Chen Gong's Deduction: Is Wang He Qin Tian?

On the other side, just as Lord Liu returned to camp to settle his troops, Chen Deng reported the news to Lu Bu and returned home.

According to Han dynasty etiquette, upon returning home, one must first pay respects to one's elders.

Though Chen Deng was already middle-aged, he was extremely observant of propriety, tending to his duties with the devotion of a son, and went as usual to the inner courtyard to pay respects to Chen Gui.

Seeing Chen Deng return, Chen Gui asked:

"Has my son persuaded Yang Feng and the others?"

"I have already persuaded the two to turn their coats!"

Chen Deng smiled at Chen Gui and said:

"Just as I expected, Han Xian and Yang Feng had long harbored dissatisfaction. Once I arrived and explained the greater righteousness to them, the two were moved!"

"We have agreed to light a fire tonight as a signal to turn and attack from within!"

"That is good; the danger to our father and son may be resolved!"

Chen Gui nodded, stroking his beard as he stood up and paced back and forth in the hall:

"However, there is one more matter. Yuanlong, what do you make of that strategist of Lord Liu, Wang He?"

Originally, Chen Gui had not paid much attention to Lord Liu.

But after Lord Liu arrived and he saw him again, he always felt something was not quite right.

The Lord Liu of the past, while not showing his emotions on his face, was still transparent in his schemes.

But now, he had become increasingly unfathomable.

He knew Lord Liu was a hero of his time; if there were no grand design, he would never be like this.

But what grand design could Lord Liu possibly have!

There was no need to wonder; it must be that this Wang He had planned some great strategy for Lord Liu, which was why he acted this way!

Yet, when he looked at Wang He, he always felt he could not understand what the man was thinking.

Therefore, he wanted to ask for Chen Deng's opinion.

And as soon as he asked about this, Chen Deng said:

"This man Wang He appears frivolous and impetuous, but in truth, his mind is meticulous and his intellect is formidable. This humble one is not his equal!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Gui was startled and said:

"Yuanlong actually admits to being inferior to this man?"

As the saying goes, no one knows a son better than his father; he knew well that his son was proud by nature, and if he did not think highly of someone, he would not give them a pleasant look.

But the meaning of these words was a direct admission of defeat.

This was not Chen Deng's style!

Thinking of this, he asked again:

"Why does Yuanlong have such a sigh?"

Hearing this, Chen Deng did not hide anything and said in a deep voice:

"It is not that I praise this man, but that his planning is so deep it is truly shocking!"

"At first, I only thought his letter might be aimed at Xiang County, though I did not know his specific plan!"

"But now that I have seen the man, I realize his schemes go far beyond that!"

Chen Gui frowned upon hearing this and said:

"If this man does not scheme for Xiang County, then what does he scheme for?"

Seeing this, Chen Deng shook his head and smiled lightly:

"Has Father not sensed it yet?"

"With this man's intellect, if he wanted to take Xiang County, it would be as easy as turning over his hand!"

"Why would he need to specifically come and invite Lu Bu to join him?"

Chen Gui listened and nodded to himself; he too could feel that Lord Liu's strategist would find it difficult to take a city.

After all, being able to offer a plan to defeat the enemy upon arrival showed his extraordinary planning ability.

Just as he was thinking this, Chen Deng continued on his own:

"His invitation to Lu Bu is merely to borrow Lu Bu's strength to plot against Yuan Shu!"

"I was also puzzled by this when I heard Father speak of it earlier."

"Since Lord Liu has a wise strategist to assist him, why not just take Xiang County directly?"

"But then I realized, at that time, Yuan Shu had just declared himself emperor and his troops were strong and his horses sturdy. Lord Liu had only ten thousand troops; if he took Xiang County, it would surely provoke Yuan Shu's wrath. If Yuan Shu mobilized his entire army, how could Lord Liu defend it?"

"Therefore, to take Xiang County, one must have a warlord clash with Yuan Shu first, leaving him unable to attend to other matters, only then can it be achieved!"

Chen Gui's old eyes narrowed as he heard this:

"Deng'er, are you saying this man intends to use Lu Bu as a shield?"

"Exactly!"

Chen Deng nodded and said:

"If you call it a shield, it would be more accurate to call it a meat shield to block a blade!"

"Currently, Lord Liu's forces are weak while Lu Bu's are strong, and now Yuan Shu has turned his wrath upon Lu Bu!"

"If we can defeat Yuan Shu's army now, his fury will be directed at Lu Bu. Even if we take Xiang County, Yuan Shu may be displeased, but he will not commit his full strength to an attack!"

Hearing this, Chen Gui frowned and said:

"But that doesn't make sense! If he wanted to use Lu Bu as a shield, there was no need to send a letter at all!"

"After all, even without the letter, Lu Bu would still have fallen out with Yuan Shu!"

"If he only wanted to take Xiang County, the time is ripe; he could have acted on his own!"

Chen Deng, however, shook his head and smiled:

"Father, this is precisely why I say this man's schemes are terrifying."

"He appears wild and uninhibited, but in reality, he is meticulous."

