Yuan Xi's layout of the Black Mountain Army began long before the Battle of Yijing.
Yuan Xi couldn't take on a behemoth like the Black Mountain Army on his own, so he had to take advantage of the situation.
The Taihang Mountains where the Black Mountain Army is located are on the border between Bingzhou and Jizhou. To the west is the Southern Xiongnu, to the northeast is Yuan Xi's Youzhou, to the east is Jizhou, and to the south is Henei.
If Zhang Yang, Lu Bu and the Black Mountain Army in Hanoi joined forces, Yuan Xi would have no hope of success, so he sent Qu Yi out to look for an opportunity to cause Lu Bu and the Black Mountain Army to break up.
This matter was still very dangerous, but Qu Yi agreed without thinking.
He had said to Yuan Xi before: "Dong Zhao is with Zhang Yang now. If I make any mistakes, he can help me cover them up."
"If I really die, the one you should suspect is Dong Zhao."
"In this way, I can at least help you see clearly whether Dong Zhao is really trustworthy, and it can be regarded as repaying you for saving my life."
After hearing this, Yuan Xi remained silent. He thought of many things but none of them seemed appropriate. Finally, he said, "Then I'll have to trouble you, Brother Qu."
Before Qu Yi and Yuan Xi parted ways, Yuan Xi asked him what he was worried about. Qu Yi smiled and said, "I am alone now. Every day I live is a blessing. How can I have so many thoughts?"
At this time Qu Yi fell into deep thought, thinking back to when he was still leading troops to fight more than a month ago, but now he had gone to Henei County and became a guest of Lu Bu. He felt that the world was unpredictable.
However, he is now very cautious. Ever since Gao Lan recognized him, Qu Yi has been wearing a helmet with a mask when leading troops in Youzhou to deliberately conceal his appearance.
But even so, someone might recognize him based on his movements and speaking habits, so Qu Yi agreed to live in Lu Bu's inner residence, rarely contacting outsiders and reducing the chances of being exposed.
Lu Bu ordered his men to serve wine and food. After three rounds of drinking, the two drank more and more. Lu Bu was even happier because he had always thought highly of Qu Yi.
Lu Bu fought in many battles in his life, but compared with Qu Yi's achievements in several major battles, he was still inferior.
Especially in the Battle of Jie Bridge, the once-mighty White Horse Volunteers suffered a defeat, which made Qu Yi famous in the north, which even made Lu Bu admire him.
Lu Bu was in high spirits, and said to the maid behind him: "Please bring out all the ladies and girls, and offer wine to the meeting of Dezhou!"
When Qu Yi heard this, she hurriedly declined, but Lu Bu had made up his mind, so the maid had to ask Yan and Lu Lingqi.
Lu Bu was born in Bingzhou and followed many Hu customs. It was a local custom for him to have his wife and daughter come out to serve wine to entertain guests. However, he would only let his family come out to meet his close brothers or close friends.
Qu Yi was from Liangzhou, where the customs were similar to those of Bingzhou, so he did not think it was strange. However, from the perspective of the gentry in the Central Plains, this custom was a little difficult to accept.
Later, when Lu Bu went to Xuzhou to seek refuge with Liu Bei, he also asked his wife Yan and daughter to pay a visit to Liu Bei. Liu Bei repeatedly declined, thinking it was against etiquette, and from then on he kept his distance from Lu Bu.
Lu Lingqi was practicing martial arts in the yard at this time. Today, she was not holding two short spears, but a long spear. The tip of the spear flew up and down like a python coming out of a cave. The whole yard was shining with cold light, and Mrs. Du, who was standing aside, couldn't help but take a few steps back.
After performing a set of halberd techniques, Lu Lingqi's forehead was slightly sweaty. Madam Du hurriedly stepped forward and handed her the linen cloth, praising her, "The girl's martial arts have improved again."
Lu Lingqi casually wiped her face with it a few times, and shook her head, "Juggling in the yard, what kind of martial arts is that?"
"If I could meet a general on the battlefield and exchange a few moves with him, I would know my own abilities."
Madam Du asked in confusion, "Isn't Lord Wen a powerful general? Why doesn't the girl ask him for help?"
Lu Lingqi said angrily: "Don't mention it, my father never agreed to compete with me."
While the two were talking, a maid came over and said that Lu Bu had a distinguished guest visiting, and asked Lu Lingqi to go out and meet the guest and serve wine.
When Lu Lingqi heard this, she became a little annoyed and shouted, "No, no, no!"
"Why does father still follow these northern customs and not think about mother and me?"
"I'm old enough to get married. Is it appropriate for me to go out and meet distinguished guests every day?"
The maid didn't dare to answer and could only stand there with her head lowered.
Mrs. Du saw this and said softly, "It is the servants who are in trouble for the girl. How about I go and serve wine for the girl?"
After hearing this, Lu Lingqi shook her head and said, "Madam, it is even more inappropriate. Who knows if the guest is lustful? Who can tell what will happen then?"
"What if father is happy and asks you to accompany that distinguished guest?"
"I remember that the generals under Zhang Yang have been asking for marriage more and more frequently recently, right?"
After hearing this, Mrs. Du looked worried. Just as Lu Lingqi said, she was now in a dilemma.
When she was Qin Yilu's wife, others coveted her, but they would restrain themselves a little because of Qin Yilu's status and face.
But now that Qin Yilu has remarried, Madam Du has nothing to do with him anymore, and there is no one to protect him, so those generals showed their desire for her without restraint.
Lu Lingqi also suggested that if Mrs. Du was unwilling to marry, she could help Mrs. Du escape.
But Mrs. Du thought about it again and again, but still couldn't make up her mind. She had no relatives now, so who could she turn to?
