Chapter 28 Chapter 28: The Attack and Defense of Worry

Lu Bu appeared on the tower and deliberately asked, "Who is calling me?" Because it is separated by the Sishui River, Cao Cao's voice seems to be mixed with the sound of running water. "The person who called you is your favorite enemy—Cao Cao, the Prime Minister of Xu. Actually, what enmity did I have with you? It was only when I heard that you were going to marry Yuan Shu that I led my troops to attack you. Because Yuan Shu pretended to be the emperor, it was a disturbance. The traitors of the world are the enemies of the world who have nowhere to hide." "..."

Lu Bu was silent. The cold wind blew across the river strongly, the reeds by the river rustled, and the two banners fluttered in the wind.At this time, a letter arrow shot into the city of Xiapi. "I believe that you are not a stupid general who can't distinguish between good and evil. If you can put down your weapons now and obey me, Cao Cao, I will guarantee with my life that you will definitely play the emperor and ensure your fiefdom and reputation." "..." "If you don't listen to my advice and remain delusional and don't surrender, then your city will fall immediately, and by then it will be too late. None of your relatives, wife and children will be spared. Not only that, your The bad name will be left on the Sishui River for thousands of years. Please think about it carefully."

After hearing Cao Cao's words, Lu Bu's heart seemed to be moved.Suddenly, he raised his hand and shouted: "Prime Minister, please give Lu Bu some time to think about it carefully, and I will send you an envoy after I have discussed it carefully with the soldiers in the city." Chen Gong who was standing on the side was shocked when he heard Lu Bu's cowardly answer, he jumped up and said loudly to Lu Bu: "How can you say such stupid things?" As if he wanted to stop Lu Bu, he suddenly yelled at Cao Cao from the side: "Cao thief, you have been a master of deceiving people with sweet words since you were young. Now that I am here, Chen Gong, you can't even try to deceive me." My lord, don't be cheeky in this cold wind, wagging your lips and tongue uselessly, get out of here!"

As soon as the words were finished, Chen Gong opened his bow and released an arrow, only to hear a sound of "嗖", and the sharp arrow directly shot down Cao Cao's helmet.Cao Cao stared furiously: "Chen Gong, please remember, I swear that I will trample your head under my feet in return for your answer today." Then, he shouted orders to more than 20 cavalry subordinates: The whole army launches a general attack immediately! Seeing this, Lu Bu hurriedly shouted from the tower: "Please wait a moment, Prime Minister Cao! It was just Chen Gong's nonsense just now, not my true meaning. I will definitely leave the city and surrender after discussing it."

After hearing this, Chen Gong threw the bow and arrow to the ground, and shouted in an almost quarrelsome tone, "Why do you still say such unbelievable things at this time? You know Cao Cao, if you are caught by his rhetoric now If you were deceived into surrendering in Kaesong, it is impossible to pick it up again if you lose your head in the end.” "Shut up! Why are you screaming all by yourself?" Lu Bu also jumped and cursed.Finally, he drew his sword and threatened to kill Chen Gong. In front of the enemy, this pair of master and slave quarreled with each other, full of ugly behavior.Zhang Liao and Gao Shun couldn't stand it anymore, so they hurried forward to separate them.

"My lord, please be patient. Chen Gong definitely did not intentionally offend you for his own sake. His words are full of loyalty. He was originally a loyal and admonishing person. It would not be a good thing if we lost such a person." Hearing this, Lu Bu let out a long breath as if waking up from a drunkenness. He changed his tune and said conciliatoryly, "It was just a joke just now, so don't take it to heart. If you have any good ideas, please don't hold back." tell me." To Lu Bu, Chen Gong was a very annoying person.However, Chen Gong regarded Lu Bu as a lord who could not be separated even for a moment. As long as the lord lowered his head and said a few kind words to him, he would immediately become a loyal and admonishing minister, and he had a heart-breaking loyalty to the lord.

"There is no such thing as a good plan," Chen Gong replied in a low voice. "The question is whether you use it or not. I think we can only use the 'Jiaojiao method' here. My lord can lead the elite troops out of the city to garrison, and I will stay in the city for defense. The two places echo each other, making Cao Cao suffer from both ends of the first rat." "Is that just a trick?" "Yes. The characteristic of this plan is: if the lord leads the army to station outside the city, Cao Cao will definitely launch the first wave of offensive against the lord. At that time, I will directly lead the troops from the city to attack his rearguard. In addition, if Cao Cao wants to If Xiapi City is attacking, the Lord can turn around and threaten his rear. In this way, we can use the corner formation to pinch the enemy army and destroy them."

