Qin Tian Heads South, Cheng Yu Panics

After Qin Tian and his party left Xinji, they headed south, entering the territory of Runan.

It is necessary here to mention the distribution of power in the Central Plains.

Traditionally, when people speak of the Central Plains at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, they often assume that the territories of Cao Cao and Yuan Shu were far apart.

After all, one was in Yanzhou, while the other was in Huainan.

In reality, this was not the case; in the early stages, Yuan Shu's territory was actually far larger than Cao Cao's, even exceeding that of Yuan Shao.

The reason Yuan Shu dared to proclaim himself emperor was that he occupied the greater part of Yu Province, Huainan, and a small portion of Xuzhou.

Even Sun Ce, who held the lands of Jiangdong, was nominally under Yuan Shu's command.

Thus, Yuan Shu nominally occupied nearly a quarter of the Han Empire's territory, bordering directly on Xuchang, the heartland of Cao Cao.

And Runan was precisely Yuan Shu's home and foundation.

Beyond Yuan Shu, there was also the Chen State between Cao Cao and Yuan Shu, occupied by Prince Liu Chong of Chen.

To reach Xiaopei without alerting anyone, the fastest route was to head south into Runan, then north into the Chen State, passing through the Liang State to reach Pei County under the jurisdiction of the Pei Commandery.

In fact, this was exactly what Qin Tian did.

After heading south to Ruyang, he sold his carriage and horses to itinerant merchants at a low price, then left the city on foot, switching to new transport in the outskirts of Ruyang to head north.

Meanwhile, inside Xuchang, soldiers led by Cao Hong officially began their search for Qin Tian.

Squad after squad of soldiers surrounded Qin Tian's estate, and after finding nothing, they turned their attention to the properties owned by Qin Tian in the surrounding commanderies and counties.

Anyone who had dealings with Qin Tian, one by one, was summoned for questioning.

Seeing this, any official in the city with a modicum of sensitivity knew that there was a major problem.

Such a pursuit of Qin Tian within the city revealed a single truth.

Old Cao and his top strategist had officially broken ties!

If Qin Tian were an unknown, it might not have mattered, but his name had long since spread throughout the world.

A Qilin talent, accomplished at a young age, a top student of Cai Yong, brilliant in literature, and peerless in strategy!

Every one of these titles was enough to become a topic of conversation for the common folk of Xuchang over tea and meals.

Moreover, Qin Tian was kind-hearted, known for his benevolence and righteousness, and had been a staunch advocate for military land cultivation and taking in refugees.

In the eyes of the common people, he was a top-tier, virtuous official!

For a time, rumors flew throughout Xuchang, and the hearts of the people were unsettled.

Some felt regret, some worried for Qin Tian, and others simply watched the spectacle as if it had nothing to do with them; the reactions were varied.

Of course, there was a special group of people who were very happy to hear this news.

This group consisted of two types: the old ministers of the Han Dynasty and the spies of various factions.

Upon receiving this news, a massive amount of information regarding Qin Tian's departure began to spread in all directions.

Facing this situation, Guo Jia could no longer stand by!

Two days after the search for Qin Tian began, Guo Jia marched toward the Secretariat in a fit of rage.

Arriving at the residence and asking for Cheng Yu's location, he walked straight inside, saw Cheng Yu, and said in a deep voice:

"Master Cheng, this search cannot continue!"

"If this continues, our army will surely fall into chaos!"

At this moment, Cheng Yu was sitting at the head of the table, reviewing the files concerning Qin Tian.

Hearing this, he frowned and said:

"We are merely searching for one Qin Tian; how could that lead to chaos!"

"How can you be so obsessed, Master Cheng?"

Seeing Cheng Yu's attitude, Guo Jia spoke sharply:

"May I ask if Master Cheng still remembers what was written in Lord Cao's letter?"

"Lord Cao's command was for us to do our best to keep Zixuan, not for us to hunt him down like a criminal!"

"Now that you are making such a grand display, do you realize how much of a stir you have caused?"

"Qin Zixuan holds great prestige within the army. With his departure, the ranks were already unsettled, and as of today, many generals have sent letters asking if this is true!"

"Likewise, rumors are spreading everywhere in the city that Qin Tian's departure is because Lord Cao lacks the capacity to tolerate others and wishes to eliminate him under a pretext!"

"Our current actions are only confirming that these rumors are true!"

"Master Cheng, think about it: who is Qin Zixuan? He joined our ranks during the campaign against Dong Zhuo and has rendered great service to our Lord."

"He has not rebelled, yet we send troops to hunt him down. If this spreads, the world will think Lord Cao discards his bow once the birds are gone. Who else would ever join our ranks?"

"Furthermore, Lord Cao has just welcomed the Emperor back to Xuchang, and the old ministers in the court are already dissatisfied with him."

"Our actions now provide these old ministers with the perfect pretext to attack Lord Cao!"

"Master Cheng is also a man of strategy; how can you not see that if this continues, our army will surely fall into chaos?"

Listening to Guo Jia's analysis, Cheng Yu did not react, merely watching the dossiers in silence.

After pondering for a while, he stood up and said with a solemn expression:

"Fengxiao's words are sound, but this Cheng has a question to ask!"

"Dare I ask, what does Fengxiao think of this man, Qin Tian?"

"Is that even a question?"

Guo Jia retorted irritably:

"Though I have not known Zixuan for long, he is a man of integrity with a brilliant mind."

"Had he not been pushed to his limit, he would never have departed!"

"Nay, I do not ask of his character, but of his talent!"

Cheng Yu shook his head, looking at Guo Jia:

"Fengxiao, how do you rate his capabilities?"

