Shelter

After Liu Bei experienced the siege of Xiaopei by Ji Ling, he was not satisfied with the few thousand soldiers he currently possessed. After the battle, Mi Zhu sent money, silk, and grain from Donghai to help him recruit troops in the surrounding areas, and many from Gan Family Village also enlisted.

Because Gan Qian was interested in Lan Ziyu, she often returned to Gan Family Village to visit her family.

Xiaopei City was only a few miles away from Gan Family Village, and since Liu Bei valued his sworn brothers over his wives and concubines, he paid no mind to Gan Qian's movements.

A few days later, Lan Ziyu's "cellar" was finished. It was a pit about two meters deep and four to five meters in length and width, already many times larger than an ordinary cellar.

Gan Ji had helped at first, but seeing that this fellow's digging was becoming increasingly strange, he gradually lost his enthusiasm, leaving most of the work to Lan Ziyu.

"Tian'er, are you making a pond or a cesspit with a cellar this big? We're just growing some vegetables; we really don't need anything this large," Gan Ji asked, puzzled.

Lan Ziyu smiled slightly. "Neither. I'll tell you once I've finished."

After the cellar was dug, Lan Ziyu asked the farmhands to cut down trees and saw them into logs of two to three meters and five to six meters in length. All the branches and treetops left over from the felled trees were thrown into the cellar and burned.

It was the slack farming season, so the farmhands were willing to help, though they didn't understand Lan Ziyu's actions.

During this time, because Gan Qian often returned to her maiden home, she picked up kitchen work again, having learned most of Lan Ziyu's culinary skills.

When Lan Ziyu used the short logs as pillars and the long logs to "seal the roof," the father and daughter finally realized that this fellow had truly built a cellar—and a very luxurious one at that—eventually even hiring a carpenter to secure it with mortise and tenon joints.

Once the cellar was completed, Lan Ziyu invited Gan Ji and Gan Qian to open the top cover and descend to the bottom via a ladder.

The four walls, having been baked, had little moisture left, making it feel just like a small house on the surface.

"Tian'er, you've spent so much energy and twenty days of time; what exactly is this for?" Gan Ji asked, confused.

"Foster Father, Sister, this is a shelter I've built. We just need to add a wooden bed and store some water and dry rations here."

"No, Tian'er, are you planning to live here? Isn't it better to live on the surface?"

"Of course not for permanent residence, but if we encounter the chaos of war, we can have a place to hide."

Once Lan Ziyu explained it this way, the father and daughter immediately understood. The massacre during the fourth year of Chuping still left people with lingering fears.

"Little Brother, aren't you being too cautious? Now that Xuande is stationed in Xiaopei, I believe there won't be any trouble in the future," Gan Qian said.

Lan Ziyu shook his head. "Xu Province is flat and essentially has no defenses. Xiaopei is at the intersection of the four provinces of Qing, Xu, Yu, and Yan. I fear it won't be easy for your husband to hold it for long. I am merely taking precautions."

Gan Qian felt a tightness in her heart. Thinking about it carefully, it was exactly as Lan Ziyu had said. She looked at this foster brother who was gradually growing up and felt he was becoming increasingly mysterious; he could not only devise strategies from a thousand miles away but also see through the situation so clearly.

As for the idea that Lan Ziyu only knew how to farm, Gan Qian, at the very least, did not believe it.

After the three of them exited the shelter, Lan Ziyu covered the top with mud and turf, masking the ventilation holes with fallen leaves. He used all the wilderness survival skills he had previously watched in this world.

Walking two meters away, Gan Ji found that the shelter was almost invisible. He said with pleasant surprise, "Tian'er, your camouflage is enough to deceive anyone. If there is indeed a war as you say, we two must properly furnish the inside."

"Little Brother, as you said, what about Xuande? Give us an idea," Gan Qian said worriedly.

"Sister, you really overestimate me. Aside from being somewhat proficient in farming, I truly know nothing about governing a state or contending for the world." Lan Ziyu thought to himself, My professional background really isn't a match for this. Besides, if I let Liu Bei go to Xichuan now, can he even conquer it with his current troops?

