Keyboard Immortal - Chapter 2944

Chapter 1457 Stalemate

“But there’s a problem. I heard that Lu Zhi is your teacher. How will you handle that?” Princess Nihuang had previously led a large army to attack Ji County and had studied Liu Bei’s background beforehand, knowing about his connections.

“Don’t worry, I definitely won’t let you help us fight our teacher.” Although she was somewhat dissatisfied with the fateful prediction Zu An had made, she didn’t dare let him take the risk.

If people found out that he was cooperating with the Yellow Turbans and that the Yellow Turbans were ultimately defeated, he would have nowhere to stand in the world.

“But I’m afraid I’ll have to join forces with Lu Zhi next.” Zu An said with a wry smile. This was his initial plan, when he didn’t know that the leader of the Yellow Turbans was one of his own.

“That’s troublesome. Are we destined to meet on the battlefield?” Princess Nihuang frowned.

“I will try my best to avoid direct conflict with you. You should take good care of yourself and, at the same time, you must persuade Zhang Jiao not to rush into a decisive battle. Holding on will bring a turning point.” Zu An reminded her.

“A turning point?” Princess Nihuang asked doubtfully. “The main force of the imperial court has arrived, and soldiers from nearby prefectures and counties will surely arrive in droves. I heard that the famous general Huangfu Song will also lead another elite force of the imperial court to Jizhou. If we don’t annihilate Lu Zhi’s troops first, we’ll be at a disadvantage.”

Zu An then briefly recounted the historical story of Lu Zhi refusing to bribe the eunuch who came to supervise the army, resulting in his dismissal

and being escorted back to the capital due to the eunuch’s slander. “I’m not sure if this will happen in this world, but we can look forward to it.” Princess Nihuang’s eyes lit up. “Lu Zhi is a famous general of the court. Even our leader has suffered repeated setbacks at his hands. If the court dismisses him because he refused to bribe, it’s as if his fate is sealed! Okay, I will advise our leader to defend first!”

The two discussed some more details. In the following days, Princess Nihuang did not immediately lead her troops to retreat, but instead held Lu Nu City for a long time to avoid being pursued by the city’s garrison when they retreated.

Over the past few days, Lu Nu City had nearly fallen several times. Zhang Chun hadn’t dared to close his eyes for a moment, anxiously awaiting reinforcements from Ji County.

When Zu An appeared outside the city with his men and the White Horse Cavalry, Zhang Chun almost burst into tears.

Zu An feigned a battle with the Yellow Turban Army, and with Princess Nihuang as a master spy, they were naturally invincible.

Of course, he also used the excuse of the Yellow Turbans’ superior strength and his own army’s inferior numbers to refrain from launching a full-scale attack, so the Yellow Turbans suffered minimal losses.

But after several victories, the Yellow Turbans finally began to break camp and slowly retreat.

The crisis in Lu Nu City was over!

The entire city’s soldiers and civilians wept with joy, cheering as they welcomed their savior into the city.

Zu An led his troops into the city, but he had no time to respond to the enthusiastic soldiers and civilians. Instead, he discovered that his three consecutive victories against the Yellow Turbans had awakened a special command talent—reputation.

Not only could he recruit more soldiers than others, but he also gained favor with various factions more easily.

Zu An was somewhat annoyed. Compared to Princess Nihuang’s ability to manipulate heavenly lightning and Murong Qinghe’s lightning-fast talent, this talent seemed less useful.

Of course, it wasn’t weak either, but he wanted a more powerful command talent.

It seemed these command talents only awakened after leading troops and achieving some feats. He wondered what talents Tingxue and Yun Jianyue would awaken in the future.

…

After entering the city, Zu An exchanged a few polite words and then asked Zhang Chun for money and provisions. Although Zhang Chun was reluctant, the Yellow Turban Army hadn’t gone far, so he had no choice but to reluctantly hand over the money and provisions.

Zu An didn’t want to waste time with him, so after receiving the money and provisions, he set off to transport them back to Ji County.

Murong Qinghe also had to lead the Wuhuan cavalry back to the tribe to report, so he could only bid him a reluctant farewell, promising to try his best to cultivate trusted men so that one day he could bring more Wuhuan cavalry to help him.

