Chapter 50: Breach of Contract Penalty, Shall We Talk About It?

"General Cao, are you willing to surrender?"

It was a very simple question. As long as Cao Cao nodded, the lives of those hundreds of veteran soldiers could be saved, and Xiahou Dun and the others would also be able to keep their lives along with him.

However, Cao Cao just stared fixedly at Lu Chuan, saying nothing.

Defeat was defeat. At worst, he would fall into Lu Chuan's hands and be left at Lu Chuan's mercy.

Wanting to make him surrender was impossible!

He, Cao Cao, was not a man who clung to life and feared death!

When he first raised troops to subjugate Dong Zhuo, Cao Cao had already cast personal life and death aside.

Similarly, Xiahou Dun and the others had followed him to achieve great feats and establish their careers, and they had long since prepared themselves mentally for this very outcome.

Therefore, Cao Cao let out a cold snort, his face filled with utter disdain.

Execute him or slice him into pieces, do as you please! I, Cao Mengde, will never surrender!

Seeing Cao Cao's reaction, Lu Chuan could not help but feel a surge of admiration.

Cao Cao was truly Cao Cao; even when driven into a desperate situation, he showed not the slightest panic, let alone kneeling down to beg for mercy.

If Cao Cao had actively begged for mercy and surrendered, Lu Chuan would have thought less of him instead.

Xiahou Yuan and Cao Ren also wore resolute expressions, standing firmly by Cao Cao's side to show that they would live and die together with him!

Xiahou Dun could no longer stand watching, let out a roar, and charged forward, only to be batted right back by Lu Huo with a single thrust of his spear.

That's right, he batted him back.

Lu Chuan had instructed long ago that, unless absolutely necessary, they should not take the lives of Xiahou Dun and the others.

Since Lu Huo had already gained an absolute advantage, there was naturally no need to deal a fatal blow to Xiahou Dun.

As Lu Huo switched from a lethal thrust to a flat strike, the cavalrymen following closely behind him moved in unison, their long spears striking Xiahou Dun's body together with perfect synchronization.

How could Xiahou Dun possibly withstand the combined attack of so many men?

He managed to charge forward only a single step before being struck so hard that he spat a mouthful of fresh blood.

Seeing this, Cao Cao grew anxious.

"Stop! Lord Lu, this matter has nothing to do with Yuanrang and the others. I am willing to bind my hands and submit, leaving myself entirely at Lord Lu's disposal. I only ask that Lord Lu spare Yuanrang and the others!"

Lu Chuan raised a hand, and Lu Huo's side slowly came to a halt, though they still maintained a tight encirclement around the old soldiers behind Xiahou Dun.

"Does General Cao mean that you are willing to die to atone for your crimes, provided that I let Xiahou Dun and the others go?"

Cao Cao glanced at Xiahou Dun and nodded heavily.

"That's right! This entire affair stemmed purely from my momentary greed. Now, even though I led an army of ten thousand, I am still no match for you. I admit defeat, but if you expect me to surrender to you, that is utterly impossible!"

"Even if it means death?"

"In this life, why should one fear death?"

"Mengde, no!"

Xiahou Dun was frantic with worry, disregarding his injuries as he tried to rush forward again, only to be blocked by Lu Huo once more.

Lu Huo didn't even need to attack; simply by raising his long spear, he made it impossible for Xiahou Dun to break through.

Lu Chuan glanced at Xiahou Dun, casually unhooked the sword at his waist, and tossed it down in front of Cao Cao.

"Since you claim this entire matter was caused by your momentary greed, then you shall bear the responsibility. If you refuse to surrender, then commit suicide. As long as Xiahou Dun and the others do not make things difficult for me, I will not take their lives either."

Looking at the sword tossed out by Lu Chuan, an irrepressible sorrow welled up in Cao Cao's heart.

He had thought his moment had finally arrived and that he was about to step onto the stage of history to display his grand ambitions, only to be ruthlessly suppressed by Lu Chuan just as he was beginning to make a stir.

He slowly drew the sword and looked up at Lu Chuan again.

"Lord Lu, are you not tricking me?"

"Of course! I keep my word!"

"Very well! Today I die to atone for my crimes, and I only ask that Lord Lu spare Yuanrang and the others!"

