Chapter 19: The Famous General's Plan (Part 1)

  The Han Dynasty generally followed a two-meal system, but in Chang'an, there was no time for that. In the past few days, because of rushing to Hebei, he often worried about Li Jue and Guo Si's pursuing troops behind him, and his appetite was already poor. Moreover, after seeing the simplified version of meat porridge in this era, he felt even more disgusted. The Five Zang Temple, which had been spoiled by later generations, occasionally rebelled, and Lü Linggui's "high-intensity" training for Qin Xu made Qin Xu extremely miserable.

  Such days lasted for two days. Qin Xu finally couldn't bear it when he saw Old Xi abusing a wild mountain chicken that could have been a top-notch delicacy.

  Qin Xu was a person who, in his previous life, could eat to his heart's content and make sure his whole family didn't go hungry. Although he often claimed to be a successful person, he would frequently gather his friends and drink beer while having barbecues together. As a result, although his cooking skills were not great, he had honed his barbecue skills to perfection.

  At the moment when Qin Xu transformed a black piece of trash into a golden, fragrant delicacy, Lü Linggui was attracted by the aroma and snatched it away without saying a word, claiming to be showing filial piety to Lady Yan and Cai Yong. Not long after, when Qin Xu looked at Lü Linggui's oily lips with suspicion, he was met with Lü Linggui's angry glare and an additional day of training.

  Qin Xu was speechless, and could only squat in a horse stance under Lü Linggui's strict supervision, looking at Cai Yong with a bitter expression as he scolded Qin Xu for not being diligent, saying something about gentlemen staying away from the kitchen and other sarcastic remarks, while savoring a chicken leg with relish, nodding his head from time to time.

  Gao Shun and others were trapped in the camp, and because of their hasty departure, they didn't bring much dry rations. Normally, Zheng Shi and Cai Yong had meat porridge to eat, and Qin Xu, due to his weak body, could also get some. These people mostly hunted wild game like Old Xu, cooked it hastily, and filled their bellies. Seeing Qin Xu, this small chief clerk, actually having such a magical skill of turning rotten things into delicacies, they were instantly amazed, their eyes shining with admiration, as if they wanted to treat Qin Xu as a treasure. Every time it was mealtime, these people would bring the wild game they had hunted and casually gather around Qin Xu, even Gao Shun, who was known for his strict military discipline and stoic demeanor, couldn't help but acknowledge their behavior after tasting Qin Xu's cooking skills.

  "Captain Qin! You don't know, today we're really lucky, after guarding all night, we actually caught this thing!" Several off-duty soldiers from the Trap Array Camp lifted a large object and reported to Qin Xu.

  In the past few days, Qin Xu had already become familiar with these soldiers. The temptation of good food, combined with Qin Xu's innate ability to build relationships and his eloquence from his previous life as a businessman, quickly made these straightforward men address him as "brother" or "younger brother". Considering the previous jokes about Qin Zhongbo yearning to join the vanguard camp without care, in just a short period of time, Qin Xu had already been accepted by them as one of their own.

  "Is that a wild boar?" Qin Xue had seen relatives of these domestic pigs in the zoo before, and now he saw long tusks with bloodstains that hadn't dried yet, and chaotic bloodstains on the pig's head. He furrowed his brow and asked, "Which one of you brothers is injured?"

  "Qin... Qin Zhu Bo, we... none of us are injured!" One of the robust men said with a silly expression. This person, Qin Xu was familiar with, surnamed Kong, big and tall, powerful, always charging to the front line in battles, it's said that he's also a clansman of Bei Hai governor Kong Rong, on the surface, he looks honest and simple-minded, speaks with a silly tone, can't speak clearly, Old Xu and others all call him Kong Er Duan Zi.

  "Wasn't anyone hurt?" Qin Xu stared at the dead wild boar, his heart filled with doubt. Although Qin Xu was not familiar with military affairs, the knife marks on the pig's head were obvious to anyone who could see, and it was clear that someone had hacked at it. Moreover, the bloodstains on the pig's tusks also indicated that the person who had hacked at the wild boar had suffered a serious injury. Qin Xu couldn't believe that such obvious signs would be missed by these soldiers of the Blood Licking Camp, even if he, a mere clerk, could see them clearly.

