Lu Bu's Swelling Pride, Confusing the Masses

As for Lu Bu, ever since he returned to the city, he had ordered Han Xian and Yang Feng to station their troops outside the walls.

The two of them combined their forces to a total of fifteen thousand men.

Adding his own several thousand in the city and the seven or eight thousand captives, his total strength surged to over twenty-seven thousand.

When accounting for the troops he had scattered elsewhere, his total force actually numbered fifty or sixty thousand!

This increase in military strength caused Lu Bu's confidence to swell immensely.

Upon tallying the spoils of money and grain, he discovered countless weapons and armor, over a hundred thousand shi of grain, and an astronomical amount of wealth—reaching as high as one hundred million!

Because Yuan Shu had pillaged his way here, looting nearly every county south of Xiapi, he had managed to scrape together such immense wealth.

If it were any other warlord, they would surely be agonizing over the damage done to their own subjects.

But who was Lu Bu?

Even if Yuan Shu hadn't plundered it, if Lu Bu lacked money or grain, he would have done the robbing himself.

Now that it was in his own pockets, the idea of him taking it back out to provide relief to the commoners was out of the question.

Yet, the problem lay right there: due to his previous slip of the tongue, he had promised Liu Bei an equal share, meaning theoretically, half of this wealth belonged to Liu Bei.

Now that Han Xian and Yang Feng had arrived, did he not have to reward them as well?

If he divided it all up, what would he have left for himself?

At the mere thought of this, he wanted to slap himself; why had he promised such a thing in the first place?

Thus, before the banquet had even begun, Lu Bu was filled with anxiety. He wanted to consult someone, only to realize there was no one he could ask.

Although the Chen Clan father and son possessed strategy, they were on good terms with Liu Bei and would certainly lean toward him.

The only one capable, Chen Gong, was acting in bad faith and had repeatedly defied his orders.

After much deliberation, he sought out Xu Si for advice.

Xu Si was a famous scholar from Yanzhou known as a man of great talent, and he was on good terms with Wang Kai, Chen Gong, and Zhang Miao.

However, while this man was famous, he did not quite measure up to the likes of Chen Gong.

He stood about seven feet tall with a rather scholarly appearance. Upon hearing of Lu Bu's troubles, he stroked his beard and smiled.

"Why does the General worry? I have a plan that will ensure the General acquires even more money and grain!"

Hearing this, Lu Bu was overjoyed and asked, "What plan does the Master have to teach me?"

Seeing this, Xu Si walked forward with his hands behind his back.

"I have considered the General's concerns, which are nothing more than two: first, Liu Bei has rendered no service yet demands half the wealth; second, the money and grain are clearly ours, yet we must share them with Han Xian and Yang Feng!"

"The root of the problem lies in the insufficiency of our wealth."

"Therefore, our army should take this opportunity to march south and raid the lands of Huainan!"

"Although Yuan Shu's army has been defeated, Yuan Shu himself is unaware of this and will certainly be caught off guard."

"Our army is newly victorious and our morale is high; it is the perfect time for a campaign!"

"By acting this way, first, our army can use the strength of those two factions to increase our own stores; second, we can use this as a pretext to withhold the current grain, letting the two factions seize what they can for themselves."

"If they manage to seize enough, the General can naturally give them their share; if they fail to plunder enough, the General will have a reason to reprimand them!"

"I suspect that since Liu Bei is known for his benevolence and righteousness, he will be unwilling to plunder the commoners. If he chooses to leave, the General can use that as an excuse to give him a pittance of grain and send him on his way!"

When Lu Bu heard this plan, he thought to himself that this was something he was good at!

If it came to sieging cities and seizing territory, he might not be able to pull it off, but when it came to plundering the commoners, he had plenty of experience.

As for Liu Bei, if he truly refused, then he could not blame him!

In an instant, he nodded repeatedly and said, "Master, this plan is excellent! I shall act accordingly!"

He promptly cast aside his promise to help Liu Bei seize Xiang County, but Xu Si took the opportunity to add:

"If the General wishes to march south, he must have a strategist to assist him."

"The Chen Clan father and son are useless; you must invite Gongtai back!"

Seeing Xu Si interceding for Chen Gong, Lu Bu was immediately displeased.

"That man blocked my reinforcements; his crime is unforgivable. How can I let him off because of this?"

Hearing this, Xu Si smiled.

"The General must understand that Gongtai was not plotting for himself, but considering the General's grand cause!"

"Liu Bei came here without contributing much, yet he demands a share of the wealth and troops, which shows his ill intentions."

