Three Kingdoms: I switched to Liu Bei, why are you crying, Cao Cao?

Chapter 39: Take the initiative and anticipate the enemy

It is said that due to Qin Zhen's design, Chen Gong was imprisoned by Lu Bu.

When Chen Gui and his son saw this, they were naturally very surprised. They had long been at odds with Chen Gong and wanted to get rid of him as soon as possible.

However, although Chen Gong was feared by Lu Bu, Lu Bu remembered their old friendship and did not harm him even though he did not like him.

Therefore, the two sides kept fighting back and forth, openly and secretly.

Unexpectedly, Liu Bei brought Chen Gong down as soon as he arrived, which was really beyond their expectations.

Chen Gui recalled what Chen Deng had said that day, and when he heard Liu Bei mention the military advisor, he knew that Liu Bei indeed had a master to help him, so he hurriedly asked:
"I just heard the military advisor you mentioned, but I wonder who he is and where he is now?"

Lü Bu felt a little empty in his heart because of Chen Gong's departure. After hearing this, he changed his mood and said:

"Yes, I haven't heard where Xuande got a military advisor. Would you please come and see him?"

When Liu Bei saw everyone asking, he smiled and said:
"So that the general knows, my military advisor is named Wang He, also known by his courtesy name Ziye, and is quite knowledgeable in the art of war!"

"Because the army is not allowed to enter the city, we are waiting outside the city now!"

When Lu Bu heard this, he was about to say let Liu Bei enter the city, but then he remembered that Xia Pi was taken from Liu Bei and was afraid that Liu Bei would make trouble, so he smiled and said:
"It turns out that Xuande's troops have not yet been deployed!"

"I expect Xuande has come from afar, so he must not have brought any baggage with him. Wait for me to open the granary to store food and get some tents to help Xuande set up camp outside the city!"

"As for Mr. Wang, you can first call him into the city and send one general to lead the troops!"

Hearing the distrust in Lu Bu's words, Liu Bei did not show it, but just nodded and said:

"In that case, thank you very much, General!"

"I will ask Yide to call the military advisor to come and see him!"

After saying this, he stood up, walked out of the hall, met Zhang Fei, gave him a few instructions, and then returned to the hall.

Lu Bu watched Zhang Fei leave and then heaved a sigh of relief.

If it were in the past, he would definitely not be afraid of Zhang Fei.

However, in recent years, he has neglected exercise and indulged in alcohol and sex, and is no longer as brave as he used to be. He is not afraid of fighting in the battlefield, but is afraid that Zhang Fei will launch a surprise attack on him.

No matter how good your kung fu skills are, you are still afraid of a kitchen knife.

Now that Zhang Fei had left, he relaxed his guard and asked about Liu Bei's recent situation. They had a very pleasant conversation.

Soon, a man came to report:

"My lord, the military advisor has arrived!"

These words were not spoken by Lu Bu, but were reported to Liu Bei.

Liu Bei heard this and looked at Lu Bu, who smiled and said:
"Since the great sage has arrived, please come and see me!"

After giving the order, after a while, a handsome scholar walked in.

But Qin Zhen walked into the hall and bowed to everyone, saying:

"My name is Wang He, courtesy name Ziye. Nice to meet General Lu and the two gentlemen."

When Lu Bu saw his extraordinary temperament and handsome appearance, he couldn't help but wonder where Liu Bei got such an assistant from?

Although he had fought with Qin Zhen before, he only knew his name but not the person. He hurriedly said:

"Sir, there is no need to be so polite. Please take a seat!"

Seeing this, Qin Zhen came over and sat down next to Liu Bei.

Chen Gui and his son looked at Qin Zhen and were also surprised, especially Chen Deng. He knew that Qin Zhen must have a plan, but he didn't expect Qin Zhen to be so young. He couldn't help but ask:

"I see you have an extraordinary appearance, but I don't know where you are from?"

Qin Zhen smiled and replied:

"I am a scholar from Yanzhou. I have studied hard for many years and traveled around to learn. I am only here because of your invitation!"

“So he’s from Yanzhou!”

Chen Deng seemed to be thinking:

"There are so many talented people in Yanzhou. I heard that Qin Zhen from Yanzhou is a rare talent. Now I see you, sir, you are also a rare talent!"

When Lao Liu heard Chen Deng say the name Qin Zhen, his heart tightened, but Qin Zhen smiled and said:
"Qin Zhen, you little brat, is just a talker! How can you compare with me?"

"If he hadn't left earlier, I would have competed with him!"

When Chen Gui heard this, he whispered to Chen Deng:
"It turns out he is an arrogant guy!"

Chen Deng also frowned and gave up the idea.

Although he had never met Qin Zhen, he knew that he was a modest gentleman and easy-going, and definitely not the crazy person he looked like.

When Liu Bei heard this, he looked a little uncomfortable for a moment. How could it be okay for the military advisor to belittle himself?
But one person was immediately dissatisfied when he heard this.

This person is Lu Bu. He frowned and said:
"Sir, what a presumptuous statement you make. Qin Zhen understands the weather, knows the terrain, and is familiar with the art of war. What are you capable of that you dare to compete with Qin Zhen?"

