Liu Bei was naturally after Lan Tian—or, more precisely, he was after Gao Shun. Though General Gao's Xianzhen Battalion had dwindled to just over a hundred men, his ability to command troops might even surpass Guan Yu's.
For this northern campaign against Xudu, Xinye had fewer than ten thousand troops. Xu Shu's abilities had yet to be put to the test, so the only thing Liu Bei could do was take Guan, Zhang, and Zhao with him. The safety of the rear could only be entrusted to Lan Tian and Gao Shun.
While Xu Shu was organizing the troops in Xinye, Liu Bei sent a messenger straight to Deng Family Village with orders for Lan Tian to bring the Militia Soldiers to garrison Xinye.
Liu Bei hadn't approached him to discuss it. Instead, he'd simply issued the order as his superior. It was the first time since Lan Tian had joined him that Liu Bei had done so.
After asking what was going on, Lan Tian learned that they were going to attack Xudu.
He immediately called Lu Lingqi over and said, "Xiaojun, pack up at once. We're going back to Xinye."
Lu Lingqi looked puzzled. "Spring plowing has already begun. It'll soon be time to sow the seeds. Why are we going back to Xinye during the busiest part of the farming season?"
"My brother-in-law told me to garrison Xinye. He must have taken all the troops out of the city," Lan Tian explained.
"Where is General Liu going to attack?" Lu Lingqi asked curiously.
"Xudu."
Lu Lingqi said nothing. Liu Xuande can't even beat Gao Shun, and now he actually has the nerve to attack Xudu? Still, she went back to her room to pack.
Lan Tian then called Gao Shun over. "General Gao, we're going to garrison