"Viewed in this light, Gongtai's words that day were not wrong!"

"Although Gongtai's manner of speaking was inappropriate, the General may not truly know what lies in his heart."

Lu Bu listened to these words, pondering them over and over, and felt there was some truth to them.

He thought to himself that this brat Liu Bei was truly unscrupulous.

I invited you to help, and you helped, so a meal and a word of thanks should have sufficed—how could you have the gall to ask for money!

Had he forgotten the favor of Shooting the Halberd at the Gate back in the day?

Did I ask for money back then?

Well, I did! But that was from Yuan Shu!

I never asked you, Liu Bei!

On what grounds do you come to me for money now!

The more he thought about it, the more uncomfortable he felt, yet he also realized that while Chen Gong's actions were not wrong, he had done them behind his back—did he even still regard him as his lord?

Thinking of this, he furrowed his brows and said:

"What you say is not without reason, but let me ponder this for a few days!"

Seeing Lu Bu relent, Xu Si knew he had been persuaded, so he stopped his exhortations and retreated with a bow.

After Xu Si left, Lu Bu thought again and felt that his own safety was currently difficult to guarantee.

Although he had captured many troops and brought them into the city, they could not be sent directly to the battlefield.

By his count, he only had a few thousand men in the city, while Liu Bei, Yang Feng, and the others outside had over twenty thousand combined.

If they joined forces and turned on him, his life would be in jeopardy!

Thinking of this, he personally wrote a letter, ordering his generals Gao Shun and Zhang Liao, who were stationed outside, to return with all speed to bolster his strength so he could better control the two armies.

Only after finishing this did Lu Bu feel a bit more at ease, and he waited quietly for the evening banquet.

In the blink of an eye, night fell, and Lu Bu personally hosted a banquet, inviting Liu Bei, Yang Feng, and the others to attend.

At the banquet, he made no mention of splitting the money, only urging everyone to drink.

Han Xian and Yang Feng were fine, as they were intent on following Lu Bu, but Liu Bei remembered Qin Tian's instructions, rose, and said:

"In the world today, the Yuan clan has usurped the throne. Thanks to the efforts of the Marquis Wen, we have achieved this great victory. Everyone, join me in celebrating the achievement of the Marquis Wen!"

When Yang Feng and the others heard this, they naturally raised their cups to toast him. Lu Bu felt a wave of satisfaction and also raised his cup, laughing:

"It is entirely thanks to the assistance of you gentlemen that we achieved this victory. Let us all drink to this!"

Having said this, he drained his cup in one gulp.

The others drank one by one, and after the cup was finished, Liu Bei said again:

"By rights, at a joyous banquet like this, I should not bring up state affairs."

"But now that treacherous ministers are usurping power and time waits for no man, I dare to speak boldly: I ask the Marquis Wen, when will you march with us to Xiang County?"

Hearing this, Han Xian and his companion paused, but Lu Bu gave a dry laugh:

"As for taking Xiang County, there is no rush for a day or two. Shall we discuss it tomorrow?"

Liu Bei knew Lu Bu's tactics well; he knew immediately that Lu Bu intended to renege, but he was not anxious, merely smiling:

"If we are not to discuss the march, then we should discuss the matter of money and grain."

"My camp has grain, which is fine, but the two generals have neither money nor grain. Now that we have won, we wish to reward the three armies—how can we do so without money or grain?"

It is true that one who stays near vermilion gets stained red; if it were the old Liu Bei, he would never have been able to say such things.

But having spent much time with Qin Tian, he had naturally learned a bit of the truth.

As soon as he said this, Han Xian and his companion pricked up their ears, while Lu Bu's expression turned cold.

It would have been one thing if only Liu Bei had asked, but now that he had dragged the other two into it, if he refused, would he not be alienating them?

Lu Bu had his own depth of character; his expression turned cold before softening, and he laughed:

"It is not that I do not wish to provide money and grain, but today was too hurried, and I have not yet finished the tally. Shall we discuss it tomorrow after the count is complete?"

Liu Bei knew he could not press further, so he nodded and sat down.

Han Xian and the others were somewhat disappointed to hear this, but they dared not confront Lu Bu, so they could only drink in silence.

Lu Bu had matters on his mind and spoke no more.

The banquet came to an end, and anyone with eyes could see that the atmosphere was somewhat tense.

As the banquet concluded, Liu Bei intended to return to his camp to inform Qin Tian of the results, but he heard a voice calling from behind:

"Lord Liu, Lord Liu, pray wait!"

