Xuzhou, Xiapi.
Leaving aside Liu Bei, who was leading his troops through the night to arrive, Chen Deng had returned to Xuzhou that day after receiving his orders from the court and informed Lu Bu of everything.
When Lu Bu heard he had failed to secure the post of Governor of Xuzhou, he immediately roared in anger:
"You didn't seek the governorship of Xuzhou for me—you were seeking titles and honors for yourself!"
"Your father told me to abandon Yuan Shu and submit to the court. Now I've gained nothing, while you and your father have risen to prominence!"
"If this goes on, sooner or later I'll be ruined by the two of you!"
He drew his sword and was about to cut off Chen Deng's head.
But when Chen Deng saw this, he was not the least bit afraid. Instead, he laughed aloud:
"Why don't you understand Lord Cao's meaning, General?"
Seeing that Chen Deng was unafraid, Lu Bu could not help asking in surprise:
"What is there that I don't understand?"
Chen Deng spoke frankly:
"When I went to the court to seek a post for the General, Lord Cao told me: 'The General is like a tiger or wolf. You must feed him meat; if he isn't fed, he'll bite people!'"
"But Lord Cao replied: 'The General should be like a hawk or falcon. While foxes and rabbits are still about, he won't dare fill his belly first!'"
"When hungry, he can be put to use; once full, he'll take wing and fly away!"
"I then asked Lord Cao what he meant by foxes and rabbits."
"Lord Cao answered: 'Yuan Shu of Huainan, Sun Ce of Jiangdong, Yuan Shao of Ji Province, Liu Biao of Jingxiang, Liu Zhang of Yi Province, and Zhang Lu of Hanzhong—they are all foxes and rabbits.'"
"As long as these foxes and rabbits remain, he dares not grant the General the post of Governor!"
Hearing Cao Cao praise him, Lu Bu forgot his anger for a moment. He held his sword and laughed aloud:
"Lord Cao understands me!"
As they were speaking, someone came to report that Yuan Shu's army was advancing.
Lu Bu immediately panicked. He sent Chen Deng away and dispatched men to investigate.
When the scouts returned, they learned that Yuan Shu had set out from Shouchun with tens of thousands of troops, pillaging along the way.
At the time, Lu Bu's troops were stationed throughout the region, and only a few thousand foot soldiers and cavalry remained in the city. Afraid, he sent word to Liu Bei and ordered men to gather troops from the various posts.
Several days passed. Lu Bu waited and waited, but there was no word from Liu Bei. Naturally, he grew angry, yet his forces were too few for him to launch an attack.
So Lu Bu could only sit in the county office all day, waiting for the troops to assemble while watching the enemy draw ever closer to Xiapi.
As one piece of bad news after another arrived, Lu Bu finally could not sit still. He hurriedly summoned his officials to discuss the situation.
Chen Gong was the first to arrive at the residence. Seeing Lu Bu seated in the hall, he said:
"The enemy has arrived. Why aren't you going to repel them, General? Why sit here?"
Lu Bu was naturally in no mood to be polite:
"I want to send out troops too, but I don't have enough men. How can I fight them?"
"I've summoned everyone here to discuss the matter. Once Liu Bei's troops arrive, we'll launch our attack!"
Hearing this, Chen Gong said confidently:
"I'm afraid Liu Xuande won't be coming!"
"He has never been on good terms with our army. If we had acted early and seized Pei County, he would have brought his troops himself."
"Now Yuan Shu has sent out his army, and we're asking for help only after the fact. There's nothing in it for Liu Bei. Why would he come to our aid?"
"You'd best urge the General to abandon the idea. Don't pin your hopes on it!"
Lu Bu listened, then turned his head away in displeasure:
"The enemy is powerful. If we don't wait for Liu Bei, what else can we do?"
"If you came here only to say this, Gongtai, you may as well go back!"
