novelAbuy Chapter 1 Why did the gentleman sigh?
Chapter 1 Why did the gentleman sigh?
A sudden dizziness,
Lu Yong suddenly found himself in an unfamiliar and noisy environment.
People all around were screaming and running away.
"Cao Cao's troops are attacking again!!!"
"They're going to massacre the city! They're going to massacre the city!!"
"Father! Mother! Where are you?"
"Run! Run for your lives!!"
By the time he understood what was being shouted, a troop of cavalry had already galloped up to him, only a few feet away.
The lead rider raised his long spear, the tip pointing directly at Lu Yong's face.
Just at this time,
An unfamiliar memory suddenly flooded into Lu Yong's mind at an inopportune moment.
It was also accompanied by a cold, genderless notification sound.
[Ding! Congratulations, host, you have awakened the Daily Settlement System.]
System Description: ...
But before Lu Yong could listen carefully,
The tips of Cao Jun's cavalry's spears were already less than an inch from his chest!
"It's over..."
Just when Lu Yong thought he was about to be eliminated,
Lu Yong heard a whooshing sound as the cavalryman who was about to impale him with his spear was suddenly sent flying backward!
Lu Yong looked closely,
A single eighteen-foot spear pierced through three cavalrymen, pinning them to the ground!
Immediately, a tiger's roar resounded throughout the arena: "Zhang Fei of Yan is here! Who dares to fight me to the death?!"
Before the sound faded, the gun was already there; before the man arrived, the threat was already there!
"Zhang Fei of Yan?!" Lu Yong snapped out of his daze and quickly turned around to look.
On a magnificent, dark black horse,
A burly man with a leopard's head, bulging eyes, a swallow's jaw, a tiger's beard, and bulging muscles was sitting upright and was rushing towards him!
This small cavalry unit of Cao Cao's army, upon seeing how fierce the approaching men were, immediately turned their horses around and scattered in all directions.
As Zhang Fei rode past Lu Yong, Lu Yong instinctively called out, "Third Master Zhang!"
"Hmm?" Zhang Fei rushed forward and drew his spear, then turned back and asked, bowing his head, "You recognize me?"
"Of course I recognize the three brothers of Taoyuan!" Lu Yong replied.
Zhang Fei immediately became interested: "He's a scholar... In that case, why don't we go back together and talk some more?"
Without waiting for Lu Yong's reply, he bent down, scooped Lu Yong up, and laid him sideways on the horse's back.
The black horse was extremely fast, and the ride was very bumpy.
Lu Yong felt as if his entire body was about to be shaken apart.
Fortunately, it only took about fifteen minutes to run.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have died at the hands of Cao Cao's soldiers; instead, he would have died on Zhang Fei's horse...
"Third brother, what's wrong?" A gentle male voice came from the side.
"Brother, this scholar recognizes us. I brought him back along the way when I rescued the person."
"Nonsense! You've practically bounced him off his feet! Put him down!"
"ah?!"
Immediately afterwards, Lu Yong was finally helped off his horse.
Two soldiers supported him, one on each side.
Liu Bei approached him, his voice full of apology, and said, "Sir, are you alright? Yide acted rashly, and I apologize to you."
At this moment, Lu Yong felt as if his internal organs had shifted, his throat was burning, and he couldn't even utter a word.
He waved his hand, and after a long pause, he managed to squeeze out a single word: "Water."
"Water?" Liu Bei quickly realized what was happening. "Quickly, bring me water!"
Lu Yong drank a bowl of water and then felt a little better.
He looked at Liu Bei and slowly said:
"I am from Kaiyang, Langya. I was forced to leave my hometown because Cao Cao attacked Xuzhou."
"We were pursued by enemy soldiers on the way, but thanks to General Zhang's intervention, we managed to escape with our lives."
"Speaking of which, I must thank General Zhang for saving my life."
After speaking, Lu Yong bowed respectfully to Zhang Fei.
"You know how to be grateful, you're a pretty good guy," Zhang Fei said with a smile.
"Come, sit down and talk... Third brother, go and get some more dry rations for the teacher." Liu Bei noticed that Lu Yong was very weak, so he said to him and Zhang Fei.
"Alright!" Zhang Fei turned and left.
Lu Yong followed Liu Bei to a large rock and sat down.
He was also constantly making plans in his mind.
At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, warlords rose up everywhere, wars were frequent, and human life was as cheap as grass.
He was an unknown, hopeless, and powerless scholar.
If you want to survive in this chaotic world
Then the only option is to cling to a powerful patron.
If it were before attacking Xuzhou, Cao Cao would definitely be the best choice.
But now, Cao Cao is massacring Xuzhou, so it's impossible for Lu Yong to surrender to him now, both morally and logically.
"Sigh..." Lu Yong couldn't help but sigh as he thought of this.
