Bai Ma Hou Mansion in Luoyang City!
The Luo River flowed through it. Where there was water, there was life. Many precious deer and rabbits were kept by the Luo River in the courtyards.
And at this moment, the new owner of this mansion was sleeping soundly in a magnificent pavilion.
As dawn broke, Lu Yu stood up from his bed, walked slowly to the window, and looked at the east where the sky was turning pale. The morning sun had not yet shown its face.
He had not slept well last night, not because he couldn't get used to the new mansion, but because there were many things he needed to deal with recently.
Lu Yu found that as Old Cao's territory grew larger and his subordinates increased in number, he himself inexplicably became busier and busier…
Hoo…
He exhaled a heavy breath.
Lu Yu went through all the matters that needed to be dealt with recently in his mind.
The first matter was to plot for Jingzhou, to take Jingzhou without shedding a drop of blood, using a method that could not be called "glorious"!
Although it was not glorious, compared to the deaths of tens of thousands of soldiers, it was acceptable. As the saying goes, all's fair in war.
The second matter was to rescue Lady Gan…
With the great success of the "Kongming Lantern" and "Ai Huo Ling Ji Zi Fei" last night, Lu Yu believed that hot air balloons could indeed be built in this era.
And to rescue Lady Gan from Xinye City without bloodshed or a sound, the hot air balloon was perfectly timed!
The third matter was to establish a powerful navy!
Looking at the overall situation, after Jingzhou, there would be Chibi!
Indeed… Lu Yu had already planted pieces in Jiangdong, and he was familiar with the series of plays such as "iron chain linkage," "bitter flesh trick," and "borrowing the east wind." However, winning at Chibi was still not easy!
The first hurdle was to conquer the natural barrier of the Yangtze River…
Victory on the strategic level could only be a temporary advantage. A strong Wei navy was the foundation, the most crucial aspect.
Moreover, the opponents were Zhuge Liang and Zhou Yu…
Lu Yu dared not be careless!
According to his initial idea, Huang Zhong and Lu Bu would be tasked with training the navy. In the entire Wei… there was a shortage of generals capable of naval warfare!
The fourth matter was the Yamato Empire…
In fact, this was the same as building a strong navy. The blueprints for ships capable of ocean voyages had already been copied. Lu Yu was bound to dispatch a troop to resolve the issues with the Yamatai Kingdom, and even to annex it.
To cope with the increasingly harsh Little Ice Age, it was necessary to connect the world into one whole!
To use the world's richest resources to resist various disasters brought about by climate change!
And conquering the Yamatai Kingdom was the first step… and a crucial one!
Of course…
There was also the fifth matter, propaganda!
In Lu Yu's opinion, heading south was imminent. He might not care about Liu Biao, but dealing with Liu Bei was something that had to be put on the agenda.
And when dealing with Liu Bei, the most ruthless method was not to destroy his forces, but to ruin his reputation.
Among the five matters, the one concerning Liu Bei was the most important!
Hoo…
Thinking of this, Lu Yu smacked his lips and couldn't help but sigh… these are troubled times!
In fact, there was one thing Lu Yu overlooked: Ma Teng of Xiliang, along with his beloved daughter, had set off from Guanzhong towards Luoyang…
Their destination was none other than Bai Ma Hou, Lu Yu!
However…
This potential third wife of the Marquis, is it a blessing or a curse?
…
…
In early winter, Jingzhou was not like the north; the sun was warm.
Although the persimmon trees on the mountain had shed their leaves, they were still full of vitality, as if spring was about to arrive.
The grass on the ground had turned "ochre" on top, but its base still retained greenery, giving the impression that it could not be blown down by the cold wind. The winter here still had vitality.
About five li into the depths of the mountain, the dense forest suddenly opened up, and a thatched hut appeared. Outside the hut was a gourd, clearly indicating this was a medical clinic.
Just as Wolong hid in Wolong Ridge, many famous people in Jingzhou liked to live in seclusion in the mountains. Here lived a middle-aged physician.
"Dada dada…"
With a series of urgent hoofbeats, a young general in white robes appeared, breaking the silence.
Upon closer inspection, this young general in white robes could only be Zhao Yun, Zhao Zilong!
— "To advance is to save the world, to retreat is to save the people; if one cannot be a good minister, one should also be a good physician."
— "Learning is easy to achieve, but character is hard to obtain."
— "If the pulse is slightly rough in a case of cold damage, it was originally cholera. Now it is cold damage, and after four or five days, it reaches the Yin channels, and the Yin person turns to diarrhea. If there is vomiting and diarrhea, it is incurable!"
Facing the physician before him, Zhao Yun recited these words…
The middle-aged physician's expression tightened.
"Are you a guest from Zhongyuan?"
"My young lord is the one who authored 'Treatise on Shanghan and Miscellaneous Diseases'…"
As Zhao Yun uttered these words, the middle-aged physician was stunned… He looked around, ensuring no one was eavesdropping, and then hurriedly led Zhao Yun into the thatched hut.
…
A square desk, two bowls of clear water.
The middle-aged physician faced Zhao Yun and asked first, "Is my martial uncle doing well?"
