First Military Council, Astonishing Words

Transmigrators generally possess a golden finger.

For a transmigrator who has traveled back to ancient times, the greatest golden finger is none other than the foresight of history.

Likewise, Qin Tian also possessed this golden finger.

But beyond that, Qin Tian actually had another golden finger.

This golden finger was neither a system nor an old grandfather living inside a ring, but rather his memory.

Simply put, Qin Tian's memory was heaven-defying.

For some reason, after transmigrating, he could not only recount every piece of knowledge he had seen in his past life, but he could also read ten lines at a glance and recite anything he had seen once backward!

This was also the reason why he was valued by Cai Yong and taken in as a disciple.

Likewise, thanks to this powerful memory, he was also extremely adept at discovering the opportunities hidden within every historical detail, guiding the situation to his advantage to secure the greatest benefits for his side.

The reason he dared to suggest that Liu Bei seize Huainan was because, starting from the moment Yuan Shu declared himself emperor, there were numerous opportunities to help Liu Bei rise to power!

Among them, the entanglement between Yuan Shu and Lu Bu was an extremely important part.

However, while he knew these things would happen, Liu Bei and the others did not.

Jian Yong, in particular, was stunned upon hearing Qin Tian's words and asked:

"I wonder who this gentleman is?"

Seeing this, Liu Bei hurriedly smiled at Jian Yong:

"This is a great sage who has just joined our army. His surname is Wang, and his given name is He!"

As he spoke, he whispered a few words into Jian Yong's ear.

Upon hearing this, a flash of brilliance sparked in Jian Yong's eyes; he had not expected that Liu Bei had truly managed to invite Qin Tian!

For them, this could be considered a piece of heaven-sent good news.

But recalling Qin Tian's words, he hurriedly asked:

"Listening to the gentleman's words just now, could it be that you already knew Lu Bu would form an alliance with Yuan Shu?"

Hearing this, Qin Tian shook his head and smiled:

"It is not that I knew beforehand, but that the situation naturally dictates it!"

"Because Sun Ce has now broken with Yuan Shu, although Yuan Shu has declared himself emperor, he has already entered a position of being attacked from both front and rear!"

"Yuan Shu now has Cao Cao to the north, Lu Bu to the east, and Sun Ce to the south!"

"He must find an ally to break this deadlock!"

"Yet Cao Cao supports the Emperor in the north, and Sun Ce has just rebelled in the south; only Lu Bu is available to form an alliance."

"However, although Yuan Shu may have this intention, Lu Bu may not necessarily agree, so there is no need to worry!"

Hearing Qin Tian's analysis, Jian Yong could not help but feel a sense of admiration:

"No wonder Yuanzhi speaks so highly of you, sir; you are truly remarkable!"

Seeing Qin Tian analyze the situation so thoroughly in just a few words, Liu Bei naturally wore a smile.

This was the role of a strategist!

If he had heard this news in the past, he would have had to summon everyone to discuss it, and even then, they might not have reached a conclusion after half a day.

But with Qin Tian here, the answer was reached immediately.

How could such a feeling be described as anything less than refreshing!

Thinking this, his smile deepened:

"Very well, since Xianhe has met him, it is perfect that you are here. You may go and summon Zizhong, Gongyou, and the others to discuss matters, so that everyone may meet the gentleman!"

"It shall be done; I will go at once!"

Jian Yong accepted the order and hurriedly arranged for people to notify everyone.

Seeing this, Xu Shu also bowed and said:

"I shall also return to the army to notify the generals to come and meet him!"

Because he needed to convey the truth of Qin Tian's identity to Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, he had to go in person.

Liu Bei nodded in agreement and let Xu Shu depart, while he personally led Qin Tian into the county office.

After entering the office, he arranged for a banquet while leading Qin Tian to the main hall.

In the main hall, there were several standard straw mats and low tables.

Seeing this, Liu Bei had a servant bring over a table and place it to his left, smiling:

"The county office is humble; I hope Zixuan will not mind!"

His smile was strained, feeling as though he had wronged Qin Tian.

Seeing this, Qin Tian laughed nonchalantly:

"Though the room is humble, it is the virtue of the occupant that makes it fragrant!"

"With the great virtue of the Lord residing here, how could one call this place humble?"

These words stirred a wave of emotion in Liu Bei's heart.

He knew that Qin Tian was highly valued under Cao Cao and must have received no shortage of gold and silver rewards.

He had expected Qin Tian to show some disdain for his own meager conditions.

Who would have thought that Qin Tian would turn around and comfort him instead?

Such indifference to fame and wealth, a character so pure and clear, was truly rare.

Though Qin Tian did not mind, Liu Bei was not the type to mistreat his subordinates; he secretly resolved that once his power grew, he would never treat these founding veterans poorly.

As he thought this, he praised him once more:

"Zixuan is truly a man of noble character!"

After this praise, he sat beside Qin Tian and began to discuss the current situation with him.

The two chatted for a long time until people began to arrive at the residence one after another.

First came Sun Qian and Mi Zhu, arriving alongside Jian Yong. Seeing Qin Tian seated on the same level as Liu Bei, they were all visibly shaken.

One must understand that in this era, seating was inextricably linked to status!

Within their army, Liu Bei had always sat alone in the seat of honor, with Guan Yu as the head of the military officials and Mi Zhu as the head of the civil officials.

Even when Xu Shu arrived later, his rank was placed behind Mi Zhu.

Yet now, this young man was seated with Liu Bei, which showed just how high his status was in Liu Bei's heart!

