Pang Shiyuan cleverly devises the chain plan!
Zhou Yu fights Huang Gai, one willing to hit, one willing to be hit;
Zhuge Liang sacrifices to the wind on the Seven Star Platform, Zhou Yu sets fire at Sanjiang Estuary!
The first two lines recited by Lu Yu need to be understood separately.
The first is the iron chain lock plan offered by Pang Tong... this seems correct, and the workshop has already begun forging iron chains, with some ships already connected, and the effect is good... walking on the ships is like walking on solid ground.
This greatly compensates for the lack of naval combat ability of the Xuanwu Pond naval forces.
But the second one... is there ambiguity?
Huang Bing said it clearly just now.
If it were a stratagem of feigned injury, why send him, Huang Bing, here? How could Huang Gai let his son put himself in danger!
Furthermore, he is an old acquaintance of Cao Cao...
And with this incredibly real defense map of Jiangdong and supply route map, if this were still a "feigned injury stratagem," the cost would be too great, wouldn't it?
"Ziyu, what do you mean by what you just said?"
Cao Cao asked.
Lu Yu's tone was quite serious: "Zhou Yu and Zhuge Liang are not to be underestimated. Their minds are extremely meticulous, and this 'feigned surrender' is watertight!"
"Precisely, being too watertight is a flaw. Does King Wei and everyone else not find it too coincidental? Just as Sun Xiaomei was captured, Huang Gai requested a peace talk, Zhou Yu punished Huang Gai, Huang Gai sent his son and the defense map, and formulated a surrender plan. Where did he obtain this defense map before?"
"Such coincidences, aren't they strange? Such coincidences, instead, are false!"
"In my opinion, Zhou Yu fighting Huang Gai must be a stratagem of feigned injury, meant to facilitate Huang Gai's feigned surrender... and then use Huang Gai's ships as fire ships, burning my Great Wei's navy, which is linked by iron chains, with a single fire! For this... Zhou Yu has paid a great price!"
This...
Lu Yu's words made everyone in the large tent look at each other in dismay.
Such meticulous planning, not to mention using the "Jiangdong Defense Map" and Huang Bing as bait... the cost was not small!
Let alone them, anyone would be blinded by the scene before them.
On the contrary, Lu Yu...
In this situation, he still maintained his heaven-defying observation and insight.
Evidently... even with this, they still couldn't break his psychological warfare!
Hoo...
Cao Cao let out a soft sigh.
Of course...
He didn't necessarily think that Yu'er was right.
But in such matters, it's always good to be vigilant, better to believe it exists than not, and there's no problem with that.
"What does Ziyu plan to do?"
"Play along with the plan!" Lu Yu said confidently. "Whether Huang Gai truly surrenders or feigns surrender, it won't prevent us from executing the plan to play along in twenty days!"
"Zhou Yu's objective is to burn the Great Wei's iron chain links with fire, but our objective is to lure the snake out of its hole. As long as the Jiangdong warships are not holed up in Chibi Port, and we fight in Jiangdong... we are almost certain to win! With some small methods and means, we can even control the battle losses to a very small extent."
Hearing this, Cao Cao had a feeling... Yu'er had mentioned to him before that the grand strategy was to remain still and wait for the opponent to make a mistake...
So... is this "Zhou Yu fights Huang Gai, one willing to hit, one willing to be hit" the mistake of the opponent that Yu'er had calculated?
With this thought, Cao Cao's eyes narrowed.
In this battle of Chibi, Yu'er was planning again!
"Twenty days from now is the eleventh of November!" Cao Cao exclaimed.
Double Eleven...
Lu Yu was slightly taken aback. It was indeed a good day to bury the Jiangdong navy, but whether it was this day... there was still some ambiguity!
He was about to explain in detail...
Unexpectedly...
"That's not right!" Xi Zhicai put his chin in one hand, pondering a different angle. "Ziyu's plan is good, but there's a flaw?"