"Oh, that's how it is! It really is a good plan. I think my grandson will be willing to bow down." Lu Bu immediately said with great fighting spirit that he would immediately make preparations to lead his army out of the city. Everyone can imagine that the weather must be very cold when they go out of the city to camp in the wild, so the soldiers all put on thick cotton clothes under their battle robes. Lu Bu returned home and asked his wife Yan to prepare enough underwear and fur coats for him to avoid the pain of ice and snow. Yan looked at her husband and asked strangely, "Where are you going?"

Lu Bu told her about his determination to go out to fight in the city, and said, "Chen Gong is really my brain truster. If we act according to the 'trick of the horn' he gave, we will surely win this trip." As Lu Bu spoke, he hurriedly prepared the utensils he carried with him. Yan Shi said: "You mean that others are in charge here, and you lead the troops out of the city yourself?" As she said this, her face suddenly paled, and she began to cry. Then, she persuaded Lu Bu earnestly: "Haven't you ever thought about how pitiful the wife and children left behind you are? What will happen if you follow Chen Gong's plan this time? Chen Gong's predecessor, you also I know. He had a master-slave agreement with Cao Cao before, but he gave up on Cao Cao and joined you after a change of heart. Isn’t that right? Besides, you don’t seem to use Chen Gong as much as Cao Cao.”

"..." It was the first time that Lu Bu heard his wife so earnestly crying, and Lu Bu showed a look of not knowing what to do. Seeing that her husband was silent, Yan continued to talk, "Why did that Chen Gong dedicate his loyalty to you so much? What he did was even more loyal to Cao Cao at that time. If you hand over Xiapi City to him, it will be very difficult. Make sure he has no dissent, once something happens, we wives and concubines don’t know when we will be able to see you again.” Yan's words were intertwined with bitterness and hatred, and they were endless. Lu Bu took off the fur inner armor he had already put on, and shouted at Yan Shi, "You idiot, don't cry. It's the most unlucky thing to cry before going out, so let's talk about it tomorrow."

