Outside Xiapi City, in Xuzhou.
"That person is sneaking around, catch him!"
"Catch him for this lady!"
Outside the city, Lü Lingqi, while practicing her equestrian skills, spotted a suspicious man. She immediately spurred her horse, leading her guards in pursuit.
"Stop him!"
"Don't let him escape!"
Countless horsemen galloped wildly.
Upon closing in, Lü Lingqi used her spear to flick away his veil, her expression instantly hardening. "I know you. You are an retainer of Uncle Hao Meng. Why are you out of Xiapi City and acting so nervously?"
Hao Meng, mentioned by Lü Lingqi, was one of Lü Bu's eight valiant generals, known for his courage and strategy.
This Hao Meng had watched Lü Lingqi grow up...
However, his retainer?
At this moment, due to his nervousness, a scroll of bamboo slips fell from the man's embrace. Lü Lingqi immediately sent someone to pick it up and quickly unfurled it.
This action, initially innocuous, caused her brow to furrow deeply.
"Bad... Hao Meng he... he has joined Cao Cao with Liu Bei. They are all going to betray Father. He plans to counterattack Xiapi City!"
In essence...
Lü Lingqi dared not delay. She hastily turned her horse and galloped towards the city. She had to report this matter to her father. This was a matter of grave importance.
Just then, the sky was filled with the blood-red afterglow of the setting sun, and the entire Xiapi City instantly became a battlefield of bloody slaughter.
"Kill, kill, kill..."
The shouts of war echoed throughout the city, with countless soldiers surging towards the Xiapi City yamen like a tide.
Immediately, the sounds of killing and screams intertwined.
"This general, by the order of the Son of Heaven and Duke Cao, is here to eliminate the traitor Lü Bu. Do you not get out of the way!"
"Kill! Charge into the yamen, my general!"
"Kill Lü Bu's dog head! A thousand gold and ten thousand households will be rewarded to the one who presents it to Duke Cao!"
The one shouting was none other than Hao Meng, one of Lü Bu's eight valiant generals.
For some unknown reason, he had suddenly rebelled with his troops and was madly charging towards the yamen!
The eyes of these rebels were filled with bloodlust. They continuously let out long roars, choosing this time to stand with the Son of Heaven and Cao Cao, to fight Lü Bu in a decisive battle.
There was no turning back in this battle!
At this moment, Xiapi City was already filled with an atmosphere of panic. Even Lü Bu, in the yamen, upon hearing of Hao Meng's rebellion, fled with Diao Chan and Ling Ju towards Gao Shun's Trapped Beast Camp outside the city.
"The enemy soldiers are coming, Lord, flee quickly... We will cover your retreat!"
"Run! That traitor Hao Meng is coming!"
"Lord... hurry... hurry towards the south gate..."
Fortunately, Lü Bu still had loyal generals such as Zhang Liao and Gao Shun...
Under their protection, Lü Bu and his family quickly retreated to the Trapped Beast Camp on the outskirts of the city!
This sudden rebellion grew fiercer by the hour. Yesterday, they were all under Marquis Wen, brothers in arms!
Today... they would be drawing swords against each other!
The entire Xiapi City was instantly engulfed in flames of war, like a living hell.
This sudden rebellion, from dawn till dusk, with the moon casting a faint glow and fires illuminating the sky, the cries of agony were incessant!
...
...
Three days later, the battle report from Xiapi City, Xuzhou, reached Xuchang City.
Hao Meng's rebellion was quelled by Lü Bu's Trapped Beast Camp led by Gao Shun.
Hao Meng was also killed by Gao Shun, and his head was hung at the gate of Xiapi City.
It was heard that the Trapped Beast Camp was exceptionally valiant in this battle!
Of course, none of this was important.
What was important was that Xiapi City had strengthened its defenses, rigorously questioning every passing merchant and thoroughly interrogating everyone who had recently contacted Lü Bu's generals.
Indeed, Lü Bu was already exhibiting signs of extreme paranoia!
When this battle report returned, Cao Cao exploded. He was utterly furious.
"Foolish, foolish, foolish!"
"This Hao Meng is simply the epitome of foolishness. I, Cao Cao, have never encountered such a foolish person in my life!"
In the study of the Duke's mansion...
Cao Cao was practically bursting with anger.
The reason for this was none other than Hao Meng, one of Lü Bu's eight valiant generals.
