Boom...
Rumble, rumble.
The earth-shattering sounds did not cease for a long time, and huge stones drew beautiful arcs in the air, eventually smashing through one earth mound and arrow tower after another in Yuan's camp!
"Ah..."
Wretched screams were incessant, and one Yuan archer after another let out pig-like cries of agony.
The scene before them, with Yuan's arrow towers collapsing one after another... dust flying everywhere, this scene touched the nerves of every civil and military official in Cao's camp, every soldier.
This method of killing and breaking formations from a distance... was truly satisfying to behold.
"Victory, victory, victory..."
At Guandu, someone unknown first uttered this phrase, and then... countless soldiers shouted in unison, raising their arms, "Victory, victory, victory!" Da Feng Novel Network.
From afar, it looked like a surging sea tide, its momentum seemingly capable of overshadowing the sun!
Indeed, the destruction of Yuan's arrow towers instantly reignited the morale of Cao's army, which had plummeted to the depths.
"Good, good... so good!"
Cao Cao couldn't contain his excitement, "Hahaha..." his characteristic hearty laughter resounded.
Yuan Shao had given him a grand "welcome ceremony," and Yu'er's "Thunderbolt Chariot" had returned a "substantial" gift. Cao Cao's mood, which had been as overcast as a storm, instantly cleared up like a blue sky, as if the ancient saying "I shoot others, not others shoot me" had come true.
After a moment, seemingly recovering from his excitement, Cao Cao turned and walked before Lu Yu.
"Minister Lu, the Thunderbolt Chariot you invented has made a great contribution this time!"
It was not unreasonable for Cao Cao to say so. One should know that originally... Yuan Shao's wooden arrow towers, positioned high above, rained down arrows upon Guandu, which had completely broken the spirit of Cao's soldiers and sent their morale plummeting.
But now...
Those wooden arrow towers, regarded as "nightmares," were so easily smashed by the Thunderbolt Chariots.
The visual impact of this scene was more than just "healing"!
One must know...
Because of these Thunderbolt Chariots... the situation had been reversed, the positions of offense and defense had been reversed.
Cao Cao had transformed from being on the defensive to being on the offensive!
It could be said that now... as long as he was happy, he could continuously hurl giant stones into Yuan's camp with the Thunderbolt Chariots at any time.
Heh, nightmares...
From now on, perhaps these Thunderbolt Chariots would become Yuan's army's nightmare!
One must know, the weight of these giant stones could not be blocked by mere shields!
Thinking of this, Cao Cao's heart surged with emotion!
At this moment, Lu Yu spoke, maintaining his usual humility.
"Prime Minister Cao, the credit for this Thunderbolt Chariot cannot be attributed to me, Lu Yu, alone. The ability to construct this Thunderbolt Chariot and transport it to the front lines, Liu Ziyang, the Uncle of the Emperor Liu, the Imperial Academy student 'Zhuge Kongming,' and countless artisans in the workshops, all deserve great credit!"
"They should be rewarded, all of them should be rewarded!" Cao Cao said, patting Lu Yu's shoulder...
As if crying out from his heart – this was indeed my son, Cao Cao, who was not arrogant or impetuous, wise and exceptional, unparalleled in this era, Cao Yu!
As he spoke...
Cao Cao patted Lu Yu's shoulder again, then took the lead towards the rear of the military camp. He was now eager to know what the Thunderbolt Chariot looked like!
How was it possible? How could it shoot so far... and possess such power!
...
Guandu, Cao's Military Camp, Rear Direction.
Here, fifteen Thunderbolt Chariots had been deployed in sequence, five vehicles per group, continuously hurling giant stones towards Yuan's camp.
Behind each Thunderbolt Chariot, a large number of stones were placed.
Each Thunderbolt Chariot was also manned by seven or eight burly, broad-waisted artisans...
They lifted stones weighing tens of kilograms onto the Thunderbolt Chariots, and then, without discrimination, attacked continuously.
One must know that these fifteen Thunderbolt Chariots took a full month to travel from Xudu City to Guandu. The reason for this delay was not the speed of the Thunderbolt Chariots, but the collection of giant stones along the way!
Even the cleverest housewife can't cook without rice, can she?
Without giant stones, the Thunderbolt Chariot was merely a decoration!
After a month of collection, the "ammunition" for the Thunderbolt Chariots was now sufficient.
At this moment, Liu Ye and Zhuge Jun stood to the side.
Witnessing the Thunderbolt Chariots launching giant stones, they marveled. In fact, they had tested these Thunderbolt Chariots on the outskirts of Xudu City, but... tests were tests; no one knew how effective they would be in actual combat.
But, seeing them today...
The actual combat effect was many times better than the test!
It could be said... Chief Lu's invention, the 'Thunderbolt Chariot,' was truly exceptional.
