Chen Guo.
A military camp of several hundred people. In the central command tent, Zhang Fei's roar could be heard from a distance.
"I'm so angry, so angry."
Zhang Fei, wearing a black hat, paced back and forth, fuming.
"Big brother, second brother, we traveled five hundred li and missed the Chen state rebellion. Instead, Cao Cao plucked the peach. Fine, but we came to help him eliminate the rebel, and this Cao Cao puts on such airs, not inviting us into the city, and treating us so poorly, making us camp outside the city! In my opinion, let's forget about this rebel and leave!"
Zhang Fei was furious and exceptionally volatile.
"Third brother, that Cao Cao isn't even in Chen state! Who else would dare make the decision?" Guan Yu, wearing a green hat, appeared calm and composed, but in reality... he was also quite disheartened.
The agreement was to aid Chen state, to use the strength of Liu Chong, the ruler of Chen state, to suppress the rebel Yuan Shu, to conquer the six prefectures of Xuzhou, and to forge a different situation. However...
Who would have thought that Cao Cao, with only four men, would pacify the rebellion in Chen state and stabilize the situation? It was truly terrifying!
Of course, this could also be considered a form of "striking while the iron is hot."
Even the usually composed Guan Yu couldn't help but feel a flutter of excitement.
"Second brother is right." Liu Bei lowered his head. In fact, he was the most distressed. In Liu Bei's eyes, Liu Chong of Chen state had the potential to become a second Tao Qian, but alas... Chen state was given away, handed over to the behemoth Cao Cao.
It was heard that after suppressing the rebellion, Chen state surrendered more than sixty thousand troops to Cao Cao, and the military supplies and grain were countless. This was like adding wings to a tiger for Cao Cao, and for Liu Bei, it made him drool.
Liu Bei's current heart was filled with regret, and his strong exterior was merely a cover for his helplessness.
"Third brother, you must not speak nonsense anymore. We are here in Chen state to help the Son of Heaven eliminate the Han rebel Yuan Shu. Currently, only Cao Cao can be entrusted by the court to suppress the rebel and has the strength to do so! Moreover, Cao Cao and I have had a falling out over Xuzhou, you have to give him some time to consider... Even if a fast horse travels from Xudu to Chen state, it still takes at least two days, right?"
As Liu Bei finished speaking...
Guan Yu's eternally stoic face twitched slightly.
"Big brother also knows that Cao Cao has had a falling out with big brother before. Don't you… don't you fear Cao Cao will kill you?"
"Kill? Why would he kill me?" Liu Bei said with a smile. "I am here to help him suppress the rebel, and we are both upholding the Han dynasty... Even if he wanted to, he wouldn't kill me. Instead, he would value me highly to showcase Cao Cao's eagerness to recruit talent. Otherwise... wouldn't Cao Cao's repeated calls for talent be slapping himself in the face?"
He had figured it out...
Liu Bei had completely grasped Cao Cao's intentions.
Cao Cao was skilled in psychological warfare, while Liu Bei was a master of hidden strategies. Liu Bei knew exactly what moves Cao Cao could make.
However...
His expression was still grim. He sighed and said, "What worries me most is..."
"Who is it?" Guan Yu and Zhang Fei asked in unison.
"The commander of the Dragon Soaring Camp—Lu Yu!" Liu Bei uttered Lu Yu's name, his eyes narrowing. "I heard that the four people sent from Xudu to secretly assist Chen state this time are from the Dragon Soaring Camp. Since it's the Dragon Soaring Camp, it must be related to Lu Yu's planning... It seems..."
Liu Bei paused, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "It seems that Cao Cao's rise step by step over the past three years has been closely related to Lu Yu's strategies... Alas..."
Speaking of this, Liu Bei sighed helplessly, then smiled bitterly. "This is why they say Yuan Shu is foolish. He holds the true hidden dragon and is developing in low-key fashion. Yet, he, who only holds a fake hidden dragon known to everyone, dares to show his face. Such foolishness is not far from destruction."
Liu Bei personally felt the true meaning of the six words: "Develop stealthily, don't be reckless."
