Chapter 60: Lü Bu and Cao Cao Meet (Part 1)

  In front of them were two armies with unknown origins blocking their way, and behind them were three thousand pursuing troops led by Yan Liang, a great general under Yuan Shao.

  Neither advance nor retreat is possible!

  It seems that in the midst of chaos, there is a hand governing fate, making Lü Bu's army seem to have returned to their historical state of wandering and fleeing. The only difference is that Lü Bu's army now has an additional chief clerk from a thousand years later, Qin Xu.

  "Qin Xu, what did you just say?" Lü Lingyi's pretty face turned slightly red as she hadn't heard Qin Xu's subsequent words clearly and asked again.

  "The two troops of horses in front, it's clear they're not from the same route. Maybe they have a grudge against our lord, or maybe they're trying to distract us with these supplies. But they're also on guard against each other. Our lord is only fifty miles away and will arrive soon, so I say this battle may not happen after all." Qin Xu explained.

  "Can't fight?" Lü Linggui pouted, looking unhappy, and asked: "Then what's the point of being stuck in this situation where we can neither advance nor retreat? How much longer do we have to wait?"

  "I don't know, but I think there will be a result soon." Qin Xu looked at the two armies facing each other and said with a solemn expression.

  "Are you the soldiers under the command of General Lü Wenhou, the Left Protector of Qingzhou? We are Tian Kai, the Governor of Qingzhou, and we have come to welcome General Lü Wenhou who is about to take office in Qingzhou. Please ask General Lü to come out and meet us!" A loud voice came from the front line of the army in the south.

  "Governor of Qingzhou?" Lü Lingxue's small mouth curled up, and she let out a cold snort. "The imperial court has already appointed Father as the Shepherd of Qingzhou, so how can there be another Governor of Qingzhou popping up?"

  "Gongsun Zan has been besieged!" Qin Xu explained in a low voice.

  "Cut!" Lü Linggui said disdainfully: "It turned out to be a fake!"

  Qin Xu couldn't help but smile wryly, really wanting to tell Lü Linggui that now Li Jue and Guo Si, the two bandits, were occupying Chang'an, it was uncertain whether the Emperor's edict could even leave the palace walls, where did they have the leisure to care about a Yellow Turban rebel running amok in Qingzhou?

  Lü Bu's title of Marquis of Wen was also bestowed by Yuan Shao in the name of the imperial court, wasn't it? His intention was merely to appease Lü Bu. Perhaps Yuan Shao's intention was just a nominal appointment, but who would have thought that Lü Bu actually went to take office?

  As for the gold content, Yuan Shao is now a General of Chariots and Cavalry, and was once an alliance leader of various lords, so his credibility is slightly higher.

  "Let's see where the other group of people and horses are from?" Qin Xu said in a low voice, ignoring Lü Linggui's sarcastic remark.

  "Governor of Qingzhou? We were just fighting bandits in Qingzhou the other day, how come we've never heard of a Governor of Qingzhou?" As expected, after Tian Kai revealed his identity, the leader of another army burst out laughing and said "Isn't it that your family's Governor Gongsun self-proclaimed himself as such? It must be true, otherwise why would he only appoint you as a minor governor with a salary of 600 dan, and not dare to appoint you as the Prefect of the state? Hahaha!"

  "Who are you? How dare you speak such reckless words here?" The man's words happened to hit Tian Kai's sore spot, provoking him into a great rage.

  Another army leader heard Tian Kai's words and did not get angry, but instead said to Qin Xu and others who were watching the excitement: "We are the elite cavalry under the command of Cao Da, the newly appointed governor of Yan Province. I am Xiahou Guang, and on behalf of my master, I welcome Lord Lü Wen into Qingzhou to discuss the rebellion together!"

  "Cao Cao has also arrived?" Gao Shun glanced at Qin Xu, who was still entangled in the obscurity of Xiahou Guang's name, and said in a low voice: "These two troops had ill intentions when they came before, how could their attitude change this time? All armies be vigilant, beware of deceit!"

