Chapter 176: The First Strategist
Two weeks passed since Yun took over Jiangling for Cao Cao. Yun was at the moment on top of a ship with a tenth of his men as they were sailing to Wulin on the Yangtze River.
Yun wasn't pleased but followed the command as he wasn't the only one sailing the river down to Wulin as Xiahou Yuan and the others followed him with the new addition of Cao Cao who is Cai Mao.
He is an experienced navy commander whom Cao Cao lacked since the beginning of the campaign being a godsend present to him while Cao Ren stayed in Jiangling.
"I hate it," says Yun, feeling a bit seasick like most of his men who were trying not to puke on deck but in the sea as they sailed to Wulin.
"We can't do much about it since it is the fastest way to get to Wulin except we want to cross the marchland," says Pang Tong as he was looking a bit pale at the moment.
"Do you think we can send Zhuge Liang and his wife to Sun Quan without anyone noticing it?" asks Yun, wanting to hear Pang Tong's opinion on this matter.
"Is it because of Yueying being with child?" asks Pang Tong as he knows about Yueying being pregnant at the moment while Yun used his Qi by accident near Yueying and found out about it.
"Yes, it might place too much stress on her and the child that she will be having, and being in a massive inferno won't help her either since she will be breathing in smoke which could damage the child," says Yun already revealing some of his strategies to Pang Tong.
"We could sent her and Zhuge Liang with ten more men to protect them on a small fishing boat once we are in Wulin without anyone noticing it over the night but we don't know if Sun Quan's men won't kill them on the way over," says Pang Tong seriously thinking that Cao Cao's men weren't the main problem of sending them away but Sun Quan's men protecting the other side of the Yangtze River.
"Now I wished to have Shadow beside me. I could just send Sun Quan a letter," says Yun when he suddenly realizes something.
"Did Cao Cao already send an envoy to Sun Quan?" asks Yun seriously as Pang Tong nods.
"Yes, he has while we were in Jiangling. He sent him by horse, but if we sent Zhuge Liang by boat, he would arrive earlier than the envoy sent by Cao Cao. It would give us a slight chance," says Pang Tong, thinking about it.
"Then prepare everything while I forge Cao Cao's seal to make Zhuge Liang look like an official envoy," says Yun as he had seen Cao Cao's seal too many times to forget how it looks like.
Yun began to carve on one end of a wooden stick the Cao Seal before using some ink mixed with his blood to make the seal on the paper he wrote look authentic.
Then he gave it to Pang Tong when he hears, "We might have a slight problem."
"And it is?" asks Yun as he sees Pang Tong sigh while holding his head.
"Zhuge Liang, he doesn't want to leave you behind," says Pang Tong, a bit hopeless as his friend was too loyal for his own good.
"Let me talk to him and explain to him that he will be fighting beside me just from the other side of the battlefield," says Yun as he wanted Zhuge Liang to help Zheng and Lu Xun while Wei Yan would be beside Yun until this campaign was over.
Yun walked under deck to talk to Zhuge Liang who was sitting at a desk going over some strategies for the coming battles when Yun says, "I heard you don't want to leave and join the others in the other camp."
"Why should I, I wouldn't be of much help over there since they already have Guo Jia, Lu Su, and Zhou Yu," says Zhuge Liang as he saw no place between the three thinking that he could only hinder them by joining at the last minute.
"I think, they will need you in the other camp. Zhou Yu is too wary of Guo Jia and Lu Su is at the moment in Liu Bei's camp trying to get to Jianye to inform Sun Quan of what happened in Jing," says Yun while trailing behind Zhuge Liang when he continues, "And I have a special mission for you."
"And that would be?" asks Zhuge Liang now curious about said special mission.
"I want you to join Zheng and Lu Xun temporarily until this war is over. They will be on the other side of the battlefield beside Gan Ning. And the second mission would be to escort Lady Gan and her people to get safe to Guan Yu," says Yun telling Zhuge Liang what he had in mind for him.