Cao Cao was living proof of this...
"In my opinion, big brother is overthinking. Cao Cao has been lucky all these years. When I help big brother defeat Yuan Shu, and we take his capital city of Shouchun, things will gradually get better. Don't you think so, second brother!"
Ah... haha!
Guan Yu was amused by Zhang Fei's naive words.
"If third brother says so, then so be it. The urgent matter is to listen to big brother and wait patiently, don't be anxious!"
Hearing this, Liu Bei cast a look of approval at Guan Yu...
But alas,呵呵, Shouchun? How would it become his? Ever since Chen state returned to Cao Cao, it was already decided. He, Liu Bei, and Yuan Shu were just laborers. Cao Cao was the ultimate beneficiary!
He could only hope...
That his efforts in suppressing the rebel this time would not only be seen by the people but also noticed by the court, and that he would gain some actual official titles.
In this chaotic world, without a proper title, the path ahead would not be smooth.
Alas...
With a sigh, Liu Bei looked up... and gazed at the sky through the window.
He couldn't help but lament why the hidden dragon aided Cao Cao but not him, a descendant of the King of Zhongshan Jing?
Of course, if Liu Bei knew that the hidden dragon had almost dug up the graves of his ancestors, the descendants of the King of Zhongshan Jing.
What would his mood be then?
...
...
Xudu City. For two consecutive days, Cao Cao was still deep in thought.
Should Liu Bei be used, or killed?
Cao Cao had never underestimated Liu Bei. How to handle him was even more worrying and cautious than dealing with the rebel Yuan Shu.
Xun Yu's suggestion was to kill;
Xi Zhicai's suggestion was to use;
Xun You's suggestion was to use first and then kill...
As for Yu'er, whom Cao Cao valued most, his opinion was to use him up and let others kill him!
Although it sounded similar to Xun You's.
In reality, the difference was significant.
"Borrowing a knife to kill?" Cao Cao's eyes narrowed... This was quite in line with Yu'er's usual modus operandi.
It seemed to be a rather good option among the many choices.
Speaking of which, Ding Furen hadn't come to find him for two consecutive days, giving Cao Cao ample time to calm down and ponder.
"Borrow Yuan Shu's hand to kill Liu Bei?" Cao Cao uttered this sentence, but he quickly shook his head.
Yuan Shu was now just a paper tiger that was strong on the outside but weak on the inside...
The generals around him were all harboring their own intentions, wanting to use him to eliminate Liu Bei. Cao Cao felt he was overestimating Yuan Shu and underestimating Liu Bei.
The key was that in the current situation, attacking Yuan Shu was as easy as lifting a finger!
Then...
"After suppressing Yuan Shu? Borrow Lü Bu's hand to kill Liu Bei?" Cao Cao's eyes suddenly opened wide... That's right, that's what he would do!
At least, Liu Bei still had value for now, and the three brothers Liu, Guan, and Zhang could still serve as vanguards.
"Zhong Kang..."
"Your subordinate is here."
Having figured this out, Cao Cao immediately ordered, "Immediately send someone to Chen state to inform General Yue Jin to invite Liu Bei into the city and treat him as a distinguished guest. Furthermore... tell Lord Xun to draft an imperial edict requesting the Son of Heaven to confer the title of Vanguard Against Rebels upon Liu Bei!"
If you want the horse to run, you must also let the horse eat fresh grass.
Since he was temporarily treating Liu Bei as part of his own faction, Cao Cao would naturally not be stingy with rewards.
"Yes..." Xu Chu agreed and was about to leave... when he suddenly tapped his forehead.
"Oh, I almost forgot." Xu Chu took out a piece of silk from his懷... "This is from General Yue Jin in Chen state, sent by fast horse. He said it's a letter of surrender from the Hidden Dragon?"
Hmm... a letter of surrender from the Hidden Dragon?
Cao Cao didn't react immediately?
Isn't the Hidden Dragon his son? The world is his, to whom would he surrender?
However...
In just an instant, Cao Cao realized.
