Chapter Thirty: The Yuan Clan's Scheme (Part 2)

  Lü Linggui's words made Qin Xu feel very embarrassed, answering was not right, and not answering was also not right.

  Diao Chan, who is she? Not to mention her identity as Lü Bu's concubine, but one of the four great beauties and spies in Chinese history. She brought down Dong Zhuo and made Lü Bu love her dearly, just this kind of heart and mind makes Qin Xu want to hide far, far away.

  Moreover, no matter what others think, in Qin Xu's heart, Wang Yun's death is more or less related to Qin Xu. Facing Wang Yun's adopted daughter, the famous Bai Yue Diao Chan, Qin Xu always feels apprehensive.

  The first motto of a successful person is to seek benefits and avoid harm. There are many beauties, but only one life, let alone the countless beauties on the internet in the future. Qin Xu wouldn't be as embarrassed as Lü Linggui said.

  Qin Xu was almost forty years old, and it was really impossible for him to have the same knowledge as a little girl, let alone the fact that this little girl's father was the famous overprotective Lü Bu.

  "Xu's body is not feeling well, and his head is a bit dizzy too... " Qin Xu looked at the four women in the room with some embarrassment, explaining nervously.

  Faced with this situation, Qin Xu couldn't help but yield.

  Mrs. Yan and Diao Chan, for some reason, one on the left and one on the right, seemed to be sizing up a fun object, looking at Qin Xu from head to toe, occasionally giggling and whispering to each other, as if they had seen something interesting on Qin Xu's body, their eerie gaze made Qin Xu feel somewhat guilty.

  Cai Yan has been acting strangely since Lv Bu and Zhang Yang left, staring out the window as if thinking about something, occasionally glancing at Qin Xu with the corner of his eye, making Qin Xu feel uneasy and unable to figure out what's going on.

  What's wrong with these people?

  One by one, inexplicable!

  "Thanks to your plan, Father was able to leave Chang'an calmly, lead his troops to the river, and intimidate the two thieves, making Li Jue and Guo Si not dare to make a move. He praised you for having vision." It was still Lü Linggui's words that broke the awkwardness, Xiaoyu scrunched up her nose, with a look of disdain on her face: "And what's with saying you're so brave at such a young age, daring to kill people and all that! Can't they see that your brain is only one circle bigger than others? Is it necessary to praise you like this?"

  Qin Xu, who had just wanted to be modest for a moment, was directly speechless after hearing what Lü Linggui said behind him.

  It's unwise to argue with a woman, especially with a spoiled little girl, and even more so when her parents are watching with eagle eyes.

  Three women make a drama, four women...

  Qin Xu was very wise and quickly made the most correct choice, obediently shutting his mouth.

  Fortunately, the doctor invited by Zhang Yang arrived in time and asked the four women to leave the room, and Qin Xu was finally rescued from this "deep water and fire".

  Zhang Yang's Taishou Mansion was very large, and a separate courtyard was specially arranged for Lü Bu's family members, guarded by the soldiers of the trapped array camp, and others were not allowed to enter lightly. Qin Xu, because he was a patient, under the orders of Yan Shi, did not move out to live with the soldiers, and also stayed here with Cai Yong and his daughter.

  After staying in bed for several days and receiving medical care from the military, Qin Xu had recovered a lot. Lü Bu came over several times during these few days, but each time he was in a hurry to leave, it could be seen that Zhang Yang's ambiguous words on that day brought a lot of trouble to Lü Bu, and also made Qin Xu more worried.

  To be honest, although Hanoi was once a place where Lü Bu made his fortune, and there is Zhang Yang, a close friend who can help him, he can ensure that there will be no trouble for the time being. However, Liangyuan is not a place to stay for long.

  After all, Zhang Yang and Lü Bu were under Ding Yuan's command at the beginning. When they rebelled against Dong Zhuo, they raised a big flag to avenge Ding Yuan. Who killed Ding Yuan? Moreover, in Hu Lao Gate, Mu Shun, a great general under Zhang Yang's command, also died at the hands of Lü Bu. Although it can be said that they were each acting on their own behalf and Zhang Yang was quite friendly, whether or not the officers and men in Zhang Yang's army had any ideas is hard to say.

