Chapter 105 Yuan Huan recommends talents, details determine success or failure When Liu Bei learned the news about Sun Ce's army, he was still busy. Because even though we captured Shouchun in yesterday's night battle, the city still needs to be stabilized. On the one hand, he had to deal with Yuan Shu's surrendered troops, and on the other hand, he had to resettle his troops and be responsible for defense issues. In addition, the transfer of rulers in the city also required the posting of notices to reassure the people and stabilize the situation in Shouchun City. These things need to be dealt with urgently. Therefore, after Zhang Fei left the city, Liu Bei did not sleep and started to deal with these matters directly. Fortunately, Liu Bei did not attack the city during this period and had a good rest. He also practiced martial arts all year round, so staying up for two or three days and nights was nothing at all. Qin Zhen is relatively young, so staying up late is not a problem for him. Regarding the issue of surrendering troops, Qin Zhen suggested to Liu Bei that he should let Lei Bu be responsible for their resettlement first and confiscate their weapons to guard the prisoners.

The purpose of doing this is, on the one hand, to prevent thunder books, and on the other hand, to reduce their pressure on defending the city. Because this time they entered the city, they were not alone. Next to them are the troops of Lu Bu and Sun Ce. The captives under their command are a very special existence. It cannot be used temporarily, and it takes manpower to guard it. Similarly, Lei Bu's surrendered soldiers were also very special. Even if Lei Bu surrendered voluntarily, the possibility that he would lead troops to rebel could not be ruled out. Therefore, in order to properly deal with these Yuan Shu soldiers, it is necessary to ensure that Lei Bu has no ability to rebel, while also taking Lei Bu's feelings into consideration. Therefore, on the whole, it is a safer task to let Lei Bu lead the surrendered soldiers to stabilize the captives. As long as the weapons are confiscated, the harm can be reduced to a certain extent. Of course, given Qin Zhen's personality, he still needs a layer of insurance to prevent accidents. Therefore, in addition to Lei Bu, he also suggested that Liu Bei transfer 500 soldiers to Guan Ping to prevent Lei Bu from going to extremes. In response to this suggestion, Liu Bei shook his head and laughed: "Military advisor, you are too cautious. I think Lei Bu is not a man who would change sides!" Qin Zhen responded: "My lord, you must know that being cautious can catch a cicada, and being careful can keep a boat safe!" It was not that he was too cautious, but because Zhang Xiu's rebellion was right in front of him, and he had to be extremely careful in dealing with the surrendered soldiers, otherwise he would be in trouble if he was not careful. So he told Liu Bei the details of the Battle of Wancheng. When Liu Bei heard this, he immediately had no objection and agreed to Qin Zhen's advice. It's because Lao Cao had set a precedent and he didn't want to be defeated by a small Lei Bu! After dealing with the prisoners, it’s time to deploy defenses! The huge size of Shouchun City required a huge amount of defensive manpower. Liu Bei originally planned to move out all the waterproof cloth bags that Ji Ling had placed in the city, and then evenly deploy them to guard the four gates. But when Qin Zhen heard it, he immediately rejected this idea! Just like Zhou Yu refusing to demolish the dam, Qin Zhen not only did not want Lao Liu to move the sandbags, but also asked Lao Liu to continue making sandbags.

