novelAbuy Chapter 9 Boss Cao has finally arrived.
Chapter 9 Boss Cao has finally arrived.
As dawn broke, Lu Yong finally led his team to the woods where Zhao Yun had hidden his money.
Zhao Yun stepped forward, a hint of undisguised joy on his face, and said, "Strategist, guess how much money is in that manor?"
"One hundred million?"
Zhao Yun was taken aback upon hearing this, then praised, "As expected of the strategist, your guess was spot on!"
He then added, "There are still 150,000 shi of grain and countless treasures and paintings inside. We don't have enough manpower, and many supplies haven't been moved out yet."
Lu Yong gasped, "Luckily I brought all the new recruits out, otherwise we really wouldn't have been able to take away so much money and supplies!"
After expressing his feelings, Lu Yong asked again, "Has the news been kept under wraps?"
"Don't worry, strategist, not a single person from the manor has escaped! There are also dozens of riders patrolling the area; no one will notice."
Lu Yong was finally relieved.
Turning his head to look at the dumbfounded Xu Sheng and the new recruits behind him, he said:
"Brothers, come with me to move the stuff!"
Because the grain was too heavy
Lu Yong had his men pick up the valuables and gold and silver and move them away first.
We'll come back to move the large items when we have more manpower.
The new recruits' eyes lit up at the sight of so much money and supplies, and they felt full of energy as they worked!
In less than three hours, all the supplies that Zuo Rong had hidden in the manor were moved away.
[System Log: Host successfully raided base, intercepting 100 million coins and 150,000 shi of grain. Today's achievement +1.]
[Current Achievements Pending Settlement: 1 item.]
Zhao Yun led his cavalry to keep watch around the area to prevent the news from leaking out.
Lu Yong led a group of people, moving like ants carrying food, into the woods.
The procession was too long and would be easily spotted, so they had to wait until night to continue their journey.
Midnight,
System settlement [Overall rating: Grade A.]
[Reward: 1 purple affix.]
[Congratulations, host, you have obtained the entry: Cut off the fuel supply from under the pot (purple)]
Effect: After the host successfully completes a raid or sabotage operation against enemy logistics, the morale of all friendly forces increases by 10%, while the morale of the corresponding enemy region decreases by 10%. This effect lasts for 3 days.
Lu Yong's spirits lifted, and he thought to himself, "Finally, a useful reward."
Some time ago, because I didn't get any settlement achievements, the system's rewards were either 1 attribute point or useless chores.
Today, thanks to the crystals I stole from Zuo Rong, I finally got a purple-grade reward.
Next,
Lu Yong and his men then made their way under the cover of night.
It took five days and four nights of traveling and hiding before we finally caught a glimpse of the outline of Tancheng in the distance.
Late that night, Lu Yong and his group finally made their way to the main camp, which was three miles outside Tancheng.
Outside the camp, the soldiers on night watch saw the firelight in the distance and immediately became tense.
But after recognizing that it was his own brother who had come to speak, he breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly ran to the central command tent to report.
Lu Yong dismounted, rubbed his aching lower back from the jolting, turned to look at the long convoy behind him, and couldn't help but smile.
Xu Sheng caught up from behind, his face weary but unable to hide his excitement, and whispered, "Strategist, we've really struck it rich this time!"
Lu Yong waved his hand and lowered his voice, saying, "Don't relax yet. We'll celebrate properly after we've inventoried and stored all the supplies."
"Alright!" Xu Sheng ran back happily and continued to direct the new army to move supplies.
Although everyone was tired, the thought that these supplies would become their own military pay and provisions gave them a renewed sense of motivation.
Not long after,
A series of hurried footsteps echoed through the military camp.
Liu Bei strode out, followed by his brothers Guan Yu and Zhang Fei.
"Strategist! You're finally back!" Liu Bei rushed forward and grabbed Lu Yong's hands, his voice filled with obvious anxiety and relief.
Lu Yong was startled by Liu Bei's display of power and quickly cupped his hands, saying, "My lord, I am late in returning and have worried you."
"It's good that you're back, it's good that you're back!" Liu Bei said repeatedly, then turned and ordered his personal guards, "Quickly, bring a bowl of hot soup to the main tent for the strategist, Zilong, and Wenxiang!"
