Three Kingdoms: Madam, I am a decent person

Chapter 744 Lü Qian: Kill Zhao Yun, this nobody, with a single spear thrust!

Upon hearing Cheng Yu's words, Xun You flew into a rage and exclaimed, "This is utterly absurd!"

"What right does Lu Bu's disciple have to compare himself to the Great General?"

"The great general has fought in the north and south, and has never been defeated."

"Moreover, he has many talented people under his command."

“Tian Feng, Chen Gong, Xin Pi and the like were all exceptionally talented.”

"Lu Bu is just a brute; in front of the Great General, he's nothing but a joke!"

"Now you're comparing Lü Bu to a general? Are you trying to get us killed?"

Cheng Yu shook his head and frowned, saying, "Gongda, I'm just stating the facts."

"Although Lü Bu is not as good as the Great General, the difference is not as great as you think."

"Moreover, Lü Bu also had Chen Gong back then."

“Lu Bu is certainly no match for the Great General, but our lord is no longer the same as he was before.”

Xun You said sternly, "What if this is the General's plan, and we lose our elite cavalry? What should we do then?"

Cheng Yu said, "How will we know if we don't try?"

"Moreover, I don't really believe this is the general's plan."

"I don't need to explain the relationship between the General and the Xiongnu, do I?"

"When the general was a cavalryman in the past, he killed Liu Bao, the Left Wise King of the Xiongnu, and captured tens of thousands of Xiongnu cavalrymen."

"It can be said that the general and the Xiongnu were mortal enemies."

"If this is the general's plan, it also means that the general and the Xiongnu are colluding to deceive us."

"Gongda, ask yourself, is this even possible?"

"Moreover, it is a fact that the General's camp was destroyed."

"It is also a fact that countless soldiers died in battle."

"The general is really just putting on an act. How could he possibly be willing to make such a sacrifice?"

"Even if he is willing to sacrifice himself, his civil and military officials would probably not agree."

"Have you considered the consequences of sacrificing so many soldiers?"

"Also, in order to play us, he exposed the fact that Wuchao was a grain storage site?"

Even the wisest person can make a mistake.

"What if we destroy Wuchao? How will the General bear the consequences?"

Xun You wanted to continue arguing.

Cao Cao quickly raised his hand and shouted, "Enough! All of you, shut up! You're making everyone uncomfortable!"

Xun You and Cheng Yu exchanged a glance before falling silent.

Cao Cao looked at Xun You and said, "Gongda, don't get carried away."

"I will absolutely not take the risk of wasting the lives of my soldiers."

He then looked at Cheng Yu and said, "Zhongde, don't be anxious."

"I will not let any opportunity slip away."

"Especially in the current situation."

"However, I need more specific information."

Xun You and Cheng Yu then bowed to Cao Cao and said, "Yes!"

Cao Cao looked at Du Ji and said, "Send out scouts to closely monitor all movements of the Hebei and Xiongnu armies."

Pointing to "Mouzhong" and "Changshe" on the sand table, Cao Cao said, "Especially these two places, inform General Xiahou Dun and General Xiahou Yuan to defend them to the death."

"Also, carefully observe the reactions of these two armies."

Du Ji bowed and quickly withdrew.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Cao Cao scanned the crowd, his gaze finally settling on Jia Xu, who seemed to be in deep meditation not far away. He smiled and asked, "Wenhe, why haven't you said anything?"

Everyone turned to look at Jia Xu.

Jia Xu opened his eyes, met Cao Cao's questioning gaze, yawned, and said with a forced smile, "Forgive me! Forgive me! I'm getting old, unlike others who can continue to offer advice to you, Minister."

Cao Cao scoffed, "Don't give me that nonsense. Do you think I, Cao Cao, am easy to fool?"

"Tell me, what do you think of the current situation? Should we send elite cavalry to infiltrate Wuchao?"

Everyone looked at Jia Xu nervously.

Xun You and Cheng Yu were on tenterhooks.

Jia Xu hesitated for a moment before saying, "To be on the safe side, no."

Xun You nodded secretly.

Sure enough, among this group of civil officials, only Jia Xu remained as quick-witted as ever.