Seeing this, Chen Gong stroked his beard and smiled:
"General, don't worry. There's no need to send out troops. I have a way to drive the enemy back!"
"Oh? What plan do you have, Gongtai?"
Seeing that Chen Gong really had a solution, Lu Bu hurriedly turned back to him.
Chen Gong stepped forward and said:
"The trouble in Xuzhou was brought on by Chen Gui and his son. They fawned on the court to seek titles and emoluments, and now they've brought this disaster upon the General. We can cut off their heads and present them to Yuan Shu; his army will withdraw on its own."
Hearing this, Lu Bu furrowed his brows:
"Those two have helped me greatly. How can I kill them over this?"
Chen Gong knew that Lu Bu was already wavering, and hurriedly said:
"Even if you don't kill them yourself, you can bind them and send them to Yuan Shu's camp. That will resolve the danger as well."
Lu Bu fell silent for a moment. Compared with his own safety, it seemed the lives of Chen Gui and his son might be a sacrifice he could make!
Just then, Chen Gui and his son entered the hall. Chen Gong hurriedly said:
"My lord, he who hesitates when he must decide will only invite chaos!"
Lu Bu thought it over, then immediately rose to his feet:
"Men! Bind Chen Gui and his son for me!"
Chen Gui and Chen Deng had been thinking of a way to repel the enemy. Little did they know that as soon as they entered the hall, they would hear those words.
The guards on either side stepped forward to seize them.
But the father and son were both shrewd men. Hearing this, Chen Gui said to Lu Bu in a deep voice:
"Why are you doing this, General? You summoned this old man and his son to discuss the matter. Why seize us?"
Lu Bu was somewhat embarrassed, so he could only say:
"Gongtai just told me that you and your son brought this disaster upon Xuzhou. Now that we have no way to repel the enemy, I'm having you seized to prevent further trouble!"
Hearing that it was Chen Gong's idea, Chen Gui sneered:
"Yuan Shu has only a mere army. What is there to fear?"
"My son has already devised a plan. We can certainly defeat him!"
Chen Deng also raised his head and said:
"In my eyes, Yuan Shu's troops are like rotting grass. Why should we care about them?"
Lu Bu had not expected the two of them to have a plan to repel the enemy. He hurriedly said:
"If you truly have a plan, tell me at once!"
Chen Deng stepped forward and said:
"Though Yuan Shu's army is large, it is just a rabble, and its men don't trust one another. We should defeat it with a surprise attack!"
"Han Xian and Yang Feng are former Han officials. They fled because they feared Cao Cao and had no home to turn to, so they temporarily joined Yuan Shu."
"Yuan Shu is a member of a great family and will surely look down on them. They, in turn, are unwilling to serve him."
"If we send them a letter to win them over as our inside men, and link up with Liu Bei on the outside, we can surely capture Yuan Shu!"
Hearing Chen Deng's plan, Lu Bu stroked his beard and nodded:
"That plan will do. Yuanlong, dare you go into Yuan Shu's camp and deliver a letter?"
Chen Deng replied calmly:
"Why wouldn't I dare?"
"But there's one thing. Our army is short of troops, and Liu Bei said he would join forces with us. Now the enemy is bearing down on us. Why doesn't the General hurry and ask him for help?"
If Chen Deng had said nothing, it would have been fine. But at this, Lu Bu said in a low voice:
"I already sent someone to ask for help, but there's still been no word from Liu Bei!"
"Perhaps he doesn't want to send troops. It's not impossible!"
At this, Chen Deng laughed aloud:
"You're mistaken, General. Someone else might not send troops, but if you ask Lord Liu for help, he's sure to come!"
"Xiaopei is only a few hundred li from Xiapi. If the messenger arrived in time, Lord Liu's troops may already be here!"
"Someone must have been obstructing things from within. That's why there's been no reply."
As he spoke, he glanced coldly at Chen Gong.
Chen Gong saw this but did not respond.