He had been defeated by Qin Zhen before. When others belittled Qin Zhen, they were belittled him, so he was naturally unhappy.

But Qin Zhen said with an expression of a dead pig that was not afraid of boiling water:

"Qin Zhen knows military skills, and so do I! If the general doesn't ask, how can you be sure that I am not as good as Qin Zhen?"

When Lu Bu heard this, he got angry and said in a deep voice:

"Since you have this ability, tell me how we should stop Yuan Shu's advance now?"

Chen Deng had just offered a suggestion, and he already had an idea in mind, so he wanted to use it to test Qin Zhen.

"It's not easy to defeat this soldier!"

Qin Zhen shook his head and said:
"Although the enemy army is tens of thousands strong, I don't care. I have another plan that can guarantee that we can repel the enemy and protect the country and the people!"

When Lu Bu heard this, his expression became even more contemptuous and he said:

"What plan do you have to accomplish this?"

Liu Bei listened and looked at Qin Zhen. He knew that Qin Zhen did this on purpose.

But they had just arrived, what strategy did Qin Zhen have to defeat the enemy?
But Qin Zhen listened and changed the subject:

"Although I have a plan, I can't offer it for nothing. I must get the general's advice first!"

"May I ask, General, is it true that you promised to help our army capture Xiang County?"

When Lü Bu saw Qin Zhen talking about him, he waved his hand and said:

"Of course it is true. After I defeat Yuan Shu, I will mobilize troops to help your army capture Xiang County!"

Qin Zhen continued to laugh:

"If you can get this advice, I can offer this plan!"

"But there is one more thing. My strategy will definitely defeat the enemy. But I want to ask how will the troops, horses, money and food be distributed after the enemy is defeated with my strategy? And who will own the county after it is captured?"

As soon as he said this, before Lu Bu could react, Chen Gui and his son's faces changed.

They seemed to have heard that this boy was not simply arrogant!

This is to induce Lu Bu to divide the spoils in advance!

If Chen Gong were here, he would definitely dissuade him, but now that Chen Gong is not here, even if Lu Bu is sold out, he still has to help count the money!

Chen Deng looked at Chen Gui immediately, but saw Chen Gui shaking his head silently.

Lu Bu did not find anything unusual and said without thinking:
"Since your army has come to help, Xiang County should belong to your army. As for the gains from this battle, we can share them equally!"

After hearing this, Liu Bei finally smiled.

Qin Zhen achieved his goal, and he grinned and said:

"I've heard that the general is a man of high character, and today I see that he is indeed so!"

After being praised by Qin Zhen, Lu Bu's expression eased a little, but Ren Jiu said:
"Stop talking nonsense, what's the plan?"

Qin Zhen heard this and said with a leisurely smile:

"This plan is easy to say. I heard that the invading army is led by four people, with Zhang Xun as the leader, Qiao Rui as the deputy, Han Xian and Yang Feng each leading their own troops. Now they will join forces to attack Xia Pi together."

"Han Xian and Yang Feng are not valued by Yuan Shu, so they must be unhappy!" "We can send an envoy to persuade them to become his accomplices."

"After the two agree, Marquis Wen can divide our army into three groups. Marquis Wen can lead one group of troops to attack from the front camp, and our army can attack from the back camp. We can also send another group of troops to ambush outside and collect the deserters!"

"If this happens, Zhang Xun will surely become chaotic and will be defeated by our army!"

Having said this, he looked at Lu Bu and said with a smile:
"I wonder what Lord Wen thinks of this plan?"

When Liu Bei heard this, he couldn't help but praise:
"This is a great plan!"

But Lu Bu and Chen Gui, father and son, all changed their expressions.

Because Qin Zhen's strategy is not much different from the one Chen Deng just proposed!

It’s just that Chen Deng only mentioned the main points, while Qin Zhen told the whole plan!

Lu Bu's expression suddenly changed, and he couldn't help but think:

"Is this person really talented?"

But their surprise was their own business. Qin Zhen urged Lu Bu:

"General, do you think this plan is feasible?"

When Lu Bu heard this, he was embarrassed:
"It turns out that you are indeed a very talented person, sir. I am so sorry for your disrespect!"

He suddenly realized that something was wrong!
Because he had known about this strategy for a long time. If he took the lead, Liu Bei would just play a supporting role and he would at most just give some money and food!
But now they have to do as Qin Zhen said and divide the spoils equally!
Although the battle had not yet begun, he always felt as if he had lost out.

For a moment he looked at Qin Zhen, feeling a little strange. Why was this boy so weird?
Thinking about this, he looked at Liu Bei and said:

"Yuanlong just proposed this plan to me, but I didn't expect that you would also have such a plan!"

Liu Bei didn't know the details, and when he heard this, he was surprised and said:

"What a coincidence! Yuanlong just proposed this plan?"

Seeing this, Chen Deng also stood up and sighed:
"To be honest, sir, the plan I proposed is quite similar to the one proposed by the military advisor!"

He had just come up with this plan, but he didn't expect Qin Zhen could also think of it.

