After Qin Tian and the others left Xinji, they continued south and entered Runan.
This was a good place to briefly explain the situation across the Central Plains.
Traditionally, when people spoke of the Central Plains at the end of the Eastern Han, they always assumed that Cao Cao's territory and Yuan Shu's were far apart.
After all, one was in Yanzhou, while the other was in Huainan.
In reality, that was not the case. In the early days, Yuan Shu's territory was actually far larger than Cao Cao's—even larger than Yuan Shao's.
The reason Yuan Shu dared to proclaim himself emperor was that he controlled most of Yu Province, Huainan, and part of Xuzhou.
Even Sun Ce, who ruled Jiangdong, was nominally under Yuan Shu.
Thus, Yuan Shu nominally controlled nearly a quarter of the Han Dynasty's territory, bordering Xuchang, deep in Cao Cao's domain.
And Runan was Yuan Shu's hometown and the foundation of his power.
Besides Yuan Shu, Chen State lay between Cao Cao and Yuan Shu, controlled by King Chen, Liu Chong.
The quickest way to reach Xiaopei without anyone noticing was to head south through Runan, then north through Chen State and Liang State, until they reached Pei County, which belonged to Pei Commandery.
That was exactly what Qin Tian did.
After heading south to Ruyang, he sold his carriage and horses to traveling merchants at a low price. Then he left the city on foot and changed to a northbound carriage outside Ruyang.
Meanwhile, in Xuchang, the soldiers led by Cao Hong officially began searching for Qin Tian.
Squads of soldiers surrounded Qin Tian's residence. After finding nothing, they turned their attention to his businesses in the surrounding commanderies and counties.
Everyone who had dealings with Qin Tian was summoned for questioning, without exception.
Seeing this, even the more perceptive officials in the city realized that things had become serious.
The pursuit of Qin Tian throughout the city sent a clear message.
Old Cao and his chief strategist had officially fallen out!
If Qin Tian had been an obscure nobody, that would have been one thing. But his name had long since spread across the land.
The Qilin Talent, gifted and accomplished from a young age, Cai Yong's prized student, brilliant in letters and peerless in strategy!
Every one of those titles was enough to become a topic of conversation among the people of Xuchang.
Moreover, Qin Tian was kind and good-natured, renowned for his benevolence and righteousness. He had championed farming settlements and taken in refugees.
In the eyes of the common people, he was the very model of a good official!
For a time, rumors spread throughout Xuchang, and people's hearts grew restless.
Some lamented what had happened, others worried for Qin Tian, while still others treated it as someone else's business and watched for the spectacle. Reactions varied.
Of course, there was also a rather special group of people who were delighted by the news.
They fell into two categories: old Han loyalists and the spies planted by various families.
Once the news reached them, reports about Qin Tian's departure began spreading in every direction.
Guo Jia could no longer sit by and watch!
Two days after the search for Qin Tian began, Guo Jia stormed toward the Secretariat in a fury.
After arriving at the residence and learning where Cheng Yu was, he went straight inside. The moment he saw Cheng Yu, he said in a low voice:
"Lord Cheng, this search must stop!"
"If we keep this up, our army will fall into chaos!"
Cheng Yu was seated in the place of honor, examining documents concerning Qin Tian.
Hearing Guo Jia's words, he frowned.
"We're only searching for one Qin Tian. How could that throw our army into chaos?"
"Lord Cheng, why are you so stubborn?"
Seeing Cheng Yu's attitude, Guo Jia immediately spoke up sharply:
"May I ask if Lord Cheng remembers what was written in Lord Cao's letter?"
"Lord Cao told us to do everything we could to keep Zixuan here, not to seize him!"
"Do you realize how much commotion you've caused by making such a show of this?"
"Qin Zixuan has great prestige in the army. His departure has already unsettled the troops, and by now, many officers have sent letters asking whether the rumors are true!"
"Likewise, rumors are spreading all over the city that Qin Tian left because Lord Cao could not tolerate a man of talent and wanted to use this as an excuse to eliminate him!"
"Our actions are now proving those rumors true!"
"Why don't you think about who Qin Zixuan is? He joined our army back when we campaigned against Dong Zhuo and rendered the lord meritorious service."
"He has not rebelled, yet our army has sent soldiers to hunt him down. If word of this spreads, everyone under heaven will think Lord Cao kills the rabbit after the hunt is over. Who would still join our army?"
"Besides, Lord Cao has only just welcomed the Son of Heaven back to Xu, and many old officials at court are already displeased with him."
"Our actions are handing these old officials a pretext to attack Lord Cao!"
"Lord Cheng, you are a man of strategy. Surely you know that if this continues, our army will fall into chaos?"
As Guo Jia laid out his arguments, Cheng Yu showed no reaction. He simply kept looking through the documents.
After a moment of silence, he rose and said gravely:
"What Fengxiao says is true, but I have a question for you!"
"What do you think of Qin Tian?"
"Is that even worth asking?"
Guo Jia replied irritably:
"Though Zixuan and I have not known each other long, he is an upright man with a mind full of brilliant ideas."
"Had he not been pushed too far, he would never have left!"
"No. I'm not asking about his character, but his abilities."
Cheng Yu shook his head and looked at Guo Jia.
"What do you think of his talents?"
Guo Jia frowned at that.
"Zixuan is ten times more capable than I am!"
