“Someone, come here.”
“Master.”
“Serve Miss Ma a cup of tea to calm her down,” Lu Yu gestured.
“Yes.” A guard from the Dragon Roar Camp brought a cup of tea and offered it to Ma Yunlu.
“Lu Ziyu? Didn’t you understand?” Ma Yunlu was still as straightforward as ever. “This young lady is telling the truth…”
“Too much liver fire. Tea can help bring it down.” Lu Yu took the tea from the guard and personally handed it to Ma Yunlu.
Ma Yunlu was speechless. She had come here angry, but he, on the other hand… with a single cup of tea, had calmly suppressed her anger.
Helplessly, seeing the situation, she knew Lu Yu wouldn’t talk to her properly if she didn’t drink the tea.
“Gulp!”
After the tea went down, Ma Yunlu’s tone became much calmer.
“You all may leave!”
Lu Yu gestured for Dian Wei and the others to exit. Dian Wei looked concerned and cupped his hands. “Master, Miss Ma grew up in the military.”
His implication was that Dian Wei should stay for safety.
Lu Yu smiled faintly. “Don’t worry, Miss Ma knows what she’s doing. Besides, would Miss Ma murder her future husband? Commander Dian, you can stand guard outside the door.”
“Yes!” Dian Wei then agreed.
After Dian Wei left the large tent, Lu Yu gestured. “If you have calmed down, Miss Ma can speak.”
“Earlier, on the hot air balloon…”
“Oh? Miss Ma was on a hot air balloon? Are hot air balloons fun?” Before Ma Yunlu could finish speaking, Lu Yu interjected.
Ma Yunlu was speechless…
She felt that she, a princess of Xiliang, was inexplicably suppressed by this Lu Ziyu, unable to breathe. This feeling was unbearable and frustrating.
“Do you want me to speak or not…”
She was getting anxious, she was getting anxious…
“My apologies.” Lu Yu smiled slightly and gestured.
“Earlier, on the hot air balloon, above Xinye City, I saw someone emerge from the bushes and then run into the Jing River?” Ma Yunlu finally spoke.
“Jing River?” Lu Yu was startled, a hint of vigilance rising in his heart. He quickly asked, “When was this?”
“After the army pursued the dozen or so enemy cavalry,” Ma Yunlu explained. “The bushes where she was turned out to be the safest place.”
Hearing this, Lu Yu’s eyes narrowed.
As expected, his good brother Xiahou Dun was as unreliable as ever…
He didn’t search the enemy’s ambush location. This was clearly a case of “blindingly obvious but overlooked”!
Considering Xiahou Dun’s capability, Lu Yu was somewhat resigned. However…
Wait, he suddenly thought of something.
“You said? She escaped into the water?”
“Yes.” Ma Yunlu nodded. “There were wooden stakes by the Jing River, with ropes binding a wooden box to them. She jumped into that wooden box, and the box flowed down the river. In the end, she… disappeared.”
Hiss…
Lu Yu took a breath. Instinctively, he associated this downstream wooden box with Huang Yueying.
After all, in later generations, there were too many legends about this “legendary woman” Huang Yueying, not just the description in the *Xiangyang Old Records* of “Don’t choose a wife like Kongming, you’d get that ugly girl Cheng.”
Ugly, yellow-haired, dark-skinned… this was the common impression many had of her. As for her true appearance? No one knew!
Besides that, there were her ingenious inventions.
In fact, she also greatly assisted Zhuge Liang, for example… it is said that Huang Yueying invented wooden dogs, wooden tigers, and wooden figures.
Before getting married, Huang Yueying requested not to ride in a sedan chair, nor to ride a horse, nor to travel by boat to her husband’s home. That’s why Zhuge Liang created the wooden ox and flowing horse, which was originally intended for the wedding procession but later proved very useful in Bashu.
Biting his lip slightly, Lu Yu felt a pang of regret…
An opportunity to capture Huang Yueying was presented, and in the end, it was… let go like that. What a pity, what a pity!
