Yun Chang POV
“… What are you laughing at?” Shen Pei asked, her expression wavering as she could not understand what Chen Gong was thinking.
“I was just thinking that even if we did bring out Lu Bu’s head and opened the gates, you probably wouldn’t even dare to take a step into the city.” Chen Gong shook her head and looked at Shen Pei with contempt, “Because you completely don’t believe us.”
“Don’t try to agitate me. It won’t work.” Shen Pei said. Even so, it was clear that she was angered and her face was filled with hatred as she raised her hand, “That’s enough. No more nonsense. Come, men, and take these people out.”
“Yes!” The troops yelled as they came closer.
I did not move while Wen Yuan smiled as she looked about. Chen Gong, on the other hand, continued to look at Shen Pei with contempt. If my guess is not wrong, it will come soon.
“Lord Shen Pei, that’s enough.”
“… Un?” Just then, Cao Ren spoke up and stopped Shen Pei.
Shen Pei seemed confused and puzzled as she looked over, “May I ask if there is anything wrong with what I’m doing?”
Cao Ren did not reply and merely waved to the troops to back away but they did not obey the order.
“Tell them to leave.” Li Dian said.
“I implore you to reconsider this, commanding officer.”
“There’s no need to.” Cao Ren said as she raised her eyebrows and gave an evil smile, “This is now how discussions take place after all.”
“No matter what, this is far too rude.” Li Dian said with a troubled expression, either because of Shen Pei’s unilateral actions or because of propriety or both.
“…” Shen Pei did not reply but she still waved her hand and the troops backed away. Looks like Yuan Shao’s troops can only be commanded by Yuan Shao’s generals.
And that is why the troops were able to gather that swiftly when Shen Pei was sure that we were acting. However, unlike Shen Pei, Cao Ren and Li Dian see our defection as a matter of great importance.
The ones who persuaded us before were Cao Ren and Li Dian after all. Of course, I do not think that they have a personal interest in persuading enemy generals or in us for that matter. The reason why they are so keen on doing so is because Cao Cao must have given them specific instructions to do so before this battle began. And so, I decided to bet on this and build on a reason that would be credible to them for refusing Shen Pei.
“Even though I’ve gotten them to pull back, I still can’t accept their defection.” Shen Pei remained adamant and stared at me, “I cannot understand the reason Lord Guan Yu gave before.”
“Is that so?” Li Dian said and looked at Shen Pei before shifting her gaze to me, “I can understand it perfectly well.”
“Lord Li Dian can understand it?”
“Of course,” Li Dian nodded, “I can understand your reasons for refusing Lord Shen Pei. Lu Bu is indeed a brilliant warrior after all.”
As expected, anyone who has ever crossed swords with Lu Bu will be able to understand that.
“But let’s return to the problem. If you are unable to kill Lu Bu then what can you do?” Cao Ren asked, “Is it possible to persuade Lu Bu to defect as well?”
“I do not wish to work with Lu Bu anymore.” Wen Yuan said blandly with an empty gaze.
“We are unable to persuade Lu Bu, much less kill her.” I said as I looked at Wen Yuan and then turned back, “But we can get Lu Bu drunk for you.”
“Oh? Is her alcohol tolerance poor?”
“Yes, she is not very strong at drinking.” I nodded.
“Un…” Li Dian sank into thought and commented, “It’s rare to see a warrior who is weak to alcohol.”
“We drink to forget and relax. The main reason why we drink if because we are tired of slaughter, no?” Wen Yuan said as she placed her hands on the table.
“That is indeed the case.” Li Dian seemed to be convinced. And when I took a closer look, I saw that she seemed a lot more relaxed than before. I wonder if this is some sort of understanding between warriors?
“We understand.” Cao Ren said and looked at Shen Pei, “But of course, this does not mean that we fully trust you so I hope you can do more things for us and show your sincerity. I won’t lie, we really need you at this point.”
Good. We have gotten to where we need to be.
“To put it simply, Wen Yuan and I have 4,000 troops and Chen Gong has 2,000 troops under her as part of the city defence.” I said as I raised 3 fingers, “So we have in total 6,000 troops with us.”
“And the section I happen to be in charge in is the north gate.” Chen Gong added.
“Well then, how many other troops are there?” Cao Ren nodded and asked.
