The Fish Take the Bait, March on Xiapi

To be honest, Liu Bei found it somewhat difficult to understand Qin Tian.

It was not the kind of uncertainty born from unfamiliarity, but rather an inability to grasp the inner workings of Qin Tian's mind.

Or perhaps it was that the things this strategist did were so unconventional that Liu Bei always felt he was a step behind.

Compared to Liu Bei, Xu Shu fared slightly better; he was only half a step behind.

Upon hearing that Qin Tian was preparing to deal with Lu Bu, Xu Shu frowned and said:

"Strategist, is it not too early to prepare to deal with Lu Bu?"

"Our army's current energy should be focused on Yuan Shu instead!"

Hearing this, Liu Bei naturally chimed in quickly:

"Indeed, Strategist, Yuanzhi's words are correct!"

"The current priority lies with Yuan Shu; why plot against Lu Bu first?"

Seeing the two of them in such a state, Qin Tian chuckled and said:

"The two of you, follow me; let us go inside and discuss this in detail!"

Having thoughts that were too far ahead of the curve meant that no matter what he did, he would be questioned; he had long since grown accustomed to this over the years.

He led the two toward the inner hall, speaking as they walked:

"May I ask, My Lord, how do you view Lu Bu?"

Seeing Qin Tian ask about Lu Bu, Liu Bei fell silent.

It was not that he had nothing to say, but rather that there was too much to say, and he did not know where to begin.

If one were to ask who understood Lu Bu best after the death of Dong Zhuo, it would undoubtedly be Liu Bei; having been betrayed by him so many times, he had many grievances.

However, Liu Bei was a kind-hearted man and did not like to gossip about others behind their backs, so he thought for a long time before saying:

"Lu Bu is a man of tiger-like ferocity!"

Regarding Liu Bei's assessment, Qin Tian laughed:

"Calling him that is actually high praise. In my view, Lu Bu is a man with the heart of a wolf and the lungs of a dog!"

"If he truly possessed the heart of a tiger or wolf, he might still accomplish something great."

"But this man has the heart of a wolf, yet he was born with the nature of a dog—and a vicious dog at that!"

He looked back at Xu Shu:

"A dog like this barks at everyone it meets and retreats when it encounters true evil; it can never accomplish great things!"

"The two of you just asked me why I want to deal with Lu Bu; this is the reason."

"Although our army's troops are now fully prepared, we are still inferior to Lu Bu in comparison."

"If we were to conspire with him, the moment he saw our army gaining an advantage, he would surely grow dissatisfied and might even turn his blades against us!"

"Lu Bu himself is short-sighted and lacks strategy, so he is not worth worrying about; the key lies in the Bing Province Iron Cavalry he holds in his hands."

"That is why I ordered this item to be forged!"

"If he behaves himself, then so be it; but if he turns against us, our army will have a way to restrain him!"

"Such a sharp weapon may not need to be used, but we cannot afford to be without it!"

Hearing the explanation, Xu Shu finally understood and could not help but laugh:

"If we are talking about caution, can the Strategist be considered the leader?"

"First you schemed against the steward, and now you are scheming against Lu Bu—is there no end to it?"

Facing Xu Shu's teasing, Qin Tian replied calmly:

"Those who do not plan for the ages are not fit to plan for the moment; those who do not plan for the whole are not fit to plan for a single region."

"One who plans for others must exhaust their thoughts and calculate every possibility to achieve complete success!"

Upon hearing these words, Liu Bei's eyes lit up:

"What a wonderful sentiment: 'Those who do not plan for the ages are not fit to plan for the moment; those who do not plan for the whole are not fit to plan for a single region!'"

"These words of the Strategist truly capture the essence of ancient and modern strategists; only a wise man could say such things!"

Listening from the side, Xu Shu nodded secretly; this was likely the very thing that made Cao Cao fear Qin Tian.

No matter the time, the entire situation was always under his control.

Standing in the midst of it, who could help but feel afraid?

But fortunately, Qin Tian was always his teammate, not his enemy, so he smiled:

"Strategist, your eloquence is truly beyond my reach, so I shall not argue with you!"

"I will only ask you one thing: when do you intend to mobilize the troops to seize Xiang County?"

"You must remember, the three-month deadline is already half over!"

"If we do not move now, it will be too late even to lay siege to the city!"

Qin Tian already held the winning hand and remained unruffled:

"To take Xiang County is as easy as turning over one's hand; why would we need to launch a frontal assault?"

"However, to take Xiang County, we still require news from Lu Bu's side. As long as Lu Bu requests reinforcements, I have my own stratagems to seize the county!"

He turned his head and asked Liu Bei:

"Now that Yuan Shu has raised his army, may I ask, my lord, has Lu Bu requested aid yet?"

Hearing this, Liu Bei was stunned for a moment before shaking his head slightly:

"Lu Bu has sent no letter, nor has there been any news!"

