Chapter 33: The Black Mountain Bandits Arrive (Middle)

  "Mr. Yuan's assistance was very timely..."

  "Mr. Yuan's intention is very sincere..."

  "Yuan Gong's purpose was just to make friends..."

  "Director Yuan has no personal motives..."

  "Lord Yuan..."

  "Lord Yuan..."

  Inside the military account, Xu You spoke endlessly about the benefits and support promised by Yuan Shao, how great and selfless it was, similar to the temptation of "998, only 998" in later TV marketing. The generals inside the river were listening with joy on their faces and sparkling eyes. Yuan Shao's title as a fourth-generation nobleman was still very useful, and with Xu You's silver tongue, it seemed that if Zhang Yang were not still alive, these people would have hated to change their flags and surrender to Yuan Shao immediately.

  On the other side of the military account, Lü Bu's soldiers were all silent and expressionless, like clay or wooden sculptures, deaf to Xu You's words, as if they were forcing themselves to endure. The first seat, Lü Bu, listened with a slightly furrowed brow and tightly pursed lips, looking very impatient.

  That night, Qin Xu's words struck a chord in Lü Bu's heart. After being dissected by Qin Xu, the strategy of Yuan Shao was completely collapsed in Lü Bu's mind, and his impression of Xu You was also very bad.

  "The bandits of Heishan have already occupied the area within a hundred miles, and in two days at most, they will be besieging the city. All you generals must unite your efforts, seize the initiative from the enemy, and ensure that Henan is not lost! I wish all of you victory and triumphal return!" Xu You spoke for a long time, satisfying his addiction to pointing out strategies and planning in secret, before finally stopping with an unfulfilled desire.

  "Zi Yuan Gong's true knowledge is piercing and insightful, he is indeed a worthy scholar!"

  "Mr. Xu is indeed a Zhang Liang in the flesh! It seems that he has long had plans in his belly, but it would be better to speak directly and help us achieve our goal with one strike, wouldn't it be delightful?!"

  "Really? Really?"

  It is also unknown how much benefit the people in the account received from Yuan Shao, and almost everyone praised Xu You's words. Xu You was very satisfied with this, constantly waving his hand to decline, and being humble.

  On the other hand, Zhang Yang, the Taishou of Hebei Province, who was on Xu You's side, had a smiling face, seemingly not minding at all that the other generals were praising an external general.

  Qin Xu found Zhang Yang's attitude very strange. According to historical records, Yuan Shao had been bullying Zhang Yang for the past two years, and it seemed like he was addicted to it. He would often provoke and tease Zhang Yang, the governor of Hebei Province, asking for money and grain without hesitation. Sometimes, he would even directly order Zhang Yang to assist in battles, not allowing him to retreat if they were losing. Yet, Zhang Yang seemed to be unaffected by this, doing whatever Yuan Shao told him to do, without being influenced by the lesson of Han Fu's loss of Ji Province to Yuan Shao.

  "General Lü, the bandits of Black Mountain, although they number in the hundreds of thousands, are nothing but scattered chickens and dogs. Since I arrived at Huai City, I have been favored with your brother's attention. Why not let me take care of them for you?" Lü Bu's voice was particularly grating amidst all the flattery, and Xu You's eyebrows furrowed instantly.

  "General Lü is a hero of the times, with General Lü's help, I believe Governor Zhang can definitely defeat the Black Mountain bandits in one battle!" Xu You forced a smile, because Lü Bu's attitude towards forming an alliance with Yuan Shao was becoming increasingly ambiguous, and Xu You was also somewhat unsure of Lü Bu's intentions.

  "With Lord Yuan's great support, what merits does Lü Bu have?" Lü Bu's mouth slightly curled up as he spoke with a hint of implication.

  "This......" Xu You did not expect that Lü Bu, who had always been in his impression as a rough and simple-minded man, could also say such words, and for a moment he was somewhat stunned.