"The reason he sent the letter was to anticipate today's situation in advance, forcing Lu Bu to seek aid and thereby entangling him!"

"If this battle is won, Lord Liu will gain Lu Bu's promise, as well as money, grain, and troops."

"And what does Lu Bu gain? Nothing at all!"

"It appears to be a collaboration between two parties, but in the eyes of Yuan Shu, everything is being directed by Lu Bu!"

"Even if there is retaliation, it will fall on Lu Bu first, then the Lord!"

"You could say this letter directly places the Lord behind Lu Bu."

"With this battle won, the Lord can choose to advance in coordination with Lu Bu, or retreat, taking the money and supplies to launch a surprise attack on Xiang County. All the benefits go to Lord Liu, while all of Yuan Shu's rage falls upon Lu Bu!"

"Without this letter, if the Lord sent troops, he would attract Yuan Shu's wrath. But with this letter, since Lu Bu actively sought aid, Yuan Shu will be angry at Lu Bu first."

"Now that Lu Bu is at the forefront, Lord Liu can naturally plan his next moves from behind!"

"To use a single letter to leverage such a great advantage—Father, think about how much foresight and how deep a scheme this requires!"

Hearing this, Chen Gui was struck with shock.

He had previously thought the letter was inexplicable, but now it seemed the planning behind it was far beyond the reach of ordinary men.

It would be a miracle if he could have thought of it himself!

Unless one possessed absolute control over the situation, such a maneuver would be impossible to execute!

But at this thought, he frowned again:

"But is Lu Bu the type of person to be used by others?"

In his view, Lu Bu was nothing but a troublemaker; if you allied with him, there was no telling when he might turn his blade and stab you in the back.

Surely, if Lu Bu realized he was being manipulated, he would immediately turn hostile.

"Father, this is also why I am so impressed by this man's planning!"

Chen Deng smiled leisurely:

"His planning is incredibly comprehensive. The moment he arrived the other day, he had the Lord force Chen Gong out of the picture."

"It appeared as if the Lord had discovered Chen Gong's plot, but without careful questioning, who would have known it was Chen Gong who was obstructing them?"

"It is clear that as soon as the messenger arrived, he knew someone was interfering, which is how he managed to expose Chen Gong's affairs!"

"And when he arrived, his seemingly wild words were actually bait to lure Lu Bu into making various promises!"

"From this, one can see that this man is not only targeting Yuan Shu, but also Lu Bu!"

"I dare say this man definitely has a contingency plan!"

"If Lu Bu cooperates well, so be it; if Lu Bu rebels, he will surely be brought to heel by this man!"

Had he heard this earlier, Chen Gui would never have believed it.

Because Liu Bei had only ten thousand troops; it was impossible to scheme against Yuan Shu and Lu Bu at the same time!

But now, he felt it was actually quite possible.

Especially after meeting Wang He, he felt the lad was a pure smiling tiger—insidious to the core!

Beneath that handsome face, there was no telling how many schemes and plots were hidden!

Thinking this, he stroked his beard and sighed:

"I never imagined that a man as benevolent as Liu Xuande would have such a person to assist him!"

"Whether the arrival of such a person under Lord Liu's banner is a blessing or a curse, I truly cannot say!"

But upon hearing this, Chen Deng laughed:

"Father, forgive my lack of decorum, but in my view, Lord Liu gaining this man's assistance is like gaining wings—he is ready to ride the momentum and rise!"

"With the warlords of the world currently locked in chaos, only a talent who grasps the big picture, masters strategy, and understands the human heart can assist Lord Liu in achieving a grand enterprise!"

Seeing Chen Deng in such a state, Chen Gui frowned and asked:

"Does my son truly hold Liu Xuande in such high regard?"

"It is not merely Lord Liu I favor, but this pair of lord and minister!"

Chen Deng replied with a smile:

"Lord Liu is skilled at employing men, yet sadly lacks those to employ. This Wang He is a rare talent; Father, just watch—within two years, Lord Liu will surely be able to contend with the warlords of the world!"

But as soon as he finished, Chen Gui sighed:

"If Liu Bei rises to power, the situation in the Central Plains will surely descend into chaos once more!"

"Even with our schemes, how can we guarantee Xuzhou remains stable?"

Seeing this, Chen Deng shook his head and said:

"Father, there is no need for such worry; one must understand that order follows chaos!"

"If the current situation continues as it is, it would be better for it to fall into chaos first!"

"Regardless, we have already made contact with Lord Cao. When the time comes, whether it is Lord Liu who rises or Lord Cao who pacifies the Central Plains, our Chen clan will have a path forward!"

After hearing Chen Deng's words, Chen Gui pondered for a moment before nodding:

"Things have reached this point; we have no other choice!"

As he spoke, a faint smile appeared on his face:

"That my son can think this way brings great comfort to my heart!"

"With you here, the safety of the Chen clan is assured!"

Facing Chen Gui's praise, Chen Deng merely smiled and remained silent.

In truth, his heart still leaned toward Liu Bei.

However, he did not wish to persuade his father any further.

