NOVPUBAlthough Lul Jun didn’t understand what his father was thinking, by observing his father’s demeanor, he knew he should snuff out all feelings toward Cai Yan; it appeared his son, Lul Xun was not fated to enjoy the company of such a beauty.
"The Mi Family, then. You’ll discuss the matter with Mi Zizhong when the time comes," sighed Lul Kang. In his eyes, the Mi Family was the most suitable match in every aspect, neither sycophantic nor demeaning to their status, and more importantly, Mi Zhu was very low-profile among the literate and civil officials under Liu Xuande’s command.
"That sounds good," nodded Lul Jun, "The Mi Family, Mi Zizhong is indeed a gentleman."
After that, father and son of the Lul Family did not discuss the matter any further. They sent a Death Soldier to gather intelligence. For the rest of the time, they lounged like wealthy landlords, leaning against a large rock outside the door, lazily sunbathing with a straw hat covering their faces. Occasional passersby from the nearby farms would quietly and carefully give them a wide berth, none suspecting that this lazily basking old man was Lul Kang.
"It’s about time. If there’s still no news today, we’ll withdraw. Jiangxia County is too close to Lujiang, and it’s downstream. If we stay any longer, there’s a risk we might end up engaging Sunx Bofu’s Jiangxia Navy in open conflict," Chen Xi sighed as he spoke to Gan Ning.
"It can only be so. The next time I see Lul Jir Cai, I’ll surely give him a good beating. I’ve put so much effort into finding him, and yet he has not shown up," said Gan Ning helplessly. He wasn’t a fool; the longer they stayed in Lujiang, the higher the possibility of an ambush and the greater the danger.
As Chen Xi and Gan Ning were considering whether to leave in separate groups or to withdraw without any attempt at concealment that night, Gan Luoo appeared outside the tent.
"Oh? Gan Luoo, you couldn’t have found something, could you? That’s good timing," inquired Gan Ning immediately. Gan Luoo had been scolded by him several times and didn’t show his face much anymore, but he dared to show up now, which naturally meant he had good news.
"We have news of the Lul Family. Wen Xiang, bring in the man you’ve caught," said Gan Luoo, his face brightening. Without directly answering Gan Ning’s question, he shouted to someone outside the tent.
Soon, a robust man escorted someone who looked like a farmer into the tent, "Xu Wenxiang pays his respects to General Gan and Strategist Chen."
"General Gan, I am the personal guard of the old master, we have met before," said the man dressed as a farmer with great joy upon seeing Gan Ning.
Gan Ning raised an eyebrow, thought for a moment, "Lul Liang? That seems to be the name. How are Lul brother and the old patriarch? Take me to them, damn it, I’ve been searching for a long time. I was about to leave today, and now you show up."
The guard felt a bit embarrassed; his name wasn’t Lul Liang, but this wasn’t the time to clarify that. As long as Gan Ning recognized him, it was a good thing. He never expected that his disguise, which was so convincing, would be seen through and then be captured by Xu Sheng and sent here; at first, he thought he was caught by Sunx Ce’s Army, to his surprise, it turned out to be Gan Ning’s men.
"Let him go, let him go," Gan Ning signaled Xu Sheng to release the man, "You’re called Xu Wenxiang, huh? You captured Zhao Yan last time and helped our army take down Pengcheng without receiving any rewards. You’ve also saved the Lul Family this time. When we return to Mount Tai, you’ll be assigned to a warship as the captain of the new ship."
Gan Ning felt somewhat embarrassed, for each ship in the Navy already had a master, and in his opinion, they were all quite suitable. There wasn’t a single captain he disapproved of, so promoting Xu Sheng, who was now equivalent to a Garrison Commander, seemed best done by granting him a warship. He could then squeeze his troop into the fleet led by that new ship. As for other rewards, they all seemed rather insignificant.
Upon hearing this, Xu Sheng’s face lit up with surprise and delight. Even commanding a small warship, once he hoisted a bunch of small sails and pulled his five hundred men aboard, the sight alone would be truly formidable.
"General Gan, my liege has come to no harm. Apart from the elder who was injured by Huang Gai’s imposing spirit, none of the others have suffered the slightest wound. In recent days, we have all been in a small village west of Lujiang City," said the bodyguard, who Gan Ning referred to as Lul Liang but was in fact named Lul Ming, bowing with a clasped fist.
"Oh, that’s really good news. Let’s go and pick up the Lul Family," laughed Gan Ning.
"Xingba, tidy up the military camp, we’re preparing to withdraw. Have Wen Xiang and Gan Luoo fetch the Lul Family. We’ll break camp for the entire army. If we go as well, it will cause trouble for the village landlords," Chen Xi said, waving his hand. He had already figured out why they had failed to find the Lul Family during the previous search in the western village.
"Oh, Gan Luoo, you go with Wen Xiang and bring the Lul Family back. Just don’t disturb the villagers, that’s all," Gan Ning motioned with his hand, realizing what Chen Xi meant. Zhou Yu and Sunx Ce might not care about the common people of that village, but the lower-ranking officials might blame them for any trouble.
Zhou Yu and Sunx Ce stood atop the city walls, looking at Liu Bei’s Army in the distance as it prepared to break camp. Sunx Ce couldn’t help but frown, "Gongjin, what do you think they’re doing, moving camp again? They’re not engaging us face-to-face, and breaking camp like that seems pointless."
"It’s not a relocation, but a withdrawal. Chen Zichuan has timed this very well. If it were a little later, our Jiangxia Navy would be in position. As it is, when their Navy leaves Chaohu Lake and enters the Yangtze River, only the vanguard of our first division will have arrived. Chen Zichuan is also wary of us," Zhou Yu shook his head.
[Chen Zichuan is very cautious. But setting that aside, I absolutely cannot expose Bofu’s true capabilities. Bofu’s strength must be kept within the range that Yuan Gong recognizes as acceptable.] Zhou Yu thought silently. [However, with such caution, it will be difficult to deal with him, but correspondingly, the risks will also be much lower.]
Zhou Yu’s reasoning wasn’t wrong under normal circumstances, but it was highly inappropriate when applied to Chen Xi, as Chen Xi knew his intelligence didn’t match those of these top individuals. Therefore, he would have to cautiously deal with them, relying on experience rather than wisdom, even bluntly steamrolling over opponents if necessary.
For a sage, the most tragic aspect is that despite being superior in every way and considering oneself perfect in every regard, one is still unable to truly overcome the adversary. Even if one wins, it is only a minor victory, and the ingenious strategies and military techniques conceived despairingly only serve to prolong one’s survival. The overall strategic picture remains unalterable.
So far, Zhou Yu hadn’t experienced this kind of frustration. The prodigies of Eastern Wu and Jing-Xiang, such as Pang Tong, had merely amazed him, but not a single sage he had faced had made him feel a real pressure.
The young and frivolous Zhou Yu, gracious and refined in appearance, harbored a proud heart. He craved challenges, pressure, and validation. The low-difficulty encounters with Eastern Wu, Jing-Xiang, and Yuan Shu failed to excite him. Even battles that others found astonishingly brilliant couldn’t stimulate Zhou Yu’s prideful heart. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to recommend and vote for it on Qidian [qidian.com]. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read on m.qidian.com.)