"As expected, Minister Lu was right..." Liu Ye marveled. "As long as there is a fulcrum, even the heaviest stone can be leveraged and thrown out... This shows how profound and extensive the study of 'gravity acceleration' and the 'lever principle' that Minister Lu mentioned is."
Zhuge Jun nodded repeatedly. "Uncle of the Emperor Liu is correct, Chief Lu is incredibly learned... his knowledge is vast. Before, there were the Wooden Ox and Flowing Horses, and now there are these Thunderbolt Chariots... Chief Lu's research into 'various crafts' has likely only revealed the tip of the iceberg..."
Speaking of this...
"Rumble!"
A violent sound echoed, and another round of giant stones was thrown, sending up dust... Even from the rear camp of Guandu's military settlement, the billowing dust and flying sand at Yuan's camp could be seen!
"Haha... Hahaha..."
Liu Ye and Zhuge Jun exchanged glances and both burst into laughter.
And at this moment, more and more soldiers from Cao's camp were gathering...
Everyone crowded around these Thunderbolt Chariots, watching artisans lift stones weighing hundreds of kilograms onto the chariots, which then shot them out with a "whoosh," followed by the tremendous roar of the stones landing!
The entire process could be summed up in two words: satisfying!
Initially, most soldiers were merely onlookers, but later, everyone rolled up their sleeves.
"Uncle of the Emperor Liu, let us brothers help you move stones! This way they can be thrown faster and smash those turtle eggs in Yuan's camp..."
"Hurry up and smash them, smash them to pieces, and then see if they dare shoot us!"
"Come over here, I'll count one, two, and we'll lift the stones together!"
More and more soldiers came to help. Although the stones were heavy, everyone was enthusiastic. After all, in any era, everyone wants to shoot others and no one wants to be shot, just like the famous saying of Huang Zhong – "Since ancient times, I shoot others, not others shoot me!"
...
...
Yuan Army Camp.
Rumble, rumble, the deafening roar was incessant.
It could be said that the entire front line of the Yuan army's camp had been reduced to ruins by the Thunderbolt Chariots.
The impact force of the giant stones was simply irresistible by human strength, and coupled with Yuan's army's extremely dense deployment, the number of casualties in just half a day had reached several thousand!
And this number was still climbing.
The morale of Yuan's soldiers plummeted to the depths in an instant...
"Well done, Hidden Dragon, well done with this stone-breaking strategy!"
Outside a large tent in Yuan's camp, Yuan Fang stood there. This was in the rear of the camp, where the giant stones could not reach, but... witnessing each giant stone descend from the sky and smash the camp, Yuan Fang's brows furrowed tightly. Da Feng Novel.
"Is this 'using his method against him'?" Yuan Fang couldn't help but sigh, his eyes narrowing... "A formidable opponent!"
Having said that, he turned around and began packing his belongings in the tent.
He had already predicted...
In such a situation, his father, Yuan Shao, would have only one choice, which was to retreat the camp several miles back to completely avoid those terrifying projectiles!
Hoo...
Yuan Fang exhaled. Originally, establishing the camp with its back against the sand dunes, a thousand paces from Guandu, would allow them to harass Cao's army with arrow towers while also clearly observing Cao's camp dynamics!
In this way, victory was assured!
Even, in Yuan Fang's view, Cao's camp dynamics were more important than the harassment of the sky full of arrows.
But...
Precisely, Hidden Dragon's move of "stone-breaking strategy" had forced Yuan's army camp back several miles. This meant... losing a few wooden arrow towers and some archers was secondary, but being unable to immediately observe Cao's camp dynamics was a significant hidden danger.
"Someone..."
Thinking of this, Yuan Fang called out.
A Great Halberdier quickly entered the tent.
Yuan Shao had specifically allocated some of his personal guards to Yuan Fang for his convenience...
The Great Halberdier did not know Yuan Fang's identity, but only cupped his hands and said, "Young Master!"
Yuan Fang did not hesitate, "Tell Duke Yuan that after retreating the camp, he must dispatch more scouts and outriders... Even without the arrow towers, every move of Cao's camp must be exposed to our army!"
"Yes..." the Great Halberdier agreed.
Turning around, he was about to report to Yuan Shao.
But before he could take a step, he suddenly remembered something.
"Young Master? It seems... Duke Yuan did not order a retreat?"
"Heh heh..." Hearing this, Yuan Fang chuckled. He waved his hand, not answering directly, but rather softly murmured, "Soon, very soon... It is a matter of choosing the lesser of two evils! The current situation is such that retreat is inevitable!"
At this moment...
The sound of "dada dada" horse hooves echoed outside the gate.
A messenger on horseback was delivering military orders to various camps.
-- "Duke Yuan has ordered the abandonment of this camp. The entire army shall retreat ten miles and re-establish the camp!"
Hoo...