His master was Zhang Zhongjing, so the martial uncle he mentioned was naturally Lu Yu!
Speaking of which…
Just after Cao Cao had captured Yanzhou and Xuzhou, Lu Yu's "Treatise on Shanghan and Miscellaneous Diseases" saved countless patients of cold damage, allowing them to regain their lives.
Although this had already made Lu Yu famous, it was not enough to call him "Medical Immortal."
What truly led the medical community and the common people of the realm to call Lu Yu the Medical Immortal was that under his command, Zhang Zhongjing's disciples traveled throughout the thirteen provinces of Han, treating cold damage in each province!
This applied to both commoners and soldiers of the various provinces!
This was truly the reason why Lu Yu's reputation as the "Medical Immortal" spread throughout the land!
Similarly, Lu Yu's nephews had all established a reputation in various prefectures and counties, becoming renowned physicians locally, and had taken in countless disciples, saving the world with their skills.
It was no exaggeration to say that in all of Jingzhou, at least five out of every ten medical clinics were related to the Medical Immortal Lu Yu.
And the physician before Zhao Yun was the most senior in Jingzhou…
He was a direct disciple of Zhang Zhongjing and the current leader of the medical community in Jingzhou!
"Commander Lu is entirely well…" Zhao Yun said, "However, he has a secret mission he wishes to entrust to you!"
"Since it is my martial uncle's instruction, then… I shall obey!" The middle-aged physician stood up, cupped his hands, and awaited orders.
It should be known that in scholarly circles, the relationship between master and disciple was not unlike that between father and son;
And in the medical field, the bond established between master and disciple was perhaps even stronger than that between father and son. The medical community valued this greatly!
And considering the "Treatise on Shanghan and Miscellaneous Diseases" and Lu Yu's title of "Medical Immortal," these nephews held his instructions in great reverence.
"These two physicians? Are you familiar with them?"
Zhao Yun took out a piece of paper on which two names were clearly written.
The middle-aged physician glanced at it…
"I don't know… General, what do you need these two for?"
"I heard that Lady Cai, the wife of Jingzhou Governor Liu Biao, regularly obtains medicine from these two medical clinics every month. Commander Lu ordered me to inquire what medicine she is taking?" Zhao Yun truthfully replied.
"That's easy!" The middle-aged physician smiled slightly. "Coincidentally, these two names belong to my disciples! If you want to inquire, I can summon them! They also greatly admire Medical Immortal Lu!"
"Then thank you very much…"
Zhao Yun cupped his hands…
He was completing tasks assigned by both Zhuge Liang and Lu Yu here.
Both Zhuge Liang and Lu Yu had considered that if Lady Cai had irregular private life, to avoid her reputation from falling, she would inevitably take some special herbs to prevent pregnancy and avoid being discovered!
Therefore…
Following the leads, Zhao Yun meticulously visited.
He finally discovered that Lady Cai ordered her maids to obtain medicine from these two clinics separately each month, and they were different types of medicine!
Only by piecing together these medicines could it be confirmed whether Lady Cai was… indeed taking special herbs.
Based on this, corresponding actions could be taken later!
This was a situation where one move affected the entire game!
"Please wait a moment, General. I will send a young attendant to the city to summon them."
"That would be excellent!"
Zhao Yun cupped his hands. Even he hadn't expected things to develop so smoothly!
…
…
The oil lamp had burned down, and the pale morning light filtered in slightly. For the entire night, the newly established newspaper headquarters in Luoyang City had been illuminated!
Cao Zhi had been working hard all night, his spirit somewhat depleted, yet he had still not completed his task.
Speaking of which.
He had just moved the newspaper office to Luoyang City when he received a new task: Lu Yu wanted him to write an article titled "Liu Bei: A Barrel of Dirt."
He was concentrating his efforts, but… after thinking about it, he still couldn't write a single word.
It seemed that Liu Bei's dirt was not easy to find.
Of course…
Logically, Cao Zhi could consult the newspaper's "editor-in-chief," Zheng Xuan.
However, Lu Yu had specifically instructed him that Zheng Xuan would not help him compile Liu Bei's dirt!
This was because in the chaotic late Han dynasty, the Confucian Classics school, at least internally, remained a solid bloc.
The first generation leader of the Confucian Classics school was the hermit Zhi Xun, the second generation leader was the great scholar Ma Rong, and the third generation had three famous disciples, namely Lu Zhi, Zheng Xuan, and Yuan Wei!
Although Zheng Xuan's scholarship was called "Zheng School," he was still a branch of Confucian Classics.
Among the fourth-generation successors, Liu Bei was one… He studied under Lu Zhi, making him a fourth-generation successor of Confucian Classics. Yuan Shao's uncle was Yuan Wei, also a fourth-generation successor of Confucian Classics, hence Yuan Shao accepted Liu Bei, aside from political reasons, it was also a matter of alliance.
To be precise, Zheng Xuan also had a disciple named Sun Qian, who was currently following Liu Bei…
Because of this, Zheng Xuan could not smear the fourth-generation disciples of Confucian Classics.
