Chapter 17: Cao Cao's army is defeated and he wants to go to Danyang

  Lü Bu had been visiting various lords every day to play games, but after they witnessed his prowess, they all avoided competing with him and instead treated him to good food and drink. Lü Bu would just go to different lords' places every day to have a good time, since he didn't need to spend his own money and could enjoy good food, why not? The happiest person should be Tian Wei, who was treated to good food and drink every day, getting drunk and falling asleep as soon as he returned to his camp.

  Lü Bu stayed in the camp of the Allied Forces for seven days. On this day, Lü Bu felt that there was no fun anymore, so he took a group of people to go hunting outside the city. Yesterday, at Yuan Shao's place, they had a meal of disgusting tiger meat, which didn't satisfy him, and he wanted to go out to find other wild game to add some variety to his meals.

  This time, Lü Rui's team had two more people. One was Murong Ping, a young guard who Yuan Shao lost to Lü Rui. Nai nai, Yuan Shao is indeed good at calculations! He sent me a Xianbei archer, probably due to his relationship with the foreign leader. Murong Ping's archery skills are top-notch, hitting every target. He's really a great hunting companion. At least others have some technique, unlike E Lang who just rushes forward and solves things with a few punches - not pleasant to watch, really not pleasant to watch. Murong Ping's archery made Lü Rui feel that hunting is an art form!

  Another literati was Xin Pi, who was given to Lü Rui by Han Fu. He was a famous clean official in the history of Wei State, but Lü Rui didn't have much interest in him, only his daughter Xin Xianying did. That little sister is indeed a wise woman in Chinese history, a true female Zhuge Liang. If I could get her to come over, hehe, I would gain an invisible strategist. Thinking of this, Lü Rui gave Xin Pi an evil look, but at that time, Xin Pi still didn't know that Lü Rui was already eyeing his newly born daughter whom he had never met!

  Lü Rui led a team of people to wander around the outskirts, near dusk, not even a single fierce animal was seen, let alone a tiger. Yesterday, Yuan Shao's Yuan Da Tou indeed deceived himself, saying it was freshly caught tiger meat, but when I ate it, the meat was loose and I knew it wasn't good stuff. Now that we've come out to take a look, it's indeed the case. Within a hundred miles around here, where is there a tiger? None! Hmph, dead Yuan Da Tou, deceiving me, just you wait and see how I'll make you pay!

  Just as Lü Bu was thinking of how to deal with Yuan Shao, a horse suddenly galloped over, and on the horseback was a disheveled man. Under the not-so-bright light, a long sword shone exceptionally dazzlingly. Everyone looked at it, and the people around Lü Bu formed a protective circle around him.

  Lü Rui took a look and said, "Where did you come from?" Lü Rui pointed to the horse and said, "Mùróng Píng, I'll shoot the four legs of the horse, and let the person on it fall off."

  Murong Ping nodded, and with a whooshing sound, four arrows flew across the beautiful sky, almost simultaneously hitting the horse's four legs. The horse let out a loud whinny, and with a thud, it fell to the ground. The rider was thrown off the horse by this sudden attack, and all that could be heard was the person shouting: "Ah, I'm going to die from the pain!"

  Lü Rui was stunned by this cry. Wasn't that Cao Cao's voice? Had Cao Cao returned in defeat? No way! There wasn't even a single guard left by his side? Lü Rui knew that at the Battle of Xiangguo, Xu Rong had thoroughly defeated Cao Cao, and it was only because Cao Hong had given his own horse to Cao Cao that he had managed to flee back to the allied army's camp. That was why Cao Hong had been so arrogant afterwards. But Lü Rui hadn't expected Cao Cao to be in such a wretched state.

  Lü Bu rushed over and saw that it was indeed Cao Cao. Lü Bu called out: "Uncle?"

  Cao raised his head, saw Lü Rui, and was overjoyed as if he had grasped a life-saving straw. He exclaimed: "Rui'er? I've finally seen you! Haha, Cao Mengde is safe now."

  Cao sat on the ground laughing loudly, suddenly shouting: "It hurts so much, my leg hurts so much!" It turned out that Cao had fallen off his horse and broken his leg!

  Lü Bu looked at Cao Cao, stuck out his tongue, and then hastily ordered people to take Cao Cao back to the military camp of the Allied Forces. At the same time, he asked Hua Tuo to diagnose and treat Cao Cao. Hua Tuo said that Cao Cao was not seriously ill, but just needed plenty of rest to recover. With the medicine he prescribed, it would be twice as effective.