  Before leaving, Yuan Shao's order to Xu You was to try his best to win over Lü Bu and persuade him to form an alliance through marriage. However, the primary goal was still to firmly grasp Zhang Yang. Yuan Shao could never have imagined that even if Lü Bu were to bring away some troops under the attack of Xiliang's hundreds of thousands of soldiers on Chang'an, how many soldiers and horses he would be able to take with him. The 20,000 stones of grain and 2,000 warhorses previously promised to Lü Bu in order to form an alliance through marriage were actually just betrothal gifts. If they had not obtained Lü Bu's consent to the alliance and had instead provided him with such a large amount of support on their own initiative, even if Xu You was deeply trusted by Yuan Shao, he would still be unable to bear this responsibility.

  "What? Does Mr. Xu have an objection to General Yuan's order?" Lü Bu's words pushed Xu You into a dead end. The meaning of Yuan Shao's winning over Lü Bu was almost clear to all the generals in Hebei, and the conditions he offered at that time were even more widely known in order to increase his influence. On the other hand, because he didn't want to leave any rumors behind, Xu You deliberately concealed the fact that he had allied himself with Lü Bu through marriage, so very few people knew about it.

  Now it's fine, Lü Bu hasn't even agreed to the marriage between the two families, and yet he's already asking for benefits, how could Xu You agree?

  Don't underestimate Lü Bu, this is Xu You's current mindset.

  "General Lü, don't worry. My master's family has been prominent for four generations, with three high-ranking officials, and is firmly established in the north. These supplies are merely a trivial matter. However, although it's just a small amount of supplies, it still requires some time to arrange. General Lü, please don't be impatient. It's Lord Yuan's intention, how could I dare..."

  "That's it?" Lü Bu said calmly.

  "General Lü, what do you mean by this?" Xu You said sternly, "My lord is on good terms with Governor Zhang. Seeing the Black Mountain bandits coming in full force, he sent me to come and assist. But General Lü, you disregard our friendship as sworn brothers and only talk about these external things. I'm afraid it's you who are being deceitful."

  When others talk to you about strength, you talk to them about benefits. When others talk to you about benefits, you talk to them about relationships. Lü Bu, as a general, had some strategic ideas, but how could he compare to Xu You in terms of eloquence, who was used to dealing with scholars and their sharp tongues? Being questioned by Xu You, and seeing the mocking intention in the eyes of the other generals from Hebei, Lü Bu's face flashed with anger for a moment. The faces of Lü Bu's generals also turned iron-blue.

  "Master Zi Yuan, you truly have a silver tongue! Black and white, right and wrong, all are turned upside down in your clever mouth, and a group of fools are fooled into being dizzy and confused, quickly stick out your tongue, let me measure whether it's three inches long!"

  Just as Lü Bu was being pressed by Xu You's words and couldn't find anything to say, Zhang Liao and other generals were at a loss for what to do, when a lazy voice came from the main tent, making Xu You, who had been so pleased with himself, feel like vomiting blood.

  When the lord is worried, his ministers are ashamed; when the lord is humiliated, his ministers die. Suddenly, this sentence appeared in the minds of all the generals of Lü Bu's army.

  The one who spoke was Qin Xu, who had come to the military account to stir-fry sauce.

  Xu You's previous words to boost the morale of the Hebei generals had reached Qin Xu's ears, and he had already put a big cross on them. If it were someone else, it would be fine, but with Xu You's stirring words added to Yuan Shao's strength and reputation, few people could see through the trickery. But Qin Xu happened to be that unexpected person.

  What helps Hanoi, what aids the righteous, drag it out?

  "Who are you?" The cultural literacy rate was not high in the Three Kingdoms era, and being able to speak a little eloquently could make one be called a good debater. Xu You was estimated to have been crushing others with his eloquence since he was young, and in the military camp, where martial prowess took precedence, it only added to Xu You's arrogance. Suddenly hearing that someone was even more venomous than him made Xu You unable to adapt for a while. What made Xu You even angrier was that when he looked clearly at the person speaking, it turned out to be a young man who had just sat down at the entrance of the military tent, looking distracted, and a surge of anger rose to his head. He shouted: "You little brat, you don't know the rules! Your elders have not spoken yet, how can you, a mere child, dare to discuss important military matters?"

  "Great ambition is not limited by age..." Qin Xu said slowly, his gaze at Xu You also seemed to be mocking the fact that Xu You's previous words were not up to par.

