Chapter 94

Taishi Ci knew that he could not possibly win a direct confrontation with Lu Bu—unless he was on drugs, but unfortunately, there were no stimulants available in this era. So, if he wanted to take a chance, he could only resort to his old tricks, relying on the stirrups to attack from the side. Although Lu Bu's horsemanship was extremely superb, and his side attacks were no less powerful than his own, Taishi Ci could use underhanded tactics, such as sealing his opponent's weapon before drawing his own saber—yes, Lu Bu had locked his spear, but in doing so, he had also locked his own halberd.

However, what Taishi Ci did not expect was that Lu Bu could see through his intentions and grabbed his wrist. This left Taishi Ci in a difficult position, and he had no choice but to put all his strength into his right foot, stomping hard on the stirrup, almost causing his mount to tilt. He then tried to transfer this force to his right arm, hoping to break through Lu Bu's defense.

But who would have thought that in just a blink of an eye, he felt his right foot suddenly become empty—his force was so strong that the leather strap of the stirrup was snapped! Taishi Ci lost his balance, stumbled, and thought to himself that there was no other way out but to fight to the death. He used his calves to firmly grip his mount and then, along with his horse, fell toward Lu Bu.

At this moment, the force applied to Lu Bu was not just from Taishi Ci but also from a large horse. Even if it were Chitu, it would not be able to withstand such a force! It was truly a scene of mountains collapsing and pillars breaking, as both warriors and their horses fell to the side, almost tumbling into a daze.

Lu Bu, of course, could not allow this to happen—falling down would mean being crushed by two horses and a Taishi Ci, which could easily result in spitting blood or even being flattened. In a critical moment, Lu Bu released his hands and legs, performed a powerful flip in the air, and landed steadily a few feet away.

As Lu Bu landed, Taishi Ci also landed, though he stumbled more and looked more disheveled than Lu Bu. However, because he had a plan from the moment they started to fall, his reaction was faster than Lu Bu's—he had not let go of his weapons and took the opportunity to throw his long knife, using his left hand to grab both the spear and the halberd.

Lu Bu, unable to attend to his halberd, had to first take care of his horse. As the saying goes, "Among men, Lu Bu; among horses, Chitu." If Chitu were injured, could Lu Bu still be called the "Flying General"? He quickly returned, grabbed the reins, and pulled Chitu up. Chitu, indeed, was the best horse of the time, and although it had fallen, it got up with a pull, and apart from some dust on its body, it seemed to have no injuries.

Taishi Ci's mount, although a good horse, was clearly injured, and Taishi Ci did not try to save it. The horse struggled on the ground, neighing sadly, but could not get up. However, at this moment, Taishi Ci had a spear in his left hand and a halberd in his right, and with all his strength, he struck at Lu Bu. Lu Bu, with no weapon in hand, dared not resist and hastily jumped onto his horse, forced to retreat.

At the moment the two warriors fell, the soldiers on both sides rushed forward to rescue them. As soon as Lu Bu fled, two of his generals, Zhang Liao and Song Xian, rode up, each wielding a weapon, and charged at Taishi Ci. Taishi Ci used his right halberd to block Zhang Liao, fighting to a draw, and his left spear to block Song Xian, causing Song Xian to wobble on his horse, almost falling off.

At this moment, Taishi Ci's soldiers also rushed over to protect him, and a cavalryman dismounted, offering his horse to Taishi Ci. Lu Bu's retreat caused a significant drop in morale among his troops, and Zhang Liao and Song Xian, already somewhat intimidated, were further discouraged when Xiahou Dun broke free from Gao Shun and joined the battle. The two generals had no choice but to perform a few feints and follow Lu Bu in retreat.

Xun, who had come early in the morning to deliver firecrackers to Taishi Ci and had not yet returned, watched the entire scene from a nearby high ground. He could not help but laugh out loud: "The best in the world, from now on, is Taishi Ziyi. Hahaha, this battle is truly exhilarating—more so than the 'Huashan Swordsmanship Competition'!"

Lu Bu's troops suffered a heavy blow, and with their fortifications incomplete, when Cao Cao's army arrived at dusk, he had to retreat under the advice of Chen Gong.

Xun brought Taishi Ci to the main tent to meet Cao Cao. As soon as they met, Taishi Ci knelt on one knee and called out, "Lord Cao." Cao Cao had already heard from Xiahou Dun about his duel with Lu Bu, and he was as delighted as if someone had given him a black, extended Rolls-Royce. He immediately lifted Taishi Ci with both hands and said, "Ziyi, the greatest warrior in the world, is now willing to serve me. What a fortunate day for Cao Cao!"

Taishi Ci replied, "I am merely a brute. My ability to force Lu Bu to retreat is all due to Hongfu's strategy." Xun, who was standing nearby, was taken aback and secretly gave a thumbs up: "Ziyi, you are truly a man of honor, willing to give credit to me. Indeed, I started hugging your legs from the ship back to Shandong, and it was the right choice!"

Taishi Ci made a grand gesture, but Xun could not accept all the credit, even if he had the thick skin to do so. As a scholar rather than a warrior, he had to maintain a humble and cautious demeanor. He immediately clasped his hands and said, "Ziyi, you defeated Lu Bu in battle, and he fled in haste. What merit do I have?"

Taishi Ci said, "If not for Hongfu inviting me to Yanzhou, how could I have faced Lu Bu? If not for Hongfu teaching me the use of the stirrup, how could I have defeated Lu Bu? If not for Hongfu giving me firecrackers to intimidate the enemy, I could not have faced Lu Bu in the midst of thousands of horses."

