The sun was beginning to set.
Yan Province, Dong Commandery.
Yuan Army Camp at Fagan.
“My lords, give me your thoughts.”
Seated at the head of the hall, Yuan Shao looked at his assembled civil and military officials with a puzzled expression.
“Could it be that those Yellow Turban bandits intended from the very beginning to simply let Lü Bu leave?”
Three days had already passed since Lü Bu departed Liaocheng.
Yet the Yellow Turbans had made no move whatsoever.
It left Yuan Shao deeply frustrated, as though he had thrown a punch into a pile of cotton.
Lü Bu’s army was crawling along at a snail’s pace, dragging an enormous train of grain and supplies behind it, like a child carrying gold bricks through a crowded marketplace— yet somehow, no one tried to rob him.
“My lord.”
The officials remained silent until Yan Liang finally spoke.
“Why don’t we simply march on Puyang? Once we’ve crossed the river, we can fight the Yellow Turbans head-on. It would be better than sitting here feeling so stifled.”
Originally, they had been preparing to campaign against the Heishan Army.
Then events in Yan Province had suddenly thrown everything into chaos.
Just as they were deploying their forces, Lü Bu chose the Julu route, forcing them to act as his babysitters instead.
To make matters worse, because Lü Bu had accumulated so much grain, he remained in Liaocheng for half a month.
They had no choice but to wait with him.
Now, just as Lü Bu finally started “moving house” with all that tempting bait, the Yellow Turbans showed virtually no reaction, completely uninterested in seizing it.
“My lord.”
Wen Chou spoke up.
“Could it be… that we’ve made our intentions too obvious?”
“Perhaps we’ve frightened the Yellow Turbans off.”
“That’s certainly possible!”
The generals suddenly looked enlightened.
Wen Chou’s explanation seemed perfectly reasonable.
After all, the Yellow Turbans weren’t idiots.
With Yuan Shao’s massive army stationed nearby, how could they dare make a move?
Even the civil officials fell silent.
“Haha…”
Yuan Shao forced an awkward laugh, his face darkening slightly.
“There’s no need to lose heart.”
“Using Lü Bu as bait was merely an extra move.”
“Even if it fails, it won’t affect the overall situation.”
Before implementing this plan, Yuan Shao had considered many possibilities.
Naturally, he had also considered the possibility that the Yellow Turbans simply wouldn’t cross the river.
He had merely regarded that outcome as extremely unlikely and subconsciously dismissed it.
That was precisely what had led to today’s awkward predicament.
“My lord.”
Tian Feng stepped forward respectfully.
“In my opinion, we needn’t be overly anxious.”
“If the Yellow Turbans truly intend to strike at Lü Bu, it will almost certainly happen within the next two days.”
“Yuangao, please explain your reasoning.”
Yuan Shao immediately asked, eager to know why Tian Feng had reached that conclusion.
The other officials likewise turned their attention toward Tian Feng.
“The terrain.”
Tian Feng pondered briefly before speaking.
“Lü Bu has now reached the vicinity of Yangping and Dongwuyang.”
“Both cities are less than forty li from Cangting Ferry.”
“The Yellow Turbans could simply cross the river by boat and launch a surprise attack on Lü Bu.”
“A surprise attack?”
Guo Tu sneered.
“You make it sound easy, Master Yuangao.”
“But Lü Bu is no Cao Cao.”
“He is an extraordinarily fierce warrior.”
“And even without the Bing Province Wolf Cavalry, the Eight Hundred Camp Crusher (Xianzhen) Camp under his command remains one of the finest elite forces in the realm.”
“In your opinion…”
“How many Yellow Turbans would it take to successfully ambush Lü Bu?”
“And once Lü Bu reacts and leads his Wolf Cavalry in pursuit, do you really think the Yellow Turbans could win?”
The reason Lü Bu behaved so boldly was because he had the strength to back it up.
The elite soldiers under his command were exceptional.
Even if facing him in a straightforward battle, Guo Tu wouldn’t dare claim that thirty thousand infantry would be enough to defeat him.
“Heh.”
Feng Ji let out a cold laugh.
“I actually think Master Yuangao makes a valid point.”
“The Yellow Turbans boast an army of three hundred thousand.”
“Sending one hundred thousand men across the river isn’t impossible.”
“Even if Lü Bu withdrew into a city to defend himself, the Yellow Turbans would eventually overwhelm him.”
“My lord.”
Tian Feng’s face darkened.
“The opinions of these two amount to nothing more than the views of reckless warriors.”
“Then please enlighten us, Yuangao.”
Yuan Shao said calmly.
“How exactly would the Yellow Turbans ambush Lü Bu?”
