The iron hooves thundered, and the whole earth shook.
Lu Bu tightened the reins of the red rabbit horse and saw this scene from a distance, so he immediately signaled the army to temporarily stop advancing.
Everyone on the battlefield heard the roar of horse hooves, dust flying, and horses neighing.
The movement here attracted all the attention there. The army behind Ji Ling was still in chaos and the sky was full of fire. At this time, he was given some time to gather the infantry immediately.
Xiahou Dun's face changed slightly, and the long sword in his hand stood upright behind him. Although he was secretly complaining in his heart, he didn't expect a murderer to appear at this time. However, he was not slow in his hands. He immediately got on his horse, commanded the soldiers to assemble the battle formation, and started a defensive posture.
.
The fierce wind was still blowing, and the fire on the riverside in the distance was getting bigger and bigger. Cheng Yu led the remaining 700 remaining soldiers to retreat to the foot of the mountains on the west side of the Huai River, and slowly approached to join Xiahou Dun.
At this time, the three pillars stood together. Ji Ling's position was to the east of the Huaihe River, in the downstream direction. Cheng Yu came from the upstream direction, Xiahou Dun stood at the official road entrance opposite the ferry, about two or three miles away from the ferry, and Lu Bu also led his army
Coming from the official road, the three parties formed a confrontational situation.
Cheng Yu mounted his horse and quietly came to Xiahou Dun's side. While paying close attention to the movements of Lu Bu's army in the distance, he whispered: "It seems that we underestimated Lu Bu. Zixiao probably did not intercept Lu Bu and let him run away."
Xiapi is coming."
Xiahou Dun asked: "What should we do now?"
"Let's see and then talk."
Cheng Yu raised his eyes and looked around, and saw Lu Bu's army stopped two miles away in the distance and did not come near.
"They seem to have only about two thousand cavalry."
Xiahou Dun said.
Cheng Yu nodded: "I guess Lu Bu's main force is not here, so we still have room for maneuver."
"Then how should we calculate now?"
"First adopt a formation posture and slowly retreat to the mountain forest. I have ordered people to cut down trees and dig trenches there. If the situation goes wrong, they will immediately cross the trenches, climb up the mountain, and light a fire at the bottom of the mountain."
"knew."
Xiahou Dun nodded. Fortunately, Cheng Yu reacted quickly and found a way out. Otherwise, they would have died here if they were attacked from both sides.
When Cheng Yu just arrived, he had already asked 700 soldiers to dig trenches at the foot of Xipo Mountain.
It is said to be a trench, but it is actually a fire zone. If things go wrong, they will retreat down the slope and light a fire. With the fire to help block it, they can climb up the slope and escape from the rear of the west slope.
Lu Bu also noticed the movement here. Ji Ling was still reorganizing his army. He was the only one who could launch an offensive now, so he immediately said to Wei Jian: "When Yuan Shu's men and Liu Bei's men fought before, you advised me
Don't offend Liu Bei. Now that Cao Cao's troops are fighting Yuan Shu's troops, I should be able to help Yuan Shu."
"No."
Wei Jian shook his head: "General, you must not move at this time."
Lu Bu wondered: "Why? Cao Cao and I are mortal enemies. Isn't it natural to attack and destroy his army?"
Wei Jian immediately said: "What happens after destroying his army? Then there will be an endless war with Cao Cao. By that time, even if the general wins Guangling and Xia Pi Pei, he will still be in a war with Cao Cao.
grow."
"What's the meaning?"
Lu Bu didn't understand what he said.
Wei Jian explained: "General, think about it. The purpose of our trip is to occupy the Huaibei area, but we have not yet controlled this area. We only have 10,000 troops. If one dies, one will be missing. Even if we temporarily expand, we will not be able to control it."
It is difficult to become an elite. Once we make too many enemies, we will be wiped out quickly, so we must recuperate and not engage in deadly battles with the surrounding princes."
"Um."
Lu Bu nodded thoughtfully.
Wei Jian continued: "Although we are sworn enemies with Cao Cao, we have not made a mortal enemy of him, nor have we killed his brothers. Therefore, there is still room for maneuver between us and him. In the face of interests, nothing can be done.