This was precisely the issue currently troubling him; although he did not know what effect Qin Tian's letter might have had.

But once a letter was sent, there should have been a response.

Yet, to this very day, there had been no word from Lu Bu at all!

He found it difficult to ask if Qin Tian's scheme had been seen through, so he could only wait in silence.

Seeing Old Liu's brows furrowed, Qin Tian offered comfort:

"Lu Bu is devoid of strategy. Seeing Yuan Shu's power, he will inevitably be gripped by fear and will not ignore our army's reinforcements."

"It must be a delay on the road; surely they will arrive within a few days!"

He knew very well that Lu Bu had the temperament of a rabid dog—once pushed into a corner, he was capable of anything!

If they hadn't taken the initiative to contact him, Lu Bu would have been too embarrassed to ask for help.

But now that they had reached out, given Lu Bu's nature, he would absolutely request aid of his own accord!

Old Liu listened to Qin Tian's words and felt a sense of relief. Just as he was about to respond, a loud shout came from outside:

"My lord, a messenger from Lu Bu has arrived!"

At this sound, Old Liu was filled with pleasant surprise.

Xu Shu also looked at Qin Tian with excitement.

Qin Tian smiled faintly:

"My lord, the fish has taken the bait. Let us go reel in the line; the time for our army to march has arrived!"

Hearing this, Liu Bei was overjoyed. He had waited for this moment for far too long!

Without delay, Liu Bei led the two of them toward the county government office.

Upon entering, he saw Lu Bu's messenger and asked:

"For what purpose has the honorable messenger come?"

The messenger was a scholar, and hearing this, he hurriedly bowed:

"Because the Governor previously invited my master to attack Yuan Shu, my master has pondered it until now. Reflecting that Yuan Shu is a traitor to the state, he should be struck down. However, as Yuan Shu has now taken the initiative to raise his army, he has sent this humble one to invite the Governor to send troops in support!"

"If the Governor is willing to send troops to assist, once we have repelled Yuan Shu, our army shall march alongside the Governor to help you seize Pei Commandery!"

"This is a handwritten letter from my master; the Governor may examine it himself!"

Liu Bei took the letter and began to read it carefully.

Qin Tian, meanwhile, strolled over to the scholar's side and asked:

"May I ask the honorable messenger's name and current position?"

Seeing Qin Tian's demeanor, the scholar knew his status must be significant and hurriedly replied:

"This humble one is Zhang Tong, currently a minor official under the General. May I ask who you are, sir?"

Qin Tian smiled and answered:

"I am a strategist under the Governor, named Wang He."

"Since you are the messenger, let me ask you: is what you just stated something General Lu personally instructed?"

Once Zhang Tong heard that Qin Tian was a strategist, he became even more respectful:

"Indeed! These are the very words my master spoke!"

Qin Tian nodded and asked again:

"Then let me ask you this: Yuan Shu has been mobilizing his army for quite some time. Since General Lu wishes to request aid, why has it only arrived today? Could it be that you were negligent on the road and delayed the matter?"

Hearing this, Zhang Tong's body trembled. He hesitated for a moment before saying:

"It was not this humble one's fault, but rather the obstruction of Master Chen!"

The smile on Qin Tian's face grew even more pronounced:

"This Master Chen—is it Chen Gong, Chen Gongtai?"

Zhang Tong was merely a minor official; how could he withstand the probing of a schemer like Qin Tian? He could only stammer:

"It is!"

Hearing that it was Chen Gong who had been obstructing them, Qin Tian understood. In all likelihood, Lu Bu had wanted to request aid, but had been privately blocked by Chen Gong, thus dragging the matter out until now.

Speaking of Chen Gong, he was actually an old acquaintance of his!

However, unlike others who were friends, Chen Gong and he were absolute political rivals.

Because that fellow Chen Gong possessed a typical scholar-circle mindset, valuing only the gentry while disregarding the common people.

He, on the other hand, happened to dislike that circle, valuing only the common people, and had always avoided dealing with those empty-talking, famous scholars.

Thus, the two had been at odds from the very beginning.

Previously, Chen Gong's rebellion had been thwarted by him, and the enmity between the two ran deep.

At the thought of having to cross swords with Chen Gong again, Qin Tian smiled secretly:

"Since you made the first move, do not blame me!"

In an instant, he already had a plan to deal with Chen Gong, and he said to the minor official before him:

"So that is how it is. Many thanks for the clarification!"

Having said that, he stood to the side and spoke no more.

Once Liu Bei finished reading the letter, he asked:

"Strategist, should our army march out to assist?"

Qin Tian replied with a smile:

"Since Marquis Wen has written personally, our army should naturally provide full support!"

He said to Zhang Tong:

"You may return and inform Marquis Wen that our army will mobilize this very day. Please ask Marquis Wen to await the good news!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Tong was overjoyed; he hurriedly cupped his hands in acknowledgment and exited the county office.