Zhuge Liang was thinking hard waging the pros and cons of leaving Yun's side to join Zheng and Lu Xun as well as getting Lady Gan and her people to safety when he hears, "Do it for me and keep my son safe."
Zhuge Liang stopped thinking when he looked at Yun who looked at him with warmth when he hears, "I can't lose Zheng as well."
"I will do it," says Zhuge Liang without questioning Yun's request as he begins to pack his things.
"Yueying and ten of Dian Wei's best men will join you. She would be safer with you than on a ship with us," says Yun adding said information as Yueying would be best beside Gan Ning since they are already familiar with each other's tactics.
"I will inform my wife about it," says Zhuge Liang as he finishes packing and continues with, "I won't disappoint you."
"I would never doubt that," says Yun as he leaves to find the next person he wants to see.
The person in question is Sima Yi, he has been in a depression since Fang died. It wasn't as bad as Yun's prior depression which is right now hidden under his facade to keep the army going but it showed Yun that Sima Yi cared for Fang.
Yun summoned a wine jar and two cups out of his ring in which he had most things stored for emergencies besides his weapons.
"Are you still going over what happened to Fang?" asks Yun as he walks toward Sima Yi with the cups and wine in hand.
"There must have been something that we could have done to save him," says Sima Yi as he went through said event several times trying to find a way to save Fang.
"We can't change the past but it can shape us for the better or worse if we let our past consume us," says Yun pouring the wine for himself and Sima Yi.
"But-" says Sima Yi when Yun stops him.
"No buts. He wouldn't want us to suffer because of what happened to him. But we will make Zhang Fei feel some pain which will make Yuan Shao's torture look like a blessing when I am done with him," says Yun sounding quite dark as he drinks his first cup.
"I thought you wanted us to evade alcohol until the war is over," says Sima Yi finding it strange that Yun was drinking since Yun never did that.
"I will make an exception since we are mourning the death of my son," says Yun as he pours himself another cup before gulping it down.
"We will miss him, but I believe that he is right now beside his grandfather and mother," says Yun trying to cheer Sima Yi up when he sees a blue window appear before him just like back in Xiapi when he recruited Lu Bu and he asks, "Sima Yi, I have an offer to make you."
"Which is?" asks Sima Yi finding the wine too sweet for his taste.
"Would you follow me to the end of this life and the next one?" asks Yun as he looks at Sima Yi.
Sima Yi starts laughing thinking that the wine got into Yun's head when he stops seeing Yun's serious face when he says, "You sure you don't want to ask Pang Tong or Tang Shi this question?"
"I know that they would follow me into the deepest corner of hell without questioning me. But I am asking you at the moment. Now, do you want to join me?" asks Yun again as Sima Yi looks at his cup full of wine before drinking it.
"You sure you want me to follow you to hell as well? I couldn't even foresee what happened to Fang how can you trust me to not drag you to your death as well?" asks Sima Yi as a smile appears on Yun's face.
"Because the Sima Yi I know won't make the same mistake twice, or am I wrong with my assumption?" asks Yun back continuing drinking with Sima Yi.
Sima Yi had a small smile on his face when he heard Yun say that about him when he says, "I, Sima Zhongda Yi, vow to follow you into hell and fight even the Heaven itself."
Yun then lifted his cup and touched the blue screen before him which asked him if he wanted to make Sima Yi one of his two strategists of this Lifetime and clicked on the 'Yes' button when suddenly a ray of light hit Sima Yi on the neck branding him just like Lu Bu before him.
Sima Yi felt the branding when he asks, "What was that?"
"The seal that will tie us together forever. It is invisible to the naked eye but it looks like this," says Yun revealing his chest showing Sima Yi the Valknut tattoo which was placed by Tyr on his chest.
"So what now?" asks Sima Yi as Yun hides his tattoo again.
"Now we drink, the next few months will be quite long and dramatic until it reaches its climax," says Yun as he brought forth another jar of wine to drink since now he was celebrating the recruiting of his first strategist that would serve him forever.
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