Therefore, Lu Yu directly told Cao Zhi to not even consider Zheng Xuan!
Think for yourself!
But… how could Liu Bei's dirt be so easily found?
"Alas!"
Finally, unable to bear it any longer, Cao Zhi stepped out and went to Bai Ma Hou Mansion to find Lu Yu!
Despite not sleeping all night, he walked with a brisk pace, his demeanor focused. He was very curious if Chief Lu already had dirt on Liu Bei in his mind?
…
Bai Ma Hou Mansion, a square desk, two cups of light wine.
Cao Zhi drank one cup after another. Others became more sleepy the more they drank, but he was the opposite; the more he drank, the more spirited he became.
"Chief Lu, your disciple… your disciple truly cannot find any dirt on Liu Bei. I hope Chief Lu can provide some guidance!"
This…
Looking at the haggard Cao Zhi before him, Lu Yu felt a pang of sympathy. He had merely made a casual remark, and look what he had done to the child!
"Cough, cough…"
He coughed lightly and Lu Yu said, "Young Master Zijian, there's no need to be like this… If you think of Liu Bei's dirt in a proper way, of course, you won't find any. You have to think of it in an improper way."
Ah…
Improper?
Cao Zhi's eyes blinked. "Can Chief Lu give some more hints?"
Well…
Lu Yu's eyes rolled a few times, and after a slight organization of his language, he immediately said, "For example, when your father raised troops to attack Xuzhou, Liu Bei rushed to aid Xuzhou!"
"At that time, he was serving his old classmate Gongsun Zan. After he resigned as the magistrate of Anxi County, it was Gongsun Zan who took him in, cleared his name for whipping the Censor, and recommended him to be the Governor of Pingyuan! Gongsun Zan was kind enough, wasn't he? But… what about Liu Bei? Because he coveted Xuzhou, he turned around and defected to Tao Qian, betraying Gongsun Zan!"
Uh…
As Lu Yu said this, Cao Zhi's eyes fixed.
Even though Lu Yu said it so lightly, it seemed to be the case!
Cao Zhi was about to speak, but Lu Yu continued.
"Another example is when Liu Bei was defeated by Lu Bu in Xuzhou, and during his escape, he encountered the hunter Liu An. To entertain Liu Bei, Liu An directly killed his wife, cooked her, and offered it to Liu Bei! But afterward? When Liu Bei learned the truth, he simply packed up and left, without even giving Liu An any additional gesture! It was only after Prime Minister Cao learned of this that he bestowed much money upon Liu An!"
When talking about Liu Bei's dirt, it was almost endless! Lu Yu seemed to have opened a floodgate, listing them like a treasure trove.
"Also, Liu Bei fought against Ji Ling, a general under Yuan Shu. He was on the verge of death, but Lu Bu saved him with the 'arrow shooting from the辕门' (Chariot Gate)! But in the end? At Baimei Tower, Liu Bei was the honored guest, and Lu Bu was the prisoner. Liu Bei said, 'Have you not seen the matters of Ding Jianyang and Dong Zhuo?' This was simply using a borrowed knife to kill, killing without leaving a trace!"
"To put it bluntly, he couldn't stand Lu Bu joining forces with your father, and wanted to use your father to eliminate the hidden danger of Lu Bu. His intentions were undoubtedly malicious and insidious!"
"Furthermore, Liu Bei's character is also not good. He abandoned his wife, his brothers, his generals, his soldiers… Such things can be cited by the handful! Let alone an article, even a whole newspaper page would not be enough to describe them all…"
At this point, Lu Yu paused…
"Then write an article following Liu Bei's actions. Liu Bei is sinister. He defected to Gongsun Zan, Gongsun Zan was defeated by Yuan Shao, he defected to Tao Qian, and inexplicably Tao Qian died, leaving Xuzhou to him. He defected to Lu Bu, and Lu Bu died at Baimei Tower. He defected to Yuan Shao, and Yuan Shao was destroyed! Now, the warlords in the north and the central plains are all exhausted, and it's finally time to exhaust the southern warlords. Is there no conspiracy theory in this? Digging deeper into this, write that Liu Bei, while appearing benevolent on the surface, is actually scheming. Now living in Xinye, he is using the eldest son Liu Qi to plot for Jingzhou!"
Huo…
Huo…
Hearing this, Cao Zhi's eyes widened. He could almost not believe his eyes.
My heavens, the dirt on Liu Bei that he couldn't think of all night, according to Master Lu, came so easily, a whole barrelful. Just those mentioned earlier were enough to fill the entire page.
If this were to spread, Liu Bei's reputation as a "benevolent gentleman" would be completely destroyed!
"Master Lu…" Cao Zhi wanted to speak…
At this moment, his admiration was like the boundless flow of the Yellow River!
Who would have thought that Lu Yu wasn't finished speaking yet!
He immediately recited a piece of dirt on Liu Bei, the dirtiest one… this irrefutable and unarguable piece of dirt, once revealed, would be enough to prevent Liu Xuande from ever turning over for eternity!
His persona… would completely collapse.
Completely crumble.
…
…