Liu Bei had been lost for so long. Now, at last, he had met someone who could point him in the right direction. He bowed again and said,
"Though I am of little renown and scant virtue, I hope, sir, that you will not disdain my humble station, but leave the mountains and lend me your aid."
"I will listen to your guidance with the respect due a teacher!"
He knew he had neither the reputation of the Two Yuans nor the strength of Old Cao. All he had was a sincere heart, and he hoped it might move Qin Tian.
But hearing this, Qin Tian shook his head with a smile and stepped forward to help Liu Bei up.
"My lord, there is no need for such ceremony. Consider my words today a small repayment for your visit back then."
"Since I parted ways with Lord Cao, my heart has turned to ash. I cannot serve at your command!"
Liu Bei heard Qin Tian's words, and half his heart sank. He hurriedly said,
"If you do not emerge, what will become of the common people?"
Then he grew sorrowful.
"I know what is in your heart, sir. Yet the lords of this age are locked in bitter war, the people are scattered, and all under heaven suffer."
"If it is for my own sake, I truly cannot bear to press you."
"But whenever I see families broken and lives lost, my heart feels as though a knife were twisting in it. They are all subjects of the Han Dynasty, brought to this pass by the failings of my Liu clan. As a descendant of Gaozu, I feel deeply indebted to them."
"Now that I have seen your great talent, sir, I understand that to pacify the realm, we must gather capable men far and wide. With a talent such as yours, how could you grow old in the woods and by the springs?"
"I beg you, think of the people under heaven and lend me your strength!"
"Pacify this age of chaos, and give the people under heaven peace once more!"
Seeing Old Liu's eyes turn red, Qin Tian felt his heart stir.
Truth be told, Old Cao and Old Liu each had their own style.
By comparison, Old Cao was more practical, more complicated in his feelings, and more straightforward, though it was a shame he was so suspicious.
Liu Bei was the sort of person whose true nature you could never quite see.
People like that had never been well-liked, because no one knew what they were really thinking.
But once you got to know him, you found that beneath that inscrutable exterior lay a sincere heart.
No wonder he could say things like, "Do not commit an evil deed just because it is small, and do not refrain from doing a good deed just because it is small. Only virtue and worth can win people's hearts."
At this thought, Qin Tian helped Liu Bei to his feet again.
"My lord, there is no need for such ceremony. Very well, give me a few days to think it over."
Seeing that Qin Tian had not turned him down outright, Liu Bei's sorrow gave way to joy.
"I knew you were a man of benevolence and integrity, sir. I hope you will put the people first."
"But if you truly do not wish to leave the mountains, I would not dare force you. I only hope you will remain by my side. If I can listen to your guidance, that will be more than enough for me!"
Qin Tian did not answer. Instead, he smiled faintly.
"The weather is fine today. I brought my family here to admire the plum blossoms. Would you and Yuanzhi care to join us?"
Liu Bei did not understand Qin Tian's meaning, so he turned to Xu Shu.
"Yuanzhi, would you like to go admire the plum blossoms?"
Xu Shu shook his head.
"I just took office, and there is a mountain of military business to attend to. How could I have the leisure to admire plum blossoms?"
"My lord also slipped away to come here. We may as well return together."
"But, my lord, would you go on ahead? I'd like to speak with Zixuan a little longer."
Liu Bei knew Xu Shu meant to plead on his behalf. He hurriedly bowed to Qin Tian.
"In that case, I'll come pay my respects another day, when I have some free time, and listen to your guidance."
With that, he turned and led his horse away.
Only after Liu Bei had left did Xu Shu frown and say,
"I could see that Zixuan was already wavering. Why have you still not agreed?"
Seeing this, Qin Tian gave a cold laugh.
"Xu Yuanzhi, you've got some nerve. When I came here, I said I needed to observe things first before discussing whether I'd enter service!"
"Why are you in such a hurry to drag me into this?"
Seeing Qin Tian's displeasure, Xu Shu could only smile wryly.
"Now that I've joined the service of Lord Xuande, of course I must recommend talent to my lord!"
"I know Zixuan is an extraordinary talent. Given the situation, I had no choice. Blame me if you must!"
"I'll come to your door in person another day, carrying brambles to beg your forgiveness. How about that?"
Only then did Qin Tian nod.
"That's more like it. Be sure to pick some thick brambles, or the lashes won't hurt!"
As soon as he said this, Xu Shu's expression changed.
"You're really going to hit me?"
Qin Tian smiled faintly.
"Of course. How else will you atone?"
Xu Shu knew Qin Tian always followed through on what he said. He could only grit his teeth and say,
"Very well. I deserve a beating. If you want to hit me, Zixuan, then do it!"
"But you can't beat me for nothing. You have to tell me why you didn't agree just now!"
Seeing this, Qin Tian stopped joking and said slowly,
"It's because I have misgivings."