“As for the rest, Lu Bu has 2,000, Zhao Yun has 2,000 and apart from the ones under Chen Gong’s direct command, there are still another 3,000 troops involved in the city defence works.”
“How is it like with the city defence works now?”
“Not too good.” Chen Gong smiled as she shook her head, “Even so, Lu Bu still won’t lend us more troops.”
Wu. Wen Yuan winced a little when she heard this. I sniggered inside as this did indeed seem to be something that was true.
“Un…”
Li Dian and Cao Ren did not say anything in response and must be tallying the number of troops in their heads. If all works out, it will be 22,000 troops against 7,000. And since the city defence fortification works are not yet complete, it will be a one-sided battle.
“Understood.”
“Un.”
They both nodded and seemed to have come to a conclusion.
“And I was intending to bring my troops out to defect, but…” I looked at Shen Pei and saw that she looked very unhappy as I continued, “But after hearing what Lord Shen Pei said, I think that we can do something from within instead.”
“Un? Can you?” Cao Ren’s interest seemed to be piqued from what I said as she looked up immediately at me.
“There is no problem for me and my 2 lieutenants. And… What about you both?” I said as I turned to the other 2.
“… That will work but my troops are stationed outside the city and I need time to get them in.” Wen Yuan nodded as she casually gave a condition for cooperation. Naturally, I understood what she was trying to get at.
“Un…” I pretended to think, “Yes, our troops are all outside the city. Only Lu Bu’s and Zhao Yun’s are inside the city.” I said and turned to Cao Ren, “That might make it difficult to do as I suggested.”
…
Cao Ren remained silent as she hugged her body and began tos way from left to right. It cannot be helped as we are now completely exposed to the elements after all.
“What do you want us to do?” Li Dian asked. Looks like she’s more direct here.
“I hope that you can sortie and launch a direct assault on the city.” I said. Naturally, I did not stammer or try to hide this as it would only be counterproductive at this juncture to do so. Ah, I think I am getting the hang of faking a defection now.
“You want us to sortie huh?” Cao Ren asked.
“Yes,” Chen Gong replied, “If you do so, Lu Bu and Zhao Yun will definitely meet you in battle.”
“And before that happens, I will make Lu Bu drunk.” Wen Yuan said, “That will mean that Zhao Yun will be the only one who can fight.”
Wen Yuan then looked at me and I nodded at her before looking at Cao Ren, “The moment Zhao Yun leaves the city, we will enter the city through the other gates under the pretext of defending the city and then execute our side of the strategy.” I said as I pointed at the table, “Once the city is in chaos, we will open the gates. You can then lead your troops into the city and once you are in, Xinye city would have fallen.”
“Then what if you are ordered to send out your troops against us instead?”
“Un~” I sank into thought for a moment before I replied, “In that case, we can delay our deployment and let Wen Yuan persuade Zhao Yun. Or… We can lead our troops out and attack the city alongside you.”
“As for me, my area of responsibility is fixed to the north gate,” Chen Gong said as she patted her chest, “So I can open the north gate if it comes down to a combined attack.”
Cao Ren and Li Dian nodded. Looks like they are satisfied with what we have proposed.
“Since you’re so enthusiastic about all this.” Shen Pei finally spoke up after being silent for a long while, “Then why don’t you do this yourselves then?”
Shen Pei broke into peals of laughter when she finished. I suppose she believes that we will not accept it no matter what. But her words made me think back to the time when after I had made the necessary preparations in my room, to the words that I had exchanged with Xu Shu before leaving the mansion.
— Lord Xu Shu, what should I do? You can just give me some broad suggestions or directions.
— I have none, just go ahead and make any promises you need to. I will deal with anything that comes as a result of your promises.
… Even though I made sure to check with her one last time, I still did not get a satisfactory answer. She may have said that I could make any promises I need to but I cannot possibly stop thinking and leave it all to her. Which is why I did not promise to kill Lu Bu.
But now was different, I thought as I looked at Cao Ren and Li Dian but quickly turned back to look at Shen Pei.
“Alright, since Lord Shen Pei still won’t believe us, then let me try to express my sincerity once more.” I said as I saluted, with Wen Yuan and Chen Gong following suit as well, “My lords, if you still won’t believe us, we are willing to sacrifice all 6,000 of our troops to pave the way for your victory.”
Because of those 2, I would be willing to accept this request.