We can talk. If we fight to the death with Cao Cao, the only ones who get the advantage in the end will be Sun Jian and Yuan Shu."
"Why Sun Jian and Yuan Shu?"
As soon as Lu Bu said these words, he felt worried about his own IQ and hurriedly said: "No need to say anything, Bo Xi, I understand."
Wei smiled covetously and said, "It's good that the general understands."
"Then according to Bo Xi's wishes, how should we respond?"
Lu Bu asked again.
Wei Jian said: "General, you should know very well that I represent the position of the imperial court. Now the world is in chaos, and the princes from all walks of life, including Liu Bei, are actually not what the imperial court wants to see. But now the imperial court is weak and it is difficult to calm the world.
That’s why we need the general’s support from loyal ministers of the imperial court.”
"I am naturally loyal to the imperial court, as can be seen from the sun and the moon."
Lu Bu patted his chest and promised.
This time he came to Huaibei to take root, and Wei Cang also told him that once he captured Huaibei, he would immediately ask the court to appoint him as the shepherd of Xuzhou, so Lu Bu now obeyed Wei Cang's words.
Although the northern part of Xuzhou is still in the hands of Qingzhou, the Huaibei area in the southern part of Xuzhou is a prosperous land. Even though it was almost defeated by Zuo Rong a few years ago, the land is still there. As long as it is managed well, it will soon regain its strength.
This Central Plains region has its own place.
Wei Jian said: "The imperial court naturally knows the general's heart. Therefore, it will support you to come to Huaibei, and will also order Liu Bei not to take the initiative to attack you. What the general has to do now is to lurk here and develop.
Strength. If it gets entangled between the various forces, it will be destroyed soon, so it is best to be cautious."
"Then what should I do?"
Lu Bu asked for advice.
Wei Jian said: "General, you can only occupy Xiapi and Guangling at this time. Pei State must give way to form a multi-sided battlefield. We cannot compete with Cao Cao for supremacy while others sit on the mountain and watch the tiger fight."
"Only Xiapi and Guangling?"
Lu Bu murmured to himself.
Wei Jian nodded: "Yes, only in this way will the situation in the south become more chaotic and develop in the direction expected by the imperial court. If a great prince like Yuan Shu and Liu Bei appears in Henan, the imperial court will not
Things I’d like to see.”
This chapter is not over, please click on the next page to continue reading! "I understand."
Lu Bu nodded thoughtfully, indicating that he would obey the court's orders.
Now that he is homeless, it is enough for him to have a place to live, not to mention being respected by the imperial court is not a bad thing. At least it is morally acceptable and justified. Only by planning for development for a period of time can we talk about the possibility of competing for supremacy in the future.
Wei Jian saw that he was at least listening to her words and breathed a sigh of relief.
Because this is actually not the imperial court's intention, but Chen Mu's intention.
If Lu Bu is in Huaibei and he only wants to be hostile to Cao Cao, with his ability, even if he joins forces with Yuan Shu, he will never be a match for Cao Cao and Sun Ce.
If a person is not strong enough, Cao Cao would have pressed him to the ground and rubbed him against Chen Gong in history, let alone Chen Gong now without him.
The other one is really just a skeleton in the grave. He obviously has an army of more than 100,000 people. He was once the dominant tyrant in the Central Plains region, but Cao Cao repeatedly defeated the strong with the weak, and fled in embarrassment. It can be seen that these two are not heroes.
If the quarrel between the two sides gets too serious, Sun Ce and Cao Cao join forces to quickly wipe out Lu Bu and Yuan Shu. One will gain control of Huainan and Jiangdong, and the other will gain control of Huaibei, creating two great princes. This is definitely not what Chen Mu wants to see.
Therefore, he must keep the many forces in the south in balance so that neither one family becomes dominant nor too chaotic. If Lu Bu, the troublemaker, is involved, he is bound to win.
It's a little sad to say it.
Although Lu Bu regarded himself as the most powerful general in the Three Kingdoms, throughout his life, he always followed the crowd and never truly controlled his own destiny.
Either he was lured, or alienated, or he was depressed, and finally died on the Baimen Tower.