  "Wow, what a sharp tongue! General Lü Bu, your army is indeed full of hidden dragons and crouching tigers. Even a little kid can participate in your military council. I've really gained some insight today." Xǔ Yóu was still somewhat quick-witted, although he was almost internally injured by Qín Hù's gloomy tone and disdainful gaze. However, he noticed that when Qín Hù spoke, Lü Bu's high-ranking generals like Zhāng Liáo and Gāo Shùn didn't show any intention of rebuking him.

  ...... Lü Bu's generals, from Lü Bu down, whether they knew Qin Xu or not, collectively maintained silence in tacit agreement, giving Xu You a feeling of punching cotton. The gaze towards Qin Xu was even more filled with hatred.

  Xu You didn't think about it, this isn't Yuan Shao's military account anyway. And judging from what was just said, the financial support that Yuan Shao had promised also "for some reason" wasn't given so readily. Now that the big boss Lü Bu has been humiliated by a lowly scholar like you, these people can't even argue with you verbally, and it's not easy to find someone who can make you lose face, are they going to help you hit your own people?

  "Mr. Xu, with dignity! With dignity! After all, you are also a famous scholar of our great Han nation, don't learn from women and children to make false accusations, okay?"

  Seeing Lv Bu's permissive attitude and the silent support of the other generals, how could Qin Xu, who claims to be a "successful person" in the business world, let go of such a great opportunity?

  Is it more cunning? Is it a poisonous tongue? Qin Xu has insight that transcends two thousand years, having gone through countless business negotiations and contract traps, and also knows Xu You's bottom line and weaknesses. This uneven match is scary, to say the least.

  That night, Lü Bu's last words were met with a smile by Qin Xu. In the end, apart from Qin Xu being young, it was because he didn't show any convincing actions.

  In Lü Bu's army full of strong men, Qin Xu's small stature is not enough to be seen, even an ordinary little soldier can make Qin Xu look like a couple now, it's easy to have the opportunity to show off his face and brush up his reputation, how can he let Xu You run away?

  "Governor Zhang, this child is causing such a disturbance in our military council. If we miss the best opportunity to attack the Black Mountain bandits because of him, don't blame me for speaking out!" Xu You said, turning to speak to Zhang Yang after Lü Bu ignored his words.

  Xu You's idea is great, if it can be used to make Zhang Yang and Lü Bu turn against each other, that would be the best. If not, at least adding fuel to the fire between the two generals who already have a grudge against each other would still exceed the expectations of Yuan Shao's secret plan.

  "Mr. Xu, this behavior of not being able to win a fight and then finding an elder to help you out is even worse than that of a child! Tsk, tsk, your family members are all so young!" Qin Xuan said slowly. Comparing and mocking others, for someone like Xu You who was weak in ability and had ulterior motives, Qin Xuan felt no pressure at all.

  "Who are you, after all?" Xu You shouted angrily, his pale face revealing blue veins, looking very ferocious.

  Xu You's easily provoked anger of the Hebei generals was effortlessly dissolved by Qin Xu's single sentence. Yang Chou and others were hesitant, first because they didn't know Qin Xu's true identity, secondly because Qin Xu's words had hidden meaning, if they helped, wouldn't it be taking advantage of Xu You? When Xu You came to his senses, he would have offended this narrow-minded strategist of Yuan Shao. It wasn't worth it. Not even Zhang Yang, the master of Hebei, spoke up, and everyone pretended not to have heard Xu You's words.

  "Lord Xu!" Qin Xiang stood up, first saluting Lü Bu and Zhang Yang, then nodded to the generals of Lü Bu's army, Gao Shun and Zhang Liao, and looked at Xu You with a slanted gaze, saying with a hint of mockery: "I am Qin Xiang, the chief clerk of the Imperial Guard!"

  "Hah! Hah!" Xu You seemed to have heard a huge joke, and laughed angrily, saying: "Clerk? You, a small clerk, a young child, a person like pigs and dogs, are also worthy of speaking with us famous scholars. It's really laughable to the extreme."

  Qin Xu didn't change color at all due to Xu You's insults, but instead got up with great interest, walked close to Xu You, pretended not to see Zhang Yang whose face had greatly changed because of Xu You's words, and Lv Bu who was staring angrily, turned his back on them and said loudly:

  "Mr. Xu, it seems you need to go back and read your books again, ask for help! It's not that easy to beg!"