"Suffer, wail, and then die!"
Infinite cries and howls emanated from within Bowang Slope, filling the airborne soldiers with tension and excitement.
But… after this tension and excitement, they all calmed down.
Loneliness…
How lonely it is to be invincible!
In hindsight, they hadn't actually done anything. They had merely followed orders, mechanically tossing whale oil canisters, mechanically igniting the fuses.
Great fires continuously ignited and spread. They didn't even need to aim, as they could hit anything with a casual throw, igniting Bowang Slope into flames and turning enemies into ashes.
Simple…
Too simple!
This simplicity made these artisans feel for the first time that the battlefield was nothing more than this!
Invincible truly was lonely!
Guan Ping, Liu Feng, and Mi Fang’s ambushing troops could never have dreamed that these incendiaries, originally prepared for the enemy, would ultimately become their funeral dirge.
They fled like mad…
But where could they possibly escape to in the end?
Only to those places where the flames had not yet spread…
But this area was packed with people, and more were trampled to death underfoot.
Fear continued to be amplified…
Liu Bei’s thousands of men were on the verge of collapse!
"Damn it, what kind of bird ball is this, what kind of bird fire? Why can fire come from the sky?"
At this moment, Zhang Fei's dark skin had been scorched to a burnt color.
He looked like a burnt wild chicken.
When he first saw the flying balls in the sky, he would order his brothers to shoot them down with arrows.
But he found that his archers’ range was insufficient, and even if they hit the ball’s body, they couldn’t pierce it. Zhang Fei had no idea that whale skin… was very tough!
Run…
Even the usually fierce Zhang Fei could only instinctively think of "running away." If he didn't run now, he would truly be scorched!
On the other hand, Guan Yu’s position had more trees, and they were denser… As the flames spread, they completely surrounded his troops…
Countless soldiers stared blankly; they could no longer escape.
Yet, Guan Yu's personal guards displayed a resolute side.
"General Guan has a fine horse and can traverse the sea of fire as if walking on level ground. General Guan, hurry… hurry and go!"
"Yes, General Guan, don't worry about us."
"General Guan, hurry… hurry and go!"
Countless soldiers shouted in unison…
On the other hand, Guan Yu’s brows were tightly furrowed. "I, Guan, have diligently studied the Spring and Autumn Annals and understand the righteousness of military affairs. How can I be a person who fears death?"
With a "bang," his Green Dragon Crescent Blade heavily struck the ground. Even as the flames grew smaller, he remained motionless.
"Whoosh…"
Unexpectedly, at this moment, countless soldiers of the Guan family drew their sabers and pressed them to their throats.
"If General Guan does not leave, he will be treating us unjustly!"
"If General Guan does not leave, we will depart first!"
This…
Guan Yu’s eternally impassive face became as cold as iron at this moment.
"I, Guan…"
Seeing bloodstains already appearing on his brothers' necks, and of course, with the spreading fire, they couldn't escape anyway! It was merely a matter of how they would die!
"Guan Yunchang has failed you!"
With these words, Guan Yu mounted his horse. Seeing his Guan family brothers put down their sabers, he felt a sliver of comfort. "Giddy up… giddy up…"
Guan Yu's horse was a fine steed that Liu Bei had sought out across Jingxiang. Though it couldn't compare to Red Hare, it was still a good horse.
He urged the fine horse on with all his might…
Casting one last glance at this Guan family army, he immediately spurred his horse into a gallop!
Since he had to leave, he could not hesitate!
Third brother, elder brother… what is the situation over there, he didn't know.
"Third brother, elder brother… where are you? Where are you?"
The great fire spread, yet Guan Yu's voice was exceptionally clear!
…
…
In the sky, dense black smoke continuously billowed upwards.
Inside a rattan basket.
"Bang bang bang!" The sound of fists clenched and striking the rattan basket was endless. "Good, good…"
Xiahou Dun appeared quite exhilarated…
Ever since he joined his elder brother Cao Cao and raised an army in Chenliu, this battle was the most exhilarating!
It was an exhilaration from the bottom of his heart, a chilling exhilaration!
But… excessive joy leads to carelessness.
