“…”
The corners of Cheng Yu’s mouth twitched slightly upon hearing this.
He didn’t even know how to respond.
The problem was that Lu Bu’s actions were truly outrageous.
From Changshan Commandery into Yan Province, there were two main official roads.
One route passed through Wei Commandery, then through Sili, before entering Chenliu.
However, that path was longer and required more time.
The other route was the one Lu Bu had chosen.
Not only did it save both time and effort, but the road was also remarkably straight.
The only issue was that it passed through Qinghe Kingdom, and entering Yan Province through Qinghe meant heading directly toward Taiping Prefecture.
This was because Qinghe bordered Dong Commandery.
Anyone unaware of Lu Bu’s intentions might have thought he was Yuan Shao’s vanguard.
“Since Lu Bu has come, then he shouldn’t leave.”
Zhang Jing’s expression remained calm as he said, “Although I have no use for the territory north of the Yellow River in Dong Commandery, I cannot allow others to lay their hands on it as they please. Have Zhou Cang keep a constant watch on Qinghe Kingdom, and do not relax surveillance of Lu Bu.”
“Do not let Lu Bu become Yuan Shao’s bait.”
Lü Bu’s arrival in Yan Province did not worry Zhang Jing too much.
The man was merely a reckless warrior.
Though his martial prowess was exceptional, he was nowhere near the level of Xiang Yu.
As for military command, he was inferior by an even greater margin.
What truly concerned Zhang Jing was something else.
If Yuan Shao was using Lu Bu as bait, then the battlefield could not be allowed to remain in Hebei.
“Your subordinate obeys!”
Understanding Zhang Jing’s concerns, Cheng Yu respectfully bowed and accepted the order.
…..
The following day, near noon.
Within Wuyan City, Xun You received Guo Jia and Xi Zhicai.
After washing up and freshening themselves, the four men gathered once more.
“Gongda.”
While drinking hot porridge, Guo Jia asked curiously, “I heard that Yuan Shao has appointed Lu Bu as Governor of Yan Province. It is obvious he intends to move against Zhang Yan. What does the Lord intend to do?”
“Fengxiao, your information is outdated.”
Xun You replied with a smile, “Around the middle of the month, Zhang Yan already sent an envoy requesting aid from our lord. The lord agreed and will help tie down part of Yuan Shao’s forces.”
“At present, in the Qinghe region of Hebei, our scouts are already skirmishing with Yuan Shao’s troops.”
“However, they also brought back an interesting piece of news. Lu Bu of Bing Province entered Yan Province via the Julu official road and has now reached Qinghe.”
“…”
Xi Zhicai glanced at Guo Jia.
Feeling both speechless and impressed, he could only admire Lu Bu’s audacity.
“This Lu Bu is truly something else.”
Guo Jia opened his mouth, unsure what to say.
In his original plans, Lu Bu should have fought Yuan Shu first.
Instead, Lu Bu completely ignored convention.
He simply marched his troops straight toward Dong Commandery.
It was utterly absurd.
“Indeed.”
Suppressing a laugh, Xun You said, “I heard that when the lord received the news last night, even he was stunned. He asked Master Zhongde whether Lu Bu had always been this fearless, leaving even Zhongde at a loss for words.”
“Well…”
Guo Jia could not help but chuckle.
“It seems this war may end up in a stalemate. I still believe the battlefield will eventually shift to the four southwestern commanderies of Yan Province.”
“A stalemate is certainly possible.”
Xun You nodded.
“Qing Province is in Gongsun Zan’s hands. Even if Lu Bu enters Dong Commandery, he lacks the strength to cross the river. Even if he captures a city, his limited forces would be unable to hold it.”
“If the stalemate drags on, he will naturally look for other opportunities. At the same time, Yuan Shao does not dare act rashly.”
“From Taiping Prefecture’s perspective, however, this situation is ultimately beneficial.”
Taiping Prefecture’s objective had never been Lu Bu himself, nor was it the capture of cities.
Its purpose was simply to tie down Yuan Shao’s forces.
As long as that goal was achieved, everything else was secondary.
“However…”
At this point, Xun You changed the subject.
“The lord seems to be considering taking action against Lu Bu.”
“Oh?”
Guo Jia’s eyes lit up.
