Jizhou, Ye City.
Inside an inn, this was the Xu family's inn.
At this moment, Sima Yi hobbled and helped Xu Yuan to this place.
"Mmm, mmm mmm..." Sima Yi kept opening his mouth, seemingly... trying to convey something to the innkeeper. Da Feng Novel
His current identity was a mute, half a cripple!
He acted realistically... never showing any flaws.
The innkeeper seemed to understand. "Ma Si, are you saying Young Master Xu Yuan is drunk? And you were instructed to bring him here?"
Sima Yi nodded repeatedly...
Then he continued to gesture with both hands, forming a rectangle, "Mmm, mmm, mmm..." along with his monotonous sounds, as if to emphasize something.
"The ledger? Is it the ledger?" the innkeeper understood. "You mean, Young Master Xu Yuan is worried about the ledger? Don't worry about that... everything is in order with the ledger."
The innkeeper explained repeatedly.
During this period, Sima Yi's assistance in managing Xu Yuan's horse business had brought him immense profits!
Because of this... Xu Yuan trusted him implicitly, treating Sima Yi almost as a confidant.
Consequently, the managers of the Xu family's businesses naturally treated Sima Yi with respect.
This time, due to a large profit from a horse deal, Xu Yuan was happy and drank a bit too much, to the point of getting drunk...
And he happened to have no other servants with him.
Sima Yi felt it was an opportunity, so he helped Xu Yuan to this inn, claiming it was at Xu Yuan's instruction...
As for the purpose... it was the secret ledger!
The road to obtaining it, Sima Yi had suspected several times that the Xu family's secret ledger was hidden in this very inn.
"Ma Si, since Young Master Xu is concerned, then... you can help him up to the third floor, Room Tianzi No. 1. When he wakes up, he can personally review the ledger!"
"Mmm, mmm, mmm..."
Sima Yi made "mmm" sounds, nodded, one hand on his crutch, the other supporting Xu Yuan, his steps unsteady.
Of course, this scene... to the innkeeper, looked precarious and nerve-wracking.
He quickly called out to a runner.
"What are you all standing around for? Hurry, hurry, all of you help Ma Si support Young Master Xu. And also... Ma Si, since you're tired from helping the Young Master here tonight, don't go back, stay at our inn. Tomorrow, when the horse business income comes in, Young Master Xu will likely need you to verify it again."
Hearing this...
Sima Yi was overjoyed, finally able to get into the inn.
Because he was a mute and a cripple, and Xu Yuan's confidant, almost... no one in the inn would be particularly wary of him.
The opportunity had arrived...
...
That night, the third watch.
This was when people slept most soundly. Sima Yi specifically removed the splint on his leg. In fact, his leg had healed long ago. Although a thick scar remained, walking without crutches was not difficult.
His room was opposite Xu Yuan's Room Tianzi No. 1. He quietly slipped out of his room and, after confirming there was no one in the corridor, tiptoed to the window.
This inn had four floors...
He heard that the top floor had only one room...
And no one had entered this room except Xu Yuan and the innkeeper.
Sima Yi was certain that the Xu family's secrets were hidden there.
"Hoo..."
Sighing softly, Sima Yi looked at the window in front of him. It was a good ten feet from the ground, and the window on the fourth floor was thirteen feet up. Calculating one foot as approximately 3.3 meters, climbing up would be considered high-altitude work!
Moreover... Sima Yi tried to flex his leg. Having played the role of a cripple for too long, he needed to make his right leg more flexible... and he only had one chance!
"Gulp..."
Swallowing a mouthful of saliva, Sima Yi finally gritted his teeth. For the sake of the Sima clan, and for himself... he... he had to take this risk.
A flying tiger hook. This was a tool from the Mojin Battalion of the Flying Tiger Camp.
Sima Yi took it out from his backpack...
It was a small one...
It was known that he had initially volunteered to join the Mojin Battalion under Lu Yu. Naturally... he had done his homework.
He hadn't expected that at this time, many tools from the Mojin Battalion would come in handy!
"Life and death are determined by fate, wealth and honor by heaven."
The flying tiger hook seemed to have caught something. Sima Yi tried to pull it, confirmed it wouldn't dislodge, and then, holding the rope with one hand, he began to climb up using both hands and feet.
Sima Yi had practiced martial arts since childhood, and his movement techniques were quite good. Simple climbing was not difficult for him...
