Near Bowang Slope, in Cao’s army camp.
Countless soldiers were training. Xiahou Dun’s army exhibited a discipline that perfectly matched his personality.
—Within the training, every punch landed with solid impact…
At this moment, the sounds of training drills and war cries echoed continuously across the parade ground. Soldiers frequently engaged in spectacular displays of flashing blades and exchanged blows, as if rehearsing for the upcoming great battle.
This sight greatly enthralled the martial-minded Xiahou Dun, who, pulling Lu Yu along, introduced his troops with pride: “See this? These are all my soldiers. My soldiers treat their daily training as actual combat. They can take a lot of punishment, and when their blades advance, they are invincible!”
Uh…
Lu Yu felt a bit awkward.
He mentally exclaimed.
Yes, indeed… Xiahou Dun’s soldiers are quite formidable!
But it can’t withstand the fact that the general himself is a liability!
He hasn’t won a single battle, yet his promotions never stop…
And he still has the gall to show off!
Heh heh…
Lu Yu responded with a mere “Heh heh.” If history’s original trajectory were to unfold, this Battle of Bowang Slope… Xiahou Dun would be running ahead while his soul chased behind, nearly reduced to ashes by Zhuge Liang’s fire. It could quite accurately be called his most humiliating battle.
“Ziyu? Why aren’t you speaking?” Xiahou Dun’s tone deepened. “Old brother’s soldiers, tell me, aren’t they invincible!”
“Yes… yes…” Lu Yu appeared as if coerced into compliance.
“Then, old brother must speak about you!” Xiahou Dun declared loudly. “You, lad, are not being honest!”
Huh?
Lu Yu was startled. He felt… so innocent?
He even felt a sense of utter disbelief.
He had been wholeheartedly trying to help Xiahou Dun shed the title of “perpetual loser,” even venturing into perilous territory and personally appearing on the battlefield for this very purpose. Yet, now he was being accused of dishonesty?
His eyes blinked, and Lu Yu furrowed his brows. “What do you mean by that?”
“Where is your Dragon Soaring Camp?” Xiahou Dun retorted. “You mean to say, heading south to Xinye, you didn’t send a single main force from the Dragon Soaring Camp… and only dispatched a certain Flying Ball team that couldn’t even lift a chicken? Is that honest?”
So that’s what it was…
Lu Yu smacked his lips and said seriously, “Brother Xiahou, you may not know this, but my Flying Ball team is the most capable in the Dragon Soaring Camp?”
As these words left his mouth…
Xiahou Dun’s brows furrowed. He subconsciously asked, “On what grounds? On the grounds that they can’t even lift a chicken? On the grounds that they can’t wield these steel spears and halberds? Or on the grounds that they… don’t wash their feet?”
The last sentence was clearly laced with a playful tone…
Xiahou Dun rarely joked. Only with his closest brothers would he jest without restraint about harmless matters.
And precisely… Lu Yu was one of the very few he considered a close and intimate brother.
“You’ll know tomorrow! This Flying Ball team is not what you think!”
Lu Yu’s lips curled into a confident smile.
Xiahou Dun shook his head…
His brother was good at everything, except for his penchant for being mysterious.
“Report…”
Just then, a captain hurried over… and whispered a few words beside Xiahou Dun.
Xiahou Dun’s brows immediately knitted together.
“What? Did Zhuge Liang send someone to attack?” Lu Yu asked first, sensing the shift in atmosphere.
“No!” Xiahou Dun waved his hand. “It’s your betrothed. Didn’t big brother send someone to inform you that she secretly followed? Heh, guess what? She somehow managed to infiltrate your Flying Ball team! Look, your Flying Ball team… can’t even distinguish a comrade, how can they head south? How can they win battles?”
Clearly…
Xiahou Dun still held no hope for this newly formed Flying Ball team of the Dragon Soaring Camp.
Lu Yu’s focus, however, wasn’t on the Flying Ball team but on… Ma Yunlu.
As expected, just as Old Cao had said, this girl was truly a handful.
“What is it?”