Yun Chang POV
“… What are you laughing at?” Shen Pei asked, her expression wavering as she could not understand what Chen Gong was thinking.
“I was just thinking that even if we did bring out Lu Bu’s head and opened the gates, you probably wouldn’t even dare to take a step into the city.” Chen Gong shook her head and looked at Shen Pei with contempt, “Because you completely don’t believe us.”
“Don’t try to agitate me. It won’t work.” Shen Pei said. Even so, it was clear that she was angered and her face was filled with hatred as she raised her hand, “That’s enough. No more nonsense. Come, men, and take these people out.”
“Yes!” The troops yelled as they came closer.
I did not move while Wen Yuan smiled as she looked about. Chen Gong, on the other hand, continued to look at Shen Pei with contempt. If my guess is not wrong, it will come soon.
“Lord Shen Pei, that’s enough.”
“… Un?” Just then, Cao Ren spoke up and stopped Shen Pei.
Shen Pei seemed confused and puzzled as she looked over, “May I ask if there is anything wrong with what I’m doing?”
Cao Ren did not reply and merely waved to the troops to back away but they did not obey the order.
“Tell them to leave.” Li Dian said.
“I implore you to reconsider this, commanding officer.”
“There’s no need to.” Cao Ren said as she raised her eyebrows and gave an evil smile, “This is now how discussions take place after all.”
“No matter what, this is far too rude.” Li Dian said with a troubled expression, either because of Shen Pei’s unilateral actions or because of propriety or both.
“…” Shen Pei did not reply but she still waved her hand and the troops backed away. Looks like Yuan Shao’s troops can only be commanded by Yuan Shao’s generals.
And that is why the troops were able to gather that swiftly when Shen Pei was sure that we were acting. However, unlike Shen Pei, Cao Ren and Li Dian see our defection as a matter of great importance.
The ones who persuaded us before were Cao Ren and Li Dian after all. Of course, I do not think that they have a personal interest in persuading enemy generals or in us for that matter. The reason why they are so keen on doing so is because Cao Cao must have given them specific instructions to do so before this battle began. And so, I decided to bet on this and build on a reason that would be credible to them for refusing Shen Pei.
“Even though I’ve gotten them to pull back, I still can’t accept their defection.” Shen Pei remained adamant and stared at me, “I cannot understand the reason Lord Guan Yu gave before.”
“Is that so?” Li Dian said and looked at Shen Pei before shifting her gaze to me, “I can understand it perfectly well.”
“Lord Li Dian can understand it?”
“Of course,” Li Dian nodded, “I can understand your reasons for refusing Lord Shen Pei. Lu Bu is indeed a brilliant warrior after all.”
As expected, anyone who has ever crossed swords with Lu Bu will be able to understand that.
“But let’s return to the problem. If you are unable to kill Lu Bu then what can you do?” Cao Ren asked, “Is it possible to persuade Lu Bu to defect as well?”
“I do not wish to work with Lu Bu anymore.” Wen Yuan said blandly with an empty gaze.
“We are unable to persuade Lu Bu, much less kill her.” I said as I looked at Wen Yuan and then turned back, “But we can get Lu Bu drunk for you.”
“Oh? Is her alcohol tolerance poor?”
“Yes, she is not very strong at drinking.” I nodded.
“Un…” Li Dian sank into thought and commented, “It’s rare to see a warrior who is weak to alcohol.”
“We drink to forget and relax. The main reason why we drink if because we are tired of slaughter, no?” Wen Yuan said as she placed her hands on the table.
“That is indeed the case.” Li Dian seemed to be convinced. And when I took a closer look, I saw that she seemed a lot more relaxed than before. I wonder if this is some sort of understanding between warriors?
“We understand.” Cao Ren said and looked at Shen Pei, “But of course, this does not mean that we fully trust you so I hope you can do more things for us and show your sincerity. I won’t lie, we really need you at this point.”
Good. We have gotten to where we need to be.
“To put it simply, Wen Yuan and I have 4,000 troops and Chen Gong has 2,000 troops under her as part of the city defence.” I said as I raised 3 fingers, “So we have in total 6,000 troops with us.”
“And the section I happen to be in charge in is the north gate.” Chen Gong added.
“Well then, how many other troops are there?” Cao Ren nodded and asked.