It was the "Huainan Hidden Dragon," that is, the letter of surrender from He Yan, grandson of He Jin, personally appointed by the "Emperor Zhong Jia," Yuan Shu.
Haha...
Upon realizing this, Cao Cao burst into laughter. As Yu'er had said... as time passed, Yuan Shu would likely become increasingly isolated and deserted.
Now, even the fake Hidden Dragon he personally selected was submitting a letter of surrender.
This was what they called... the end of the road...
"You may go." Cao Cao took the letter of surrender and signaled Xu Chu to attend to other matters.
He slowly unfolded it. Unfolding it was one thing, but upon unfolding it, what met his eyes was an extremely graceful piece of writing. And the signature was not Hidden Dragon, nor He Yan...
But Yin Shi.
Speaking of this Yin Shi, Cao Cao was no stranger... She was once the daughter-in-law of Cao Cao's superior, the Great General He Jin. Her husband had died early, and she had a son, He Yan.
Cao Cao was always sensitive, extremely sensitive, to women of this status!
When he used to go to the Great General's residence, he would often pay attention to this lady, and naturally... they would occasionally meet and chat.
Lady Yin was not exceptionally beautiful, but... the unique charm of a married woman was something that mesmerized Cao Cao.
Now...
In this letter, Lady Yin recounted her tragic experiences.
Widowed early, her family destroyed, she was forced to flee with her son in the chaotic times, only to be exploited by the rebel Yuan Shu, who forced her son to become the Hidden Dragon.
She was even forced to utter those rebellious words – "He who replaces the Han is Yuan Shu!"
This was truly heinous.
This was the first part. In the second part, Lady Yin began reminiscing...
Between the lines, she expressed more longing for Sikong Cao.
The occasional encounters with Sikong Cao in the past, by the flowers, beneath the willow leaves, her heart's suppressed little rabbit was eager to leap out. The entire letter made it clear... If Sikong Cao could save them, mother and son, from their predicament.
Then... she, Yin Shi, was willing to be a cow or a horse!
This letter was clearly an attempt to entice Cao Cao to save them from their predicament, thereby forcing Cao Cao to make a mistake.
And she even said... willing to be a cow or a horse. To put it bluntly, she was willing to be ridden!
How could Cao Cao not see this? His pupils flickered, and Lady Yin's beautiful face reappeared in his mind.
My goodness...
This was why they said Yu'er's plans were foolproof!
Now... not only were Yuan Shu's generals vying to defect, but even a beautiful old acquaintance was coming to throw herself into his arms. Was this an unexpected bonus?
Speaking of which, Cao Cao had a strong interest in other people's wives, especially the daughter of an old acquaintance.
The thought of Lady Yin's status as the daughter-in-law of the Great General He Jin immediately made Cao Cao feel an overwhelming urge to unleash his power upon her.
"Hahaha..."
He couldn't help but laugh out loud. He counted the days.
According to Yu'er's suggestion, if he waited any longer, besides himself, Cao Cao, feeling uncomfortable...
He wondered what kind of victory situation would eventually emerge if he waited longer?
...
...
Huainan, Shouchun.
In the opulent palace, only Yuan Shu and his chief strategist Yang Hong were present.
"Your Majesty, please calm down..." Yang Hong repeatedly consoled him. "Chen state was already in our grasp. Who could have imagined that Cao Cao would preemptively send four men to infiltrate Chen state, save the Chancellor Luo Jun, and quell the rebellion?"
"This... this was unexpected. Your Majesty must not get too angry."
"Hmph!" Yuan Shu, holding the Imperial Seal, his chest heaved, and his face was like a bitter gourd. "How did Cao Cao know that I sent assassins to assassinate? And how could he precisely protect that Luo Jun? Useless, a bunch of useless people!"
Yes...
Yuan Shu was bewildered. Even if Cao Cao had gotten wind of the assassination attempt? But... how did he know the precise target, the exact time, and the number of assassins involved?
This was outrageous, utterly outrageous!
According to Yuan Shu's original plan, the assassination of Liu Chong, the ruler of Chen state, might not have been successful.