Xiahou Dun suddenly slapped Lu Yu’s shoulder heavily. “Missing your betrothed? Worried about her being with a bunch of rough men?”
“Not at all…” Lu Yu pushed Xiahou Dun’s arm away. The slap had genuinely hurt, feeling as if it were made of iron. “She’s from Xiliang, where women are tougher than men… I’m worried she might dismantle my Flying Ball team! That would disrupt our important plans!”
“Haha…” Xiahou Dun laughed at this. “It would be good if she dismantled it. I just received an urgent report from the front lines; Xinye city is mobilizing its troops. I suppose Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang want to engage us head-on at Bowang Slope. Perfect, I want to meet Guan Yu and Zhang Fei! Especially that Guan Yun Chang, I’ve had it with him for a long time!”
Initially, he thought that his good brother Lu Yu would wholeheartedly agree with Xiahou Dun’s proposal.
Who would have imagined…
Lu Yu immediately placed a hand on Xiahou Dun’s arm.
“We can’t fight like this!”
“What did you say?”
“We can’t fight like this!” Lu Yu’s tone was exceptionally firm.
Xiahou Dun looked at Lu Yu with a bewildered expression. “Virtuous brother? Are you not awake yet? Xinye city has only ten thousand soldiers in total. Including the garrison, at most seven thousand can reach Bowang Slope. We have fifty thousand. We can simply crush them and win! There’s no need for any clever strategies or calculations!”
“If you truly rush in recklessly, Zhuge Liang will toy with you until you’re dead!” Lu Yu’s tone was calm, but his words were anything but polite!
There was even a hint of confrontation in his voice.
“Is that Zhuge brat so formidable?”
Xiahou Dun furrowed his brows.
Lu Yu was speechless… He suddenly felt the frustration of a scholar facing a soldier, where even logic was useless.
“Whether he’s formidable or not, I don’t know, but Bowang Slope is surrounded by forests and treacherous terrain… it’s too easy to set up an ambush!”
“Ambush?” Xiahou Dun remained indignant. “How can he ambush with just ten thousand men?”
Speaking of which, Xiahou Dun clapped Lu Yu on the shoulder. The crisp sound almost made Lu Yu collapse. Lu Yu was just about to cry out in pain!
Xiahou Dun, however, spoke earnestly. “Virtuous brother, you must understand old brother. These past years… I haven’t won a single battle, yet by chance, I hold the highest official title and the most esteemed position in Great Wei, and command the most troops. I need a great victory to prove myself! Please do not obstruct me!”
Having said that…
Xiahou Dun immediately said coldly, “Brother Yu, in this battle of Bowang Slope, the enemy and our strength are like heaven and earth. You need not devise the strategy! Go keep your betrothed company. On the day of victory, old brother will gladly give you half the spoils!”
“This…” Lu Yu tried to speak again…
Xiahou Dun raised his hand. “Guards, this general is tired. Escort my virtuous brother out of the tent…”
“Yes!”
Several captains approached Lu Yu.
“Advisor Lu, please!”
“Sigh!” Lu Yu sighed helplessly, then had no choice but to walk out of the tent…
As he walked, he muttered to himself that this scene… was fortunate he had foreseen it!
Damn it, this Xiahou Dun fellow is indeed… indeed, indeed, indeed… a deep abyss of a pit on the battlefield!
With this thought, Lu Yu shook his head.
Outside the tent, Zhuge Jun was already waiting for Lu Yu.
“Teacher.”
“How are the Flying Balls prepared?” Lu Yu immediately asked.
Zhuge Jun replied without hesitation, “Everything is proceeding as planned. The wind direction is favorable today. At dusk… the first Flying Ball will be sent towards Xinye City!”
Lu Yu nodded. “The remaining seventy Flying Balls should remain hidden!”
Zhuge Jun cupped his fists… “Yes!”
After saying “Yes,” Zhuge Jun did not immediately leave, as if… he had something else to report.
Lu Yu glanced at him and immediately understood:
— “It’s about Ma Yunlu, isn’t it!”