However, he couldn't make any noise. He had to slow down his movements, which more than doubled his exertion.
Finally...
Reaching the window, Sima Yi gently cut through the oil paper. Using the faint moonlight, he surveyed the surroundings once, ensuring no one was inside, before attempting to pick the lock with a small knife.
The lock-picking process was not difficult...
There were many allies in Jizhou. Chief Director Lu had instructed them to refer to each other as "comrades"...
And among these "comrades" were many who were skilled in thievery. Sima Yi, with his sharp mind, had learned the essence of it!
"Click!"
With a slight sound, the wooden bars inside the window were pried open, and Sima Yi smoothly opened the window. Illuminated by the moonlight outside, the room inside had simple furnishings: many wooden cabinets, a desk, and only two wooden stools.
To any outsider, it would appear to be a very ordinary study.
But Sima Yi pieced together all the fragments of information he had gathered since entering the Xu mansion...
All clues pointed to this place!
He was skilled at enduring, at hiding, and at observing, at capturing fleeting opportunities. He was a natural undercover agent!
And he could be sure, positive, and certain... the secret ledger was definitely hidden within!
"It's it..."
Finally, half an hour later, Sima Yi found a ledger among the wooden cabinets.
Five years. For a full five years, the Xu family's secret ledger was meticulously recorded here...
Including how much Xu You embezzled from the grain and fodder for every expedition Yuan Shao launched, every conscription. The records were vividly presented, shocking.
-- For the Black Mountain Army campaign, Xu You embezzled thirty thousand shi of grain!
-- For the Gongsun Zan campaign, Xu You embezzled fifty thousand shi of grain!
-- For the Southern Xiongnu campaign, Xu You embezzled fifty thousand shi of grain and seven hundred fine horses...
Even the ledger mentioned that Xu You sold this grain to a strange merchant, marked as "Xie Ma."
And it seemed that in every record concerning this "Xie Ma" merchant, their purchase prices for grain and horses were more than double that of the market!
And this time, with Yuan Shao's army marching south to contend for the empire with Cao Cao, in terms of military grain alone, Xu You embezzled a hundred thousand shi.
Besides this, the Xu family's secret ledger clearly and explicitly detailed the destination of every grain, how it was sold, and whom it bribed... and this was the significance of him preserving this ledger.
It could be said that every entry in this secret ledger fully explained the Xu family's network of relationships.
The reason the Xu family kept this secret ledger was to accurately verify the distribution of every sum of money, or rather, every illicit gain, and also... who received how much benefit, to avoid various disputes in the future!
This was too big a matter!
The more Sima Yi read, the more shocked he became. Sweat beaded on his forehead.
He found it. He finally found it!
However...
Just as he was engrossed in reading!
Suddenly.
With a "creak"... the door to the room opened. It turned out the innkeeper, hearing the commotion upstairs, came to investigate...
And Sima Yi was so engrossed that he didn't notice the footsteps gradually approaching.
This...
The scene at this moment was extremely bizarre. The innkeeper stood at the doorway, stunned, looking at Sima Yi, who also looked up at him.
Instantly...
Across the doorway, a sense of dread began to overwhelm them.
The innkeeper, realizing what was happening, suddenly turned and bolted, intending to run downstairs...
Unexpectedly, Sima Yi reacted faster, leaping up and pinning him down!
One hand pressed him to the ground, and the other forcefully covered the innkeeper's mouth!
"Why are you running?"
"Why are you running?"
Sima Yi whispered in a low, hoarse voice. The innkeeper, fumbling for a short knife, tried to stab Sima Yi in return.
Sima Yi dodged to the side. Ultimately, the innkeeper was older and could not match Sima Yi in strength.
Sima Yi hardened his heart... he seized the dagger and plunged it into the innkeeper's throat until he stopped breathing...
Blood flowed profusely, and Sima Yi's entire body was soaked, his hands stained with mud and blood!
Hoo...
After finishing it all, Sima Yi collapsed on the ground. This... this was the first time he had killed someone.
The smell of blood in the air made Sima Yi feel sick. He wanted to vomit, but he couldn't.
He looked at the man lying in the pool of blood beside him, at the secret ledger on the desk, and panted heavily.
Had he succeeded?
Not yet...
Because he still had many things to do... the road ahead was not easy either!
Standing up, he had to... he had to pull himself together.
