Three Kingdoms: Fusion of Entries, Change of Destiny

Chapter 120 Xu Fu? Why don't you change your name to Xu Shu?
Faced with Lü Bu's relentless attack, Cao Yan shouted a reminder: "Hold on! Lü Bu will be exhausted in three minutes!"

Although Zhao Yun and Dian Wei couldn't understand exactly how long "three minutes" meant, they understood that as long as they could withstand the pressure during this period, Lü Bu would be exhausted.

Upon hearing this, Lü Bu looked at Cao Yan in surprise, wondering how he had discovered his weakness.

Lu Bu sneered, and with a swing of his halberd, he unleashed another burst of immense power, instantly breaking through the three men's defenses!

Dian Wei was unable to dodge in time and was struck heavily in the chest by the halberd shaft. He flew backwards several feet like a kite with a broken string, spitting out blood that stained the ground beneath him.

"Careful, Zhonglang!" Zhao Yun roared, thrusting his spear in front of Cao Yan.

Lu Bu's halberd flashed like lightning, striking the Dragon Gallant Spear and causing Zhao Yun's arms to go numb, almost causing the Dragon Gallant Spear to slip from his grasp.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Cao Yan attacked from the flank, thrusting his spear towards Lü Bu's back.

Without turning his head, Lü Bu flicked his halberd backhand, deflecting Cao Yan's spear. Red Hare suddenly turned around and bit down hard on Cao Yan's horse's neck.

"Holy crap, there's that trick too?" Cao Yan's warhorse neighed and collapsed to the ground with a thud.

Left with no other choice, Cao Yan rolled on the ground and jumped out of the battle to avoid Lü Bu's attack.

Fortunately, Zhang Chao's warhorse was still beside his corpse and had not left.

Cao Yan ran over, mounted Zhang Chao's warhorse, kicked the horse's belly hard, and rejoined the battle with his spear!

Three minutes is but a fleeting moment to outsiders.

But for Cao Yan, Zhao Yun, and Dian Wei, it felt as if three years had passed.

With Cao Yan and the other two already wounded and in critical condition, Lü Bu's "Peerless" state finally came to an end!

At this moment, Lü Bu, without saying a word, turned his horse and rode away.

"Lu Bu, don't run!" Zhao Yun shouted, and his Dragon Gallant Spear transformed into a silver streak, heading straight for Lu Bu's back.

Lu Bu didn't even turn his head or dodge. With a single acceleration, Red Hare instantly widened the distance between the spear and Lu Bu.

Zhao Yun's spear missed its mark.

Dian Wei wanted to give chase, but Cao Yan stopped him, saying, "Don't chase!"

If we continue to pursue, the enemy generals will likely come out to surround and attack us.

While the other side is distracted, it's best to return to the city first.

When Lü Bu returned to the battlefield, he looked somewhat disheveled.

However, Lü Bu is no longer the sore loser he was in his younger days.

He returned to Chen Gong's side and even murmured with emotion, "I haven't been back to the Central Plains for several years, and I didn't expect that several martial arts geniuses would emerge from the Central Plains again!"

At this moment, Lu Bu's once arrogant face now bore the marks of time and hardship.

Chen Gong, standing beside Lü Bu, offered words of comfort: "There are countless martial arts prodigies in the world, but Lü Fengxian is one of a kind!"

Lu Bu, abandoning his usual arrogant attitude, sighed, "Leaving aside Cao Yan, just look at that young silver-armored general beside him; his potential is already no less than mine back then. This world has truly changed... If we cannot completely defeat Cao Mengde this time, he may really soar to the top."

This was the first time Chen Gong and the others had ever heard Lü Bu say such a thing.

Chen Gong couldn't let Lü Bu lose heart, so he said, "Although Cao Mengde is a powerful ruler, he is not a wise one, and he is extremely suspicious."

Although Cao Yan was his younger brother, if his achievements were too great, he would inevitably arouse Cao Cao's suspicion.

I observe that many in Cao's army hold Cao Yan in high esteem. If the two Caos were to fight each other, the Cao family would surely be divided.

Once the Cao brothers completely turned against each other, they would have no chance to achieve hegemony.

"My lord need not worry too much. Simply wait for Zhang Miao's army to arrive, and then we can attack the city."

After Zhang Miao captured Jiyin County, he recruited soldiers from aristocratic families and gentry, and now he has an army of 50,000.

Although Zhang Chao died in battle, his 10,000 troops still survived.

After Lü Bu "reluctantly" incorporated them into his army, his forces would reach nearly 30,000 men.

Once the two sides have joined forces, they will have a total of 80,000 troops. It will be a piece of cake for them to attack a city with less than 10,000 defenders.

"Hmm," Lu Bu replied softly, then turned and left alone.

Lü Bu always listened to Chen Gong's advice.

Throughout this journey, if it weren't for Chen Gong's insight, strategy, and connections, it might not have been easy for Lü Bu to survive until now.

However, Lü Bu's inherent arrogance remained undiminished even in his most destitute moments.