The Great Halberdier let out a breath upon hearing this and looked at Yuan Fang with surprise.
Yuan Fang simply sighed, "Alas..."
Fu Ling.
As expected, as expected...
However, the Battle of Guandu... retreating before fighting was a huge blow to the morale of the entire army!
But, it was fine...
At least, this would give Hidden Dragon more room to deploy his actions at Wuchao!
Thinking of this, Yuan Fang asked, "Regarding Wuchao? Are there any Cao scouts?"
"Yes..." the Great Halberdier replied truthfully. "As per Duke Yuan's and the Young Master's instructions, they were not significantly hindered, allowing the scouts to ascertain that our grain and fodder were indeed stored in the Wuchao Valley!"
"As expected, Hidden Dragon foresaw it!" Yuan Fang nodded... "Very good, very good!"
The first round was just a minor defeat...
But the second round, that was what concerned life and death, the overall situation.
...
...
Outside Runan City, Yuzhou, within the mountains, a peach forest!
-- "Yun Chang..."
-- "Elder Brother..."
-- "Second Brother..."
A carriage slowly approached, followed closely by three shouts. A burly man with large ears and long arms, a man with a green hat, a stoic face, and a long beard, and a man whose skin was darker than coal...
The three embraced each other tightly.
"Drip..."
"Drip..."
Countless tears streamed down their faces, especially the one with large ears and long arms, whose tears were like a gushing spring, already soaking the ground within this small area.
"Elder Brother..."
"Second Brother..."
"Third Brother..."
The voices of the three continued. This time, the three of them knelt on the ground and cried together, like lovers reunited after a long separation.
Finally.
It was the dark-skinned burly man who shouted, "We brothers are reunited, this is a joyous occasion, what is this? Come, Elder Brother... Second Brother, get up, let's all get up!"
"Someone..." Zhang Fei roared. "Quickly, slaughter pigs and sheep, and bring all the wine to my Elder Brother and Second Brother! My Second Brother is back, I'm happy, I'm truly happy!"
In this mountain stronghold within the mountains, the words of this dark-skinned general carried weight. No one dared to offend this dark-skinned general.
"Do it... do it..."
A soldier responded and hurried to make arrangements, roasting sheep and slaughtering cattle, and drinking to celebrate!
...
Not long after...
At a table, three bowls of wine... Liu, Guan, and Zhang, after being separated for a year, finally met again.
This time, accompanied by fine wine, the three no longer cried but burst into laughter, a melancholy laughter.
Liu Bei looked at Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, and said with relief, "Ten years ago, my three brothers swore brotherhood in the Peach Garden of Zhuo County, and who would have thought that today... my three brothers would meet again in the Peach Garden outside the ancient city of Runan! For this life and this world, for this sentiment and this feeling... I am filled with emotion!"
As Liu Bei finished speaking.
Guan Yu also drank the wine in his bowl in one gulp.
However, he looked at the leaning peach trees around him, filled with doubt. "Elder Brother, Third Brother? Why are all the peach trees outside this ancient city leaning? This is far worse than your peach garden, Third Brother..."
"Eh... Hahaha..." Hearing this, Zhang Fei scratched his head and laughed sheepishly. "Second Brother, this is all my fault. As soon as I heard that Second Brother had surrendered to Cao Cao, I was so angry that... I was so angry, I grabbed my Serpent Spear and went through the entire peach garden, poking a hundred transparent holes through it, hence... they all leaned over, hahaha..."
The more he spoke, the more embarrassed Zhang Fei became.
Guan Yu stroked his long beard and laughed again.
Liu Bei poured more wine for his two brothers. He explained carefully, "Second Brother, you don't know, Third Brother was quite upset some time ago, but recently... when he heard that you had resigned your seal and golden seal, passed through five passes and slain six generals, and traveled from Xudu to our Runan in ten days, Third Brother was overjoyed, calling you his true Second Brother! I also said, my Second Brother is invincible in the world, how could Cao Cao stop him?"
What Liu Bei said was true.
Guan Yu's journey south from Xudu, passing through five passes and slaying six generals, was a real event.
However... this was also deliberately arranged by Cao Cao. It was merely to use the Green Dragon Crescent Blade to eliminate some opportunistic individuals who were wavering in their allegiance. These people were double-dealing and had clear evidence... they had already been in contact with Yuan Shao!
At this critical juncture, Cao Cao could not act rashly, fearing it would cause internal strife...
Guan Yu's southward journey was an opportunity!
As long as it was properly arranged, they could use the "Green Dragon Crescent Blade" to kill "double-dealing individuals"...
Moreover, in Lu Yu's early plan, he had mentioned this to Cao Cao.
It was necessary to create some difficulties for Guan Yu during his departure, which would also eliminate Liu Bei's suspicions and increase the chances for Lady Gan's "important matters."