Xun wanted to continue playing the humble role, but Cao Cao grabbed his arm: "Hongfu is a remarkable talent, known to me for a long time." Xun, though thick-skinned, felt a bit embarrassed and thought, "I am not worthy, not worthy. You should go back to Juancheng and tell Guo Jia..." He quickly changed the subject and lowered his head, saying, "Unfortunately, the fate of Lord Cao is still unknown..."

Before he could finish, a familiar voice came from beside him: "Thank you for your concern, I am safe and sound."

Xun could not help but shrink back— "When did you appear, Cao Qùjí? Were you there all along? No way..."

Later, it turned out that Cao De, though he had abandoned the city and fled south to join Cao Cao, had a smooth journey that made Xun envious and jealous—after all, Xun had encountered Lu Bu's cavalry and might not have passed safely if not for Taishi Ci defeating Wei Yue. He thought, "This 'stone hat boy' could probably stroll past Wei Yue without being noticed."

Fortunately, Cao De did not live in the 21st century, or he would have been run over by a car as soon as he stepped out—except for cameras, who would notice him?

Seeing Cao De unharmed, Xun was delighted. In this world, he had been here for a long time, and he had only a few friends: Taishi Ci, Chen Deng, and Cao De. Comparing them in his mind, he realized that they all shared a common trait—extreme intelligence. He thought, "If I can be friends with them, I must not be an ordinary person... I must not belittle myself."

The next morning, the army continued north, quickly crossed the Ji River, and arrived at Dingtao. Taishi Ci was ordered to challenge the city, but Lu Bu did not dare to come out—no, he was not afraid, but he was ashamed. Taishi Ci had forced him to retreat in the midst of thousands of soldiers, and the army was now full of rumors and speculation. Lu Bu thought, "Taishi Ci's skills are decent, but his tricks are even more numerous. If I make a mistake, I will not be able to lead my troops anymore."

The Cao army spent three days building siege equipment and then attacked for two days. Lu Bu was forced to break through and flee westward. News came that Cheng Li had defeated Zhang Miao at Cangting and crossed the Yellow River, heading for Dongwuyang. Chen Gong, fearing the loss of the last stronghold in Dongjun, advised Lu Bu to retreat hastily.

Cao Cao pursued, but his vanguard was defeated by Gao Shun, who was guarding the rear, losing nearly a thousand men. He had to stop temporarily. He left Cao De in Dingtao and returned to Juancheng with Taishi Ci, Xun, and others, joining forces with Xun Yu and Cheng Li.

After the battle, Cao Cao rewarded the meritorious. He appointed Guo Jia as the Chief Military Advisor, replacing Xi Zhicai, and appointed Cheng Li as the Governor of Dongping, stationed in Fan City—incidentally, he changed Cheng Li's name to Cheng Yu due to a strange dream. As for Taishi Ci, he was appointed as a Special Commandant and a Cavalry Commander, ranking alongside major generals like Xiahou Dun and Cao Ren.

Finally, it was Xun's turn. Cao Cao promoted him to the position of Censor. A Censor is a subordinate official of a provincial governor, with the full title "Censorial Officer," including roles such as Chief Censor, Special Censor, Registrar, Military Registrar, and Censors of various commanderies and states. In simple terms, they are high-ranking clerks in the governor's office. Originally, provincial governors were merely 600-dan inspectors, so the rank of Censors was also low, at 100 dan—county magistrates were 1,000 dan, and county heads were 300 or 400 dan. However, as provincial governors rose to power in the late Han, they often took charge of both military and civil affairs, becoming higher-level administrative officials. Consequently, their Censors also gained more power, not inferior to the 2,000-dan governors and administrators of commanderies and states.

Cao Cao held the titles of Governor of Yanzhou and Acting Vigorous Martial General, so he had two sets of officials: one led by Chief Censor Chen Gong, responsible for pure administrative duties, and the other led by Military Commandant Xun Yu, responsible for both military and administrative duties. Now that Chen Gong had betrayed, Cao Cao promoted Mao Jie to Chief Censor, and the other officials moved up in rank, leaving the position of Censor of Jiyin Commandery for Xun—perhaps intending to pair him with his brother Cao De.

Xun thought, "More than a year ago, Tao Qian sent me to Yanzhou, intending to give me the position of Censor, which I declined. I never thought that I would end up with this position under Cao Cao." He knew that the position Tao Qian offered was nominal, just to make his mission sound better, while the position Cao Cao gave him was real.

In the Han Dynasty, the number of official local government officials was very small, with only three formal civil servants in a county. Originally, the 600-dan provincial governors had all their subordinates appointed by themselves, similar to secretaries in later times. Censors, with a salary of 100 dan, were officially recognized by the court, which was already quite remarkable. If Cao Cao did not continue to rise in rank, he could not offer Xun a higher position.

Of course, for a warlord like Cao Cao, the administrative and military systems were essentially one and the same. As a Censor, Xun could be considered a strategist for Cao Cao, at least on par with Mao Jie, Xue Ti, and Lu Qian. He was not greedy and knew that he could not expect a "Xun Yu, Xun You, Jia Xu, Xun Biography" in the future. Being included in the "Cheng, Guo, Dong, Liu, Jiang, Liu, Xun Biography" would be enough to satisfy him.

(End of Chapter 3: Gao Yi Becomes a Ruined City)

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