Chapter 11 - Man From Heaven (2/2)
“Was my words empty?!” Lu Bu looked at Chen Gong and Gao Shun sternly.
“Eh!” Gao Shun lowered his head, a tiger’s gaze wasn’t something that anyone could withstand.
“Sigh!” Chen Gong sighed, this was exactly Lu Bu’s disposition. Regardless of your position, as long as he deemed you to be right, then you are right even if you are outrageously wrong! And he deemed you to be wrong, even if you are a saint, he would refuse to give you any respect!
A personality like this would certainly be of no issue should it occurred in a regular person, a general or an official. Had this personality appeared in peaceful times, it might even become an anecdote about steadfastness pa.s.sed on with approbation! Alas, Lu Bu was born into troubled times and he also became a warlord!
Unable to distinguish between rewards and punishment, merits and demerits are all dependent on his feelings! If he’s of good mood then you have conducted a meritorious deed and when he’s in a bad mood then you are to have made a mistake! A lord like this was certainly not one who would accomplish much!
But didn’t he, Chen Gong, decided to become Lu Bu’s retainer precisely because of that?!
Had Lu Bu been a schemer, had Lu Bu been like Cao Mende, lacking moral, then would this Lu Bu still be Lu Bu?!
“The lord orders, all troops are to wear mourning clothes to send generals Song Xian, Wei Xu and Hou Cheng off!” Soon, a small voice was transmitted front of the front of the mid army.
“Send off Wei Xu, Song Xian and Hou Cheng?! Were they not traitors?!”
“Send off traitors?! What’s wrong with the Lord?!” All the soldiers were muttering.
“That’s right! They were the whole reason why Xiapi was lost!” The soldiers were all raging. “I’m not going to wear mourning clothes! You guys can wear it if you want to mourn for them!”
“What happened?!” Liu Mang who was resting in the carriage came out. Just when he was in an ecstasy about being able to return back home, back to the 21st century, back to being that worthless person. But hey, at least that’s still home! Right when he was about to fire Boss Lu and say farewell, he heard the raging of the soldiers around him.
“Cheng Yu, what happened?!” Liu Mang asked Cheng Yu.
“Sire! This… this… was because the Lord ordered us to wear mourning clothes to send generals Song Xian, Wei Xu and Hou Cheng off!” It appears that things were difficult for Cheng Yu.
“To send these three off?!” Liu Mang too was confused. Wasn’t these three traitors?! Although he have never met Hou Cheng, he have met Wei Xu and Song Xian. It was from these two men that he rescued boss Lu.
“That’s right! They are traitors! Sire, please persuade the lord! The soldiers really don’t want to send them off!” Of course they won’t want to send them off. For they caused the break through of Xiapi and the death of countless soldiers in it! Oh how they wished to step and scatter filthy objects on their corpses to cause these three to be unable to reincarnated for eternity!
“This!” This task was a bit difficult for Liu Mang because he knew what Lu Bu said to Song Xian about the Bing Province Army always being their home. Go persuade him yourself!
Forget it! I am going to say farewell and stop a.s.sociating myself with boss Lu anyways, might as well go!
Having made up his mind, Liu Mang nodded and walked toward Lu Bu.
“Lord, our food supply is running low!” For this break out, they did not bothered to bring good supply. What they have was Gao Shun’s Formation Breaker’s dry rations that they carry around with them, enough to only last a few days!
“Food supply?! It became difficult for Lu Bu too. They are marching toward Langye. In Langye was Zang Ba, Zang Xuanggao. Although Zang Ba was one of the eight superior generals under Lu Bu, he was not Lu Bu’s retainer. However, Zang Ba had a spirit of loyalty and was subdued by Lu Bu. Thus, the plan Chen Gong gave Lu Bu was to incorporate the thieves Mount Tai of Zang Ba into his troops. Although this was somewhat disregarding camaraderie but Lu Bu was without other choices. He could only repay Zang Ba when he makes a comeback!
[TL: Lu Bu’s eight superior generals: Zhang Liao, Zang Ba, Hao Meng, Cao Xing, Cheng Lian, Wei Xu, Song Xian, Hou Cheng.]