"What flaw?" Lu Yu retorted.
"If, according to your words, Jiangdong saw our Great Wei's ships linked by iron chains and thus wanted to win with fire attack, followed by Huang Gai's feigned surrender and the burning of Great Wei's ships, but..."
Xi Zhicai's tone suddenly became more serious. "But... all of this has a major prerequisite, which is the need for 'southeast wind,' but now the wind is blowing from the northwest!"
"If they set fire, wouldn't the fire ships be blown backward, burning their Jiangdong warships?"
Xi Zhicai was meticulous and quick-witted. He reviewed everything Lu Yu had mentioned in his mind... the final result was this loophole.
If one analyzed it according to this loophole, then Huang Gai's surrender could not be a feigned surrender!
In other words, Lu Yu overlooked the most crucial problem.
That was the "southeast wind," and this problem was precisely critical.
As soon as Xi Zhicai uttered these words, everyone's gaze turned to Lu Yu. Indeed, without the "southeast wind," everything would be in vain, and all their schemes would backfire!
Yet...
Lu Yu remained very calm.
As if this problem... was not a problem in his eyes at all.
"I have lectured many times in the Imperial Academy about the climate and wind direction on the Yangtze River."
"The students of the Imperial Academy all know that the wind direction on the river surface has a pattern. After a continuous period of warm and sunny weather, there will be a change in wind direction, and the northwest wind will then turn into a three-to-five-day southeast wind. Of course... Huang Gai will not be able to accurately predict the wind direction twenty days from now, so... the eleventh of November he set is also a flaw. He will definitely use various reasons and excuses to postpone or advance it, for no other reason than to wait for the southeast wind!"
"These are not complicated; many fishermen along the river know this. If you don't believe me, you can ask some fishermen. Of course, try to ask secretly, so as not to let Zhou Yu notice and affect the plan to 'lure the snake out of its hole'!"
Lu Yu only gave a general explanation.
If one were to go into detail about this, it would involve the causes and characteristics of "subtropical monsoon climate"...
The scope of knowledge would be vast.
Lu Yu guessed that Zhuge Liang, having lived in Jingzhou for so many years, probably understood the local climate.
It still couldn't be without... Zhuge Liang sacrificing to the wind on the Seven Star Platform...
Of course, with Lu Yu's explanation, some in the tent understood, and some did not. But with the pearl before them.
Moreover... Lu Yu was the successor of the "Yin-Yang School." Let alone him predicting the appearance of the east wind...
Even if he said he could summon the east wind, it would not be surprising!
...
...
The night was as dark as ink.
"Let go of me..."
Sun Shangxiang, who was bound, was escorted into Lu Yu's tent.
Although she was bound, she still had a defiant look... glaring at Lu Yu as if Lu Yu... had an irreconcilable feud with her.
And this was the third day of her hunger strike.
"Cough, cough..."
Looking at the rose with thorns before him, Lu Yu coughed lightly. If previously... his feeling towards Sun Shangxiang was... she was a rose with thorns.
Then now... with Sun Shangxiang as a reference, Lu Yu's mind was recalling... the changes in the Sun-Liu allied forces after the Battle of Red Cliffs in history.
This was a series of TV dramas...
Episode 1: The Younger Sister Who Married is a Bit Fierce (Sun Xiaomei marries Liu Xuande)
Episode 2: Can't a Stepmother Take Her Child Home? (Lady Sun takes Adou back to Dongwu)
Episode 3: Why Should I Return What I Borrowed by Skill? (Liu Bei borrows several counties of Jingzhou)
Episode 4: The Xiang River is Poisonous (The Xiang River Alliance, marking the rupture of the Sun-Liu alliance)
Episode 5: If You Don't Marry, Don't Marry, Why Insult People! (Guan Yu humiliates Sun Quan, how can a fierce tiger's daughter marry a dog's son?)
