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

Chapter 87 Lu Bu: Liu Bei is still a kind person
Just as Yuan Huan and Ji Ling changed their tactics, Liu Bei and Lu Bu had already joined forces at the border of Shouchun.

However, after Liu Bei sent Zhuge Jin to persuade Lu Bu, he listened to Qin Zhen's advice and mobilized troops to prepare to attack Shouchun.

Liu Bei is no longer the same person he was before, far from the time when he was stationed in Xiaopei.

Since he captured Qin Zhen, he first captured Xiang County, then went south to capture Zhucheng. Now the northern part of Jiujiang has become one with Xiang County.

Excluding the troops stationed in Pei State, with the addition of Guan Ping's troops, the entire Jiujiang County now had more than 20,000 troops!
In order to capture Shouchun, in addition to the troops from various cities, he mobilized a total of more than 14,000 troops, one part led by Chen Dao Guan Ping, and the other part led by himself, starting from Yinling and heading towards Shouchun.

Because Yinling is to the east of Xiquyang, Liu Bei set out first but arrived later.

Seeing Liu Bei leading his troops here, Lu Bu went out of the camp to greet them personally.

It is also true that money makes the world go round. When Liu Bei was stationed in Xiaopei before, even if he took the initiative to come to the rescue, Lu Bu would only send someone to summon him.

But now, because he had promised Lu Bu money and food, and Liu Bei had great power, he actually asked Lu Bu to go out in person to meet him.

I saw Liu Bei's troops approaching from afar on an official road. Liu Bei and Zhang Fei were the first to come together. When Lu Bu saw them, he came forward and said with a smile:

"Xuan De is late. Bu has been here for a long time!"

Liu Bei and Lu Bu were old acquaintances now. Seeing Lu Bu like this, he bowed and said with a smile:

"I was late because I was preparing the troops, and I made Lord Wen wait for so long. I shouldn't have done that!"

Old Liu's smile has always been so warm that people feel like they are basking in the spring breeze just by looking at him.

When Lu Bu saw Liu Bei like this, he thought that he must have misunderstood Liu Bei before. Looking at the appearance of this honest man, he did not think he was such a cunning person.

Thinking of this, he smiled politely and said:

"No need to be so polite. We are all brothers and allies. Xuande, there is no need to be so polite!"

He originally wanted to call Liu Bei "brother", but when he accidentally caught a glimpse of Zhang Fei's murderous eyes, he quickly changed his words!

As he spoke, he looked at Liu Bei's side again, and seeing that Qin Zhen was not there, he asked curiously:
"Mr. Wang didn't come with Xuande this time?"

When Liu Bei saw that he was asking about Qin Zhen, he shook his head and smiled:

"Military advisor has caught a cold and is still recuperating in Xia Cai!"

In fact, Qin Zhen was in the army, but he did not step forward because he was afraid of meeting an old acquaintance.

Liu Bei was of course quite curious about this matter and once asked Qin Zhen when he was going to reveal his identity, but Qin Zhen said that it could not be revealed before Shouchun was captured.

Liu Bei knew that Qin Zhen must have some plan, so he didn't ask any more questions and simply continued to help Qin Zhen hide it.

When Lu Bu heard that Liu Bei's military advisor had caught a cold again, he felt strange. He thought that Liu Bei's military advisor looked so impressive, but he didn't expect him to be so weak!
I caught a cold last time in Xia Pi, and I caught a cold again this time?
But thinking that this was Lao Liu's family affair after all, he didn't ask too much and simply smiled and said:
"I didn't expect Mr. Wang to be ill. What a pity!"

"To be honest, Xuande, ever since we met in Xiapi last time, I have been envious of your talent and wanted to meet you again, but unfortunately you were ill and I couldn't meet you. It's really unfortunate!"

He said this, but he didn't mean it.

In fact, if we were to say who Lu Bu hates the most in Liu Bei’s army, the first one would be Zhang Fei, and the second one would be Wang He!

Zhang Fei was born to be incompatible with him.

But Wang He was too insidious, and he had entangled him with just a few words last time.

It can be said that if Wang He was not there, his favorability towards Liu Bei would have increased significantly.

Now hearing that Wang He is sick, he feels so happy!
After a few polite greetings, Lu Bu invited Liu Bei into the camp to continue the conversation.

When everyone entered the camp, Lu Bu sat in the main seat. To show respect, he added a seat for Liu Bei next to him.

After both sides sat down, Lu Bu asked:
"Although our army is marching with Xuande, I have learned that there are still 20,000 soldiers and horses in Shouchun City!"

"Now Bu has divided his troops to take the East City, and he still has 9,000 soldiers and horses. I wonder how many soldiers and horses Xuande has?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Bei bowed and replied:

"I dare to let Lord Wen know that our army has 7,000 troops at home, and another 7,000 from Xiacai to help, a total of more than 14,000!"

