Tai Shi Ci demanded to take Lu Ji across the river as a hostage. The Lu family clan would naturally not allow him to do as he wished. While the two sides were at a stalemate, Lu Xun stepped forward and proposed that he replace Lu Ji.
As soon as these words came out, although the Lu family members felt it was inappropriate, they had no other choice. After all, Lu Ji was the true head of the family, and Lu Xun would have to give up the position of head of the family sooner or later. Moreover, he and Tai Shi Ci were already acquainted, and he might not be treated harshly after crossing the river.
Lu Ji was still pondering and hesitating, but Tai Shi Ci had already turned his head and said to the guards around him: "If that's the case, tie him up and send him to Jiangbei now!"
Amidst the weak protests of the Lu family members, Lu Ji watched helplessly as several personal guards came up, tied up Lu Xun, and escorted him onto the carriage.
Tai Shi Ci waved his double halberds and said, "Guangling is recruiting officials. Does anyone else want to cross the river and seek an official position?"
The crowd secretly slandered, thinking that with your appearance, I'm afraid that after arriving in Jiangbei, you will be locked up in prison, right?
At this time, a young man came out, wanting to leave with Lu Ji. Everyone took a closer look and saw that it was Lu Xun's younger brother, Lu Mao. As soon as he took a few steps forward, Lu Xun's voice came from the carriage, "You stay."
Lu Mao did not dare to disobey after hearing this, and could only stand there blankly.
Seeing that no one else from the Lu family came out, Tai Shi Ci ordered the soldiers to drive the carriage towards the pier amidst the complex gazes of the Lu clan members.
The carriage rushed all the way to the pier, where a large ship was already waiting. Soldiers on the deck held long spears and short knives, wearing leather armor, with a refined and capable appearance. This was the navy trained by Guangling, which had initially formed a formidable combat force.
Tai Shi Ci ordered people to take Lu Xun on board, and he followed onto the deck, then beckoned the soldiers to set sail.
In the distance on the river, Sun Ce's navy had already beaten Liu Yao's navy into retreat, shrinking back to the pier, not daring to come out.
Sun Ce's navy warships flaunted their might on the river. Seeing Tai Shi Ci's warship sailing out of Qu'a Pier, two Sun Ce's navy warships immediately came out to intercept it.
The two warships were light and swift, and soon caught up behind Tai Shi Ci's warship within shooting range. The soldiers on board drew their bows and nocked arrows, preparing to shoot at this side. The soldiers on Tai Shi Ci's side also drew their bows and nocked arrows, ready to retaliate at any time.
Seeing this, Tai Shi Ci walked to the stern of the ship, took out the great bow from his back, aimed at the mast of the warship in front, drew the bow, and shot with a whoosh.
With a snap, the rope tying the sail of the warship in front was shot and broken by an arrow. The huge sail fell down, covering the deck, and the soldiers and sailors on it suddenly shouted and ran around in chaos.
Now, both warships did not dare to approach. Tai Shi Ci's warship took the opportunity to fill its sails and headed towards Guangling Pier.
Tai Shi Ci, meeting the soldiers' admiring gazes, walked down the deck. In the cabin, Lu Xun's hands had already been untied, and there was no trace of restraint on his face.
Seeing this, Tai Shi Ci said to Lu Xun: "Boyan has quite the courage."
"Aren't you afraid that the Lu family will become enemies with the Young Master in the future, and thus be implicated?"
Lu Xun listened and said calmly: "If Ferocious Tiger were such a person, he would not have gained the general's loyalty."
Tai Shi Ci was stunned and laughed, "Actually, Boyan, you had a way to deal with my coercion of the Lu family, right?"
"Why is Boyan willing to be a hostage?"
Lu Xun listened and replied: "Because I want to personally meet Ferocious Tiger."
"General, aren't you coercing the Lu family in order to gain my service?"
"I don't know why Ferocious Tiger values me so much, to the point of making the general use such methods, so I am very curious."
Tai Shi Ci laughed loudly after hearing this: "Boyan, you are so powerful at such a young age. It's hard to imagine what Boyan will become in ten years!"