Two days later, Zhang Chun finally received news that Lu Zhi had led a large army to besiege Zhang Jiao in Guangzong County. He immediately realized that Zhang Bao’s retreat earlier was not due to Liu Bei, but rather because he had gone to rescue Zhang Jiao.

He was furious: “Liu Bei, you little brat, how dare you deceive me!”

He immediately wanted to lead his army to Ji County to retrieve the money and provisions, but his men desperately dissuaded him.

The previous battle in Zhongshan County had caused heavy losses, and everyone wanted to recuperate.

Moreover, they were all officials of the court, and fighting each other would be tantamount to rebellion.

“Hmph, I, Zhang, will avenge this one day!” Although he was eventually persuaded, Zhang Chun still gritted his teeth and kept the matter firmly in his heart.

Meanwhile, after Zu An escorted the provisions back to Ji County, Gongsun Yue said that the White Horse Cavalry had been out for too long and took his leave to return to Liaodong.

Although Zu An was reluctant to part with them, he could not force the White Horse Cavalry to join his cause, and they bid each other farewell.

Next, he led Tingxue and Yun Jianyue with three thousand elite soldiers to Guangzong County to support Lu Zhi.

Zou Jing originally wanted to dissuade them, saying that there were still many Yellow Turbans roaming around, and they only needed to take care of their own territory.

Zu An said that Lu Zhi was his teacher, and as his student, he should go to help.

Zou Jing was immediately full of admiration. He didn’t know if it was the influence of his reputation or talent, but he felt that Zu An was shining.

Even though he was his superior, he subconsciously listened to his opinions.

He took the initiative to stay and guard Ji County so that he would not have any worries.

Zu An and his two companions led the army southwest, telling Tingxue and Yun Jianyue about the things that had happened before. The two women were truly moved, and for the first time, they felt that his romantic and amorous nature had some advantages. They

did not encounter any large groups of Yellow Turbans along the way. They arrived outside Guangzong City and found that the military camp outside the city was well-organized, and the aura of the soldiers was truly overwhelming.

The power of that force made Tingxue and Yun Jianyue change color. Even from such a distance, they felt that their own strength was being suppressed.

Previously, he hadn’t quite believed that the Yellow Turban Rebellion, with its immense power, could be quelled in about a year.

But now, seeing the imperial court’s most elite and powerful army, he found it far superior to any army he had ever encountered before.

It seemed the imperial court’s fate was not yet sealed.

Zu’an observed that Princess Nihuang’s forces were on the other side of the city, but their aura of battle was noticeably weaker.

According to previous intelligence, she had clashed with Lu Zhi several times since her arrival, but hadn’t won a single battle. It turned out that she had changed course midway to attack Ji County, suffered setbacks in Zhongshan County, and then endured a long journey to this place; her morale had plummeted, making her no match for the imperial court’s most elite army.

Fortunately, Zhang Jiao was in the city, forming a pincer movement against her, and Lu Zhi’s army was far smaller than the Yellow Turbans’, resulting in a stalemate.

Zu’an first stationed his troops nearby, then, with Tingxue and Yun Jianyue, sought an audience with Lu Zhi.

Upon learning of his arrival, Lu Zhi personally came out of his camp to greet him.

His hair was gray, tied up with a wooden hairpin, with a few stray strands blown by the wind, brushing against his thin face.

His brow bones were high and sharp, and his eyes were deep but not fierce, instead radiating a gentle light.

Though old, his back was as straight as a pine tree.

Upon seeing Zu’an, he exclaimed in admiration, “I’ve heard that Xuande has been turning the tide in Youzhou these past few days, first recapturing Ji County, then defeating Gao Sheng’s 50,000-strong army, and later relieving the crisis in Zhongshan Commandery. Truly a pillar of the nation!”

The generals around Lu Zhi all turned to look. With such high praise, Liu Bei would soon be known throughout the world.

Zu’an hadn’t expected his deeds to spread so quickly; was it all due to his reputation and talent?

He hurriedly bowed, “It’s all because I’ve kept in mind my teacher’s teachings.”

Lu Zhi laughed heartily upon hearing this. Although he wasn’t one to enjoy flattery, the other party was his disciple, so the effect was clearly different.

He then looked at the two women beside him, his face showing surprise: “And who are these two?”