Even if most of the reasons are due to his own character flaws, it cannot be denied that this is the tragedy and fate of a strong general.
Didn't Xiang Yu, who was as powerful as the best in history, also commit suicide under the pressure of Han Xin?
So more often than not, bravery is just bravery.
The prerequisite for defeating ten guilds with one force is that you must be in the mythical world and have the ability to kill ten thousand people with one sword.
Without this ability, even if you go rampage on the battlefield and kill hundreds of people, how can you compare to a smart person who can defeat a thousand armies with one plan?
After understanding his situation, Lu Bu understood that now was the stage for him to make a living, not to make enemies, so he decided not to become an enemy of Cao Cao and temporarily stopped his troops.
But after thinking about it, he said to Wei Qian: "Yuan Shu is in a very embarrassed state at this time. If he doesn't save Yuan Shu's army, he may worry that Yuan Shu will be destroyed."
"Um."
Wei Jian asked: "General, is there anything you can do?"
"Look at me."
Lu Bu patted the red rabbit, and it leapt out like a red cloud and ran towards the distance.
The battlefield over there was still in shock, and Ji Ling had just stabilized his troops' morale when he saw that it was Lu Bu who was coming, and he was overjoyed.
Xiahou Dun didn't understand what Lu Bu wanted to do when he came here alone. No matter how strong Lu Bu was, killing dozens or hundreds of people in the battle formation would be his limit. He would definitely be the one to die then. Could it be that he wanted to defeat a thousand people with one?
However, since the army has not moved, it at least means that the war will not start immediately, so Xiahou Dun and Cheng Yu are waiting here to see what Lu Bu wants to do.
He saw Lu Bu galloping towards him, and when he got to the front of the formation, he said to Xiahou Dun, "Xiahou Dun, do you dare to come out?"
He had been entangled with Cao Cao for so long, so he naturally knew Xiahou Yuanrang.
"snort!"
Xiahou Dun snorted coldly: "Others are afraid of you, Lu Bu, but I'm not afraid. I'll fight you."
"Yuan Rang!"
Cheng Yu wanted to dissuade him, but Xiahou Dun was impatient and wouldn't listen to what he said and just went into battle.
However, Lu Bu did not fight with him, and laughed loudly and said: "Don't worry, I'm not here to fight with you today. Don't move around here. I'll come back as soon as I go."
After saying that, Xiahou Dun looked puzzled, and then rode horseback to the east side of the Huaihe River, arriving in front of Ji Ling's army at the foot of the slope.
"General Lu!"
Ji Ling had previously arranged an ambush at the foot of the eastern slope. At this time, he was severely defeated. He retreated here to gather the remaining soldiers and prepare to continue fighting. When he saw the reinforcements arriving, he happily went out and said: "The general and my Ming Gong are daughter-in-law.
Are you here to help me today?"
He had actually never met Lu Bu, but the blood-red red rabbit horse, plus Fang Tian's painted halberd, a golden crown with hair tied on his head, a hundred-flower war robe, Tang Ni armor, and a lion barbarian treasure belt, this outfit made him look like Lu Bu.
Lu Bu shook his head and said: "I don't have many troops with me today, so I might not be able to help you. But just come with me and I'll find a way to help you repel the enemy."
"Help me fight off the enemy?"
Ji Ling was confused, but Lu Bu and Yuan Shu were allies. Since Lu Bu said so, he had no choice but to go out and follow him.
The three of them came to the official road in the distance. In the center of the three armies, more than 20,000 people were watching them.
After calling Ji Ling, the three pillars were established.
Xiahou Dun and Ji Ling were enemies of each other. They both clenched their weapons and glared at each other angrily.
But Lu Bu spun Fang Tian's painted halberd, stuck it directly into the ground, and said to the two of them: "I, Lu Bu, don't like to fight in my life, I only like to resolve them. If you encounter a big battle today, I will resolve it."
What do you think of your fight?"
Lu Bu, the best in the world, doesn't like fighting but likes to break up fights?
I'm afraid your way of breaking up the fight is to kill everyone so that no one will fight.
The two of them cursed in their hearts.
However, both of them listened to it as a joke. Xiahou Dun even sneered and said: "Defuse the fight? Why do you resolve our fight?"