When Lu Bu heard that Liu Bei already had 14,000 soldiers and horses, he was shocked.

You must know that a few months ago, Liu Bei's total military force was not that large.

It hasn't even been half a year yet, and there are more than 14,000 soldiers and horses mobilized to attack the city!

If you think about it, the total military strength now is probably not inferior to his!

The strength expanded so quickly, and while being surrounded by many powerful enemies, it was simply amazing!
Surprised, Lu Bu thought for a while and sighed:

"I hate you! If that's the case, the combined forces of our two armies will only be over 20,000 people!"

"It is extremely difficult to take Shouchun!"

Although he is not a trustworthy person, he is still very reliable when it comes to fighting.

Now that the two families have joined forces, he naturally has to think about whether he can win.

If more than 20,000 soldiers were to attack the stronghold, he could guarantee that they would definitely win!

But if we want to take a city, especially a big city like Shouchun, it is very unrealistic!

Thinking of this, Lu Bu couldn't help but say to Liu Bei:
"I heard that Xuande County still has troops, why don't you transfer them?"

When Liu Bei heard this, he smiled and said:
"Marquis Wen doesn't know. We don't need to mobilize any more troops. Our army has already found out, and reinforcements will arrive soon!"

After hearing this, Lu Bu was stunned. What kind of reinforcements did they have now?
Chen Yu? This guy didn't even come!

The troops were dispatched, but halfway through, they stopped moving!

Could it be Sun Ce?
When he thought of this, his eyes suddenly lit up and he said:

"Xuan De is saying that Sun Ce is coming?"

"It's Sun Bofu!"

Liu Bei nodded and smiled:

"Our army has learned that Sun Ce is leading his troops northwards and will arrive in Shouchun in four or five days at most!"

"We have more than 20,000 soldiers and horses. I heard that Sun Ce also has 20,000 soldiers and horses. With more than 40,000 soldiers and horses, it should not be difficult to capture Shouchun!"

"That's it, that's it!"

When Lu Bu heard that there was another 20,000 reinforcements, he smiled with satisfaction.

He had heard of Sun Ce but had never seen him. However, he did have some contact with Sun Ce's father, Sun Jian!

After all, he had fought with Sun Jian before when he was under Dong Zhuo.

But during that battle, he was fighting with Hu Zhen and did not actually fight with Sun Jian.

In general, he was not particularly unfamiliar. But he changed his mind and thought that if Sun Ce came and took Shouchun, wouldn't he have to share money and food with him? He couldn't help but worry again:

"It's good that Sun Ce is coming to help, but if he takes Shouchun, how should we distribute the troops?"

As soon as he said this, Liu Bei sighed:

"I'm thinking about that too!"

"Logically speaking, the money and food in the city have already been promised to the general, so our army naturally does not want any money or food."

"But Sun Ce has come from afar, and he doesn't know about our alliance, so he will definitely not agree to this!"

"So I came here this time, in addition to taking the city, I also want to discuss with the general how to deal with Sun Ce!"

Hearing this, Lu Bu said with dissatisfaction:

"Don't worry, Xuande. Sun Ce is just a young boy. If he comes to help, that's fine. But if he wants to share the spoils with me, we need to see his quality!"

Now that he has received benefits from Liu Bei, he naturally has to protect their interests.

Sun Ce is here, you can help, but you can’t ask for money and food!
When Liu Bei saw Lu Bu like this, he felt disgusted and thought that Lu Bu was not a cooperative guy. He hadn't even captured the city yet, but he was already acting like this. If he didn't have some means of restraint, he would be very difficult to control!
But although he felt disgusted in his heart, he just sighed:

"Marquis Wen, please don't say that. We are all friendly forces after all. How can we make things difficult for him?"

"My military advisor has caught a cold and has not come. Actually, I have already discussed with the military advisor. Since Marquis Wen and I have already made an agreement, the money and food should be given to Marquis Wen."

"But since Sun Ce is coming, we can't ignore him. So we are thinking, Sun Ce went north because Hefei is difficult to capture. Why don't we discuss with Sun Ce this time, he helps us capture Shouchun, and we help him capture Hefei!"

"In this way, I think Sun Ce will not make things difficult for you and me, and the friendship between our three families can be preserved!"

"As for how to distribute the resources after Hefei is taken, that will naturally be discussed by Marquis Wen and Sun Ce."

"Our army only wants Shouchun, and will not share Hefei with you two. What do you think, Lord Wen?"

He always spoke with a serious and earnest tone, his voice was slow and powerful, making people feel that he was very reliable.

After listening to the details, Lu Bu thought to himself that Liu Bei was indeed a kind man!
If it weren't for the fact that his subordinates were so bad, Liu Bei wouldn't be that bad based on his appearance.

