"Divine! Corrupt Fiend!"
"Cough, cough..."
Cao Cao let out a soft hum.
The title, spoken by the wife of the Zhen family, didn't seem to refer to Yu'er, but rather gave the impression of referring to Cao Cao himself.
Heh, Cao Cao inwardly resolved that he would one day show this Zhen family wife what a true "Divine Corrupt Fiend" was!
"Wenhe? What do you think?"
Cao Cao proactively asked Jia Xu...
At this moment, Jia Xu also coughed and said, "Imperial Minister Lu is indeed a contemporary hero, possessing insight into the times and understanding of human hearts. It's natural for him to have many women around him. Speaking of which, the two Qiaos of Jiangdong and Zhen Mi of Hebei are equally famous. Can the two Qiaos go to the Imperial Minister's mansion? Why can't the five daughters of the Zhen family go to the Imperial Minister's mansion? It's just..."
Jia Xu paused, leaving a dangling thread, and then said no more. This was very much in line with his character; he was not one to reveal everything.
Of course, Cao Cao could easily understand his meaning.
"Haha," he chuckled softly. "It's likely a misunderstanding... Even if the five daughters of the Zhen family are beauties that could topple nations, how could they catch his eye? I imagine this is the Zhen old madam's strategy. Regardless of the outcome of the battle between Cao and Yuan, with such an arrangement, the Zhen family, while not gaining merit, cannot be said to have erred. It's a foolproof plan."
In terms of investment, merchants were more astute than aristocratic families. Aristocratic families rarely put all their eggs in one basket, while merchants... would adjust their investment stakes according to the situation.
Coupled with the unclear current situation, Yuan Shao did not have such a significant advantage.
And Cao Cao's disadvantages were not insignificant either. Therefore, it was understandable for merchants like the Zhen family to invest in both Cao Cao and Yuan Shao.
Indeed... as Cao Cao and Jia Xu expected.
Cao Ren continued to report the news concerning the Zhen family. Although the Zhen family had ruined their marriage alliance with Yuan Benchu in this manner, and the Zhen family madam had sent their five daughters to the Central Plains, the Zhen family still provided Yuan Shao with some military supplies and grain. This indicated that the Zhen family was unwilling to offend Yuan Benchu!
Always leaving room for maneuver!
Under such circumstances, it was acceptable and even welcome to Cao Cao.
After finishing the matter of the Zhen family, Cao Cao shook his head with a smile...
Cao Ren had reported four major matters in total.
— Zhong Yao, Sili pacified;
— Lü Bu, Yanmen pacified;
— Gongsun Zan, Youzhou counter-attack;
And the last one, the Zhen family's decision... each and every one of these was closely related to Lu Yu, or more accurately, to the Dragon Cavalry and the Imperial Academy.
Cao Cao's heart was filled with mixed emotions. If the situation continued to develop in this way, there was no doubt that in the decisive battle between Cao and Yuan, he had gained the upper hand.
So, what next?
He should...
Before Cao Cao could think further...
— "Congratulations, Imperial Chancellor Cao..."
Jia Xu's low voice sounded out. His eyes blinked, clearly indicating that he had reached the same conclusion as Cao Cao.
"What congratulations are there?" Cao Cao asked knowingly.
"This battle that will decide the fate of the world is about to begin, but under the current circumstances, Imperial Chancellor Cao has undoubtedly gained the advantage!"
Jia Xu smiled and commented, "Yuan Shao has just suffered a defeat, and pacifying Gongsun Zan in Youzhou will surely take more time. The situation in Yanmen, Bingzhou, is also fraught with danger. The attitude of the Zhen family is more of a microcosm of the attitude of the northern clans and merchants. Yuan Shao... haha, perhaps the north is in chaos, while Imperial Chancellor Cao is right when he is..."
Reaching the end of his sentence...
Cao Cao blurted out, "Right when— to respond to changes with constancy!"
