Heaven Born, My Talent Will Be Useful

In early February of the twenty-fifth year of Jian'an, the month-long prisoner exchange concluded, and Liu Bei and Lan Tian hurried toward Xiangyang without delay.

At this time, the Battle of Fancheng had already ended, and the main force of Guan Yu was stationed in Xiangyang to recuperate. Beyond meeting with Guan Yu, Liu Bei also needed to comfort and reward the soldiers.

As the warships sailed upstream against the current, the wind on the Yangtze River remained bone-chilling. Only when the noon sun shone directly onto the bow did Liu Bei and Lan Tian step onto the deck to warm themselves in the sun.

"Ziyu, although the Art of War says 'war is a path of deception,' why did you continue to deceive Zhuge Ziyu and Sun Zhongmou during the negotiations with Jiangdong?"

Liu Bei had not interfered with Lan Tian's negotiations, but he had been standing right beside him when Lan Tian described the situation regarding Lu Meng. Sun Quan likely mistook Liu Bei's presence as a form of testimony. While openly admitting to the execution of Lu Meng was justifiable, Lan Tian's deliberate framing of Cao Cao was a behavior Liu Bei found most difficult to comprehend.

Lan Tian looked at the banks of the Yangtze, where small green buds had begun to sprout on the vegetation. He gazed at Liu Bei and replied solemnly: "The study of 'war' goes far beyond that. There is visible war, and there is invisible war. Visible war involves soldiers carrying weapons and flesh-and-blood men; invisible war involves the sun, moon, stars, wind, clouds, water, fire, and the spiritual energy of mountains and rivers. All things in the universe can be used as weapons. This is what is meant by 'the sound of the wind and the cry of the cranes,