His first kill!
Sima Yi's hands were still trembling!
He had once thought that in this chaotic world, whether you stuck your head out or pulled it back, it was still a knife. It was difficult not to be killed, but even to kill someone, how could it be easy?
...
...
Guandu, Cao's army camp, main tent!
Cao Cao had arrived... bringing ten thousand reinforcements.
However...
Yuan Shao seemed to have received this news long ago and, as a welcoming gesture, sent Cao Cao a grand gift – a grand gift composed of a sky full of arrows!
Arrows rained down like locusts, dense as a torrential downpour!
It could be said that.
The sky above Guandu was filled with Yuan's army's arrows. Soldiers had to shield themselves with shields whenever they stepped out of their tents.
The daily casualties continued to climb...
Xiahou Dun, having a short temper, immediately ordered the Qingzhou soldiers to respond with bows and arrows upon seeing such a "welcome ceremony." However... Yuan's army was positioned on elevated wooden towers, taking advantage of the terrain.
Cao's soldiers were frustrated. The enemy was right in front of them, but their arrows couldn't reach. Conversely, the countless arrows from Yuan's army's wooden towers rained down, and numerous Qingzhou soldiers fell to the ground!
Thus...
These archers on the wooden towers became a nightmare for Cao's camp!
They inflicted immense physical damage, and also considerable psychological damage, causing many of Cao's soldiers to become fearful and their morale to waver!
The arrival of ten thousand reinforcements, which should have boosted morale, had instead sent it plummeting to the depths!
And in the main tent at this moment, the atmosphere was even more somber. Every strategist and general had furrowed brows and grave expressions.
It could be said that.
The entire sky above Guandu, the entire decisive battle between Cao and Yuan, had been shrouded in a thick layer of gloom overnight.
The battle hadn't even begun, and their spirit was already failing!
"People say, when faced with two benefits, choose the greater; when faced with two harms, choose the lesser. Lord Cao... for now... we can only abandon Guandu. Otherwise... we cannot keep enduring this rain of arrows!"
Xi Zhicai said with a frown...
He didn't want to retreat either, but... this battle was unplayable. They were completely suppressed. Perhaps Cao's soldiers could hold on for a few days... but if it dragged on, their morale would be ruined. By then... Yuan's army would launch a large-scale offensive? How could this battle be fought!
Therefore... Xi Zhicai could only propose this "choose the lesser of two harms!"
"Indeed..." Cao Hong frowned. No one wanted to retreat, but... "We've only been on the front lines for one day, and we've already been shot at like this. If this continues for a few more days, will our three armies still have morale? Fear of battle is likely already spreading!"
Xi Zhicai and Cao Hong's words...
Several strategists and generals voiced their support.
As for Lu Yu...
He had just entered the tent and heard these discussions about retreating... Lu Yu was a bit dumbfounded. Retreat? Retreat what nonsense!
If they retreated further from Guandu, it would be Xudu...
Since Yuan Shao could build wooden towers and arrow towers here, then... he could do it anywhere else, just build the wooden towers higher!
When facing a problem, one must solve it, not flee!
"Big Brother, we cannot retreat!" Xiahou Yuan said with a frown. "Firstly, today is the day our great army is assembled. If we advance and then retreat, it will be a huge blow to morale. Secondly, the two armies are facing each other at Guandu, and both sides are waiting for an opportunity. If we retreat, it will be like the collapse of a thousand-mile embankment due to an ant hole. With Yuan Shao in hot pursuit, the situation will become even more uncontrollable!"
"Cai's words are wise!" Xun You, who was usually silent, could not help but speak... "Lord Cao had said before that, setting aside past victories, the decisive battle between Cao and Yuan is actually... only one battle, and that is the Battle of Guandu. If we retreat from this battle... then the Central Plains will be completely overturned!"
Xiahou Yuan and Xun You both made valid points...
Xiahou Dun, however, was so angry that he stomped his feet in frustration... "Damn it, I... I'll organize the archers right now. I don't believe our brothers can't outshoot them!"
Unconvinced...
Xiahou Dun was still the same person, indifferent to life and death, fighting if provoked! As he spoke, he prepared to leave the tent to muster troops...
"General, wait..."
Xun You stopped him. "Yuan's army is on the wooden towers, possessing the advantages of terrain and weather. They shoot from above, with a range of over two hundred paces, while our army shoots from below, against the upward trajectory, and even reaching a hundred and twenty paces is difficult. How can we exchange fire? This is just increasing casualties for no reason! It's futile!"