"Exactly!" Jia Xu nodded. "Imperial Chancellor Cao has been campaigning tirelessly all these years. This period of one year, or at most two or three years, is precious time for rest and recuperation. During this time, Imperial Chancellor Cao should train his troops, accumulate grain and fodder, and recuperate... Waiting for Gongsun Zan to further weaken Yuan Shao, and by then... even if Yuan Shao pacifies the surrounding areas in the north, he will be a weary army when he marches south, while Imperial Chancellor Cao will be well-rested and full of vigor. In this way... one battle can decide the fate of the world!"
Heh...
Jia Xu's words were gentle, but every step was filled with murderous intent!
It was Cao Cao's fatal blow to Yuan Shao!
Hearing Jia Xu say this, Cao Cao felt even more that this "old poison" Jia, recommended by Yu'er, was a treasure.
Insight into the times, understanding of human hearts, especially these small calculations and tricks, such ability was infinitely close to Yu'er's. Haha...
With this thought, Cao Cao stroked his beard.
In addition to his admiration for Jia Xu, Cao Cao's heart was also churning with emotions...
He never expected...
The biggest challenge he, Cao Cao, was about to face—Yuan Shao in the north—was already gradually falling into disadvantage under Yu'er's subtle and meticulous planning.
And he, Cao Cao, who seemed weak, was also, step by step, gaining the advantage under Yu'er's planning.
If it were in the past, Cao Cao would have considered himself to be at a disadvantage against Yuan Shao. But now... not to mention the shift in the balance of power, at least it was an even match. This undoubtedly greatly strengthened his confidence and the confidence of the soldiers in the Cao camp!
"Hahahaha..." Thinking of this, Cao Cao burst into laughter, sighing with emotion, "Imperial Minister Lu has made a great contribution this time!"
"Right, what is he doing now?"
As the words left his mouth, Cao Cao turned his gaze to Xu Chu.
Unexpectedly, Xu Chu, who usually spoke his mind, was now scratching his head repeatedly, his tone extremely hesitant. "This... this..."
This? What is it?
His expression made Cao Cao stunned. What was going on?
"Zhong Kang, if you have something to say, just say it."
"Yes... yes..." Xu Chu scratched his head again and finally blurted out, "Imperial Minister Lu is currently... currently 'confessing his guilt' to Miss Cai Yan. I heard that the thorn branches are already prepared."
Thorn branches?
Cao Cao was startled... Is Yu'er going to carry thorns as a symbol of repentance?
Just as he thought this, Cao Cao was greatly alarmed, but... it was only for a moment, haha... hahaha, he burst into hearty laughter.
Yu'er is still Yu'er...
Still that clever young master, full of tricks everywhere!
This was clearly not carrying thorns as a symbol of repentance!
This was clearly... seizing the heart of his sister Cai Yan. Who in the world didn't know that Sister Cai Yan loved her younger brother more than herself? How could she allow Lu Yu to carry thorns as a symbol of repentance?
Perhaps as soon as this news reached her ears, all her anger would dissipate!
However...
Cao Cao smacked his lips.
Speaking of which, what Yu'er did this time was indeed a bit excessive, deploying this "luring the snake out of its hole" plan at the Yue Dan Review. This was not taking his sister seriously!
The leader of the scholars in the world, the most outstanding talented woman of the age? Didn't she care about her reputation?
Heh...
And also...
The aftermath of the Yue Dan Review, the appeasement of the hearts of scholars in the world, these... would all require the help of Sister Cai Yan!
It all depended on how Yu'er comforted her.
Haha...
Regarding this, Cao Cao was pleased to see it and happy to benefit from it!
...
...
Youzhou, by the Yi River.
A few days ago, this place was still filled with an atmosphere of solemn killing.
It was filled with the stern and cold atmosphere of "The wind howls and the Yi River is cold."
But...
Now, it was completely different. Because of Gongsun Zan's great victory, Yuan's army had retreated a hundred miles successively, and the situation in the entire Youzhou had immediately stabilized.
The towering Yi Jing Tower stood firm, and within this tower, axes, cleavers, sabers, spears, and swords were densely packed!
This was a terrifying military fortress...
Even Yuan Shao's most formidable and renowned "Vanguard Death Warriors," along with their general, the undefeated divine general Qu Yi, had been defeated and forced to retreat.