After all...
Liu Chong was skilled in martial arts and brave in battle, and he would surely have layers of protection around him. Therefore... Yang Hong had formulated a series of contingency plans to ensure that even if Liu Chong did not die, someone could deliver the final blow, and Chen state could still be seized.
But the unexpected happened so suddenly. Liu Chong of Chen state died completely, and instead, the Chancellor Luo Jun, who did not know martial arts, survived...
Not only that, but Zhang Kai, whom Yuan Shu had sent, inexplicably died, leaving the rebellion without a leader!
And the consequence of this... was that the entire Chen state was united against Yuan Shu!
They threw themselves into Cao Cao's embrace... Cao Cao gained tens of thousands of troops for free, as well as countless military supplies, grain, and equipment. The entire Jianghuai situation was instantly reversed.
Tragedy, this was a sad story from beginning to end.
Yuan Shu was completely bewildered. He felt like the whole world was targeting him. Ever since he declared himself emperor, even drinking cold water would get stuck in his throat.
Why was Cao Cao so successful, while Yuan Shu's progress was so difficult?
And also...
And then there was Lü Bu, who was even more detestable, openly defying him.
Since Lü Lingqi, the Crown Princess he had chosen, was not sent, then fine... Yuan Shu decided to send Lü Bu to his funeral first.
"What about the seven armies that attacked Xiapi City?"
"Crushing defeat..." Yang Hong replied truthfully. "Great General Zhang Xun was no match for Lü Bu. The Second General Yue Rui fell into a trap set by Lü Bu's subordinates Chen Gui and Chen Deng, and died in Xiapi City. General Ji Ling also... also fell into an ambush and was seriously wounded."
"What?" Yuan Shu roared with anger. "What about the others? What about the others?"
"Two armies were repulsed, the Reinforcement General Ji Ling was defeated, and the remaining five armies dared not move rashly. They camped... and held their positions."
In fact...
Yuan Shu's seven armies, in terms of the number of soldiers, far exceeded Lü Bu's. It was just a pity... that there were no famous generals leading them. Moreover, five of these armies... including the grain transport officer, had already secretly joined Cao Cao's camp. The crushing defeat at Xiapi was understandable.
"What about Sun Ce?" Yuan Shu suddenly stood up. He flicked his long sleeves. "I wrote to him asking to borrow troops. How did he reply?"
This...
At this remark, Yang Hong's face became even more unsightly. "Your Majesty... Sun Ce had already distanced himself from Your Majesty. He did send a letter. Perhaps... perhaps it's better not to read it?"
"Give it to me..." Yuan Shu snatched the letter from Yang Hong's hand.
As for the content of this letter, it was better not to read it. But upon reading it, Yuan Shu almost spat out a mouthful of blood.
— Rebel, you forcefully seized my Sun family's Imperial Seal, usurped the throne, rebelled against the Han dynasty, and committed heinous acts. Everyone in the world should punish you. I was about to send troops to Shouchun City to demand an explanation. How could I assist you, a rebel? Humph, you're overthinking it!
Bold... bold!
"Sun Ce... Sun Bofu!"
Yuan Shu was furious. It should be known that as late as the beginning of last year, Sun Ce was still under his command, and Sun family's generals had already joined Yuan Shu's camp...
At that time, if Yuan Shu wanted to kill Sun Ce, it would have been as simple as wiggling a finger. But now... now...
"A mere yellow-mouthed child, so audacious! I... I will attack him first! Guards! Guards! I want to raise an army to conquer this little Sun Ce!"
"Your Majesty... Your Majesty, you must not!" Yang Hong quickly advised. "Cao Cao in Xuchang is still eyeing us covetously, and Lü Bu in Xiapi is still a tough nut to crack... Our army has just been defeated, and we cannot afford to make another powerful enemy! The urgent matter... the urgent matter is..."
Even in such an unfavorable situation...
Yang Hong still tried his best to offer suggestions and try to compensate. "Your Majesty's urgent matter is to recall the remaining five armies, make peace with Lü Bu. In my estimation, it won't be long before Cao Cao... Cao Cao attacks."
