Chapter 48: Send a message to Cao Cao: If he refuses to maintain his dignity, I will help him keep it!

"General Guan, please spare his life! Yu Jin is willing to surrender to Liu Yuzhou!"

Not only did Yu Jin drop to his knees once more, but he also kowtowed again, pleading abjectly with Guan Yu for his life.

A flash of disdain crossed Guan Yu's eyes, yet the Green Dragon Crescent Blade did not descend.

His contempt stemmed from Yu Jin's cowardice and clinging to life; captured by him twice, Yu Jin had knelt with the exact same crisp readiness both times.

He stayed his hand out of the pride of the magnificent-bearded warrior, disdaining to slay a man who knelt and begged for mercy.

Ignoring Yu Jin, Guan Yu spurred his horse forward, dragging his blade as he charged once again into the routed Cao forces.

Behind him, a contingent of blade-wielding guards stepped forward and surrounded Yu Jin completely.

Having preserved his life, Yu Jin let out a long breath, clutched his severed hand, and collapsed onto the ground, howling in agony.

Above the Cao encampment, a shroud of bloody mist surged into the heavens.

Ten thousand Cao garrison troops were slaughtered into a state of panic, howling like ghosts and fleeing at the mere sight of the enemy.

Half an hour later, the slaughter came to an end.

The sounds of battle in the grain depot gradually subsided, leaving only the scattered, mournful wails of wounded Cao soldiers.

Liu Bei reined in his horse, resting his hand upon his sword hilted at his waist, as he surveyed the entire grain depot.

"Bowen, this scheme of yours ultimately succeeded after all..."

Liu Bei exhaled deeply, a joyful smile blooming across his face.

"Reporting to my lord, our army has slain four thousand of the enemy, and the remaining Cao troops have all scattered in flight!"

"Reporting to my lord, the grain camp is now entirely under our control. The provisions have been tallied and amount to roughly over four hundred thousand hu."

The various generals returned one by one to report the victory to Liu Bei.

Guan Yu also rode over, cradling his Green Dragon Crescent Blade as he cupped his fists:

"Reporting to elder brother, your younger brother has captured the Cao garrison commander Yu Jin alive, awaiting your disposal!"

Hearing Yu Jin's name, Liu Bei's eyes lit up.

Guan Yu beckoned with a wave, and several blade-guards dragged the blood-drenched Yu Jin before Liu Bei's steed.

After scrutinizing him closely for a long moment, Liu Bei finally confirmed that the familiar face truly belonged to none other than Yu Jin.

He smiled.

To be reduced to a prisoner of war twice in less than ten days—throughout the ages, Yu Jin must surely be the very first.

Liu Bei scarcely knew how to evaluate this; he could not tell whether Yu Jin's luck was simply abysmal or if he was destined to be entangled with him.

"Yu Jin, what more do you have to say?"

Withdrawing his musings, Liu Bei asked in a stern and chilling tone.

Yu Jin tremblingly raised his head, gazing at Liu Bei with an expression of profound complexity.

Shame, dread, agony, bewilderment...

Even at this moment, he still dared not believe that the man standing right before him was Liu Bei himself.

"You must be deeply perplexed. When Cao Cao clearly utilized Xu Yuanzhi to present a stratagem to me, attempting to lure me into leading an army on a raid against Chaoyang, why on earth did I appear here in Deng County instead?"

Seeing through Yu Jin's thoughts, Liu Bei punctured his confusion in a single breath.

Yu Jin's heart jolted violently as he asked with a trembling voice:

"Liu Yuzhou, you... you truly saw through the Prime Minister's scheme?"

Liu Bei and Guan Yu exchanged glances.

Yu Jin's reaction finally confirmed Xiao He's deduction: it was indeed Cao Cao's stratagem of luring the snake out of its lair.

"When Cao Cao ordered Yuanzhi to Chaoyang to welcome his mother, it was merely to let Xu Shu witness the true and false conditions of his grain depot at Chaoyang without arousing suspicion. He calculated even more that once Yuanzhi returned, he would inevitably urge me to dispatch troops for a surprise raid on Chaoyang."

"He, on the other hand, would lead the main force of the Cao army to set an ambush at Chaoyang, seizing the opportunity to annihilate my main forces in one fell swoop."

"I must admit, Cheng Yu's scheme was indeed unfathomably treacherous."

Liu Bei bluntly laid bare Cao Cao's entire layout.

Yu Jin trembled violently from head to toe, his solitary arm failing to support his body as he collapsed forward onto the ground.

"The Prime Minister's deployment—he saw through it down to the tiniest detail, and was even entirely clear that it was Cheng Yu's stratagem?"

Yu Jin raised his head with a tremor, staring up at Liu Bei with a gaze filled with incredulous terror.

"Come to think of it, today I was able to breach this camp, and you, Yu Jin, played a part in that success."

"Had it not been for your words that day, which let Cao Cao know that I had prepared three days of dry rations and concealed soldiers within the grain boats, how could Cao Cao have been certain that I had secretly transferred troops from Jiangxia and intended to combine forces thirty thousand strong to launch a surprise raid on Chaoyang?"

"If not for that, how would Cao Cao have transferred his entire main force northward, and how would he have withdrawn the troops from here, thus presenting me with an opportunity to be exploited?"

Liu Bei revealed the final truth as well.

