A Narrow Escape

Just after nightfall, Gao Shun's force of over a thousand cavalry and infantry left Xiaopei City by the southern gate, lightly equipped. From afar, they looked like a fiery dragon winding through the darkness.

When the column passed Gan Family Village, they saw a man standing beside the main road at the village entrance with a torch in hand. The flame stood out sharply against the night, as though he had been waiting for Gao Shun and his men.

Gao Shun rode at the very front. As he drew near, he heard the man call out loudly, "Is that General Gao?"

The voice sounded familiar. Gao Shun urged his horse forward and discovered that the man was Lan Tian.

"What is Master doing here at this hour?" Gao Shun dismounted and treated Lan Tian with great courtesy, leaving the deputy general beside him quite surprised.

"I came specifically to wait for General Gao." Lan Tian cupped his hands.

Gao Shun thought, We just met not long ago. What could he possibly want from me now? "There are many mosquitoes in the countryside after summer begins. Master should return home and rest. Gao is occupied with military affairs and cannot stay long. Once I return, I will visit the village and trouble you then."

"I know the general's military duties are urgent. I have only one thing to tell you by stopping you here." Lan Tian spoke earnestly.

"What is it?"

"I believe the general is heading to seize Xiapi. My sworn sister and foster father should be in Xiapi City. Please, for the sake of our friendship, look after them on my behalf. Lan Tian would be eternally grateful." Lan Tian bowed deeply.

Gao Shun was greatly startled. His lord, Lu Bu, had decided to seize Xiapi tonight, and it should have been a hasty decision. How did Lan Ziyu know? He immediately thought even more highly of Lan Tian.

He had assumed Lan Tian could only farm, cook, and tell stories. Could it be that he could also divine the future?

"Please return, Master. Shun knows what to do." Gao Shun helped him up, mounted his horse, and did not directly agree to Lan Tian's request.

Gao Shun then urged his troops onward at full speed. They finally reached the outskirts of Xiapi in the latter half of the night, where Xu Dan opened the gates as agreed beforehand and welcomed the army into the city.

After entering the city, Gao Shun first dispatched troops to occupy the gate towers and key positions. Zhang Fei, upon receiving the news, hastily gathered his forces to meet them.

By then, Lu Bu's rear force had arrived. The two sides broke into a chaotic night battle throughout Xiapi City. Caught utterly unprepared, Zhang Fei was routed. In the end, relying on his own ferocity, he escaped the city with several dozen riders. All of Liu Bei's household, including Gan Qian, fell into enemy hands.

After the victory, Gao Shun restrained his soldiers from disturbing the populace. His Xianzhen Battalion was the first to rush into the government offices, capturing Gan Qian, Gan Ji, and the other members of the household in the rear hall.

Among the captured family members, Gao Shun saw a woman as beautiful as a flower and assumed she must be Liu Bei's wife. He asked, "Are you Liu Bei's wife, Lady Gan?"

"Do you intend to dishonor me, General? Then all you will get is a corpse." Gan Qian answered coldly, neither yielding nor trembling.

"Qian'er, do not act rashly." Gan Ji quietly urged from the side. He had not enjoyed much peace after following Liu Bei to Xiapi, and the sounds of fighting throughout the city tonight had terrified him out of his wits.

"Do not be afraid, either of you. I know your younger brother, Lan Tian, and will protect you as best I can." Gao Shun nodded.

With that, Gao Shun ordered his men to take the two of them to the Xianzhen Battalion.

Lu Bu and many of his generals were lecherous men. If outsiders discovered Gan Qian's beauty, Lan Tian's sworn sister would surely come to harm.

Just as everyone was backing out, a valiant figure rushed in, crying anxiously, "Where is Lady Gan?"

"Young Lady?"

"General Gao?"

The moment Lu Lingqi saw the beautiful woman beside Gao Shun, she knew she was Lan Tian's sworn sister, Gan Qian. She thought, A hero like Liu Bei surely would not marry some plain village woman.

"These two are Master Lan's foster father and sworn sister..." Gao Shun hesitated.

Lu Lingqi immediately understood Gao Shun's thoughts. It turned out he had been thinking exactly as she had.

Lu Lingqi said with relief, "Everyone in the general's camp is male. It would be inconvenient for Lady Gan to stay with you. It would be better to settle them with me."

Lu Lingqi was highly skilled in martial arts. Though she did not lead troops into battle, she commanded a fifty-woman guard unit responsible for protecting the women of the household.

"That would be excellent. Otherwise, if my lord asks me for them, I would not know what to do." Gao Shun said.

"Sister Gan, please come with me, along with Uncle." Lu Lingqi spoke with the utmost respect.