At least she is relatively safe staying with Lu Lingqi now. If she escapes from Hanoi and encounters bandits and soldiers, how can she, a woman, protect herself?
Seeing that Mrs. Du also looked unhappy, Lu Lingqi thought that just because a girl is pretty may not necessarily be a good thing.
Just like Mrs. Du, although she was beautiful, she lost the protection of her husband and lived in fear and anxiety all day long.
Seeing that the maid next to her didn't dare to leave, she thought for a moment and said helplessly, "Even if it's my father's order, I won't make it difficult for you. Just say that I'm not feeling well."
The maid responded and was about to leave, but Lu Lingqi stopped her again, "Father hasn't let me go out to serve wine for a long time. Who is coming today?"
The maid thought for a moment and said, "I'm not too sure, but he seems to be Mr. Yinhu's guard, named Qu Yi."
Lu Lingqi's body trembled, and she couldn't help but look at Mrs. Du.
Hidden tiger?
It turned out to be that hateful Hidden Tiger?
He is not dead yet?
Lu Lingqi felt an inexplicable feeling in her heart. Curious, she said to the maid, "Wait a minute, I'll change my clothes and follow you."
Lu Lingqi changed into a very neat northern leather outfit and rushed to the banquet hall, where she found her mother Yan was already there, personally serving wine to a big man with scars all over his face.
Yan turned around and found Lu Lingqi coming, so she said, "Aqi, come and meet your uncle. He is a hero of the time."
Qu Yi quickly stood up and said modestly: "I am ashamed. I am just a warrior and cannot be considered a hero."
Lu Bu laughed and said, "If Dezhou is not considered a hero, who else in the world is considered a hero?"
"Ling'er, come and serve wine to Dezhou. This is Qu Yi, who defeated thousands of White Horse Volunteers with 800 soldiers and shocked the world. He is Qu Dezhou!"
Of course Lu Lingqi had heard of this name. She raised her head slightly and saw Qu Yi's face, only to find that his face was covered with scars, which was very scary, but his eyes were shining brightly.
Lu Lingqi stepped forward, bowed, raised the bronze vase and filled Qu Yi's glass with wine, and said softly, "Please drink it up, General."
After hearing this, Qu Yi raised his glass and drank it all, saying loudly: "Thank you, girl."
He turned to Lu Bu and said with a smile, "Wenhou's daughter is an extraordinary warrior."
Lu Lingqi was curious and asked, "How did the general know that?"
After hearing this, Qu Yi explained, "When the girl was pouring the wine, she held the object with her upper arm, her body was straight, her feet did not move at all, and her movements were as smooth as flowing water. It is obvious that she practiced martial arts for at least a few hours a day, otherwise she would not be able to move so naturally."
After hearing this, Lu Bu laughed and said, "Dezhou's vision is really good. He is worthy of being a master of training soldiers who can defeat the enemy first!"
"If Buruo can get the help of Dezhou to train his troops, his soldiers will be more powerful and can avenge Cao Mengde's battles!"
After hearing this, Qu Yi said, "In those battles fought by Marquis Wen, it wasn't that his soldiers and generals were inferior to Cao Cao's, but there was probably a problem with the ratio of the troops."
"Yanzhou's terrain is complex, unlike the flat land in the north. Sometimes infantry is more useful."
After hearing this, Lu Bu nodded and said, "I think so too, but Yuan clan has strong bows and crossbows, which are a secret that is not passed on to others. This can be quite effective against cavalry."
"Cao Cao also learned Dezhou's method of dealing with the White Horse Volunteers. He used a large number of bows and arrows to deal with my cavalry several times, but I had no way to deal with it."
"What does Texas have in mind?"
After listening to this, Qu Yi thought about it and started talking. In order to win Lu Bu's trust, he naturally answered seriously. After listening to this, Lu Bu kept nodding his head.
Seeing that Lü Bu and Qu Yi were talking about military affairs, Yan took Lü Lingqi aside and sat her down, saying, "The wine is served. If you find it boring, you can go back first."
Lu Lingqi's interest was aroused. She thought to herself, Qu Yi was famous in the north, so how could he become Yinhu's bodyguard?
Thinking of this, she whispered, "I want to listen for a while."
The happier Lu Bu was with his talk with Qu Yi, he took out another silk book while he was drunk.
He said to Qu Yi: "Does Dezhou know that when Yuan Xi, the governor of Youzhou, took office, he sent me three thousand dan of grain in an attempt to befriend me?"
Lu Lingqi thought to herself, isn't Yuan Xi a ferocious tiger?
I came here to hear about the hidden tiger, why is it involving that vicious tiger again?
Qu Yi raised his head, "I have never heard of this. Aren't Marquis Wen and the Yuan family enemies?"
He really didn't know. Yuan Xi told him in advance that in addition to Qu Yi, there were other plans. He just had to deal with anything that happened normally to avoid being exposed.
Seeing that Qu Yi's expression was not fake, Lu Bu was relieved and said with a smile: "Yuan Xi has a reputation as a fierce tiger, but he was quite respectful in the letter."
"He said that he has set up his own company now and is isolated and helpless in Youzhou. If possible, he wants to join forces with me."
"Dezhou originally came from Jizhou. Have you ever seen this person?"
Qu Yi thought he was coming, so he said, "I have met this person once."
"Oh?" Lu Bu showed interest. "What does Dezhou think of it?"
After hearing this, Qu Yi thought for a moment and said, "I can't tell from a quick glance, but rumors say that this person is extremely lustful."
After hearing this, Lu Bu laughed and said, "You really have the style of my generation!"
Lu Lingqi spat in her heart and thought to herself that all men are the same!