Chapter 7 - Breakthrough (1/2)
Chapter 7 - Breakthrough
Original by Bro Got a Gun, Translated by James
Gradually the night deepened. With a bright moon in the sky, the scenery was like a picturesque charm - one that was meant for moon watching with beauties and poetries.
But Xiapi, the once flouris.h.i.+ng city of Xu Province, was still in b.l.o.o.d.y strife.
The city was engulfed in countless flames. Sounds of fighting could be heard everywhere.
Lu Bu was sitting next to Liu Mang. While Liu Mang could rest, he was not able to. The burning city, every sound of fighting, every scream, every newly lit fire meant that his subordinates, those determined men, are being buried in this ancient city.
“What time is it?” Liu Mang suddenly woke up. He was was tired. Having prepared the whole morning for the Cosplay Contest and then killing all afternoon after being sent to this time. He was dead tired. So tired that he wanted to just lay down and not move at all. However, he still had to move. He did not want to die! He wanted to survive!
“It’s already the hour of Xu now.” Lu Bu said calmly.
“Hour of Xu?!” The ancients used the the ten heavenly stems and the twelve earthly branches for their time into twelve two-hour periods. This hour of Xu is 7pm to 9pm. Liu Mang remembered that when he went to rest, the sun haven’t set. Thus, it should be around 5pm. Now it’s seven something, he had rested for about two hours.
“It’s time for us to move into action!” The sky had darkened. Even with the huge fire in Xiapi, it was still hard to distinguish in the dark.
“Let’s break out via the West Gate!” Lu Bu stood up to inform Gao Shun and Zhang Liao. However, he was stopped by Liu Mang.
“We cannot go through the West Gate!” Liu Mang said.
“Why?” Lu Bu was confused. The East Gate, which was the White Gate Tower, had been lost. The North Gate was guarded by Gao Shun. With Gao Shun currently being here, it meant that the North Gate was also lost. Following, the South Gate too was lost. There’s only the West Gate being guarded by Chen Gong, it should still be standing.
“To go through the West Gate is seeking death itself!” Although Liu Mang does not understand the art of war, he knew of psychology. With three out of four gates of Xiapi being broken through, the last gate too is inevitably going to be lost. Thus, the last gate was no longer crucial to the siege of the city. Rather, it was a place for one to gain credits - the credit of breaking through the gate!
In this siege of Xiapi, Cao Cao brought with him generals Cao Ren, Xiahou Yuan and Xiahou Dun. Below them was the generals Xu Huang, Lu Qian and Li Dian. Not to mention the three peach brothers! A gathering of all star generals. Alas, this Xiapi had but four gates - not at all dividable between all these generals. Thus, this last gate would be a scramble for credits.
“We will go toward the East Gate. We will break out through the East Gate!” Liu Mang made up his mind.
“East Gate? Are you out of your mind?!” Lu Bu shouted. “The East Gate was the White Gate Tower - the place we just lost. Because I was there, the East Gate was also the gate Cao Cao sent the most troops toward. How could we break through via the East Gate?! The East Gate is out of question. We are to break through via the West Gate!”
It was written that Lu Bu was a very stubborn person. Originally, Liu Mang did not believe that but now he does. Lu Bu rejected him without even giving him a chance to explain himself. No wonder Lu Bu still lose so thoroughly even with a first cla.s.s military advisor Chen Gong, the first cla.s.s troops Formation Breaker and the Heavy Cavalry of Bing Province, and himself, the pinnacle of super first cla.s.s general.
But, Liu Mang had a way to deal with people like Lu Bu.
People like Lu Bu are like hedgehogs. If you stroke him following the spines, nothing would happen. If you stroke him against the spines, your hand will be p.r.i.c.ked full of blood.
“Boss Lu, do you not want revenge?!” With just one sentence, Lu Bu’s stubbornness was lifted.
“Revenge?!” Lu Bu’s eyes s.h.i.+ned. In this darkness, Lu Bu’s eyes were terrifying.
“Yes. Revenge. Bullied so badly by taitor Cao and betrayed by Wei Xu, Song Xian and Hou Cheng. Are you just going to leave without doing anything? Did you not want to kill those three traitors and give traitor Cao a payback?!”
“What must I do?!” Lu Bu was very direct. Although he was known as a hero, he was also a vile person. One of the main characteristics of a vile person was their vindictiveness.
Cao Cao brought forth to him so much pain, how could he possibly not give Cao Cao a payback? There’s the three traitors Wei Xu, Hou Cheng and Song Xian too. Everyone have such an characteristic - one’s hatred for traitors are much stronger than one’s hatred for enemies. E.g. the Chinese traitors in the Sino j.a.panese War. Cursing them so much, enough for at least three generations of ancestors and descendants.