  After drinking the Mind-Calming Tea prescribed by Hua Tuo, Cao fell asleep. Lü Bu returned to his own camp and set up an ambush, wounding Cao in the process. He thought to himself that it would be better to return and have tea with Xu Shu instead, as Xu was known for brewing a good pot of tea.

  As soon as Lü Bu entered his own camp, he saw a familiar person, Xu You, Xu Ziyuan! Lü Bu was taken aback. What is Xu You doing here? Ah yes, it seems that he hasn't seen Xu You for days, has he just arrived too? With doubt, Lü Bu cupped his hands and said: "Uncle Xu, good!"

  Xu You was overjoyed to see Lü Rui, hastily got up and said: "Rui'er, you let your uncle find you with great difficulty. Your uncle went to Fan County to look for you, but you followed Meng De here, making it hard for your uncle to find you." It turned out that Xu You had gone to Fan County to look for Lü Rui in order to have a son, hoping to obtain the legendary Dan medicine. Xu You was also cheated of a lot of money by unscrupulous merchants because of this matter.

  Lü Bu was taken aback, alas, this is really a naive and deceitful person! His own words had deceived the entire Han Dynasty, even Xun Yu, known as the number one strategist in Hebei, was also deceived. Coughing, since that's the case, I'll just be kind-hearted and be an honest businessman!

  Lü Bu nodded and said, "I see, Uncle. The price of the elixir has gone up now. If you want to buy it, you'll have to pay more." He then took out the elixir from his bosom and waved it in front of Xu You.

  Xu You saw the elixir and his eyes immediately revealed a greedy gaze. He said, "Alright, Rui'er, your uncle will exchange twelve large chests of treasure for one year's worth of elixir." After speaking, he ordered someone to bring up a sample chest.

  Lü Rui originally listened to Nainai's words, but when Xu You opened his mouth, he wanted a year's worth. Didn't you know that production also takes time? However, after seeing Xu You's treasure, Lü Rui was stunned. Good boy Xu You, unexpectedly so rich! These are all priceless items: night pearls, jade, gold, silver, and jade utensils, all top-notch. No wonder the historical records comment on Xu You as greedy but not wise, embezzling so much that any ruler would want to kill him!

  Lü Rui nodded and ordered Xu Shu to put away the treasure, then handed over a year's worth of elixirs to Xu You. Xu You swiftly took the elixirs and put them in his bosom, then started chatting with Lü Rui, trying to get close to him for the sake of the elixirs.

  Lü Bu casually replied to Xu You with a few words, then fearing his mouth would get him into trouble, he let out a sigh and said: "Uncle Xu, why aren't you accompanying Lord Cao? In Luoyang, it seems like you're always by his side as his military advisor." Xu You retorted: "Young master wants to sleep, can't you hurry up and leave?"

  Xu You slammed his hand on the table and cursed, "Tian Feng, Tian Yuanhao, you're deceiving people too much!" He then vented his dissatisfaction with Tian Feng. It turned out that Xu You had not followed the army to Fan County, and after Han Fu recommended Tian Feng to Yuan Shao, Tian Feng quickly rose to become Yuan Shao's military advisor, who trusted him extremely. Due to his greed for wealth, Xu You had done many illegal things and was often rebuked by Tian Feng. Xu You was furious, but Yuan Shao supported Tian Feng, making Xu You feel very resentful. Originally, I, Xu Ziyuan, was the strategist of the Han dynasty!

  Lü Bu listened and was stunned for a moment, realizing that this was the case. Although Yuan Shao had some weaknesses now, he was still a heroic figure overall, with a strong sense of justice and a willingness to employ talented individuals. He treated his subordinates with respect and courtesy. As for Xu You, Lü Bu patted his mouth and said, "Oh, Uncle Xu, don't worry, Lord Cao will still need you in the future."

  Goodnight, I'm going to sleep now! Xu You, why aren't you leaving? If it weren't for your contributions at the Battle of Guandu, I would have kicked you out long ago! Lü Bu knew that the key to victory at Guandu lay in the grain stores at Wuchao, but he couldn't be certain whether his own actions had an impact on the outcome of the battle. After all, Tian Feng had defected to Yuan Shao ahead of time! If the grain stores hadn't been at Wuchao, Xu You would still have been very useful!