Cao Cao frowned and asked, "Why?" He glanced at Cheng Yu and said, "Did you hear Zhongde's analysis just now?"

"You also believe that it's better to miss an opportunity than to make a mistake?"

Jia Xu met Cao Cao's gloomy gaze and hurriedly said, "Minister, I'm old. My considerations are naturally not as comprehensive as those of others."

"I was just saying it offhand."

Cao Cao squinted.

Jia Xu then stammered, "Really, I was just saying it offhand."

"I feel that the General is not such a reckless person."

"Of course, I don't have any evidence either."

Cao Cao was somewhat annoyed by Jia Xu's obsequious manner.

Cao Cao waved his hand and said, "That's all for today. Everyone, stay at your posts."

Everyone responded in unison, and then dispersed.

Jia Xu, his body hunched over, slowly walked away.

Xun You watched Jia Xu leave, and after a while, he caught up with him outside the government office gate. He grabbed Jia Xu's sleeve and said, "Lord Jia, do you also think that this is very likely a trap set by the General to lure the enemy? Is that right?"

Jia Xu stopped climbing onto the carriage shaft, turned around, and looked at Xun You.

Seeing Xun You's anxious expression, Jia Xu sighed.

After dismissing the coachman and waiting until no one else was around, Jia Xu whispered, "Gongda, hasn't the death of Lord Xun made you realize something?"

"When serving under the Minister of Works, never be stubborn or confrontational."

"On the surface, Sikong was promoting the virtuous and capable, but in reality, he had his own ideas."

"We should follow the lead of the pole."

"Your stubbornness will only make him resent you."

“If your plan fails, or if you make a mistake in the future, Xun Lingjun’s fate will be our fate.”

"Sikong will not care about past relationships."

"Have you forgotten the rumors about him?"

"I would rather betray the world than let the world betray me."

"You think rumors are just rumors?"

"There's no smoke without fire!"

After saying this, Jia Xu shook his head, and while beckoning the coachman to return from a distance, he said in a hoarse voice, "Remember, the more you do, the more mistakes you make; the less you do, the fewer mistakes you make."

"We are all officials, and we are after fame and fortune."

"No matter who owns this world or what their surname is, it has little to do with us."

"Whether one serves under someone or not doesn't make one an official."

"The land has never changed; what has changed are only the successive monarchs."

"Only after you've saved your life can you plan anything else."

"If you don't even have a life, everything else is meaningless."

Jia Xu crawled into the carriage.

The coachman urged the carriage away quickly.

As Xun You watched the carriage disappear from sight, he recalled Jia Xu's words and the scene of his uncle Xun Yu's tragic death flashed through his mind.

After a long while, his expression darkened, he shook his head, and said in a hoarse voice, "Perhaps, Master Jia is right."

“Even someone as strong as my uncle, with whom I had such a close relationship, and whom he even called ‘my Zhang Liang,’ could not escape the fate of committing suicide by poison.”

"What in this world is worth risking everything for?"

Xun You shook his head and left the government office.

Meanwhile, on the city wall of Mouzhong, Xiahou Yuan led a group of generals on a patrol and defense inspection.

He had already received intelligence that Zhao Yun, the commander of the Hebei rear army, was leading 15,000 troops and was heading this way.

He had heard before that Zhao Yun and Gongsun Gong each led an army of a thousand men and charged into Cao Cao's presence amidst a vast army.

At this moment, while inspecting the defenses, Xiahou Yuan said to the generals beside him, "Gentlemen."

"The enemy general this time is named Zhao Yun. Are you all aware of his reputation?"

The generals all echoed his sentiments.

"A loyal minister who followed the emperor, he once joined Gongsun Zan's White Horse Cavalry and is now the governor of Yangzhou."

"I heard that when our lord and the general made a duel, Zhao Yun and Gongsun Gong each led a thousand men and broke through General Yu Jin's defenses, getting within fifty paces of our lord. They were truly formidable!"

"No matter how capable he is, he only brought 15,000 men this time, while we in Muzhong have 10,000 garrison troops!"

"What's there to be afraid of? I've never even heard of him before! General, if he really dares to come, I, Lü Qian, am willing to fight and kill this nobody with a single spear thrust!"

(End of this chapter)