The wind rises from the tail of the Qingping.
Xun Yu appeared calm and composed...
Xu Huang was at his wits' end.
Legend had it that the Western Liang forces assembled this time numbered two hundred thousand. Even after stripping away the water, there were at least a hundred thousand, and with less than twenty thousand to defend against a hundred thousand, the pressure was immense.
Furthermore, spies had infiltrated the city... this was even more fatal!
"Lord Xun, what exactly do you mean?"
"General Xu, do not panic. Scouts report that the armies of Ma Chao and Han Sui are stationed outside Wuguan Pass. What do you think General Xu Huang believes they are concerned about?"
"What?" Xu Huang asked urgently...
Xun Yu's tone was firm. "Xun believes they are concerned about the renowned Dragon Swift Riders of Marquis Nan Shou! Speaking of which, in recent years... have not many lords ignored this very point, only to suffer great defeat in the end? Moreover... Zhang Wenyuan's eight hundred Dragon Guard shattered Sun Zhongmou's hundred thousand troops. Such news... is truly chilling!"
"But..." Xu Huang felt something was amiss. "But... the Dragon Swift Camp is clearly in... clearly in Jiangdong!"
"Precisely because they are seemingly in Jiangdong, Han Sui and Ma Chao have reservations," Xun Yu explained. "When the Little Hegemon Sun Ce attacked Lujiang in the past, how could he have expected the Dragon Swift Camp to appear in Lujiang? As I said, the reputation of the Dragon Swift Camp has been too great these years, so great that these Western Liang men fear it immensely!"
Upon hearing this...
Xu Huang finally understood.
This was a "feigned attack" directed by the enemy, or rather, a case of the Western Liang army overthinking things.
If this story got out... that the fake Dragon Swift Camp scared away the real Western Liang army, it would indeed be a fine tale...
"Lord Xun, then... are we doing nothing?" Xu Huang continued to ask. "Since spies have infiltrated Xudu City, then... Han Sui and Ma Chao will eventually know that the Dragon Swift Camp is not here. If they then launch a strong attack on Wuguan Pass... Wuguan Pass may not be able to hold! Moreover, the Western Liang army is mostly cavalry. From Wuguan Pass to Xudu City, they can travel there in half a day!"
*Hoo...*
Upon hearing this, Xun Yu let out a gentle sigh and took out a letter from his robes.
This was a letter from Cao Cao...
"General Xu, perhaps you could take a look!"
Xu Huang quickly opened it. Upon reading it, he was immediately stunned. "The King of Wei says he will return with Marquis Nan Shou in five days? Five days... Is not the King of Wei in Jingzhou, and Marquis Nan Shou not in... in Jiangdong?"
"Heh..." Seeing Xu Huang's flustered expression, Xun Yu smiled faintly...
But just then.
"Wenruo..."
A voice sounded from the entrance of the Shangshu Terrace.
This voice, Xun Yu knew it all too well... it was his fellow townsman, Xu Shu, Xu Yuanzhi.
Immediately, Xun Yu stood up and opened the door to greet Xu Shu. To his surprise, Xu Shu had a little fellow beside him.
It was the King of Wei's most beloved son—Cao Chong!
"Young Master Chong?"
Xun Yu was taken aback...
"Greetings, Uncle Xun..." Cao Chong respectfully cupped his hands in a salute, then his eyes turned towards Xu Shu beside him.
Xu Shu then said loudly, "Wenruo, Chong'er has a stratagem... listen to it!"
*Mmm...*
Xun Yu was somewhat surprised. He had thought it was a strategy from the Directorate of Investigations, but he hadn't expected the Directorate of Investigations to bring a student from the Imperial Academy.
Immediately, his gaze lowered, and he squatted down.
"Young Master Chong..."
"Uncle Xun, I heard... that in the past, Liu Bei led thirty thousand rebel troops to surprise Xudu. At that time, it was also Uncle Xun who was in charge, and on that occasion, my elder brother, senior disciple Zhuge, senior disciple Huang... and several senior disciples like Dian Man and Xu Yi performed exceptionally, repelling the strong enemy with the power of Imperial Academy students!"
