Lu Bu: My wife comes from two thousand years later

In Xin'an County, Jia Xu, who was visiting Zhang Ji's house, was so shocked when he received the news that the emperor had fallen into the river and died.

"Poison! It's really poisonous!" Looking at the note sent by Feiying, Jia Xu narrowed his eyes and said to himself.

"What kind of poison? Could it be that the emperor was poisoned to death?" Zhang Ji was surprised.

Jia Xu rolled his eyes at him. "The letter clearly states that the emperor's carriage was pursued by the armies of Yuan and Cao, startled the horses, and fell into the river and died! The poison I'm talking about is the poison of the heart!"

"Who?"

"I!"

Zhang Ji curled his lips, "Where are you poisoned?"

Jia Xu didn't continue the conversation, instead asking, "Are you going to surrender or not? If not, my lord will be able to take care of you on the way to Luoyang with His Majesty's coffin. Do you believe that? Don't blame me, your fellow villager, for not pleading for you. It's useless to plead without understanding. Just look at what happened to those noble families in Hanoi."

Zhang Ji said sternly, "I can surrender, but I don't want to farm like Duan Zhongming. I want to lead an army. You know, I've been leading troops in battle ever since I followed Prime Minister Dong. I don't know how to do anything else. Fan Chou is the same as me. We've both been living a miserable life in Hongnong these past few years. We don't dare to provoke the Yang family, and we can't afford to provoke them. There are no civilians to rob, and without food, I can't expand my army. After all these years, I'm still only the same number of people as before."

Jia Xu scolded him, "Life is so miserable, and this year we have suffered a great disaster. I asked you this before, but you hesitated. Are you crazy?"

Zhang Ji laughed awkwardly, "I'm just afraid of having my military power taken away from me!"

"With just a few men like you, you can bully the bandits, but my lord can kill you with just one finger. Why do you want my military power?" Jia Xu had a look of disgust and disdain on his face.

Zhang Ji just chuckled. What Jia Wenhe said was right, but he also knew that Lu Bu was going to use troops against Jizhou next. He still cared about his veteran soldiers from Liangzhou and would not use force unless necessary.

Zhang Ji's intention was to extract more benefits, and Jia Xu understood what was going on. He said, "Xin'an is close to Hangu Pass, a fortress. Since you refused to follow my master before, and you weren't one of his trusted subordinates when you were with Prime Minister Dong, it's impossible for him to completely let you guard such a crucial place."

He suddenly asked, "Your nephew Zhang Xiu is sixteen this year, right?"

Zhang Xiu nodded, "Just turned sixteen!"

Jia Xu considered it for a moment and said, "How about this? I'll send Xiu'er to Jinyang, and you'll still be stationed at Hangu Pass and Xin'an County, and the army will be provided by the lord. Are you willing?"

Zhang Ji said, "I have no children, and the Zhang family only has Xiu'er as a child. It's not impossible to send him to Jinyang, but you have to ensure his safety."

"Of course. As long as you don't rebel, Xiu'er will be safe. The Lord has always been generous to his subordinates and their families. He even treats hostages of the enemy with kindness. It would be a hundred times better for Xiu'er to go to Jinyang than to stay with a rough fellow like you."

Hearing Jia Xu's words, Zhang Ji sighed softly, "If I had known this would happen, I should have followed the lord to Bingzhou directly like Yingwei. Now Yingwei has earned the lord's trust and leads the Feixiong Army with great power, while I still have to send a hostage to Jinyang."

"The feelings of sharing weal and woe are naturally different. Don't be dissatisfied with this. I have told you that it is a hundred times better for Xiu'er to go to Jinyang than to follow you. You are mumbling like this, could it be that you are not really willing to serve me?" Jia Xu looked at him with a warning look.

Zhang Ji hurriedly asked, "How could that be? I just can't bear to leave Xiu'er."

"A grown man acting like an old woman!" Jia Xu couldn't help but roll his eyes at him. He added, "You've been on good terms with Fan Chou these past few years, right? If you surrender, there shouldn't be any problems with him. Does he have a son or something?"

"There are two, one is eighteen years old, the other is twelve years old. You can take either one."