A mouthful of thick smoke rushed into Xiahou Dun’s mouth.
"Cough cough cough… cough cough cough cough…"
He coughed continuously, as it seemed the thick smoke generated by the burning whale oil was not pleasant.
"It's time to raise the hot air balloon a bit higher, to the windward side…"
Lu Yu immediately ordered…
While Zhuge Jun raised the hot air balloon, he also lowered silk, signaling the entire flying team to float upwards. In fact, it was already over; the mission was complete. The entire Bowang Slope beneath them was burning. The sky-high flames, the spitting tongues of fire, the towering treetops had directly turned into a mass of flames. Everywhere there were crackling sounds of burning. A landscape that was originally beautiful with mountains and clear water had suddenly turned into a sea of fire. After the sea of fire, there was only ashes.
Everything, flowers, trees, forests, birds and beasts… all turned to nothing.
And the ashes after the firefall, like rain, scattered down. This ash… was only a thin layer, covering countless blackened, still burning corpses!
The flying balls had ascended into the sky, eventually disappearing, burning from dusk… all the way until night!
Stars and the moon were obscured by the rolling dust and smoke.
In the rattan basket, Xiahou Dun finally recovered. He gulped down a mouthful of water and exclaimed loudly, "This black smoke is suffocating to breathe in, let alone for the enemy forces in Bowang Slope. I reckon quite a few were suffocated to death!"
"More were suffocated to death than burned to death…" Lu Yu replied objectively.
"Speaking of which… your flying balls are amazing, brother. If we had these, wouldn't all our future battles be from air to ground, making us invincible…" Xiahou Dun seemed to have found a winning strategy.
Lu Yu, however, waved his hand. "Brother Xiahou thinks too much. We were able to win by fire attack with the hot air balloons because it was a surprise attack, and Liu Bei's army was unprepared and didn't expect us to descend from the sky. But… if they were given time to think, with the wisdom of Zhuge Kongming and Liu Bei, they would discover the weaknesses of the flying balls!"
Lu Yu's tone was very calm, not discouraged in the least by mentioning the weakness of the flying balls.
This was simply an objective fact.
"Brother Xiahou, haven't you noticed that the hot air balloons move very slowly and are only suitable for attacking stationary targets? The more the enemy moves, gathers, and is dense… the greater the power of the hot air balloon. But if the enemy disperses, operates in separate units, and does not choose to ambush, then the hot air balloon will become useless!"
"Therefore, everything must be viewed from two sides; there are gains and losses…"
Lu Yu’s words were reasoned and convincing, making Xiahou Dun believe them and even feel a sense of "deep reflection."
Xiahou Dun pondered for a moment…
"Oh…" He slapped his forehead and opened his mouth, saying, "I understand, I finally understand! Your question to me, why my command of troops is no inferior to Zhang Liao, Yue Jin, and Yu Jin, yet they repeatedly win battles while I repeatedly lose!"
"The reason behind this is intelligence…"
Xiahou Dun seemed to have suddenly understood. "I always underestimate the enemy, thus I don't place much importance on intelligence gathering. On the contrary, Zhang Liao, Yue Jin, and Yu Jin, no matter how weak the enemy, they treat them with utmost seriousness, not rashly, and make the most correct strategies based on intelligence!"
"And these hot air balloons, rising into the sky, the enemy's ambushes are all in full view. Fighting like this… I don't even need to command; even a dog could win! So… so that's how it is…"
Xiahou Dun repeatedly patted his forehead… He truly felt he had grasped it.
But Lu Yu was a bit confused. Intelligence?
He actually didn't mean that…
He originally wanted to say, why do you lose? Because you read too little… You don't study military strategy and only accumulate experience from actual combat. Many of the ideas generated in your mind are wrong!
If you don't lose, who will!
It turned out… Xiahou Dun had completely misunderstood and grasped the importance of information warfare.
Uh…
It’s still okay!
"Ziyu, why aren't you speaking? Are you happy for your brother that I have understood?" Xiahou Dun said cheerfully.
"Happy, happy!" Lu Yu smiled faintly. If you see through it but don't say it, you're still good brothers!