This...
Hearing this, Yuan Shu slumped back onto the "dragon throne."
His brows were almost knitted into an inverted character eight. He couldn't understand... why, why has the situation worsened day by day since he declared himself emperor?
Was Yuan Shu really experiencing bad luck?
"Military advisor... no, Prime Minister, I... I will follow your words!"
At this moment, Yuan Shu was completely panicked.
...
...
Xudu City, Forge.
Drawings were spread out on the desk. Lu Yu and Cao Mu had been discussing here all afternoon.
The original topic was, of course, the Mo Dao (great sword).
This was Lu Yu's expectation for the forge from now on...
Admittedly, steel spears, steel halberds, and steel armor were enough to allow Cao Cao's cavalry to overwhelm other cavalry in terms of individual combat strength.
But... there was a severe shortage of horses throughout the Han dynasty.
The entire Cao camp, including the Tiger Leopard Cavalry, the Dragon Soaring Camp, and the personal guards of the generals, had no more than seven thousand warhorses in total.
And this number was nowhere comparable to Yuan Shao, Zhang Xiu, or Ma Teng.
Moreover, if equipped with steel spears and steel armor...
Ordinary cavalry would become heavy cavalry.
Heavy cavalry was indeed powerful in charging into battle, but... over time, the various warlords would surely find ways to counter it.
After all, the mobility of heavy cavalry was too slow. With the rising fame of the Dragon Soaring Camp, no fool would directly clash with Cao Cao's heavy cavalry.
Normally, they would surely have their cavalry circle around and harass, using mobility to counter the clumsiness of heavily armored cavalry.
The Mo Dao, however, was different. Mo Dao soldiers could lie in ambush in bushes and forests, waiting for the opportune moment... to deliver a fatal blow to cavalry!
They could also make the enemy cavalry complacent, and during their charge... give them a big surprise.
This was something heavily armored cavalry could not achieve.
In Lu Yu's opinion, the diversity of troop types was crucial.
Originally...
Lu Yu and Cao Mu were still discussing the details of forging the Mo Dao. Of course, the two most difficult techniques, "folding steel" and "covering earth and burning edge," made Cao Mu feel a headache.
However...
Coincidentally, Lu Yu saw that a large number of spears were being forged in the forge...
He curiously observed the forging process of a spear.
Instantly, Lu Yu felt like he wanted to curse. Forging spears in this manner was undoubtedly a waste of bin tie iron, a great crime.
Lu Yu directly changed the subject.
"The forging of this Mo Dao can be tried slowly. It's not needed to deal with Yuan Shu for now! However... the forging of this spear must be changed."
"Changed?" Cao Mu blinked her big eyes.
The forge in Xudu City had now been merged. Cao Mu was now responsible for forging weapons not only for the Dragon Soaring Camp.
It could be said that all the weapons for the entire Cao camp came from her.
High-quality bin tie iron was used to forge steel, but ordinary bin tie iron was still used to forge ordinary iron halberds and iron spears...
For this reason, Cao Mu had learned more about weapon forging techniques.
As for this spear...
"Lu Yu? This is not right... From ancient times to the present, spears have always been forged like this!"
"That's precisely why it should be completely changed." Lu Yu smiled slightly and then explained in detail, "The spear is the king of a hundred weapons. As the saying goes—the middle-standing spear, the king of spears, the point in the middle is the hardest to defend!"
"And the process of forging a spear, the spear tip, the spear shaft, the spear handle... every part is detailed. Today... I will give you another good lesson."
In the past, Lu Yu rarely appeared in the military camp...
Therefore, he had not discovered that the spears in the military camp were too backward. What were these spears? They were clearly just a type of Suo (a long polearm), commonly known as a spear with a longer shaft.
That's right...
At this very moment, Lu Yu realized that the true king of a hundred weapons—the spear—had not appeared in the Three Kingdoms period.
The spears passed down by word of mouth at this time were actually improved versions of the Suo...
— On the iron Suo, the spear is not yet complete!
...
...