Chapter 52 Plan

  Jia Xu was the most open-minded person. Throughout his life, he first followed Dong Zhuo, then persuaded Li Jue and Guo Si to enter Chang'an, and later occupied Wan City with Zhang Yang, defeating Cao Cao. After Cao Cao defeated Zhang Yang, Jia Xu surrendered to Cao Cao and made good strategies in battles against Ma Chao and Jiangdong. After Cao Cao's death, Jia Xu followed Cao Pi and became the Grand Commandant of Wei. Jia Xu can be considered as one of the most loyal and long-lived strategists who served his lords. However, no one ever said he was fickle or unfaithful. There is only one reason: Jia Xu was indeed the smartest person in the Three Kingdoms period.

  Forced by Long Fei to move to the West Garden, Jia Yu suddenly changed his ways and no longer went to taverns to drink. He got up on time every day, ate on time, and was polite to everyone. In just a few days, he became close with Long Fei's subordinates. Compared to Xu Si who was somewhat arrogant, Jia Yu was more popular among the people. Long Fei always felt that he had been played by Jia Yu.

  Jia Xuan didn't seem too surprised about the Black Ice. After listening to Long Fei's account, Jia Xuan nodded: "The power of Black Ice is formidable, if it can be used by one person, it would be enough to dominate the world. However, the secrets of Black Ice are unpredictable, Master should be cautious!"

  "Master, now that you've seen clearly, aren't you afraid I'll kill you to silence you?"

  Jia Yu burst out laughing: "I, Jia Yu, have always been one to judge things not people. Master has gone to such great lengths to bring me back, I'm afraid it's not just to kill me! In my opinion, for now, Master should not make an enemy of Hei Bing, but rather be as loyal as possible and gain their trust - that is the key!"

  "Are you saying they still don't trust me?"

  Jia Xun didn't say a word, but just smiled slightly. Isn't it true that the arrival of Xu Shu from the Hei Bing sect to monitor himself was the best proof? Although he was the Left Prime Minister, who knew how many Left Prime Ministers there were in the Hei Bing sect, perhaps tens of thousands, and he was just a pawn in the Hei Bing sect. What Jia Xun said was right, if you want to achieve your own ideas, pretending to be a fool is the best way.

  It's not easy to assassinate Sun Jian. According to the intelligence brought back by Xu Shu, Sun Jian this time came with an alliance of 10,000 soldiers and five major generals under his command. The first one was his eldest son, Sun Ce. Although he was young, he had the same spirit and martial arts as Sun Jian when he single-handedly defeated the mountain bandits. His spear was also undefeated in Jiangdong, known as the Little Overlord. The second one was Cheng Pu from Youbei, who wielded an iron-backed snake halberd; the third one was Huang Gai from Lingling, who wielded an iron whip; the fourth one was Han Dang from Liaoxi, who wielded a large knife; and the fifth one was Zu Mao from Wu County, who wielded dual knives. Each of them was a talented general with extraordinary martial arts skills. They were discussing matters with Sun Jian every day, leaving no opportunity to make a move.

  Long Fei scratched his head: "This is difficult, assassination is easy to escape but hard to succeed. If it doesn't work once, the other side will be on guard, and there won't be another chance! Do you two gentlemen have a good plan?"

  "Our lord has given an order, we must complete it even if it means death!" Xu Shu raised his neck, with a fearless attitude.

  Long Fei coldly laughed and ignored him, looking at Jia Xun. Jia Xun said: "Sun Jian is someone I've also heard of, as a young official, he was open-minded, liked strange things, and had a strong sense of justice. At the age of 18, he single-handedly defeated the water bandits with his sword, gaining great fame. Later, Zhu Huan eliminated the Yellow Turbans, and he followed Zhang Wen to conquer Bian Zhang and Han Sui, repeatedly achieving great merits! Since becoming the governor of Changsha, he quickly pacified the rebellions in Changsha, Lingling, and Guilin, earning him great expectations in Jiangdong. He was promoted to Marquis of Wucheng, and can be considered one of the rare talents among generals in recent years!"