After following Liu Bei, Gan Qian had become a woman who had seen the world. She led Gan Ji behind Lu Lingqi, wondering why her younger brother had become friends with Lu Bu's generals.

After seizing Xiapi, Lu Bu proclaimed himself Governor of Xuzhou. Liu Bei had once hypocritically yielded that official seal to him, but now it was truly in Lu Bu's hands.

"I never thought Xu Province would fall into my hands so easily. Gongtai, what should we do next?" Lu Bu asked in the main hall of the Inspector's Mansion.

"Zhang Fei escaped in last night's battle. Once Liu Bei hears the news, he will surely return to retake Xiapi. Our immediate priority is to hold the city firmly and request grain from Yuan Shu as soon as possible. Our forces have increased, and our shortage of provisions is severe." Chen Gong replied.

Lu Bu nodded. "Yuan Gonglu comes from a family of four generations and five high officials. He surely will not break his word. I will write him a letter and send it to Huainan at once."

"I heard that after last night's battle, General Gao and Miss Lu both rushed to the rear hall to claim someone. I wonder who ultimately obtained Liu Bei's family? My lord could use them to force Liu Bei to cease fighting." Chen Gong offered.

"Lingqi took them. She told me that one should not visit calamity upon a man's wife and children, so I left them in her care for now. Besides, Liu Xuande and I are both men from the frontier. If I used his wife and children to threaten him, would that not tarnish my reputation?" Lu Bu said.

Chen Gong nodded. "The Young Lady is kindhearted, but General, you must not show a woman's softness in the future. Cao the Rebel could slaughter all of Pengcheng in the blink of an eye."

"A true man is not judged a hero by the number of men he kills. I disdain to stand alongside Cao the Rebel in such acts of massacring cities." Lu Bu snorted coldly.

Chen Gong smiled bitterly to himself. I was not talking about Cao the Rebel's massacre. I meant his ruthless willingness to use any means to achieve his ends. Yet he immediately recalled why he had left him.

Was it not because Cao the Rebel was too cruel and vicious? Though Lu Bu was merely a rough warrior, he was still far more forthright than Cao the Rebel.

While Lu Bu sent men to Huainan, Zhang Fei, fleeing southward, also reunited with Liu Bei's defeated troops.

Liu Bei had already been defeated by Yuan Shu, and now he had lost Xiapi, his household, and his officers. Yet because of the Peach Garden Oath between the three brothers, he did not harshly rebuke Zhang Fei.

The three brothers gathered their forces and attacked Xiapi again. With Lu Bu relying on the city walls, it was easy for him to defend and hard to attack. After fighting for a long time without success, Liu Bei was defeated and fled.

Liu Bei then led his remaining troops toward Guangling Commandery, only to be defeated once more by Yuan Shu's army. In the end, he had no choice but to withdraw and temporarily station his forces in Haixi County.

At this time, Liu Bei's remnants were exhausted in both men and horses, while their provisions were nearly depleted. Everyone felt that the future was bleak.

In the midst of this crisis, Mi Zhu, the former Xu Province Assistant Administrator who came from a wealthy merchant family, extended a helping hand. He provided two thousand servants and retainers, along with gold, silver, goods, and silk.

After hearing that Liu Bei's household had all fallen in Xiapi, Mi Zhu also married his younger sister, Mi Zhen, to Liu Bei, helping him regain his spirit.

Though this relieved the immediate crisis, Yuan Shu had not given up on destroying Liu Bei.

With nowhere to advance or retreat, Liu Bei could only swallow his resentment and surrender to Lu Bu, who had stabbed him in the back, in order to survive in these troubled times.

Because Yuan Shu had long delayed delivering the promised military grain, Lu Bu accepted Liu Bei on Chen Gong's advice. He ordered Liu Bei to station at Xiaopei as a defense against Cao Cao and Yuan Shu, and generously returned his household and officers.

Gan Qian and her father followed Liu Bei onto the road back to their homeland. Only now, there was an additional beautiful principal wife at her husband's side.

Gan Qian sat silently in the carriage throughout the journey. Gan Ji assumed his daughter was troubled over Mi Zhen, so he consoled her. "Qian'er, it is normal for men to have three wives and four concubines. Besides, our Gan family is of humble birth. Even becoming Xuande's concubine is a tremendous blessing."

Gan Qian shook her head. "That is not what troubles me. We were treated quite well after Xiapi fell. Father, do you not think Tian's abilities are somewhat extraordinary?"

Gan Ji drew in a sharp breath and sighed. "I cannot see through Tian either. But after we return to Xiaopei, I plan to go back to Gan Family Village. I have tilled the soil my whole life. I still feel closer to the land."

"That is fine. In any case, my younger brother will take care of you." Gan Qian said.