novelAbuy Chapter 15 Liu Bei: Surprised? Unexpected? Cao Cao: Holy crap...
Chapter 15 Liu Bei: Surprised? Unexpected? Cao Cao: Holy crap...
"Congratulations, my lord, Cao Bao is dead!"
"Cao Bao is dead?" Liu Bei was taken aback, then asked, "How did the strategist find out?"
Lu Yong didn't explain, but just smiled mysteriously and said, "News will come soon."
really,
Liu Bei didn't have to wait long before Zhang Fei, covered in blood, burst through the tent flap.
He walked up to Liu Bei and Lu Yong, grinned, and clasped his hands in greeting:
"Brother, strategist, everything is taken care of."
Cao Bao, Xu Dan, and 465 remaining soldiers—not a single one escaped!
Liu Bei stood up, walked over to Zhang Fei,
After confirming that he was not injured, he patted Zhang Fei on the shoulder and said:
"Thank you for your hard work, Third Brother. Go downstairs and wash up, change your clothes, and get some rest."
Zhang Fei responded and turned to leave.
The curtains fell.
Liu Bei turned to look at Lu Yong and sighed softly:
"With Cao Bao dead, we have much less trouble in Xuzhou."
"Strategist, what should we do next?"
Lu Yong picked up his teacup and drank it all in one gulp, then calmly said, "Next, my lord can take control of Xuzhou!"
Just as Liu Bei was about to return to his seat, he suddenly stopped and asked with some surprise, "Didn't you say you were going to Jiangdong? Why are you going to take over Xuzhou now... Have you changed your mind, strategist?"
"No," Lu Yong explained, seeing Liu Bei's slight disappointment. "My lord's entry into Xuzhou is for the purpose of a better southward march to Jiangdong. This framework will also provide a way for the people of Xuzhou to survive!"
Liu Bei became increasingly confused and quickly asked, "Strategist, stop beating around the bush and tell me your plan!"
Just as Lu Yong was about to explain, a system notification sounded in his mind.
[It's midnight; let's begin today's settlement.]
[Host's achievements for today:]
[1. The host speaks frankly with Liu Bei and receives a promise of "heart-to-heart" communication.]
[2. Successfully persuaded Cao Cao to withdraw his troops.]
[3. He devised a plan to ambush and kill Cao Bao and Xu Dan, which succeeded.]
Overall rating: S grade.
[Reward: Special Item - Xuanwu Formation Diagram (Unique)]
[Black Tortoise Formation: After use, it grants one friendly unit the "Hold the Line" status, increasing its defense by 300% for one hour. Cooldown: 30 days.]
[Bonus Reward: 5 Free Attribute Points]
"What a treasure!" Lu Yongqiang suppressed his excitement, composed himself, and began to explain to Liu Bei.
He first asked Liu Bei, "My lord, do you remember the plan we discussed before?"
Liu Bei nodded and said, "I review the strategist's plan every day, and I remember every word very clearly."
Boss Liu's emotional value is off the charts!
Lu Yong smiled and said, "If this operation goes smoothly..."
With the might of our victory over Cao Cao's army, we can subdue most of the local gentry and nobles of Xuzhou and smoothly take over Xuzhou.
However, they still struggled to grow stronger under the combined pressure from Cao Cao and Yuan Shu.
He paused, then continued:
"Even if we can hold out, once Gongsun Zan is defeated,
We will then face a triple siege from Cao Cao, Yuan Shao, and Yuan Shu; at that time, Xuzhou will surely become a death trap.
Therefore, after Tao Qian ceded Xuzhou,
The lord should win over the hearts of the people as soon as possible, and then relinquish the position of governor of Xuzhou to Gongsun Zan, thus officially becoming a member of the alliance.
In this way, Yuan Shu would be more cautious about his lord's identity and would not easily launch an attack.
"At that time, our lord will write to Yuan Shu again, saying that he is willing to exchange Guangling County for a road to the south, so that we can go south to Danyang."
Tao Gongzu was from Danyang and enjoyed great prestige in the area.
"By using the pretext of escorting him back to his hometown, we can easily gain the approval of the people of Danyang."
Liu Bei pondered for a moment, then asked, "Will Yuan Shu let us pass?"
"Yes, I will!" Lu Yong nodded with great certainty, adding in his mind, "After all, I have the [King of Verbal Mastery]..."
Liu Bei stared blankly at Lu Yong.
This young man in front of me is only in his early twenties, yet he has such a far-reaching plan.
Given time, after he has gained more experience over the years, who in the world can match him?
I, Liu Bei, have received assistance from Huai'an, which is truly thanks to the blessing of Emperor Gaozu.
There is hope for the Great Han!
.........
Cao Bao and Xu Dan, without authorization, led troops to pursue Cao Cao.
The news that they were ambushed and wiped out shocked the entire officialdom of Xuzhou.
Chen Deng had a gut feeling that there was something fishy going on, but since he couldn't find any evidence, he could only keep his doubts to himself.