  "Mr. Jia has been staying in Tiger Trap Pass all these years, but he hasn't been idle. He understands the great affairs of this world much better than I do!" Long Fei smiled slightly: "Does he have a good plan?"

  Zhuo continued: "Sun Jian is indeed brave and fierce, but he likes to show off his achievements and has great ambition. According to the rumors in Wu County, when Sun Jian was born, there were five-colored lights at the ancestral tomb of the Sun family, and a fortune teller once said that Sun Jian would be extremely noble. Therefore, Sun Jian often only considers himself when doing things, and is straightforward but not flexible. The lords will gather for an alliance, and with Sun Jian's prestige and strength, he will inevitably not be taken seriously, and he is also arrogant. My plan is to wait! Wait for a good opportunity, and strike with certainty!"

  "How much longer will we have to wait?" Xu Shu hastily asked.

  Jia Xu shook his head: "Although the vassals have not yet formed an alliance, each of them has ulterior motives. If you want to kill Sun Jian, you must start from within the vassals!"

  "What's this plan again? We can't even get inside the vassals' inner circle!" Zhao Yun asked. Everyone else also nodded in agreement.

  Long Fei smiled: "Whether we can get in or not, perhaps someone else can. What do you think, Mr. Xu?"

  "Sowing discord? This move is probably not good!" Xushu said.

  Jia Xu shook his head: "When I was at Tiger Trap Pass, I discovered a fatal weakness of the Western Liang soldiers. These people are arrogant and never put the original Luoyang soldiers in their eyes, often beating and scolding them, the Luoyang soldiers can only endure. Now that there is a large army outside the pass, with the situation in Xiangyang and Tiger Trap Pass, it will only delay and cannot withstand the attack of the allied forces. If Sun Jian is made the vanguard, Xiangyang and Tiger Trap Pass will not be taken without effort, and at that time, the allied forces will suspect Sun Jian, they will naturally take action to eliminate Sun Jian for us!"

  "Are you so sure?" Xu Shu asked: "What if they don't kill Sun Jian then?"

  "Don't worry!" Jia Xu said: "The Yuan brothers are not good stuff, spoiled and arrogant, they always think they are the best in the world. They will never let Sun Jian take the credit for attacking Luoyang. As long as we can make Sun Jian take the lead, we'll just wait and watch the show."

  "Alright! Then we..."

  "Your Excellency!" Xu Si hastily knelt down and gave Jia Xun a white eye: "We, Hei Bing, have never relied on others for success or failure. What Jia Xun said is correct, but if there's even one mishap, all our previous efforts will be wasted. Please reconsider, Your Excellency! In my humble opinion, it would be better to send someone to assassinate him!"

  Long Fei nodded: "Mr. Xu's words are reasonable, here only you and I are Black Ice people, I am Zuo Shu Zhang, you are Gong Da Fu, since so I'll send you to assassinate Sun Jian! Must succeed!"

  "Your Excellency, I am but a civil officer, unskilled in taking lives! I beg of you to show mercy!"

  "Bang!" Long Fei slapped the table and stood up: "You're not going, who should go? Me? You know it's sending me to my death, yet you still want me to go. Since that's the case, then come on! Why bother with so much nonsense? Either you go or listen to Mr. Jia! You decide for yourself!" With a flick of his sleeve, he walked away. As soon as Long Fei left, everyone else followed suit and left, leaving Xu Shu standing there panting heavily.

  To show his loyalty to Dong Zhuo, Long Feng personally went into the palace that night to find Dong Zhuo. Dong Zhuo was on the emperor's dragon bed with more than a dozen naked palace girls frolicking around him. The little eunuch did not dare enter the door and could only report from outside. Dong Zhuo was in high spirits, so he scolded loudly. Long Feng then said loudly: "Taishi, I have important news to report, related to the safety of Luoyang, please forgive me!"

  Hearing the sound, Dong Zhuo finally came out stark naked. His massive body was as ugly as it could be, with a bloated upper half and short thick legs, looking like a purebred bulldog. Perhaps because his belly was too big or perhaps because his thighs were too thick, he didn't even notice his treasure. Long Fei hastily lowered his head.