Liu Bei turned his head to see a rather stout scholar hurrying toward him.

He took a close look at the man's appearance and was immediately surprised:

"Does Attendant Wang have some business?"

The person who had come was none other than Wang Kai, an attendant under Lu Bu.

The reason he was here was that he had previously been entrusted by Chen Gong to find out the identity of Liu Bei's strategist.

It was a pity that Liu Bei and Qin Tian had left the city yesterday, so he had not been able to see them.

Hearing that Lu Bu was hosting a banquet for everyone today, he had hurried over.

However, upon arriving at the banquet, he only saw Liu Bei and not Qin Tian, so he thought to step forward and ask Liu Bei.

Facing Liu Bei's question, he smiled calmly:

"Lord Liu must not have noticed; this humble one was also at the banquet just now!"

Liu Bei thought to himself that he had no friendship with Wang Kai, so why would this man stop him?

He and Wang Kai had only met, and logically speaking, they were not on speaking terms.

But Liu Bei was the type who would not change his expression even if Mount Tai collapsed before him; though he was puzzled, he kept a smile on his face:

"I truly did not notice just now; I did not expect Attendant Wang to be at the banquet as well!"

"May I ask what business you have with me?"

"Nothing major, just that I heard a strategist under Lord Liu is a man from Yanzhou, overflowing with talent and brilliant in strategy. I admire him greatly and came specifically to meet him!"

Wang Kai stepped forward, his face full of smiles:

"But I wonder why the strategist did not attend the banquet tonight?"

Seeing him ask about Qin Tian, Liu Bei felt a jolt in his heart, but he feigned a sigh on his face:

"That is unfortunate; the strategist caught a cold last night and was unable to come!"

"So that is how it is!"

Wang Kai showed a look of regret:

"A pity, a pity, to not be able to meet such a worthy man! Truly a pity."

As he spoke, he glanced at Liu Bei, wanting to see if Liu Bei would invite him to the military camp.

But Liu Bei, seeing this, shook his head:

"Sir, there is no need for such talk. Once the strategist recovers, there will naturally be an opportunity to meet!"

"If the attendant has no other business, I shall take my leave!"

He bowed to Wang Kai, then turned and walked away, heading toward the city gates under the escort of Chen Dao and the others.

All the way back to the military camp, he recounted everything that had happened to Qin Tian.

Upon hearing this, Qin Tian smiled:

"If Lu Bu is acting this way, he likely harbors evil intentions. But no matter, we shall discuss it tomorrow and see what he has to say!"

Liu Bei knew Qin Tian had his own plans, so he did not say much more, but recalling the earlier incident, he added:

"There is one more thing. Just as I was leaving the city, a man approached and asked why the strategist had not arrived!"

Hearing this, Qin Tian narrowed his eyes:

"Oh? Someone asked about this? I wonder who it was?"

Seeing Qin Tian's reaction, Liu Bei hurriedly said:

"The strategist must know him; it is Wang Kai, an attendant under Lu Bu!"

"I recall that both you and he were once in the Cao Camp. Now that he asks, could it be that your identity has been exposed?"

He knew Qin Tian's identity was of great significance; if it were exposed, it would surely affect the overall situation.

It was fine for those on the inside to know, but outsiders must never find out.

Qin Tian heard this, paced with his hands behind his back, thought for a moment, and then smiled:

"My Lord, do not worry. If this man came to ask, it actually proves that my identity has not been exposed and does not affect the big picture!"

Liu Bei heard this and was immediately puzzled:

"Why is that? If it hasn't been exposed, why would this man ask about it?"

"This must have been at the behest of Chen Gong!"

Qin Tian paused his steps and said to Liu Bei:

"Though Chen Gong lacks quick wit, he possesses strategy. He has crossed paths with me before. Now that he is trapped and knows my whereabouts are a mystery, he has deduced that I am here!"

"He sent Wang Kai to confirm his own hypothesis!"

Upon hearing that Chen Gong had deduced Qin Tian's identity, Liu Bei worriedly asked:

"Chen Gong is a man of schemes. If he has figured it out and tells Lu Bu, what shall we do?"

But as soon as he finished speaking, Qin Tian shook his head and smiled:

"My Lord, why worry? This is not a bad thing; on the contrary, it is beneficial!"

"Our army can take this opportunity to confuse the enemy!"

Seeing that Qin Tian had a plan, Liu Bei felt a surge of joy and hurriedly asked:

"What do you mean by confusing the enemy? I would like to hear the details!"