"Boyan, rest assured, you will definitely not be disappointed after meeting the Young Master!"
Lu Xun moved the wrists inside his sleeves, thinking that the future is unpredictable, who knows what will happen in the future, all he can do is try to follow the general trend of the world.
Inside Huaicheng, Yuan Xi received the news that the Emperor's carriage had already departed from Anyi and would arrive in Huaicheng in a few days.
Cao Cao's army, Lu Bu's army, Youzhou's army, and Dong Cheng and others jointly protected the Emperor's carriage along the way.
As for Yang Feng, who had previously fallen out with Cao Cao's army, for various reasons, he ultimately did not dare to enter the city. Liu Xie knew that he was already frightened, and did not force him, so he issued an edict ordering him to garrison Liang County.
As for Yuan Yao's army, which had been spying on the southern part of Huaicheng, upon hearing that the Emperor's carriage was escorted by many armies, they thought they could not compete, so they returned home. The siege of Huaicheng was finally lifted.
There was also a rumor that Han Xian was defeated by Cao Cao's army that day and fled out of the city. Finding himself in a desperate situation, he defected to Yuan Yao.
Yuan Yao's army mobilized its troops, traveled thousands of miles to attack Huaicheng, not only did it not achieve any success, but it also lost Qiao Rui and thousands of soldiers. When they left, they were like stray dogs.
Yuan Xi stood on the city wall, watching Yuan Yao's army pull out their camps and leave, abandoning many supplies and baggage. He felt envious in his heart, thinking that people really cannot be compared to each other.
Yuan Shu claimed to have 300,000 troops and many heroes in Jianghuai, and could even faintly overwhelm Jizhou. It must be said that his foundation was deep. If it were not so, Yuan Shu would not have had the confidence to declare himself emperor.
However, Yuan Xi thought that the higher you climb, the harder you fall. When the time comes, Yuan Shu will regret this reckless decision for the rest of his life.
How could the Emperor Liu Xie tolerate Yuan Shu's behavior? In order to rectify the prestige of the Han Dynasty, he will definitely issue an edict, ordering the lords of the world to jointly attack him. No matter how strong the Yuan family is, they cannot withstand a siege. This is the best opportunity in the next two years. How much meat can be torn from Yuan Shu depends entirely on each person's ability.
Thinking of this, Yuan Xi had to admire Cao Cao in later generations, who, after Yuan Shu declared himself emperor, occupied the front line closest to Yuan Shu's territory. From Yu Province to Xu Province, all that bordered were Yuan Shu's territories.
In that case, he would receive the most benefits after Yuan Shu's defeat. At the same time, he also had a marriage alliance with Sun Ce, and his relationship with Jiangdong was once very close. If Sun Ce hadn't died early, it's hard to say what would have happened in the future.
The situation in this world is a little better, but not by much.
When Yuan Shu declares himself emperor, the routes to Yu Province and Yang Province will become shortcuts for the heroes to divide the spoils.
On the eastern front, Yuan Xi has preemptively occupied Guangling, enabling him to assist Liu Bei in Xia Pi and threaten Shouchun in Jiujiang at any time.
Although this passage is very narrow, he has gained the advantage. In the future, it will be a question of how to divide Jiujiang with Liu Bei.
The northern front is Cao Cao's Yan Province, which no one can bypass, destined to be Cao Cao's alone.
The western front is very problematic.
In Yuan Xi's original plan, Huaicheng would be occupied by Lu Bu. With the prestige of Emperor Liu Xie, Lu Bu could move out of Henei and expand southward to the southern part of Sili, thereby bordering the northern part of Yu Province.
This way, after Yuan Shu declares himself emperor, Lu Bu could attack Yu Province and take the opportunity to expand.
If the Black Mountain bandits are eliminated in the north, opening up the Bing Province passage and connecting to You Province, the situation on both sides will be revitalized. Lu Bu would be able to greatly increase his strength, reaching a point where he could stand against Cao Cao.
However, this expectation was shattered when Liu Xie appointed Cao Cao as the Commandant of Sili, responsible for guarding the capital region, because in this way, Cao Cao could station troops in the southern part of Huaicheng, preventing Lu Bu from expanding.