Lu Bu knew Chen Gong well enough. Seeing him like this, he knew something was wrong. But without proof, he could not make an issue of it, so he asked Chen Deng:
"What should we do now, with Liu Bei still absent?"
Chen Deng knew there was nothing he could do about Chen Gong, so he could only say:
"Circumstances demand haste. We can send another messenger to ask for help while I go to Yuan Shu's camp and sow discord!"
"We have no choice but to do that!"
Lu Bu sighed and hurriedly arranged for another messenger to go.
But just as the messenger set out, a foot soldier came to report:
"My lord, Liu Bei's reinforcements have arrived outside the city!"
"What? Liu Bei's reinforcements are here?"
Lu Bu's expression immediately became quite something.
Chen Gong's face darkened, and he looked somewhat surprised.
Only Chen Deng smiled and said:
"General, since Lord Liu's reinforcements have arrived, why not invite him in?"
"Just so!"
Lu Bu replied, then joyfully ordered his men to let Liu Bei into the city.
At that moment, outside Xiapi, Liu Bei was leading his troops into formation beneath the city gates.
Looking at the gates of Xiapi, Zhang Fei was reminded of what had happened before. He said to Liu Bei:
"Brother, why not wait until Lu Bu opens the gates, then charge in together? We can capture that scoundrel Lu Bu and kill him!"
Liu Bei's brows knitted tightly:
"We've come to help. How can we take advantage of the situation to attack him and commit such an unrighteous act? Absolutely not!"
Hearing this, Zhang Fei could only sigh.
But Qin Tian, standing beside them, said:
"Lu Bu is fickle and treacherous. He'll certainly be on guard. How could he open the gates wide? He'll surely open only a small crack and let us in that way!"
"Even a surprise attack would be difficult to pull off!"
Hearing Qin Tian's explanation, Zhang Fei looked at him differently. Did Qin Tian mean that he had considered doing the same?
If that was the case, this strategist might be all right after all!
As they were thinking, the city gates opened a crack, and a young officer called out:
"The General orders Lord Liu to enter the city for an audience!"
Seeing that the gates had indeed opened only a crack, Zhang Fei was even more surprised.
Liu Bei turned around and said:
"Just as the strategist predicted, the whole army can't enter the city. We'll go on horseback with a small escort!"
"Strategist, would you like to come along?"
Qin Tian replied calmly:
"In principle, I should go with you. But I can't enter the city yet."
"Lu Bu may never have seen me, but Chen Gongtai would recognize me!"
"Besides, he has always been at odds with me. This time, he'll surely obstruct our plans!"
At this reminder, Liu Bei remembered that Qin Tian and Chen Gong had both come from Cao Camp. Qin Tian was using an assumed name now, and if Chen Gong saw him, his identity would be exposed.
"But Chen Gong is Lu Bu's strategist. How can we get rid of him?"
"My lord, rest assured. Chen Gong is upright, but he lacks the quick wit to respond to a crisis. I have a way to leave him trapped!"
Qin Tian's lips curved slightly as he said:
"Once you enter the city, if Lu Bu asks about it, do as I tell you!"
"That will resolve the problem of Chen Gong!"
With that, he leaned close to Liu Bei's ear and whispered a few words.
After listening, Liu Bei nodded repeatedly:
"Rest assured, strategist. I'll follow your plan!"
He immediately led Zhang Fei and the others toward the city.
As for the prefectural residence, Liu Bei was afraid Zhang Fei might ruin things, so he had Zhang Fei wait outside the hall. He entered the hall, where Lu Bu rose to greet him.
Once they were seated, Lu Bu smiled and said:
"Xuande, why have you come so late? I've been waiting until my eyes were sore from looking for you!"
Had Qin Tian not warned him, Liu Bei would naturally have opened his mouth to apologize. But now, his expressionless face unchanged, he said:
"Someone obstructed me, so I didn't receive the message."
