"Lord Yuan need not trouble himself!" Lu Bu sighed mournfully. "This is truly my own affair. If you are inclined, Lord Yuan, I beg you to strike down Ye Feng, and thus vent my resentment!"
"Does Feng Xian truly disregard the ties of a lord?" Yuan Shao asked, widening his eyes.
"Better I betray the world, than the world betray me!" Lu Bu spat out the words through gritted teeth.
Cao Cao's heart soared upon hearing this, and he nodded repeatedly without regard for his surroundings. If he hadn't known Ye Feng's plan, he would have truly believed Lu Bu had betrayed Ye Feng!
"Lord Yuan!" Cao Cao stepped forward respectfully. "I am willing to vouch for Lu Bu. He is no longer Ye Feng's man and can gallop across the battlefield!"
The sole doubt was dispelled by Cao Cao's guarantee. After all, in Yuan Shao's eyes, Cao Cao was not only someone he had nurtured, but also owed a debt of gratitude for his tutelage. Cao Cao's very forces had been assembled with his help. Such a man could never betray him!
"Very well, since Meng De is acquainted with Feng Xian, I shall entrust Feng Xian to you!" Yuan Shao made his decision with a wave of his hand. Then, he changed the subject, smiling as he fixed his gaze on Lu Bu. "I wonder how the King of Chu deploys his troops. Is Feng Xian perhaps able to...?"
As they were old rivals, their methods of warfare were naturally known to each other. Lu Bu suddenly rose and clasped his hands. "Since Lord Yuan wishes to hear, it is Lu Bu's duty!"
Lu Bu spoke the art of war with the fluency of a bamboo tube pouring out beans, mixing truth with falsehood. Thus, Yuan Shao believed Lu Bu to be sincere and felt a surge of excitement.
"I had heard the general was most straightforward in his dealings with people, and I never imagined it had reached this extent. Truly, Ye Feng deserves to die!" Yuan Shao ground his teeth, feigning empathy. "I will certainly help you eliminate Ye Feng and properly vent your anger!"
"Lu Bu thanks Lord Yuan!" Lu Bu bowed. "I implore Lord Yuan to rest assured, Lu Bu will assist everyone without fail!"
"Hearing Lu Bu's words, I feel more at ease to speak my mind!" Yuan Shao pretended to be overcome with emotion, quickly coming down and gripping Lu Bu's hand tightly. "Although I have heard Feng Xian speak of the third legion's tactics, we have not personally witnessed them. I wonder if a demonstration could be arranged, so they may become familiar with them beforehand!"
"Lu Bu is honored to be tasked!" Lu Bu performed a military salute. "I beg Lord Yuan to grant Lu Bu a contingent of troops, so that I may deploy them!"
Yuan Shao pondered for a long time. He thought to himself that the troops assigned to Lu Bu should be of a moderate strength, certainly not elite. As for his own soldiers, that was even less possible. Who else remained that he could manipulate?
"Does Lord Yuan not trust Lu Bu?" Lu Bu asked, feigning ignorance. "This is understandable, after all, Lu Bu is newly acquainted with Lord Yuan!"
Then Lu Bu mused aloud, as if to himself, "Ye Feng's tactics have their patterns. With a few more probes, his methods will become perfectly clear. Lord Yuan is a man of great power and resources, surely you can afford to wait!"
Yuan Shao's scalp tingled at this. He glanced at Cao Cao, whose eyes darted away. After a moment, he found no one suitable to assign and sighed heavily. Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck him.
"Since the Governor is the vanguard, he is the most suitable candidate to break through the third legion. This task shall fall to the Governor!" Yuan Shao commanded, his tone neither light nor heavy.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. As long as it wasn't their own men, they didn't care who it was. Moreover, Zhang Miao was not considered a particularly valuable asset in their eyes.
"I believe only the Governor is capable of undertaking this great responsibility!"
"Governor, your righteousness is admirable! We will surely remember your kindness!"
The more men who were lost, the less benefit Zhang Miao would receive after breaking through Liangzhou. Their calculating thoughts were virtually laid bare before Zhang Miao.
But what choice did he have but to agree? Zhang Miao was momentarily stunned. "May I ask how many troops the general requires? Perhaps I can contribute some."
"You will certainly be able to!" Lu Bu smiled mysteriously. "If Lord Yuan were to provide ten thousand men, I would only need one thousand. If it were one thousand, only a hundred. My soldiers can fight as ten!"
"Very well, then give him a thousand men!" Yuan Shao decided at once. "Let us gather ten thousand men to make a comparison!"
"Please, everyone, witness this!" Lu Bu strode out of the camp with high spirits. Cao Cao, at Yuan Shao's nod, followed him.
"Feng Xian, you truly shouldn't have agreed!" Cao Cao sighed heavily over those few words. "If you truly master this, it might cause trouble for our King!"
"General, rest assured!" Lu Bu rolled his eyes at Cao Cao. "If they wish to understand the King's methods, this is also a good opportunity for the King to understand them. Moreover, they will discover whether my judgment is true or false!"
"Does Feng Xian mean what he just said?" Cao Cao probed subconsciously. "If it's false, how can you defeat Yuan Shao?"
Lu Bu coughed lightly. "General, I don't know if I should ask so many questions. It's of no benefit to myself. If the King wishes you to know, he will tell you."
"That is true, that is true!" Cao Cao looked at the smug Lu Bu with a fawning smile, and hurriedly reminded him, "General, you are full of spirit and everything is in your hands. However, Zhang Miao is undeniably the King's man!"
Lu Bu frowned slightly. "What do you mean? I recall Zhang Miao having past grievances with me."
"Feng Xian, you may not know, but due to Yuan Shao's harsh treatment of the soldiers, many in the army are dissatisfied, especially Zhang Miao's contingent. If we take advantage of this opportunity to fight force with force, we will surely achieve a great victory!" Cao Cao clearly explained Zhang Miao's intentions.
Lu Bu placed a hand on Cao Cao's shoulder, his tone gaining a touch of sincerity. "If victory is achieved, the King will undoubtedly fulfill his promise to you. Perhaps Jing Xiang will be yours."
Cao Cao burst into laughter. "Thank you, General, for your kind intentions. However, a treasure land belongs to the virtuous. I am afraid I am not worthy."
In the blink of an eye, they arrived at the barracks. A centurion stood respectfully before Lu Bu. Lu Bu whispered a few words to him, and the centurion nodded repeatedly. "General, General, these brothers of mine admire you. Why don't you walk among them yourself?"
"Good!" Lu Bu readily agreed and walked through the ranks. Standing on a high platform, he announced loudly, "Brothers, follow me, Lu Bu, and you shall have whatever you desire."
The soldiers erupted in a roar of laughter.
"Wherever I, Lu Bu, go, you follow! When you see the enemy, kill them all for me! If anything happens, I will take responsibility!" Lu Bu declared solemnly, patting his chest.
"Yes!" The soldiers readily agreed. Facing ten thousand men, they chatted and laughed. The centurion on the high platform watched it all tremblingly. After a long while, he raised a flag.
Yuan Shao's side had already formed a鸳鸯 formation and a long snake formation to attempt a flanking maneuver. Lu Bu, disregarding everything, shouted, "Brothers, follow me and charge out!"
In an instant, those with red headbands on Lu Bu's side, like a flock of sheep, followed him.