He was not being modest. In pure strategy, he had never crossed swords with Qin Tian; perhaps they were evenly matched.
But when it came to overall ability, he truly could not compare with Qin Tian.
That fellow simply knew too much!
He had a grasp of the grand picture and excelled at tactics; he could command an army on horseback and govern the people once he dismounted. Astronomy, geography, local customs, poetry, calligraphy—there was nothing he did not know. He was a true polymath.
Compared to him, Guo Jia, whose talents lay in strategy alone, naturally felt inferior.
As soon as Guo Jia finished speaking, Cheng Yu stroked his beard and nodded.
"I agree with you, Fengxiao. Qin Zixuan is a man capable of shaping the world. None of us can hold a candle to him!"
"And that is precisely why I'm pursuing him so relentlessly!"
"If he were our friend, we could sleep easy. But if he became our enemy, we would never know a moment's peace!"
"If a man like him joined Yuan Shao or Yuan Shu, he would become a great enemy of our army. The lord cannot bear to lose his talent and still clings to a glimmer of hope. As his subjects, we must relieve the lord of his worries. We cannot show the slightest mercy!"
Hearing Cheng Yu's words, Guo Jia furrowed his brow.
"That may be so, but we cannot be sure Zixuan intends to join someone else!"
"If he still hopes to return, won't our actions put him in an impossible position?"
"I only wish he did intend to return!"
Cheng Yu's expression darkened.
"But his actions show no sign that he plans to come back!"
"Perhaps you don't know, Fengxiao?"
"Qin Zixuan reached Yingchuan several days ago. The first thing he did was give away his entire fortune and bring his family to him!"
As he spoke, he stood, picked up a silk letter, and handed it to Guo Jia.
"He had already made up his mind to leave!"
"Sending Cai Zhaoji north this time was merely a feint!"
"When our pursuers arrived, they discovered that he had sent his servants north in three separate groups. In reality, he had secretly sent Cai Zhaoji and the others south!"
"If he had not intended to leave, he would never have done such a thing!"
Guo Jia took the silk letter and studied it carefully. For a moment, his lips moved, but no words came out.
Knowing Qin Tian, Guo Jia understood that if he made a move, he always had the whole plan laid out!
In other words, Cai Yan's journey north had actually been part of Qin Tian's escape plan, meant to buy him time!
After thinking it over, Guo Jia felt a foreboding stir within him.
"Where did Cai Zhaoji go after heading south?"
"How would we know?"
Cheng Yu abruptly turned around with a smile.
"But even the wisest man is bound to make a mistake now and then. Fortunately, I made preparations for both possibilities. I sent men to pursue Qin Tian's family, and I also captured Li Shun, one of Qin Tian's household servants!"
"Qin Tian is extremely crafty. He used a letter to throw us off, telling Li Shun that Cai Yan was heading north. In reality, he himself set out east!"
"He may fool others, but he can't fool me!"
"Zixuan headed east?"
Guo Jia immediately replied in a low voice:
"To the east lies Chen State. Could Zixuan be planning to join Liu Chong?"
"Who cares who he joins!"
Cheng Yu returned to his seat and sneered.
"I sent soldiers after him last night. He's traveling with the old and young, so I doubt he's gotten far!"
"If there's any news, it should arrive today!"
Guo Jia paced back and forth. In his eyes, Qin Tian's actions were utterly confusing, but that was exactly how Qin Tian waged war.
He seemed to be heading east, but in truth, he could be going southeast, southwest, or anywhere else!
Until you knew his destination, all you could do was run after him.
But seeing how confident Cheng Yu was, Guo Jia did not want to dampen his spirits. After thinking it over, he stopped and said:
"Lord Cheng, if we truly catch up with Zixuan, could you grant me one favor?"
"Whether or not Zixuan intends to join someone else, do not harm him!"
Cheng Yu nodded with a smile.
"Don't worry, Fengxiao. I have no personal grudge against Qin Tian. If he's willing to surrender, I won't harm him."
"But if he's set on opposing Lord Cao, then he can't blame me for showing no mercy!"
Guo Jia said nothing more. He paced a few steps, then was about to leave when a soldier came sprinting into the residence.
"Report! Lord Cheng, urgent news from our army's Cao Xiu!"
At the words, Cheng Yu hurried to his feet.
"What's the urgent news?"
Guo Jia also looked toward the soldier.
The soldier immediately cupped his hands and reported:
"We haven't found the military adviser's whereabouts, but after making inquiries, we've confirmed that he and his party reached Xinji two days ago, then continued south into Runan!"
"What did you say? Qin Tian went south?"
Cheng Yu's eyes widened.
Guo Jia spoke in a low voice again:
"Yuan Shu now controls Pingyu. If the military adviser went south, he must be headed there!"
Before he could finish, Cheng Yu said coldly:
"Pursue him! Hurry!"
"We absolutely cannot let Qin Tian join Yuan Shu!"
"Once you catch up with Qin Tian and his party, capture them if you can. If you can't, kill them! No mistakes!"
Guo Jia looked at Cheng Yu in shock.
But this time, he could not bring himself to argue!
Qin Tian could go anywhere he liked—just not to Yuan Shu.
Yuan Shu's power was already great enough. The only reason he had suffered defeat after defeat was that his advisers were incompetent.
If Qin Tian joined him as well, it would be nothing short of a deathblow for them!
Before you continue