“As for the rest, Lu Bu has 2,000, Zhao Yun has 2,000 and apart from the ones under Chen Gong’s direct command, there are still another 3,000 troops involved in the city defence works.”
“How is it like with the city defence works now?”
“Not too good.” Chen Gong smiled as she shook her head, “Even so, Lu Bu still won’t lend us more troops.”
Wu. Wen Yuan winced a little when she heard this. I sniggered inside as this did indeed seem to be something that was true.
“Un…”
Li Dian and Cao Ren did not say anything in response and must be tallying the number of troops in their heads. If all works out, it will be 22,000 troops against 7,000. And since the city defence fortification works are not yet complete, it will be a one-sided battle.
“Understood.”
“Un.”
They both nodded and seemed to have come to a conclusion.
“And I was intending to bring my troops out to defect, but…” I looked at Shen Pei and saw that she looked very unhappy as I continued, “But after hearing what Lord Shen Pei said, I think that we can do something from within instead.”
“Un? Can you?” Cao Ren’s interest seemed to be piqued from what I said as she looked up immediately at me.
“There is no problem for me and my 2 lieutenants. And… What about you both?” I said as I turned to the other 2.
“… That will work but my troops are stationed outside the city and I need time to get them in.” Wen Yuan nodded as she casually gave a condition for cooperation. Naturally, I understood what she was trying to get at.
“Un…” I pretended to think, “Yes, our troops are all outside the city. Only Lu Bu’s and Zhao Yun’s are inside the city.” I said and turned to Cao Ren, “That might make it difficult to do as I suggested.”
…
Cao Ren remained silent as she hugged her body and began tos way from left to right. It cannot be helped as we are now completely exposed to the elements after all.
“What do you want us to do?” Li Dian asked. Looks like she’s more direct here.
“I hope that you can sortie and launch a direct assault on the city.” I said. Naturally, I did not stammer or try to hide this as it would only be counterproductive at this juncture to do so. Ah, I think I am getting the hang of faking a defection now.
“You want us to sortie huh?” Cao Ren asked.
“Yes,” Chen Gong replied, “If you do so, Lu Bu and Zhao Yun will definitely meet you in battle.”
“And before that happens, I will make Lu Bu drunk.” Wen Yuan said, “That will mean that Zhao Yun will be the only one who can fight.”
Wen Yuan then looked at me and I nodded at her before looking at Cao Ren, “The moment Zhao Yun leaves the city, we will enter the city through the other gates under the pretext of defending the city and then execute our side of the strategy.” I said as I pointed at the table, “Once the city is in chaos, we will open the gates. You can then lead your troops into the city and once you are in, Xinye city would have fallen.”
“Then what if you are ordered to send out your troops against us instead?”
“Un~” I sank into thought for a moment before I replied, “In that case, we can delay our deployment and let Wen Yuan persuade Zhao Yun. Or… We can lead our troops out and attack the city alongside you.”
“As for me, my area of responsibility is fixed to the north gate,” Chen Gong said as she patted her chest, “So I can open the north gate if it comes down to a combined attack.”
Cao Ren and Li Dian nodded. Looks like they are satisfied with what we have proposed.
“Since you’re so enthusiastic about all this.” Shen Pei finally spoke up after being silent for a long while, “Then why don’t you do this yourselves then?”
Shen Pei broke into peals of laughter when she finished. I suppose she believes that we will not accept it no matter what. But her words made me think back to the time when after I had made the necessary preparations in my room, to the words that I had exchanged with Xu Shu before leaving the mansion.
— Lord Xu Shu, what should I do? You can just give me some broad suggestions or directions.
— I have none, just go ahead and make any promises you need to. I will deal with anything that comes as a result of your promises.
… Even though I made sure to check with her one last time, I still did not get a satisfactory answer. She may have said that I could make any promises I need to but I cannot possibly stop thinking and leave it all to her. Which is why I did not promise to kill Lu Bu.
But now was different, I thought as I looked at Cao Ren and Li Dian but quickly turned back to look at Shen Pei.
“Alright, since Lord Shen Pei still won’t believe us, then let me try to express my sincerity once more.” I said as I saluted, with Wen Yuan and Chen Gong following suit as well, “My lords, if you still won’t believe us, we are willing to sacrifice all 6,000 of our troops to pave the way for your victory.”
Because of those 2, I would be willing to accept this request.
