If their brothers combine their forces, Guangling City has only four thousand defenders? How can they resist?"
"Xuzhou is in danger!"
As he said this, Xi Zhicai frowned. Urgent reports had been arriving one after another these past few days...
Only there were no urgent reports from Guangling City!
This was because the waterways of Guangling City were intercepted by the Sun family army, and the land route to Guangling City was blocked by Liu Bei in Xiapi City. What was the situation there now? No one knew!
"At this critical juncture, a slow simmer will not solve the practical problem," Xun You said. "If Guangling is lost, Xuzhou will inevitably fall. At this time, I propose that Commander Cao dispatch a large army to swiftly attack Liu Bei. Once Xiapi City is broken, the pressure on Guangling City will also be significantly reduced!"
Hearing this, Xi Zhicai blinked his eyes, shook his head, and then nodded again.
He seemed to understand Xun You's plan, but also seemed not to?
Finally, he still spoke and asked, "Gongda? I know what you mean, but once the army is mobilized, it will affect the whole situation, and the defenses in the northern border, Jingzhou, and Guanzhong will all be strained. You are gambling that these three lords will not move! If you win the gamble, it will be good, but if you lose, we cannot afford such a loss!"
"At such a time, where is there a foolproof plan?" Xun You replied. "Five routes are attacking. Unless... Sun Ce fails before he sets out, otherwise... we can only gamble! Gamble that the speed at which the army breaks Liu Bei will be faster than the enemy's reaction speed! Besides, Yuan Shao has always been hesitant; he may not react quickly!"
Meaning... it's a gamble!
Xi Zhicai pondered for a moment longer, then nodded heavily.
"Then... it can only be this way. Alright, let's unify our stance first!"
This was roughly their exchange of opinions... then, the two of them stepped towards the study door of Cao Cao together.
Actually...
They had been waiting, waiting for Lu Yu to formulate the grand strategy, and then... as always, they would formulate specific strategies under the grand strategy.
But this time, for some reason... it had been several days, and Lu Yu's grand strategy had not appeared, and even Lord Xun was rarely seen.
They had to make the worst-case assumption and prepare in advance!
Entering the study of the Minister's Mansion.
Cao Cao was still holding several urgent dispatches in his hand. He was also frowning. Seeing Xi Zhicai and Xun You, he naturally knew why they had come.
"You have all seen the urgent dispatches of these past few days, haven't you?"
"Yes." Xi Zhicai sighed. "The five armies are advancing into the Central Plains. As expected, the Sun family of Jiangdong has once again become the vanguard. Now, Guangling City, defended by Chen Deng, has become an isolated city."
Cao Cao's expression was calm, without the slightest trace of anger. He just said lightly.
"I heard that the one attacking Guangling City by water and land this time is Sun Wentai's second son, Sun Quan. This 'green-eyed' fellow... I saw him a few times when he was young. He was very intelligent, unlike his elder brother... who relied only on bravery and lacked flexibility."
"If Guangling is lost, Xuzhou is in danger!" Xi Zhicai sighed.
Cao Cao closed his eyes. After days of managing military affairs, he appeared very tired.
"Precisely, we are hesitant to act for fear of breaking the eggs!"
"The current situation is that any move will affect the whole body..."
Cao Cao's tone had softened slightly. He tried to express his words as concisely as possible, so that his mind could be more relaxed.
"Commander Cao, even though a skin disease is small, it is stubborn... The situation in the Central Plains cannot be lost in Xuzhou!" Xun You reminded him earnestly.
The word "lost" was extremely sensitive.
Cao Cao narrowed his eyes... Has it really reached this point?
"Fine..." Cao Cao immediately ordered, "If there are no other options, then dispatch one hundred thousand troops to attack Xiapi City swiftly to reinforce Guangling City. We can only hope that the speed of breaking the city is faster than the reaction speed of Yuan's army, Guanzhong's army, and Liu Biao's army!"
This is to say, choosing the lesser of two evils.