Jia Xu nodded and said, "Take me to Minchi to meet him tomorrow. Yuan Shao and Cao Cao's forces are probably about to flee here. If you two can intercept and kill them, it will be a great achievement, and the lord will reward you handsomely."

Zhang Ji was overjoyed. "Why didn't you tell me earlier? I'll go gather my troops now and intercept him."

…………

After Yuan and Cao left Huayin, they rode their horses at full speed all the way, even faster than when they came. They arrived near Eryao Mountain in one day and one night, and were only half a day's journey away from Minchi.

It was getting dark and the tired soldiers were unwilling to continue their journey. They set up camp in an open area on the side of the road to rest. Yuan Shao brought Ju Su and others to Cao Cao's tent.

"The Emperor died because of us. The life-saving talisman has become a death warrant. What should I do next?"

This great prince who had dominated the north in history was now like a child who had done something wrong and was afraid of being scolded. He was looking for help from his companions with helpless eyes.

"Why are we still thinking about the future? We still have Fan Chou and Zhang Ji ahead of us. We don't even know if we can return safely!"

Cao Cao's hair and beard were messed up by the wind. At this moment, he was smoothing his hair while rubbing his aching head.

"Didn't they both let us in when we came? Why would they stop us when we return? Besides, they only have about 10,000 soldiers combined. Even if they wanted to stop us, they couldn't."

Cao Cao said, "I've always felt something was fishy about this. Lü Bu had already bribed Duan Wei, and he knew we were waiting outside to seize the Emperor. Why didn't he allow the Emperor to remain in Huayin? We've come a long way, and we can't stay long. He has two thousand cavalry outside, and ten thousand soldiers inside. Even if we and the two Li brothers joined forces, we wouldn't be able to capture Huayin. So why would he rush to get the Emperor out?"

Cao Cao was shocked by Liu Xie's death yesterday. He was blown by the wind on the way to escape, and his mind gradually became clear. He thought about the whole thing over and over again, and the more he thought about it, the more wrong he felt.

Yuan Shao recalled the scene yesterday when Qu Yi and Hua Xiong had chased him to Hu County. He said, "Could it be that he...was planning to use the emperor as a lure for us to rob him, so he could seize the opportunity to kill you and me?"

This explanation seemed quite reasonable. Cao Cao looked at Ju Su and Xun You, "Do you two agree with this?"

Xun You said, "It's not impossible. The anonymous letter informing us of the emperor's escape might have been sent by Lü Bu to lure us here and capture him in one fell swoop."

"If he really wanted to lure us two to our deaths, why did he only arrange two thousand troops? It is much easier for him to mobilize troops from Hedong County than for us." Cao Cao asked in confusion.

"If he really mobilizes a large number of troops, would the lord still dare to come to Huayin?" Xun You asked in return.

Cao Cao choked and nodded, "That's right!"

Ju Su shook his head, "No, that's not right... If Lü Bu really sent a message to Cao Gong, this matter would be inexplicable."

"What's wrong?"

Ju Su analyzed, "Lü Bu's next target is Jizhou. He only needs to use this opportunity to eliminate my lord. Jizhou will already be in chaos. Why bother inviting Cao Gong into the picture and causing more trouble? With Bingzhou's current capabilities, taking Jizhou is barely possible. However, taking Yanzhou simultaneously is impossible, both due to its geographical location and Bingzhou's military and economic strength. If it weren't for the combined efforts of our two families, my lord would have had little chance of escaping the Flying Bear Army. He clearly has a 90% chance of success, so there's no reason for him to lower it to 40-50."

From Bingzhou's perspective, it would be enough to lure Yuan Shao to his death. Bringing Cao Cao in as well would only bring trouble to themselves.

"I have a grudge against Lu Bu. Maybe he is too confident and thinks he can get rid of me as well," Cao Cao said.

"What does the grudge between Cao Gong and him mean in the face of such a major event? Besides, even if Lu Bu wanted to do this, his advisors wouldn't agree. If we succeed in killing our lord and then immediately dispatch troops to Jizhou, we might be able to take it in less than half a year."

"Then why do you think he did that?" Yuan Shao asked.