Three Kingdoms: The Peerless Strategist of Wei

Chapter 34 The Forced Marriage by the Big Ear, Lü Bu's Daughter

Thousands of miles away.

Xiaopei City, the prefectural government office.

"My lord, we have already conscripted three thousand laborers to work day and night to reinforce the city's defenses. Many people in the city are grateful for your benevolence and have come to help build the city walls."

"In less than a month, this Xiaopei City will surely be fortified and impregnable. Even if Cao Cao leads a million-strong army, there will be absolutely no chance of it being breached."

Sun Qian bowed and reported the news with a broad smile.

Liu Bei's face showed satisfaction, then he sneered and said, "When Cao Cao's siege of the city fails after a long siege, and Dong Cheng of Xuchang seizes the opportunity to launch an uprising, I want to see how he will slink away with his troops!"

Zhang Fei's blood boiled with excitement, and he roared, "When that time comes, I will personally lead my troops to hunt down Cao Cao and cut off his head to present to my brother!"

Liu Bei smiled without speaking; the gloom that had previously shrouded his brow had now vanished without a trace.

"The wedding ceremony in a few days must be grand and lively. I want everyone in Xuzhou to know that the Mi family is now firmly bound to me, Liu Bei, and we will advance and retreat together."

Liu Bei picked up the wine cup in front of him and gave his instructions in a meaningful tone.

Sun Qian quickly bowed and cupped his hands, smiling as he replied, "Your subordinate understands. Please put your mind at ease, my lord."

Just then.

Jian Yong rushed in, his face extremely grave, and said urgently, "Reporting to the lord, the spies hiding in Xuchang have sent back a secret report: the plot to seize the imperial edict has been exposed. Dong Cheng, Wang Zifu, Zhong Ji, and more than a dozen other high-ranking officials involved in the conspiracy have all been executed on Cao Cao's orders!"

"Clang!"

Liu Bei jerked his wrist violently, and the wine cup smashed to the ground. "What did you say?"

Liu Bei slowly raised his head, his cold eyes fixed on Jian Yong.

Jian Yong could only sigh helplessly and recount the whole story of how Dong Cheng and the others were executed.

The lobby erupted in an instant.

Zhang Fei exclaimed in shock, "Weren't Dong Cheng's group secretly plotting? How could Cao Cao have seen through their scheme and wiped them all out?"

"That shouldn't be the case. This matter was handled so secretly. Even if Cao Cao was naturally suspicious, he should not have been able to discover it so easily."

Sun Qian's eyes were also full of confusion.

"Snap!"

Liu Bei clenched his fist secretly, his voice low and angry: "Uncle Dong, how could you act so carelessly? At this critical moment of life and death, you were completely uprooted by the traitor Cao Cao! What am I supposed to do now?!"

Inside the main hall.

Liu Bei and his ministers were all shocked and panicked.

"Brother, the matter of the imperial edict in the belt is so secretive that even if Cao Cao is cunning and suspicious by nature, there is absolutely no way he could have seen through it so easily."

"I'm wondering, could this be another scheme orchestrated by that legendary reclusive figure behind Cao Cao?"

Guan Yu's phoenix eyes, which had been slightly narrowed, suddenly opened, and he spoke in a low voice, making his guess.

Liu Bei suddenly shuddered and couldn't help but shiver: "If it really was that person who orchestrated this, then this person's wisdom has reached an unfathomable and inconceivable level. With such a person assisting Cao Cao, who in this world can restrain him!"

"My lord!"

Sun Qian quickly bowed and reminded him, "Regardless of whether that extraordinary person truly exists, the demise of Dong Cheng and his court officials is a foregone conclusion. Without the constraints from the rear, Cao Cao can unleash his full force to attack Xiaopei. Right now, our most important task is to figure out how to defend against the enemy!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Bei was startled again, his chaotic thoughts instantly returning to the situation at hand.

"Issue my order to conscript more able-bodied men and work day and night to reinforce the city's defenses."

"Order all troops to intensify their training and be ready to repel Cao Cao's army at any time!"

Liu Bei issued two military orders in succession.

Guan Yu and Zhang Fei both bowed and accepted the order.

Sun Qian stepped forward again and reminded him, "My lord, the wedding arrangements probably need to be made in advance. At this critical juncture, we need the Mi family's financial support even more."

"Yes, you are in charge of arranging and handling all the wedding arrangements."

Without a second thought, Liu Bei immediately agreed.

"I understand, but..."

Sun Qian looked troubled and lowered his voice, saying, "I've heard some rumors that Miss Mi seems reluctant. Mi Zifang has tried to persuade her several times, but to no avail. In order not to delay the wedding, I'm afraid my lord will have to put some pressure on Mi Zifang."