However…
Through the wooden box flowing downstream, Lu Yu realized that Huang Yueying’s ingenuity might be even more remarkable than imagined.
And what was the purpose of Zhuge Liang setting up this “empty city stratagem”?
Huang Yueying dared to stay here. She could… she could observe the hot air balloon up close. That’s right… observe the hot air balloon up close.
This…
In an instant, Lu Yu’s eyes narrowed. He silently took note of Huang Yueying’s cleverness and ingenuity. This… required special attention in the future.
As for Ma Yunlu…
“Miss Ma is intelligent and kind-hearted. This intelligence is very important.”
Lu Yu spoke.
“That’s all?” Ma Yunlu’s big eyes rolled, and she spread her hands, looking very innocent, as if she was not satisfied with such a bland compliment from Lu Yu.
“Then what do you want?” Lu Yu asked.
“Can this young lady go to the battlefield to fight?” Ma Yunlu asked Lu Yu curiously…
The Central Plains were very peaceful now. It was nothing like the Guanxi region, where warlords schemed against each other, deceived, and attacked. Only in such circumstances were there yellow sands every day and campaigns every month. That was the life Ma Yunlu was accustomed to. Coming to the Central Plains… Ma Yunlu felt her silver spear was about to rust.
“I’ve only been in the Central Plains for a few days, and I’ve already gained weight…” Ma Yunlu said with a touch of complaint. “This is all your fault!”
“Absolutely not!” Lu Yu waved his hand. “If anything were to happen to you, how would I explain it to your father, or to the King of Wei.”
“Isn’t your Dragon Roar Camp invincible on land? If I were with them, who could harm me?”
“Still not allowed!” Lu Yu’s answer was firm.
Ma Yunlu simply spread her hands. “To be honest, regardless of whether you are my future husband, I came here to inform you. Whether you agree or not, I am going to pursue the enemy!”
This…
Lu Yu frowned. This was difficult.
He pondered for a moment before speaking. “How about this, you can pursue the enemy, but we must have three stipulations.”
“Tell me first, what are the three stipulations?”
“No need for three stipulations. Just agree to one of mine. The purpose of pursuing Liu Bei this time is not to chase the enemy? And your purpose should not be to chase the enemy either?”
“If not to chase the enemy, then what?”
“To save the people!” Lu Yu’s answer surprised Ma Yunlu…
“Save the people?” Ma Yunlu’s eyes widened, feeling as if she had misheard.
Lu Yu nodded quite firmly. “Liu Bei is leading the populace across the river. Although he can only march dozens of miles a day, the entire official road is filled with civilians. This is his cunning plan, an open stratagem!”
“Because most of his subordinates are infantry, no matter how they run, they won’t be faster than the cavalry of Great Wei. And the purpose of so many civilians is to act as a shield, to slow down the advance of Great Wei’s cavalry!”
At this point, Lu Yu paused.
“If Great Wei’s cavalry disregards the civilians to pursue Liu Bei, let alone whether they can catch up, just the hearts and minds of the people in this corner of Jingzhou will be completely lost. Conversely, because of the previous newspapers, Liu Bei’s hypocritical image has deeply penetrated the hearts of the people of Jingzhou. If, at this time, Great Wei does not pursue Liu Bei but instead pacifies the civilians along the way and brings them back one by one, then in terms of hearts and minds, gaining one and losing one, all nine prefectures of Jingxiang will surrender. This is ten times, a hundred times more powerful than defeating Liu Bei!”
Oh…
Lu Yu’s reasoned words, when heard by Ma Yunlu, completely overturned her perception of war.
It seemed…
War had gained many other elements!
Originally, in her eyes, war was simply two armies facing each other, relying on the bravery of the soldiers and the high morale!
There was only one way to win, and that was to trample over the enemy’s corpses.
But now…
After Lu Yu’s explanation, it seemed… war was not just about fighting and killing. There were many other purposes in between, such as civilians and people’s hearts!
“Why aren’t you talking…” Lu Yu asked when he saw Ma Yunlu stunned.
