Despite being disgusted by his own disciples, Lu Zhi did not give up.
He knew that relying solely on Qin Feng as the vanguard would not be enough.
What good could come from rebels fighting rebels?
Therefore,
After Qin Feng led his men out of the camp, another group of soldiers also quietly left the city.
Who were they?
Huangfu Song and Zhu Jun!
As fellow generals in the Han army, they respected Lu Zhi's words.
Thus,
Following Lu Zhi's instructions, they each led ten thousand troops and rushed towards Sishui Pass.
Lu Zhi was also worried!
He could not guarantee how many days Hulao Pass could hold. What if it was breached...
The Great Han was in peril!
Therefore,
The priority was to capture Sishui Pass to secure a fallback route, in case of emergencies, to retreat into the heart of Luoyang.
Of course!
Lu Zhi could never have imagined that Hulao Pass had already fallen.
In his imagination,
At this time, not many Yellow Turbans would have crossed the river, and Hulao Pass was advantageous for cavalry.
As soon as Qin Feng's cavalry arrived,
Even if they did nothing, the Yellow Turban rebels would be hesitant to attack.
When that time came,
His own main army would have assembled and arrived, wouldn't that be perfect timing?
Unfortunately,
All of Lu Zhi's beautiful plans were rendered useless by the information gap.
He could not have predicted how useless the defenders of Hulao Pass were, nor that the Yellow Turban rebels were more cunning than he thought.
Until...
"You, what did you say?!"
"Qin Feng was defeated?"
"Hulao Pass has fallen?"
Upon hearing the scout's words, Lu Zhi felt a dizzying sensation in his head.
How, how could this be possible?!
Hulao Pass was the stronghold of Luoyang, with over five thousand defenders!
How could it have been captured by the Yellow Turbans without a sound?
This was illogical!
"Splat~!"
Before Lu Zhi could recover, Yuan Shao, who was already impatient, rushed forward.
"You bastard, speak! Are you a spy sent by the Yellow Turbans?!"
"How could five thousand soldiers of my Hulao Pass be captured by your Yellow Turban rebels?!"
"Guards!"
"Take this guy who speaks heresy and behead him on the spot!"
With that, Yuan Shao, ignoring the pleading look of the soldier, turned to Lu Zhi.
"Master Lu~!"
"We cannot sit idly by. We must think of a solution. We absolutely cannot let them rush into Luoyang!"
"Whoosh~!"
After Yuan Shao's series of interventions, Lu Zhi finally regained his senses.
That's right!
He could not panic!
The morale of the army must not collapse!
Only by executing that scout as a spy could the wavering morale be preserved.
But the problem was,
How to salvage the situation?!
The worst-case scenario had now occurred, with Hulao Pass falling into the hands of the Yellow Turbans.
They could now march directly to the gates of Luoyang!
"Hmm?"
"No~!"
Lu Zhi, who had been dispirited, swept his gaze around and suddenly remembered his arrangements.
He had a backup plan!
"Quick, someone!"
"Go to Sishui Pass immediately and order Huangfu Song and Zhu Jun to rush to Luoyang city for defense!"
"Remember!"
"As long as we have not reached Luoyang, Luoyang must not be lost!"
"Yes!"
Hearing Lu Zhi's command, the attendant beside him quickly responded.
He knew it was his time to shine.
After all,
The distance from here to Sishui Pass was not short, and he had to do his best to deliver the message as quickly as possible.
After he left,
Yuan Shao, who had been somewhat stunned, finally came to his senses and said with admiration:
"Master Lu, you foresaw this?"
"How is that possible!"
Lu Zhi shook his head with a grim expression, wondering if Yuan Shao was an idiot.
If he had truly foreseen this, why would he have only sent out twenty thousand troops?
He would have sent at least a hundred thousand!
Alas,
Qin Feng was defeated by the Yellow Turbans, rendering all his efforts in vain.
"Master Lu~!"
Perhaps sensing Lu Zhi's thoughts, Yuan Shao also said eagerly:
"Since that Qin Feng was defeated, why don't we capture him first?"
"This..."
Yuan Shao's words had hit the nail on the head, and Lu Zhi couldn't help but look at him.
He wasn't that stupid after all?
But not particularly smart either!
He had been contemplating who to assign this task to, and since you've volunteered, I'll reluctantly use you.
"Deputy General Yuan~!"
Lu Zhi, who had completely regained his composure, squinted at Yuan Shao.
"Since you have this intention, it means you have already thought it through. Why don't I assign this task to you?"
"Assign it to me?"
Yuan Shao was taken aback, and his expression showed some hesitation.
Although he didn't know why Lu Zhi made this decision, he instinctively refused.
"Master Lu, I still need to go to Luoyang to support you. Why don't we assign this to Lord Yang?"
"Lord Yang?"
Glancing at the empty seat, Lu Zhi thought that person was much smarter than you.
However,
Facing Yuan Shao's hesitant refusal, Lu Zhi still did not express his true thoughts.
"Deputy General Yuan, you know as well as I do that Lord Yang does not understand military strategy!"
"I believe no one can handle this matter except you!"
"How about..."
"You work a little harder and take on this task as well, contributing to the Great Han."
"What do you say?"
