NOVPUBZhang Liao, Chen Gong, and others blocked Lyu Bu’s way, and Lyu Bu was about to explode with rage. He kicked Zhang Liao flying with one foot and blew a whistle, upon which Red Hare descended from the sky. Immediately flipping onto the horse, he set his mind on killing Zhang Fei right then and there.
"General, do not fall for their ruse!" Chen Gong released a tremendous amount of spiritual energy, ready to go down with Lyu Bu if necessary.
A chill ran down Lyu Bu’s spine, knowing there was no way to dodge at this range. If Chen Gong really crammed all his spiritual will into his brain, Chen Gong would surely die, and Lyu Bu definitely wouldn’t come out unscathed either.
"You seek to stop me?" Lyu Bu ground his teeth in fury, his eyes flickering with madness. His most valued strategist was actually thwarting him instead of aiding him.
"General, this is certainly Guo Fengxiao’s stratagem, aimed to drive the General into a towering rage. In your fury, rushing to a showdown with Zhang Yide is exactly what they want, and you would surely walk into an ambush!" Without a second thought, Chen Gong pinned the blame on Guo Jia’s head.
For some reason, Chen Gong sensed a hint of killing intent from Lyu Bu, but given the urgency of the situation, he didn’t ponder it further.
"Ridiculous, who in this world could defeat me!" Lyu Bu proclaimed arrogantly, his eyes exuding a disdain that seemed to challenge the whole world.
"Certainly, the General is invincible throughout the world, yet that does not mean the enemy will face the General in a one-on-one duel." Chen Gong spoke tactfully, even resorting to archaic, highbrow court speech from the Spring and Autumn Period to try to cool Lyu Bu’s ire.
"Hmph, even if they resort to petty tricks, I have Red Hare beneath me; absolutely no one can stop me." Lyu Bu had begun to suppress his rage somewhat, considering the faces of Chen Gong, Zhang Liao, and Gao Shun, refraining from charging out immediately.
"The General indeed could traverse the world unhindered, but amongst Liu Xuande’s valiant generals are men fierce as tigers. Not to mention Guan Yunchang and Zhang Yide, even just Zhao Zilong alone could entangle the General for quite some time, and with two more valiant generals assisting, the General might not necessarily emerge victorious," Chen Gong pleaded earnestly. If Lyu Bu were to charge out now, Chen Gong felt that all his prior preparations would be a jest—Fighting Lyu Bu in single combat, who would believe it?
Though Lyu Bu was angry, he still had his basic wits about him. If Guan, Zhang, and Zhao really did attack, not losing too disastrously would already attest to Lyu Bu’s capabilities, let alone winning. The words of Chen Gong served as a wake-up call for Lyu Bu.
"Thud!" In his rage, Lyu Bu hurled the Sky Piercer to the ground, a streak of golden light passing by as the halberd buried itself completely into the soil, the point of entry vitrifying from the intense heat.
Red Hare Horse sneezed discontentedly, sensing that the person on its back had lost his once heaven-shaking presence, and was now somewhat defeatist.
"General, please rest for the night, and we shall challenge them tomorrow," said Chen Gong earnestly. Then a glint of cunning swept across his eyes, [Since this is the case, why not overturn all previous plans and devise a new strategy centered around Fengxian?]
"Good, I trust you! Gongtai, I want to see Zhang Fei’s head tomorrow!" Lyu Bu said, his eyes ablaze.
"Good. Tomorrow I will give you a satisfactory answer," Chen Gong said, staring at Lyu Bu.
Lyu Bu snorted coldly and stamped his foot fiercely against the ground. The Sky Piercer launched itself out of the soil on its own, and, shouldering the halberd, Lyu Bu patted Red Hare with a darkened face. Then Red Hare burst into flames and traced two fiery circles in the sky before quickly vanishing.
As Zhao Yun’s Night Illuminating Jade Lion advanced to Inner Qi Manifestation, Lyu Bu’s Red Hare was nearing the level of Inner Qi Perfection. An ordinary Inner Qi Manifestation might not even overcome this intelligent Red Hare Horse.