Suddenly, he asked again: "What is my daughter doing now?" With that said, he and Yan walked into the boudoir where the daughters lived. The next day, Lu Bu had no intention of leaving.The second day passed, and the third day passed. Chen Gong went to see Lu Bu again. "My lord, if we don't get out of the city as soon as possible to prepare for the battle, Cao Cao's army will surround us from all sides at any time." "Oh, is it Chen Gong? I thought so too. But I still think it's more beneficial to stick to the city than go out and fight far away." "No, it's not too late now. I received information that Cao Cao will transfer a large amount of military rations from Xudu to the front line recently. If my lord leads the army out of the city, I can cut off the supply roads at once. This is really killing two birds with one stone. It was undoubtedly a fatal blow to the enemy." "What did you say? Cao Cao wants to transport a large amount of military supplies from Xudu to the front line... Well, can we intercept them on the way? Alright, tomorrow I will lead the army out of the city." Lu Bu made up his mind again, and said with high spirits. Chen Gong also added reassuringly: "My lord, no matter what, you have to act fast, this opportunity is not to be missed." In order to stabilize Lu Bu's mood, Chen Gong deliberately stopped talking and withdrew cautiously. That night, Lu Bu entered Diao Chan's room and saw her crying behind the curtain. Lu Bu asked why. Diao Chan's pretty face was like a begonia being hit by rain, and her beautiful eyes were slightly red and swollen.Diao Chan cried: "I weep because I can't meet the general again in this world. Who will we live on in the future?" Lu Bu hastily tried to persuade him, "What are you talking about? Aren't I doing well now? Xiapi City has enough food for the winter, and there are more than 10,000 elite soldiers. What are you worrying about?" "No, I asked Madam, and said that the general will abandon our wives and concubines and go out to fight in the city. Am I right?" "I went out of town to fight in order to win, not to commit suicide on a whim." "...but...but I'm still worried. Because Chen Gong and Gao Shun, who stayed behind, don't have a good relationship, if the general is not in the city, the enemy will definitely take advantage of it." "Would the relationship between the two of them be that bad?" "Especially this man, Chen Gong, who is full of ghost ideas, which is unpredictable. Madam is also worried about this. General, aren't your daughters all lovely? Please pity your wife and children." Diao Chan pressed against Lu Bu's chest, crying with tears streaming down her face. Lu Bu patted her fragrant shoulder lightly, laughed "hahaha" and said, "I didn't expect that you only love me in your heart, don't cry, don't be sad. Well, I decided not to leave the city. Based on I have a Fangtian painted halberd and a red rabbit horse, who in the world can defeat me? Who can conquer me, Lu Bu? Don't worry, don't worry." Lu Bu stroked Diao Chan's back and went to bed with her to rest.He also asked the maid to bring fine wine, and he personally poured wine for Diao Chan to make amends. The next day, Lu Bu himself felt a little embarrassed, so he specially sent someone to call Chen Gong, and explained to him: "For the sake of caution, I have carefully considered your suggestion again, and I always feel that the relevant information you have is constantly changing. The information about sending a large amount of military rations to Cao Operation is false information. What I am particularly worried about is that it must be a rumor deliberately created by Cao Cao to lure me out of the city, so that we have fallen into his tricks without knowing it. For the sake of self-respect, I decided to suspend the implementation of the out-of-city operation the plan of." After Chen Gong retreated, he looked up to the sky and sighed helplessly: "...Ah, we will die without a place to bury us." From then on, Lu Bu indulged in drinking and feasting day and night, either hiding in the tent and playing with Diao Chan, or sharing the family happiness with his wife and daughter, and once sober, he would often show displeasure. Two people who looked like retainers said to Lu Bu's courtiers, "I have something to ask to see my lord." After the courtiers agreed, they came before Lu Bu. One of them is Xu Si and the other is Wang Kai, both are subordinates of Chen Gong. "What do you want to see me?" Lu Bu looked at the visitor warily. Wang Kai first said: "I heard that Yuan Shu's influence in Huainan is growing day by day, and my lord promised to marry his daughter to Yuan Shu's son before, and held a grand wedding ceremony for her. But why didn't you send an envoy on a fast horse to go there?" Where is Yuan Shu asking for help? The marriage contract between the lord and Yuan Shu's children has not yet been broken, if the lord agrees to send me to intercede, I think Yuan Shu will understand soon." "Yes, this marriage has not been finally dissolved." Lu Bu groaned as if seeing a ray of light in the darkness. Then, he asked sharply: "You just said that you want to represent me as an envoy to Huainan, right?" "We know that this is a major matter related to the ups and downs of the lord, so we are willing to pledge our lives to complete this matter." "Oh, you have such ambitions, I admire, I admire. You are right. Well, I will write to Yuan Shu immediately. You will rush to Huainan with my own letter." "Of order. However, Xiapi City is now under siege by the enemy, and the passage to Huainan has been guarded by troops sent by Liu Xuande to closely monitor the movement on the road. Therefore, in order to complete our mission, I hope my lord Can send an army to help us break through the siege of the passage." "Yes, I know that if you don't do this, you won't be able to go to Huainan." Lu Bu called Zhang Liao and Hao Meng, two generals, and ordered them to order more