Of course...
While it was said like this, the actual execution was difficult. Not only did they have to send Lady Gan to Liu Bei before her pregnancy became apparent,
They also had to let Guan Yu encounter some obstacles.
They also had to use the Green Dragon Crescent Blade to eliminate those double-dealing individuals, and then, by all means, secretly inform Guan Yu of Liu Bei's exact location!
It could be said that every step of Guan Yu was precisely calculated by Cao Cao to the millimeter, without the slightest deviation.
It was no exaggeration to say that the "Jingdong Express" of later generations could not achieve such precision! Nor could it deliver the person and the ball together in ten days...
"Next spring, this peach tree will sprout new branches, and this peach garden will be like the situation of my two virtuous brothers. Although we have suffered misfortunes and wandered, we will eventually overcome adversity and prosper again."
Liu Bei raised his wine goblet.
Guan Yu also raised his wine goblet. Before he could speak, Zhang Fei slammed the table and stood up, "Elder Brother said it well... I think so too!"
Alas, being uncultured, a single "Wo cao" can conquer the world.
For Zhang Fei, a simple "Me too," or "I think so too" was enough for his uncultured self to navigate the world.
"Haha..."
Guan Yu smiled and looked at Zhang Fei, stroking his beard, "Come, drink... bottoms up!"
After finishing the bowl of wine, Guan Yu appropriately asked,
"Elder Brother, what are your plans for the future? We can't always be bandits in this mountain stronghold outside the ancient city of Runan, can we? Runan is still Cao Cao's territory, it's not safe!"
"You are still so thoughtful, Yun Chang! You are already thinking about the next plan!" Liu Bei sighed, a hint of sadness inexplicably appearing.
He composed himself and then spoke, "I have already sent Sun Qian to Jingzhou to visit the Governor of Jingzhou, Liu Biao, and to test if he can accept us."
"If he can... then we will seize the opportunity to launch a surprise attack on Xudu... and bring the Emperor to Jingzhou. At that time, with the nine commanderies of Jing and Xiang as our base, and the Yangtze River as our natural barrier, we will call upon the world to jointly attack Cao Cao, the Han dynasty can be revived, and the rebels can be eliminated!"
As he spoke, a sharp gleam appeared in Liu Bei's eyes. It seemed... he had been considering the next step for a long time.
What's more...
He could already foresee that in the decisive battle between Cao and Yuan in the north, Yuan Benchu would be in a precarious situation, and he, Liu Bei, must make plans early.
Hoo...
Zhang Fei and Guan Yu let out a sigh of relief.
Jingzhou, this was another new region!
Speaking of which, in these years, they, as brothers, had followed their Elder Brother all over the land, traversing almost every corner of the Central Plains and the northern regions of the Han Dynasty...
But, what was the situation in Jingzhou? They really knew nothing. Liu Jingsheng seemed... rarely involved in the disputes of the Central Plains.
"I will listen to Elder Brother!" Guan Yu nodded.
Zhang Fei also nodded heavily. "Me too."
At this moment...
The sound of "tata" footsteps came from outside the door, followed by a wave of refreshing fragrance.
The three brothers turned their heads towards the scent...
Who else could it be but Lady Gan, walking gracefully?
Seeing his sister-in-law, Guan Yu immediately stood up, cupped his hands, and said, "Sister-in-law..."
Zhang Fei also reacted, "Sister-in-law, long time no see!"
Only Liu Bei raised his eyes, somewhat surprised. "Why has Madam come?"
On the contrary, Lady Gan walked gracefully towards Liu Bei and reached out her slender hands to tidy his clothes, "It's getting late, and Second Uncle has come a long way and is quite weary... I was afraid that my husband and Second Uncle would chat for too long and delay Second Uncle's rest, so... I specifically came to remind you!"
Hmm...
With these words... Guan Yu's eyes narrowed. Sister-in-law's words had a deeper meaning!
Yes, he had indeed come a long way, but wasn't sister-in-law far from being a stranger? Most likely... sister-in-law missed Elder Brother...
Thinking of this, Guan Yu suddenly stood up.
"Sister-in-law is right, I have traveled a long way and am indeed a little tired! Today... I will not drink with Elder Brother."
Zhang Fei's eyes darted around. At this moment, being the simpleton he was, he also understood his sister-in-law's intentions.
He slapped his forehead.
-- "Oh, yes... Sister-in-law has not seen Elder Brother for more than a year, so there must be a lot of late-night sweet talk. How could I... how could I ruin the atmosphere!"
This was the first time Zhang Fei felt he was very cultured, able to say so many words.
As for Liu Bei... he was somewhat surprised. In his memory... Lady Gan, no... to be precise, Mei'er had never been so proactive before?
People say that women at thirty are like wolves and tigers...
It seemed that this saying was not groundless.
...
...