"I, I..."
Yuan Shao opened his mouth, wishing he could say "not at all," but he couldn't find a reason to refuse.
After all,
Lu Zhi's reason for choosing him was too valid, and he couldn't refute it.
Didn't their Yuan family always say that Yang Biao didn't understand military strategy?
If he backed out now, wouldn't he lose all face?
You know how young lords of noble families operate!
You can be unattractive, you can be inarticulate, but you cannot lose face!
Therefore,
After a brief and arduous deliberation, Yuan Shao reluctantly nodded.
However,
As a helpful and benevolent person, how could he forget his good brother when the time came?
Turning around,
He spotted Cao Cao, who had a grim expression, in the crowd and walked over with a smile.
"Mengde, there's nothing for you to do back there. Why don't you stay here with me?"
"What?"
Old Cao, lost in his sorrow, didn't even realize what had happened.
"..."
Feeling ignored, Yuan Shao's face darkened slightly and he said:
"I said, you, stay here with me and help me quell the Qin rebels!"
"Quell the Qin rebels?"
Hearing the resentment in Yuan Shao's tone, Old Cao's heart skipped a beat.
This was no good deed!
Indeed!
If it were something good, he wouldn't have thought of Cao Mengde.
However,
Glancing at the crowd who were all watching, Old Cao braced himself and agreed.
To publicly offend the eldest son of the Yuan family?
Even though he was Yuan Shao's drinking buddy, it would be difficult to explain later!
However,
Where they might differ, Old Cao and Yuan Shao were both masters of the "rather I betray the world than the world betray me" mentality.
Who knew this guy was also a ruthless individual who would say "I'd rather betray the world than let the world betray me"!
As a result, Liu Bei had terrible luck!
He thought he could sneak into Luoyang with Master Lu and perhaps continue to scheme.
However,
With a signal from Old Cao, he also obediently ran over.
"Hmm?"
Seeing the panda eyes on Liu Bei's face, Yuan Shao asked curiously:
"Prefect Liu, what happened?"
"Ah? This..."
He instinctively glanced at Old Cao and, seeing a fierce glint in his eyes, Liu Bei could only say with great grievance:
"I, I, thank Deputy General Yuan for your concern. I, I fell myself!"
"Is that so?"
Yuan Shao, who had been mingling in society for many years, could tell that Liu Bei was lying.
But he looked at Liu Bei, then at Old Cao, and decided to let it go.
After all,
This matter could potentially implicate his brother, so it was best to downplay it.
What serious matter?
Don't joke!
Fighting privately in the military camp would at least result in a beating!
Even though their coalition army didn't seem very formal, they still had military regulations.
Soon,
The coalition army, having finalized their choices, split into two groups at Suanzao.
One group,
Led by Lu Zhi himself with a hundred and fifty thousand troops, packed up camp overnight and advanced towards Luoyang via Sishui Pass.
The other group,
Led by Yuan Shao, Cao Cao, Liu Bei, and others, with nearly one hundred thousand troops, headed straight for Hulao Pass.
Lu Zhi's intention was simple.
Although he said it was to quell Qin Feng, it was actually to leave them to threaten the Yellow Turbans' rear.
Even if I cannot break through Hulao Pass, none of the Yellow Turbans behind you will be able to pass.
He didn't believe that over two hundred thousand Yellow Turbans had all crossed the river in just a few days.
There would definitely be many left behind!
This was where Yuan Shao and the others, not being particularly skilled in military strategy, were tricked by the old fox Lu Zhi.
Therefore,
After hearing Lu Bu's analysis, the three brothers exploded.
"Good for you, you old scoundrel Lu!"
With a snap of his hand against a nearby tree, Yuan Shao gritted his teeth and roared:
"After I defeat those Yellow Turbans, I will definitely impeach him before His Majesty!"
"That's right!"
For reasons unknown, Old Cao also chimed in:
"After we defeat the Qin rebels and those Yellow Turbans, we will definitely make that old scoundrel pay!"
"???"
Lu Bu and Liu Bei, who had originally wanted to say something, exchanged glances and immediately shut up.
Well?
These two brothers were still dreaming at this point?
Let alone Liu Bei,
Just Lu Bu, after explaining their predicament, wanted to set up camp and await opportunities.
Why go to Hulao Pass now?
To be cannon fodder?
Even if only a small portion of the Yellow Turbans remained, it would be more than enough for them to handle.
After all,
Although it was said they had a hundred thousand troops under their command, only Lu Bu's three thousand Bingzhou soldiers were truly combat-effective.
This was also a portion that Yuan Shao forcibly snatched from Lu Zhi, abandoning the main force.
Otherwise, Lu Zhi wouldn't even want to give them these few troops.
Seeing that they were about to walk into a trap, why would they bring such elite troops?
Wasteful!
If you're going to be cannon fodder, you should have the mindset of cannon fodder, and bring some cannon fodder, right?
Anyway,
You young lords would not personally enter the battlefield, and would quickly flee when the situation turned unfavorable.
Alas,
Lu Zhi had calculated the nature of the young lords, but he had not calculated their arrogance.
Mere Yellow Turban rebels?
Mere Qin Feng?
You two are already exhausted from fighting, why not surrender and wait?