  Xu You looked at Lü Rui and knew he was already fed up. Xu You measured his words carefully, then said: "Rui'er, you won a lot from Benchu and Wenjie in the army some time ago, they are both resentful to this day. However, Rui'er, don't you have a powerful backer? The gambling games actually used Sunzi's Art of War?"

  Xu You turned around and asked Xushu: "May I ask who this gentleman is? Is he a superior man?"

  Lü Rui was taken aback and Xu Shu also paused for a moment.

  Xu You saw the expressions of the two and said: "Rui'er, it's not that I want to be at odds with you, Tian Feng, but have you noticed the superior person behind you? Considering my relationship with Rui'er, I remind him to be more careful. Time is late, Uncle takes his leave." After finishing speaking, he left Lü Rui's tent.

  Lü Bu reacted after Xu You left, and realized that Tian Feng suspected there was a mastermind behind him? And the mastermind was Xushu? Hehe, interesting. Xushu is indeed a mastermind, but as for Yuan Shao and Han Fu's mastermind, it's actually me, Lü Bu! Tian Feng wants to dig out my mastermind? Let me see what you're capable of? Lü Bu looked at Xu Shu and said: "Xiao Xu Xu, someone is targeting you!"

  Xu Shou nodded and said: "Don't worry, Hou Ye. Although Yuan Zhidao is not the best in the world, he also wants to see the prowess of Tian Feng, a famous scholar from Hebei."

  Lü Rui smiled and nodded, hehe, there's a good show to watch, Tian Feng VS Xushu, who is more powerful after all?

  The next day, Cao Hong and others also brought the remaining soldiers back to Xiangyu. At this time, Dong Zhuo's army had already retreated. Cao Hong and others brought 5,000 remaining soldiers back to the camp, one by one with a disheveled appearance. Xiahou Dun was even more miserable, his left eyebrow was burned off. Lv Rui took a look and said, "Alas, Uncle Xiahou, how come you're so unlucky? In the future, your left eye will also be blind. It seems that your left eye is not destined to be with you!"

  Cao Cao saw that the troops had all returned, and with the help of his crutch, he came to Yuan Shao's main tent. At this time, Yuan Shao was drinking and having fun with the various lords. As soon as Cao Cao entered, Yuan Shao immediately went up to greet him, saying: "Meng De? You're a bit better off, with such injuries, you didn't have to come."

  Cao Cao looked at Yuan Shao and said: "Ben Chu, why don't you advance on Luoyang? Now is the perfect opportunity!"

  Yuan Shao looked at Cao Cao and then looked around at the crowd, saying: "Meng De, everyone thinks that Dong Zhuo's power is too great, it's not suitable to advance."

  "Cao shouted loudly: "Listen to my plan! Let General Yuan Shao of Bohai lead the troops from Henan Prefecture to Mengjin, and have the various generals stationed at Chenggao control Ao Granary, seal off the Tongguan and Taiguan passes, occupy all strategic locations. Then let General Yuan Shu lead the army from Nanyang to advance on Danshui County and Xixian County, push forward to Wuguan, shake the Three Auxiliaries region, have all the armies build high walls and deep trenches, avoid engaging with the enemy, set up many decoy troops to confuse the enemy, make it clear that our actions are righteous and aimed at punishing rebellion. The world can be quickly pacified. Now we have gathered the armies in the name of righteousness, but they hesitate and do not dare to advance, the people of the world are desperate, I am ashamed for you!"

  Cao spoke while pointing with his staff at the various lords, spitting as he talked, and the lords all looked displeased. Humph! Cao Mengde, do you think you are the master of the world? Do you want us to all listen to you?

  Yuan Shao was also unhappy, Meng De, I am still the alliance leader! Thinking of this, Yuan Shao said: "Meng De, Dong Zhuo's power is great, after our discussion we decided to retreat, please don't say anything more!"

  Cao Cao took a look at Yuan Shao, then looked at the faces of the crowd, and understood. He then flung his sleeve and left. Zhang Miao saw this and chased after him.

  Cao Cao looked at Zhang Miao and said: "Meng Zhuo? Do you think we should march on Luoyang?"

  Zhang Liao looked at Cao and said: "Mengde, we have suffered heavy losses, our military strength is insufficient, and we cannot advance. Let's retreat."

  Cao sighed, shook his head, and left with the help of his crutch. Soon after, the Allied Forces of the East China Sea disbanded. Cao ordered Cao Hong to lead the main army back to Qiao County, while he himself led Xiahou Dun, Lü Bu, and others to Danyang to recruit soldiers, planning for future strategies!