At this moment, Gongsun Zan stood at a high point of Yi Jing Tower, feeling extremely refreshed!
Having defeated Qu Yi and the Vanguard Corps, it undoubtedly... avenged the Battle of Jieqiao and avenged his brothers of the "White Horse Vanguard"!
"Brothers, do you see? The bloodstains below the city that have not yet dried are from Yuan's army, from the Vanguard Death Warriors. Open your eyes and look, I have avenged you!"
As he said this, Gongsun Zan clenched his fists... and his eyes narrowed.
After expressing his emotions, Gongsun Zan let out a long sigh, and then... his eyes looked to the side, looking at... the person who was most instrumental in his victory over Yuan Shao, General Qin Yilu from Cao Cao's Dragon Cavalry!
Speaking of which...
When Qin Yilu first arrived, Gongsun Zan held him in great contempt. A man whose wife and child had been taken by Cao Cao, a "cuckolded husband"? How could he join the Dragon Cavalry that made the nine provinces tremble at its name? This must have been due to his wife opening a big backdoor, right?
This was already outrageous. Even more outrageous was that he could also be Cao Cao's envoy?
This was simply outrageous to the extreme, like an outrageous mother opening the door for outrageousness.
Therefore...
The first strategy proposed by Qin Yilu, the letter regarding Gongsun Zan and Zhang Yan, the leader of the Black Mountain Army, cooperating to attack Yuan Shao, was intercepted.
Yuan's army would disguise themselves as the Black Mountain Army and trick Gongsun Zan into falling into their ambush!
Gongsun Zan completely dismissed it, and as a result... he suffered a great defeat and lost more than half of his forces!
If it weren't for the Yi Jing Tower, a military fortress, his city might have already fallen, and he might have been killed!
The key point was that the entire process of the great defeat was exactly as Qin Yilu had described!
It was precisely because of this that Gongsun Zan's attitude towards Qin Yilu... or rather, towards this envoy from the Cao camp, this general of the Dragon Cavalry, underwent a 180-degree turn.
— Honored as a distinguished guest!
— Treated with great respect!
And Qin Yilu, according to Lu Yu's deployment, revealed Yuan Shao's second plan, the tunnel warfare, to Gongsun Zan, allowing him to prepare defenses in advance!
— Yuan Shao would dig tunnels beneath Yi Jing Tower, and then set fire to it from underground, burning Yi Jing Tower from the bottom up, instantly destroying the military defense that Gongsun Zan relied on!
Forewarned is forearmed...
This time, Gongsun Zan treated Qin Yilu's words as divine pronouncements.
Qin Yilu, following the method taught by Lu Yu, also informed Gongsun Zan how to deal with Yuan's army's "tunnel warfare."
In fact, it was a piece called "Defense Against Holes" written by Mozi in the Warring States period, specifically targeting the methods of attacking cities through "holes" and "cavities"!
The method was simple...
It involved digging deep pits along the walls, placing large urns in the pits, covering the urns with leather, and then assigning people to listen carefully. If the enemy dug tunnels, they would hear movement, and could even locate the enemy's position by following the sound.
In addition, some dogs were placed to guard these pits. Dogs' alertness was far higher than that of humans, so the enemies digging tunnels would have nowhere to hide!
As for the countermeasure, it was even simpler: use smoke and fire to fumigate. Stuff a large amount of mugwort into the tunnels, ignite it, block one end with wooden planks, letting the smoke and fire flow towards the enemy, or more directly... burn firewood in the tunnels.
As expected, Yuan's army retreated too late, and a large number of armored soldiers were smoked unconscious in the tunnels, with countless others trampling each other. Their morale plummeted.
And taking advantage of Yuan's army's plummeting morale.
Gongsun Zan's cavalry launched a surprise attack, achieving a great victory!
According to post-battle statistics alone, over 30,000 Yuan soldiers died from suffocation or trampling by horses in this battle!
It was for this reason that Gongsun Zan now looked at Qin Yilu with extreme reverence.
"General Qin is truly talented!"
"General Gongsun..." Qin Yilu appeared very humble. He was a man who had experienced great storms, a man with dreams and who had detached himself from vulgar interests. This compliment would not make him lose his composure.
