Chapter 37: The Change in Ye City (Part 1)

  Ye City. High tens of zhang, horizontal width seven miles more, two layers of city walls, wide can parallel six horses, the female wall on top inserted with dark yellow yuanzi big flag, suddenly suddenly, against the wind fluttering.

  This was originally the site of Ji Province's governor, Han Fu's city, a major northern stronghold that had been little affected by war and had ample supplies of troops and provisions. Since being seized by Yuan Shao at the beginning of the year through cunning and force, it had become the main base of operations for the Yuan family.

  "Is this Ye City? It's not much inferior to Chang'an! Unfortunately, it lacks a bit of atmosphere." A clear and crisp exclamation came from a carriage guarded by four or five strong men in front of the slightly desolate gate of Ye City.

  "We've arrived at Ye City, let's just say we're in agreement, once we enter the city everything will have to be done my way! You mustn't make any mistakes." A young man dressed as a scholar sitting on the carriage shaft said with a bitter smile, turning his head to speak to those inside.

  "Alright, alright, how annoying. You've said it over a dozen times on the way here. I know you're Qin's steward, no, wait, you're Qin's housekeeper, and you're here to handle important matters. I won't bother you, that's all!" The woman in the carriage said nonchalantly.

  "Remember, you're no longer Miss Lü, but rather the niece of Governor Zhang, and it's Lord Xu Xuan who has invited you to come to Ye City for a visit, remember?"

  "Alright, alright! How annoying! Why haven't we entered the city yet? Uncle Gao is still waiting for our reply!"

  The man and woman in conversation were none other than Qin Xu and Lü Linggui who had come from Hanoi.

  On that day, Qin Xu made a bet with Cheng Lian in front of the crowd of Lv Bu's army, to smoothly retrieve the promised military rations and horses from Yuan Shao. If he really waited for Xu You to fulfill his promise, it was estimated that even if he waited until Yuan Shao died of old age, it would still be a waste of time.

  Now that we know Old Yuan won't admit defeat, but Zhang Yang's face must be given to Lü Bu. Once Ye City is lost, Yuan Shao will definitely return with reinforcements. The difference in military strength and combat power is too great, and Zhang Yan will definitely not be able to hold on to Ye City.

  If Zhang Yan is satisfied with the harvest of Ye City and is also clever enough, after completing this task, he will retreat to the mountains, avoid Yuan Shao's military edge, preserve his strength, and it will be good for everyone, except Zhang Yang!

  Zhang Yang's army in Hebei was less than 10,000 men, and he took shelter under Yuan Shao. He had always been humble and compromising towards Yuan Shao. No matter what method Xu You used, Zhang Yang, the good old man, could not shirk his responsibility.

  Comparing the military strength of Zhang Yang and Hei Shan Jun, it is clear that the rescue mission was not going well. In a fit of rage, with Yuan Shao's temperament, he would have flown into a fury, enough to make Zhang Yang drink a whole jug.

  If Zhang Yang didn't send troops, I'm afraid he would soon become what Xu You had hoped for, becoming the second Han Fu. With Zhang Yang suffering under his nose, Lü Bu naturally wouldn't just sit back and do nothing.

  But sending troops in vain and wasting Lü Bu's military strength was also something that Qin Xu did not want to see.

  Since it is reasonable and necessary to send troops, Yuan Shao also intends to make friends with our army to intimidate Chang'an, and provide some assistance. General, you can accept it with a smile. As for Zhang Taishou, since he said that transporting the goods would be quite troublesome, we might as well go and transport them ourselves!

  Qin Xu's words made Lü Bu, the number one fierce general in the world, change color slightly. Although Qin Xu had joked with Cheng Lian in the military account, Lü Bu had vaguely felt that Qin Xu had such thoughts, but now that Qin Xu said it out loud, it was still difficult for people to accept.

