Can I get to the other side?.

Chapter 317: Once broken, Crouching Dragon emerges
Facing Sima Yi's question, Zhuge Liang stared at the eight-door golden lock array on the ground, and after a while he retracted his gaze and said slowly: "Whether this array can be broken is still uncertain at the moment."

"Why?"

Sima Yi frowned. When he heard Zhuge Liang say the name of the battle formation, he thought there was a plan to break the formation, but Zhuge Liang gave such an answer.

If you can break it, you can break it. If you can’t break it, you can’t break it.

What does it mean to be unsure?
Zhuge Liang saw that Sima Yi didn't understand at all, so he explained to him: "The Eight Gates Golden Lock Formation is in line with the principles of Qimen Bagua, and is extremely subtle."

"However, the Eight-Gate Golden Lock Formation set up by Cao Ren is a military formation that has been perfected and improved by generations of military strategists."

"For example, this general platform in the formation was created by later generations and is called Dragon Eye."

"If the person who set up the formation has mastered the essence of this formation, it would be difficult to break it. But if he has only learned the basics of the formation, then breaking it would be easy."

"I need to go to the battlefield and take a look before I can make a judgement."

Zhuge Liang did not directly boast that he could break the formation.

But it leaves some room.

Sima Yi suddenly understood what was going on, and then asked curiously, "If the other party has mastered the essence of this formation, what are the chances of Kong Ming breaking it?"

"I'm not completely sure."

Zhuge Liang hesitated for a moment, then said solemnly, "About 90%, there is still a certain risk, and the remaining 10% depends on Cao Ren's command and dispatch capabilities."

The corner of Sima Yi's mouth twitched fiercely.

90% sure, is this what you call not very sure?

Is this a certain risk?

Sima Yi took a deep breath, suppressed the urge to hit him, and snorted coldly: "Then I will wait and see how you break the formation tomorrow."

"Brother Zhongda, don't worry."

Zhuge Liang waved his feather fan and smiled at Sima Yi, "It's been a long time since we last met. Brother Zhongda, won't you treat me to a drink?"

"I have signed a military order in front of His Majesty. If I cannot break this formation, I will pay with my life. Maybe you and I will never have the chance to drink together again."

Sima Yi pushed him out of the study with an expressionless face.

Then he slammed the door shut.

Zhuge Liang didn't care about being rejected. He smiled slightly and turned around and walked away.

……

Guandu, Cao’s army camp.

Cao Ren was holding a banquet in his tent to entertain his generals and celebrate the success of repelling Lu Bu's attacks many times in recent days.

"Lü Bu's bravery is unmatched in the world, but we have now broken his invincible record and made him suffer repeated setbacks in front of our army."

“This victory is the result of the joint efforts of everyone here.”

"I toast to you all!"

Cao Ren held up the wine jar and toasted all the generals in the tent. Then he raised his hand and drank it all in one gulp, full of heroic spirit.

All the generals cheered when they saw this.

Yu Jin raised his cup and said, "We were able to stop the enemy's attack thanks to the mastery of your formation. We have only done our part."

Cao Chun also echoed, "That's right. Without the general's formation to contain Lu Bu's cavalry, we would not be able to withstand Lu Bu's frontal attack even if we joined forces."

The beauty of the Eight Gates Golden Lock Formation is that it can create an environment where they are outnumbered and have to join forces to fight the enemy. If they were just allowed to each lead a group of people to besiege Lu Bu, they would probably be killed one by one by Lu Bu.

Faced with the flattery of his generals, although Cao Ren did not say it, he felt a little proud in his heart.

Everyone says that the invincible Lu Bu was defeated by him. This record is enough for him to be proud of. How many people in the world can do that?

But at this time he noticed that Xiahou Dun looked unhappy and was drinking alone in his seat, so he couldn't help asking, "Yuan Rang, what's on your mind?"

All the generals looked at Xiahou Dun.

Xiahou Dun held the wine bottle in his hand and said in a deep voice: "It is not enough to just defeat Lu Bu. I want to kill him to avenge the arrow that shot me in the face!"

"Is there no way to kill him?"

After hearing this, the atmosphere in the tent froze, and everyone had an awkward look on their face.

Although the seven of them could suppress Lu Bu together, it was impossible to kill him.

Because Lu Bu's bravery was so terrifying, as long as they did not fight against him and focused on escaping, they would not be able to stop him, let alone kill him.

"Yuan Rang, you are too obsessed."

Cao Ren sighed and said to Xiahou Dun: "I know you want revenge, but it is too difficult to kill Lu Bu. We must put the overall situation first."

"It is our duty to guard Guandu, otherwise our lord's plan will be ruined."

Cao Ren also wanted to kill Lu Bu when he charged into the battle line, but if he did so, regardless of whether he succeeded or not, he would inevitably suffer heavy losses.