"Gongda's words are reasonable!" Cao Cao said for the first time. "Yuan Rang, do not be rash!"
But...
Xiahou Dun was a bit emotional.
"Then... then we can't just do nothing and let Yuan's archers treat us as targets, can we?"
This...
Hearing this, Cao Cao's eyes narrowed. Yuan Shao had indeed given him a grand gift! This welcome ceremony was certainly grand.
However...
Cao Cao's gaze instinctively turned to Lu Yu.
Originally, he had come to Guandu wanting to chat with Yu'er as soon as possible!
To inquire about Yu'er's overall deployment and strategy to defeat the enemy, but before he could ask, he encountered such a situation. Yuan Shao had posed a difficult problem!
"Minister Lu, you have been at Guandu, so you are more familiar with the terrain here. Do you have any counter-strategies against Yuan's arrow towers?"
"I..."
Lu Yu was about to speak...
In fact, it was nothing more than persisting a bit longer, telling everyone... that a batch of large military equipment had been transported from the workshop of the Imperial Academy in Xudu a month ago!
Admittedly, this military equipment would be cumbersome to move, but... even a turtle would have crawled over by now in a month, right?
Just a few more days, and that thing should arrive!
Unexpectedly, before Lu Yu could speak.
"Boom..."
"Boom! Rumble!"
"Boom! Rumble! Rumble!"
Outside the main tent, continuous deafening sounds were heard. To everyone present, it sounded like... the roar of a mountain collapsing or the earth cracking, one after another...
"What... what happened?"
Without waiting for Lu Yu to speak, Cao Cao hurriedly asked, his voice trembling slightly.
"Lord Cao..." At this moment, Xu Chu ran in quickly. "Lord Cao, please come out and see! My goodness!"
Rarely, Xu Chu was so excited that he didn't even bother to state the specific matter, but instead said, "My goodness..." Yet the surprise and shock on his face were evident.
This... had piqued everyone's curiosity!
What? What's going on?
What could make even Xu Chu react like this...
This...
Lu Yu was also bewildered... This commotion, why did it feel like... a hint of "Little Cannon... I really want to shoot something"?
"Thud thud..."
"Thud thud..."
Continuous footsteps followed.
Cao Cao and the civil and military officials, who had just walked out of the tent, saw countless Cao army soldiers cheering, and while cheering, they were discussing animatedly...
Until they were even excitedly shouting "Ao ao"!
-- "My goodness! What is that thing? It has such power, it just smashed down Yuan's arrow towers..."
-- "The key is that it was thrown so far! It can hit the opposite camp directly from our camp... It seems ordinary trebuchets can't throw that far, right? And the power isn't this great, right?"
-- "I heard... these are trebuchets manufactured by the Imperial Academy workshop. It took a full month to transport them to Guandu, dozens of them... their power and range far exceed ordinary trebuchets!"
-- "Trebuchets? Imperial Academy? Workshop? Isn't this... the Imperial Academy in Xudu where Minister Lu serves as the head? These trebuchets belong to the Flying Tiger Camp?"
Almost instantly...
Throughout Guandu, the entire Cao army camp, tens of thousands of people were discussing and praising this one thing – the trebuchets!
And looking afar...
The arrow towers that Yuan's camp had erected were either shattered, or in the process of shattering.
-- "Rumble!"
-- "Rumble!"
-- "Boom..."
With another volley, countless arrow towers in Yuan's formation turned to dust before Cao Cao and the civil and military officials. Those archers who had been smug on the arrow towers the moment before... the next moment... were already annihilated!
The entire process was filled with violence, blood, and brutality...
But for every Cao army soldier, the pent-up frustration in their hearts was instantly released...
Their faces were all written with four big characters –
-- Well done!
At the same time...
Cao Cao and the civil and military officials turned their heads in astonishment, looking for the legendary "trebuchets"...
But where were they?
Most likely... located behind the main tent.
For a moment, including Cao Cao, all the Cao army civil and military officials were immensely curious about the true appearance of these "trebuchets"!
As for Lu Yu... his eyes settled.
At this moment, two sentences came to his mind.
The first – "I seem to want to shoot something!"
The second – "I achieve your dreams with my own hands!"
...
...