  "Yuan Shao occupies one state, his family has produced three high-ranking officials for four generations, and his reputation is unmatched in the world. His relationship with the aristocratic families of Hebei Province is not ordinary, even if he really lost Yecheng, the Black Mountain bandits would not be able to take it easily." Lü Bu furrowed his brow and said: "Moreover, if Yuan Shao truly makes up his mind to return and rescue, he can arrive at Yecheng in just five or six days of rapid march. If he discovers our plan, Young Master Zhang..."

  Lü Bu may not be known for his wisdom in history, but he was able to thrive among the warlords of the late Han dynasty. How many of them were truly foolish and rough? Although Qin Xu's words were bold, with careful operation, it is not impossible to succeed. Lü Bu was originally fearless, and his concern for Yuan Shao was mainly due to fear of being held accountable by him.

  "Isn't there a Black Mountain bandit around...” Qin Xu's mouth slightly curled up. He said: "Anyway, anyone with discerning eyes can see that the Black Mountain bandits are here to help Gongsun Zan. Yuan Shao just suffered a loss at Gongsun Zan's hands, and the two families have already become sworn enemies. We might as well add fuel to the fire."

  “……”

  The plan is quite good and the steps are very reasonable. For Qin Xu, who often made planning cases in his previous life, all plans were not as fast as changes, so if the plan was not successful, Lu Bu's safety would naturally be no need to worry about it. Qin Xu took a fancy to the high attack speed of the trapped array camp, and naturally became the first choice for the siege of Ye City.

  Lü Bu did not refute Qin Xu's decision to personally go to Ye City, despite Qin Xu's young age and lack of experience. Instead, he ordered Gao Shun and the troops to cooperate with Qin Xu before he even spoke up.

  Qin Xu understood Lü Bu's meaning. Although Ye City was Yuan Shao's main base, it was the least dangerous before the Black Mountain Army arrived. Even if Qin Xu's plan failed, there was the Trap Array Camp, known for its ability to conquer cities and camps, nearby, and the mere thousand or so defending soldiers would not be able to withstand Gao Shun.

  As for Lü Bu's tolerant and almost indulgent attitude towards Qin Xu, Qin Xu was also somewhat numb to it, unable to figure out the reason, so he simply didn't think about it for the time being.

  Everything went according to the predetermined script. Before dawn, Lü Bu ordered Zhang Liao's swift cavalry and Cheng Lian's flying cavalry to intercept the main force of the Black Mountain army. Gao Shun led the vanguard camp to secretly enter Jizhou halfway. Qin Xu, accompanied by familiar soldiers from the vanguard camp such as Old Xi, Sima Mao, and Kong Er, disguised himself as Xu You, who had been sent to persuade Zhang Yang and was being escorted to Ye City as a nephew of Yuan Shao's to ease his concerns.

  The more perfect you think things are, the easier they go wrong, which is always true throughout history.

  Just as these people deliberately avoided Zhang Yang and Xu You, leaving He Nei, pretending to complete Yuan Shao's entrustment for Zhang Yang, the He Nei governor's mansion was also in a mess.

  Lü Linggui is gone.

  "Mom, Sister Diao, I'm going to play with Qin Xu!"

  When people reported back that Miss Lü had gone to Qin Xuan's room the night before but didn't enter, and then left a note and disappeared the next day, Yan Shi and Diao Chan couldn't help but cry and laugh at the same time. This, this, Xiao Ling'er actually has such a good relationship with Qin Xuan?

  So when Qin Xu saw Lv Linggui standing in front of him, fully armed and looking like a ghost near Ye City, Qin Xu knew that the conversation that night must have been overheard by this girl.

  With a heavy heart, Lv Linggui was sent back to Hebei, but Qin Xu knew that this was fundamentally impossible. Here, it's less than ten miles from Ye City, and Lv Linggui's temper is the most like Lv Bu's. Qin Xu didn't dare guarantee whether this girl would sneak into Ye City on her own. Helpless, they finally changed their plan, and Lv Linggui became Zhang Yang's niece, invited by Xu You to Ye City as a "guest". Meanwhile, Qin Xu, who originally enjoyed the treatment of a young master, moved from Sima Meng's carriage to the chariot, becoming a servant head named "Zhang" for the young lady.