They don't have many troops. If all of them are killed by Lu Bu, how can they guard Guandu?
If we can't defend Guandu, how can we seize Jiangdong while Sun Quan and Zhang Liao are fighting?
We must clearly distinguish the importance of personal grudges versus Cao Cao's grand plan.

Xiahou Dun didn't say anything. He knew that what Cao Ren said made sense, so he just continued drinking without saying anything more.

Cao Ren wanted to continue to persuade him, but at this time a soldier ran into the tent and reported: "General, the scouts ahead reported that an enemy army arrived in Wuchao this afternoon!"

"what?"

Cao Ren's face changed, and the wine in his hand spilled out. He stood up and asked, "How many people are there? Who is the general leading the troops?"

The soldier replied: "There are not many of them, only about a thousand, but judging by their armor and weapons, they are very good, far superior to ordinary soldiers."

"The leader of the troops is a young general in a white robe and silver armor, whose name is unknown. Accompanying him is a young scholar, who is also a stranger."

Cao Ren breathed a sigh of relief when he heard that there were only a thousand people.

No matter how well-equipped these thousand men were, they were still only a thousand men. What he was more concerned about was the origins of the young general and the scholar who led the troops.

Before he could ask, Xu Huang couldn't help but ask, "The young general in white robe and silver armor, could it be Zhao Yun, Zhao Zilong?"

"Zhao Zilong?"

Cao Ren's eyes shone, and he asked Xu Huang: "Gongming, do you know this person?"

Xu Huang nodded and said, "I have heard of his name. Zhao Yun was originally a subordinate of Gongsun Zan. He once killed Wen Chou in battle and almost took Yuan Shao's head from among thousands of soldiers. He is extremely brave!"

"Even Yan Liang died under his gun!"

He briefly recounted Zhao Yun's battle record, which immediately caused all the generals in the tent to change their expressions and become a little panicked.

He killed Yan Liang and Wen Chou, and almost took Yuan Shao's head among the thousands of soldiers. This is enough to show that Zhao Yun's bravery is at least better than theirs!

One Lu Bu was enough for them to deal with, and now there’s Zhao Yun. How are they supposed to resist?

"General, this is not good."

Xiahou Yuan's face was filled with worry, and he said, "If Zhao Yun and Lu Bu charge together, I'm afraid the seven of us won't be able to resist them."

Cao Ren's face was gloomy, and he frowned without saying anything. If Zhao Yun was really as brave as Xu Huang said, then his formation might not be able to stop the two of them from charging at the same time.

"It's a pity that I have only learned 70% to 80% of the Eight-Gate Golden Lock Formation and have not grasped its essence. Otherwise, even if there is another Zhao Yun, I would not have anything to fear!"

Cao Ren thought with some reluctance in his heart.

The Eight Gates Golden Lock Formation was indeed powerful, but it was also too difficult to understand. He did not fully master it and only learned the formation's formation patterns.

Suppressing his resentment, Cao Ren said to Cao Zhen: "Zidan, you should also come to the battle tomorrow to help."

Cao Zhen was originally responsible for guarding Guandu, but now with the addition of Zhao Yun, he must also send more people, otherwise he might not be able to stop the two of them.

"promise!"

Cao Zhen immediately clasped his fists and accepted the order.

Cao Hong then asked, "Who is that young scholar? Since he is accompanying Zhao Yun, he must be very capable. Could he be sent by the court to break the Eight Gates Golden Lock Formation?"

"Absolutely impossible!"

Cao Ren immediately denied it upon hearing it, and snorted coldly, "There are very few people in this world who know the Eight Gates Golden Lock Formation, let alone break it?"

"Don't worry, we will meet the enemy as usual tomorrow."

He had absolute confidence in the Eight Gates Golden Lock Formation, and because it had been lost for a long time, one had to have a thorough understanding of it in order to break it.

And you have to be more proficient in this formation than him!
But how could it be such a coincidence that he happened to meet such a master of military strategy?

Thinking of this, Cao Ren said to everyone: "Today's banquet ends here. Everyone go back and recuperate. Tomorrow Lu Bu will surely launch another attack. Don't slack off."

All the generals clasped their fists and said, "Yes!"

……

The next day.

Lu Bu reorganized his army early and led 30,000 troops out in full force, heading straight for Cao's camp.

Soon, they saw Cao's army.

At this time, Cao's army was already on full alert, and the Eight-Gate Golden Lock Formation was slowly deployed, blocking the Han army in front of it like an unbreakable fortress.

"Zilong, you and I will charge together later!"

Lu Bu's desire to fight had already risen in his heart. With the joining of Zhao Yun, he was full of confidence in breaking through the enemy's formation. He was determined to flatten the broken formation in front of him today!

"Let's listen to Mr. Kong Ming's opinion first."

Zhao Yun did not agree immediately, but asked Zhuge Liang: "Mr. Kong Ming, have you found the weakness of this formation? How to break it?"

