Vol 9 Chapter 161 (2/2)

“Hai…” I could not help but to sigh at Cao Ren’s words, “Perhaps I won’t be nervous when the battle starts.”

“Un? How does that work?” Cao Ren asked but soon understood what it was that I was worried about, “Could it be that you still feel that the defections might be fake?”

“Un…” I could not deny what Cao Ren said but I could not deny her with surety either.

“Logically speaking, each of their defections and their reasons for doing so make sense.” I said as I took a deep breath, “But I still feel like there is something off about it.”

I cannot quite describe how I am feeling but the uneasiness inside me has grown as the days went by.

“I can understand how Lord Li Dian feels.” Cao Ren said as she gave me a kind smile, “It’s not surprising to have this sort of jittery feeling when our plan hinges on their defection. I too have felt rather nervous these 2 days.”

“… Un.”

… Nervous huh? But is it really just nervousness that I am feeling?

“Lord Li Dian, don’t think too much. Any issues that crop up in battle will be dealt with then.” Cao Ren continued but when she saw that I did not react, she added, “Or, how about we do it this way?”

“Un?” I hurriedly looked over when it seemed like there were new ideas.

“If a battle were to take place in the city, there would definitely be a lot of noise, smoke and explosions. And the troops that came out of the city to engage us would definitely seem surprised and shocked by all that.” Cao Ren said while she thought about it, “If that happens, then it must be true. If all that happened was that the gates opened, then it must be fake.”

Even though what she said was obvious, it is indeed something we should look put for.

“I think that works.” I said and thought about it before tugging my hat upwards, “If we sense that something is amiss in the city, we will stay put and defeat the troops outside the city before pulling back.”

“That works as well.” Cao Ren nodded immediately, “But I don’t think that will come to pa.s.s.”

“Compared to me, it seems like Lord Cao Ren doesn’t have much suspicions huh?”

“Maybe.” Cao Ren smiled and softly kicked her horse in the side to make it go faster, “Now that Liu Bei is dead, I really have no reason to think that they would execute such a scheme.”

Yes, that is also the main reason why I have leaned towards believing them as well.

But even so, we have to be careful and take note of what we discussed earlier just in case. If what should happen does not, then we must react immediately and retreat as soon as possible. I, Li Dian, have only mediocre capabilities in the aspects of martial arts and strategy. The only thing I have more than most other people is prudence.

I looked down at the spear in my right hand as I thought so. Now that Guan Yu has defected, there is no reason for me to compete with her any longer. Even though I am relatively adept in all long weapons, at the end of the day, I am most used to a spear.

I looked at Xinye and saw that there was no movement from Xinye even now. If everything went according to plan, Lu Bu should now be getting drunk thanks to Zhang Liao’s efforts. And soon, Zhao Yun would be leading her troops out of the city. We will see what happens after that.

“My lords, is there any task for me to accomplish later on?”

Un? Just then, another general came up to us. She looked rather thin but I could still feel the aura of a warrior coming off of her. I looked over at her and felt surprised, “Why are you here?”

“Un? … Lu Xiang?” Cao Ren seemed surprised as well when she heard my question and called out to her.

“My lords, apologies for my lateness.” Lu Xiang apologised as she saluted us respectfully.

I looked closely at her and saw that she was still covered in bandages. It was clear that she had not yet fully recovered from her wounds yet she had caught upto us.

“Who let you come here?” Cao Ren asked, half in anger and half in lament, as she went around and rode beside Lu Xiang.

“I spoke with Lord Shen Pei this morning.” Lu Xiang replied as she smiled bitterly.

“And she agreed?”

“She didn’t but I still came anyway. Hahaha.”

Ever since Lu Kuang died, there has not been cheer on Lu Xiang’s face. All emotions that could be seen were helplessness and despair. Her bitter laughter now is the same as well.

“…” Cao Ren wordlessly touched Lu Xiang’s waist and applied strength–

“Wu!” Lu Xiang cried out and fell onto her horse with a painful expression.

“You haven’t recovered at all.” Cao Ren said with a worried look.

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