[TL: No idea who author decided to add it. Guess it resonates with the chinese people. Many still aren’t over what the j.a.panese did in WWII.]
“Breakthrough via the East Gate!” Liu Mang spoke his mind. “It is true that the Cao troops was most heavily stationed in the East Gate. However, that is to guard against the Lu Bu army!”
“What do you mean?!” Lu Bu inquired.
“Hehe. We are now Cao troops under General Xiahou Yuan’s nephew. Say, would the Cao troops be stopping us now?!”
“That’s right!” Lu Bu only now remembered that Liu Mang had Zhang Liao get all the soldiers to change into Cao army uniform. Under the dark sky, it would be hard to differentiate them from regular Cao soldiers.
“Cao army had broken through Xiapi. With the whole Xu Province in his fingertips, based on Cao Cao’s personality, how would he possibly not express his heroics and enjoy the feeling of a victor? Thus, he would certainly be holding a celebratory banquet for his acquisition of Xu Province in the building that indicates Xiapi - the White Gate Tower!” In the Romance of Three Kingdoms, boss Lu was killed on the same White Gate Tower.
“The moment when one is most proud is also the moment when one is most neglectful. Say, how strong would his guard be at that moment?! The reason why I had general Zhang Liao lead the front and the eight hundred Formation Breaker following behind was to see if there was a chance to directly a.s.sault Cao Cao’s tent. The three traitors are certainly going to be with Cao Cao. Perhaps, if we were lucky, we could get rid of Cao Cao, deciding Heaven and Earth in a single inning. Once Cao Cao is dead, both the Yan Province and the Xu Province will be sent into chaos. Boss Lu could take advantage of the situation and replace Cao Cao. Even if we can’t kill him, we would still leave the city in quick succession, making a comeback at another date!”
[TL: 一局定乾坤: deciding Heaven and Earth in a single inning. Basically, one moved settled the game. Kill Cao Cao, win game.]
After hearing Liu Mang’s explanation, two words was evoked into Lu Bu’s mind - do it!
What the Lu Bu army was best at was their speed. Formation Breaker was the elite amongst elite and the rest of the Lu Bu army was those that had survived despite all odds; soldiers that had experienced hundreds of battles, their speed certainly not slow.
Holding the banners of Xiahou De, an army of “Cao soldiers” strut toward the White Gate Tower.
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On the White Gate Tower
Cao Cao was holding a banquet. He cannot withhold himself from showing off his strength and vigour! That Lu Bu, the same Lu Bu who once held the twelve warlords to naught was defeated by him. Not only had he defeated Lu Bu, he also obtained Lu Bu’s estates. Perhaps later he will obtain his harem too - he had yearned for Diaochan for quite some time now.
“Congratulations Prime Minister! Xiapi had been conquered; as for Xu Province, it is within the grasps of sire’s palms. With Xu Province in hand, sire could feed a hundred thousand troops!” A scholar kneeled to congratulate Cao Cao.
“Haha. Rise, rise!” Cao Cao was in a very good mood. As for the person kneeling on the ground, he’s Chen Qun who had previously been serving Lu Bu. This Chen Qun was a very talented individual. Lu Bu didn’t use him? Well, I, Cao Mende will certainly use him. Haha.
“Being able to conquer Xiapi and defeat Lu Bu today is all because of everyone present! I, Cao Mende, thank you all here!” Xiapi ah, Xu Province ah, oh this was a fertile region. Although being the battlefield of four battles, it could still feed an army of a hundred thousand.
[TL: Literal translation of fertile region: land of fish and rice.]
Cao Cao didn’t set his sight on the Xu Province just once or twice. The first time he attacked Xu Province, he did it under the guise of his father Cao Song’s death. The then owner of Xu Province was Tao Qian, the old and corrupt. Although Tao Qian was no master of the arts of war, he fought Cao Cao back just by using the wealth of Xu Province.
And now was the second time he attacked Xu Province. After much cultivation, Cao Cao finally fought all the way to Xiapi using his Qing Province soldiers. h.e.l.l, this was also because Lu Bu dug his own grave by refusing to listen to his advisor.
[TL: Lu Bu did not listen to his advisor Chen Gong’s advice to attack Cao Cao when their troops were tired from a long march. Instead, he decided to stay in Xiapi and wait for Cao Cao to arrive.]
“Dare not, dare not!” Cao Cao’s subordinates all lowered their heads, humbly refusing to accept Cao’s thanks.