After Liu Bei returned to Shouchun, not only did Zhuge Jin arrive to pledge his service with a host of talented men, he also met his old acquaintance, Chen Qun.
Faced with this, Liu Bei was naturally overjoyed. He returned to the residence with Qin Tian and the others and immediately held a celebratory banquet.
During the feast, Qin Tian introduced the surrendered generals Zhang Liao, Wei Xu, Qin Song, Xu Si, Wang Kai, and the others in turn.
Liu Bei and Zhang Liao were old acquaintances as well. Seeing Zhang Liao willing to serve him, Liu Bei was delighted once more.
He grasped Zhang Liao's hand and showered him with praise, then spoke at length to reassure the others.
Afterward, as was customary, he lavishly commended Zhao Yun, Gan Ning, and the others who had rendered meritorious service in this campaign before finally bringing the banquet to an end.
Qin Tian had originally thought that Old Liu, having just returned and with Lady Gan's delivery imminent, would first go to the inner courtyard to see his two wives.
Yet the moment the feast ended, Liu Bei seized his hand and said, "I sent the strategist north this time only to defend Jiujiang and keep Lu Bu from invading it."
"Who would have thought that the strategist would not only preserve Jiujiang, but wipe out Lu Bu in one stroke?"
"The situation in Xuzhou has yet to settle. How about we sleep foot-to-foot and talk through the night?"
To be honest, this was not the first time Liu Bei had invited Qin Tian to sleep foot-to-foot with him.
But Qin Tian had never agreed before. Seeing Liu Bei bring it up again now, he smiled and said, "Lady Gan is about to give birth. Why not return to the inner