Chapter 34: The Black Mountain Bandits Arrive (Part 2)

  What? Help?

  Who is seeking help? What kind of help is being sought?

  Qin Xu's words instantly made the entire military camp fall into a dead silence. Everyone's eyes kept shifting back and forth between Qin Xu and Xu You.

  What's going on? Asking for help? Are you kidding me?

  In the eyes of the generals in the account, the Black Mountain bandits raided Hebei, and this was the news that Zhang Yang's scouts had found out, and it was less than 100 miles from Hebei. Xu You had arrived in Hebei four or five days ago and brought military supplies to comfort Yuan Shao. Coincidentally, he learned of the arrival of the Black Mountain bandits and took the trouble to help them think of a strategy to defeat the enemy, what a good person!

  But Qin Xu said that Xu You came to ask for help?

  How is this possible? Mr. Xu will surely refute the child's absurd words and leave him with nothing to say! This was almost the unanimous thought in the minds of all the generals in Hanoi, even Zhang Yang couldn't escape, his eyes looking at Lü Bu were also full of inquiry.

  However, Xu You, a close friend of Yuan Benchu, the governor of Jizhou and the lord of Hebei, did not sense the eager expectations of the generals in Henan.

  In the midst of his indignation, Xu Yu was interrupted by Qin Xu's lightly spoken words. Xǔ Yóu seemed like a rooster with its neck pinched, tightly pursing his lips, eyes bulging out, looking incredulous at Qin Xu standing calmly in the center of the military tent.

  This Mr. Xu, who was highly respected by the generals of Hebei, not only had poor acting skills, but also seemed to need to improve his mental quality. Qin Xu really couldn't help but compare the middle-aged scholar in front of him, who wore his heart on his sleeve, with the Xu You who had so cleverly seen through Cao Cao's predicament and sold out all of Hebei to Cao Cao with just one sentence.

  But thinking again, it's actually quite reasonable. Xu You used the victory or defeat of the Battle of Guandu and the life and death of the Yuan family as a bargaining chip to sell himself to Cao Cao, thinking that he was extraordinary and that Boss Cao would definitely give him a high price. In the end, not only did he not get any money, but he also lost his little life, it's really pitiful.

  Xu You didn't know that Qin Xu had already equated him with Yuan Datou in his heart, but it didn't prevent him from being shocked by the severity of Qin Xu's information sources.

  Indeed, Xu You's purpose in coming here was not only to win over the generals inside Hebei and strengthen control over Zhang Yang, but also had a secret purpose of seeking help!

  Help! The Hebei warlord Yuan Shao actually sought help from Zhang Yang, a mere Taishou of Henan, who often bullied and humiliated him. What an ironic thing, what a ridiculous fact, it's unbelievable to say the least. But it's true!

  According to Xu You's secret letter from Yuan Shao, at the beginning of the year, Yuan Shao led his troops to fight against Gongsun Zan; although they won a great victory at first, but in the end, they suffered a defeat in an ambush at Jieting Panshan. Although the loss was not great, it gave Gongsun Zan a chance to breathe, forcing Yuan Shao to defend Nanpi for another battle.

  At this time, the main force of the Black Mountain bandits, who had been entrenched in Ping and You states, somehow learned of Yuan Shao's defeat and launched an attack.

  Jizhou and Pingzhou, Youzhou's state border is the Taihang Mountains, with high mountains and deep valleys, making it easy to defend but difficult to attack. Not to mention annihilating, since Yuan Shao led his troops outside, Jizhou's defense was slightly insufficient. Fortunately, Yuan Shao's strategist team was still united at this time, and they calculated that several key points of the Black Mountain bandits were easy to break through, so they focused on defending them. After several battles, they managed to barely hold onto the border without losing it.

  It is also unknown what madness the leader of Heishan, Zhang Yan, had contracted. According to scouts' reports, after almost all the troops in Jizhou were deployed for defense, Zhang Yan left a small number of soldiers to entangle with the defenders of Jizhou and personally led the main force to detour through Huguan into Henan. Everyone knows that Zhang Yan's intention is to launch a surprise attack on Yuan Shao's headquarters at Ye City, but unfortunately, there are no troops available for deployment, and it is even more impossible to recall the scattered defenders from various strongholds.

  Under duress, it so happened that after the chaos in Chang'an, Lü Bu fled to Henan, and only then did the strategists come up with this clever plan to use Zhang Yang's hand to eliminate the Black Mountain bandits.

  Xu You took advantage of the fact that the news about the Black Mountain bandits had not yet spread widely, and secretly entered Hebei ahead of time. Originally, it was almost a success to make Zhang Yang and others believe that the goal of the Black Mountain thieves was Hebei Prefecture. Even if it was Lü Bu, although he didn't know why he changed his mind about marrying Yuan Shao's daughter, he also had a relationship with Zhang Yang and was tempted by Yuan Shao's offer, so they decided to launch a surprise attack on the Black Mountain army. This time, they decided to hold this military meeting, but unexpectedly, Qin Xu appeared out of nowhere.

