Lady Yan saw Lu Bu press her for an answer, so she said, "General Gao is an upright and loyal man, but he and Chen Gong have never gotten along. How could Fengxian expect the two of them to defend the city together in harmony? Besides, Chen Gongtai has old ties with Cao Cao. You've gone far away with your army and entrusted him with such an important task. If anything changes in the city, how could I still be your wife?"
Gao Shun was so blunt and unapproachable that few civil or military officials could call him a close friend. Chen Gong, meanwhile, had once grown arrogant from favor in Yanzhou, so Gao Shun disliked him.
When Yuan Shu invaded last time, Chen Gong had been unwilling to offer a plan. And when Hao Meng was executed, he had named Chen Gong as his accomplice. Though Lu Bu believed Hao Meng had falsely accused him, his doubts had never gone away. Lady Yan's words only deepened them.
"My wife is right. The people of Xiapi are on edge; another rebellion like Hao Meng's could break out. But Cao's forces are powerful, and I must move the troops to defend the city with all our strength. The safety of the household rests entirely on Lingqi's female guards. Where is she now?" Lu Bu asked.
"She should be with the Xianzhen Battalion," Lady Yan said.
"Ridiculous! Gao Boping has no sense of what matters." Lu Bu angrily swept out of the room.
Before leaving the prefectural office, Lu Bu secretly sent Xu Si and Wang Kai out of Xiapi to head south to Shouchun and seek help from Yuan Shu.
He rode to the Xianzhen Battalion and, sure enough, found Lu Lingqi in Gao Shun's tent.
Lu Bu stormed into the tent and rebuked her, "Cao the Rebel is attacking the city fiercely, and you should be at home protecting your mother. What are you doing in my general's camp?"
"I..." Lu Lingqi lowered her head, at a loss for words.
"And you! Normally, I'd let her do as she pleased, but do you not know what time it is?" Lu Bu turned on Gao Shun.
"This subordinate is guilty. I beg the general to punish me." Gao Shun clasped his fists and admitted his fault.
Lu Bu knew Gao Shun was not really to blame. He turned to Lu Lingqi with a cold expression. "Why haven't you gone back to protect your mother?"
"Oh."
"Wait. What are you holding?"
"Huh?"
Lu Lingqi rose to leave, but Lu Bu noticed that she had one hand behind her back, as if clutching something.
"Nothing," Lu Lingqi said, shaking her head.
"Hand it over!" Lu Bu demanded, stretching out his broad palm.
Helpless, Lu Lingqi handed him the bamboo slip.
Xiapi had been surrounded so quickly that Lu Lingqi had wanted to ask Gao Shun to find a way to consult Lan Tian. But the man had hemmed and hawed before finally producing this slip. Lan Tian had predicted what would happen, but Gao Shun had been too reluctant to say it aloud.
After handing over the slip, Lu Lingqi ran out of the Xianzhen Battalion. Lu Bu held it in his hand, turning it over in his mind. Then he noticed Gao Shun's strange expression and asked, "What is this?"
Faithful to Lu Bu, Gao Shun told him everything about Lan Tian's prediction, spilling it all like beans from a bamboo tube.
Lu Bu was stunned. Then he let out a long sigh. "This boy truly has the powers of spirits and ghosts! If I'd followed my plan back then, kidnapped him, and married him to Lingqi, would I be in this predicament now? Gongtai has ruined me! Gongtai has ruined me!"
"My lord, what should we do now?" Gao Shun asked.
"If Xiapi can be held, we must hold it. If we truly cannot, we'll surrender." Lu Bu answered helplessly.
Gao Shun fell silent. After speaking, Lu Bu suddenly asked, "Who did Lan Ziyu tell you to learn from?"
"The Seven Freaks of Jiangnan."
Lu Bu was familiar with the story of The Legend of the Condor Heroes. He thought to himself, The Seven Freaks of Jiangnan had mediocre martial arts. Their only role in the story was to introduce Guo Jing to the basics. What exactly is Lan Ziyu trying to say?
Lu Bu paced around the camp. Suddenly, a spark of inspiration lit in his mind. Could that fellow mean for Gao Shun to protect Lingqi the way the Seven Freaks protected Guo Jing?
"Boping, how have I treated you?" Lu Bu stopped and turned to ask.
Gao Shun froze, then clasped his fists. "My lord showed me the kindness of recognizing my worth. I will repay you with my life."
Lu Bu raised a hand to stop him. "I know your loyalty well, Boping. Lan Tian told you to learn from the Seven Freaks of Jiangnan, so why do you speak so lightly of giving your life? If I don't survive this battle, protect Lingqi for me."
"My lord, what are you..." Gao Shun asked, baffled.
"I still have to inspect the city walls. Take care of yourself." Lu Bu gave his orders.