Perhaps it was this unique personal charm that made Gao Shun, Zhang Liao, Cao Xing, Cheng Lian, Wei Xu and others around him always loyal to him.

"Retreat! Back to camp!" Zhang Liao ordered.

Besides Lü Bu, the people his soldiers respected most were Gao Shun and Zhang Liao.

Gao Shun's mind was solely focused on his 700 elite troops, so generally, when Lü Bu didn't want to command the army, Zhang Liao would take over.

Even so, Lü Bu never truly considered Zhang Liao as one of his own.

why?
Perhaps it's because Zhang Liao wasn't a direct subordinate, or perhaps it's simply because I didn't like Zhang Liao as a person...

The city of Juancheng only displays 8,000 garrison troops (Qingzhou Army) to the outside world, but there are actually more than 20,000 Qingzhou Army troops hidden inside.

In the battle against Yuan Shu, the Qingzhou soldiers suffered more than half their casualties, yet they did not collapse, demonstrating their remarkable resilience.

Those who returned alive, thanks to their military achievements, all became moderately wealthy.

Those who killed many enemies even rose through the ranks to become junior officers in the army.

Those who died in battle received generous compensation from their families, and also enjoyed special benefits such as a five-year tax exemption and free schooling for their children.

Therefore, when the Qingzhou soldiers started recruiting new soldiers, the camp was almost bursting at the seams.

Moreover, not only those Yellow Turban rebels who had surrendered in Qingzhou, but also many locals were eager to join the Qingzhou army and came to sign up.

Although the Qingzhou Army's "bloodline" is no longer pure, its strength is greater than before.

at the same time,

Cao Ren, who detoured to Guangling County to intercept and kill Zuo Rong, also successfully completed his mission.

The thousands of monks who followed Zuo Rong south were hardly true soldiers.

At most, they are just a group of thugs who gather together to bully and dominate the market and wreak havoc on the local area.

Facing Cao Ren's 3,000 elite troops, they were defeated in a single encounter.

Zuo Rong led dozens of people into the river by himself, barely escaping disaster.

Meanwhile, the ships of Zuo Rong that were unable to set sail in time were filled with boxes of gold ingots, silver ingots, and copper coins!

Cao Ren assigned some men to recruit laborers to help transport the gold and silver, and then led his troops to the capital, Guangling County.

Since Cao Yan specifically requested this person, we must bring him back no matter what.

After all, Cao Yan's judgment of people hasn't been wrong so far.

Zhao Yu was merely a scholar, and the county garrison numbered less than a thousand.

Faced with the overwhelming force of Cao Cao's army, they were captured and entered the city with almost no resistance.

To the surprise of the people of Guangling, Cao Cao's army only kidnapped the prefect Zhao Yu, but did not harm the people in the slightest. Before leaving, Cao Cao's army even opened the official granaries and distributed grain to the people.

After learning that Cao Ren had succeeded, Cao Cao began to arrange his retreat.

If you're going to beat the dog, you should close the door first.

According to the plan set up in advance by Cao Yan and others

Cao Cao needed to rush to Shanyang County as quickly as possible to defeat Guo Gong's army, and then recover Jiyin and Chenliu to cut off Lü Bu's retreat route to the west and south.

Li Qian, Li Zheng, Li Dian, and others from Dongjun were only feigning surrender; in reality, they were waiting for news of Cao Cao's return.

As soon as Cao Cao returns, they will seize the opportunity to retake Dongjun and blockade the Yellow River crossings such as Baimajin and Cangtingjin.

In this way, Lü Bu and Zhang Miao were trapped outside Juancheng, becoming true sitting ducks.

But all of this hinges on one word—speed!

Cao Cao, Li Qian, and others must create a time gap before Lü Bu and Zhang Miao receive the message, and complete the encirclement of Lü Bu and Zhang Miao's army!

Only in Yanzhou, with the relatively mature information transmission network of the Secret Agents, could Cao Yan and his group operate in this way.

……

Faced with the impending attack by Lü Bu and his men, Cao Yan only deployed 8,000 Qingzhou soldiers disguised as ordinary guards.

But to make it seem more realistic, Xun Yu suggested that all the prisoners in the jail be brought out to help guard the city.

This not only increased the garrison by about three hundred men, but also highlighted the "dire situation" of Juancheng's military strength.

However, if you're going to put on a show, you have to make these prisoners really fight desperately.

Accompanied by Xun Yu, Cao Yan came to the city wall to inspect the prisoners.

The prisoners' eyes immediately focused on Cao Yan, and some even began to make sarcastic remarks and threats.

"What a handsome young man!"

"With its delicate skin and tender flesh, it must taste delicious!"

"Hehehe, I killed seventeen or eighteen people, do you dare come over?"

"Come here, young man, let Uncle give you a check-up, hahaha!"

This is a typical group of desperados!

The fact that he's still alive and hasn't been beheaded can only be attributed to Xun Yu's somewhat lenient nature.

Despite facing this group of menacing individuals, Cao Yan remained calm and composed.