“No… nothing.” Ma Yunlu lowered her head, a faint blush appearing on her face. She admitted that after that speech, she had a new understanding of this future husband.
This was the most intense it had ever been. Ma Yunlu had developed an extremely strong interest in Lu Yu.
She suddenly realized why, even though Lu Yu was not skilled in martial arts, so many people were willing to follow him and why the King of Wei trusted him. Was this what her father and brother had mentioned, Lu Ziyu’s greatest skill, “psychological warfare”?
“Then… I’m going.”
“I’ll have Wen Lie protect you,” Lu Yu gestured.
“Hey…” Ma Yunlu couldn’t help but add, “Aren’t you afraid I’ll just appease you, and then when I’m on the battlefield, I won’t listen to you and mess up your plans?”
“Women of Xiliang are known for their righteousness. They would fight to the death against the Qiang people, so why would they break their word over such a minor detail?” Lu Yu seemed very confident. “Besides, you are to be a woman of the Marquis of White Horse’s mansion… if you really can’t resist killing one or two enemies, can I blame you?”
Pfft…
Hearing this, Ma Yunlu laughed. In fact, this was the first time she had laughed since coming to the Central Plains.
Wasn’t this future husband, Lu Ziyu, quite interesting?
“Just for that sentence, I promise you. But if it’s a matter of life and death…”
Before Ma Yunlu could finish speaking, Lu Yu directly interrupted, “If it’s a matter of life and death, you don’t need to act. The soldiers of the Dragon Roar Camp will act for you.”
…
…
South of the Jing River, fifteen li from Xiangyang City.
Cries of sorrow echoed along the way. Liu Bei’s army led the old and the young, the men and women, crossing the river in a grand procession.
The people of Xinye City were quite helpless. According to Liu Bei’s wishes, to resist Cao Cao, their houses were requisitioned, and now they had been burned to ashes.
They were given two choices: one was a bag of five zhu coins, which in these troubled times wouldn’t even buy ten days of food;
The other was to go with Liu Bei to Xiangyang, where Liu Bei promised to prepare new houses for every civilian.
Alas…
Alas…
Women, children, the old, and the young, walked in a grand procession.
The sighs of the elderly and the cries of the children were everywhere.
Liu Bei, riding on his *Qīlú* horse, sighed to the heavens. “Because of me alone, the common people suffer such a great disaster. How can I face living… living…”
As he spoke, Liu Bei intended to throw himself into the river… However, he still had to dismount, which gave his two brothers beside him ample time to react.
As expected…
Zhang Fei and Guan Yu quickly grabbed their elder brother’s arms.
“Elder brother, don’t despair. If you fall, who else can raise the banner of ‘The Han rebels must not coexist, and the king’s enterprise cannot be confined to one place’?”
Zhuge Liang’s expression was also grim.
“My lord, yesterday we only advanced twenty li, and today, past noon, we have only traveled eight li!”
“If this continues, it will be impossible to reach Jiangxia and rendezvous with the eldest son, Young Master Liu Qi. Although I have set up the empty city stratagem, which might delay Cao’s army for a while, it cannot be delayed indefinitely.”
“My lord, perhaps we should abandon the civilians first.”
Looking at the slowly moving civilians beside him, Zhuge Liang’s feather fan waved faster and faster. Between two evils, choose the lesser. The most urgent matter… was to not delay further.
Liu Bei looked around…
He still shook his head.
He knew clearly that Lu Ziyu would be delighted if he abandoned the civilians. In that case, the image of Liu Bei, who appeared benevolent but was actually hypocritical, as portrayed in the newspapers, would be completely confirmed, and his persona of “trustworthiness shining throughout the Four Seas” would completely collapse.
This was the last glimmer of hope, the last ray of hope that Liu Bei had retained over the years.
Hoo…
He let out a long sigh.
Liu Bei’s gaze became firm. He deliberately raised his voice. “Even if I, Liu Bei, have nothing, I will never abandon my people.”
His tone was resolute, and his expression sincere.