Episode 6: What's Wrong with Me Stealing Your Rice? (Sun Quan robs Guan Yu's rice)
Episode 7: I Don't Want to See You Anymore, I'm Tired, Just Kill Me (Guan Yu requests surrender, Sun Quan kills him directly)
Episode 8: The Fire is Too Big, I'm a Professional at Climbing Mountains (Battle of Yiling, Lu Xun burns eight hundred li of interconnected camps)
Thinking of this series of stories...
How exciting?
And the instigator of all this was this Sun Xiaomei!
Or, going further back, it was this battle of Chibi.
That is to say, as long as the Battle of Chibi was won, history would be completely reversed... a new page would be turned.
And the reason for summoning Sun Shangxiang here was... Jiangdong.
"Young lady seems to have some misunderstanding about me!"
"You bound this young lady like this, and I should be grateful to you?" Sun Shangxiang's tone was cold...
"Miss Sun is known as Bow-Waisted Ji and Sword Fairy. I, Lu Yu, am powerless. Our strengths are unequal, so naturally... Miss Sun must be bound. However... soon, she will be released!"
Lu Yu smiled slightly.
"Release me?" Sun Shangxiang was stunned.
"At most twenty days, the battle in Chibi will end, and Great Wei's army will cross the Yangtze River. By then... what meaning would there be in taking Miss Sun as a captive?"
Lu Yu sighed.
Sun Shangxiang looked disdainful, "You're so confident before the battle even starts? You underestimate my Jiangdong disciples. You will surely be defeated in the Battle of Chibi!"
Heh...
Sun Shangxiang's words made Lu Yu laugh, but it was within expectations.
Lu Yu sat on a stool and said with a smile, "Then, how about I make a bet with Miss Sun?"
"A bet?"
"In twenty-five days, after I capture Chibi, Miss Sun will grant me one request!" Lu Yu maintained his unique confidence.
"What if not?"
"Then I will let Miss Sun go home!" Lu Yu continued.
"Really?"
"You can inquire. I, Lu Yu, always keep my word and act on my promises! And I never lie to women!"
"Pfft..." Sun Shangxiang laughed... "Alright, then it's a deal."
"Wait!"
"What other condition do you want to add?"
"During these twenty-five days, Miss Sun must not go on a hunger strike in protest, otherwise, if I win, I can't let a corpse fulfill the bet, can I!"
"You..." Sun Shangxiang bit her lip. She wanted to retort, but before the words left her mouth, she turned her head aside. "All right... but I need to know what you want me to do?"
"What to do?" Lu Yu repeated these three words, his eyes slightly curved, like a crescent moon. "I want you to persuade your brother to surrender..."
"You're dreaming..." Sun Shangxiang blurted out instinctively.
"In the Battle of Chibi, if my Great Wei wins, how can the Sun clan of Jiangdong stop my Great Wei's land army? By Miss Sun not bathing?" Lu Yu made a joke...
Then, with a "haha...", he walked out of the tent with a smile.
As he walked, he instructed.
"Treat Miss Sun well during this time! Twenty-five days later, she will be Great Wei's best persuader!"
"Yes!"
A group of Dragon Hawk Battalion soldiers responded in unison.
...
...
Xuchang City, Shangshu Platform.
For several days, Xun Yu had not left the Shangshu Platform.
Now that Great Wei's army was at Chibi, the work of pacifying the entire Xuchang and even the entire rear area naturally fell upon his shoulders.
Documents from the front line and from various regions poured into this small Shangshu Platform like snowflakes, almost every one bearing the "Urgent Report" seal, requiring him to make decisions on behalf of King Wei!
This was trust... and also a heavy responsibility!
Chibi had eighty thousand soldiers, and their food, clothing, housing, and transportation were all logistical needs that needed consideration, and they were huge problems.
Moreover, the Son of Heaven and all the officials were going to Ye City to attend the completion ceremony of the Bronze Sparrow Terrace. The safety of the entire Xuchang City... rested entirely in Xun Yu's hands.
