But Cao Cao's decision to fight them here might very well have been provoked by the loss of Jiangxia City and the deaths of Cao Ren and Xiahou Yuan.
Those two had truly been Cao Cao's trusted confidants, as close to him as his own brothers.
As the saying went, an army burning with grief was sure to prevail. With Cao Cao throwing caution to the wind to fight them, they had all the more reason to proceed carefully and not let their guard down.
"This works against us, that works against us. How stifling!"
After hearing him out, Lü Bu could not help grumbling. Although he knew Zhuge Liang's reasoning was sound, he could hardly avoid feeling disgruntled.
He should have insisted on leading troops back to reinforce Chang'an earlier.
Seeing this, Lu Su said, "Duke Wen, you were the first to scale the walls and seize the city, and you slew Cao Ren and Xiahou Yuan in battle. Your martial might could truly be said to overshadow the world."
"Now the Cao Thief is right before us, so why be impatient, Duke Wen? Sooner or later, there will be a place for you to display your valor."
Lu Su's words finally improved Lü Bu's mood a little. He promptly said, "I'm not bothering with all these twists and turns. Just tell me when it's time to fight."
With that, Lü Bu rose and left the command tent.
Watching Lü Bu leave as swiftly as he had arrived, Lu Su could not help smiling. He said to Zhuge Liang and Zhou Yu, "Working with a general like Duke Wen certainly saves one a great deal of worry."
Although Lü Bu was somewhat rough in his speech and conduct, he had no guile. A few pleasant words were enough, and