Because he felt that with a strategist like Wang He to assist him, even without their father-son duo, Liu Bei would sooner or later fight his way to Xuzhou.

All he had to do was sit back and watch the situation unfold!

Following this conversation, the father and son of the Chen clan finally reached a consensus: they would remain still and quietly await the shifting tides.

Meanwhile, inside the prison of Xiapi, Chen Gong could be heard shouting repeatedly:

"Someone come! Release me! I must see the General!"

Since being imprisoned that day, he had been kept in solitary confinement.

But Chen Gong was not a man to accept his fate; even in a cell, he refused to be cowed, shouting and clamoring all day long.

The other prisoners, though annoyed by the noise, knew his status was extraordinary and dared not provoke him.

Only the guards would occasionally try to persuade him to keep quiet.

But after repeated failures, the guards ran out of options and could only avoid his presence, stepping out of the prison to escape his verbal lashings.

Just then, the heavy door creaked open.

A sliver of light filtered down from above, and seeing this, Chen Gong hurriedly shouted:

"Who comes? Is the General here to release me?"

He saw a man descend the stairs and walk all the way to the cell door, offering a bitter smile:

"Gongtai, could you not rest for a few days?"

"The Marquis of Wen is already incensed with you; if you continue like this, when will you ever be released?"

Upon seeing the visitor, Chen Gong frowned:

"Wang Zifa, why have you come?"

Zifa was the courtesy name of Wang Kai, a scholar from Yanzhou who had followed Chen Gong into Lu Bu's service and now served as an attendant under him.

Seeing Chen Gong's retort, Wang Kai smiled bitterly:

"I heard that you had angered the General and were thrown into prison, so I came specifically to visit!"

Chen Gong immediately stiffened his face:

"What is there to see? If you have such intentions, go quickly and tell the General to release me!"

"If not, it will surely ruin a great matter!"

Wang Kai and the others had always looked to Chen Gong as their leader, so they were not angered by his tone, merely sighing:

"The General has already set his plans; what great matter could be ruined?"

"On the contrary, the General has already declared that anyone who pleads for you will not be spared. How could we dare to act?"

Hearing this, Chen Gong knew that Lu Bu was truly furious.

Yet he was not panicked, for he knew deep down that Lu Bu would never kill him, so he simply paced back and forth and said:

"Since you cannot release me, you must take action yourselves!"

"Let me ask you, ever since I was thrown into prison, how did Liu Bei settle his plans with the General?"

Wang Kai shook his head and said:

"I was not there that day, so how could I know the details?"

Although he and Xu Si were both strategists under Lu Bu, neither was as trusted as Chen Gong.

Yet, seeing the look on Chen Gong's face after he finished speaking, he decided to simply divulge everything he knew.

After listening, Chen Gong said in a deep voice:

"I knew that Liu Bei was ill-intentioned; as a mere reinforcement, what right does he have to split the spoils of war equally with our army?"

"But the General has already agreed, so what can be done?"

Wang Kai knew something was wrong, but since Lu Bu had already given his word, he was helpless.

Seeing this, Chen Gong paced back and forth a few times before stopping to say:

"Splitting the spoils is a minor matter; the enemy's schemes are what truly matter!"

"Do you know what this Wang He looks like?"

Wang Kai shook his head and said:

"He rarely shows his face, and I have never seen him myself, but I have heard people say he is of imposing stature, quite young, and possesses an extraordinary bearing!"

Upon hearing this description, Chen Gong's body trembled, and he hurriedly said:

"Go quickly and find out what this man looks like; you must see him!"

Seeing this, Wang Kai asked with a strange expression:

"Gongtai, what is the meaning of this? What does his appearance have to do with us?"

Seeing that he still did not understand, Chen Gong gritted his teeth and said:

"Zifa, have you forgotten someone?"

Watching Chen Gong's reaction, Wang Kai became even more puzzled. Who could it be that made Chen Gong hate them so much?

But as he thought carefully, he suddenly gave a violent start and gasped:

"Gongtai, are you talking about Qin Tian?"

"Who else could it be but him?"

Chen Gong said hatefully:

"How is it that just as Qin Tian left Cao Cao's service, a brilliant talent like Wang He appears under Liu Bei?"

"You must find out the truth. If that brat Qin Tian is there, tell the General to attack him immediately!"

"If we do not kill this man, he will surely become a great disaster in the future!"

Hearing this, Wang Kai understood why Chen Gong was so frantic. If Qin Tian were truly under Liu Bei, then Lu Bu was currently no different than a man trying to snatch food from the jaws of a tiger!

He immediately said urgently:

"Rest assured, Gongtai, I will go and investigate at once!"

After Wang Kai left, Chen Gong began to pace back and forth with his hands behind his back, deep in thought.

He had been careless; he never expected Liu Bei to have such a capable man under his command.

Now that he was imprisoned, heaven only knew how badly Lu Bu would be swindled!

Thinking of this, his footsteps faltered, and his face was filled with gravity.

The situation in Xuzhou was already chaotic enough; if this Wang He really was Qin Tian, the consequences would be unimaginable!