"Is the grain route from Xuzhou to Jingzhou blocked?"
"Is the grain from the northern border also unable to be transported? Then... it can only be mobilized from Yanzhou. Huai Ru also had a good harvest this year, and Yuzhou can spare some."
Xun Yu rubbed his somewhat sore eyes... brightened the oil lamp, and tightened the thick fur coat wrapped around him...
In October, under the Little Ice Age... it was already extremely cold. Continuous nights of staying up late... made even this gentle and refined gentleman appear haggard. Fine wrinkles quietly appeared at the corners of his eyes and forehead, and the strand of long, dark beard under his chin was already slightly curled!
Xun Yu not only had to manage the state affairs of Great Wei but also the state affairs of Great Han.
Although Great Han and Great Wei had reconciled now, this dual identity still made him extremely busy. He had to share the worries of Cao Cao and also ensure the minimum decorum and dignity of the Han court.
A clerk poked at the residual ashes in the bamboo stove... the few weak sparks flashed and disappeared.
He looked helplessly at Xun Yu... Xun Yu glanced at the inkstone and ink pool, which was about to freeze, sighed, and waved his hand. The clerk then dared to add a few more charcoal sticks and knelt on the ground, desperately blowing.
Xun Yu was accustomed to thrift. His money was either used to support the younger generation of his family or to buy sachets...
Apart from these, everything else could be simplified.
Moreover, King Wei was also frugal. Since King Wei set an example... he, Xun Yu, should also follow suit.
Flames suddenly erupted from the stove, and the temperature in the room rose slightly.
Xun Yu rubbed his hands and picked up a new bamboo slip, tearing open the silk rope binding it.
At this moment...
"Fire!"
"Fire!"
Such shouts were suddenly heard from the Shangshu Platform. Xun Yu quickly stood up, pushed open the door, and walked out quickly.
But as soon as he opened the door... accompanied by the biting cold wind from outside, he was astonished to find a dagger stabbing towards him!
Fast... too fast!
Xun Yu instinctively dodged, but because it was too close.
His left arm was already cut.
"Lord Xun..."
The surrounding clerks rushed forward to protect him... and the sound of guards rushing was heard one after another.
It seemed that realizing the assassination had failed, the assassin did not linger but quickly retreated.
For a moment, dense smoke filled the entire Shangshu Platform, and fire was about to spread!
"Lord Xun, are you unharmed?"
The one speaking was Cheng Yu, who was also walking in the Shangshu Platform.
"I'm fine!"
"Lord Cheng, quickly... quickly lead people to put out the fire. The Shangshu Platform must not be lost." Even though he was injured by the dagger and bleeding profusely... Xun Yu remained calm and composed! He had the demeanor of someone whose composure was unshaken even if Mount Tai collapsed before him.
"You... go and put out the fire. You, escort Lord Xun to the medical office. You, notify the guards to close the city gates tightly... and not allow anyone to enter or exit!"
Cheng Yu immediately commanded...
"Yes!"
Countless guards who rushed over responded in unison.
The Shangshu Platform, which had been in chaos, quickly returned to order under Cheng Yu's command!
On the contrary...
Across the Ying River, two people witnessed the Shangshu Platform catching fire.
One of them was Yan Xing...
The other, clad in a black robe and holding a sword, was Wang Yue.
Yan Xing spoke first: "According to Sima Zhongda's plan, will Commander Ma Teng then return to Xuchang City?"
Wang Yue did not answer, only nodded slightly.
The purpose of this operation was not Xun Yu... nor the Shangshu Platform!
But how precious was Xun Yu's identity?
Cao Cao and the Son of Heaven would not feel at ease about his safety. The simplest way was to have the衛尉 (Wei Wei - Commandant of the Guards) Ma Teng, who was heading north, return to Luoyang!
Sima Zhongda's plan seemed... not bad!
...
...