Cao Chong's tone deepened, and a hint of yearning appeared on his face.
"Chong'er also wants to try. I don't ask to repel the enemy like my senior disciples, at least I want to try and help Uncle Xun!"
What a well-behaved child!
He only reached Xun Yu's waist, yet he was already so eloquent and made one feel so pleased.
"Then, what is Young Master Chong's stratagem?"
Xun Yu continued to ask.
Cao Chong signaled Xun Yu to lean closer... he also leaned forward a couple of steps, whispering something into Xun Yu's ear.
Xun Yu initially listened absentmindedly, but as the conversation deepened, his expression sharpened... as if lost in thought, or perhaps with hidden meaning.
By the end, Cao Chong's voice fell silent.
"Hahaha..." Xun Yu laughed. "As expected of Lu Ziyu's disciple, as expected of an Imperial Academy student... Chong'er's suggestion is excellent. As for the details, I need to discuss them carefully with your master Xu."
"Then Cao Chong will take his leave." Cao Chong also respectfully performed a farewell ritual.
Xu Huang also took his leave upon hearing this.
And after Cao Chong and Xu Huang had gone far away...
Xun Yu looked up at Xu Shu. "Yuanzhi, I initially thought that the Imperial Academy students saved Xudu City last time, but this time... it should be the masters of the Imperial Academy. I didn't expect that the one who proposed such a brilliant method would still be an Imperial Academy student!"
"Heh..." Xu Shu smiled. "The waves behind the Yangtze River push the waves before... This era ultimately belongs to these young people..."
Speaking of which... Xu Shu did not forget to add, "Wenruo, there is something... I don't know if I should say it."
"Yuanzhi, please speak freely!"
"If Prince Cao Ang gives up the contention for the position of heir apparent, then..." Xu Shu paused here. "It seems... the most suitable candidate for the position of heir apparent of Great Wei would be Young Master Chong, wouldn't it!"
"He is the King of Wei's most beloved son, and Marquis Nan Shou's disciple. Moreover, he is intelligent and sharp... bearing the demeanor of Marquis Nan Shou in his youth, and he is benevolent and filial..."
Before Xu Shu could finish speaking...
Xun Yu quickly interrupted, his tone becoming serious. "Yuanzhi, in fact... there is still a more suitable candidate than Young Master Chong?"
"Who?" Xu Shu was stunned...
Subconsciously, he thought Xun Yu had also gotten involved in politics and chosen to side with another prince.
Was this a new round of opportunism for the Xun clan of Yingchuan?
But... upon closer thought, it didn't seem right!
Among the King of Wei's sons, excluding Cao Ang, there were only Cao Pi, Cao Zhi, Cao Zhang, and Cao Chong capable of being the heir apparent. If not Cao Chong, then could it be Cao Zhi?
"Does Lord Xun intend to support Prince Zijian?"
"No!"
"Then is it Prince Ziheng?"
"Neither..."
"Then..." Xu Shu could never believe that the Xun clan of Yingchuan would choose the "reckless" Prince Cao Zhang!
"Wenruo, stop playing coy."
"Hoo..."
It was Xun Yu who let out a long sigh and then turned around. "I cannot tell you yet, but... I can remind you of one thing, Yuanzhi. Why do you think the King of Wei built the Bronze Sparrow Terrace?"
*Er... this...*
Xu Shu fell into deep thought for a moment.
It seemed that... from beginning to end, Xun Yu and Xu Shu had not taken the Western Liang army seriously. In fact, in their eyes... the selection of the heir apparent of Great Wei was a hundred times more important than the Western advance of the Western Liang army!
...
...
In Luoyang City, only Princess Wannian Liu Xue and Da Qiao remained in the vast hall of Marquis Nan Shou's mansion.
They had only recently returned from Ye City.
However, they had received a letter from Sister Zhaoji... They initially thought it was an ordinary letter, a warm greeting... but after reading it, Liu Xue's expression remained normal, while Da Qiao's legs staggered, almost falling to the ground.