Zhuge Liang nodded. He knew Liu Bei would say this. He had intended to elicit such a statement, and of course… also to strengthen Liu Bei’s resolve!
In such an unfavorable situation, he was racking his brains.
“My lord, if we don’t abandon the civilians, then Xiangyang City of Jingzhou must be taken! Madam Cai has leverage in our hands. Regardless of her purpose, she will definitely open the city gates to meet with my lord. At that time… my lord must not show the mercy of a woman. You must immediately capture Madam Cai and Young Master Liu Cong. Only then, with the power of Jingzhou, might we still be able to contend with Cao Cao and Lu Yu.”
Zhuge Liang’s tone was calm…
His feather fan waved more smoothly, and he appeared quite confident.
This was not the first time he had presented this plan to Liu Bei. What worried him the most was not Jingzhou, nor Great Wei, but Liu Bei’s womanly mercy.
At this juncture, it is the victor who becomes king and the loser who becomes a bandit. One must not show mercy to women!
“My strategist’s great plan is about to succeed!” – From the Da Feng Novel Network
Liu Bei exclaimed with emotion…
After another half-day of marching, Liu Bei’s army finally arrived at the capital of Jingzhou, Xiangyang City. This city, surrounded by water on three sides and mountains on one, had been strategically defensible since ancient times.
Outside the city gates were shallows, and upon these shallows, flags fluttered everywhere. The riverbanks were lined with countless deer antlers…
Liu Bei became excited.
He immediately ordered the army to halt. He, on his horse, quickly rode to the foot of the city wall and shouted, “Sister-in-law, nephew, I, Liu Bei, wish to save the people and have no other intentions. Please quickly open the city gates and let my army and the people enter the city together!”
As his voice fell…
The city gates remained closed.
“Is Young Master Liu Cong here?”
“Is Madam Cai here?”
“Liu Bei is here. Please, Madam and nephew, have a conversation with Liu Bei through the wall!”
Liu Bei was a bit bewildered…
The rhythm was wrong!
Logically, shouldn’t the city gates open and welcome them in?
But…
“Creak…” Just then, the city gates of Xiangyang City slowly opened. Liu Bei’s expression turned from sorrow to joy, and he was about to enter the city. Zhuge Liang quickly stopped him.
“Something seems amiss…”
Indeed…
Just as Zhuge Liang finished speaking.
“Swoosh swoosh swoosh swoosh…”
Dense arrows shot out from inside the city gates like locusts. “Swoosh swoosh swoosh swoosh” another round of drawing strings, this time it was a volley of arrows from the city walls.
“Ah…”
“Help me…”
“Run!”
Piercing screams erupted from around Liu Bei. Civilians were hit by arrows, as were Liu Bei’s soldiers.
Liu Bei’s horse was fast, and he immediately retreated to the rear.
Just then.
From the city wall, Cai Mao and Zhang Yun slowly emerged. Cai Mao pointed at Liu Bei and shouted, “Hahaha, you big-eared scoundrel, didn’t expect this, did you? We’ve long decided to present the city to Prime Minister Cao. Now, everywhere is our ambush. Dismount and die quickly!”
As he spoke…
“Swoosh swoosh swoosh…”
Countless more arrows were shot out.
There were even sounds of ships in the Jing River.
“Kill… Kill… Kill!”
Earth-shattering shouts of killing approached.
This sudden turn of events left Liu Bei stunned. His pupils contracted sharply, and he instinctively turned to look at Zhuge Liang.
However…
Zhuge Liang was also filled with shock at this moment.
It was Zhao Yun who, holding his spear horizontally, galloped towards the foot of the city wall. “Where is Madam Cai? Does Madam Cai remember your and my agreement?”
— “Hahaha…”
Only rampant laughter echoed from the city wall.
Cai Mao laughed heartily. “Agreement? My sister never told me about any agreement… Oh, by the way, this general does have an agreement with the Marquis of White Horse. If I can take that big-eared scoundrel’s head, he will invite the King of Wei to enfeoff this general as a Marquis!”
— “Shoot, shoot!”
…
…