With nothing else to do, Lu Yu took out the dried yellow croaker jerky from the rattan basket and began to chew. They had been flying for most of the day and hadn't eaten lunch. He was truly hungry!
Unexpectedly… as Lu Yu ate the fish jerky, Xiahou Dun’s eyes narrowed again.
"Brother, I suddenly realize I can't see through you anymore."
"Why?" Lu Yu put down the fish jerky…
Xiahou Dun continued, "If I say you're a devil who kills without batting an eye, you're also timid as a mouse. If it were a confrontation between two armies, you'd always stay as far away as possible."
As if feeling his words were too harsh, Xiahou Dun added, "Ziyu, if I say you're timid as a mouse, you won't be angry, right?"
"No anger." Lu Yu waved his hand…
That was indeed the case!
Besides, he didn't think it was timidity. Lu Yu thought it was cherishing life…
So-called cherishing life, stay away from the battlefield!
With a "creak," Xiahou Dun also bit off half a small yellow croaker and continued chewing, "But then again, you, who are timid as a mouse, burned thousands of people to death in this Bowang Slope with just one fire, without even batting an eye. Heh heh… in my opinion, you're much more ruthless than Bai Qi, who massacred Zhao soldiers!"
Yawn…
Lu Yu yawned, but his tone became a bit more serious. "Brother Xiahou, whether I'm timid as a mouse or a murderous fiend, none of that really matters! Besides, this is a chaotic era. In this chaotic era, to be a good person would probably be harder than being a bad person, and require a deeper understanding of great evil and great poison!"
This was Lu Yu's heartfelt realization…
The Three Kingdoms were splendid, and beautiful…
But from an aesthetic perspective, the most dangerous things are often the most beautiful, and the most peaceful times often hide disaster!
The most chaotic Three Kingdoms, how many brilliant stories, wondrous spirits, and brilliant lives burst forth!
This era was filled with open and hidden schemes everywhere…
Everyone in this era was living on the edge.
Lu Yu felt deeply…
In his eyes… the wheat of this era was sharp as blades;
The rivers of this era flowed with molten red lava, the peonies of this era exploded at a touch, the fine wine of this era was poison drop by drop, and the evening breeze of this era… carried full schemes!
Based on this…
If one wants to be a good person in this era, one must be more familiar with great evil and great poison than the wicked!
Cao Cao of this era would use butcher knives to slaughter cities!
Guan Yu and Zhang Fei of this era would kill with weapons!
Liu Bei of this era, however, killed with benevolence and righteousness…
As for Lu Yu… he had no choice. If he didn't set Bowang Slope ablaze, then it would be him… or his brothers, who would be burned in Bowang Slope.
"Sometimes, I also want to be a good person, but alas… this chaotic world does not permit it!"
He sighed in conclusion…
The flying ball had ascended into the clouds, but… it was visible to the naked eye that below the clouds, near Bowang Slope, another flying ball was slowly approaching.
Lu Yu narrowed his eyes… It seemed that Lord Liu and General Xu Chu’s side… had also accomplished their task!
…
…
In the sky, a lone hot air balloon, within its rattan basket…
Liu Ye gazed at the great fire on the ground, sighing.
"General Zhong Kang, look, this fire has burned Bowang Slope to ashes…"
"Indeed!" Xu Chu sighed. "If it were me… I wouldn't have thought that the opponent's fire attack was from the sky. No matter how this battle is fought, the ambushing side is futile; they will all be burned!"
Upon reaching this point… both fell silent.
They felt no exhilaration at all. On the contrary, having burned so many people, they felt somewhat peculiar about it.
It was Xu Chu who remembered that Lady Gan was still there, and discussing such topics was somewhat frightening.
He immediately changed the subject and asked Lady Gan, "Madam, are you hungry? There is food and drink in this rattan basket. Madam, you might as well eat something to replenish your strength."
At this moment, Lady Gan Mei… she was curled up, her body covered by the blankets. She still couldn't believe that she was… in the sky?
With a "gulp," she swallowed her saliva, which finally helped the "buzzing" sound in her ears to subside slightly.