It had reached... a state of peril. He could not wait for Yu'er's strategy; a decision had to be made immediately.
"Yes!" Xi Zhicai smiled bitterly, knowing that once the army was mobilized, the pressure on other fronts would inevitably increase greatly!
But if they didn't attack Xiapi, if they didn't reinforce Guangling, it wouldn't work either.
They couldn't just sit by and watch Sun Ce and Liu Bei join forces and take possession of Xuzhou!
Alas...
Alas...
With repeated sighs.
At this moment.
Xu Chu and Cao Ren hurried into the study. "Commander Cao, that matter has been investigated clearly."
Hmm...
Mentioning that matter, Cao Cao's eyes suddenly brightened. Xi Zhicai and Xun You wanted to bow and excuse themselves.
Unexpectedly, Cao Cao directly ordered.
"No outsiders are in the study, so speak freely!"
Xu Chu then announced loudly, "It has been investigated clearly that it was Xu Shu, Xu Yuanzhi, who arranged these five routes attacking the Central Plains. And a few days ago, he returned to his mother at Xujia Village and seemed to be wondering why his mother wasn't eating 'perch'? Upon closer questioning, he realized that his mother and the entire village had received many favors from Minister Lu, and thus they were not eating 'perch' which sounded like 'Lu Yu'."
"Mother Xu heard that Xu Shu was disrespectful to Minister Lu, and she severely reprimanded him! It is said that she beat him until his flesh was torn, and thus, Xu Shu 'abandoned the darkness and turned to the light,' and was introduced by Lord Xun to visit Lu Yu, seemingly to offer a plan to break the deadlock!"
Although Xu Chu spoke of this matter lightly, the investigation was not easy...
The villagers were still worried...
That Xu Chu would be unfavorable to Lu Yu, so they remained tight-lipped!
Moreover, Xu Chu could not use force. Therefore, it took three full days to find out the reason, and he immediately reported it to Cao Cao.
Hiss... This...
Cao Cao blinked his eyes. If what Xu Chu said was true, then Xu Shu's visit to the Minister's Mansion... was indeed to offer a plan to break the deadlock?
But... for three consecutive days, Yu'er's side had no special instructions.
What was he waiting for?
With this thought, Cao Cao's eyes narrowed again.
At this moment...
"Urgent report, urgent report... Urgent report from Guangling City!"
A notification came, and a Huben Army soldier quickly delivered the latest urgent report. The Huben soldier did not dare to enter the room, so Xu Chu immediately went to receive the letter and handed it to Cao Cao.
In fact, as soon as they heard the words "Urgent Report from Guangling City," everyone in the study had their hearts in their throats!
Xi Zhicai raised his eyebrows sharply.
"It is likely that something has happened in Guangling City!"
Regarding this matter, not only Xi Zhicai, but even Cao Cao was prepared. After all, Sun Quan's troops outnumbered Chen Deng tenfold. Even if more bad news arrived, they would not be surprised.
Suppressing his emotions, Cao Cao unfolded the urgent dispatch...
As he looked down, Cao Cao's expression became peculiar. He saw many phrases.
"A great victory in Guangling City, with over twenty-one thousand seven hundred Jiangdong bandits slain, and over ten ships captured. The enemy commander Sun Quan fled in disarray, his fate unknown!"
This...
One by one, the words made Cao Cao a bit dizzy. He felt as if he had misheard.
But the words that followed in the urgent dispatch made him even more astonished, to the point of being unable to breathe.
"According to reconnaissance reports from Jiangdong spies, Sun Bofu, the Little Overlord of Jiangdong, was assassinated and fell into a coma. Jiangdong is in great chaos. The assassins are the three retainers of Xu Gong!"
This...
Cao Cao had to take a deep breath. He intended to read it again carefully.
And this time, he saw a sentence left at the end, or rather, a poem left by Chen Deng, the Prefect of Guangling, Chen Yuanlong:
"Minister Lu's brilliant strategy pacifies the world, leaving behind a brocade pouch to break Jiangdong!"
...
...