Hearing this, Xu Shu remembered when they had just left Cao Camp and hurriedly asked,
"Are your misgivings about the weaknesses you mentioned in my lord that day?"
When they had first left Cao Camp, Qin Tian had said Liu Bei had three major weaknesses, but Xun Yu had interrupted him.
Afterward, Xu Shu had not had a chance to ask about them along the way. Now he brought it up again.
"What were those three things, then? Tell me, Zixuan. I can pass them on."
Qin Tian saw no reason to hide it and spoke plainly.
"If we're talking about these three things, Yuanzhi, I'm sure you've sensed them too."
"First, Lord Liu has the ambition, but not the heart!"
At this, Xu Shu's brows knitted tight.
"What do you mean, he has the ambition but not the heart?"
Facing a friend, Qin Tian did not conceal his thoughts. He stepped forward and explained.
"Lord Liu's ambition is great. Sadly, though he has grand aspirations, he lacks the heart to accomplish great things."
"A man who would accomplish great things must keep all under heaven in his heart at all times. But Lord Liu has not set his heart on this. He has aspirations, but no goal!"
"Take Cao Mengde as an example. At first, his ambition was to become the Han Dynasty's General Who Conquers the West. Then, when the realm fell into chaos, he changed course, raised an army, and set out to pacify the lords."
"Only then did he recruit so many capable and ambitious men to serve him."
"But Lord Liu has been drifting along in a daze. He has aspirations, but no clear goal, and so for years he has wandered from place to place with nowhere to call home!"
Xu Shu listened and nodded.
"That is true. But my lord puts benevolence and righteousness first. With a good counselor, just as you said a moment ago, this failing can be remedied!"
"This failing can be remedied. After meeting him today, I can see that your lord has found his ambition. He can accomplish great things."
Qin Tian did not argue and continued,
"The first weakness can be remedied from the outside. But the second and third must be resolved by your lord himself!"
"He rose to prominence in the name of benevolence and righteousness, and what he has done has been benevolent and righteous. But that has now become a shackle. Whenever a great matter is at hand, he worries about his good name and cannot act freely!"
"So the second weakness is that Lord Liu does not understand the greater good. He cares only for his reputation for benevolence!"
"My strategy requires us to take Jing and Yi Provinces. Those lands are held by Liu Biao and Liu Zhang."
"If he worries about his good name then, he will ruin everything!"
Hearing this, Xu Shu frowned.
"My lord is a benevolent and righteous man. How can he care only about his reputation and not understand the greater good?"
He had joined Liu Bei precisely because of his benevolence. If he agreed with Qin Tian now, would he not be denying his own judgment?
"By the looks of it, Yuanzhi, you're far behind Lord Liu!"
Qin Tian grinned.
"You must understand that the greater good and a reputation for benevolence are like fish and bear's paw—you can't have both!"
"What is the greater good? It means putting the tide of the realm first, and putting the court and state first."
"What is a reputation for benevolence? The Book of Rites says, 'When those above and below are close to one another, that is benevolence.'"
"In this age of chaos, with the lords rising against one another, how can those above and below be close?"
"Take the time your lord yielded Xuzhou three times. It certainly spread his reputation for benevolence far and wide. But, Yuanzhi, have you ever thought how much warfare those three refusals brought about?"
"How many people died in the wars that followed?"
"Therefore, accepting Xuzhou was the greater good. It meant putting the whole picture first."
"Yielding Xuzhou and taking in Lu Bu were acts of petty benevolence, but they sacrificed the greater good!"
"Just as when Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty marched north against the Xiongnu: it seemed like reckless warmongering, but in truth it secured the foundation of the Han Dynasty's strength and expanded its territory. He sacrificed small acts of benevolence for the greater good; the benefits were felt then and would last for generations."
"Lord Liu's problem is that he understands how precious the people are, but is shackled by his reputation for benevolence and cannot act for the greater good!"
"And your problem, Xu Yuanzhi, is that you're too rigid and don't know how to adapt."
Xu Shu listened, feeling as if a great hammer had struck his head.
In his mind, Liu Bei had earned his respect precisely by yielding Xuzhou.
But Qin Tian's argument went against the moral values of the age.
Still, there was no denying that Qin Tian's words made sense.
Was yielding Xuzhou truly benevolent?
For the scholar-official class, it certainly fit the Confucian ideal of benevolence and righteousness.
But it had also brought about the chaos that followed in the Central Plains.
Judging by the outcome, Liu Bei had indeed cared only for his reputation and failed to understand the greater good!
For a moment, Xu Shu could not refute him. He could only ask in a low voice,
"Then what is the third weakness?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Qin Tian answered,
"Guan Yu and Zhang Fei!"
"Lord Liu rose with Guan and Zhang, and he'll fall because of them!"
Before you continue