After finishing training the troops on the drill grounds, Gao Shun returned to the Xianzhen Battalion and found a bamboo basket inside his tent. His men told him a farmer had brought it from Xiaopei.
He had a vague feeling it was connected to Lan Tian, but when he opened the basket, he found nothing but a basketful of grapes. Could that really be all they sent it for?
Gao Shun was a cautious man. He took out all the grapes and eventually found a bamboo slip at the bottom of the basket. Lan Tian's message was brief and to the point: he wanted Lu Bu to go rescue Liu Bei.
Gao Shun had a very strong sense of political duty. His friendship with Lan Tian would not shake his loyalty to Lu Bu.
He kept a bunch of grapes and sent the rest to Lu Lingqi, telling her there was a message at the bottom of the basket.
Lu Lingqi owed Lan Tian a favor. Whether she repaid it was up to her.
When Lu Lingqi received Lan Tian's grapes, her face brimmed with happiness. She copied his method, placing the grapes in a wooden bucket and chilling them in well water.
While the grapes cooled, Lu Lingqi slipped into her bedroom and took out the bamboo slip to study it closely. Sadly, it contained only a few brief words and not one of them was about her. Despite her annoyance, she treasured the bamboo slip.
The handwriting was quite a mess, but it was a gift from Lan Tian. Lu Lingqi had no idea how hard the man had struggled to practice his writing, let alone carve words into a bamboo slip. The fact that she could make them out at all was already pretty good.
Though Lu Lingqi was forthright by nature, she wasn't stupid. In response to Lan Tian's request, she wouldn't foolishly go straight to Lu Bu. Instead, she first brought her mother, Lady Yan, some washed and chilled grapes to taste.
The autumn grapes were a deep, almost black purple, riper than they could possibly get. Lady Yan tasted one and nodded appreciatively. "These grapes are excellent—better even than the ones you picked in Xiaopei. Where did you find them, my dear?"
"General Gao happened to come across them in the city. He knows how much I like them, so he bought some and sent them over," Lu Lingqi said.
"Boping has always been a man of noble character. The general chose well when he had him teach you," Lady Yan said with a sigh.
"Mm. General Gao may not have followed Father from Bing Province like Zhang Liao and Cheng Lian did, but his exceptional ability and disciplined conduct have earned Father's trust, too."
Lady Yan knew Gao Shun's character well. After eating a few grapes, she suddenly remembered the farm boy. "Lingqi, do you still remember that farm boy from back then? You used to go to his house in Xiaopei all the time to mooch food and drink."
"Mother, you mean Lan Ziyu? He's very good at farming, so I imagine he's doing well in Xiaopei. It's just..."
"Just what?"
Lu Lingqi paused before sighing. "It's just that Ji Ling is marching on Xiaopei now. Blades and arrows don't have eyes. I don't know if the innocent will get caught in the crossfire."
"The realm is in chaos. These matters of state and war are not for us women to worry about." Lady Yan shook her head.
"I've heard Yuan Shu is vindictive. Father postponed the wedding agreement with Shouchun, and that will surely offend him." Lu Lingqi sounded worried.
Lady Yan sighed. "The general is planning for the long term, but it's a shame your marriage has been delayed."
"Your daughter won't have trouble finding a husband. But if Ji Ling takes Xiaopei, then Yuan Shu joins forces with the generals of Mount Tai and attacks from the north, won't our Xu Province be in danger?" Lu Lingqi continued.
Lady Yan was astonished. "Did someone put these thoughts in your head? Was it Chen Gongtai?"
Lu Lingqi shook her head. "I just saw this bamboo basket full of grapes and suddenly had a thought. Mother, shouldn't you warn Father? His subordinates each have their own interests at heart."
"Mm, I understand. Only our own family is truly of one mind. I'll take him some grapes in a little while and warn him while I'm at it," Lady Yan said.
The autumn weather was still unbearably hot. At midday, Lu Bu sat in a pavilion in the rear courtyard, drinking and seeking shade. Lady Yan came over with chilled grapes.
"Do they have these in Xiapi, too? Where did you find them, my lady?" Lu Bu asked as he ate.