  Moreover, Hebei is adjacent to Luoyang, located in the throat of the military, with rich products and abundant grain and grass. It was less affected by war and had a thriving culture. In the late Han Dynasty, where famine was rampant, it could be called a paradise. Therefore, there were not only one or two princes and powerful families who coveted Hebei, such as Zhang Yan of Black Mountain, Yuan Shao of Hebei, and the two in Chang'an City, who would not let go of this fertile land. There was also Cao Cao, who had been deeply offended by Qin Huai, and must have long regarded Hebei as a treasure to be captured. Therefore, this is not a suitable place for development.

  To change the course of Lü Bu's history, the first priority is to find a place where he can develop in peace. But where? The northern part of Pingzhou was originally the top choice, as it was once Lü Bu's base, but since Ding Yuan's death, the Xiongnu have been constantly harassing the border, and there are also bandits gathering in the Black Mountain area. Moreover, Yuan Shao's forces have taken advantage of the chaos to infiltrate, making Pingzhou a hotbed of unrest. It would be a blessing from heaven if Lü Bu could even find a stable place to settle down, let alone develop his power.

  Going south might be a good option, as Cao Cao is currently busy suppressing the rebellion in Qingzhou and his rear is unstable. Historically, Lü Bu had also sought refuge with Yuan Shao after being pursued by him, but was later welcomed into Yanzhou by Chen Gong and Zhang Miao, who were dissatisfied with Cao Cao's killing of the scholar Bian Rang. However, now that Chen Gong has just advised Zhang Miao to support Cao Cao as the new governor of Yanzhou, would he immediately betray Cao and join Lü Bu? Qin Xu couldn't help but feel a headache thinking about it.

  "What are you thinking about?" A gentle female voice entered Qin Xu's ears, who was lost in thought, it was Cai Yan.

  "What can I think of? Thinking about Sister Yan being good or not?" For some reason, when facing Cai Yan, Qin Xu always couldn't help but want to tease this talented woman, and it was true that a scar had healed and the pain was forgotten.

  Cai Yan's face turned slightly red, pretending not to have heard Qin Xu's teasing, but instead couldn't help but gesture discreetly towards the back.

  "Sure enough, you're a big villain, to be so rude to Sister Yan!" Before Qin Xu could react, a shout came and Lv Lingui's fiery figure appeared in front of him.

  How was he discovered by this little chili pepper again? Qin Xue lamented in his heart, the first time he was misunderstood by this girl and was rude to Cai Yan, he was chopped with a halberd and fainted for a long time before waking up. Was he going to be unlucky again this time? Qin Xue's heart skipped a beat as he glanced at Lü Linggui's hand, fortunately, she didn't have any weapons.

  "Ling'er, don't make a fuss, Qin Zhubu was just joking." Cai Yan pulled Lu Lingxue's hand and smiled at the embarrassed Qin Xu, saying: "Now perhaps only Qin Xu can save you."

  "Save?" Qin Xue heard this word and couldn't help but pause. He didn't understand what Cai Yan meant. Did Lü Bu's daughter still need him, Qin Xue, to save her? What a joke.

  "Hum! This big villain, can really make Father change his mind?" Lv Ling's contemptuous gaze made Qin Xu feel uneasy for a moment.

  "What's going on?" Qin Xu asked suspiciously.

  "Does the Qin steward know Yuan Shao, Yuan Benchu?" Cai Yan saw Lü Linggui pouting with a small mouth, looking unwilling, and glanced at Qin Xu with a scolding look, speaking on behalf of Lü Linggui.

  "Yuan Shao!? The Yuan Shao who seized the Hebei province from Han Fu?! Hearing this name, Qin Xu's heart suddenly skipped a beat. Could it be that his worst fears had finally come true? In history, Lü Bu had indeed defected to Yuan Shao and almost exterminated the Black Mountain bandits that plagued the three provinces of Ji, You, and Yan for Yuan Shao. If not for Lü Bu's straightforward and strong personality clashing with Yuan Shao's self-preserving and unrighteous nature, who knows what would have happened to Cao Cao later on? At this moment, hearing the name 'Yuan Shao' from Cai Yan's mouth made Qin Xu's nerves tense up all at once."