  "It's so late? Is there something that can't be said tomorrow?"

  "Taishi forgive the crime! The matter is extremely urgent!" Long Fei slowed down his tone: "Taishi, just now Hei Bing sent a message that this time the allied army has strong martial arts and numerous people, they also have a forged imperial edict, everyone is fighting bravely. Our Xiliang soldiers and Luoyang soldiers have been at odds for a long time. The lower official dares to suggest withdrawing from Luoyang as soon as possible, then the allied army will collapse without a fight!"

  "Hmph! Another one trying to persuade me to retreat!" Dong Zhuo snorted, "What if I don't retreat? Won't it be a case of good fortune amidst calamity?"

  "Grand Tutor!"

  "My son is invincible in the world, and you have just formed the Western Garden Eight Schools, they are all the elite of our army. I don't believe those clowns can enter Luoyang!" Dong Zhuo was indeed angry, shouting: "Pass on the order, anyone who dares to advise me to withdraw will be killed without pardon!" He turned around and entered the emperor's bedroom again.

  Half a month later, Xu Rong, who was guarding Huanyang, suddenly returned, exhausted and tearfully told Dong Zhuo that the city had been lost. Dong Zhuo was furious and wanted to kill Xu Rong, but was persuaded by others to spare his life, stripping him of his general's rank and demoting him to a middle-ranking officer. After the loss of Huanyang, the morale of the allied army soared, and they immediately surged towards Tiger Trap Pass.

  "What should I do now?" Dong Zhuo glared at the crowd with wide eyes: "Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu actually attacked the imperial court, what do you think I should do to respond?"

  Dong Jun said, "Big brother, what's so difficult about this? Bring Yuan Fang and Yuan Wei to the Tiger Trap Pass, put them on the city wall, and I guarantee that Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu will surrender immediately!"

  Li Su hastily expressed his agreement: "That's right! Also, let Yuan Fang and Yuan Wei write a letter of advice. As long as the Yuan brothers withdraw, there is no need to consider the so-called allied forces of the vassals!"

  "Your Excellency!" Long Fei suddenly said: "Now the allied army has arrived at the foot of Tiger Trap Pass, and things are urgent! The subordinate suggests that troops be sent to assist in defending the pass. If Tiger Trap Pass is broken, Luoyang will be in danger!"

  Dong Zhuo nodded: "Who is willing to go?"

  "I'd like to go!" Lü Bu suddenly stood out. Everyone was shocked! Lü Bu was one of Dong Zhuo's bodyguards, and if he left, something interesting would happen in Luoyang.

  "I am willing to lend a helping hand to Duke Wen and keep the allied forces outside of Tiger Trap Pass!" Long Fei also followed suit.

  Long Fei volunteered to take the lead, and everyone wanted to see his ability. Since joining Dong Zhuo, Long Fei has always done some despicable things, helping Dong Zhuo frame Yuan Shu, confiscating Yuan's family property, and having a relationship with Hei Bing. No one had ever seen Long Fei go to battle before. Everyone focused their attention on Dong Zhuo, waiting to see if he would send this inexperienced Long Fei out.

  "We approve!" Liu Xie, who had never spoken before in court meetings, suddenly said this sentence.

  Dong Zhuo and all the officials were caught off guard, everyone was stunned, and they were all guessing what would happen next. Liu Xie slightly adjusted his clothes and hat: "Marquis Wen Hou Lü Bu, General Dragon Flying Zhong Jun Tianguo, I permit you to lead troops to go, seal Dragon Flying as Yang Wei General, from today on, lead the assistant left general Zhao Yun, left army general Gao Shun, right army general Zhang Liao, follow the General of the Army Lü Bu to Hu Lao Guan!"

  Liu Xie said these words clearly and distinctly. The officials had not reacted yet, and Lü Bu and Long Fei were even more at a loss for what to do. Liu Xie, however, calmly asked the Yellow Gate Attendant on one side, "Why haven't you drafted the edict?" Turning his head again to Dong Zhuo, he said, "Teacher, do you think this is appropriate for me to do?"