  "Right, Qin Zhubu! No matter if this beast has ever hurt anyone, since it's fallen into our hands, it deserves to be sliced into eight pieces by Qin Zhubu!" The nearby Sima Meng shouted out. Looking at the filthy wild boar, as if looking at a sumptuous pork feast.

  "Yes, it's Qin... Qin Zhubao! Just now, Lord Cai saw us and urged us to come over too!" said Kong Er Daren, pointing to the nearby woods where Cai Yong was resting.

  "This old glutton, why is he so unwelcoming to our benefactor who saved his life? He's always finding ways to make trouble..." At that time, Dong Zhuo had set fire to Luoyang and relocated the capital to Chang'an. In order to prevent people from escaping halfway, he also relocated the villages along this road to the outskirts of Chang'an, making the road from Chang'an to Henan very desolate. Qin Xiang couldn't figure out who was hurt, but under the expectant gaze of Kong Er and others, he still instructed a few people to take action.

  The barbecue was nothing more than timing and ingredients. Qin Xu had only salt, pepper, and low-quality wine in his hands, but after he cut a few deep gashes on the thick pork leg with a short knife, applied the wine and salt to marinate it slightly, and set up a simple grill using sturdy branches, before long, the oil dripped onto the charcoal, and the smoke filled the air with fragrance. In the forest, Cai Yong's father and daughter, Diao Chan, Yan Shi, and Lv Linggui's mother and daughter seemed to have made an appointment, and they strolled over one after another under Gao Shun's escort. Especially Cai Yong, who even took a few steps back and forth, looking around as if admiring the scenery, Qin Xu could only pretend not to see him.

  "Thud... thud... thud..."

  The aroma grew thicker, and the thick roasted pork legs on the grill dripped with oil, making a sizzling sound as they were constantly turned over. The fragrance was so enticing that it made one's mouth water uncontrollably. Even Qin Xu, who was known for his picky eating habits, couldn't help but salivate. Just as everyone was eagerly waiting for Qin Xu to announce that the barbecue was ready and give the "military order" to start eating, a sudden sound of horse hooves came from afar, getting closer and closer. Judging by the sound, there were over ten horses, and they seemed to have arrived nearby.

  "Not good!" Gao Shun was the first to react, and in an instant, the ten soldiers in the camp seemed to have changed into different people. A solemn and murderous atmosphere suddenly filled the forest, and several people led by Gao Shun immediately dispersed into a semicircular shape, protecting Qin Xu and others who had no ability to resist inside. It was the same semicircular formation that Qin Xu had seen outside the prison before.

  "Alas..."

  As expected, within half a stick of incense time, a cavalry team appeared in front of Qin Xu and others. The first person wore a leather armor, with an iron helmet, which was the standard attire of low-ranking military officers in the Great Han army, but he was riding a horse, and it was too far away to see his face clearly; The soldiers behind this man were all lightly dressed, with bows and arrows on their backs. Looking at the attire of these people, they seemed to be coming hastily.

  "Which part of you?"

  Listening to this familiar dialogue, Qin Xu almost couldn't help but laugh. It's too familiar, a classic line from a previous life's TV series! Such a classic phrase actually appeared in the late Eastern Han Dynasty, it seems that the cultural heritage of the Chinese nation is indeed true to the saying "a single drop reveals the truth".

  "We are travelers on a long journey, having breakfast here. What instructions does the general have for us?" Gao Shun and others had already changed their attire when they left Chang'an, abandoning their heavy armor and horses. However, the habits formed from years of being in the military were useless in the eyes of fellow soldiers, and the sudden formation of a military array by Gao Shun and others only served to expose their identities as soldiers without a doubt. Gao Shun seemed to know that they had been seen through by the other side, but his expressionless face did not reveal even a hint of surprise, still pretending to be a traveler, he asked back.