Seeing this, Liu Bei asked with concern, "Why do you sigh, sir?"
Lu Yong was brought back to reality by Liu Bei's question, and then turned his head to carefully examine this historical figure, Emperor Zhaolie of Shu Han.
Liu Bei did not have the exaggerated features depicted in Romance of the Three Kingdoms, such as earlobes reaching his shoulders and hands that went past his knees.
But he did indeed have a handsome face and a blessed appearance.
have to say,
If you can't vote for Boss Cao, then voting for Boss Liu is a good alternative.
Moreover, Liu Bei was a man who cherished old friendships, and at that moment he was penniless.
If you were to seek refuge with him, it would be like sending charcoal in snowy weather!
As long as I stay calm and don't act recklessly, won't I be able to live a life of wealth, honor, and peace, just like Mi Zhu and Jian Yong?
Having thought this through, Lu Yong finally made up his mind and asked, "General, are you on your way to Tancheng to rescue Tao Qian?"
"Eh?" Liu Bei exclaimed in surprise, giving Lu Yong a fresh look, his gaze now more serious. "How did you know, sir?"
Lu Yong smiled slightly and explained, "When Cao Cao attacks Xuzhou, Tao of Xuzhou will definitely seek help from all sides."
But the only one truly willing to offend Cao Cao and come to the rescue of Xuzhou was probably General Liu, who had saved Kong Rong in Beihai.
A hint of surprise flashed in Liu Bei's eyes, which then turned meaningful.
He pondered for a moment, then cupped his hands and asked:
"Sir, you are not an ordinary scholar, for you can discern Bei's whereabouts and know the old stories of Beihai. May I ask your esteemed name?"
Lu Yong quickly stood up and returned the greeting, saying, "My name is Lu Yong, courtesy name Huai'an. I misspoke just now, please forgive me, General."
"Mr. Lu, you are too modest." Liu Bei reached out to help him up, his tone becoming increasingly gentle. "Judging from your words, it seems you have already made plans in mind."
Preparing for this trip to Tancheng,
Although they were willing to help, they had few soldiers and generals, and their supplies were insufficient.
Now, at my wit's end, I am fortunate to have met you, sir. I hope you can offer some guidance; I would be eternally grateful!
After a moment's thought, Lu Yong replied solemnly:
"In my opinion, General, you need not engage Cao Cao's army in a direct confrontation on your way to Tancheng. As long as you fortify your defenses, clear the fields, and hold the city to the death, Cao Cao's army will retreat on its own after a month or two."
Liu Bei frowned slightly, puzzled, and asked, "Cao Cao's army came from afar, their momentum was high, why would they retreat on their own?"
"Yes, it will." Lu Yong nodded firmly and explained, "Cao Cao attacked Xuzhou ostensibly to avenge his father, but in reality, he wanted to seize this fertile land."
His army was short of food, so he massacred cities along the way.
While reducing the number of prisoners and plundering grain, it also weakened the overall strength of Xuzhou and intimidated the people of Xuzhou.
Therefore, what Cao Cao fears most right now is a protracted war.
Lu Yong paused for a moment and looked at Liu Bei.
Seeing that he had begun to think about the problem, I pressed on while the iron was hot:
"I am certain that Cao Cao will retreat, not only because he is short of supplies, but also because there is a predator lurking behind him, waiting for its chance to strike!"
"The oriole?" Liu Bei's gaze sharpened upon hearing this.
When Cao Cao took control of Yan Province, he killed Bian Rang, a famous scholar from Yan Province, thus offending a large number of local powerful families in Yan Province.
Now that Cao Cao's entire army has been dispatched, the heartland of Yan Province is left vulnerable.
Those powerful families who outwardly submit to him will surely seize the opportunity to cause trouble.
If someone seizes the opportunity to launch an attack from the rear, Cao Cao will find himself unable to attend to both ends.
At that time, General, you only need to hold Tancheng for two months, and Cao Cao's army will surely retreat without a fight.
Upon hearing this, Liu Bei's eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at the eloquent young man who appeared to be no more than twenty years old.
He didn't know whether Lu Yong's words were accurate or not.
But at least Lu Yong pointed him in the right direction, and it sounded quite reasonable.
After a moment of silence, Liu Bei suddenly bowed deeply to Lu Yong and solemnly said, "Your words have cleared the clouds and brought me to the light."
I humbly request that you become my advisor, and seek your guidance morning and evening.
Lu Yong quickly helped Liu Bei up, secretly delighted: "It's done!"
However, he maintained a composed and respectful demeanor, replying, "I am honored by the General's kindness and am willing to serve my lord!"
[System Log: The host has successfully persuaded Liu Bei to become his strategist. Today's achievement +1.]
[Current Achievements Pending Settlement: 1 item.]