  Not only did he use a few words to make himself confident, but also made the successful Xun Yu and other generals in the river proud of themselves, and finally revealed the true purpose of Xu You's coming.

  The generals of Hebei actually wanted to believe Xu You more, as long as Xu You spoke out to refute Qin Hu's sharp-tongued and arrogant words. They would certainly have used the opportunity to mock Lü Bu's army and ridicule them. Some people had even thought about how to humiliate Lü Bu. They were just waiting for Xu You to give them this chance, so they could thoroughly humiliate this wolf in sheep's clothing, who claimed to be the greatest warrior under heaven, without worrying about their own safety.

  But they were disappointed. Xu You's performance was so obvious that even a blind man could see it, and Qin Xu said it was true. The generals of Hebei also increased their complaints about Xu You. As a famous scholar from Hebei, you are one of the most important strategists under Yuan Gong's command. Regardless of your eloquence, at least you should have some city governance skills. You were praised a few times and became proud, but you were directly stunned by this child's words. This is too inconsistent with your reputation.

  Not mentioning the resentment of the generals in Hebei, Zhang Yang was also at a loss for words about Xu You's behavior. This time Xu You has made a big mistake. Not only did he make a name for this strange little clerk, but he also became a stepping stone and indirectly offended Lü Bu severely.

  What is meant by "Zhu Bo is a pig and dog-like person"? This phrase is usually said casually, but Xu You's identity is noble and special, so it's not surprising that people in the army don't get along with him. But can this be said in front of Lü Bu?

  Most of the generals present were formerly under Ding Yuan's command, who didn't know whose bottom line was? What did Lü Bu used to do? That was when Ding Yuan was stationed in Hebei, he was the chief clerk of the marching army. Although everyone knew that Xu You's words were aimed at this ignorant and arrogant little main book Qin Xu, but whoever had a feeling that Xu You was scolding the monk and cursing the bald donkey.

  "Is that really the case? What should we do next? Yuan Benchu has an alliance with someone, and cannot not rescue him. As for how to rescue him, I don't know if Qin Zhongbo has any plan to teach Yang?" The title of "good person" is well-deserved by Zhang Yang. When he saw Xu You's face turn blue with rage, almost to the point of fainting, only this gentle and warm-hearted Taishou of Hebei could come out and say a few words. As for Qin Xiang, Zhang Yang felt that this Zhongbo was not ordinary when he heard about Qin Xiang rushing to take his horse after learning that Lü Bu had fallen ill.

  "Zhang Taishou, Qin Xu was young and had no good strategy to show you all, so let's just listen to my master General Lü's decision!" Qin Xu saw the opportunity and took it, coming and going with ease, scolding with comfort, and taking naturally. This attitude made Xu You gnash his teeth in hatred, but he couldn't do anything about it.

  What can be done? The "treacherous plan" was exposed, and a young child pointed at his nose and said that the book still needs to be read. His face and skin were lost from Ye City to Hanoi, what else can Xu You do?

  Fortunately, the good old man Zhang Yang still sent troops to attack Heishan to rescue Ye City after Xu You's plan was detected by Qin Hu. However, in the subsequent negotiations, Xu You knew that the master-slave relationship should be changed without thinking.

  The seeds that were easily sown in the hearts of the various generals in Hanoi, had not yet sprouted when they were uprooted by Qin Xu. Now, to recreate Yuan Shao's absolute prestige, I don't know how many times more effort it will take.

  Xu You was extremely resentful of Qin Xu, but he had no choice. This was Hebei, not Ye City. Although Zhang Yang was just a pawn for Yuan Shao, Xu You didn't dare to be too arrogant in asking Zhang Yang to help him take revenge, let alone that Zhang Yang had already agreed to send troops.

  As for Lü Bu, it was already a great favor to his old friend Zhang Yang that he didn't kill him on the spot. Looking at Lü Bu's iron-like complexion and the murderous intent in his eyes, Xu You did not hold out any hope that Lü Bu would be able to leave with Zhang Yang.

  "Feng Xian, what do you think about this matter?" Zhang Yang had agreed to send troops, but he also knew that with only a few thousand soldiers under his command, it would be difficult to gain the upper hand in a battle of equal strength. The Black Mountain army had brought 100,000 soldiers and was marching through Hebei to attack Ye City. It would already be fortunate if they could prevent the Black Mountain army from easily taking over Hebei. If they really wanted to rescue Ye City, they would have to ask Lü Bu to take action.

  "Wen Yuan, what do you think?"