"I have already stated clearly that the actions of Yuan's army this time were all predicted by our Dragon Cavalry Commander Lu. How to act and how to respond were all deployed by him! I... am merely a messenger and dare not take credit!"
Hoo...
Dragon Cavalry, Commander Lu!
This was the countless nth time Gongsun Zan had heard this name from Qin Yilu in recent days.
It was clear that General Qin regarded this Commander Lu as a god!
"General Qin, you are too modest. Then... Yuan Shao suffered a great defeat in this battle, what will he do next?"
Gongsun Zan asked again.
Whether it was General Qin or Commander Lu, as long as they could help him defeat Yuan Shao, they were Gongsun Zan's benefactors!
Gongsun Zan was a man who valued righteousness deeply!
However...
"General Gongsun..." Qin Yilu said truthfully, "Before I came here, Commander Lu only told me two stratagems and predicted two actions of Yuan Shao. As for others, he did not inform me, so if General Gongsun asks me what to do next, I also don't know!"
This...
Hearing this, Gongsun Zan's eyes flickered.
Yes, according to General Qin, Gongsun Zan's great victory over Yuan Shao relied on the calculations of that Commander Lu.
But...
Commander Lu, who strategized from a thousand miles away, could predict Yuan's army's two actions two months in advance, which was already incredible!
The situation in the north changed rapidly, so how could he possibly predict all of Yuan's army's future actions?
Wasn't this asking for the impossible?
But the contradiction was precisely that he, Gongsun Zan, could not wait, nor dare to wait!
Imagine, if Commander Lu had not predicted Yuan's army's "tunnel warfare" strategy in advance, then at this very moment, Youzhou would likely have fallen, and Gongsun Zan's head would be hanging from the辕门 (yúanmén - outer gate of a military camp).
Who knew what Yuan Shao would do next?
Upon thinking of this...
Gongsun Zan's tone became much more serious.
"General Qin, I beg you to send a letter by pigeon, personally written, to ask Commander Lu for advice! Our Youzhou needs his brilliant stratagems!"
This...
Qin Yilu hesitated for a moment.
In fact, according to the task given to him by Lu Yu, as long as he could help Gongsun Zan win one battle and delay the fall of Youzhou, he would have completed his mission and could consider a safe retreat.
Young Master Lu's attitude was clear: Gongsun Zan's demise was only a matter of time!
However... precisely during this period, Gongsun Zan treated him with the utmost courtesy, and even assigned his daughter, Gongsun Baoyue, as his bodyguard. Staying in Yi Jing City, he had almost developed feelings for it.
Of course, Qin Yilu had grand dreams. He was a man who would marry the daughter of Imperial Chancellor Cao. Although Gongsun Baoyue was heroic and majestic, she was not relevant to his ultimate aspiration.
But, people's hearts were made of flesh and blood. How could Qin Yilu stand by and watch Youzhou fall?
"Alright..."
"I will write this letter!"
After a long hesitation, Qin Yilu decided not to leave. He would write a letter to ask Commander Lu to save Youzhou, to save the Gongsun clan!
With Commander Lu's ability to defy fate, as long as he wanted to, he definitely... definitely could do it!
...
...
Bingzhou, Yanmen Commandery.
Looking out beyond the Yanmen Pass, vast yellow sands, a boundless desert!
Here, Yanmen was garrisoned by a legion, and a new official-appointed, popularly elected—Prefect of Yanmen—had appeared!
Logically, this was against the rules.
But... in reality, in troubled times, how many things followed the rules?
When Cao Cao was popularly elected as the Governor of Yan Province, wasn't it also irregular?
"Cough, cough..."
This young Prefect of Yanmen coughed lightly.
Speaking of which, he was also drunk, although... this feeling was more subdued than the "shitty" feeling he had a few days ago.
"Alas..."
With a helpless sigh, Yang Xiu looked around the Yanmen yamen before him, his heart filled with mixed emotions. They were supposed to complete the mission discreetly!
But now...
Discretion was impossible!