Thinking of this, and seeing Liu Bei thinking so much about him, Lu Bu felt warm in his heart and said with a smile:

"It is Xuande who came to persuade me. Besides, we are all here to get rid of the enemy. Otherwise, let alone Sun Ce, even if his father Sun Jian came, I would not take him seriously!"

"Since Xuande is already worried, our army will act in this way!"

"But even with Sun Ce's strength, our army cannot rely on him alone. If Xuande is trustworthy, let Bu Yuan be the vanguard and go to explore Shouchun first!"

Since it was a rare occasion for him to be kind, he wanted to return the favor. Seeing this, Liu Bei readily agreed.

Immediately the two families marched again, heading straight for Shouchun. Before they reached the city, Lu Bu sent his general Wei Yue to lead his troops to challenge them at the foot of the city.

As soon as Wei Yue arrived in Shouchun, he was spotted by the spies sent by Ji Ling. Upon hearing the news, Ji Ling summoned all the generals and said:
"We are now defending the city under the order of His Majesty, but Liu Bei and Lu Bu are pressing us step by step. Now Lu Bu has invaded our territory. Who among you dares to fight?"

When everyone heard this, they were naturally terrified and dared not go into battle.

Seeing everyone like this, Ji Ling immediately flew into a rage, pointing at everyone and cursing:
"You are a bunch of cowardly rats. You dare not fight the enemy army that has invaded our territory. What use are you to us?"

"Come here, bring me my armor, I will go and fight in person!"

When the generals heard this, they were ashamed. Seeing this, Yuan Huan's expression changed drastically and he said:
"General, as the commander-in-chief, how can you act rashly?"

Ji Ling listened to his advice and said indignantly:

"It's not Lu Bu himself, I'm not afraid of a mere enemy general!"

"Now that a small group of enemy troops are coming, we can defeat them and dampen their morale."

After saying this, he ignored all the dissuasion and led thousands of soldiers all the way towards the city.

Unexpectedly, when they had only walked a few miles outside the city, they saw Wei Yue leading his troops towards them.

Upon seeing this, Ji Ling shouted loudly, rode his horse forward, and started fighting with Wei Yue.

Ji Ling was also a fierce general. If he met Zhang Fei and Lu Bu, he would naturally be no match for them. But if it was just Wei Yue, he could naturally defeat them.

The two fought for more than ten rounds. Ji Ling became more and more fierce. Wei Yue was worried that he could not defeat the enemy, so he took the opportunity to turn his horse and return.

Seeing this, Ji Ling knew that Wei Yue was no match for him, so he rode his horse and laughed:
"Enemy general, don't run away, leave your life behind!"

He chased with weapons in hand and led his troops to attack the front.

But Wei Yue was fleeing all the way and his troops were retreating.

Just as he was about to be caught up by Ji Ling, the man suddenly turned around and shot an arrow at Ji Ling.

It was Lu Bu's subordinates who came from Bingzhou. Every one of them was a cavalry general with excellent horsemanship.

In this era before saddles were invented, it was extremely rare to be able to turn around and shoot arrows.

Ji Ling was caught off guard and unable to dodge, and was hit in the arm by an arrow.

Ji Ling felt pain and cursed Wei Yue as a rat. He knew that he had fallen into the enemy's trap, so he turned his horse around and withdrew his troops.

When Wei Yue saw the opportunity, he laughed uncontrollably and led his troops to attack Ji Ling again.

The two armies fought in one place, and soon, Ji Ling's troops were killed and scattered.

Ji Ling fled all the way back to the city, and the morale of Shouchun dropped sharply.

Seeing Ji Ling's injured arm and many casualties, Yuan Huan sighed:
"Liu and Lu's armies are strong, we can't fight them, we can only defend the city!"

When Ji Ling heard this, although he was indignant, he also knew that the two enemies were no match for him, so he had to order his men to defend the city and not go out into battle.

After Wei Yue won the battle, he reported the victory to Lu Bu. Lu Bu laughed and said:

"Ji Ling is just a nobody, he is no match for our army!"

When Liu Bei saw that one of Lu Bu's generals was able to defeat Ji Ling, he became very fearful. He thought to himself that although Lu Bu's character was not good, the combat effectiveness of his subordinates should not be underestimated.

Seeing him so proud, he didn't want to spoil his fun, so he smiled and said:

"Marquis Wen's troops are indeed extraordinary. Now that we have won, we can camp outside the city, find out the enemy's situation, and wait for Sun Ce to arrive before we move!"

This time, Lu Bu was pleased and nodded in agreement.

Together with Liu Bei, they marched down towards Shouchun City. The two armies set up camp two miles apart, forming a pincer attack to prevent a surprise attack by the enemy.

For several days, the two armies did not engage in battle, as if they were both waiting for Sun Ce to arrive.

Before Sun Ce arrived, military reports from Huainan had already reached Runan.

(End of this chapter)