  The news that the Black Mountain bandits are going to raid Jizhou by borrowing a road from Henan and aiming directly at Ye City has spread throughout Ye City in the past few days. The war between Yuan Shao and Gongsun Zan is deadlocked, and there are not many soldiers left in Ye City. At this time, the Black Mountain bandits who have been rampant in northern Hebei also came to join in the fun, making the small number of defenders here frightened.

  Yuan Shao has just taken Ye City, and at this time, saying that the people's hearts are completely attached is a joke. The Han people who have been through many wars don't care whether you are a fourth-generation noble or a former alliance leader, nor do they understand what tactics like "making a feint to the east while attacking in the west" mean. What they care about is nothing more than whether taxes are high or low, whether the silver given for labor mobilization is high or low. Those who have some news also know that there is an old Yuan who has taken a liking to Ye City and squeezed out the original old Han. However, he still feels that his territory is not big enough, so he goes to provoke someone named Gongsun Zan. At first, the battle went well, but later it was discovered that he had actually been fooled by him. Now his ally wants to come and attack Yuan's old nest. Moreover, the one coming is the notorious Black Mountain bandit.

  A few days ago, in the bustling streets, you could still hear the cries of vendors and the braying of donkeys; the four gates were open, with people coming and going, and the caravans of wealthy families passing through continuously. But since the news of the Black Mountain bandits' invasion came, the tense atmosphere in the city has become more intense, not only are the streets empty and quiet, but also the outer gates have been closed high up, leaving only the East Gate open for travelers to come and go.

  The garrison of the Yuan family guarding the city gate also changed their faces, unlike their usual lazy appearance. Each one held a spear and wore armor, under the leadership of an officer who looked like a school lieutenant, they nervously watched the people coming in and out of the city, and even letters and gifts had to be opened and checked, the inspection was extremely strict.

  The horse carriage was soon noticed by the soldiers, and the school lieutenant looked at the carriage with a vigilant expression, which went straight in without any hesitation, and hurriedly blocked it.

  Ye City is the seat of Ji Province, and there are many prominent families inside the city. If it were a normal time, with luxurious carriages and guards, perhaps with ladies inside, this would not be the usual arrangement for an ordinary family. Perhaps they wouldn't even ask questions and would let them pass directly. But now is an extraordinary period, people in the city are nervous, and the order from above commands the lieutenant to come forward and interrogate.

  "Please stay for a moment!" The captain politely stopped the carriage and asked tentatively, "May I ask which family in the city you are affiliated with?"

  "We wait..." Before Qin Xu could say the words he had prepared, a dense sound of horseshoes was heard from behind. The school lieutenant seemed to have been pricked by a needle and didn't even bother to ask questions to Qin Xu and others. With an excited tone, "Ah" he went forward to greet them.

  A group of less than ten cavalrymen arrived, all wearing dark armor and exuding a stern and murderous aura. At first glance, they were the elite of the military. The young man at the lead, who looked to be around the same age as Qin Xu, was dressed in a small suit of armor and was pointing and gesturing at the carriage that blocked the city gate, seemingly with great displeasure.

  The school lieutenant ran up quickly and greeted him with a bow and a long salute, showing great respect to the young man.

  The young man pointed at the car frame of Qin Xu and others with a look of impatience, saying a few words to the school lieutenant. Then, he saw the school lieutenant walking quickly towards Qin Xu who was waiting in place, his face no longer showing any of the previous anxiety, as if he had gained some support, saying "You all wait aside for now, and we'll conduct a thorough inspection after Third Master passes by!"

  Third Master?

  Qin Xu felt a bit annoyed at the arrogant and condescending attitude of the school officer, but as he looked at the approaching young man, he couldn't help but smile slightly, and suddenly had an idea.