In addition, Liu Xie also wants to mediate with the Black Mountain bandits. If the two sides really cease fighting, the Bing Province passage in the north will also be blocked.
With the Black Mountain bandits to the north, Yuan Shao to the east, and Cao Cao to the south, Huaicheng will be suffocated in Henei.
Thinking of this, Yuan Xi sighed in his heart. He felt he had done his best for Lu Bu, but the general trend of the world does not shift according to individual will.
While he was lost in thought, someone patted him heavily on the shoulder, making him wince in pain. He heard Lu Lingqi say from behind, "What are you daydreaming about?"
Yuan Xi turned around and saw Lu Lingqi standing behind him, wearing a common Hu Clothes short coat, typical of the northern border people.
Lu Lingqi disliked the cumbersome women's deep robes and preferred this kind of agile border nomadic clothing. However, as the weather began to gradually warm up, this robe looked quite thin and light, highlighting Lu Lingqi's figure appropriately.
Yuan Xi's eyes swept upward, certain that there must be many layers wrapped inside the robe, so that the most prominent figure advantage was not revealed. These slightly flat lines were definitely not what he had personally verified before.
Lu Lingqi saw that Yuan Xi's gaze was quite rude and angrily said, "Do you not want your head anymore?"
Yuan Xi quickly covered up, saying, "I was distracted thinking about something."
Lu Lingqi certainly didn't believe him. She grabbed Yuan Xi's collar and shouted, "You're lying!"
"Your eyes are darting around; what good things could you be thinking about?"
"If you don't admit it, I'll throw you off the city wall!"
Yuan Xi had a headache. Lu Lingqi's personality was indeed forthright, which was very likable, but she really didn't know how to control her strength.
He sighed, "You wouldn't necessarily understand what I'm thinking about if I told you."
"Nonsense!" Lu Lingqi looked suspicious. "Tell me!"
Yuan Xi had to explain the things he was worried about in as simple terms as possible, and finally said, "I will be returning to You Province soon, but I'm worried that once I leave, Lord Wen will not be able to defeat Cao Cao, and his situation will be dangerous."
Lu Lingqi looked like her brain had crashed. She tilted her head, shook it, and tilted it again, as if trying to pour out the excessive information stuffed in her head.
She was confused for a while before she barely managed to sort out what Yuan Xi said, and said in surprise, "You usually think about this?"
"I thought you were extremely lecherous, and thought you usually think about women's thighs and bodies."
Yuan Xi thought, 'Of course I think about that, but I have more processes running at the same time, and can think about many things at once, unlike you, who is obviously already confused.'
He said, "So I want you to persuade Lord Wen."
"At the very least, we must find a way to open the Black Mountain passage. If Cao Cao launches an attack, there will be a way to retreat back to Bing Province, and we can make a comeback in the future."
Lu Lingqi hesitated, "Can't you stay and help Father?"
Yuan Xi sighed, "I also have my own territory and people."
"The world is bigger than just one Huaicheng."
He hesitated for a moment, "Why don't you come with me?"
"If the rebellion happens again, you may not be able to escape a second time."
Lu Lingqi thought of Qu Yi, who died in battle, and said in a low voice, "But I can't abandon Father."
Yuan Xi sighed, "In the current situation, what can you do to help Lord Wen by staying?"
Lu Lingqi bit her lip tightly. Yuan Xi's words were hurtful, but she couldn't refute them.
Yuan Xi sighed and stopped talking, looking at the distance outside the city. In the distance, the mountains were connected, the dense forests were lush, and the rivers and streams flowed.
But under the city nearby, there were broken camps everywhere, interspersed with the incomplete and rotting corpses of soldiers, with no one caring about them anymore. This ugly scene formed a strong contrast with the beautiful mountains and rivers in the distance.
Such a great land, I don't know how many times it will have to endure the ravages of war before it can be restored to peace.
Lu Lingqi was full of sadness. Both she and Yuan Xi had worries. The two stood side by side on the city wall, silently looking into the distance.
The red afterglow of the setting sun, like the last afterglow of the late Han Dynasty, fell on the two of them, and from a distance, it seemed as if it was about to ignite them.