Liu Bei frowned suddenly, a hint of displeasure flashing in his eyes.

"My elder brother is a member of the Han imperial family, a peerless hero of our time, and the governor of Xuzhou. Marrying her, the daughter of a merchant, is an honor for her. How dare she be so coy and refuse? She really doesn't know what's good for her!"

Zhang Fei was immediately enraged and started yelling and cursing at the top of his lungs.

"Yide!"

Liu Bei glared at him fiercely, then secretly gave him a wink.

Zhang Fei could only shut his mouth in resentment, his face full of sullen displeasure.

Liu Bei sighed softly, with a hint of self-deprecation, and said, "I am now nearly forty years old, while that Miss Mi is in the prime of her life. It is only natural that she would be unwilling."

"Brother, you are mistaken!"

Guan Yu, however, was unconvinced: "Heroes are not judged by their origins, let alone their age. It is clearly that Miss Mi who is ungrateful. Why should you be so humble, brother? I will go to the Mi family in a few days and I will definitely persuade Miss Mi on your behalf."

These were exactly the words Liu Bei had been waiting for.

He secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but his face remained serious as he instructed, "I have always acted with benevolence and righteousness and have never liked to force others. When you go, Yun Chang, you must also persuade people with reason."

"Brother, please rest assured, I understand."

Guan Yu bowed and clasped his hands in a respectful gesture, responding loudly.

After the meeting concluded, everyone bowed and took their leave.

Zhang Fei, seething with anger, went straight back to his tent, intending to vent his frustration on some of his men.

Just then.

Fan Jiang, a subordinate general, stepped forward and bowed to report: "Reporting to General Yide, Lü Bu is about to send a man with a cartload of gold, disguised as a merchant, to Hanoi County to purchase fine horses. Two days later, they will pass through our Xiaopei area and then enter Cao Cao's territory via Hulu City."

"This is like a windfall from heaven!"

Zhang Fei was overjoyed and laughed loudly, "Brother, we're short of supplies right now. Since this traitor Lü Bu has offered us money, how can I not take it!"

"General Yide, our lord specifically instructed us not to offend Lü Bu under any circumstances. Are we really going to rob him of his money?"

Fan Jiang whispered a reminder from the side.

Zhang Fei's eyes darted around a few times, then he sneered and said, "Let's disguise ourselves as mountain bandits and wait until they leave Xiaopei and enter Hulu County before we make our move. That traitor will have no choice but to suffer in silence; he won't be able to blame my elder brother at all!"

"General Yide is wise! This humble general will immediately arrange the men!"

Fan Jiang immediately bowed and accepted the order.

...

Two days later.

A caravan of merchants slowly entered the territory of Hulu County along the official road heading north.

The caravan consisted of over seventy men, who were escorting a tightly sealed carriage.

The two people at the front of the group, a middle-aged man and a young man, were dressed in ordinary cloth clothes, but underneath they wore close-fitting light armor, and their eyes were always filled with vigilance.

"Miss, once we cross that boundary marker, we will enter Cao Cao's territory. We must be extra careful in everything we do."

The man, disguised as a middle-aged businessman, pointed to the boundary marker ahead and spoke.

"Gao Shun, how many times have I reminded you? Don't call me 'Miss' again!"

The girl, dressed as a man and looking dashing, spoke up with a displeased expression, scolding him.

Gao Shun quickly changed his tune, saying, "Yes, yes, Miss... no, Young Master is right. It was my oversight."

Lu Lingqi nodded in satisfaction, her delicate brows furrowing slightly as she said, "Yuan Shu has already been defeated and killed. Cao Cao will surely make a move against Father sooner or later. We must buy good horses as soon as possible to replenish Father's cavalry."

"What you say is absolutely right, young master. As long as Marquis Wen has enough cavalry, even if Cao Cao has a million troops, Marquis Wen will not take him seriously at all."

Gao Shun quickly chimed in from the side.

"That's for sure. When it comes to commanding cavalry in battle, if my father is second, no one in the world would dare to claim to be first."

A look of pride and self-satisfaction immediately spread across Lü Lingqi's face.

Just then.

Suddenly, deafening shouts of battle erupted from both sides of the official road.

Hundreds of bandits suddenly rushed out from both sides, surrounding and attacking the caravan from all directions.

"Young master, it's bandits trying to rob us!"

Gao Shun's expression changed abruptly. He immediately drew his sword and ordered his guards to form a defensive formation.

Lu Lingqi frowned suddenly: "We've only just crossed the boundary marker and we've already been ambushed! These bandits were clearly prepared!"

In the blink of an eye, the bandits had already charged close.

Suppressing her doubts, Lü Lingqi's face instantly ignited with intense fighting spirit.