As the words fell, Cao Cao raised the drawn sword toward his own neck.

"Mengde!"

Xiahou Yuan and Cao Ren hurriedly stepped forward to stop him, only to be violently shaken off by Cao Cao.

Cao Cao knew better than anyone that by raising troops to attack Lu County, he had crossed Lu Chuan's bottom line, and Lu Chuan would never allow him to stay alive.

He had to take personal responsibility for the actions he had committed.

Only by dying right here could the anger in Lu Chuan's heart be appeased, and only then would Xiahou Dun and the others have a chance at survival.

Hesitating no longer, Cao Cao shook off Xiahou Yuan and Cao Ren, pressed the sword against his own neck, closed his eyes, and exerted strength in both hands...

Clang!

The expected pain never came. Instead, a surge of force struck, and the sword in Cao Cao's hand dropped to the ground with a crisp sound.

Cao Cao opened his eyes. He had no idea who could possibly save him at a time like this.

When he saw the situation clearly, he was stunned into stillness.

The person who had intervened to save him was none other than Lu Chuan!

In the entire place, only Lu Chuan was capable of saving him.

Cao Cao looked at Lu Chuan in bewilderment. The one shouting to kill him just a moment ago was Lu Chuan, and the one saving him now was also Lu Chuan.

What on earth was Lu Chuan trying to do?

If Lu Chuan thought that by sparing his life he would obediently surrender, then Lu Chuan was entirely mistaken.

He, Cao Mengde, was never a man to bow beneath another!

"Lord Lu, what is the meaning of this?"

Xiahou Dun, Xiahou Yuan, and Cao Ren also wore expressions of utter confusion, failing to comprehend what Lu Chuan was actually aiming to achieve.

Lu Chuan put away his spear and drew out from his bosom the loan contract that Cao Cao had signed back then.

"I suddenly remembered something. When you signed the loan contract with me, it clearly stated that the loan term was one year, and after one year you were to repay me one hundred and fifty million coins in principal and interest. If you just die like this, who am I supposed to collect this one hundred and fifty million coins from?"

Cao Cao's expression turned rather colorful. Could it be that before making his move, Lu Chuan hadn't even considered this aspect?

The two sides had already resorted to weapons and armor against each other, yet Lu Chuan was still clinging to that old loan contract?

Could it be that Lu Chuan still hadn't figured out that he had never intended to repay the money in the first place?

Let alone the interest, he hadn't even planned to return the principal!

This attack on Lu County was clearly intended to capture the creditor and wipe out all debts in one stroke.

He had made his intentions so obvious, so why was Lu Chuan still saying things like this?

Xiahou Dun and the others also wore conflicted expressions. Was Lu Chuan really this naive?

With a completely serious expression, Lu Chuan said, "General Cao, you can die, but the debt cannot be erased. However, apart from you, it seems no one else in your Cao family is capable of bearing this debt. Don't tell me you expect me to take this contract and go looking for your father, Cao Song? When you raised troops to subjugate Dong Zhuo, your family fortune was already mostly scattered, right? How much money could he possibly have left now? I have no desire to make a losing investment."

Cao Cao was still quick-witted. Although he didn't understand why Lu Chuan was acting this way, being able to see a chance at survival was always a good thing.

"Then, according to Lord Lu's wishes, what do you plan to do? Could it be that you intend to let me go?"

Lu Chuan nodded, then shook his head.

"Letting you go is a given, otherwise the one hundred million coin loan I gave you earlier would never be recovered. But letting you return just like that wouldn't be appropriate either. If word of this gets out, wouldn't it mean anyone could come and attack my Lu County at will?

Therefore, capital punishment is spared, but the crime cannot go unpunished!"

Cao Cao sneered, "If Lord Lu has something in mind, just spell it out directly. There's no need to beat around the bush with me here!"

"Very well! Then I'll be direct."

Lu Chuan paused and brought out the loan contract once more. "You and I signed a loan agreement, and it is explicitly written in the contract that during the validity period of the loan, you must not attack me or commit any acts detrimental to Lu County. Therefore, your act of dispatching troops to assault Lu County constitutes a severe breach of contract. According to the terms of the agreement, I must charge you a penalty fee for the breach!"