Hearing this, Guo Jia frowned and replied:

"Zixuan's talent is ten times my own!"

This was no false modesty; if speaking purely of stratagems, he had never crossed swords with Qin Tian, and they might have been evenly matched.

But when it came to overall capability, he truly could not compare to Qin Tian.

Because that fellow knew far too much!

He was adept at grand strategy and precise in tactics; he could lead armies on horseback and govern the people on foot. From astronomy and geography to local customs, poetry, and calligraphy, there was nothing he did not master—he was a true polymath.

Compared to him, Guo Jia, who specialized only in strategy, naturally felt inferior.

As soon as Guo Jia finished, Cheng Yu stroked his beard and nodded:

"I agree with Fengxiao's assessment. Qin Zixuan is a man of world-shaking talent; we can hardly hope to catch up to him!"

"Yet, this is precisely why I am pursuing him so relentlessly!"

"If this man is a friend, we may sleep soundly, but if he is an enemy, we shall have no peace of mind!"

"Whether he joins Yuan Shao or Yuan Shu, he will become a grave threat to our army. Our lord is reluctant to lose such talent and still harbors hope, but as his subjects, we must share his burdens and show no mercy!"

Hearing this, Guo Jia furrowed his brows:

"That may be so, but we cannot be certain that Zixuan intends to join another!"

"If Zixuan still harbors thoughts of returning, would our actions not be throwing him into the fire?"

"I, too, wish he had the heart to return!"

Cheng Yu's expression darkened as he replied:

"Yet his actions show no such intention!"

"Perhaps Fengxiao is unaware?"

"Qin Zixuan has been in Yingchuan for several days, and the first thing he did was distribute his family wealth and collect his kin!"

As he spoke, he stood up and handed a silk scroll to Guo Jia:

"This man has long intended to leave!"

"Sending Cai Zhaoji north was merely a feint!"

"Only after our pursuers arrived did we discover he had ordered his servants to head north in three directions, while in reality, he had already secretly sent Cai Zhaoji and the others south!"

"Had he no intention of leaving, he would never have acted in such a manner!"

Guo Jia took the scroll and read it carefully, his lips moving, yet he could not find the words to speak.

Based on his understanding of Qin Tian, he would not devise a plan unless it was a complete, foolproof scheme!

In other words, Cai Yan's journey north was actually a part of Qin Tian's departure plan, designed solely to buy time!

After thinking for a moment, a sense of foreboding rose in his heart:

"After Cai Zhaoji went south, where did she go?"

"How would we know?"

Cheng Yu turned back abruptly and smiled:

"However, even the wisest may err. Fortunately, I made two preparations: one was to send men to pursue Qin Tian's family, and the other was to capture Li Shun from Qin Tian's household!"

"Qin Tian is extremely cunning. He used letters to deceive Li Shun into sending Cai Yan north, but in reality, he himself headed east!"

"He may deceive others, but he cannot deceive me!"

"Zixuan headed east?"

Upon hearing this, Guo Jia said in a deep voice:

"To the east lies Chen State. Could it be that Zixuan intends to join Liu Chong?"

"It matters not who he joins!"

Cheng Yu returned to his seat and sneered:

"I already dispatched troops to pursue him last night. Given that he is traveling with the elderly and the young, I expect he cannot have gone far!"

"If there is any news, it will be relayed back today!"

Seeing this, Guo Jia paced back and forth for a moment. In his view, the maneuvers of Qin Tian were truly baffling, yet this was precisely the style of Qin Tian's military strategy.

On the surface, he was heading east, but in reality, he could be going north, south, east, or west!

As long as you did not know his destination, you would only be led around by the nose.

However, seeing Cheng Yu's confident demeanor, he found it difficult to dampen his spirits. After thinking for a while, he stopped and said:

"Lord Cheng, if you truly catch Zixuan, can you promise me one thing?"

"Regardless of whether Zixuan intends to defect to another, you must not harm him!"

Cheng Yu nodded with a smile:

"Rest assured, Fengxiao. I have no personal grudge against Qin Tian. If he is willing to surrender, I will not harm him!"

"But if he is determined to set himself against Lord Cao, then do not blame this Cheng for being heartless!"

Hearing this, Guo Jia said nothing more. He paced a few steps and was just about to leave when he saw a soldier sprinting toward the residence.

"Report! Lord Cheng, we have received an urgent dispatch from Cao Xiu!"

Upon hearing this, Cheng Yu hurriedly stood up and asked:

"What is the urgent report?"

Guo Jia also turned his gaze toward the soldier.

Seeing this, the soldier hurriedly cupped his hands and said:

"We did not find any trace of the strategist, but after gathering intelligence, it has been confirmed that the strategist and his party arrived at Xinji two days ago, and subsequently traveled south, entering the territory of Runan!"

"What did you say? Qin Tian went south?"

Cheng Yu's eyes widened in shock.

Guo Jia then said in a deep voice:

"Yuan Shu currently occupies Pingyu. If the strategist has gone south, he is surely heading there!"

Before he could finish, Cheng Yu said coldly:

"Pursue! Pursue with all speed!"

"We must not let Qin Tian defect to Yuan Shu!"

"Once you catch up to Qin Tian's party, capture him if you can, but if you cannot, kill him without fail!"

Hearing this, Guo Jia looked at Cheng Yu in astonishment.

But this time, he could not bring himself to offer any more persuasion!

Because Qin Tian could go anywhere else, but he absolutely could not defect to Yuan Shu!

Yuan Shu's power was already vast; it was only because his strategists were incompetent that he suffered repeated defeats.

If Qin Tian were to join him, it would be nothing short of a catastrophe for them!