Chapter 40 Yu Yu Jin
Before noon, on the Jishui River.

The sun is shining brightly, shining into the compartment through the gaps.

Zhen Mi woke up from a nightmare and subconsciously reached out to touch her throat, but there was not even a scar.

I also touched the collar of several layers of silk clothes. The silk was sticky with dried blood and felt hard and scratchy.

She managed to stand up with her hands. Fortunately, she reacted quickly and stopped immediately, otherwise she would have hit her head on the roof.

He was about to walk out of the cubicle with one hand on the wooden wall, and as soon as he drew back the curtain, he saw Taoist Gao Shun sitting cross-legged on the ground.

The hand that had opened the curtain then slowly put it back again, and she also took small steps back, moving gently.

Turning around to observe the shooting hole, I saw an endless wilderness outside, with ruins of villages scattered everywhere.

The country roads that were trampled out by generations of people during the pre-Qin and Han dynasties were swallowed up by weeds and thorns.

At this time, Black Bear was sitting on the mainmast lookout. The slight swing of the warship would cause a shaking displacement of seven or eight inches when it reached him.

He looked far upstream of the Ji River and saw Dingtao, the capital of Jiyin County.

The structure of Dingtao is similar to that of Yecheng. Dingtao is the center of textile trade in the Central Plains. It benefits from the water transport of the Ji River and has been a famous metropolis in the Central Plains since the pre-Qin period.

In order to make better use of the Ji River, the city of Dingtao is located on both sides of the Ji River, with two cities, one in the south and one in the north.

Unlike Yecheng, Yecheng was once attacked and plundered by the Black Mountain Army during Yuan Shao's rule, and Yuan Shao's family was almost taken away.

After stabilizing Hebei, Yuan Shao mobilized manpower to expand and renovate Yecheng, covering the riverside area.

But the core of Yecheng is always the North City, and South Yecheng is its subsidiary.

The commander of the road, Lu Bu, rode his dry horse tirelessly back and forth, and the farthest he could run was six or seven miles away.

This made Black Bear a little disappointed, although he knew that Taoist soldiers could only exist within a certain range.

But they still wanted to continuously strengthen and expand their range of activities, but the gold-armored Taoist soldiers were only a little more than a mile farther away than the leather-armored Taoist soldiers.

The range of action has limited growth and will not expand exponentially due to the strengthening of Taoist soldiers. This is the reason for disappointment.

With yourself as the center point, you can deploy Taoist soldiers Lu Bu within a radius of six or seven miles, and you can also recall them and deploy them again.

But there is a problem. Throwing out a card is a fixed 'casting action', and the card has a flight time. The farther the distance, the longer the flight time.

This phenomenon also occurs during recalls.

The flying speed of the card depends on your power bursting skill when throwing the card.

The farther the Taoist soldier's 'teleport' distance is, the longer the 'cooling down' time is, which makes sense.

Even if you are within a range of thirty or forty steps around you, there is still a delay in recalling and summoning the spell.

There is no true teleportation.

However, the mobility and assault capabilities of the Taoist soldiers can no longer be described as powerful.

Even if your arms feel weak and sore when placing cards, this shortcoming is nothing compared to the huge advantage of suddenly appearing and attacking!
As long as the card's flight trajectory can cross the obstacle, it is not considered an obstacle!

If you have enough strength, you can accurately deploy your weapons within your sight, kill generals and seize flags on the battlefield, or strike at the weakest part of the enemy and hijack the leader.

While thinking about the techniques of using the Taoist soldiers, he saw six or seven knights rushing out of Dingtao City and coming along the Jishui River.

Black Bear raised his hand and the Taoist soldier Lu Bu, who was riding a horse, turned into a card and flew towards him.

Seeing that they were less than two miles away from the Jishui watershed, he didn't need to worry. Xuan Liang, who was in charge of commanding the flagship, had already begun to order the sails to be retracted and the speed to be slowed down.

"Stop before the ship!"

The running knight raised his halberd high. The halberd is a wooden token, similar in shape to a halberd.

When they got close to the shore, the leading knight shouted, "Stop the boat! Halt!"

Immediately three people dismounted, took a standing shooting stance with their bows and arrows, and aimed at the mainmast lookout tower which was easiest to observe.

Seeing such hostility, the Taoist soldier Lu Bu appeared from forty or fifty steps behind the group of people, accelerated his horse, and attacked with his halberd.

Another four Taoist soldiers also appeared on both sides, one in front and one behind, rushing forward with halberds in hand to attack.

Six people were killed in four or five breaths, and another person, seeing that the situation was not going well, dropped his weapon and ran away on his horse.

He had not run fifty steps before Lü Bu caught up with him and stabbed him to death with his halberd.