Lu Bu said coldly: "If you don't listen to me, I will immediately join forces with Yuan Shu and attack and destroy you here."
Xiahou Dun was stranded.
Although Cheng Yu thought of a last resort, the problem was that Lu Bu was mostly a cavalryman, and two legs could not outrun four legs, so a fierce battle would still be inevitable.
"the same as you."
Lu Bu saw Ji Ling snickering secretly and added the same sentence: "If you don't want to resolve this fight, I won't care about it."
Ji Ling's smile also solidified.
His army suffered a major change, suffering heavy casualties and a sharp decline in morale. If Lu Bu left and Xiahou Dun continued to attack fiercely, he might not be able to withstand it.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! The two were silent for a moment, and Xiahou Dun said: "How do you want to resolve it? Do you want us to have a fight with you?"
"Of course not."
Lu Bu pointed to the Fang Tian painted halberd stuck on the ground and said: "You guys will watch Bu shoot this small branch of the halberd. If it hits, you should all stop your troops. If you don't hit, let the duel continue, and Bu will not interfere, okay?"
Small branch of halberd?
The two looked at the halberd blade. The so-called small branch of the halberd is the curved and drooping part of the halberd. Generally speaking, Fang Tian's painted halberd has crescent blades on the left and right sides. The lower edge of the crescent blade is the so-called small branch.
branch.
Although the halberd blade is not big, it depends on the distance. If it is seven or eight meters away, anyone with a little bit of archery skills can do it, so it is not unusual.
So both of them looked at Lu Bu and said nothing, which was very obvious.
Lu Bu smiled and said, "Of course, I won't shoot just a few steps away. Please go away, gentlemen. If I get there and you think it's okay, how about you raise your weapons?"
Ji Ling glanced at Xiahou Dun, Xiahou Dun glanced at Ji Ling, and Ji Ling said: "Okay, then listen to General Lu."
"I have no opinion."
Xiahou Dun pulled up his horse and walked towards his camp.
Ji Ling also reined in his horse and walked further away.
Lu Bu dismounted, first took a layer of wet soil from a nearby depression, spread a thick layer of wet mud on the small branch, and then measured the distance on foot, silently calculating the distance.
The red rabbit horse followed him, walking slowly and steadily.
After a while, about 1,780 steps closer, Lu Bu turned around and looked at Xiahou Dun and Ji Ling in the distance. Both of them slowly raised their weapons.
In ancient times, one step was considered a step, and two steps was considered a step. Therefore, taking two steps was considered one step in ancient times.
As mentioned before, in the Han Dynasty, six feet was one step, and one foot was 23 centimeters. It can be seen that one step is about 1.38 meters, and one hundred steps is almost 140 meters. The so-called "hundred steps crossing the Yang" is this distance.
Since Lu Bu is nine feet tall and two meters tall, the distance he can take a step is farther than an ordinary person. Therefore, the actual distance of 1,780 steps is about the same as an ordinary person's 200 steps. Xiahou Dun and Ji Ling visually estimated that it should be
Between 90-100 steps, there's not much difference.
At this distance, even a sharpshooter would not be able to shoot this slender Fangtian painted halberd, let alone the more difficult small branch on the halberd's face.
It's almost an impossible task.
In fact, Xiahou Dun and Ji Ling originally thought that Lu Bu only needed to walk a hundred steps, covering a distance of fifty or sixty steps, which would be enough.
Unexpectedly, Lu Bu was an honest man. He didn't give up until he had walked almost a hundred steps, which was really unexpected.
Both of them looked solemn and serious.
If Lu Bu misses the shot, the two sides will fight immediately. Therefore, both of them dare not breathe, their eyes are locked on Lu Bu, and they hold the weapons in their hands tightly, ready to fight at any time.
Tens of thousands of people also looked over. Except for the noise caused by the rising flames, the entire battlefield was silent.
The atmosphere solidified.
In the distance, there is fire all over the sky.
With no one to put out the fire, the flames at the ferry became more and more intense. Even two or three miles away, you could still feel the scorching heat hitting your face.