She brandished her halberd and coldly sneered, "You dare to covet my Lü family's wealth? You're all tired of living! Today, I'll slaughter you all without leaving a single one alive!"

With a sudden flick of her halberd, Lü Lingqi spurred her horse forward and charged straight at the bandits who had surrounded her.

A fierce battle erupted instantly on this official road.

At the same time, a few hundred steps away.

The Gu family's convoy was also slowly making its way along the official road leading east towards Lake City.

Gu Cheng sat in the carriage, sipping wine and casually enjoying the scenery along the way.

"My lord, it looks like there's a battle going on between troops ahead!"

Xu Chu pointed in the direction ahead and suddenly spoke up to remind him.

Gu Cheng's eyes flickered slightly, and he looked up into the distance. Sure enough, he saw hundreds of people fighting fiercely on the official road.

Gu Cheng was immediately seized by the urge to watch the spectacle, and promptly spurred his horse onto a small hill nearby. Cao Ang and the others quickly followed suit.

The group stood on the slope, looking down at the battlefield below.

On the surface, it was clearly a passing caravan that had been ambushed and killed by bandits.

Gu Cheng immediately noticed something was amiss.

In the midst of the chaotic battlefield, a bandit with a face as black as charcoal could be seen wielding a serpent spear, charging forward with unstoppable force, leaving no one able to stand in his way.

"That bandit who wields the serpent spear is incredibly skilled in martial arts. How can there be such a powerful figure among bandits?"

Xu Chu also noticed something was amiss and couldn't help but ask in surprise.

Gu Cheng sneered and said, "What bandits? If I'm not mistaken, that bandit is Zhang Fei, Liu Bei's sworn brother from Yan!"

"Zhang Fei?"

Cao Ang's expression suddenly changed: "You mean Zhang Yide, the one under Liu Bei who's known for his bravery of ten thousand men?"

"There's no one else but him."

Gu Cheng nodded slightly.

Cao Ang asked with a look of astonishment, "Zhang Fei is clearly Liu Bei's trusted and beloved general. Why would he disguise himself as a bandit and rob passing caravans in our Hulu County?"

"Who can say for sure? Most likely, Liu Bei is short of supplies lately and can only resort to some underhanded tricks."

A hint of undisguised sarcasm flashed across Gu Cheng's eyes.

"That must be it!"

Cao Ang's face instantly contorted with rage, and he shouted sharply, "Now that I've stumbled upon this, how can I let this big-eared scoundrel's scheme succeed!"

Having said that, Cao Ang raised his spear and prepared to charge down on his horse.

"General Wei, I advise you to calm down first."

Gu Cheng raised his whip to stop him, saying, "Zhang Fei is a man of unparalleled bravery. Your reckless charge is no different from throwing your life away."

Cao Ang froze, feeling completely chilled by the cold water.

He knew perfectly well how good he was at martial arts and whether he could defeat Zhang Fei.

Rushing in recklessly would most likely result in losing your life here.

But if he did nothing and just watched Zhang Fei plunder and leave at will on Cao Cao's territory, how could he swallow this insult?

"Zhongkang, with your skills, you should be able to fight Zhang Fei to a standstill."

Gu Cheng turned to look at Xu Chu beside him.

Judging from the meaning behind his words, he clearly intended to lend Cao Ang a hand.

Xu Chu said with a proud expression, "Zhang Fei is indeed quite skilled, but I, Old Xu, am no pushover either. I could easily fight him for a hundred or two hundred rounds!"

"good!"

Gu Cheng pointed his riding whip towards the battlefield below: "You will go into battle with General Wei and ruin Zhang Fei's good deed!"

Cao Ang was overjoyed and quickly cupped his hands in thanks, saying, "Thank you for your help, Young Master Gu."

At that moment, Cao Ang let out a long roar and led his more than a hundred men straight down the hillside.

Xu Chu, with one arm bare, grabbed his elephant-trunk-shaped broadsword and charged down like a black iron tower.

"Liheng, are you really going to meddle in this?"

Zhou Tai asked from the side.

Gu Cheng smiled slightly: "Youping, you've been with me for so long, when have you ever seen me do a losing deal?"

"Um?"

Zhou Tai looked completely bewildered, not understanding what he meant.

"Did you see that carriage? Did you notice anything different about it?"

Gu Cheng raised his riding whip and pointed downwards, asking a question.

Zhou Tai squinted at it for a long time, then shook his head and said, "It's just a cargo wagon, nothing special about it."

"Take a good look at the tire tracks. They're much deeper than those of a regular truck. What kind of cargo was on that could leave such deep tracks?"

Gu Cheng asked with a playful smile.

Zhou Tai stared intently for a moment, then his eyes suddenly lit up: "Only a truck loaded with gold and silver could leave such deep tire tracks!"

Gu Cheng smiled but remained silent.