Hearing this, Lu Bu remembered what had just happened and hurriedly asked:
"Who obstructed you?"
Liu Bei remained expressionless:
"The man is an important minister under the General. I'm an outsider, so it wouldn't be proper for me to name him."
He had always been like this, so Lu Bu thought nothing of it. But as soon as he heard it was one of his own important ministers, he roared:
"Xuande and I advance and retreat together. Why speak of insiders and outsiders? Just tell me!"
"I've been waiting here for Xuande's troops, yet someone has been eating from my bowl while working for another, obstructing the messengers I sent to ask for help. If I find out who it is, I won't spare him!"
Seeing that the time had come, Liu Bei finally spoke:
"It was Chen Gong—Chen Gongtai!"
"Once I learned Yuan Shu was advancing, I thought the General would surely ask for help, so I got my troops ready."
"But the messenger never arrived. He only reached me four days ago!"
"My strategist asked him why, and only then did the man tell him!"
Lu Bu had already guessed the answer, but he had no proof. Now that he heard it, he glared furiously at Chen Gong and demanded:
"Chen Gongtai, is this true or false?"
Chen Gong heard him and simply spoke frankly.
"I was the one who stopped him. So what?"
He was a forthright man. If he had done something, then he had done it, and he couldn't be bothered to make excuses.
But when Lu Bu heard this, his eyes widened and he shouted furiously:
"Chen Gongtai, what exactly are your intentions?"
"I wondered why Xuande's troops had been held up for so long. I never thought you were the one who stopped them!"
Hearing this, Chen Gong rose indignantly and pointed at Liu Bei.
"General, Liu Bei is nothing more than a peddler of woven mats and straw sandals. He rose to power amid the turmoil in the country. Why do you hold him in such high regard?"
"I hear he has been recruiting soldiers and buying horses of late. He must be plotting something!"
"If you let him come here, he will surely become a source of trouble!"
"So what's wrong with stopping him?"
Now that everything was out in the open, he simply stopped hiding his true feelings.
To be honest, he truly looked down on Liu Bei!
A peddler of woven mats and straw sandals—who knew where he'd dug up his claim to be a Han imperial clansman? What gave him the right to hold such a high position?
Lu Bu had at least killed Dong Zhuo and rendered great service to the country. What contribution had Liu Bei made?
Even if Xuzhou really were given to Yuan Shu, he still wouldn't let Liu Bei lay a finger on it.
By now, Lu Bu was gnashing his teeth in rage.
Seeing this, Liu Bei rose and cupped his hands.
"Since Mr. Chen will not tolerate my presence, Bei shall take my leave!"
Seeing Liu Bei about to leave, Lu Bu hurriedly said:
"Xuande, wait! Since you've come, where are you going?"
Then he shouted furiously:
"Guards! Seize Chen Gong and take him back to the residence. Keep him under strict watch!"
The situation suddenly turned around, and the guards on either side stepped forward to seize Chen Gong.
Seeing this, Chen Gong glared as if his eyes would split.
"Why would the general trust a treacherous man and harm a loyal minister?"
He pointed at Chen Gui and his son and cried out:
"That father and son have always been close to Liu Bei. Now that Liu Bei has come, they will surely join forces with him. If the general keeps this up, sooner or later they will bring about your downfall!"
Lu Bu was already furious. Hearing those words, he roared even louder:
"Gag him! Take him straight to prison. After the battle, I'll deal with him personally!"
Chen Gong was worked up too. He immediately cursed Lu Bu for refusing to heed loyal counsel, then turned on Liu Bei.
"Liu Bei, you brat! Who taught you to harm me like this? What are you people plotting?"
It suddenly dawned on him: this wasn't Liu Bei's way of doing things. Someone must have put him up to it!
But before he could finish, someone stuffed his mouth.
Liu Bei watched Chen Gong without so much as a change in expression, as if none of it had anything to do with him.
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