  "What a great saying, it's exactly what Yuan Shao did, stealing other people's foundation!" After listening to Qin Xu's words, Lü Ling was suddenly in agreement and exclaimed.

  "How dare you be so rude!" Cai Yan glared at Qin Xu, seeing that he didn't seem to care, she continued: "Yuan Shao sent someone over, wanting General Zhang Yang to form an alliance between General Lü and Yuan Shao's army!"

  "Form an alliance, then form one," Qin Xu said nonchalantly, but in his heart he was admiring Yuan Shao's quick move, worthy of being the former overlord of Hebei. So quickly seeing the importance and sensitivity of Lü Bu's current position, this insight is ruthless.

  "If only it were that simple." Cai Yan saw Qin Xu's lazy appearance and said in a bad tone: "Yuan Shao gave General Lü two thousand war horses plus twenty thousand stones of grain per year."

  "Hmm! Yuan Shao is so generous, it seems that what he wants is not small." Qin Xu was also shocked after hearing Yuan Shao's conditions. Twenty thousand stones of grain and fodder, for the Lu Bu army which had already taken away half of Dong Zhuo's storage in Mei Wu, were just adding flowers to brocade, and didn't amount to much. The key was those two thousand war horses.

  War horses were scarce resources at that time, and the Han Dynasty had a small output of good horses. Military campaigns often relied on infantry as the main force, and the number of cavalry could often determine the outcome of a battle. Therefore, war horses were treasures for each vassal state.

  Lü Bu's military strength also lay in his cavalry, and the powerful impact of his Ironclad Heavy Cavalry was largely due to their iron armor. However, warhorses were a consumable item, and after each major battle, they would lose one or two percent of their horses. Without replenishment of warhorses, this was already a major headache for Lü Bu. Now, with the addition of Yuan Shao's 2,000 warhorses, Lü Bu's military strength could increase by more than one level.

  "What the natural world demands is not small, it requires General Lü to obey orders and follow deployments. According to Yuan Shao's envoy, Yuan Shao wants to ask Zhang General to be a matchmaker, wanting to form an alliance with General Lü by marrying his daughter Ling'er to his youngest son Yuan Shang as his wife!" Cai Yan gazed at Qin Xu, slowly saying: "Ling'er overheard the conversation, and General Lü seems to be quite moved! At this time, he is discussing with Madam Yan, fearing that it will be settled soon."

  "What? Agree to this? Even a fool can see that Yuan Shao is not being sincere! How can we agree to this? Lu Bu, are you crazy?" Qin Xu exclaimed in shock.

  Qin Xu was baffled, how did Lü Linggui become inseparable from the old Yuan family? Qin Xu was confident that with his own meddling, Yuan Shao's son Yuan Yao would have no chance in history, so why did Yuan Shang suddenly appear now?

  Yuan Shao has a good abacus, with Lü Lingqi in the old Yuan family, and only this one daughter's Lü Bu still can't be obediently working for the old Yuan family? What about the so-called 2,000 war horses and grain, what's the difference between them and Old Yuan's own? Except for changing places, what's the difference? And also got a free Lü Bu and a strong army. Is Lü Bu confused or what? Can this be agreed upon?

  As soon as Qin Xu finished speaking, Cai Yan and Lü Linggui looked at him with the same expression of seeing a ghost, their mouths slightly agape, seemingly not expecting Qin Xu's reaction to be so big, his words so explosive! The eyes of both women were filled with pity as they looked at Qin Xu.

  "What's with that expression, Cai Yan? Lu Lingxue, why are you blinking so fast? Got a cramp?"

  Cai Yan's face and Lü Linggui's eyes didn't twitch, it was Qin Xu's brain that twitched.

  "In this lifetime, you're the first one who dares to speak to me, Lü Bu, like that! You're quite bold, Qin Xu!"