Zhuge Jun nodded. “The County Princess disguised herself as a man and entered the Flying Ball team. We… recognized her, but… dared not expose her. Teacher… this…”
“Let her stay there for now!” Lu Yu replied immediately. “No need to pay her any mind… She’s just curious. However, make sure she doesn’t spoil the plan.”
“Yes!” Zhuge Jun received the order and retreated!
However…
Just as he took his first step, Lu Yu’s hand landed on his shoulder.
“Teacher?”
“The opponent this time is your elder brother, Zhuge Kongming! This is the first time you brothers are facing each other head-on. Are you afraid?” Lu Yu asked.
This…
Clearly, Zhuge Jun paused for a moment.
Lu Yu patted his shoulder again.
“Over the years, he has grown, and you have also grown!”
“Don’t be nervous. While I have never underestimated your elder brother, he is not as strong or as unassailable as you imagine!”
“Master… I…” Zhuge Jun wanted to say something, but the words caught in his throat as if choked, and he couldn’t utter a sound.
Lu Yu smiled at him.
— “Perform well, and let your second brother see that the true ‘dragons’ of the Zhuge family have never ‘coiled’!”
…
…
In a hidden, open area thirty li from Bowang Slope.
Over seventy Flying Balls were ready, and a large amount of fuel and incendiary bottles had been delivered… In fact, if the timing had been slightly later, the number of Flying Balls would have been greater.
However…
This southern expedition was indeed rushed. The quantity of both Flying Balls and their crew was far from sufficient.
But…
For the small Battle of Bowang Slope, seventy Flying Balls were enough.
Of course… within this Flying Ball army, there was a special individual – Ma Yunlu, disguised as a man.
One should know…
She had pursued the southern expedition on horseback, intending to blend in. However… the difficulty was immense, and furthermore, the military camp strictly prohibited women. Thus… Ma Yunlu was left with no choice.
Just then, she spotted a peculiar contingent. The contingent flew the banner of the “Dragon Soaring Camp,” yet… the soldiers in this contingent were not highly skilled in martial arts, and some even… lacked martial techniques.
However… their military equipment and provisions were the most, and the heaviest… and they moved the slowest.
Ma Yunlu became intensely curious about this so-called Dragon Soaring Camp contingent!
Of course, for Ma Yunlu, this was not the main point…
Her primary concern was whether she could blend in.
Remarkably, she actually managed to blend in. She discovered that many people within this peculiar army did not know each other well, which made her infiltration exceptionally easy.
One should know…
Each pilot in the Flying Ball army established by the Dragon Soaring Camp was trained individually. And most of them did not come from the Dragon Soaring Camp, but rather from the workshops.
Hot air balloons were, after all, created by these craftsmen, who were also more familiar with their operation. This, in turn, reduced many obstacles! It saved a great deal of theoretical training time.
And due to the independence of their training, many of them did not know each other well, which precisely provided Ma Yunlu with the opportunity to blend in.
Little did she know.
Every move she made was keenly observed by Zhuge Jun. However… having received an urgent dispatch from the King of Wei and knowing her identity, Zhuge Jun found it inappropriate to expose her. Thus… the group continued on their way to Bowang Slope.
It was only here…
That Ma Yunlu finally realized what a peculiar military unit this was!
Because…
Right at this moment…
Before her eyes, a flat spherical object was rapidly inflated, and then ignited with a fire oil canister, carrying the person in the rattan basket… into the sky!
For a moment, Ma Yunlu felt as though she were going mad. She felt that her understanding of the world had fundamentally shifted!
Could a person… truly… truly be carried into the sky by a ball and disappear into the clouds?
The entire process was surreal!
The one performing this flight mission was still the “ace pilot” Liu Ye. Due to the special nature of the mission, a particularly weighty deputy was added to the rattan basket this time – Xu Chu!
They donned leather suits and wore the standard goggles from the workshop. Before long… they had entered the clouds.
In contrast, Ma Yunlu was already pale with fright!
My heavens… she had always known the Dragon Soaring Camp was formidable, but… seeing it today, the Dragon Soaring Camp was not just formidable, it was formidable to the point of reaching the heavens!