What shocked everyone even more was that
Liu Bei then announced that he had also sent troops to ambush Cao Cao.
Tao Qian and the Xuzhou officials felt like they were on a rollercoaster, incredibly excited.
Amidst the waiting of countless people
Five days later, Cao Cao's army finally arrived at Kangfu Pass in Taishan County.
That morning,
Mist rose in the mountains.
This provided excellent cover for Guan Yu and his thousand soldiers, who were hiding behind the rocks on the north side of the mountain.
Guan Yu stroked his long beard, his phoenix eyes narrowed into slits as he stared at the road below.
Kang Fudao was indeed as Lu Yong had predicted.
The mountain walls on both sides are steep.
There is only one narrow path in the middle.
Even at its widest point, it was only a little over two zhang (approximately 6.6 meters) wide.
A large cart could barely pass, but it was quite difficult for two horses to walk side by side.
If Cao's army passes through here, the vanguard will likely have already exited the pass, while the rearguard will still be in the mountains, and they will certainly be unable to support each other.
Cao Cao never expected that there would actually be two teams so audacious as to come to Taishan County to ambush him!
After waiting for about half an hour, the sound of horses' hooves and footsteps came from outside the mountain road.
A group of people slowly entered the pass from the south.
Leading the way were over ten thousand cavalrymen, their armor gleaming, their banners bearing the two characters "Xiahou".
Behind them followed spearmen and swordsmen, carrying banners that read "Cao".
Guan Yu did not move.
He had to wait for Cao Cao's vanguard and central army to pass by.
This wait lasted for four or five hours.
In the afternoon, the density of Cao Cao's troops finally began to thin out.
Guan Yu then raised his hand and slowly clenched his fist.
The deputy understood and turned around to raise the flag.
On both sides of the mountain path, a thousand soldiers simultaneously drew their bows and nocked their arrows!
"put!"
Arrows rained down from the mountain walls on both sides like locusts.
Yu Jin's rear guard had just arrived at the Kangfu Pass and was preparing to pass through.
Suddenly, a rain of arrows fell from the sky.
Caught off guard, a group of them were shot down in an instant.
Someone exclaimed, "There's an ambush!"
Before the words were even finished, a deafening battle cry erupted from the hillside.
Guan Yu, wielding his Green Dragon Crescent Blade, charged straight down the mountainside on foot!
A thousand soldiers followed closely behind him, surging down like a tidal wave, instantly cutting Cao Cao's rear guard in two.
at the same time,
In the pine forest on the east side of the mountain path, Zhao Yun was already fully prepared to set off.
When he heard the shouts of battle coming from the mountain path,
He immediately mounted his horse, brandishing his gleaming silver spear: "Charge with me!"
Five hundred cavalrymen emerged from the pine forest in single file and charged straight at the supply train following behind Cao Cao's army.
The officer in charge of escorting the grain supplies was Wang Zhong, a subordinate general of Cao Cao's army.
He was terrified and flustered by the ambush ahead.
Suddenly, another troop of cavalry attacked from the flank, and they were instantly terrified.
"Stop them! Stop them!" Wang Zhong shouted hoarsely.
Zhao Yun's cavalry, however, did not engage him in close combat.
Five hundred cavalrymen, like a sharp knife, plunged directly into the middle of the supply train.
The cavalrymen lit torches on their horses and set them ablaze as they passed grain carts.
It's summer now, and the weather is dry.
The grain fodder ignited immediately upon contact with fire, and in the blink of an eye, dozens of grain carts were set ablaze, billowing thick smoke.
Wang Zhong was so anxious that he led his personal guards to rush up and try to put out the fire.
Zhao Yun spurred his horse forward, flicked his silver spear, and thrust it toward Wang Zhong's throat.
Wang Zhong only saw a flash of silver light before his eyes, and then everything went black as he tumbled off his horse.
Upon seeing their commander fall in battle, Cao Cao's supply troops lost all will to fight and scattered in all directions.
Zhao Yun did not pursue them, but instead ordered his cavalry to continue setting fires.
In less than half an hour, all two hundred grain carts were set ablaze, flames shooting into the sky and heat waves scorching!
The vanguard and platoons of Cao's army heard the battle cries from behind and wanted to return to reinforce, but they were blocked by the narrow mountain path and could neither advance nor retreat.
Guan Yu was leading a thousand soldiers in a fierce battle when he suddenly heard a bugle call from behind.
That was Zhao Yun's signal for him to retreat after succeeding.
Guan Yu raised his Green Dragon Crescent Blade, swept through the enemy ranks with a single strike, and then, stroking his beard, shouted, "Retreat!"
The soldiers stopped immediately upon receiving the order and slowly withdrew from the battlefield.
Yu Jin was unaware of the true strength of Liu Bei's army, let alone how many soldiers Liu Bei had sent, so he dared not pursue them.
They could only watch as Guan Yu and the others slowly withdrew from the battlefield.