Inside the cabin, Zhen Mi leaned against the firing hole and observed the sudden attack.

As she frowned and tried to deduce the arrangement of the white-robed ambush, she saw the infantry soldiers make a finishing move, then gathered their horses and disappeared together.

Naturally, they could recognize that these were the bandits who kidnapped and held them hostage, but they just disappeared out of thin air in broad daylight!

Her eyes widened as she stepped back, then she slowly slid down to sit on the straw mat with her back against the wooden wall, her eyes slightly dazed.

The flagship slowly turned south, and the sailors on board rowed the boat and turned into the mouth of the Sishui River.

Black Bear also slid down from the mast at this time and said to Xuan Liang who was walking towards him quickly: "After the whole team crosses the river mouth, stop the boat. We need to replenish fodder. The seven horses on the north bank must not be missed. Bring them to the boat."

"Yes."

Xuan Liang did not hesitate and turned around to make arrangements.

Liu Ye also came forward and said, "This place is less than 20 miles away from Dingtao. If we stay here, I'm afraid Cheng Yu will send troops to invade us."

During this period of time, Liu Ye has roughly figured out some of Black Bear's cards.

Although the five elusive Taoist soldiers were very effective, they were somewhat overwhelmed when facing a well-trained phalanx of a hundred men.

The five men couldn't stop the spears and halberds from coming at them in a disorderly manner from the square formation of a hundred men.

How can we fight back when our position is in disarray and we can't even stand steadily?
If they cannot counterattack, then the opponent's phalanx will only advance steadily and crush them.

Seeing Black Bear thinking, Liu Ye continued, "Since the end of last summer, Cheng Yu has recruited refugees from Jiyin and Dongping, and has selected the best soldiers to get 3,000. We must not be careless." "Since it is a newly formed army, if he dares to come, I will teach him my methods."

Black Bear said calmly: "If you want to take the Central Plains water system, you must show your ability to avoid being targeted by the garrisons and generals along the way."

"Uh……"

Liu Ye was stunned and anxious, and said frankly: "In my humble opinion, the reason why you were able to escape from the Central Plains against the enemy is because Cao Cao was too powerful and unprepared. If Cheng Yu knew your ability, he would definitely chase you and urge the Huai and Si counties to set up defenses to intercept you."

"There are blockades in front and Cheng Yu's pursuit behind. Most of the people under your command are hastily joined together. They are bound to be panic-stricken. How can they last long?"

Seeing that Black Bear looked unhappy, Liu Ye said gently, "It's not that I don't know your ability, but Cheng Yu is far superior to ordinary people. Your fleet was hastily assembled. If you see so many pursuers, you will surely collapse if you rebel."

The momentum must not collapse.

When Liu Ye was still a young man, he killed the powerful general Deng Bao with his own hands and entered the camp alone to surrender his troops, relying on his power; when Liu Xun dominated the Jianghuai region, even Sun Ce had to use a humble attitude to paralyze and deceive Liu Xun.

As a result, the core city was breached by Sun Ce's surprise attack, Liu Xun's main force of 20,000 to 30,000 people were defeated, and the peripheral branches also scattered.

"You have a point, but if Cheng Yu dares to come, even if I can't break his army, I can still take his head."

Black Bear looked at the area around Sishuikou: "My lord and I have some differences in our perception of the enemy and ourselves. In my opinion, Cao Cao's army is stationed in Chenliu to observe the changes in Hebei and wait for an opportunity to move. His elite troops are also stationed on the south bank of the Yellow River. There is Xiahou Yuan in Yingchuan, Xiahou Dun in Luoyang, and Man Chong in Runan. These three are there to respond to the changes in Jingzhou."

"At a time like this, Cao Cao will not easily mobilize his elite troops. If Cao's elite troops don't come, what is there to fear from Cheng Yu's new army?"

"So I can dominate the Central Plains, not because I am small, but because Cao Cao is intent on taking Hebei. He is very patient now and will not be distracted or waste his troops here. Otherwise, it would be a waste to mobilize a large army, and it would be futile to mobilize a small army."

"Mr., you only saw my disadvantages, but not Cao Cao's strength. If I can kill Cheng Yu, Cao Cao's trap will be broken."

"As for whether Cao Cao would do his utmost to seek revenge after killing Cheng Yu..."

Black Bear said with a chuckle: "Even if Cao Hong and Cao Ren died in my hands, the current Cao Cao would not change his strategy. Compared with the Caos and Xiahou, Cheng Yu is nothing to mention."

Liu Ye was speechless and said, "I see that your actions are only to hinder Cao Gong. Is this an act of seeking a great cause or revenge? The one who can rule the world now is Cao Gong. If you hinder him because of personal grudges, the people will suffer from disasters and chaos, which is our fault."