than 500 cavalry each to carry out the task. "Send these two all the way to Huainan." Lu Bu specially instructed. "Yes!" The two generals immediately took the order and left. So, Zhang Liao led more than 500 cavalry to fight in the vanguard, and Hao Meng led the army in the rear. The two armies formed the shape of flying dragons, opened the city gate and rushed out. To cross the enemy's encirclement, of course, it must be done in the middle of the night.They cleverly passed through the siege of Cao Jun, and passed Liu Xuande's position smoothly the next night, completing the task of breaking out. "Success!" The two envoys couldn't help cheering as soon as they entered the territory of Huainan. "However, there will be dangers when you come back." As Hao Meng said, he decided to take more than 500 riders and follow the messenger to Huainan. Zhang Liao returned from the original road with only five hundred cavalry under his command. However, this time they were stopped by the security forces at Liu Xuande's position. "Where are you going?" A group of soldiers stopped Zhang Liao's troops. Zhang Liao suddenly discovered that the enemy general was Guan Yu. He had said something about justice to himself at the top of the city when Lv Bu's army attacked Xiaopei, so they both had a heart of nostalgia.Although the two sides were already in a state of hostility, there was no immediate battle where bows and halberds were handed over. Fortunately, Gao Shun and Hou Chengjun from Xiapi came to support in time between two or three questions and answers, so that Zhang Liao finally escaped from the dangerous situation. Return safely to the city. After arriving in Huainan, envoys Xu Si and Wang Kai visited Yuan Shu and presented Lu Bu's letter.After that, they returned from Huainan, but they did not have the same luck as Zhang Liao. The result of the two envoys' meeting with Yuan Shu should be said to be a success.They tried their best to display their eloquent diplomatic skills, so that Yuan Shu finally said: "Lv Bu has always been volatile, and what he said in the letter is hard to rely on. If you send his daughter to Huainan to win my trust, then I will personally order the whole country. Soldiers came to the rescue." The two envoys were very excited after hearing this, so they hurried back by way.At the second watch, when they were about to pass through Liu Xuande's checkpoint, they suddenly heard a loud shout: "Who are you? Why are you riding fast late at night?" Their whereabouts were finally discovered by Zhang Fei's troops and they were immediately surrounded. As soon as Hao Meng, who was protecting the two envoys, fought with Zhang Fei, Zhang Fei knocked him off his horse, and then captured him all tied up.Hao Meng's five hundred cavalry were also wiped out. Only Xu Si and Wang Kai were lucky enough to hide in the dark place of the melee with swords and guns, and they fled to Xiapi city after suffering a lot. That night, Zhang Fei, who captured Hao Meng alive, immediately sent the tied-up Hao Meng to Liu Xuande's camp with a rope in his hand. "This guy, knowing that he can't beat him, still wants to get away under our guard. He is Lu Bu's general who guards the special envoy to and from Huainan. Brother, please torture him." Liu Xuande rewarded Zhang Fei for his contribution and began to interrogate Hao Meng immediately, but Hao Meng refused to reveal the truth easily.Zhang Fei shouted impatiently at the soldiers beside him: "Hit me hard!" The executioner immediately beat Hao Meng's back more than a hundred times mercilessly. Hao Meng knew that he could not escape this difficulty, so she couldn't help crying for mercy. "Liu Xuande, quickly loosen the rope on my body, I have something to tell." Hao Meng finally confessed everything.At this time the sky is bright. Liu Xuande wrote down the main points of Hao Meng's confession in writing and sent it to Cao Cao. Cao Cao soon wrote back: "Decapitate Hao Meng quickly. From now on, the roads will be more strictly blocked, and Lu Bu and his envoys will never be allowed to contact Huainan." According to Cao Cao's request, Liu Xuande immediately summoned the generals and ordered again solemnly: "Now our task is even heavier. Lv Bu, who is desperate, must want to pass here. This is the right way to Huainan. We must ensure that even a mouse is safe." Don't let it go. The king's law is ruthless, and anyone who slackens will be severely punished according to the military law!" "Obey!" Following Liu Xuande's order, the generals decided after deliberation that they would carry out security tasks day and night without taking off their clothes. Afterwards, Zhang Fei complained with some dissatisfaction: "I captured Hao Meng alive, but Cao Cao didn't give me the slightest reward. Instead, he asked us strictly again and again. Could it be that he can't even tell half a joke?" Liu Xuande whispered and sternly reprimanded close to his ear: "Prime Minister Cao is now commanding hundreds of thousands of troops, can you treat orders as verbal jokes? Only you, casually say those bad personal guesses It's just the manifestation of your bad nature, you must pay attention in the future, don't take it lightly, it will only cause a thousand years of stigma..." "Brother is right." Zhang Fei stroked his cheeks and beard, and resigned in shame.One night's work was also lost because of a careless remark. In Xiapi City. Xu Si and Wang Kai, two envoys, reported to Lu Bu the situation of asking to see Yuan Shu, and put forward their own opinions: "Yuan Shu still has great doubts about the lord, and he did not readily agree to our request as usual. He just said that I His son is very happy to marry the general's daughter, and he is still reluctant to part with it. After hearing Yuan Shu's words, we think that the top priority is to meet his request and send the lord's daughter to Huainan, and we must hurry up, otherwise we will not be able to rescue the urgent need .” After hearing this, Lu Bu said with some embarrassment: "It's no problem to send my daughter there, but we are in a tight siege now, how can we send it?" "Since it is Miss Qianjin who is hidden in the deep boudoir by the lord, we feel that this must be escorted by you personally no matter what." "My daughter is my lifeblood. Not to mention going to the battlefield, she has never experienced the cold wind in the world. She is the apple of my eye. Well, I will send her to Huainan myself." "My lord, it's not suitable to go out today because it's the day of the culprit. It's better to leave tomorrow. I calculated that it's best to start at Xuhai tomorrow night." "Then go and call Zhang Liao and Hou Cheng!" Lu Bu finally made up his mind, and he told the second general to lead 3,000 cavalry to escort them together, and prepare a carriage in the army for his daughter to go to Huainan. But in the end Lu Bu didn't let his daughter ride in the carriage.Considering the dangers of breaking out, he decided to carry his daughter on his back.This innocent and ignorant fourteen-year-old bride was wearing a beautiful wedding gown made of Jinxiu and a thick cotton padded jacket, and was firmly tied to the cold armor on her father's back. The cold moon is bright and clear, reflecting on the mirror-like Sishui River in Boping. A world of ice and snow, the north wind is blowing hard, making a "quack" sound from time to time. On the road, a group of people and horses dragged long black shadows. These are the three thousand cavalry of Zhang Liao and Gao Shun.Lu Bu rode a red rabbit horse and was in the middle of the team. The whole army quietly left Xiapi City and marched towards Huainan. "Scout, is there any movement ahead?" Lu Bu asked in a low voice. The whole army walked forward step by step, like walking on thin ice. The scouts in charge of scouting ahead took turns walking forward, reporting the situation ahead from time to time. "The enemy's sentry hid somewhere in the cold night, and there was no sound in front." "God helped me too!" Lu Bu was secretly glad, and couldn't help urging the horse to move forward. He has today, and the primary credit is probably to push the red rabbit horse under his crotch.The red rabbit horse also became more and more handsome, let Lu Bu sit majestically on the carved saddle inlaid with mother-of-pearl tonight, and let him drive it as he pleased. Every time I look up at Lu Bu's figure on horseback from different angles, I always feel that he is completely different from his usual image. At this time, Lu Bu on the horse even made people feel his stalwart and upright majesty, which is really incredible. The so-called majestic posture is invincible majesty, a real deterrent to all directions. However, the past is like smoke.He's just a great vexed general now.Even a geek like him, in order to protect his daughter, even sent three thousand cavalry to escort him, and he was afraid of the eyes of the enemy sentry, even if the shadow of a flying bird flashed between the snow-capped world, it would cause The fear and anxiety in his heart. "Daughter, don't be afraid!" Lu Bu comforted his daughter behind him several times. The fourteen-year-old virgin who was tightly wrapped in cotton and embroidered clothes, the daughter who was regarded as the jewel in Lu Bu's palm, has been in a daze since she was carried away by her father from Xiapi City. Lu Bu continued to comfort him, "I will marry you to the Yuan family in Shouchun, and let you be the queen in the future." At this time, he seemed to hear his daughter's mother crying before leaving: "Is this the way the bride must go? Her white and tender face will be damaged by ice and snow. The black eyelashes will also be frozen." Glue the upper and lower eyelids together." Lu Bujun walked cautiously for more than a hundred miles in this way. On such a night, even the moon in the cold forest is so bright that it makes people feel frightened. Suddenly, the army drum thundered, and the huge sound shook the white moonlit night. Like thousands of flying birds, a group of fierce cavalry flashed out of the cold forest. "Ah, it's Guan Yu's troops!" Zhang Liao exclaimed.He immediately turned around and reminded Lu Bu, "My lord, be careful." At this moment when there was no room for movement, there was only a "whoosh", and a cloud of snow and mist rose in front of Lu Bu's horse. "boom!" The rain of arrows flew past the body of the man and shattered the armor. Then, the shouts and groans of the soldiers came from all over the front, back, left, and right. Many people fell down from the arrows, and black plasma gushed out from the wound... "I'm afraid..." Lu Bu's daughter's screams like tearing silk came from next to Lu Bu's ears. The daughter who was tied behind her only knew to hold her father's body tightly with her fingers. "Woo..." The daughter cried out in grief again. Suddenly, Chituma stood up strong after being frightened. Tonight, in order to restrain the urge to love horses, Lu Bu's hands were already covered with sweat.He was only worried about his beloved daughter, what would happen if she was hit by a knife or an arrow from the enemy? At this time, the surrounding enemy troops swarmed up, and shouts came from all around. "Those enemies who break through the level are not ordinary people!" "Lu Bu is here too, that general looks like Lu Bu!" "What if we meet Guan Yu here?" Lu Bu trembled at the thought, losing all strength. "I don't think about anything now, as long as my daughter is not hurt." Lu Bu's mind went blank, he turned his horse's head, and fled desperately to the same road. On the way, he was intercepted by powerful enemies from time to time. "I am Cao Cao's subordinate Xu Huang!" "I'm Xu Chu under Cao Cao's banner, and I'm here to meet the general!" Facing the challenges of these Cao Cao's titans, Lu Bu ignored them, and just kept whipping the Chitu horse, and fled back to Xiapi City in one breath.