Lü Bu Subjugation Battle (6)
At that moment, in Xiabi Castle.
"Urgh, ugh, uuaaah!!"
Lü Bu grabbed a sword himself and swung it wildly, slashing through people indiscriminately. Those bound hand and foot before him were slaughtered without a chance to resist, and the generals at his side all winced, narrowing their eyes.
"Uuaaah!!"
Even after killing everyone, Lü Bu's rage showed no sign of subsiding. And rightly so—the people before him weren't the ones he truly wanted dead.
"Chen Deng, Chen Gui! Uuaaah!"
They were merely the families of Chen Gui and his son Chen Deng, who had betrayed him. Even Chen Deng's brothers in Xiabi Castle had already fled the city. In the end, the only ones left for Lü Bu to vent his fury on were those who served under the Chen father and son or hadn't managed to escape.
All the generals' eyes turned to one woman. Chen Gong let out a sigh and stepped forward to block Lü Bu's path.
"Calm yourself, General Lü. Outbursts like this will harm your health."
"My health? Hah, ha. Right. I can't afford to get hurt. No way."
Lü Bu barely managed to compose himself and slumped onto the desk. He still hadn't fully calmed down, looking ready to kill anyone at the slightest provocation.
"Can't lie down yet when there's a mountain of people left to kill. Cao Cao, Liu Bei, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and that bald bastard. I'll slaughter them all."
"The one called Zhang Liao. The man who supposedly killed a tiger with his bare hands."
"A tiger? I'm a falcon! Damn it, that falcon talk came from that Cao Cao bastard too. Damn him!"
Lü Bu spat curses and fumed.
"Zhang Liao! How much grain do we have stockpiled?!"
"If managed well, we can hold out until next spring—no, summer."
"Then we'll devise a plan to drive them off by summer. Cao Cao and Liu Bei are at each other's throats anyway. Just sit tight and let them devour each other. Heh heh."
"General, no. In times like these, we must take the fight to them."
"What?"
Lü Bu scowled at Chen Gong's words.
"Why bother?"
"Defending a cornered position like this is a straight path to starving to death."
"Why? This castle has flowing river water in abundance, and plenty of provisions. Hold out half a year, and they'll collapse from exhaustion. In the meantime, we persuade others to strike their rear. Isn't that obvious?"
Lü Bu's argument was sound. Whether because his life hung by a thread or not, his mind was suddenly turning with exceptional sharpness.
"How many enemies does Cao Cao have around him? Send envoys to ally with them, and he won't linger in Xuzhou. He'll be haunted by memories of losing Puyang last time he invaded. Ha ha."
"How can you chain your own feet like this, General?!"
Finally, Chen Gong erupted in anger.
"You're a god of field battles! You shine brightest charging out and fighting freely. Why choose to hole up here and starve?"
"Hah, fine. Then tell me—what should I do?"
"Lead your forces out, General. I'll defend the castle. When Cao Cao's army shows an opening, we fling open the gates and strike from both sides."
Conviction burned in Chen Gong's eyes.
"We'll form the ox-horn formation on elevated terrain. Then we win."
"The enemy will press us with the ox-horn formation."
Zhuge Liang moved the pieces on the map before Xun You. Lü Bu's forces had slipped out of the castle in secret, eyeing Cao Cao's camp where we waited.
"What do you think?"
"...Highest likelihood. Assuming the enemy is rational. Impressive. I don't know how much that girl has grown, but she's clearly superior to Sima Yi at that age."
Xun You quickly grasped Zhuge Liang's insight. As Sima Yi's direct teacher, she could feel firsthand that Zhuge Liang outshone her pupil in the same age group.
"If Lü Bu's army charges out, how should we respond?"
"Consider who's leading the sortie. Against an ordinary tiger general, smash their field forces first. Against a dragon general, steady the front line, ignore the walls, and build earthworks to turn it into a siege on our terms."
Even to a simple question, Zhuge Liang gave answers tailored to the opponent's nature.
"Crushing a tiger general with force makes sense. But why siege against a dragon?"
"Their sortie means coordinating with castle forces for a pincer. They plan to hit our rear if we attack the walls. So if we let them out, don't assault the walls."
"Wait until they move first. Good. What benefits us then?"
"Lü Bu getting impatient and thinking, 'This looks winnable,' then charging out."
Zhuge Liang had Lü Bu's temperament pegged and was manipulating him accordingly.
"He'll burst from the walls at the first sign of momentum. Lure the beast from its cave, or casualties mount."