“If we can take the initiative against Lu Bu and eliminate him quickly, it would indeed be even more advantageous for Taiping Prefecture.”
“Zhicai.”
Seeing Guo Jia’s reaction, Xun You turned to Xi Zhicai with a smile.
“It seems Fengxiao already has a plan in mind. In that case, would the two of you be willing to accompany me?”
He did not ask Guo Jia what his strategy was.
They were old acquaintances and knew each other’s abilities well enough.
At this moment, the one who needed to understand Guo Jia’s and Xi Zhicai’s talents was their lord, not himself.
“Haha, gladly!”
“It would be my pleasure!”
Guo Jia and Xi Zhicai rose one after another and bowed toward Xun You.
“Uncle.”
“It’s fine. Important matters come first.”
Xun Yu smiled and waved his hand, appearing perfectly at ease.
“Then, gentlemen.”
Xun You said no more.
Raising his hand in invitation, he said, “Please.”
“Gongda, after you.”
After a round of mutual courtesies, the three men left the small courtyard.
“The Han Dynasty…”
The departure of his friends filled Xun Yu with sorrow, but even more with helplessness.
Now trapped in confinement, he had no legitimate reason to ask Zhang Jing to release him.
This sense of powerlessness tormented him constantly.
………..
Mid-afternoon, Central Army Training Ground
“Thrust!!”
At that moment, Zhang Jing stood bare-chested, gripping an iron spear with both hands.
He suddenly lunged forward with a fierce thrust while shouting loudly.
“Hah!!!”
Five hundred sturdy young men tightly gripped their iron spears and mirrored Zhang Jing’s movement, roaring in unison.
“My lord.”
Just then, Dian Wei strode over and respectfully reported, “My lord, Master Gongda requests an audience. Accompanying him are two young gentlemen.”
“Bring them to the watchtower on the northern side,” Zhang Jing instructed.
“I will be there shortly.”
“Yes, my lord!”
Dian Wei acknowledged the order respectfully.
Zhang Jing lowered his spear and said in a deep voice,
“Continue training on your own!”
“Yes, my lord!”
The five hundred young men responded in unison.
After all these days, they had grown accustomed to it.
Most of the time, their lord trained alongside them.
Only on rare occasions, when important affairs arose, would he leave.
……………
Northern Watchtower of the Central Army Camp
The tower stood about seven zhang high (roughly 23 meters / 75 feet).
It could comfortably accommodate more than twenty people without feeling crowded.
In the entire central training ground, there were only four watchtowers of this height.
The remaining watchtowers were all just over four zhang high.
“Gongda.”
Standing atop the northern watchtower and gazing southward, Guo Jia asked curiously, “Can you tell me how many troops Taiping Prefecture currently commands?”
“More than one hundred eighty thousand.”
Xun You pondered for a moment before answering.
“At the beginning of this month, the lord reformed the military system. Across the four commanderies there are now seven garrison towns and twelve passes. Each town is stationed with five thousand troops. Of the twelve passes, only Yuncheng has five thousand men; the others each have a single division of two thousand five hundred soldiers.”
“In other words, there are over sixty-seven thousand troops stationed outside.”
“In addition, the Falcon Guard and the Central Army Camp each number five thousand men. Master Zhongde oversees two camps that assist in governance.”
“Vice Minister Wang Du commands more than four thousand young laborers engaged in water conservancy and infrastructure projects throughout the four commanderies, though they are not counted among the military.”
“There is also a thousand-man Vanguard Battalion.”
“The remaining one hundred thousand troops are divided between the Southern Camp and the Northern Camp.”
Looking at Guo Jia, Xun You continued, “What you are seeing now is the Southern Camp. Its daily training is overseen by Colonel Du. The Northern Camp is under Colonel Yu Jin.”
“There is also a separate Iron Cavalry force currently being trained by Sima Taishi.”
“T-This…!”
Xi Zhicai was dumbfounded.
“Isn’t that far too many troops? The army alone numbers nearly two hundred thousand men, and there’s even an Iron Cavalry unit?”
“Actually, it’s not that many.”
At that moment, Zhang Jing, dressed in light training clothes, walked up the stairs and spoke.
“You should know that just four months ago, there were nearly five hundred thousand troops under arms.”
— The end of the Chapter–
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