  "They must be harboring evil intentions!" Qin Xu heard Gao Shun's words and calmed down, chuckling: "The lord's abilities are known throughout the land. Now that he is in a downturn and has also offended Yuan Shao, who wouldn't want to take advantage of this opportunity? As for having ill intentions, I don't think so. Although we have few soldiers escorting the family and supplies, the lord still has over 10,000 able-bodied soldiers. The two families combined only have around 2,000 people, they can't do much."

  "What should we say in response if Master is holding off the pursuing troops at the rear?" Gao Shun asked after hearing Qin Xu's words, also thinking it reasonable.

  "Yan Liang, as the leader of the Hebei generals, if he were to come alone, perhaps our lord would still need to exert some effort. But now that Xun Yu is stationed in Huai City, I reckon our lord won't be able to make a move either." Qin Xu finally understood what Jia Xu had just said and smiled.

  "Yan Liang? Shen Pei?" Lü Linggui furrowed her brow and asked, "Why is it that whenever Yan Liang appears, Shen Pei will surely return empty-handed?"

  "Because Guo Jia, Xu You and also Kou Yi are now all in our lord's hands." Qin Xu nodded towards the large prisoner cart that was modified from a carriage following behind the baggage carts, saying: "That is our safeguard against Yuan Shao."

  "I don't understand!" Lü Lingyi rolled her eyes and said bluntly.

  "Yuan Shao has been able to get this far, aside from the support of his noble family and clan, it's also because of the great efforts of these advisors." Qin Xu said: "Now, among Yuan Shao's four top advisors, we've captured two. If Yan Liang can defeat our lord with one blow, then that's fine. But if not, the lives of Feng Ji and Xu You will be indirectly ruined by the hands of Yan Liang and Shen Pei. Yan Liang is a military general, so his influence isn't great, but Shen Pei is a different story. Yuan Shao is someone who likes to calculate small gains, Shen Pei wouldn't dare take risks!"

  "Then we still have to serve these people well?" Lü Linggui's eyes flashed with surprise, and she smiled: "They are our talismans! Before, Father should have brought one on the battlefield. If Yan Liang doesn't listen, kill one. If he still doesn't listen, kill another. After all, there are three of them."

  Qin Xu was left speechless by Lü Lingqi's words, when suddenly a horseshoe sound came from the rear, as if to witness Qin Xu's prophecy, the big flag of the comer had a white background with black characters, a large "Lü" character, it was Lü Bu who arrived.

  As for how Lü Bu arrived so quickly, it was explained by the messenger sent by Gao Shun to contact Lü Bu that cleared up the confusion for Qin Xu.

  Yan Liang indeed lived up to Qin Xu's expectations.

  After Yan Liang and Chun Yuqiong led the 30,000-strong army to rush to Huai City day and night, they happened to meet Lu Bu's rear army withdrawing. Yan Liang was overjoyed and didn't say a word, wanting to go into battle immediately, but was stopped by Shen Pei.

  Xun You was one of Yuan Shao's four great strategists, and because he was well-versed in military tactics, his prestige in the Yuan army was quite high. As for Xun You's words that this time Lu Bu would definitely have an ambush, no one suspected them, and could only watch as Lu Bu calmly left.

  On the second day, when Yan Liang wanted to send troops to pursue Lü Bu again, Shi Huan used the excuse that the soldiers were exhausted from the long expedition and delayed Yan Liang for half a morning. It was not until he had no choice that he told Yan Liang about the matters of Gong Ji, Xu Shu, and the first camp.

  On the surface, Yan Liang, who is rough and unrefined, can become the first general under Yuan Shao's command, but it's not easy to be a match for Lü Bu. Although he still has a competitive heart with Lü Bu, he also appreciates Yan Baihu's analysis. As for Feng Ji and Xu You, their relationship with Yan Liang is not close, and Mi Heng and Xian Deng are originally Yan Liang's rivals, but these can be set aside. However, Yan Baihu's words have made Yan Liang somewhat cautious. If they were to engage in a fierce battle with Lü Bu, it would not only be difficult to defeat him, but also make it impossible for Yuan Shao to mobilize his forces at any time to deal with Gongsun Zan, who might invade Hebei again. In that case, Yan Liang would face not only Yuan Shao's anger but also the possibility of defeat and destruction due to the loss of these 30,000 troops. If the skin is gone, where can the hair attach itself? Lü Bu has only taken away some grain and has already left Hebei, which is not a major concern, but Gongsun Zan is a great enemy. Moreover, there are still the Black Mountain bandits lurking in Hebei, and the three sons of Yuan Shang and the brothers of Lü Xiang are still in the hands of the Black Mountain bandits. As a general, Yan Liang cannot ignore these matters.