To be more precise, this involved... Cao Cao's plans and deployments!
During this period, as he intended to seize Xiapi City, he naturally dispatched a large number of spies in secret to incite Lü Bu's generals, attempting to replicate the feat of Yu'er's subversion of Yuan Shu's generals in the past, to disintegrate Lü Bu from the root.
The results were also good, with some generals having already clearly expressed their allegiance to Cao Cao...
Hao Meng, who already harbored rebellious intentions, was one of them.
Originally, with Cao Cao gaining internal support, Lü Bu having an extra "nail" within his ranks seemed like a happy outcome.
But alas...
Hao Meng, eager to prove himself, unilaterally decided to act, attempting to take Xiapi City in one fell swoop and behead Lü Bu to claim merit from Cao Cao!
Alas, things did not go as planned!
His rebellion was suppressed by Gao Shun's Trapped Beast Camp, and the entire Xiapi City became extremely vigilant. Merchants and farmers wishing to enter the city were subjected to strict questioning!
Even Lü Bu's civil and military officials were closely monitored, with their contacts constantly reported to Lü Bu.
Lü Bu seemed to have become possessed.
He no longer wished to experience betrayal from his subordinates again!
As a result...
Cao Cao's hard-won informants and spies within Lü Bu's ranks were rendered useless!
Even the father and son duo, Chen Gui and Chen Deng, were being watched by Lü Bu's personal guards, making it no longer easy to report intelligence from Xiapi City to Cao Cao.
This was equivalent to Cao Cao's eyes being completely blinded and his ears completely deafened!
As Sun Tzu's Art of War states, "Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will win a hundred battles." Now, he knew nothing about Lü Bu or Xiapi City.
This ignorance made Cao Cao lose sleep and peace of mind!
Therefore, at this moment...
He was furious, calling Hao Meng foolish! Utterly foolish!
"Duke Cao, please calm your anger..."
At this moment, only Xun Yu was by Cao Cao's side, and his expression was also grim.
... Now is the critical period to sow discord between Lü Bu and Liu Bei. The fires of war in Xuzhou are about to ignite. At such a time, Hao Meng being subverted and the informants in Xiapi City being completely cut off is undoubtedly a fatal blow to the upcoming situation and deployment!
How could Xun Yu not curse Hao Meng countless times in his heart?
But... he had to remain calm now. Since things had already happened, they had to be faced and remedied!
"Duke Cao, please calm your anger! The priority is for us to quickly re-establish our informants in Xiapi City. This is the most crucial matter! No matter how angry we are ten or a hundred times over, it will be of no avail."
*Hoo...*
Hearing this, Cao Cao let out a light sigh, his tightly knit brows loosening slightly.
How could he not know what needed to be done as a priority?
It was just that the excellent situation had been ruined by Hao Meng's foolishness, which was truly a pity, a pity!
"Alas..." With a helpless sigh, Cao Cao forced himself to cheer up. "Forget it, let's not talk about this. Lu Sinong once said something that quite fits my current mood. Heh heh, it's better to have a divine opponent than a pig-like teammate. This Hao Meng is precisely the pig teammate that Lu Sinong spoke of! Heh heh..."
Cao Cao chuckled bitterly, as if to put the matter aside. The next step... was to make amends, and this amends now seemed very difficult, very difficult indeed!
Just then.
A crisp voice came from outside the door.
"Duke Cao, in the Tao Te Ching, there is a saying: 'Misfortune is what fortune leans on; fortune is what misfortune hides within.' Hao Meng's rebellion, though it appears to be misfortune, might not necessarily be misfortune, but good fortune."
*Hoo...*
As these words were spoken, Cao Cao's eyes suddenly widened, and his spirit was greatly invigorated.
Not only Cao Cao, but Xun Yu's expression also changed drastically. He quickly turned his head to look towards the entrance of the Sinong mansion's study. Who else could appear here but Lu Yu?
Heh...
When did this fellow return?
Xun Yu lightly tapped his forehead, somewhat surprised.
Indeed, Lu Yu had returned. He had set out fifteen days ago. Under normal travel conditions, it would have taken him at least a month to return to Xuchang City.
But... Lu Yu was concerned about the battle situation in Xiapi City, so he had the Dragon Soaring Camp travel at full speed for fifteen days.
Speaking of which, this forced march... he was fine physically and not afraid of bumps...