As soon as he left, Xu Shu, who had remained silent until now, stepped forward and asked:

"Zixuan, are we truly going to reinforce Lu Bu?"

"Although Lu Bu has agreed to lend our army a hand, that man is fickle and treacherous. Even if we win, I fear he will not make things easy for us!"

Hearing this, Liu Bei also nodded and said:

"Lu Bu is not to be trusted!"

Though his words were few, they made his stance clear: utilizing Lu Bu was acceptable, but he held a negative view toward cooperating with him.

However, their attitudes did not exceed Qin Tian's expectations; he merely smiled:

"Rest assured, both of you. Going into this battle will only benefit our army; there will not be a single drawback!"

"My Lord, just muster the troops and act according to my plan, reaching Xiapi as quickly as possible!"

"After this battle, not only will Xiang County be within our grasp, but our army will also gain money and grain, and fully occupy Pei Commandery!"

Seeing Qin Tian so confident, Xu Shu said:

"It seems the strategist's plan is already set; I should say no more."

He smiled at Liu Bei:

"My Lord may go and muster the troops; we shall simply watch the strategist work his magic!"

Hearing this, Liu Bei hesitated no longer; he nodded and ordered his generals to be summoned.

As for Zhang Fei and the others, ever since Qin Tian took office, they had intensified the training of their troops. Seeing that their men were ready for battle, they had been itching for a fight every day, but lacked the military order. Now, hearing Liu Bei's summons, they all arrived in high spirits.

Upon entering the county office, Zhang Fei asked:

"Big Brother, are we about to march on Xiang County?"

Seeing Zhang Fei like this, Liu Bei shook his head and said:

"Because Lu Bu has requested aid, we are going to lend him a hand!"

Zhang Fei had always looked down on Lu Bu's character. Upon hearing they were going to reinforce him, he immediately raged:

"Big Brother, what is the meaning of this? That scoundrel Lu Bu has repeatedly made things difficult for us and even raided our Xuzhou. Now that he is on the verge of defeat, why not let him fall? Why must we reinforce his army?"

Liu Bei, feeling helpless, could only look toward Qin Tian.

To this, Qin Tian spoke with a stern expression:

"This expedition, while aiding Lu Bu, is also for the purpose of taking Xiang County. You all need only prepare the troops and set out; Xiang County will fall in a matter of days!"

Hearing this, Zhang Fei was naturally displeased:

"Strategist, I don't understand. What does taking Xiang County have to do with saving Lu Bu?"

If it were anyone else, he might have offered an explanation, but Qin Tian said in a deep voice:

"It does not matter if you do not understand; just follow orders!"

"You know that military orders are like mountains—what is with all this idle chatter? Go and prepare the troops to march!"

"Whoever dares to disobey the military command shall be dealt with by military law!"

The most important thing in an army is to follow orders. Liu Bei might indulge the two of them, but he certainly would not.

Zhang Fei was naturally hot-tempered; hearing these words, he was about to fly into a rage, but was suddenly grabbed by Guan Yu at his side.

Seeing this, Liu Bei spoke in a deep, heavy voice:

"The strategist's words are My orders. You all need only prepare your troops and set out today; say no more!"

Fearing Liu Bei's authority, the generals dared not speak and filed out to carry out the order.

Zhang Fei was also pulled out of the county office by Guan Yu.

No sooner had they stepped outside than Zhang could not help but complain:

"Second Brother, why stop me? You should have let me properly question that man!"

"Letting us drill the troops is one thing, but how can we be used for the sake of others?"

Seeing this, Guan Yu knew that Zhang Fei found the idea of reinforcing Lu Bu hard to accept; in truth, he found it difficult to accept as well.

Yet, Qin Tian did not bother with sentiment, speaking only of military law; as subordinates, what else could they do?

"I know you are angry, Third Brother, but he is the strategist and we are the generals—how could you ever win an argument against him?"

"Furthermore, if we defy the order, our elder brother will have to bear the consequences for us. How can we be so willful?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Fei immediately wilted:

"Then, in Second Brother's opinion, what should we do?"

"Yide, just follow the army and observe his schemes!"

Guan Yu narrowed his eyes and said:

"If he can truly take Xiang County, we will naturally obey; if he cannot take Xiang County, we will have grounds to invoke military law ourselves!"

Hearing this, Zhang Fei knew the situation left him no choice, so he nodded in agreement and returned to camp to muster his troops.

Subsequently, Liu Bei formally issued his orders: Guan Yu would serve as the lead general to garrison Xiaopei, with Xu Shu assisting from the side.

He himself took Zhang Fei, Chen Dao, Fu Shiren, and other generals, with Qin Tian as his strategist, and led eight thousand troops, marching through the night toward the direction of Xiapi.