Lyu Bu walked towards his Central Army Tent with a dark expression on his face; his wives, concubines, and daughter were all there. Now, failing to vent his anger, he could only use other methods to soothe his fury.
"My lord…" Diao Chan offered a respectful greeting to Lyu Bu, "You must be tired from military affairs, so I have made some chicken soup."
Seeing Diao Chan’s melancholic expression, Lyu Bu’s face softened slightly. He managed a strained smile at Diao Chan and began to eat the chicken soup with big gulps.
Diao Chan stood quietly behind Lyu Bu, wrapping her arms around his waist, her eyes revealing a sense of sorrow.
"Let me dance for you," Diao Chan said softly, leaning against Lyu Bu’s shoulder.
"Dance then, I am watching," Lyu Bu embraced Diao Chan briefly before letting go; at that moment, his eyes had fully returned to normal, and he spoke with a face full of warmth.
Watching Diao Chan dance, Lyu Bu once again felt mesmerized. Why had he betrayed Dong Zhuo in the first place? For justice? No, he had done it for this woman. It was a pity that the Wei Clan had not lost any virtue, and he did not wish to maltreat his legal wife, whom he had been with for so many years. The woman he had fallen in love with at first sight was still just a concubine, without any status.
Diao Chan danced her solo quietly, waving her silk fan. She liked seeing the way Lyu Bu watched her with such admiration. The initial ploy of beauty, loyalty, and filial piety, love, and hate proved inescapable, still entangling her.
Gently raising her wrist and lightly dancing with her fan, Diao Chan’s mind became increasingly calm. The moment she went to Dong Zhuo for the sake of loyalty and filial piety, the look in Lyu Bu’s eyes had broken her heart. After Lyu Bu killed Dong Zhuo and rushed to see her first, she could never forget the joy in Lyu Bu’s eyes.
When Li Jue counterattacked Chang’an, and Lyu Bu, despite his defeat, risked his life to return to Chang’an and rescue her, Diao Chan knew that Lyu Bu was the life partner for her. If the lord does not forsake the minister, the minister is willing to follow him even unto death.
The dance ended, and Lyu Bu had calmed down a lot. Diao Chan’s dancing always had a power to soothe the heart, but unfortunately, only Lyu Bu could see it.
"It seems the general has calmed down," Zhang Liao said to Chen Gong. He too was worried about Lyu Bu charging alone to duel with the enemy, which would certainly be suicidal.
"That’s enough for now. Go and reorganize the Vanguard Camp and take temporary command of Wei Xu and Houcheng’s troops," Chen Gong let out a sigh of relief as he spoke to Zhang Liao. He was very optimistic about Zhang Liao; compared to the special forces leader Gao Shun, Zhang Liao, as a General Commander, was more versatile for Chen Gong’s use.
"That will be fine," Zhang Liao nodded in agreement. "I will take temporary command of Wei Xu and Houcheng’s troops. As for the general, please explain it to Strategist Chen on my behalf."
"Alright, General Zhang. As General Lyu’s trusted Commander, please work hard today to integrate the troops of Houcheng and Wei Xu. We might need them tomorrow," Chen Gong instructed, as he was starting to see a clear plan.
Although Guo Jia excelled in ingenious strategies and understanding people’s hearts, commanding troops was his significant weakness. From this, Chen Gong deduced and soon devised a plan. Instead of a prolonged battle of attrition, it was better to cut off the enemy’s greatest advantage from the start.
"We might need them tomorrow?" Zhang Liao frowned but, after hesitating at Chen Gong’s serious expression, he said, "I will do my best, but I can’t guarantee that I’ll complete the reorganization."
"In that case, please do your utmost to reorganize the remnants of Wei Xu’s and Houcheng’s forces. For every additional soldier, we have a slightly better chance of victory," Chen Gong replied with a bow, placing considerable pressure on Zhang Liao. (To be continued. If you like this story, welcome to qi dian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendation tickets, monthly tickets; your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read on m.qidian.com.)