"Princess, what does Sister Zhaoji mean by this? It's not Lady Juan who is pregnant, but... but Sister Zhaoji who is pregnant?"
Da Qiao asked incredulously.
Liu Xue nodded heavily under her shocked gaze.
"The one who carried your husband's child was never Sister Juan... but... but Sister Zhaoji."
This...
This was like a bolt from the blue for Da Qiao.
Good heavens... good heavens... what on earth had happened?
Da Qiao's apricot-shaped mouth was agape, but her throat seemed to be choked, completely hoarse... she didn't know what to say anymore?
"It's also our fault for being so unproductive..." Liu Xue pursed her lips.
Speaking of which, her husband Lu Yu had been quite fair in his affections... but what could be done if so many wives and concubines were unproductive? In the end... Sister Zhaoji herself had to step in... it was rather ironic.
"Did the Princess know this all along?" Da Qiao seemed to have figured something out... she quickly asked.
This...
Liu Xue didn't know how to answer for a moment.
Indeed, Marquis Nan Shou's mansion was not a small household. How could it be easy to keep such a large family in the dark?
Therefore... after Liu Xue knew, she had often helped Sister Zhaoji cover for her...
It could be said that Xiahou Juan helped openly, and she, Liu Xue, helped secretly. Only then did Sister Zhaoji stay at home... studying "Continued History of the Han," and Xiahou Juan pretended to be pregnant for Sister Zhaoji...
It could be said that no one knew the details of this matter better than Liu Xue.
"Now is not the time to talk about this." Liu Xue pointed to the bottom of the letter... "Sister Juan went to Rangshan to gather firewood and has not returned for three or four days... For this reason... Sister Zhaoji doesn't intend to hide her pregnancy anymore. Sister Juan's safety is paramount..."
"Then what about us?" Da Qiao said halfway through...
She realized that at this time, it was still Liu Xue who had to make the decision.
"We are going to Luoyang, just you and me..."
"Ah..." Da Qiao asked. "Shouldn't we bring Xiao Qiao? Lady Diao Chan is also here, perhaps she could also..."
"What help can we female companions provide?" Liu Xue's tone was quite firm. "Just you and me... this matter cannot be known by too many people for the time being!"
"Okay... okay..." Da Qiao murmured in agreement.
This time, she didn't even have time to say goodbye to Xiao Qiao or Diao Chan...
The two immediately got into the carriage!
The cavalry team was already waiting at the gate.
...
...
Rangshan, a farmhouse.
Xiahou Juan ventured out of the tree hollow, but ultimately... she was not discovered.
Of course, whether she was discovered was not important, because... her targets were never her!
Xiahou Juan made her way to the mountainside. She was too familiar with Rangshan, knowing exactly how much firewood would fall in each spot...
It was because of this Rangshan that she met Lu Yu...
As the saying goes—"Love blossomed while gathering firewood, the lord sought her traces thereafter."
And it was precisely because of her familiarity with this place that Xiahou Juan found a farmhouse. She was very familiar with the farmer couple, and after marrying into Marquis Nan Shou's mansion, Xiahou Juan had often helped this pair of farmers.
Now... when she asked to borrow a cow to save a person... it really startled the farmer couple.
But subsequently...
The farmer couple agreed without thinking.
When Xiahou Juan wanted to slaughter the cow, the farmer couple gave them their old yellow cow and slaughtered it. When Xiahou Juan wanted to take out the internal organs, the farmer couple did the same. Finally, they used the cow's carcass to transport the unconscious Ma Teng to the tree hollow...
Then they placed it on a cart and headed towards the farmhouse.
This was very dangerous...
Because Ma Teng would be exposed outside... but fortunately, he was wrapped in the cow's body. Who would ordinary people suspect that a person was hidden inside the belly of a cow?
"Lady Juan, will this cure him?"
Back at the farmhouse, the farmer was somewhat confused...
It wasn't that he felt sorry for the cow, nor was he concerned about the crime of secretly slaughtering a cow... but the farmer was puzzled. Putting an unconscious person inside a cow's belly? This seemed... like no method for treating illness no matter how you looked at it.