While sighing, Liu Ye pointed at the ships that were turning around and heading into the Si River in the back and said, "If you don't have great ambitions, gathering those people around will only lead to mistakes. Without them delaying you, with your skills, you can go anywhere in the world. How could you end up in such a state of hesitation?"

Mobility. If Black Bear were to go alone and cause destruction, there would be no peace under Cao Cao's rule.

He killed more than a dozen people a day, especially low-level officials.

In two or three months, the imperial court will have to send someone to appoint officials.

Liu Ye hesitated to speak, and before leaving, he bowed again and said, "Sir, you should make a decision soon."

Black Bear just nodded. He understood what Liu Ye meant, and probably Liu Ye also understood his difficulties.

It is true that this is a pirate ship, but it is difficult to survive if you get on board and then get off again under Cao Cao's rule.

At this moment, Dingtao City.

On the top of the city wall, Cheng Yu climbed up to look out, accompanied by Yu Jin, who was escorting the grain boats.

Yu Jin looked serious and meticulous. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw from afar that the other party turned south from the Jishui watershed into the Sishui watershed.

He was really lucky. Just as he arrived in Dingtao while escorting a batch of grain from Jinan and Dongping, the enemy fleet came sailing against the Ji River day and night.

If he rests for half a day longer or delays his journey by one day, he will encounter the other party.

They were already somewhat suspicious of the other party's identity, and as a result, all the envoys they sent were killed.

Such a clear hostile attitude can only mean that the other party is from Hebei.

Cheng Yu thought for a moment and said, "The leader of the White Goose bandits wanted to alienate the brothers Yuan Tan and Yuan Shang, but the Yuan brothers swore to make peace. I think the White Goose bandits can no longer gain a foothold in Hebei. Now judging from the other side's attitude, it must be the White Goose bandits. Now they are heading south again. What do you think we should do?"

"The White Goose Bandits will certainly replenish Hebei's armor and weapons when they leave Hebei. When they join forces with the Hebei troops, they will certainly intend to disrupt Cao Gong's heart."

Yu Jin thought without hesitation: "Gather the soldiers, block all the water outlets, and capture them all in one fell swoop!"

Yu Jin, who was born in the northern part of Mount Tai, was skeptical about the strange legend of the White Goose Thief.

Before and after he followed Bao Xin, he witnessed the worship of King Chengyang in Jinan State, various sacrifices and legends of the Lord of Mount Tai, and fought with various Yellow Turban armies.

As for the strange legend of the White Goose Thief, in his eyes, the legend will always be just a legend.

"Wen is loyal, brave and strict, but his thinking is somewhat short-sighted."

Cheng Yu smiled and said, "Sun Qian, the leader of the White Goose Bandits, is a close relative of Sun Zhongmou. He has already offended the Sun and Yuan families, so how could he fight for the Yuan family? Why not inform the Huaisi County and let the White Goose Bandits pass through. And inform Sun Zhongmou, how could Sun Zhongmou let him go easily?"

"What does Mr. Zhongde mean?"

"Haha, Lord Cao has a broad mind, he can accommodate a little Sun Qian."

Cheng Yu laughed and said, "When he is in a dilemma, send a lobbyist to make him surrender."

As Cheng Yu said this, his smile faded. He had already sent an envoy with a halberd to express his goodwill, but the other party still killed him directly.

None of the messengers returned, which directly demonstrated the cruelty of the White Goose Thief.

Because the other party is ruthless, there is really no need to stop them. It would be easiest to let Huai Si go back to Jiangdong and use Sun Quan to get rid of the White Goose Thief.

If we can't get rid of him, we can just recruit him into our team.

Inciting the officers of Jiangdong to rebel would bring huge benefits to the court, and the only cost would be some official positions.

As long as Sun Quan's power is destroyed, the official position he paid for can be taken back by handing over again.

As for the various strange and bizarre events in the legends, the words of the lower-level officials and common people are not credible.

The remarks of Yuan Huan, a famous scholar and an official of the rank of Two Thousand Stone... just listen to it. Hu Wuban, a famous scholar of Mount Tai in the late Han Dynasty, was one of the Nine Ministers. Didn't he say that he was asked by the Lord of Mount Tai to personally deliver a letter to his son-in-law, who was the God of the Yellow River?

Only someone like Kong Rong, who had lost all his foundation and was dependent on others, would still pursue the traces of immortals in the mountains and believe in supernatural things.

When faced with something that was not in his favor, Cheng Yu decisively remained suspicious.

As for the fact that he embraced the sun in his dream and changed his name according to the will of heaven... that is another matter. How can the two be compared?
(End of this chapter)