“And after doing so, How would they escape?”
“Uh…”
Tian Feng froze.
He simply believed that the area around Dongwuyang was ideal terrain.
If the Yellow Turbans really intended to attack Lü Bu, that would undoubtedly be their preferred location.
But putting himself in their shoes…
if he were commanding the Yellow Turbans, he wouldn’t bother attacking Lü Bu at all.
The only reason he had spoken up was to help Yuan Shao save face.
At worst, they could simply wait another two days.
They had already waited this long.
Unfortunately, his colleagues all delighted in sarcastic jabs, and Yuan Shao had now directly asked how the Yellow Turbans would launch their attack.
Could he honestly answer, “They probably won’t attack at all”?
That wouldn’t be helping Yuan Shao save face— it would be slapping him across it.
“Right, right, we’re all just reckless war—”
“Enough.”
Yuan Shao cut Guo Tu’s mockery short.
“We’ll follow Yuangao’s suggestion.”
“The army will wait another two days.”
“Our scouts are not to relax their vigilance.”
“If Lü Bu’s army makes any unusual move, report it immediately by fast horse.”
“We obey!”
The civil and military officials rose together and saluted respectfully.
…………
On the banks of the Luo River, outside Yangping City.
As Lü Bu’s army reached the area, Wei Xu looked up at the sky and said, “My lord.”
“It’s already the third quarter of the Shen hour (around 4:45 p.m.).”
“Shall we let the brothers enter the city and rest for the night?”
The other generals were equally tempted by the suggestion.
They had already spent one night outside the city after leaving Leping.
If they could enter a city and rest, it would naturally be far preferable.
“Have the men continue marching!”
Lü Bu glanced at the soldiers behind the supply wagons, who were grunting and straining as they pushed the heavily loaded carts.
“In no more than eight li, we’ll reach Dongwuyang.”
“When we arrive, I shall reward the entire army and let everyone rest there for a full day.”
Lü Bu had truly had enough of this kind of march.
Grain always seemed insufficient when it came time to eat it.
But transporting it was genuinely exhausting.
“My lord is wise!”
The generals immediately beamed with delight.
A full day’s rest was certainly welcome.
As Lü Bu’s order was passed down, the soldiers’ morale rose dramatically.
All they wanted now was to reach Dongwuyang as quickly as possible, where they could finally enjoy some well-earned rest.
……….
As the sun set, Dongwuyang.
Inside a spacious courtyard west of the city.
Guo Jia lay comfortably on the grass, his hands clasped behind his head, a blade of wild grass dangling from his mouth.
“Staff Officer Guo.”
Dian Wei stood before him with his arms folded across his chest.
His massive frame completely blocked the setting sun, casting a shadow over Guo Jia as he looked down at him.
“Are you sure your plan is reliable?”
“It’s almost dark, and none of the brothers watching from the city walls have come back with any reports.”
“Relax, General Dian.”
Guo Jia looked up at Dian Wei with a helpless expression after the sunlight disappeared.
He waved his hand dismissively.
“I guarantee it’ll work.”
“The time simply hasn’t come yet.”
“See? It’s not even dark.”
“If my calculations are correct, within three quarters of an hour, someone will come to report.”
“Why don’t you go get some rest instead, General Dian?”
“Even if Lü Bu arrives, he won’t come inspecting the western side of the city.”
“We won’t make our move until the Hour of Chou (1:00 AM to 3:00 AM) anyway.”
“So you’d better conserve your strength.”
“When the time comes, it’ll be up to you personally to keep Lü Bu in check.”
Capturing Lü Bu alive was extraordinarily difficult, several times harder than simply killing him.
Only Dian Wei had the ability to restrain him long enough to see whether he could be forced to surrender.
“I’ve heard the lord mention it before.”
Dian Wei’s expression turned serious.
“Lü Bu is an exceptional warrior.”
“And with Red Hare, his famous steed…”
“If he manages to mount it when the fighting starts,”
“I’m afraid he won’t be easy to deal with.”
“It doesn’t matter.”
Guo Jia answered confidently.
“If we want to subdue Lü Bu, then Red Hare must die.”
“The lord once said, To shoot the rider, first shoot his horse. To capture the bandits, first capture their leader.’
“For the sake of that horse, I’ve prepared two hundred heavy crossbows.”
“Together with General Dian’s flying halberds…”
“If Lü Bu doesn’t mount his horse, that’s one thing.”
“But if he dares to get on Red Hare, there’s no need to show him any mercy.”
Guo Jia understood perfectly well.
If they wanted to recruit Lü Bu into their own ranks, they first had to shatter his pride.
And Red Hare was one of the greatest sources of that pride.
— The end of the Chapter–
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