Chapter 87

Lü Bu had a relative by marriage, surnamed Wei, with two brothers—Wei Xu and Wei Yue, both of whom were also his top generals. Wei Xu had the talent to command troops and later succeeded Gao Shun as the leader of the "Fierce Army." Eventually, he betrayed his relative, Lü Bu. Wei Yue, on the other hand, was a valiant fighter. During the battle of Changshan, Lü Bu led him and another brave general, Cheng Lian, into the fray, which ultimately led to the defeat of Zhang Yan's army.

This time, when they entered Yanzhou and attacked Juancheng, Wei Yue volunteered to scout, but in reality, he was leading over a dozen trusted men to look for opportunities to plunder. Lü Bu's military discipline had always been poor, and one of the reasons he was driven out of Ji Province by Yuan Shao was that his troops had looted extensively, leading to complaints from the local gentry to Yuan Shao. Therefore, after entering Yanzhou, Chen Gong advised him to be more restrained, to win the hearts of the local gentry first, and then to expel Cao Cao's forces. Lü Bu followed this advice, restraining his troops and forbidding them from plundering. This made Wei Yue very uncomfortable, so he found an excuse to leave Lü Bu's side and went out to make some small gains on his own.

Unexpectedly, before he could enjoy his loot, he ran into Taishi Ci. Taishi Ci charged on horseback, wielding his saber, and Wei Yue, without hesitation, thrust his spear directly at Taishi Ci's chest. However, Taishi Ci deftly avoided the spearhead and grabbed the spear shaft. Wei Yue took a deep breath, preparing to struggle, but Taishi Ci suddenly stepped hard on the stirrup, leaned to the side, and twisted the spear shaft to the side. This caught Wei Yue off guard, and the force surged like a wave, causing him to lose his balance and fall off his horse with a cry.

The fall of a general shocked the soldiers, and two cavalrymen quickly rushed forward to block Taishi Ci, while two others lifted Wei Yue onto a horse and fled. Taishi Ci, who had already achieved a significant victory against Wei Yue, paid no attention to the small soldiers, immediately cutting down one and using the spear he had taken from Wei Yue to strike the other, sending him to the ground.

As the enemy retreated in disarray, Taishi Ci turned his spear and pointed at the fallen soldier, asking about the surrounding situation. He learned that Lü Bu's main force numbered only a little over a thousand, and with the troops of Zhang Miao and Chen Gong, they totaled around ten thousand, but they were not well-coordinated, making their movements slow. It was unlikely they would reach Juancheng that day. However, if they did arrive, the various rebellious forces would likely join them, potentially swelling their numbers to several tens of thousands.

After asking his questions, Taishi Ci thrust his spear into the small soldier, killing him, and then turned to Shi Xun with a smile, saying, "Now we have a spear to use." He swung it a couple of times, feeling quite satisfied. "Lü Bu hasn't reached Juancheng yet, so we still have time. Let's head to your estate first."

Shi Xun's estate was now empty, left in ruins... It seemed that Wei Yue was not the only one who had used the pretext of scouting to rob. Shi Xun, mounted on his horse, neither cried nor laughed, his eyes vacant, his face like a plaster cast. After a while, his lips began to tremble, and his chin started to quiver.

Taishi Ci rode up and gently patted his shoulder, comforting him, "I searched the area. There are bloodstains, but no bodies. I believe your family is still alive and may have retreated to Juancheng."

Shi Xun was not stupid. When he saw the ruins—though not completely destroyed, only a few houses had burned down, a few walls were blackened, and a couple of gaps were torn in the outer wall—he was initially stunned. But he quickly realized that the forces that had reached Juancheng were not the main army but just some scouts, like the dozen or so men led by Wei Yue. Guan Hai and his daughter might not have been able to drive them all away like Taishi Ci, but they could have escaped without much trouble.

What pained him was not the loss of his family—since there were no bodies, he still held out hope—but the loss of his property. He had risked his life to persuade Cao Cao, wasting countless words to secure this small estate. How hard had it been?! Now it was all destroyed, how could he not be heartbroken?! It was like, two thousand years later, after hustling to secure millions in venture capital, it all vanished in an instant! Oh, heaven, this was venture capital, not free money. If you wanted to take it back, he would have to work for Cao Cao for the rest of his life to pay it back!

Although he did not believe in the heavens, he swore to them: "Lü Bu, taking my wealth is like killing my family. I will never forgive you! I will help Cao Cao destroy your army, capture your family, seize your spear and horse, strip you of your armor and helmet, and leave you naked in the wilderness. I will also sever your tendons to cripple you!"

On the surface, Shi Xun seemed to be stunned by the scene, but in his heart, he was cursing nonstop. It wasn't until Taishi Ci patted his shoulder and comforted him that he came to his senses. Of course, he couldn't reveal his inner thoughts, so he just gave Taishi Ci a sad look and stomped the stirrup hard— "Let's go to Juancheng!"