They, less than a hundred people... had developed into a legion of nearly ten thousand. Let alone the Xianbei cavalry, the Wuhuan, or the Southern Xiongnu, perhaps now, their name had already reached Yuan Shao's ears!
More importantly...
The number of people in this legion was still increasing.
Countless righteous men from Bingzhou, hearing that there was a righteous army in Yanmen resisting the Hu, had traveled thousands of miles to join them—this was the rhythm of growth!
More importantly... Lü Bu insisted on forcing Yang Xiu to become the Prefect of Yanmen. If he refused, Yang Xiu had no doubt... that Lü Bu would kill him, he definitely would!
"Prefect Yang!"
"General Tian? Commander Yan! If you have military matters, please ask General 'Lü'. I am rather busy here..."
In the yamen, Yang Xiu waved away Tian Yu and Yan Rou, who came to pay their respects...
Lü Bu was wholeheartedly focused on guarding the border and preventing the Xianbei from advancing south, but Yang Xiu couldn't do that... He still had the task from Chief Lu!
He still had to wait for the Vanguard Death Warriors to arrive in Bingzhou, persuade Qu Yi and the Vanguard Death Warriors to surrender, formulate a retreat route, and successfully return to Henei!
He couldn't really establish roots in Yanmen, could he?
Therefore...
Yang Xiu threw all military matters to Lü Bu. Whatever he wanted to do, he didn't want to get involved!
"Prefect Yang, this visit is not about military affairs, but about an important matter to report."
Tian Yu cupped his hands and said...
Yan Rou also cupped his hands and bowed. "I also have an important matter here."
Heh...
Yang Xiu's eyes flickered, and he muttered to himself, could their important matters be as critical as his task of persuading enemy generals and formulating a retreat route?
No matter what, he couldn't refuse them outright, so he could only helplessly spread his hands.
"You two, please speak!"
"Reporting to Prefect Yang..." Yan Rou said respectfully, "General Lü and Prefect Yang always mention the Imperial Minister of Han, the Chief of the Imperial Academy, and Commander Lu of the Dragon Cavalry in Xuchang. I have truly admired him for a long time!"
This was all nonsense...
Yang Xiu automatically filtered out this meaningless talk!
Yan Rou continued, "I have lived among the Xianbei for many years and have been recommended as a Commander of the Wuhuan. I have some strategies for dealing with the three Hu, and I boldly request Prefect Yang to arrange it. May I go to Xuchang to meet Imperial Minister Lu and explain my methods for dealing with the three Hu to him!"
Hoo...
Yang Xiu sighed lightly. Just this?
He actually didn't have the same sentiment for the border people as Lü Bu. Dealing with the three Hu, in his mind, was even less important than persuading the Vanguard Death Warriors to surrender!
Therefore, Yang Xiu was just about to give a perfunctory reply to refuse.
After all... Chief Lu, who was he? Could anyone meet him just because they wanted to?
Unexpectedly...
Just then, Yan Rou added, "If Chief Lu uses my method, I guarantee that within three years... the Cao camp can gain over ten thousand fine horses from beyond the frontier!"
What?
Fine horses from beyond the frontier?
As the words left his mouth, Yang Xiu's eyes lit up, and he was about to ask for details.
Just then.
— "Excellent marksmanship, sir!"
A low voice came from outside the yamen.
Followed by a clear male voice!
— "Are you the Red Horse God of War who saved the border people?"
— "Haha, you want to know this? But I want to know, how many moves can you withstand under my Fangtian Huaji!"
As the voices fell...
Clang, clang, clang...
The one holding the Fangtian Huaji made the first move, and the one holding the Dragon Galloping Silver Spear did not fear at all, blocking him head-on.
The spear and halberd clashed together!
Everyone in the yamen rushed to the gate.
First, Yang Xiu was stunned? Who was this young general in silver armor and white robes?
Lü Bu wanted to test his marksmanship?
Then...
Tian Yu exclaimed, "Ah, why are you two fighting?"
At this moment, outside the yamen gate.
Cold light continuously flashed from the two weapons. One was as sharp as light, the other was as brilliant as fire. Two exceptionally dazzling sparks passionately collided in this place of the Yanmen Pass yamen.
...
...