After seeing Cao Cao off, I thought about opening another road to return directly to Xiakou. I didn't want to have to take a boat back again.
Hua Mulan said, "Now that everyone is almost settled, don't you think we should go and visit Old Wu too?"
I stroked my chin and said, "I've been thinking about that. Old Wu is the King of Yunnan now, right? What a wonderful place, spring-like all year round."
Hua Mulan said, "He should have already declared himself emperor; he is the Emperor of Yunnan."
I said, "Well, I'll figure something out. As for finding me a brother-in-law..."
Hua Mulan said with a smile, "If you don't want to be blacklisted by my Northern Wei, then get lost!"
...
I instructed Liu Laoliu to take another route back to Xiakou. As soon as we went out, we saw Cao Cao breaking camp across the river. Guan Yu was standing on the riverbank watching. When he saw me, he laughed and said, "Xiao Qiang is really amazing. He persuaded Cao Cao to retreat with just a few words."
I sighed and said, "It's not that easy. I lost half my son." This is a classic case of "you can't catch a wolf without risking your cub."
Guan Yu pulled me along and said, "Come on, I'll introduce you to two more people."
Who is it?
Guan Yu chuckled: "There's someone you've always wanted to meet."
My heart skipped a beat: "Zilong?"
As they entered the central command tent, Liu Bei and Zhang Fei were both present. To Liu Bei's right sat a refined middle-aged strategist, gently waving a feather fan, his expression calm yet revealing a touch of wisdom. Without a doubt, this was the renowned strategist Zhuge Liang. Beside him stood a young general, tall and straight, his hand resting on his sword. His face was a healthy chocolate complexion, with long eyebrows that reached his temples, exuding an indescribable air of handsomeness and martial prowess.
Guan Yu laughed and said, "Zilong, your fans have come to see you."
The young man was taken aback: "What fans?"
Without a word, I darted up to him, put my arm around his shoulder, and turned to ask everyone, "Don't we look alike?" Having a precedent of comparing looks with Hua Rong, it was perfectly natural and effortless for me to ask this question without the slightest hesitation...
Everyone looked at us and laughed.
Zhao Yun paused for a moment before turning to look at me, and said earnestly, "This must be Brother Xiao Qiang, right? The lord and my second and third brothers often talk about you."
We've seen plenty of handsome men, besides beautiful women. Jin Shaoyan aside, Hua Rong and Luo Cheng were also military men, but Zhao Yun is Zhao Yun. Compared to those two, Zhao Yun possessed more genuine military bearing than Hua Rong, yet was more dignified than Luo Cheng. Standing together, Hua Rong looked like a bandit with exceptional martial arts skills, Luo Cheng more like a spoiled brat, while the young general Zhao Yun was mature, capable, and possessed an outstanding demeanor—a true model of a soldier. No wonder time-travel novels always include Zhao Yun in the Three Kingdoms stories; as the saying goes, if a time-travel novel doesn't include Zhao Zilong, even a great author is a coward! But my second brother wasn't lying; the handsome Zhao Yun really was a dark-faced general. But his darker complexion was healthy and sexy. If you threw him on the street in the 21st century, countless girls would probably be willing to have something happen with him without even leaving their phone numbers…
Sure enough, Zhao Yun humbly replied, "Brother Xiao Qiang is much fairer-skinned than me."
I said shyly, "Let's not talk about this, let's not talk about this." No matter how fair-skinned you are, you can't be as fair-skinned as a white person. We're all yellow-skinned, why are we comparing coatings?
At this moment, Zhuge Liang, who had been silent all along, spoke up: "Brother Xiaoqiang, yesterday I was summoned back by our lord, who said that Cao Cao would definitely retreat. Today, I see that it is indeed true. I am foolish and cannot guess what you said to Cao Cao. I hope you can enlighten me."
Zhuge Liang spoke, and I dared not be negligent, but after sorting through my thoughts, I realized I had no way to begin. The intricacies of this matter were something only Guan Yu understood; it was difficult to explain to anyone else. I stammered for a long time without finding a coherent explanation. Liu Bei said, "Strategist, are you perhaps afraid there's a trap involved?"
Zhuge Liang glanced at me and said, "I trust Yun Chang's friends, but Cao Cao is cunning and scheming. I fear he might use this opportunity to deceive others and carry out a 'openly repairing the plank road while secretly crossing the Chencang' strategy."