Gan Qian returned to Xiaopei with regret. Seeing his daughter's lonely back, Gan Ji sighed, "Alas, hearing what you said just now, I fear Qian'er will still suffer following Xuande."

"Foster Father, rest assured. Although I am unwilling to assist Liu Bei, I will do my best to keep Sister safe," Lan Ziyu said sincerely.

Gan Ji shook his head and said meaningfully, "Don't look at how fiercely those dogs on the farm bark; as long as I walk in front of them holding a stick, these beasts will surely wag their tails at me. Only when one has weapons and power in hand will others potentially respect you."

Lan Ziyu felt a tightness in his chest, wondering if his choice to keep a low profile was truly wrong.

On the twenty-eighth of the ninth month, the sound of hooves like rolling thunder suddenly erupted on the road outside the village. Gan Ji stood before the courtyard gate and looked out, seeing countless troops kicking up yellow dust as they rushed toward Xiaopei.

"It looks like Lu Bu's troops from Xiapi. Qian'er, why has Xuande invited General Lu to Xiaopei again?" Gan Ji shouted to Gan Qian inside the house.

Gan Qian was preparing dinner. She wiped her hands on her apron and asked, puzzled, "No, that can't be. Xuande has been training troops recently. Why would Lu Bu come running here?"

At this moment, Lan Ziyu rushed over from behind the house. "Foster Father, Sister, quickly take some bedding to the shelter. By the way, extinguish the fire in the stove and bring some cooked food down with us."

"Little Brother, this is..."

"Go to the shelter first, we'll talk later," Lan Ziyu urged before Gan Qian could finish her sentence.

When Liu Bei learned that Lu Bu had brought troops, he hurriedly led Guan Yu and Zhang Fei to welcome them outside the city walls. Before the two sides could even exchange greetings, Cheng Lian's vanguard suddenly launched an attack, catching the Xiaopei troops off guard.

Liu Bei hurriedly retreated into Xiaopei City to hold his ground, while Guan Yu and Zhang Fei scrambled to organize the men to join the battle.

After Cheng Lian pushed them back, the rear army led by Lu Bu also arrived at the city walls, numbering several tens of thousands.

"Why has General Lu suddenly come to attack?" Liu Bei shouted from the city tower.

Lu Bu pulled on the reins of Red Hare and rode to the front of the formation, pointing his Halberd at the tower and shouting, "Liu Bei! I kindly took you in and let you station in Xiaopei. Last month, I even shot the halberd at the gate to save you when you were besieged by Ji Ling. Yet, you do not think to repay my kindness, but instead, you incite Zhang Fei to seize my warhorses! Truly the act of a brute!"

"There must be some misunderstanding here. General Lu, please calm your thunderous rage. Let me find my third brother to explain it to you," Liu Bei said, wringing his hands.

At this moment, Zhang Fei happened to climb the tower. Having heard Lu Bu's aggressive words, he was so angry his eyebrows stood on end.

Ignoring Liu Bei, Zhang Fei pointed at Lu Bu below the city and roared, "Three-surnamed slave! You brute, you seized my eldest brother's Xu Province first; how do you have the face to come here and show off? So what if I snatched a few hundred of your horses? From now on, every time I see you, I'll snatch them!"

"Round-eyed thief! Today, I swear to kill you!"

Lu Bu was furious and immediately ordered Zhang Liao and the others to launch a fierce assault on the city. Zhang Fei's theft of the horses was merely the fuse; the main reason was Liu Bei's frantic recruitment of troops in Xiaopei.

After governing Xu Province for several months, Lu Bu realized that Liu Bei still held significant influence in the region. Coupled with the fact that the turncoat Xu Dan feared retaliation from Liu Bei and kept whispering slanders in his ear, Lu Bu finally decided to attack Xiaopei and root out Liu Bei's forces from Xu Province entirely.

Caught completely unprepared, Liu Bei fought in a panic. After holding out for two days, Xiaopei City was breached. His family in the city fell into Lu Bu's hands once again, and he fled toward Yu Province with Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and the remnants of his troops.