The weather is getting gloomier and gloomier. Huainan and Huaibei are already rainy. Sometimes heavy rains can last for several months in the lower reaches of the Huai River and the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River. The two rivers often flood. Rains in late winter and early spring are quite common.
Lu Bu calmed down, turned over and sat on the red rabbit horse, took the precious eagle bow, took an arrow from the quiver, casually removed the arrowhead, bent the bow and set the arrow, almost in one go.
Tick tock tick tock tick tock…
At this moment, a few drops of rain fell on everyone's faces. Before anyone could react and raise their heads to look up at the sky, a light drizzle began to fall.
The rain fell faster and faster. In an instant, the light rain turned into moderate rain, and it was developing into a heavier rainstorm.
For a moment, everyone's hearts sank, and everyone was ready for war.
A hundred steps away, you still have to hit a small branch, and it's rainy weather. Not only will your vision be blurred, but the arrows will also be disturbed by rain and wind. I'm afraid even the ancient marksman Yang Youji may not be able to do this.
Just a little.
However, the next second, the crisp sound of beef tendon ropes was heard in the air, and then an arrow tore through the void like a meteor, heading towards Fang Tian Hua Ji.
Ding!
The arrow seemed to have hit a metal object. With a clanking sound and then a buzzing sound, Fang Tian's painted halberd actually fell down.
"It's a hit, it's a hit."
Lu Bu's group, Wei Yue, opened his eyes wide and shouted loudly.
"The general is mighty, the general is mighty!"
Lu Bu's cavalry cheered loudly and their morale was high. Even if they only had two thousand cavalry, with their momentum at this time, they could easily annihilate any family without the need for alliance.
"Ha ha ha ha."
Lu Bu galloped over on his horse. When he got close, he got off his horse and went over to check.
Xiahou Dun and Ji Ling also came over.
They saw that the small branch at the bottom of Fang Tian's painted halberd was originally coated with mud, but now a circle was shot out of the center of the mud, revealing the silver-white silver blade inside.
Fang Tian's painted halberd is made of meteorite iron. It is the same material as the two-pronged sword, the green dragon sword, the eight-foot-long snake spear and the three artifacts. Lu Bu used it against countless enemies on the battlefield countless times, and it is still as new as ever. This arrow
It won't be hurt at all.
What's more, the arrowhead was removed by Lu Bu, so Fang Tian's painted halberd would naturally not be damaged.
But the bright arrow holes in the soil told people that Lu Bu had just successfully shot the small branch.
For a moment, both Xiahou Dun and Ji Ling felt horrified and horrified.
After a hundred steps, it is still light rain.
This kind of archery skill is simply a superb shot. Lu Bu's reputation is truly unparalleled in the world!
"How are you guys doing?"
Lu Bu looked at the two of them proudly.
No matter how unconvinced Xiahou Dun was, he could only hold up his hands and say, "General Lu is a master of shooting. I, Xiahou Dun, am convinced."
"I'm convinced too!"
Ji Ling also handed over.
Lu Bu said happily: "In that case, I ask you both to fulfill your agreement and never break your promise."
"Okay, I'll withdraw my troops!"
Xiahou Dun turned around and walked away without stopping at all.
Anyway, he has delayed Ji Ling for several days, and now that he has burned the ferry, everything is almost done.
The ferry was completely destroyed, and Ji Ling hissed: "Hey, General Lu, I will also withdraw my troops. However, the Xu County ferry was destroyed, so I can only take a detour to Hongxian ferry."
Lu Bu smiled and said, "I'm going to Xutai, so everyone can say goodbye."
"General, take care!"
Ji Ling did not stop and led the army to the west.
Hong County is in Peiguo, and we have to take a detour of hundreds of miles, which wastes a lot of time.
But there is no way, this is already the nearest ferry.
Lu Bu went to Xutai, which was later known as Xutai County. It was also the ferry crossing the Huai River, because Guangling was actually located on the south bank of the Huai River and belonged to the Huainan region, but its location was to the east, which was the later Gaoyou City.
So everyone went their separate ways, Xiahou Dun went back to Pengcheng, Lu Bu went east to Guangling, Ji Ling detoured to Peiguo, and then crossed the river south from Peiguo back to Jiujiang.