Although he cleared me of suspicion, he still didn't believe Cao Cao would simply retreat. Of course, I can't blame him; as a strategist, especially one of his rank, every word and action carries significant weight. If he didn't think several steps ahead before acting, he wouldn't be Zhuge Liang.
Just then, a scout came to report: "Reporting to the lord and military advisor, Cao Cao has captured dozens of miles of water fortresses and his entire army has retreated northward."
Zhuge Liang suddenly stood up and asked, "Are you really gone?"
We all rushed outside and saw that the river opposite was completely empty. The warships had been dismantled and taken away. At first, we could vaguely see flags fluttering, but gradually only an empty space remained. I stole a glance at Zhuge Liang, wanting to see what he would say, but he was still slowly waving his feather fan, remaining silent. Everyone was waiting for him to speak. Zhuge Liang paused for a moment and then suddenly nudged Zhao Yun beside him: "Zilong, what is the movement of Cao Cao's army?"
Zhao Yun chuckled and said, "Reporting to the strategist, Zilong really can't see."
Zhuge Liang nodded and said, "So you've really left?"
I almost fell over—I was wondering why he was so unmoved; it turns out he was nearsighted like Wu Yong, and all that looking was like a blind dog trying to see stars… well, that's a bit harsh, anyway, Zhuge Liang's eyesight wasn't good either.
Just as we were about to head back, a thunderous roar suddenly erupted from the opposite bank of the river: "Thank you, Xiaoqiang, for saving my life!" It paused, then repeated itself, as if someone were directing it. This continued for over a dozen times before silence returned. Guan Yu tugged at me and chuckled, "Cao Cao is trying to curry favor with you."
Zhuge Liang murmured, "Was Cao Cao really scared away by Xiao Qiang's few words?"
I said apologetically, "It's not just about scaring; there's also an emotional element involved."
Zhuge Liang then exclaimed in astonishment, "It's one thing to scare him away, but to actually make him owe you a favor—I've heard that 'one has ten thousand soldiers in one's heart,' but Xiao Qiang surpasses him even more. I am ashamed to admit my inferiority."
Guan Yu smiled and pulled me aside, asking, "What are your plans for the next step?"
I said, "I want to go find Lao Wu."
Guan Yu slapped his forehead and said, "Is it the Qing Dynasty or the Ming Dynasty?"
"...Yes, first the Ming Dynasty and then the Qing Dynasty."
"How do you plan to get there?"
I scratched my head and said, "That's exactly what's bothering me."
"What's wrong?"
"I'm not familiar with Old Wu's place, and I haven't even figured out how to drug him yet." Going to the Tang Dynasty, at least I have a letter of introduction from Qin Qiong; finding Zhao Kuangyin and Zhu Yuanzhang, I at least have firsthand intelligence, and I can sneak in during their rest periods; Genghis Khan is like a tribal chief, it wouldn't be difficult to drug him. But Wu Sangui is different. First, Yu Cai can't help, second, his current identity seems to be the emperor of the "Great Zhou," and who knows if this self-made emperor has developed the habits of an emperor—that is, the ability to change faces won't work. Most importantly, he definitely has more guards than Kangxi. The reason is simple: a mafia boss always has more henchmen than a police chief…
Guan Yu patted me on the shoulder and said, "What's wrong with you? There's a Zhuge Liang right there for you to use?"
I laughed too. Yes, our strategist Zhuge Liang could predict the past and the future five hundred years in advance... well, the Qing Dynasty was more than five hundred years ago.
Guan Yu pulled Zhuge Liang aside and said, "Strategist, Xiao Qiang needs your help with something."
Zhuge Liang repeatedly cupped his hands and said, "You're too kind. With Xiaoqiang's abilities, I should be the one to learn from him."
I gripped Zhuge Liang's hand tightly and said, "Strategist, I won't bother with formalities. The situation is urgent, concerning the lives of 50,000 people, so I'll tell you the whole truth—I actually come from a world more than 1,000 years in the future. It was autumn in 2007 when an uninvited guest arrived. This person had silkworm-shaped eyebrows and single phoenix eyes. Yes, this person is my second brother..."
Zhuge Liang, who had been smiling and waving his fan, suddenly dropped it, leaving his hand still twitching back and forth. His expression stiffened as he said, "Wait... I'm confused. So, in your opinion, the era we live in is already a part of history?"