  "Xu Dūwèi, look! It must be that beast!"

  The other party had not yet responded, a person with an obviously different cavalry attire from the opponent pointed at the half pig leg in Qin Xu's hand and said to the leader in a low voice. The sound came with the wind, and suddenly made Qin Xu understand the other party's intention. He glared fiercely at Kong Er Dianzi, who had a slightly red face, and actually made the big and tall Kong Er Dianzi lower his head under Qin Xu's glare.

  "Hmm? This beast has already become someone else's trophy, and it can be said that we have avenged General Wang. Since they've got him, I suppose it took some effort. The villagers are suffering, so let's not fight with them for profit! Let's go!" The leader glanced at Qin Xiang and the others, hesitated for a moment, and said indifferently, ignoring Gao Shun's question, before turning his horse around to leave.

  "Director Xu! These few people..." The man who had just spoken looked reluctantly at the wild boar on the ground, and was about to follow "Director Xu" away, but seemed to remember something, suddenly stared at Qin Xiang and others for a few seconds, and whispered in Director Xu's ear while riding side by side. This made Gao Shun and others, including Qin Xiang, tense up.

  Qin Xu's group was really easy to identify, with old and young, male and female. It wasn't until now that Qin Xu vaguely understood why Gao Shun didn't hide his identity and immediately formed a battle formation after seeing these people. Gao Shun had also followed Lü Bu in Dong Zhuo's army before, so he was naturally very familiar with the uniforms of the Xiliang army under Dong Zhuo's command. And this person who called them the leader, Xu Duwei, was heading towards Chang'an, and might be the Xiliang army sent by Li Jue and Guo Si to capture Qin Xu's group.

  "What's going on?" Xu Duwei, who had been listening to the man's excited voice, didn't seem surprised at all. He fiddled with the long-handled axe with a bird-shaped ring on the side of his warhorse and asked the man back.

  "These few people are just the ones that General Li's military order wants to capture!" The man had a joyful expression, saying: "This is Lü Bu's family, General Li said that he will be conferred as a general, ranked as a marquis, and rewarded with ten thousand gold coins. Xu Duwei, our chance for promotion and wealth has arrived."

  "Do you also know that they are Lü Bu's family members?" Xu Duwei asked with a cold glint in his eyes: "Aren't you afraid that Lü Wenhao will find out and cause trouble for you?"

  "Xu Wei laughed!" The man's eyes showed a hint of disdain, saying: "Lü Bu has been scared out of his wits by Generals Li and Guo, and he fled with several hundred defeated soldiers, who knows where? What is there to fear from him?"

  This man saw Xu Wei still not speaking, and instead fell into silence, with a raised corner of his mouth, sneering: "Lü Bu is brave and fierce, the world knows it, but now he is already the Tiger of Pingyang. With Generals Li and Guo here, there's no need to worry. Is Xu Wei really scared by Lü Bu? Not even daring to take action against these few people protecting the old, weak, women and children?"

  The tone of this man's speech was frivolous, and Xu Douwei's eyes flashed with cold light, but as if considering something, he still pursed his lips and looked deeply at the group of people where Qin Xiang was, without answering.

  The scene was momentarily stalemate, and both sides had already confirmed each other's identities from the fragmented conversation between that man and Xu Duwei. Xu Duwei didn't know why he hadn't made a move yet, and Gao Shun and others also hadn't acted rashly because they didn't have heavy armor horses with them, and they were also considering the old, weak, women and children behind them. The atmosphere between the two sides became increasingly oppressive.

  "My uncle often heard General Yang say that Captain Xu has the bravery of a thousand men, today I, Han Mou, have seen it for myself. Ha ha! Indeed brave! Fierce! When I return, I will personally help spread Captain Xu's name!" The man who called himself Han Mou said with sarcasm as he saw Captain Xu and those dozen cavalrymen about to leave.

  "Feel free!" said Xu Duwei with a pale face.

  "Oh! I remember now! It was you!" The tense "two armies facing off" suddenly took a turn with Qin Xu's unexpected decision!