So, who exactly was this young man?

Just as Xu Shu had said, because Qin Tian had not previously agreed to join them, the officials under Liu Bei did not yet know his identity.

Even Mi Zhu and the others had heard nothing, so seeing this, they hurriedly questioned Jian Yong, who was standing to the side.

But Jian Yong merely smiled and said:

"This is a great sage of our army. Once everyone has arrived, the Lord will introduce him himself!"

Hearing this, the two had no choice but to suppress their curiosity.

After a long while, generals like Guan Yu and Zhang Fei entered the county office alongside Xu Shu.

Seeing that everyone had arrived, Liu Bei straightened his posture and smiled slightly at the group:

"Since you have all arrived, let the meeting officially begin."

"But before we discuss matters, I must first introduce someone to you all!"

He gestured toward Qin Tian and said:

"This gentleman's surname is Wang, given name He, and he is a great sage of this age!"

"From this day forward, he shall be the military advisor of our army. Any order from the advisor is as my own, and wherever the advisor goes, it is as if I have arrived in person!"

"I hope you will all listen to him and trust him; do not dare to defy his authority!"

As soon as Liu Bei spoke, a commotion broke out in the room.

While Xu Shu and Jian Yong were fine, Guan Yu frowned upon hearing this, and Zhang Fei looked visibly displeased.

Although the two knew Qin Tian's identity, having someone climb above them the moment they arrived was a feeling they found quite unpleasant.

As for the others, they were even more shocked.

They had never even heard the name Wang He!

For Liu Bei to entrust him with such heavy responsibility right from the start, effectively delegating his own power to him—not even Guan Yu had received such treatment!

What kind of background did this young man have?

How could he possibly earn such trust from Liu Bei?

Yet, amidst the uproar, Qin Tian smiled faintly:

"Having received the Lord's trust and such a heavy burden, I could not repay it even with death. I can only fulfill my duties with loyalty. I hope you will all bear with me, and together, we shall advance and achieve our great cause!"

"The Lord mentioned my name but not my courtesy name. Allow me to introduce myself: my courtesy name is Ziye. If you do not mind, you may address me as Ziye!"

After Qin Tian's brief introduction, Liu Bei looked at the group and asked:

"That is the situation. Do any of you have objections to Ziye taking the post of military advisor?"

Seeing this, the group looked at one another, but no one spoke; the room fell into a dead silence.

Yet, it was precisely this silence that shocked Mi Zhu and the others, causing them to cast their gazes toward Guan Yu and Zhang Fei!

By all logic, this shouldn't be happening!

It was one thing for them to have no objections, but for Guan Yu and Zhang Fei to have none?

These two brothers had always only submitted to Liu Bei and no one else.

Why were they not saying a single word now?

While they were still puzzled, they saw Liu Bei flash a grin:

"Then it is settled. Let us begin the council!"

"I have summoned you all today for two reasons: first, to announce Ziye's appointment, and second, because our army has received word that Yuan Shu intends to form an alliance with Lu Bu, and his envoy has already arrived in Xuzhou."

"What say you all? How should our army handle this?"

Hearing the topic, the group naturally began to weigh the pros and cons.

But today was different from the past; after thinking for a while, everyone looked up, yet remained completely silent.

Seeing this, Liu Bei could not help but frown:

"Why does no one speak?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Mi Zhu smiled and said:

"My Lord, you may not realize it, but in our past councils, there was no one to preside, so we could speak freely!"

"But today the Strategist is here, and we all wish to hear his brilliant insights, hence our silence!"

Once Mi Zhu finished, Zhang Fei seized the moment to add:

"I, too, am waiting to hear the Strategist's brilliant insights!"

With the two of them taking this stance, Sun Qian and the others began to chime in, while Guan Yu remained silent as before.

Only Xu Shu and Jian Yong furrowed their brows at this.

The current trend was not good; the group's behavior clearly showed they were dissatisfied with Qin Tian being placed in such a high position the moment he arrived.

If it were just others, it might be fine, but with Guan Yu and Zhang Fei acting this way, it was evident that Liu Bei's delegation of power this time might have backfired.

However, when the two looked at Qin Tian, they saw him wearing an expression of utter indifference, as if the matter had nothing to do with him, which left them both surprised.

Could it be that this was also within Qin Tian's control?

Amidst the varied reactions of the group, Liu Bei cast an apologetic glance at Qin Tian:

"Since everyone wishes to hear the Strategist's view, I invite you to speak, Sir."

Hearing this, Qin Tian curled the corners of his lips and shook his head with a smile:

"In my view, this matter is not worth discussing!"

"Although Lu Bu is fickle and treacherous, he still eats the Han's grain and serves as a Han official; he will certainly not agree to an alliance with Yuan Shu!"

As soon as these words left his mouth, everyone frowned, and Zhang Fei could no longer hold back, sneering:

"The Strategist speaks with such arrogance. If this is not worth discussing, I wonder what is?"

Seeing this, Qin Tian remained unperturbed:

"Though the matter of Lu Bu is significant, it is not as important as our army's development!"

"In my view, we should be discussing the seizure of Xiang County to fully secure Pei Commandery!"

Seizing Xiang County, fully securing Pei Commandery!

Hearing this, everyone was shaken, and even Liu Bei felt a surge of surprise.

They had already discussed the matter of seizing Xiang County.

The conclusion they had reached was that it was not feasible!

At the very least, with their current military strength, it would be very difficult to achieve this goal.

They had not expected that the moment Qin Tian took office, he would insist on biting into such a tough bone!