Lu Yong noticed that Liu Bei's expression was off.
He then glanced at the solemn expressions on Guan Yu and Zhang Fei's faces.
His heart skipped a beat, and he asked, "My lord, what has happened?"
"Zilong, Wenxiang, come along with me."
Having said that, Liu Bei took Lu Yong's hand and, as they walked into the main tent, explained to them:
"The day before yesterday at noon, Cao Cao's army arrived at Tancheng!"
Lu Yong was startled.
He originally thought Cao Cao would arrive in a few more days, but he didn't expect him to arrive so quickly.
"Come into the tent and let's talk," Liu Bei said in a deep voice.
The crowd filed in.
The large tent was brightly lit, with a rough wooden table in the center, on which was a simple map marked with charcoal in several places.
Liu Bei gestured for Lu Yong to sit down, then took the seat of honor himself before beginning to speak:
"After Cao Cao's army arrived, Tao Gongzu urgently summoned us into the city to discuss the matter."
"Cao Cao arrayed his troops outside the north gate of Tancheng yesterday morning and challenged them to battle."
"Xu Dan, a general under Tao Gongzu, went out of the city to fight against Yue Jin, the vanguard of Cao Cao's army."
"The two fought for more than twenty rounds. Xu Dan was stabbed in the left shoulder by Le Jin's spear and almost fell off his horse, but fortunately he managed to escape back."
Hearing this, Zhang Fei couldn't help but mutter, "That Xu Dan is useless, yet he insists on showing off. If it were me, I'd knock that Le Jin off his horse in three rounds!"
Liu Bei glared at Zhang Fei and continued, "After Xu Dan was defeated, Xiahou Dun from Cao Cao's army came out to challenge him."
"This man is considered the fiercest general in Cao Cao's camp, extremely brave. No one under Tao Qian dares to fight him, so I have no choice but to send my second brother."
Lu Yong looked at Guan Yu and smiled, "Although Xiahou is brave, he is still far inferior to Second Brother."
With a hint of arrogance on his face, Guan Yu calmly said, "That Xiahou Dun is indeed quite capable. I fought him for thirty rounds before he gradually became exhausted and fled."
Seeing that he could not gain any advantage by fighting the generals, Cao Cao stopped sending people to challenge them and began to probe the city.
Liu Bei said with some worry:
"Cao Cao's army was well-organized and moved with measured steps. Many within Xuzhou were terrified and began clamoring to surrender..."
Liu Bei looked at Lu Yong, his eyes full of expectation: "Huai'an, do you have a solution?"
After listening, Lu Yong quickly considered the situation and asked, "My lord, what was Tao Qian's reaction?"
"After yesterday's duel, he wanted his second and third brothers to press their advantage, but I stopped them on the grounds that 'the soldiers are exhausted and it is not advisable to advance rashly.'"
Lu Yong nodded slightly: "My lord is absolutely right. The current situation is not suitable for war. We should simply fortify our defenses, clear the fields, and hold our city to the death. Cao Cao's supplies are running low, and he won't be able to hold out for long."
"But the voices of surrender within Xuzhou are growing louder..." Liu Bei was still somewhat worried.
"Ignore them. As long as the Chen and Mi families don't speak up, those clowns won't be able to cause any trouble."
"Tomorrow I will go with my lord to the city wall to investigate the strength of Cao Cao's army," Lu Yong replied.
"That's good." Liu Bei nodded, finally feeling relieved.
After a moment of silence, Liu Bei suddenly asked, "By the way, Huai'an, how was your trip to Xiapi?"
Upon hearing this question, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei couldn't help but prick up their ears.
Lu Yong chuckled and held up one finger, saying:
"My lord, the gold, silver, and copper coins we brought back from Zuo Rong's manor are worth a hundred million!"
"One hundred million coins?!" Liu Bei gasped, almost falling off his seat.
"There are also 150,000 shi of grain and countless treasures and paintings."
"!!!" Guan Yu and Zhang Fei's eyes almost popped out of their sockets.
Lu Yong continued with some regret, "We still don't have enough manpower, so we only brought back the valuable gold, silver, valuables, and grain."
There were also some large, bulky, and precious artifacts that we didn't have time to take.
"..."