The reason is simple. Now they are inside and Sun Ce is outside. We cannot rule out the possibility that Sun Ce will dig water to flood the city in a rage. We must be on guard before Sun Ce leaves completely! Similarly, all the siege equipment they had used to attack the city had to be retrieved and moved into the city, leaving Sun Ce with no tools for a strong attack! Liu Bei naturally agreed to this suggestion. He also knew that Sun Ce was posing a great threat outside the city. When he heard that Sun Ce might dig a dam in anger, he simply sent people to investigate the condition of the dam. At the same time, he sent spies to closely monitor the actions of Sun Ce's army, and ordered Xu Sheng to patrol the city with troops to prevent Lu Bu's troops from looting. After solving two problems in a row, Qin Zhen handed over the remaining problems to Yuan Huan. After all, Shouchun City is still Yuan Huan’s home ground. He only needs to take care of the military affairs. As for stabilizing the situation in the city and posting notices to reassure the people, he needs the corresponding manpower. Currently, only Jian Yong and Zhuge Jin are responsible for handling military affairs in their army, but there is no manpower to do these things. In this regard, Yuan Huan did not refuse and directly recommended several people to Liu Bei. One was named Zhang Fan, who had previously advised Yuan Shu not to become emperor, and the other was named Zhang Cheng, who was Zhang Fan’s second brother. These two people were also descendants of famous families in the Eastern Han Dynasty. Their grandfather Zhang Xin was the Minister of the Interior of the Eastern Han Dynasty, and their father Zhang Yan was the Grand Marshal of the Eastern Han Dynasty. Their families were quite prestigious. Because of the chaos in the Central Plains, he came to Yangzhou and was forcibly detained in Shouchun City by Yuan Shu. Because he tried to stop Yuan Shu from proclaiming himself emperor, he was hated by Yuan Shu and lived in seclusion in the city. In addition to these two brothers, there was another person named Zheng Hun. This person also came from a prominent family. His fifth-generation ancestor Zheng Xing and great-grandfather Zheng Zhong were both famous Confucian scholars in the Eastern Han Dynasty. His elder brother Zheng Tai was an anti-Dong patriot and was famous throughout the world. According to Yuan Huan, he alone could not suppress the Shouchun family, but as long as Liu Bei could invite one of the three, he would be able to stabilize the situation in Huainan! When Old Liu heard about the family backgrounds of these three people, he became worried! Although his surname is Liu, his background has always been criticized, so he had to bow down to others when dealing with children from aristocratic families. Not to mention that these three people are all descendants of prominent families in the late Han Dynasty. If they suddenly go to pay a visit, they will easily be turned away. Seeing Old Liu like this, Qin Zhen naturally sighed. The biggest difference between Liu Bei and Cao Cao was their family background. Although Cao Cao was the descendant of a eunuch, he was still from the aristocratic class. Liu Bei, on the other hand, was a true grassroots person. The title of a relative of the Han royal family might be okay for kids from poor families, but in front of kids from real aristocratic families, it means nothing. Although this is an advantage for restructuring, it is a disadvantage for growth. It can be said that before they gain a certain level of strength, they will still suffer certain losses at the hands of the aristocratic families. However, as a military advisor, he naturally couldn't bear to see Old Liu worried, so he simply said to Liu Bei: "Yao Qing recommended these three people, and I have also heard that the Zhang and Fan brothers are upright and honest, and they act with integrity. They are definitely not comparable to the children of ordinary aristocratic families." "But it's too early to disturb him now. Zheng Hun is quite capable and has always put the people first. Now there is Yao Qing. If you go and invite him, it will surely be effective!" In fact, in his opinion, the three people recommended by Yuan Huan were all good. Although the Zhang and Fan brothers were from a noble family, they liked to help the poor and had no extra money at home. Their character was trustworthy. However, these two brothers liked peace and quiet and refused to accept any call for appointment.

Later, it took Cao Cao three years to recruit both of them. If Liu Bei went there now, it would probably be of no use. On the contrary, Zheng Hun is a very decisive person. He is not only famous but also talented. According to the original history, Zheng Hun realized early on that Yuan Shu would not be able to accomplish anything great, so he went south from Shouchun to join Hua Xin. He knew this man's talent, but he didn't know when he had defected to Hua Xin. Since he was now in Shouchun, they naturally couldn't let him go! After hearing what Qin Zhen said, Liu Bei nodded, and then went to visit Zheng Hun under the leadership of Yuan Huan. When they arrived at Zheng Hun's mansion, Zheng Hun was still sleeping. However, when he heard that Liu Bei was coming to visit, Zheng Hun knew that Liu Bei had broken into the city. He also heard that Yuan Huan was by his side, so he was not on guard at the moment. After getting up, he invited Liu Bei into his home. Zheng Hun was also a smart man. After hearing Liu Bei's intention, he directly stated that he was willing to help stabilize the situation, but he was not prepared to take up an official position for the time being! The meaning is very clear. Since you, Liu Bei, have come in person, I will give you face and help you, but it will take some time to observe whether you will serve in the government or not. Liu Bei also knew Zheng Hun's intention, so he agreed readily and thanked him repeatedly. Seeing Liu Bei's courtesy, Zheng Hun nodded secretly, finished washing up, and followed Liu Bei out of the house. As soon as everyone came out of the house, they heard that Zhang Fei and others had returned to the city. After arranging Yuan Huan to take Zheng Hun to do the work, Liu Bei walked towards the mansion. Seeing Zhang Fei, Liu Bei learned what happened outside the city. When he heard that Ji Ling did not accept being captured and committed suicide, he sighed and said: "Ji Fuyi is devoted to his master and would rather die than surrender. He is a true hero!" Even though Lao Liu had suffered at the hands of Ji Ling, he actually wanted to persuade Ji Ling to surrender and use him for his own purposes. After all, Ji Ling is also a talented general. His martial arts are not as good as Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, but he is quite capable in commanding troops. If he can capture the surrendered troops, he will have another general under his command. Now hearing that he was defeated and asking for death, I secretly felt it was a pity. Seeing this, Qin Zhen shook his head and said: "Ji Ling is a man who does not know the greater good and only cares about the little things. He is a foolishly loyal person." "But considering that he was loyal to the Lord, he should be given a respectful burial!" He naturally knew what Liu Bei was sighing about, but at this time, no matter how sorry you were, you couldn't say it out loud. Because Qiao Rui was right in front of them. No matter how good Ji Ling was, he was still a dead man, but Qiao Rui was standing in front of them alive. To praise Ji Ling's loyalty at this time would be like slapping Qiao Rui in the face! Liu Bei didn't notice it, but he had to consider Qiao Rui's feelings. As soon as he said this, Liu Bei also reacted and nodded: "The military advisor's words make sense. Although this man is loyal and brave, he is loyal to the rebels. It is a pity that he cannot be respected!" "You can only bury him with honor, but you cannot publicize his name!" As he said this, he smiled at Qiao Rui and Chen Dao and said: "This time, thanks to the brave efforts of Le Bin and Shu Zhi, they killed the enemy general, which should be counted as a merit!" The two men were unaware of Liu Bei's psychological transformation, and after hearing the praise, they naturally did not dare to say anything. Zhang Fei, who was watching from the side, laughed and said: "Thank goodness the military advisor asked me to go and meet them. Actually, I had just left the city not long ago when I met General Qiao and Shu Zhi. I didn't expect that Sun Ce hadn't come at all!"