The problem they encounter now was that it requires three days worth of travel to reach Langye! Certainly they cannot starve! Even if the soldiers could endure it, what about the women and children?! They certainly can’t!
“Is there any villages nearby?!” Lu Bu began to move his mind! Like Cao Cao, he too was a selfish individual. The only difference between them was that Cao Cao was willing to sacrifice the world for himself whereas Lu Bu was willing to sacrifice the world for his brothers!
Lu Bu wanted to pillage villages for food.
“There is a Zhouzhuang with a population of three hundred!” Being a general, Gao Shun was very knowledgeful of the terrains of the whole Xu Province.
“Fengxian, are you really going to do this?!” Chen Gong frowned. It is impossible for there to be any survivors once they pillage the village. A village of over three hundred! That’s three hundred lives! Although they live in troubled times where human lives were no more worthy than those of dogs, Chen Gong was still unable to harden his heart.
“Then do you have any other suggestion?!” Lu Bu asked instead.
“I… Sigh!” Chen Gong sighed. He does not know of a different method. Afterall, they cannot starve to death here and thus, their only solution was to sacrifice the village.
“You could leave the problems regarding food supply to me!” A person came forward. Wasn’t this Liu Mang who wanted to say farewell to Lu Bu?!
“Zhang Liao’s soldiers numbered a thousand, the Formation Breaker numbered seven hundred, your soldiers numbered two hundred and adding on the children and women, we have two thousand and a hundred some people needing food for three days! You’re but a frail scholar, where would you find food?!” Lu Bu was not convinced.
“Isn’t it only three days worth of food for some two thousand people?! I’ll find it for you!” Liu Mang looked at with furious eyes. Pillage Zhouzhuang?! Although Liu Mang did not know where Zhouzhuang is, he knew that there was some three hundred lives there! Human lives in troubled times are no more worthy than those of dogs but Liu Mang was not a person from troubled times! Although he was fine with killing on the battlefield, he was unable to accept this kind of ma.s.sacre!
“Ah, little brother really have a way?!” Chen Gong too did not want to see civilians die tragically! “This is something that cannot be joked around!”
“I am willing to set up a military order!” Liu Mang knew that unless he does something dramatic, they will not believe him.
“Did you think the military order is child’s play thing?! If you cannot find the food, you’d be killed!” roared Lu Bu.
“My Lord, perhaps little teacher really have a way!” Gao Shun really admired this little teacher.
Hey hey! If it’s teacher than just teacher, why add little?! Where am I little?! Where?!
“That’s right. Fengxian, just give it a try! Even if it doesn’t work out, Zhouzhuang is enroute ahead anyways, it won’t be too late to capture it then!”
“Good! I’ll give you a chance. Two days. In two days time, if you cannot find food, then I could only kill you as a punishment!” Two days was the maximum they can go with the amount of food they have.
“No need for two days, a single day is enough!” Originally Liu Mang planned for half a day but he figured that he’d need a day to cool off.
“Without further ado, I will go find food! Bye Bye, Boss Lu! ” In front of Lu Bu, Liu Mang confirmed the return b.u.t.ton.
A golden ray s.h.i.+ned down on Liu Mang. Soon, Liu Mang disappeared.
“This! This!” Not only Lu Bu, even Chen Gong, the kind of tactician who could stay calm and composed amongst armies of tens of thousands, was unable to stay calm and collected.
“Celestial being?!” After a long lag did Gao Shun finally managed to say these words.
“A man from Heaven?!” said Lu Bu, unable to believe it.
“Fengxian, Fengxian! Is little brother Liu surnamed Liu?!” Cheng Gong asked abruptly with excitement.
Nonsense! How would little brother Liu not be surnamed Liu?!
Lu Bu nodded his head and said. “He once said that his elder brother was His Majesty!”
“His Majesty?!” Chen Gong immediately stirred himself up. “Surnamed Liu! A man from Heaven?! Sibling of His Majesty! Heaven a.s.sist the great Han dynasty! Oh Heaven a.s.sist the great Han dynasty!”
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