Meanwhile, on that very day, Lu Bu had suspected Chen Deng of colluding with the enemy, so he halted at Xutai and summoned Chen Deng.
Yet after Chen Deng arrived, a dazzling display of brinkmanship not only dispelled Lu Bu's suspicions, but won back his trust once more.
Seeing that the Zhongli direction was heavily defended, Chen Deng advised Lu Bu to launch a surprise attack on Dongcheng and take a roundabout route in.
Having accepted Chen Deng's plan, Lu Bu simply abandoned the water route and led his troops all the way toward Dongcheng.
Thus, while Qin Tian was facing off against Zhang Liao and Gao Shun, Lu Bu had already stormed to the foot of Dongcheng's walls.
Dongcheng lay at the border between Guangling and Jiujiang Commanderies. Unlike the flat, open terrain of the rest of Huainan, the land here was quite complicated.
For that very reason, Dongcheng was a remote region, vast in land and sparse in population.
This place had originally been a strategic stronghold under Yuan Shu, but since Lu Bu seized it last year, no large army had remained stationed there.
When more than twenty thousand of Lu Bu's troops descended upon the city, the county magistrate feared their might and surrendered without a fight.
Lu Bu entered the city, believing he had opened a passage into Jiujiang, and held another feast.
Before he could move his troops, however, he received a letter sent from Gao Shun in the north.
Gao Shun had written this letter as soon as he met Qin Tian. It detailed Qin Tian's declaration that he would crush the enemy within four days.
Lu Bu was naturally startled upon receiving the letter. Learning that Qin Tian had reached Zhongli, he summoned Chen Deng and Qin Song to discuss the matter.