Lu Bu: My wife comes from two thousand years later

Lu Bu was still waiting in the yard. Besides him, Lu Yu, Zhang Ji, Cai Yong, and Xu You were also there.

Zhang Mo asked Zhang Ji about Lu Zhi's condition. Zhang Ji shook his head helplessly, "He's old. Even if there were a magic pill or a cure, it wouldn't be of any use. He's hanging on for you. He saw you today, so it's probably only a day or two away."

Zhang Mo couldn't help but shed tears again. Although she knew that this was something that everyone had to go through in their lifetime, she still found it difficult to accept it emotionally. Back then in prison, he didn't mind her background or her body as a woman, and made an exception to accept her as his disciple and taught her patiently. Today, he seemed to be angry that she had become a traitor to the Han Dynasty, but he told her about Gongsun Zan's character in casual conversation, reminding her not to take it lightly, and taught her the last and most important lesson.

Even... the matter of moving the tomb back to Zhuo County in the future was emphasized.

When there is need, what is the time of need?

Whenever she thought of this sentence, the sadness in her heart was like a river bursting its banks, difficult to control.

"Don't be sad, this day will come to everyone." Zhang Ji comforted calmly, turned around and left with the medicine box on his back. He had seen too much birth, old age, sickness and death!

Cai Yong also bowed and took his leave. Xu You seemed to have a lot to say, but seeing the situation, he knew that now was not the time, so he also took his leave.

Lu Bu took Zhang Mo to sit in the living room and asked someone to bring up some food. The two of them had rushed back all the way from Changshan and had hardly eaten or rested on the way. They were very tired at the moment. Zhang Mo had no appetite, so she reluctantly drank a few mouthfuls of porridge and sat on the sofa to rest.

After sitting for a while, I heard the servants sobbing from next door.

On March 195, AD, Lu Zhi died. At his request, he was not given a grand funeral and no memorial service was held. Zhang Mo and Lu Yu simply kept vigil for three days and buried him in Mount Meng.

After arranging Lu Zhi's funeral, Zhang Mo did not go to Jizhou for inspection again. She let Lu Bu inspect the various military regions himself. She stayed in Jinyang to handle government affairs and accompany her children.

Spring sowing is approaching, and Gongsun Zan has not taken any action for the time being. The war in the north has taken a break, and the war in the south is about to come to an end with Zhang Fei losing Tancheng.

Previously, Cao Cao pretended to withdraw his troops from Pengcheng, and then took advantage of Liu Bei's trip to Xia Pi to resist Yuan Shu to seize Tancheng. Zhang Fei fled to Xia Pi with a group of defeated soldiers to find Liu Bei.

While Cao Cao captured Tancheng, he sent Cao Ren to advance eastward and captured Pei and Liang in Yuzhou in a swift and fierce manner.

Just as Cao Cao was preparing to continue his advance towards the State of Chen, the news that Chen Gong and Zhang Miao had rebelled against him and surrendered to the Lu Kingdom reached Cao Cao.

Cao Cao quickly opened the bamboo tube handed to him by the soldier. After reading the words inside, his face turned blue and then black, and then black and then blue again. He stood there for a long time without saying a word.

Seeing that he looked unwell, Xi Zhicai, who was lying on the sickbed, felt a pang in his heart and asked, "My lord, is this the news sent by Sima Xun?"

"What happened?" Cao Hong asked.

Cao Cao took a long time to come back to his senses, and said through gritted teeth, "Chen Gongtai joined forces with Zhang Miao, Zhang Chao and others to rebel, and offered Chenliu County to Lu Bu."

"What? Chen Gong dares?" Cao Hong suddenly exploded, his eyes almost spitting fire.

"This is impossible!" Yu Jin looked incredulous. It was Chen Gongtai himself who welcomed his lord to Yanzhou.

Xi Zhicai covered his mouth and coughed several times, his eyes bitter. "Nothing is impossible. The lord massacred cities several times, which made him unhappy. Lu Bu defeated Yuan Shao, Ma Teng, and Han Sui, and was at the peak of his power. It was natural for him to rebel against Cao and surrender to Lu."

"Why did Chen Gongtai betray me? Why did he betray me? I treated him well, why did he betray me? Is it just because I massacred the city? Am I born to be a killer? Why did he betray me?" Cao Cao's eyes were bloodshot, and he asked repeatedly almost crazily.

Xi Zhicai lowered his eyebrows and said, "The Lord's killing of Bian Rang chilled his heart, and the massacre of Pengcheng disappointed him. He wrote to you to advise you, but you turned a deaf ear to him. Then you massacred two more cities, leaving him completely disappointed."

"It's my fault?" Cao Cao looked at the crowd below, "Do you also think I did something wrong?"