After the crowd quieted down, he asked, "Are you all willing to spend the rest of your lives in prison, or be beheaded and displayed to the public?"

The prisoners fell silent for a moment, and one of them muttered to himself:
"Who would want to die if they could live?"

"If you can be free, who would want to stay in a stinking prison cell?"

"Are there still people you care about? Do you wish to see them again?" Cao Yan asked again.

One prisoner looked around blankly: "I have a son who has been lost for many years... I want to see what he looks like again..."

“Damn it… I really wanted to go back and see my stupid wife… Before I killed those bastards, I told her to remarry and get lost. But a few days ago she came to see me and said she was still foolishly guarding that two small plot of land at home, waiting for me to come back… I… I… Waaah~~~” Some prisoners burst into tears as they spoke.

"I have an eighty-year-old mother to care for, and an infant still in swaddling clothes..."

"I've been hanging out with you for over a decade, how come I didn't know you had an elderly mother and children?"

"You son of a bitch, you betrayed me?!"

The prisoners' voices rose and fell.

Some people reminisced about their past interactions with their families, their voices filled with longing and regret.

Some people blushed and defended themselves amidst their companions' teasing, creating a chaotic yet heartwarming scene.

Emerging from that dark and damp cell brought a slight relief to their previously oppressive and lifeless state of mind.

As someone once said, "If you can live, who wants to die?"

Cao Yan's words stirred up the deepest memories in the prisoners' hearts and touched the softest part of their souls.

Although some people have no other attachments besides themselves, most people still have something to hold onto in their hearts.

Seeing that his words had an effect, Cao Yan continued, "If you are willing to defend the city with me, I will guarantee the life of anyone who takes a head!"

Anyone who is beheaded three ranks will have their punishment reduced, and may even be allowed to return home to see their family!

Anyone who has been beheaded five ranks or higher will be transferred to military service, all past offenses will be wiped clean, and they will enjoy the same treatment as ordinary soldiers!

Upon hearing this, the prisoners immediately fell silent.

At this moment, a young man with a thin face, disheveled hair, deep-set eyes, but still a defiant light in his eyes, stood up.

Cao Yan looked at the man and asked curiously, "Do you have something to say?"

The young man looked Cao Yan up and down for a while and asked, "How can we trust a young man like you who hasn't even grown a beard yet? And what makes us think we should believe you?"

Cao Yan raised the corner of his mouth, met the young man's gaze, and said, "Because my elder brother is Cao Mengde, the Governor of Yanzhou! And because I am Cao Yan, Cao Zi'an!"

Upon hearing the name Cao Yan, the young man's eyes widened, and he grinned, saying, "So you're Cao Zi'an! Seeing is believing..."

After saying that, the young man tried to sit back down on the ground.

Seeing that no one spoke, Cao Yan continued, "The Yellow Turbans of Qingzhou are all loyal to me. What concerns do you still have? Or do you think that my words don't carry enough weight?"

The young man had just sat down halfway when he slowly straightened up again.

He stared at Cao Yan's young and handsome face for a long time, then suddenly slapped the bald man next to him on the head with a "smack" and said, "What are you still sitting there for? Don't you want to live? Don't you want to go back to see your wives, children and elderly parents?"

The young man seemed to have some prestige among the prisoners.

Upon hearing the young man's words, they all stood up and quickly stood behind him.

"Cao Zhonglang is renowned for his good deeds and always keeps his word! I am Xu Fu, and I am willing to serve you with my brothers!" the young man said, clasping his hands in a fist salute to Cao Yan.

"Okay!" Cao Yan's smile froze abruptly after it had only been halfway through.

"Who did he say he was? Xu Fu???" Cao Yan's eyes widened, and then he quickly threw a [Insight] at him.

This cannot be blamed on Cao Yan's carelessness. After all, most of the people he usually encounters are ordinary people, and he became somewhat lax in his observation as he threw things around.

Some people may not be familiar with Xu Fu, but everyone knows his other name, Xu Shu!
Xu Shu's original name was Xu Fu. In his early years, he was captured by officials while seeking revenge for someone.

Later, Xu Shu's followers came together and rescued him. Xu Shu was very grateful, so he stopped practicing martial arts and changed his usual integrity to study. He also changed his original name Xu Fu to Xu Shu.

At this moment, Cao Yan had a complete view of Xu Fu's information.
Xu Fu (courtesy name Yuanzhi)
Hobbies: Wandering the world with a sword, reading

Favorability: 29%
Entry: Unwavering in the face of adversity (Gold), Guarding one's own heart (Purple), Righteous and courageous (Blue), Concealing one's abilities and biding one's time (Blue), Filial piety bound by unwavering loyalty (Gray)

Historically, Zhuge Liang once commented on Xu Shu: "Only Xu Yuanzhi is unwavering in this matter!"

Now, Xu Fu happens to have a golden entry for "Chu Zi Bu Huo" (meaning "not confused at this point").

That person is not Xu Shu.
Who else could it be?!
When luck comes, there's no stopping it!!!

(End of this chapter)