  Due to Yan Liang's hesitation and Wen Chou's intentional slackening, Lü Bu's attempts to counterattack Yuan Shao's pursuing troops were in vain. The enemy seemed to be only following at a distance, without any intention of engaging in battle with Lü Bu's army. After several exchanges, it was as if they were escorting Lü Bu's army out of the territory. As a result, Lü Bu's main force hastened their pace to catch up with Qin Yilu and others.

  "Your Excellency, both Gongsun Zan and Cao Cao's armies are saying they want to welcome you as the master of Qingzhou. Please make a decision!" Gaoshou asked after Bu Lü arrived, recounting the situation he had previously encountered in detail.

  "Gongsun Zan and Lü Bu had a fight before, but they didn't have any contact after that. Cao Cao was actually quite close to me, unfortunately he failed in his assassination attempt on Dong Zhuo and I chased him down, almost killing him outside Luoyang City...". Lü Bu hadn't expected things would turn out like this, and there wasn't even a strategist by his side, Qin Xu had also disappeared without a trace, causing him to frown.

  "Father, Gongsun Zan is at war with Yuan Shao and is currently at a disadvantage. Moreover, the one who came is the Qingzhou governor appointed by Gongsun Zan. If father were to travel with him by water, wouldn't that be indirectly acknowledging Gongsun Zan's previous appointment? Wouldn't that also greatly reduce the value of father's position as Qingzhou Mu?" Lü Lingqi saw Lü Bu fall into deep thought after hearing Gao Shun's words and recited this to Lü Bu in a tone similar to reciting from memory.

  "Where did Qin Xu go?" After listening to Lü Lingji's words, Lü Bu raised an eyebrow and said: "You're a clever girl, but it sounds like you're just repeating someone else's words. When your mother taught you to read in the past, why didn't I see you having such a good memory?"

  "Father!" Lü Lingqi saw that Lü Bu had seen through her and scolded him in a spoiled manner.

  "Is that what Qin Xu meant, still wanting to borrow the road through Yanzhou?" Lü Bu said discontentedly, not wanting to face Cao Cao.

  "Your Excellency, how can this be a borrowed path?" Qin Xu jumped down from Cai Yong's carriage frame, with an air of confidence, and said: "Obviously, it is Cao Cao, the newly appointed Governor of Yan Province, who has specially invited someone to come and congratulate the new Governor of Qing Province, Lord Lü! Look, there are even thousands of people in the ceremonial team. Your Excellency can simply send some military funds as a congratulatory gift to Governor Cao, and then it will be perfectly reasonable to take over the foundation that Cao Cao has laid for you in Qing Province!"

  "Yanzhou Prefect Liu Dai has just passed away, I'm aware of that. When did Cao Cao take over as the new Yanzhou Prefect? Such good news, we being old acquaintances, should naturally go to congratulate him." Lü Bu immediately understood Qin Xu's intention and asked: "However, regarding Qingzhou territory, how would Cao Cao be willing to let it go? Moreover, Cao Cao and Yuan Shao..."

  "Cao Cao has just obtained Yan Province, but due to his identity and background, he is at odds with the local powerful clans. For now, he must prioritize stabilizing the province's affairs. Qing Province is a land of four battles, and the Yellow Turbans have not been completely eradicated. If our lord takes the initiative to help Cao Cao shake off this burden, others may not know how, but Cao Cao will definitely send our lord into Qing Province with courtesy!" Qin Xu said with certainty, "As for the alliance between Cao Cao and Yuan Shao? I reckon neither Cao Cao nor Yuan Shao, nor even Yuan Shao and Gongsun Zan, would want to see an opponent who can surpass themselves! Our lord is actually the balance among these three!"

  Lü Bu gazed at the two main generals waiting for an answer in front of him, seemingly deep in thought.

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