It was just that Da Qiao and Xiao Qiao were violently jostled, their entire bodies feeling like they had fallen apart from riding a horse, and more importantly, their bodies ached all over.
Now that they had arrived in Xuchang City, Lu Yu had specifically settled them in a separate courtyard!
According to custom, concubines entering a household were to serve tea to the lady of the house.
But alas... Lu Yu's elder sister, Cai Zhaoji, was still teaching at the Imperial Academy and could not return for the time being!
The etiquette for concubines entering the household was not yet complete, and Da Qiao and Xiao Qiao could not enter the Sinong mansion's gates for a while.
They could only be wronged to stay in the separate courtyard for some time.
As for Lu Yu, he had rushed to the Duke's mansion first, wanting to discuss the strategy for attacking Xiapi City with Old Cao in detail.
He happened to overhear Old Cao's raging fury.
As for the reason, even a fool could guess, it was mostly due to Hao Meng, one of Lü Bu's generals, acting privately and alarming the enemy!
This matter, or rather, this tragedy... had been circulating for a long time along the way.
The story of being eager to earn merit, trying to show off, and ending up being... seemed to be happening every day in this era.
But...
Old Cao didn't need to get so angry!
In Lu Yu's opinion, this was not a misfortune at all, but a good thing, a tremendously good thing.
Therefore, before even entering the door, Lu Yu first used a quote from the Tao Te Ching to explain: "Misfortune is what fortune leans on; fortune is what misfortune hides within."
*Tap, tap...*
The crisp footsteps echoed in the room. Lu Yu cupped his hands towards Cao Cao and Xun Yu, bowing. "Lu Yu greets Duke Cao, and greets Commander Xun."
At this, Cao Cao and Xun Yu both came back to their senses.
"Lu Sinong, you've returned so quickly! I thought you would still take ten more days to return to Xuchang!" Cao Cao exclaimed. "Haha, you've returned at the perfect time. Commander Xun and I were just mentioning something you said: 'It's better to have a divine opponent than a pig-like teammate!' Little did we know, as soon as we finished speaking, you arrived, hahahaha... Let's see how we can salvage the situation caused by our pig teammate!"
Seeing Lu Yu, Cao Cao laughed heartily.
His gloomy mood seemed to clear up instantly.
After all, with such brilliance preceding him, whenever he encountered difficulties and was at a loss, Yu'er always brought him endless surprises. This time, he appeared, and as soon as he spoke, he uttered "Misfortune is what fortune leans on; fortune is what misfortune hides within," which was a profound statement...
Instantly, Cao Cao felt two words in his heart: "It's stable!"
Xun Yu's eyes darted. Now was not the time for pleasantries and greetings...
He immediately smiled and said, "Since Lu Sinong mentioned 'Misfortune is what fortune leans on; fortune is what misfortune hides within,' you must have a new understanding of Hao Meng's unauthorized actions and the situation in Xuzhou? Why not... tell us about it?"
Xun Yu was being direct!
It was rare for the usually calm Commander Xun to be so direct!
Of course, Lu Yu could somewhat understand. After all, Xiapi City was a complete blind spot for the Cao camp!
This sense of unknown mystery and fear was very vexing!
*Ahem...*
Clearing his throat lightly, Lu Yu did not beat around the bush and spoke directly, "Duke Cao, Commander Xun, the reason I say 'Misfortune is what fortune leans on; fortune is what misfortune hides within' is because although Hao Meng's unauthorized actions have severed our 'eyes' and 'ears,' they have also brought us three major benefits!"
Hmm...
Three major benefits?
Lu Yu's words surprised both Xun Yu and Cao Cao.
However, this surprise was fleeting, as... schemes for finding life in desperate situations and surviving after being pushed to the brink of death were not uncommon for Lu Yu.
Xun Yu and Cao Cao both perked up their ears, ready to listen attentively...
Lu Yu's voice continued.
"The first benefit is that Hao Meng's rebellion will increase Lü Bu's suspicion towards his subordinates. Although our internal informants, the father and son duo Chen Gui and Chen Deng, will be somewhat affected, the person most affected is none other than Lü Bu's strategist, Chen Gong!"
Chen Gong?
Upon hearing this name.
Cao Cao's brow twitched. He began to carefully ponder this sentence, and at the same time, Xun Yu also began to ponder it.
Xun Yu's reaction was extremely sharp.