"General Gao happened upon them and bought them as a gift for our daughter. You're just enjoying the benefits of Lingqi's good fortune." Lady Yan smiled behind her sleeve.
"Boping has grown more tactful lately. It's a shame the fellow can't drink wine. What a pity in life," Lu Bu sighed.
"General, what does this bamboo basket look like to you?" Lady Yan asked meaningfully.
"It's square. What do you think it looks like?" Lu Bu had no idea what she meant.
Lady Yan pointed at a grape in the basket. "If this one represents our Xiapi, then the whole basket represents the lands of Qing and Xu. General, do you think it looks like that?"
"Hahaha! My lady is teaching me the art of war now? How interesting, how interesting. And what else?"
"If Liu Bei's Xiaopei falls to Ji Ling, and Yuan Shu then joins forces with the generals of Mount Tai to attack from the north, your Xu Province may end up surrounded by Yuan Shu." As she finished speaking, Lady Yan popped the grape representing Xiaopei into her mouth.
Lu Bu had been leaning back in his chair. When he heard Lady Yan's words, a chill suddenly ran down his back despite the sweltering heat. He sat up straight and asked, "Who put these words in your mouth, my lady?"
"Who would have taught me? It was nothing more than a thought that came to me." Lady Yan feared she might have spoken out of turn and that Lu Bu would blame their daughter, so she took the responsibility upon herself.
"My lady is right. Rescuing Liu Bei is the same as rescuing Xu Province. Quickly, bring me my armor." Lu Bu rose to his feet.
Time was short, so Lu Bu donned his armor and set off ahead with Cheng Lian.
Only a thousand personal guards accompanied the two. Before leaving, Lu Bu ordered Gao Shun to hold Xiapi and Zhang Liao to lead the rear force to Xiaopei to rendezvous with him.
By then, Ji Ling's army had set up camp twenty li outside Xiaopei. Zhang Fei led three hundred cavalry out of the city to challenge them, and the two fought two rounds without a victor.
Zhang Fei was fearsomely brave. After experiencing him firsthand, Ji Ling decided to surround and attack Xiaopei. His thirty thousand troops took turns assaulting the city, while Liu Bei could only send men to defend its walls to the death.
Once the battle for Xiaopei began, every nearby farmstead shut its doors, afraid of being caught in the crossfire.
Seeing Lan Tian sitting pensively inside the house, Gan Ji asked, "Why didn't your plan for Qian'er work? If Xiaopei falls, I'm afraid Yuan Shu's men won't be as courteous as General Gao. Won't your sister be in danger?"
"Don't worry, Father. There are several thousand troops in Xiaopei, enough to hold Ji Ling off for days. I'm sure Lu Bu will come to their rescue," Lan Tian said confidently.
"I hope so. If only I'd brought your sister back, too," Gan Ji sighed.
After Gan Ji finished speaking, Lan Tian seemed to think of something. He opened the door and slipped outside, then headed for the small woods behind the house.
"Tian'er, where are you going?" Gan Ji hurried after him, asking in a lowered voice.
"Go back first, Father. I'm going to relieve myself out back."
Gan Ji was speechless. It's not as if we don't have a chamber pot at home. You're not farming now, lad, but shouldn't you save some manure to fertilize the vegetables?
By the evening of the second day of Ji Ling's siege, he knew Xiaopei was short on both men and provisions. In another two or three days, he could probably take the city. Just then, a scout suddenly reported that an army was speeding toward them from the south.
Ji Ling was startled. Could Liu Bei's reinforcements have arrived? He immediately sounded the retreat and stopped the attack.
After they returned to camp, another scout reported that the approaching cavalry was flying a large banner bearing the character Lu.
By then, Ji Ling knew Lu Bu had arrived. He had no idea whether the man had come to help him or Liu Bei, so he immediately ordered the whole camp to remain on alert.
Lu Bu's vanguard arrived and set up camp southwest of Xiaopei, no more than three to five li from Gan Family Village.
Seeing the torches outside stretching like a long dragon, Lan Tian guessed that the mediator, Lu Bu, had finally arrived on the scene.
This is settled.
Before you continue