"It's written like this in my husband's medical books." Xiahou Juan pursed her lips...
She didn't know the identity of the person in the cow's belly, nor did she know if he was good or evil... but her innate kindness drove her to save this dying middle-aged man.
However... Xiahou Juan had no idea how much impact this person she was saving would have on the current situation.
"Although my husband's medical skills are not high, his medical principles are admired by divine physicians Hua Tuo and Zhang Zhongjing, and are beyond their reach... There is such an entry in his 'Compendium of Materia Medica,' so it is likely feasible! It's just..."
Xiahou Juan pursed her lips, her eyes gazing at the cow's body with a person stuffed inside...
When would this middle-aged man wake up?
Is he friend or foe?
At this moment, even Xiahou Juan didn't realize that the cow's body suddenly moved, as if the person inside had a special feeling.
Traditional Chinese Medicine—Profound and Vast!
Just as a song says—Han medicine, rooted for thousands of years, possesses a strength unknown to others!
...
...
At the East Gate of Xudu City, the gates were wide open.
All the civil and military officials, and the city guards were lined up here... as if to welcome the triumphant return of the King of Wei and Marquis Nan Shou.
—The King of Wei and Marquis Nan Shou will arrive in Luoyang in five days!
This was Cao Cao's personal letter.
However, Xun Yu was even more exaggerated. He had sent a message to the entire Xudu City stating that the King of Wei and Marquis Nan Shou would arrive in Xudu City in three days.
Today... was the third day.
And Cao Cao's wives, Lady Ding, Lady Bian, Lady Cai, and Lady Gan... also rushed to this place in full force.
Each of them was dressed elegantly and generously. Although not young, they exuded outstanding grace and captivating beauty.
Xun Yu was also dressed in full attire, standing on a high platform, his voice steady.
"Everyone, the King of Wei sent an urgent dispatch last night, saying that he and Marquis Nan Shou have already reached Yanzhou and will surely arrive in Xudu City today!"
"They are bringing ten thousand Tiger and Leopard Cavalry back this time, and they have brought back that renowned Dragon Swift Camp, in addition to fifty thousand cavalry from various units!"
"Every one of these troops is the elite of our Great Wei. With them, let alone the twenty thousand Western Liang rebels, even fifty thousand, eighty thousand, what is there to fear? Let me ask, in the present world... has any army ever defeated the Dragon Swift Camp?"
"Cough cough..."
Speaking of this, Xun Yu paused and continued, "Recently, many officials have questioned Xun, saying that the King of Wei and Marquis Nan Shou will not arrive in Xudu City today. Haha... When the Little Hegemon Sun Bofu attacked Lujiang back then, how could he have anticipated that the Dragon Swift Camp was already here, waiting with full strength? Heh heh... his Western Liang army is merely at Wuguan Pass. If they dare to cross, it will be like closing the door to beat the dog, trapping a turtle in a jar. They will surely have no return!"
"In a moment, the King of Wei and Marquis Nan Shou will arrive, and you can personally pay your respects to them."
Xun Yu's tone grew louder with each word...
His speech was... so realistic, not a hint of blushing or breathlessness... he himself almost believed it was true.
Acting...
Life is like a play, all depends on acting!
Of course, such words... also made the Western Liang spies in the city look at each other in dismay, unable to ascertain Xudu City's true strength.
They could only report the intelligence here back to Wuguan Pass as soon as possible.
Speaking of which, Han Sui and Ma Chao had the heart but not the courage...
When shouting slogans, one was louder than the other, but when it came to entering Wuguan Pass... they couldn't help but feel uneasy.
Wuguan Pass... it wasn't something that could be entered just by saying so.
If anything went wrong... as Xun Yu said, by the time the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry and the Dragon Swift Camp returned... blocking the Wuguan Pass, then it would truly be like a meat bun thrown to a dog—never to return!
However...
They waited from morning till night, but there was no sign of Lu Yu or Cao Cao.
By dusk...
There was still no one.
The entire court seemed to have waited for nothing!
...
...