It can be seen that Liu Bei, the military advisor, is really not a simple person!

Amid the confusion among the crowd, Qin Zhen took advantage of the situation and said with a smile:

"It can be seen that the wise men in the world have similar views."

"Now that we have Yuanlong and I to help, how can we not be victorious?"

"General, you might as well follow the plan. It will surely work wonders!"

Seeing that Qin Zhen avoided talking about it, Lu Bu could not speak out his regrets, so he could only say to Chen Deng:
"In that case, Yuanlong, go!"

Chen Deng had no choice but to obey the order and leave!

As Chen Deng left, although Lu Bu was unhappy, he had no choice but to host a banquet to entertain Liu Bei and others.

That night, Liu Bei was allowed to stay in the city.

After a day, the army reported that Zhang Xun had led his troops to the city, and Chen Deng had persuaded Han Xian and Yang Feng to rebel.

When Lu Bu heard the news, he was overjoyed. He arranged for his generals to guard the city, led his army to set up camp outside the city, and asked Liu Bei to leave the city, so that the two could form a pincer attack.

Therefore, Liu Bei and Qin Zhen set out from Xia Pi.

When they arrived at the military camp, Zhang Fei came to ask about the situation again, so Liu Bei told him everything that had happened in the past two days.

Zhang Fei was displeased when he heard this:
"The military advisor used a good strategy, but he didn't plan it with our army, but used it with others!"

Liu Bei hurriedly scolded him, but Qin Zhen smiled and said:

"This is also the reason why our army captured Xiang County!"

"Huh, who is Lu Bu? Doesn't the military advisor know him?"

Zhang Fei said with disdain:

"Do you think this man will really join our army in seizing Xiang County?"

Seeing Zhang Fei repeatedly making trouble, Liu Bei was about to scold him, but Qin Zhen stopped him and said to Zhang Fei with a smile:
"General Zhang, if you don't believe me, do you dare to make a bet with me?"

When Zhang Fei heard about the gambling, he said:

"But I don't know how the military advisor wants to gamble, and what he wants to gamble on?"

Qin Zhen smiled and replied:
"Now our army is about to march out to take Xiang County, and we must first capture Zhang Xun!"

"Let's make a bet. If you can capture Zhang Xun, I will do you a favor."

"If the general cannot capture Zhang Xun, then the general must do me a favor!"

"I wonder if the general dares to accept this?"

When Zhang Fei heard this, he said in a muffled voice:

"Let's gamble, but don't be too embarrassed to lose, Advisor!"

Qin Zhen smiled complacently and said:

"I was afraid the general wouldn't respond!"

After hearing this, Zhang Fei did not make any further assumptions and walked out of the camp to prepare his troops.

When Liu Bei saw Zhang Fei leaving, he sighed:

"Military Advisor, it's fine if my third brother is like this, but why are you playing such a childish trick with him?"

Qin Zhen heard this and shook his head:
"This is not a child's game. If you don't do this, you can't discipline the three generals!"

"Zhang Xun is a general under Yuan Shu. He is both brave and resourceful. I don't think we can capture General Zhang!"

"I see!"

When Liu Bei heard this, he smiled. It turned out that Qin Zhen was sure of his plan, so he set a trap for his third brother!
This is also a good thing. If it can convince Zhang Fei, then there is nothing wrong with it.

But he thought about it carefully and became worried:

"But if we want to take Xiang County, we must capture Zhang Xun. What if you can't capture him?"

"It's easy!"

Qin Zhen took a step forward and said with a smile:

"Although Zhang Xun has strategies, he is not smart. I have my own way to capture him!"

"May I ask if you have ever met Zhang Xun?"

Liu Bei thought about it and nodded:
"It's true that we met once. If I could see him, I would definitely recognize him!"

"If so, this plan will work!"

Qin Zhen turned around and smiled:

"When the battle begins, you can lead your troops and Shuzhi to ambush on the southeast bank of the river near Yuan's camp. Zhang Xun will definitely pass by here!"

When Liu Bei heard this, he was shocked and said:

"How did the military advisor know that Zhang Xun would go from the southeast?"

Qin Zhen paced back and forth and said:
"It's actually not difficult to guess where Zhang Xun went!"

"So this time I planned to have Lu Bu break into the front camp, while our army would break into the rear camp."

"There are enemies in front and behind. The only way out is through the east and west gates."

"Zhang Xun is a man of strategy. He knows that the west gate is close to Shouchun and is afraid of an ambush, so he will not dare to leave. Therefore, he will escape from the east gate."

"From here to the east, there are only two official roads, one to the north to Siwu, and one to the south to Xiang. Zhang Xun thought that his troops were in the south, so after leaving the camp, they would definitely go south!"

"From this point on, our army will ambush the southeast side of Sishui and we will surely be able to capture them!"

After hearing Qin Zhen's speculation, Liu Bei couldn't help but admire him in his heart. He was able to predict the enemy's movements clearly before the war even started. Who else but him as a military advisor?

At that moment, Lao Liu stopped asking questions and went out to prepare the troops.

(End of this chapter)