Although Lü Bu's forces had not yet arrived, Juancheng was already under martial law, with scouts patrolling the roads and the city gates tightly closed, not allowing people to enter or leave easily. Fortunately, Shi Xun had lived in Juancheng for a long time, and many soldiers recognized him. When he inquired about the situation, the lower-ranking soldiers gave vague answers, saying that Cao Cao's advisor, Xun Yu, and Cheng Li were in charge, and they had recalled the nearby Qingzhou garrison troops, gathering around 13,000 men.

At the city gate, Shi Xun raised his head and announced his name, requesting entry. Soon, Cheng Li's long face appeared on the battlements, shouting down, "I thought you, Hongfu, could hold Chengyang. Why did you flee here?" Shi Xun cursed inwardly but quickly explained, "I was ordered by Cao Cao to escort grain to Runan. I left Chengyang and was robbed by bandits..."

Cheng Li was just asking casually and did not intend to make things difficult for him. He immediately ordered the gate to be opened a crack to let Shi Xun and his group in.

Inside the city, Xun Yu and Cheng Li were waiting for him. Xun Yu stepped forward, grasped his hand, and said, "It's good to see you, Hongfu. It's good..." But then he changed the subject, "Do you know what happened to Cao Quji?" Shi Xun shook his head, "Dingtao has changed hands, and the governor's whereabouts are unknown."

Cheng Li sighed lightly and then comforted Shi Xun, "Your family has already entered the city for safety. You need not worry."

Shi Xun had a small house in Juancheng for convenience, so he didn't have to sleep in the office or return to his estate outside the city. He bowed to Xun Yu and Cheng Li, saying he would go see his family and arrange for his followers before returning to the state office for a meeting.

Before he entered his house, Guan Si rushed out, grabbing his waist (she should have grabbed his shoulder, but due to the height difference, it was easier to grab his waist) and examined him thoroughly. Shi Xun smiled, "I'm fine, I'm not hurt..." Guan Si pouted and her eyes reddened, "My father was hurt!"

Indeed, a group of Lü Bu's scouts had raided Shi Xun's estate. The leader was another of Lü Bu's brave generals, Cheng Lian, who was as famous as Wei Yue. The attack was sudden, and Shi Xun's family was unprepared. There were few able-bodied guards in the estate, so two household servants were cut down, and the attackers charged inside. Fortunately, the autumn harvest was over, and Guan Hai, having nothing to do, was practicing his saber skills in the courtyard. Hearing the commotion, he ran over with his ring-headed saber and cut down one of Lü Bu's soldiers.

This enraged Cheng Lian, who charged on horseback to trample Guan Hai. If Guan Hai had been on horseback, he might not have been at a disadvantage, but unfortunately, he was on foot. If not for the narrow and confined space of the estate, which limited the movement of the horse, he might have been impaled by Cheng Lian's spear. They fought fiercely for three or four rounds, and Cheng Lian's spear struck Guan Hai's chest, causing him to fall. As Cheng Lian was about to deliver the final blow, Guan Si jumped out, drew her bow, and shot an arrow at Cheng Lian's face.

Cheng Lian deflected the arrow with his spear and said, "Hey, I like girls like you!" He abandoned Guan Hai and charged to capture Guan Si. But Guan Si was not an easy target. She turned and ran, circling the house, and when they met again, she was already on horseback with a spear in hand.

They fought for five or six rounds, but neither could gain the upper hand. However, this delay allowed the household servants, led by the steward, Yu Ta, and Bai Laowu, to gather and protect the injured Guan Hai and the elderly and women. They also shot down two cavalrymen with arrows.

Yu Ta stepped forward and called out to Cheng Lian, saying that if they continued fighting, both sides would suffer. He suggested that Cheng Lian let them leave safely in exchange for all the estate's wealth. Cheng Lian frowned and pointed at Guan Si, "Leave the girl, and I'll let the rest go."

Yu Ta replied, "That's impossible. She is our young mistress. If we leave her, we all stay. Besides, abandoning our mistress is a capital offense. We might as well fight to the death. 'There are plenty of fish in the sea.' General, you are so brave, you will find another girl you like." (Of course, Yu Ta was not a time traveler; he had just heard Shi Xun recite this phrase and found it catchy, so he remembered it.)

Cheng Lian thought for a moment and said, "Alright, I'll give you half an incense stick's time. No horses, no carts, just gather your people and leave." Yu Ta pointed at Guan Hai, "This is our maternal grandfather. He is injured and can't walk. You must allow us to use a cart to carry him—don't worry, we won't take any wealth with us."

Cheng Lian reluctantly agreed and slowly retreated on his horse. In reality, he had no good intentions. He thought the girl, though small, was strong and skilled, and in the confined space of the estate, his spear was not very effective. Once they left the estate, the open ground would make it easy to capture her.