How could she possibly eat anything?
But then…
Gradually getting used to the process of flying, losing her initial nervousness, Lady Gan was instead enveloped by another emotion.
"Your face is so pale? Is this… discomfort?"
Xu Chu noticed that Lady Gan's complexion was not right.
"No…" Lady Mei waved her hand. "It's me…"
She hesitated to speak, as if there was something unspeakable.
"What's wrong, Madam? If you feel unwell, tell me!" Xu Chu asked again.
Lady Gan seemed to have made a final internal struggle. She pursed her lips and said softly, "Gentlemen, could you… could you let this hot air balloon descend for a moment? I… I need to relieve myself."
As the saying goes, urgency is a human need…
Initially, due to nervousness, Lady Gan hadn't realized it. But as she gradually adapted, a sudden urge to urinate swept over her entire body. One must know that from Xinye City to Wancheng, it takes many hours. Even if Lady Gan didn't drink water, it would be difficult to suppress… such a thing!
Uh…
Liu Ye and Xu Chu exchanged glances. This was a bit awkward…
If the flying ball were to descend, it definitely couldn't. It would lead to unforeseen complications…
But there was no privy on a hot air balloon. What should be done if Lady Gan needed to relieve herself?
"Descending is not possible…" Liu Ye said, "Then…"
He winked at Xu Chu…
Xu Chu understood. Being honest and simple, he opened his mouth and said, "Why don't you learn from us, Madam Gan? Just take off your pants and relieve yourself right here in the rattan basket… anyway, it'll just pee outside, it doesn't matter!"
This…
Lady Gan was startled. When he said "it doesn't matter," did he mean things inside or outside?
She couldn't possibly take off her pants to relieve herself in front of two men!
She was the King of Wei's woman!
Besides… a woman’s urination is much more troublesome than a man’s, and it takes longer!
As if sensing Lady Gan's concern, Xu Chu added, "My Lord Liu and I will turn away and not look. Madam, unless you want to be held to death by urine, which a living person would not want!"
Uh…
Liu Ye was instantly dumbfounded. Xu Chu really dared to speak. It remained to be seen if Lady Gan would actually pee!
"Then you, you must not…"
Lady Gan's tone even carried a hint of shyness…
In fact, without her emphasis, Liu Ye and Xu Chu would not dare to steal a glance. This was the King of Wei’s woman; whoever looked would die!
Saying this, then it was too late…
Lady Gan moved to a corner of the rattan basket. In an instant, facing the wind, the snow-white… flowed down, like the Milky Way falling from the ninth heaven!
Liu Ye closed his eyes. Just hearing the sound, he felt it was a sin.
Later, when the King of Wei found out, wouldn't he hold a grudge?
Suddenly… Liu Ye felt a chill all over his body.
…
…
At the exit of Bowang Slope, by the ancient road, unlike the ashes within Bowang Slope.
Here… the mountains were green, the water was clear, and it looked like the vast expanse of green grass reaching the horizon.
Liu Bei, riding his Kilin horse, bit his lip and narrowed his eyes, gazing at the burning Bowang Slope, gazing at the soldiers engulfed by the flames.
He wanted to save these soldiers…
But… he simply couldn't save them!
"My lord, let us retreat to Xinye first!" Zhao Yun said…
"Alas…" Liu Bei clenched his fists. Because his fingernails dug in too hard, they almost embedded themselves in his flesh… A faint trace of blood dripped from his hands. "If… if only…"
Liu Bei pointed at the soldiers engulfed by the flames, those despairing and helpless soldiers, and shouted loudly, "If there were a heavy rain right now, then… then how wonderful it would be!"
As soon as he finished speaking…
A pattering sound of liquid descended from the sky, falling onto his cheeks, his ears, his nose… and even his mouth.
Liu Bei opened his mouth: "Is this… manna from heaven?"
"Achoo…"
Liu Bei noticed that his sleeve was stained with that yellow color, like "earth yellow"!
This…
Liu Bei realized that this didn't seem to be manna from heaven!
And then…
— _Gulp_… _Gulp_…
(_This is not an onomatopoeia, but a "verb"_)
…
…