"Got it. Then when Lü Bu charges, use a detachment to seize the castle?"
"Not easy, but one shot could end it. If he sorties and senses the castle falling, he'll wheel Red Hare back in a panic. And never come out again."
Zhuge Liang's words rang hollow, as if predicting the unknowable—yet oddly fitting for Lü Bu. From observing him at Xiaopei, she'd already dissected his every trait. She could probably infiltrate Cao Cao's staff, shake their formations, and have Lü Bu kneeling in surrender within a month.
"...Any strategy's true key is minimizing our deaths."
"But Liang, some of your plans involve massacring the enemy?"
"Better than sacrificing our own."
She'd always had this duality—caring for lives yet ruthlessly pragmatic.
"Teacher, your thoughts?"
"Agree on ox-horn. But will Lü Bu lead the sortie himself?"
"You mean someone else?"
"Yes. Lü Bu won't come out."
Zhuge Liang called the mobile force leader a "dragon general." I didn't see Lü Bu that way. If anything, "fierce general"—reckless charge incarnate.
"The mobile unit camps outside nightly. Lü Bu won't personally. He'll send a trusted subordinate or none at all."
"Really?"
"Possible. Have we ever seen Lü Bu's side execute any strategy we've predicted? Lady Xun, your view?"
"...Agreed. They might just hunker down."
Tick.
Something dropped on the tent roof. Rain, perhaps—the rainy season approaching.
"Wish this war would end soon, Teacher. So we can go home."
"Yeah."
Zhuge Liang wanted to witness Lü Bu's end. So did I.
'Gotta watch closely here. Fuel for Jingzhou stories.'
Lü Bu's downfall! The academy boys would cheer.
"Want to head back before winter. Lady Xun, do your best. Ha ha."
"Then... any easy way to take the castle?"
"......."
Xun You's gaze shifted to Zhuge Liang, who stared at the ceiling in silence. Something had clicked, but she seemed reluctant to share.
"Lady Xun, that's enough for today. This suffices."
Xun You's eyes gleamed—like a predator until Zhuge Liang spoke.
"Just curious. Purely on 'efficiency,' is there a low-effort way to seize it?"
"Lady Xun, you're saying that because you already suspect."
I pulled Zhuge Liang behind me, blocking Xun You.
"You have ideas and want confirmation from Liang. Am I wrong?"
"...No. A vicious, brutal method."
"......Guess right, and I'll tell you."
Zhuge Liang quizzed Xun You.
"Think Lü Bu will sortie personally?"
"...He will."
Xun You nodded calmly.
"Only he can lead a mobile field battle perfectly."
"...So you're asking me to entrust you with the castle?"
Lü Bu sneered at Chen Gong.
"What makes me trust you?"
"General!!"
"Shut it. I gave a castle to a schemer once and got betrayed. Why wouldn't you?"
Lü Bu chuckled like a drunkard.
"Right. You're originally Cao Cao's, aren't you? Same woman, so you figure—betray Lü Bu, seal the gates before he returns, and she'll spare your life? No chance in hell!"
"Haa…."
Chen Gong sighed genuinely.
"How can you be so obtuse? So distrustful? Didn't I say we're in the same boat? You think Cao Cao spares me? Even if you kill me and send my head, she'll still hunt you to the Central Plains' end."
"...Hmph. Fine."
Did her sincerity reach him? Lü Bu calmed slightly.
"But I'm not going outside."
"General!"
"Liu Bei snatched a castle from me once I stepped out! I need to stay inside for contingencies!"
Lü Bu stubbornly refused to sortie.
"General, surely…."
Chen Gong ventured.
"Because of your wife?"
"......."
"Diaochan? How can you jeopardize the greater cause for a woman?!"
"Ahh, shut up! If I say so, that's it!"
Lü Bu shot up roughly.
"For your ox-whatever formation, just pull in other allies! They're calling us traitors anyway—might as well become real ones!"
He clapped, nodding.
"Just hold the siege! I'll send envoys to Yuan Shu! Time's passed since the marriage talks—perfect for formal wedding. We haven't broken them off yet, right?!"
"...Ally with Yuan Shu now?"
"Why not."
Lü Bu grinned broadly.
"He's our ally, no? Help each other in hard times. Heh heh."
"......."
Lü Bu requests aid from Yuan Shu.
And.
"That dog bastard. Tell Lü Bu the marriage talks continue! No—send your daughter here yourself!"
Surprisingly, Yuan Shu accepted the request.