Was my lord entrusting his family to me? Lu Bu had never said anything so hard to make sense of, but Gao Shun still nodded and agreed.
Xu Si and Wang Kai went to Shouchun to seek help, but Yuan Shu rejected them, citing Lu Bu's broken marriage alliance. In truth, that fellow had been beaten so badly by Cao Cao that he had finally recognized his own limitations. He was in no position to fight Cao Cao.
Yuan Shu was nearby in Huainan, yet he refused to send troops to help. Zhang Yang, far away in Henei, tried to rescue Lu Bu, only to be killed by his subordinate Yang Chou.
Xiapi's walls were sturdy, and Cao Cao could not take the city for a long time. So he ordered his men to surround it and dig trenches, preventing the defenders from tunneling out and launching a surprise attack.
Digging trenches was earthwork. Though the troops had no need to fear incoming arrows or stones, Cao Cao's men were exhausted from the labor every day.
After more than a month of digging, the soldiers were all worn out, and Cao Cao began to consider withdrawing.
His adviser Xun You urged him, "Lu Bu is brave but witless. He's lost battle after battle, and his spirit has ebbed away. Besides, an army takes its general as its heart; when the general falters, the army loses its will to fight. Lu Bu's morale has yet to recover, and Chen Gong has not settled on a strategy. We should seize Xiapi while we have the chance, lest we raise a tiger that will become a menace later."
As Cao Cao hesitated, Guo Jia offered another plan. "Xiapi lies near a great river. Why not flood it with the waters of the Yi and Si Rivers?"
Cao Cao's eyes lit up. He laughed and said, "Fengxiao, that's a brilliant plan!"
Cao Cao then flooded the city. Of Xiapi's four gates, all but the East Gate were submerged. The defenders had to wade through the streets, making it extremely difficult to move around.
Ever since hearing Gao Shun's words, Lu Bu had been downcast. He often shut himself away in the prefectural office and drank his sorrows away with his wives and concubines. After Xiapi was flooded, the defenders had to drain the water and reinforce the walls, leaving them utterly exhausted.
With Xiapi flooded, Lu Bu wanted to go out and inspect the city to encourage his soldiers. When he rose, he saw his haggard face in the bronze mirror and muttered, "I've ruined myself with wine and women. I look so haggard..."
Later, while inspecting the city, Lu Bu issued an order forbidding his generals from drinking.
The next day, Lu Bu climbed the city wall again to oversee the fighting. He saw that Xiapi's walls were in terrible shape, while the attacking Cao Army's morale remained high.
Lu Bu suddenly shouted down at Cao Cao's soldiers, "Tell Duke Cao that if the illustrious lord withdraws his troops and lifts the siege, I will lead my men out and surrender."
Chen Gong, who was accompanying him, was shocked. "Cao Cao is a rebel! How can you call him an illustrious lord? If you surrender to him today, it'll be like throwing an egg at a rock. How could you possibly survive?"
The Cao soldiers attacking the city were stunned by Lu Bu's words. Just then, Chen Gong somehow produced a bow and arrow. He drew and loosed, striking down a leading officer. The Cao soldiers shouted and resumed their assault.
"Gongtai, you..." Lu Bu was speechless, then swept away in a huff.
When Lu Bu's words reached Cao Cao's camp, Cao Cao summoned his advisers to discuss the matter. "Lu Bu is already willing to surrender. What do you gentlemen think?"
Xun You and Guo Jia both stayed silent, turning their eyes toward Cheng Yu, their old rival from Yanzhou who had defended against Lu Bu.
With no choice, Cheng Yu spoke up. "Lu Bu is brave but witless. If we accept his surrender, he could become a tiger or wolf at our side. But he's a fickle man, so the decision rests with you, my lord."
"What do you two think?" Cao Cao asked Xun You and Guo Jia again.
Guo Jia cupped his hands. "Lu Bu has the courage of a common man. We can use him, or we can do without him. I suggest we kill him to eliminate future trouble."
Cheng Yu and Xun You were both taken aback. So Guo Fengxiao really is as wild and unrestrained as they say.
Cao Cao laughed and asked, "Fengxiao, you once stopped me from killing Liu Bei. Why are you urging me to kill Lu Bu today? Aren't you afraid I'll be accused of harming a worthy man?"
Xun You and Cheng Yu rejoiced inwardly. We knew our lord would ask that.
Guo Jia laughed. "Liu Bei has a reputation for virtue, so killing him rashly would indeed hurt your standing. Lu Bu is merely a fickle scoundrel. Why not kill him? Besides, I'm sure you already have a plan."
Cao Cao pointed at Guo Jia and laughed aloud. "You rascal, Guo Fengxiao! You know me better than anyone, Cao Cao! Hahaha!"
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