Within a single day, he understood the meaning of Lu Yu's words.
"I see..." Xun Yu opened his mouth and said, "Does Lu Sinong mean? Chen Gong and Lü Bu's current subtle lord-vassal relationship?"
"In the past, Lü Bu treated Chen Gong as his strategist and followed his every word. However, due to the Chen family father and son, he gradually distanced himself from Chen Gong. There was even news not long ago that the two had a big argument, and since then, Chen Gong has remained in seclusion, and..."
When Xun Yu reached this point.
Cao Cao also suddenly understood, and before Xun Yu could finish speaking, Cao Cao immediately interjected.
"Hao Meng's rebellion occurred at just the right time. Given Lü Bu's suspicion, how could he not associate this matter with Chen Gong? Considering their previous dispute, Lü Bu's suspicion of Chen Gong will be even greater! This is undoubtedly a great help to us!"
"Precisely..."
Lu Yu nodded. He felt a bit awkward.
It was quite awkward to converse with intelligent people. He had intended to reveal these things and show off in front of Cao Cao and Xun Yu!
Alas, as soon as he spoke, as soon as he offered a hint, Xun Yu and Cao Cao understood everything. This feeling of being unable to show off was truly awkward.
"Cough cough..."
With a light cough, Lu Yu summarized: "Lü Bu previously betrayed Ding Yuan, presenting Ding Yuan's head to Dong Zhuo, and then betrayed Dong Zhuo, presenting Dong Zhuo's head to Wang Yun!"
"Speaking of betrayal, he is the foremost person of this era! And those who frequently betray their masters are bound to be suspicious of their subordinates. Coincidentally... Chen Gong's dispute with him occurred at this critical juncture. How could Lü Bu not attribute this matter to Chen Gong?"
"Therefore, I say that the first benefit of Hao Meng's rebellion is Chen Gong's cold shoulder! And the second? It is still due to Lü Bu's suspicion. If even Hao Meng, one of the eight valiant generals he trusted, could rebel, then? What about others? What about the other eight valiant generals?"
"Will Zhang Liao, Gao Shun, Zang Ba, and others among the eight valiant generals also secretly betray him? The sensitive and fragile Lü Bu might even think that anyone holding military power could rebel!"
"Therefore, if nothing unexpected happens, he will surely dismiss the military power of Zhang Liao, Gao Shun, and others, and transfer it to someone he trusts more, and someone related to him by blood! For example, Wei Xu, who has relatives inside and outside the family, whom Lü Bu has to call elder brother, ah no... call cousin!"
"And Wei Xu, compared to Zhang Liao and Gao Shun, is simply trash! In this way, even if Lü Bu's troops did not suffer great setbacks, the changes in command, the incompetence of the commander, and the coordination between officers and soldiers are all problems. The combat effectiveness of the Bingzhou Wolf Riders has been greatly reduced! Is this not a huge benefit for Duke Cao?"
Heh...
Lu Yu's words had such a magic.
Cao Cao, who was originally vexed and furious, felt his mood instantly become clear as the sky thanks to Lu Yu's few words.
As expected of Yu'er, he was adept at understanding people, adept at planning, and adept at resolving his old father's concerns. If one were to have a son, it should be like Yu'er!
"Hahahahaha..."
Thinking of this, Cao Cao couldn't help but burst into laughter.
His laughter made Lu Yu feel quite flustered...
Xun Yu continued to ask.
"Lu Sinong's few words, through a matter that was originally bad, have brought forth two favorable pieces of news. One cannot help but admire! However... Lu Sinong mentioned three benefits, so what is the third benefit?"
When asked this...
Xun Yu's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Also, even if there are many benefits, we must still face the fact that Xiapi City has now severed our informants!"
"Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will win a hundred battles! Without informants, it is equivalent to being blind and deaf. How can we know ourselves and know our enemy?"
Mentioning these informants...
Lu Yu's eyes flickered.
He suddenly thought of a line of dialogue...
- What is a surprise?
- A surprise is, three days later, I will give you 1.8 million to go out and eliminate the bandits, and pick up my legs!
Lu Yu actually wanted to say...
Old Cao, Old Cao, I don't need 1.8 million, I only need ten days, which is enough to pick up your legs... ah no, enough to re-establish your informants in Xiapi City!
Ten days, you won't lose money, you won't be tricked! Only ten days! Get Xiapi City informants to your home!
...
...