With a “gulp,” Ma Yunlu instinctively swallowed.
She suddenly had a thought, could this so-called flying ball also be the masterpiece of her future husband, Lu Ziyu?
He… he was destined for the heavens!
It wasn’t just Lu Yu who could ascend to the heavens; he could enable many to do so, including Ma Yunlu herself!
…
…
Outside the official residence of Ma Teng and Ma Tie, heavy guards were stationed, with swords, spears, and halberds standing tall and erect, creating a tense atmosphere.
Inside the residence, Ma Teng stood with his hands behind his back, pacing back and forth continuously, his brow furrowed.
“Father…” Ma Tie, standing beside him, looked at an imperial edict on the table and asked, “What does the King of Wei mean by this?”
“What does he mean?” Ma Tie furrowed his brows. “Doesn’t the edict clearly state it? He has enfeoffed me as one of the Nine Ministers of Han, the Grand Warden, and ordered me to take up my post in Luoyang City, managing the imperial guards!”
“This…” Ma Tie’s eyes darted. “Does the King of Wei want Father to monitor His Majesty?”
“No!” Ma Teng waved his hand. “If it were that simple, it would be better. The King of Wei wants Father to be his blade…”
Ah…
Ma Tie’s brows furrowed. “Blade? How to be a blade?”
Ma Teng let out a sigh, pondered for a moment, and then slowly recounted what the King of Wei had told him that night about the matter of “three horses eating the trough.”
The more Ma Tie listened, the more he felt a sense of lingering dread.
“Three horses? Father, are the three horses the King of Wei is referring to us? If so… then…”
In an instant, Ma Tie became very nervous. He suddenly felt as though a sword were hanging over his head!
“If it were us, then you and I would already be dead souls at the King of Wei’s blade!” Ma Teng sighed deeply. “The King of Wei’s concerns lie elsewhere…”
“Horses? Are there still horses in the Central Plains?” Ma Tie quickly asked.
Ma Teng’s eyes narrowed even further. “I was also in doubt. Where in the Central Plains are there still ‘horses’? However… in these past few days, by chance, I have heard of a certain family!”
“Which family!”
“Sima of Henei!”
“Sima?”
“Sima are also horses!” Ma Teng’s tone was exceptionally firm. His gaze returned to the table, fixed intently on… the imperial edict enfeoffing him as the Grand Warden, one of the Nine Ministers!
He slowly lifted it, his brows still tightly furrowed.
“This move by the King of Wei is not giving us a choice, but rather… to use our hands to eliminate this Sima clan of Henei!”
This…
Ma Tie’s throat constricted slightly, and he then spoke.
“Why? Why choose us…”
“Because we are also ‘horses’!” Ma Teng, after days of contemplation, finally understood. “The Sima family is a renowned lineage with deeply entrenched influence. The King of Wei himself was once recommended by Sima Fang. And Sima Zhongda, the second son of the current Sima family, is the right-hand man of the White Horse Marquis Lu Ziyu. The King of Wei cannot act… so he can only use our hands to eliminate the Sima clan of Henei!”
“Concurrently, this will also cause our Ma family of Xiliang to bear this animosity, becoming the object of hatred for those in the Central Plains clans who are on close terms with the Sima of Henei. Only in this way can our Ma family of Xiliang be at ease for the King of Wei!”
Phew…
As these words were spoken, Ma Tie let out a long sigh!
He hadn’t expected that, upon arriving in Luoyang, he would already be embroiled in a dispute, a dispute that would inevitably require blood to be shed by the blade!
Open weapons are easy to dodge!
Hidden arrows are difficult to guard against!
The situation in Luoyang is far more complex than in Yongliang.
— “Father, then… little sister!”
Whoosh…
Ma Teng drew his saber and, with a “bang,” plunged it into the table!
A glint of sharpness flashed in his eyes!
The King of Wei had never presented him with a multiple-choice question!
For his daughter, for his son, for Xiliang…
— The Sima clan of Henei!
Even without any enmity or prior grievances, this strike was destined to fall!
…
…