Watching Zhou Xiaowu's departing figure, Xiang Ze asked, "Brother, what do you think the chances of success are in entrusting such an important task to him?"

Lu Tu bluntly stated, "Twenty percent."

Xiang Ze frowned: "Since the price is so low, why not make proper arrangements first before proceeding? For example..."

Lu Tu shook his head: "Many things cannot be done perfectly. Since there is an element of gambling in waiting no matter how long we wait, it is better to let him do it sooner. After all, every day of delay will bring more unforeseen changes."

"Should we wait for him here or go back to the village?"

Lu Tu instructed, "Tell everyone to set up camp here. Regardless of whether Zhou Xiaowu succeeds in this matter or not, Zhang Chengyan will definitely not let us go after I have swallowed his 8,000 troops. He will send a large force to attack us. After all, we have been holding back in the north, which is like a sword hanging over his head."

"Yes, sir!" After hearing this, Xiang Ze gained a deeper understanding of Lü Tu's strategic planning.

Lu Tu then found Nie Yun, Liu Hong, and the others, and after briefly explaining Zhou Xiaowu's actions to them, he instructed: "From now on, Liu Hong will be the commander-in-chief, and Nie Yun and Zhu Zhaozhou will be the deputy commanders. You will lead 6,000 troops to guard this place!"

"Yes, sir!"

After doing all this, Lü Tu led a small number of men back to the city. Since there were 6,000 men guarding the city, food and military supplies were naturally indispensable.

However, Lu Tu would not personally guard the place indefinitely. After all, the two places were not far apart, and no matter when Zhang Chengyan came, with Nie Yun, Liu Hong, and others guarding it, the Luanshigang Pass would not be lost.

After returning to the village with Tuoba Yue, he immediately summoned Xiao Zhong and Liu Hu: "Mr. Xiao, prepare enough military pay for 6,000 men for 10 days. Xiao Hu, prepare 3,000 detonators and enough arrows, and send them to Liu Hong."

"Yes, sir!"

After doing all this, Lü Tu returned home late at night. He hesitated for a moment at the door of several rooms, and after thinking for a while, he finally went into Song Yuxi's room.

Song Yuxi sat up in surprise: "Husband, you won?"

Lu Tu nodded, letting Song Yuxi remove his armor: "Yuxi, our original plan is a bit too late."

Song Yuxi was taken aback, then replied, "Yes, my husband, but the situation on the battlefield is so unpredictable. My father once said that war cannot be fought on paper. If the enemy follows the plan, even a dog could win the war."

Lu Tu laughed and said, "But we need to speed up our pace from now on."

As the person who knows Lü Tu best, Song Yuxi naturally understands the meaning behind Lü Tu's words. She nodded firmly and said, "Don't worry, husband. I will take care of the other sisters at home. A man should have the world in his heart. We won't hold you back."

Touched by what he heard, Lü Tu pulled Song Yuxi into his arms and said, "Look at what you're saying. How could you possibly be holding me back? You're my best helpmate. I just meant that I'll be coming home less often in the future."

"My love, stop talking, just kiss me!"

Lu Tu was stunned. He had never seen Song Yuxi like this before. Looking down, he saw that Song Yuxi's eyes were filled with an extreme tenderness, like flowing water, rippling into Lu Tu's heart.

Thinking about the fact that the two of them would indeed be separated for a long time in the future, Lü Tu felt a kind of indescribable emotion in his heart, and wanted to vent it wildly.

He lowered his head and sealed Song Yuxi's warm lips with a kiss. The two of them entwined passionately, and soon the room was filled with the soft sounds of their lovemaking.

Next, we just have to wait for Zhang Chengyan's move. Some people say that offense is the best defense, but sometimes defense is the best offense.

Lü Tu has been training the soldiers he has gathered these past few days. Soldiers will not be proficient if they are not trained. When it comes to training soldiers, Lü Tu is probably number one, and perhaps no one can say that he is number two.

With so much advanced experience from his previous life as a reference, Lü Tu managed to train the guards in Kuishan City to obey orders in just five days.

It's important to understand that the human brain isn't actually that much more advanced than a monkey's; we all rely on habits to function. Once a habit is formed, everything else becomes much easier.

Over the course of five days, Lü Tu slept with each of his five wives in turn, emptying his entire ammunition depot and handing it over to them.

He had a vague premonition that once Zhang Chengyan led his army to attack, he would hardly have the chance to spend time with his wives again.

Besides Song Yuxi, Nangong Huiyu, Jiang Wanyu, Wang Miaoling, and Zhao Qingyao also noticed the change in Lü Tu's mentality.

They tacitly treated each time as if it were the last, seemingly wanting Lü Tu to remember their taste forever.

Early on the sixth day, Liu Hu rushed over to report: "Brother, Zhang Chengyan and his men have made a move!"

Hearing this, Lü Tu nodded, calmly drank the last mouthful of porridge in his bowl, and looked around at his wives.

"I'm off. I'll stay home and take good care of the kids, and go out for walks whenever I have time."

Upon hearing Lü Tu's words, the group instantly rose, their eyes brimming with tears, and clung to Lü Tu's robes with reluctance, saying, "Husband..."

Lu Tu laughed and said, "Don't make it sound like a life-or-death separation, it's nothing."

They knew, of course, that Zhang Chengyan led an army of 500,000, while their own forces numbered only a little over 20,000, making it extremely dangerous no matter how you looked at it.

At this moment, Song Yuxi's authority as the Empress came into play. She stood still and said seriously, "A true man's ambition should be as mighty as the Yangtze River. How can he linger in the arms of a woman? Are you trying to harm your husband?"

Upon hearing this, even Zhao Qingyao, who came from the royal family, obediently did as she was told. Unconsciously, she became completely infatuated with Lü Tu. Now that they had only been married for a short time, Lü Tu was about to go to the battlefield for such a cruel and deadly battle. How could she not be anxious?

But she also knew that Song Yuxi was right, and that the person she loved was the upright and indomitable Lü Tu. With that in mind, she and Wang Miaoling stepped forward and helped Lü Tu put on his armor.

Song Yuxi then helped Lü Tu fasten his dark black cloak, saying, "Husband, please don't worry about home while you're away. We'll be fine."

Lu Tu looked at each of the ladies in turn, and he nodded solemnly, saying, "Ladies, wait for me to return!"

Having said that, he picked up his halberd, mounted his horse without looking back, and galloped off toward the training ground!

He didn't look back. This scene had played out in his mind many times. From the first day he joined the army, he knew that national affairs always took precedence over personal feelings.

Liu Hu reported, "Brother, Zhang Chengyan left only 100,000 men to guard Longcheng and is leading nearly 400,000 troops toward Wuchuan."

At this moment, Lü Tu led Xiao Zhong to the high platform on the training ground: "Soldiers, the opportunity to make merit has arrived!"