Xi Zhicai said, "At this point, it's pointless to argue about right and wrong. Lü Bu has annexed Yuan Shao and occupied the seven Sili counties. He also has the support of scholars like Chen Gong. This shows that the prestige he has cultivated over the years has finally paid off. My lord, if you want to compete with him for supremacy, you're still a long way off."

Cao Cao's anger wasn't due to the loss of Chenliu Commandery, but rather the betrayal of his good friend Chen Gong, who had unexpectedly defected to Lü Bu. Hearing Xi Zhicai's words, Cao Cao immediately regained consciousness, sat down beside Xi Zhicai's couch, held his frail hand, and earnestly asked, "Please teach me, Zhicai, what should I do from now on?"

Others also stood beside the couch.

Xi Zhicai was surrounded by people, and he couldn't get enough air, so he started coughing repeatedly. Cao Cao hurriedly drove the others out.

After his coughing subsided, Xi Zhicai slowly said, "Ever since Yuan Shao's defeat, I have been thinking of a way out for my lord... If my lord can do these things, defeating Lu Bu is not impossible."

Cao Cao sat down again with a glass of water. Xi Zhicai took two sips to moisten his throat and began to explain his plan.

"Lü Bu has already proclaimed himself king, and his ambition to replace the Han Dynasty is clear. Although the emperor is dead and the country is no longer in existence, there are still countless people loyal to the Han Dynasty. Are these the people you can win over, my lord?"

Cao Cao smiled bitterly, "I've been accused by Lu Bu of plotting to murder the emperor. He hates me so much, how can I fight for him?"

Xi Zhicai said weakly, "In the past... ahem... lord, to save the Han Dynasty, you entered the palace alone to assassinate Dong Zhuo, and nearly... perished at the hands of Lü Bu. Later, outside Sishui Pass, you were the only one to enter the pass to pursue the thief Dong. These two events are enough to demonstrate your loyalty to the Han Dynasty. Regarding the Huayin incident, there's Yuan Shao's confession of guilt. Now all you need to do is establish a royal relative, raise the banner of... restoring the Han Dynasty, and fully demonstrate your loyalty to the Han Dynasty. Let... let the people of the world see hope, and talented and ambitious people will naturally come to serve you."

"Compared to Lu Bu, you are morally and politically invincible. This is one of the reasons."

After talking so much, he started coughing again. Cao Cao gave him some water and patted his back, "Rest for a while, rest for a while and then talk."

Xi Zhicai shook his head and continued, "Second, form an alliance with everyone who can be allied with. Ahem... the first one is Gongsun Zan of Youzhou. He has occupied all of Youzhou, two counties of Qingzhou, and four counties of Jizhou. He's slightly behind Lü Bu in terms of territory... but his military strength is no less than Lü Bu's. However, he lacks strategy and is narrow-minded. In terms of tactics, he's no match for Lü Bu's wife. My lord, you might want to send one or two talented people to help him."

Cao Cao nodded slightly. Although Gongsun Zan was Yuan Shao's enemy before, and he was in the same camp as Yuan Shao and could be considered hostile to him, with the demise of Yuan Shao, the struggle for Jizhou between Gongsun and Lu Bu was inevitable. As the saying goes, the enemy of my enemy is my friend, and he can be won over.

"The second person is Kong Wenju of Beihai. Although his army is not strong... he has diligently governed Beihai over the years and can support you logistically..."

"Others like Zang Xuangao of Mount Tai, and even Liu Xuande, can all be won over."

Cao Cao said, "Forget about Liu Xuande. Since the death of Emperor Xian, he has claimed to be a relative of the Han Dynasty and even ranked himself above Emperor Xian's uncle. This shows how ambitious he is."

"This... my lord, please do as you see fit!"

Cao Cao then asked, "What about that fellow Yuan Shu? How could he let me take Pei and Liang?"

"Yuan Shu may seem powerful, but in fact he is not a threat. He has no capable generals under his command. If my lord can let Sun Wentai's son leave Yuan Shu, then there will be nothing to fear!" He was pale and his voice was very weak.

Cao Cao nodded again, "Zhicai is right. This time, the attack on Guangling Commandery and Xiapi State was almost entirely the work of Sun Bofu (Sun Ce) and his generals. This son is like his father, a capable fighter and even better at fighting."

Xi Zhicai managed to hold his breath and continued, "Third, immediately withdraw the troops back to Yanzhou and follow the advice of Xiaoxian (Mao Jie's courtesy name) to cultivate the land, accumulate military supplies, and then slowly plan for hegemony."

After saying this, Xi Zhicai seemed to have no strength to cough. He felt a breath stuck in his chest. After a long time, he coughed violently and spat out a few mouthfuls of blood. Cao Cao screamed in fright.

A doctor immediately rushed in from outside and took Xi Zhicai's pulse and gave him acupuncture. After a long time, the military doctor shook his head helplessly.

That night, Xi Zhicai died of illness during a military journey at the age of 27. Cao Cao was extremely sad and cried for a whole day and night, almost fainting.