  In Lü Bu's army without any advisors, the military discussions had always been a collective effort, with everyone contributing their ideas and finally decided by Lü Bu as the boss. So Lü Bu subconsciously asked Zhang Liao, who had often made reasonable suggestions.

  "Yuan Shao's hero, just a small bandit from Black Mountain, is nothing but a mob. If the general comes out to fight, won't it be giving Black Mountain Zhang Yan too much face?" Zhang Liao was also in a difficult position. It could be seen that with the relationship between Zhang Yang and Lü Bu, as long as Zhang Yang said one word, Lü Bu would definitely lend a hand to help. However, Zhang Yang couldn't ask for Lü Bu's help directly because of Xu You's recent rudeness. Looking at Lü Bu's attitude, he didn't seem willing to waste his own military strength on Yuan Shao, so Zhang Liao could only discuss the matter at hand.

  "Xī Míng, what do you think?" Lü Bu asked a young general who was guarding the lower part of Gao Shun.

  Lü Bu didn't ask Gao Shun about the ambush, but instead asked a lower-ranking general. Qin Xu's gaze also shifted in that direction.

  "Huh?" Qin Xue's gaze fell on the general that Lü Bu called Xi Ming, and suddenly a surge of indescribable emotions welled up from the bottom of his heart, with feelings of closeness, rejection, and discontent all tangled together in a knot, startling Qin Xue.

  This general, at the age of twenty-five or six, was already in a high position under Lü Bu's command, wearing armor and sporting a short beard, with a handsome face that exuded an air of heroism, seemingly highly valued by Lü Bu.

  It's strange, I clearly feel familiar with him, but I just can't remember who this "Xi Ming" is.

  "Yuan Zhong listens to your orders, milord!" A very standard and proper response. Even a blind man could see the disappointment in Lü Bu's eyes.

  "Qin Xu, you tell me!" Lü Bu's gaze swept past Hao Meng, Song Xian, Cheng Lian and others, directly asking Qin Xu, with a profound meaning in his eyes, he also glanced at the general who was called "Xi Ming", who was sitting upright without looking up.

  "Didn't Lord Yuan promise to provide 100,000 stones of grain and 3,000 war horses in exchange for the lord's assistance?" Qin Xu pretended to have misremembered the numbers, with a righteous expression, and said to Lü Bu: "Having received someone's entrustment, one should be loyal to that person's affairs. The lord is an unparalleled fierce general in the world, so it is even more appropriate to take this as the foundation."

  "Obviously..." Xun Yu, who was pretending to be dead on the side, heard that Qin Xu had only moved his lips and increased Yuan Shao's "funding" by nearly double. He couldn't care about anything else and opened his mouth to refute.

  "Your Excellency, how far is it from Linzi to Handan?" Qin Xu ignored Xu You's flustered excuses and asked Lü Bu with a curious expression: "I wonder if there's anyone in Yuan Shu's family in Handan, apart from the women and children, who can transport these military supplies to Handan under the noses of the Black Mountain bandits?"

  "Grain and fodder for the army are already in Hanoi, but what about this number?" Hearing Lü Bu and Qin Xu's conversation with the intention of sending troops to assist, Xun Yu, whose thoughts were disrupted by Qin Xu, didn't care about anything else and hastily said so amidst the puzzled gazes of the various generals in Hanoi.

  "The troops in the ambush haven't finished their rest yet..." Lü Bu said with a smack of his lips, speaking very much to Qin Xu's approving gaze.

  "Grain and fodder are at most thirty thousand stones......" Xu You's face turned from pale to white.

  "My lord, General Zhang Liao's cavalry is also resting!" Qin Xu secretly added fuel to the fire.

  "Five million bushels of grain and three thousand horses are really all we can spare." Xu You's face turned from white to red!

  "Master, that...that..." To be honest, Qin Xu really couldn't think of anything to say, but still chatted nonsense with Lü Bu, looking utterly ridiculous.

  "Qin's chief clerk has a good memory, someone remembered that it was indeed... indeed 100,000 stones of grain and fodder, three... three thousand war horses! Can be handed over immediately!!" Xu You's face turned almost purple, he nearly shouted out the last word, spitting out a mouthful of blood several feet away.

  "Zi Yuan is truly a loyal and devoted minister, for the sake of Ben Chu, he even vomited blood while singing, Bu Pei was deeply moved! Lu Bu's face was solemn as he nodded to Xu You and said: "The Black Mountain bandits want to attack Ye City, borrowing the road through He Nei, Bu and Shu Shu are like brothers, should share Ben Chu's worries, all generals listen to orders, after finishing the handover, immediately dispatch troops, must protect Ben Chu's family!"

  "Yes! Our lord is benevolent and wise!" The generals spoke in unison with strange tones.