Hearing this, Yu Jin, who had just managed to straighten himself up, was struck as if by a thunderbolt, his body freezing instantly.

Strands of memory surfaced, and scene after scene from the day he left the Xiangyang water camp rushed into his mind like lightning.

"So all of that was part of his scheme?"

"I thought I had rendered meritorious service by bringing back intelligence for the Prime Minister, yet I was actually being used by him to make the Prime Minister fall for his diversionary tactic?"

"I, Yu Jin, was actually played in the palm of his hand like some clown on a stage?"

Yu Jin's mind buzzed incessantly, his body feeling utterly drained as he collapsed to his knees on the ground.

Once again, he raised his head with a tremble, and the look he gave Liu Bei was now entirely saturated with fear and bewilderment.

That former defeated general who had repeatedly lost to Cao Cao, chased hither and thither until he fled in panic—how had he grown daring enough to match wits with Cao Cao?

The crucial point was that he had toyed with Cao Cao in such a fashion!

Could this man truly still be Liu Bei?

"Elder brother, time is pressing. Cao Ren's reinforcements must already be on the way; let us quickly burn the grain."

Guan Yu reminded him from the side.

Liu Bei nodded slightly and raised his horse whip:

"Pass down the order: set fires immediately, burn Cao Cao's provisions to the ground, and do not leave behind a single grain of rice!"

With the command issued, the soldiers swiftly divided to set fires.

Granary after granary ignited one after another, illuminating the sky as brightly as day.

"Elder brother, how do you plan to deal with this Yu Jin? Shall we take him back to Xiangyang together?"

Guan Yu asked, pointing his blade at Yu Jin.

Liu Bei glanced at Yu Jin.

Captured for the first time, Yu Jin's prestige was already swept away; dragging him back captive once more would have only a limited impact on the morale of the Cao army.

Furthermore, Yu Jin had lost an arm, making him a cripple, and he bore the crime of failing to hold the grain depot. Even if he returned to the Cao camp alive, it was impossible for Cao Cao to ever employ him again.

Such a person, stripped of all value and devoid of the slightest threat, would merely consume provisions to keep alive if hauled back—doing so was utterly meaningless.

"I said before that today's battle counts as a meritorious contribution on your part, Yu Jin. In return for this merit, I grant you a path to survival."

Liu Bei pointed his horse whip toward the Cao encampment and said sternly:

"Go and relay a message to Cao Cao for me: I, Liu Bei, am not Yuan Benchu, and Jingzhou is not Hebei. With me, Liu Bei, here, he need not even dream of stepping half a step across the Han River!"

"Today's battle is merely a lesson I am giving him. If he knows what is good for him, he will immediately lead his army back to the north, and he can still preserve a shred of dignity."

"If he refuses to keep his dignity, then I shall have no choice but to help him maintain it!"

"Next time, it will not be as simple as burning his grain; I will surely reduce his one hundred and fifty thousand troops to ashes and dust!"

Yu Jin's body trembled once more as he lifted his head to stare in astonishment at Liu Bei.

Astonished that Liu Bei was actually sparing his life.

And even more astonished that Liu Bei dared to issue an ultimatum to Cao Cao!

Dared to be so arrogant and conceited as to boast that he would annihilate Cao Cao's entire force of one hundred and fifty thousand men?

"Yu Jin, my brother has spared your life; why have you not yet departed? Do you perhaps wish to test the sharpness of my blade once more?"

Guan Yu opened his phoenix eyes and slightly raised the Green Dragon Crescent Blade.

Yu Jin woke from his shock instantly, hastily kowtowing to thank Liu Bei for sparing his life before clutching his severed hand and fleeing in a stumbling, broken run.

Liu Bei wheeled his horse around, ordering the entire army to withdraw and fall back immediately to the southern bank.

Just as they emerged from the camp gates, they beheld over a thousand commoners kneeling outside, weeping and pleading about something.

"My lord, these people are corvée laborers forcibly conscripted by Cao Cao, mostly youths of Deng County whom the Cao army detained in the camp to transport grain."

"After our army breached the camp, Yun originally told them to disperse on their own. Who would have thought that upon hearing the lord had personally arrived, they knelt outside the camp gates and refused to leave, begging tearfully to see the lord."

Zhao Yun stepped forward to explain.

Understanding the situation, Liu Bei immediately dismounted and walked before the commoners.

"My battle today was fought solely to burn Cao Cao's grain, and those we killed were all Cao soldiers; it has nothing to do with any of you."

"Now that the battle is over, the Cao forces have all scattered and fled. You should all return to your homes on your own; there is no need to kneel here any longer."

While helping the commoners to their feet, Liu Bei offered words of comfort and persuasion.

At that moment.

From amidst the crowd, a teenager in his teens stepped forward, pushing past the others to reach Liu Bei's side.

The youth straightened his slightly ragged garments and bowed with a respectful blend of deference and self-possession:

"Cao Cao is cru... cruel. If he knows that Liu... Liu Yuzhou burned his grain camp, I fear he will... will vent his anger upon us."

"If we sta... stay behind, we die all the same. Therefore, we earnestly beg Liu Yuzhou to sho... show mercy and take us to Xia... Xiangyang!"

Having stuttered out the innermost wish of the commoners, the stammering youth prostrated himself deeply upon the ground.