In late October of the third year of the Jian'an Era, just as General Who Conquers the East Liu Bei marched south against Sun Ce, Lu Bu seized the chance to launch a surprise attack on Jiujiang.
In the history of the late Han, such attacks and counterattacks had been a common sight.
For instance, Lu Bu's surprise attack on Yanzhou and Sun Quan's surprise attack on Jing Province had each seemed capable of changing the balance of the realm.
Yet this time, when Lu Bu ambushed Liu Bei, he charged headfirst into an iron wall.
Because he had encountered Qin Tian—a strategist who knew better than anyone that allies were the least trustworthy.
Long before the surprise attack, Qin Tian had already sensed it and made arrangements in the north, joining forces with Chen Deng, then the Governor of Guangling.
Through the calculations of both sides, Lu Bu's lone army pushed deep in, leaving Xuzhou hollow behind him.
As Zang Ba, Lei Xu, and Chen Gui all moved at once, Lu Bu's troops were drawn out of his old nest at Xiapi, and with that, he lost the foundations of Xuzhou.
By late November, Xiapi had declared its fall. Lu Bu was defeated at Dongcheng and fell from his horse in fury.
His subordinates had no choice but to follow the message Chen Gong had sent, detouring north in the hope of joining Chen Gong's forces.
But at that moment, Qin Tian led his troops to the foot of Dongcheng and successfully combined forces with Chen Deng.
At this point, Liu Bei's army had completely reversed the situation in Xuzhou and begun its strategic counteroffensive.
At Chen Deng's suggestion, Qin Tian split his army into two routes. One went north by water into Xiapi, then advanced east to occupy