It can be said that Zhang Fei was also destined to be a hard-working person. Since Qin Zhen came, Guan Yu officially began to lead the army independently, while Zhang Fei would inevitably go into battle whenever there was a major event. During this night, he had already fought three times. First, he killed Chen Lan, and then he and Xu Sheng broke into the city. The two battles had made him quite exhausted. As a result, he listened to Qin Zhen's words and asked him to meet Qiao Rui and Chen Dao outside the city. Although Zhang Fei was tired, he had no choice but to lead his troops forward again. But when they got there, they found that Qiao Rui and Chen Dao had already finished the battle, and Sun Ce, as expected, did not follow. It was rare for Qin Zhen to make a mistake in judgment, so there was a hint of joking in his smile now. But as soon as he finished speaking, he saw Qin Zhen shaking his head and saying: "Yide, don't laugh. Given the current situation, if Sun Ce doesn't come to pursue us, it's not good news for our army!" Everyone was stunned when they heard his words. Zhang Fei was even more surprised and asked: "What do you mean, military advisor? Do you want him to pursue and engage in battle with our army?" "Of course. If Sun Ce were to take the initiative to fight me, that would actually be a good thing!" Qin Zhen put the feather fan on his back, paced calmly and analyzed: "Now that our army has captured Shouchun, the families of Lu Bu and Sun Ce are of no use." "Lü Bu is brave but not wise, so he is not worth worrying about." "The only person we should worry about is Sun Ce. He has Zhou Yu and others under his command, and his military strength is equal to ours. How can he not be angry when he was tricked by our army this time?" "I thought that given Sun Ce's temper, he might directly attack our army." "So we let Yide go to support them, firstly to prevent them from making trouble, and secondly to deter them." "But this person was extremely abnormal. He did not attack or pursue!" "Even until now, no one has been sent to question us, which shows that he is probably not just angry." "The less they move, the more it proves that the other side has a big plan. Right now, our army has not yet stabilized the situation in the city, and Sun Ce has a plan. Yide, tell me, what good thing is this?" Hearing Qin Zhen's words, the joy on the faces of the generals disappeared. Liu Bei showed a serious expression and said: "Then can the military advisor infer what the enemy's plan is?" Qin Zhen heard this and shook his head slightly. "Sun Ce's army is not like Lu Bu's. They can plan many things. Before Sun Ce makes a move, it is difficult for our army to detect the enemy's plan!" Although they have won a battle now, he has to admit that Zhou Yu is the second strongest enemy he has met after Jia Xu! He could handle Chen Gong with ease, but he had to be very careful when dealing with Zhou Yu. There was no intelligence at all now, and he couldn't guess Zhou Yu's plan at will. Seeing this, Liu Bei's expression became more solemn. This was the first time Qin Zhen looked like this. He couldn't help but said worriedly: "Then how should our army respond?"

Qin Zhen saw this, thought for a while, then stretched out three fingers and said: "Three things. First, conserve your energy and let the soldiers rest well during the day. Sun Ce cannot attack now. Even if he is quick in his calculations, he cannot act immediately. Our army needs to recover its combat power as soon as possible!" "Second, we should dispatch a group of soldiers and horses with food and fodder to support us outside the city. We must not let Sun Ce find out, so that we can use this army as a backup for our army!" "Third, collect intelligence. As the saying goes, knowing yourself and your enemy ensures victory in every battle. Our army needs to know Sun Ce's every move!" "At times like this, details determine success or failure. Even if the other party has planned carefully, they will definitely reveal their true colors." From the beginning to the end, Qin Zhen believed in one thing: no matter when, keeping something in reserve was always the right decision! If they can discover Zhou Yu's plan, they will be able to deal with it. If they cannot discover it and the enemy succeeds, then this army can save their lives! As for whether Zhou Yu’s plan can be uncovered, it is actually not important. The key lies in the detailed actions of Sun Ce’s army. As long as they are sure that the other party has not made any fatal moves, they can strike first. No matter what, he will not give Sun Ce a chance to turn the tables! (End of this chapter)