Before leaving, the emperor had told him that Lu Bu acted too impulsively and that after arriving at the front line, everything should be based on Zhuge Liang's orders. He also told him to make sure to protect Zhuge Liang's safety.

He kept these instructions in mind.

Lu Bu was displeased when he heard this: "Zilong, just join hands with me to charge the enemy. Why do we need to find the weakness of the enemy's formation? It's too much trouble!"

"Besides, the military advisor has been studying for more than ten days and still hasn't found a way to break the formation. He has only been here for less than a day, how could he possibly find a way to break the formation?"

Although Lu Bu was not very satisfied with Sima Yi, Sima Yi had made contributions in the Battle of Bingzhou and was indeed capable.

Even Sima Yi couldn't find a solution, so how could this newcomer with no prior experience break the formation?

"Mr. Wen, please be patient."

Sima Yi glanced at Zhuge Liang, who was concentrating on observing the enemy's formation, and took the initiative to speak for him, saying, "With the army ahead, we can afford to lose a moment."

Upon hearing this, Lu Bu snorted coldly and suppressed his impatience.

But the look he gave Zhuge Liang was somewhat unfriendly.

If after waiting for a long time the kid still can't explain anything, he won't be polite anymore.

"I already have a plan to break the formation."

Zhuge Liang said this, and then he turned his gaze to Lu Bu and asked, "Did Lord Wen attack from the front several times before?"

Lu Bu frowned and said, "Charge the formation. Of course we have to attack from the front. Do we have to make a detour?"

Cavalry needs to speed up over a long distance to increase the speed of the charge, so that the power of the charge can be greater. What is a charge if it does not charge head-on?
"That's no wonder."

Zhuge Liang smiled and said, "The Eight Gates Golden Lock Formation is divided into eight gates: Rest, Life, Injury, Stop, Scenery, Death, Shock, and Open."

"Every time Lord Wen charges, he is facing the Death Gate, which is also the most dangerous place in the entire Eight Gates Golden Lock Formation. If an ordinary general rushes in, he will definitely die."

"If it weren't for Lord Wen's unrivaled bravery, I'm afraid he would have been doomed."

Lu Bu was easily deceived. When he heard Zhuge Liang praising his bravery, his expression immediately softened. He raised his chin slightly and said proudly, "Of course. If the enemy had not had seven men against me, I would have broken through this formation long ago."

"Tell me, how do we break the formation?"

He thought that the boy spoke quite nicely and that his bravery showed that he had good vision. In that case, it would not hurt to listen to his advice.

"It's very simple." Zhuge Liang smiled slightly, "We only need one thousand warriors to charge in from the southeast Sheng Gate and charge out from the west Jing Gate, and we can break this formation."

"one thousand?!"

Lu Bu's eyes widened, his face full of astonishment.

Every time he charged into the enemy camp, he led several thousand men, but even so he was unable to break the formation. Now Zhuge Liang said that only a thousand men were needed?

Isn't this just going there to die?
Sima Yi was also a little surprised and asked, "Kong Ming, isn't a thousand men too few? Can such a small number of people really break the formation?"

It's not that he didn't believe in Zhuge Liang's ability, but he felt that a thousand people were a bit too arrogant. The other side had more than ten thousand people, and a thousand people would not be able to make any waves.

"A thousand is enough."

Zhuge Liang raised his feather fan, pointed it at the enemy formation, and said leisurely: "The key to breaking the Eight Gates Golden Lock Formation is to kill the flag officers who are responsible for delivering orders."

"Those flag officers are all stationed around Shengmen and Jingmen. If we kill them, the commander's orders won't be delivered, and their formation will be in disarray."

After listening to Zhuge Liang's well-reasoned analysis, Lu Bu touched his chin thoughtfully, then nodded and said, "Okay, I'll charge!"

After saying that, he was about to step forward with his Fang Tian Hua Ji in hand.

"Wait a minute, Lord Wen." Zhuge Liang raised his hand to stop Lu Bu and said, "The enemy generals are all watching Lord Wen. If Lord Wen leads his troops to charge, they will surely attack him."

"So what Lord Wen has to do is to keep his troops in place and intimidate the enemy generals so that they dare not act rashly."

Zhuge Liang looked at Zhao Yun and said with a smile: "General Zilong, I heard that you have a heart of steel and a spear of seven feet long. You can go in and out of the army like watching fish and flowers."

"Please take the trouble to go on this trip."

Lu Bu is too big to charge into the battle line, so the wisest choice is to stay and intimidate the enemy commander and let Zhao Yun charge into the battle line.

Only after Zhao Yun breaks through the Eight-Gate Golden Lock Formation will it be time for Lu Bu to take action!

"The last general takes command!"

Zhao Yun's eyes were shining brightly and he clasped his fists together.

Soon, he gathered a thousand Tiger Guards and charged towards the Eight Gates Golden Lock Formation ahead!
(End of this chapter)