Chapter 153: Sending troops to Lujiang, Qiao Rui proposes marriage In 198 AD, at the beginning of February in the third year of Jian'an, after several months of silence, Liu Bei's army set out again. However, this time, Liu Bei, who had always been the main general in charge of military campaigns, stayed in Shouchun. He only appointed Qin Zhen as the main general, Zhao Yun and Qiao Rui as his deputies, and ordered Mei Qian, Mei Cheng and others to lead an army of 20,000 all the way towards Lujiang. When the news reached An County, Liu Xun was shocked and hurriedly called his retainers and staff to discuss the matter: "Now Liu Bei first attacked Yuan Shu and took Huainan, and then conquered Qin Yi, Zheng Bao and others, and his military force is strong!" "I don't want to be an enemy, but their army is coming. How should I respond?" Speaking of Liu Xun, he was also a senior general under Yuan Shu. He was originally from Langya and was the county magistrate of Jianping in Pei State, Yuzhou. He had an old acquaintance with Cao Cao. Because of his seniority and high status, he was appointed as the prefect of Lujiang after Sun Ce helped Yuan Shu capture Lujiang. Although he was capable, he loved money, luxury, and kept many retainers.

At this time, everyone gathered together, and of course, their opinions were different. Some said to submit a letter of surrender, and some said to send a letter to persuade them to withdraw. Only one person stepped out and said: "General, rest assured. I think Liu Bei may not come here to attack our army!" "Although our army is small, it still has nearly 30,000 soldiers. Liu Bei only sent out 20,000 soldiers this time. If our army defends the city, Liu Bei will have no chance!" "Besides, Liu Bei has always been the commander-in-chief when he has deployed troops, or at the very least Guan Yu and Zhang Fei." "But now Zhang Fei and Liu Bei are both in Shouchun, and only Qin Zhen is leading the troops. This shows that this army may not be coming to attack!" When Liu Xun heard this, he looked up and saw that the person who spoke was a retainer under his command, named Dong Qian. He was a man of great insight and had excellent handwriting, so he was accepted as his disciple. At this moment, it seems that only this person's words make sense among the crowd. After Liu Xun thought carefully for a while, he stroked his beard and said: "Although what you said makes sense, Qin Zhen is an extraordinary warrior. Is he using this to look down on our army?" To be honest, if someone else led the army here, he would not be afraid. But if it was Qin Zhen himself, he would need to respond with caution. After all, Qin Zhen's name had already spread throughout the world, and everyone knew that Qin Zhen was good at fighting. Although he did not have many soldiers and horses, his deterrent power was great. Therefore, even if Dong Qian was right, he could not slack off. Dong Qian saw this and said after a while: "Since the general is worried about his army, why not send a group of troops to station in Juchao, and send a small number of troops to Longshu to observe his behavior!" "If they really want to fight against our army, then we should increase the number of troops in Juchao to form a pincer attack." "If the enemy does not want to fight against us, this defense can also let the enemy know our determination to hold on!" When Liu Xun heard this, he nodded and said: "This plan is feasible. I will first observe their army!" At that moment, he followed this method and sent his younger brother Liu Xie to lead 5,000 troops to Juchao. He also ordered his retainer Meng Kou to lead troops to Longshu to observe the movements of Qin Zhen's troops.

At the same time, a troop was marching towards Lu'an. In this battle, Qin Zhen used Zhao Yun as the vanguard, leading the troops in the front, while he ordered the central army to lead the rear. As the army was marching, a man suddenly came to report: "Military advisor, General Zhao sent someone to report that our vanguard has now reached the west of Qian County." "There are no enemy troops blocking our way, but an army entered Longshu County this morning. I'm afraid they are Liu Xun's reinforcements!" Qin Zhen was riding on a horse at the time. Hearing this, he smiled at Qiao Rui and said: "From this we can see that Liu Xun has become a frightened bird, and is afraid of the power of our army!" After laughing for a while, he said to the scout: "And tell Zilong not to worry, just head west and report back if you explore further!" "Mainly find out Chen Ce's movements, make sure to find out every one of them!" Upon hearing this, the scout rode away on his horse. Qiao Rui was watching Qin Zhen's relaxed look and was impressed. As a senior general, he naturally knew that their main target this time was Liu Xun. And now Liu Xun's actions show that it is difficult for them to launch a surprise attack. Qin Zhen remained so calm in this situation, which shows that he has a foolproof plan. Fighting a war with a military advisor like this will make you feel safe! While thinking, he stroked his beard and smiled: "The military advisor is calm and steady in his use of troops, and truly has the demeanor of a famous general." "To be honest, it was the military advisor who advised me when I joined the army that day!" "Since I joined the army, I have yet to express my gratitude to the military advisor." "If it weren't for the military advisor's advice that day, I would have died now, and there would be no chance for me to lead the army today!" Qin Zhen heard this and couldn't help but shook his head and smiled: "This matter has already passed, why mention it again!" "In fact, the reason why I advised the general is that the general is a loyal and righteous man. I can't bear to see the general helping the tyrant to commit atrocities, so I advised him!" "It was the general who came to his senses. I just said a few more words. No need to thank me!" But just as he finished speaking, Qiao Rui asked: "I heard that the military advisor intends to take a concubine, but he doesn't have a good match. I wonder if this is true?" Qin Zhen was stunned when he heard this: "Where did you hear this, General?" Regarding the matter of taking a concubine, it should be his family affair, or even a private matter. Theoretically, Qiao Rui should not know about it! When Qiao Rui heard this, he stroked his beard and said with a smile: "I also heard this from my wife!" As he spoke, he revealed the source of the information. It turned out that after Cai Yan told Qin Zhen that day, she began to search secretly.

Unexpectedly, this matter reached Liu Bei's ears, and when he heard it, he immediately took it to heart. It was naturally inconvenient for him to look for one himself, so he asked Madam Mi and Madam Gan to inquire around and find a concubine for Qin Zhen on the basis of finding a wife for Guan Ping. As a result, Qin Zhen hadn't taken any action yet, and the news naturally spread to the ladies' circle. Qiao Rui's wife's surname was Chen, and she was originally from Huainan. When she heard this, she thought that Qin Zhen was Qiao Rui's immediate superior, and this was a good opportunity to get closer to him. So he told Qiao Rui about the matter, saying that there was a girl in his clan who might be able to be married. Although Qiao Rui is loyal and reliable, he is not rigid and understands the ways of the world. It’s a pity that I never had the chance to ask Qin Zhen, so now that I saw the opportunity, I brought up the matter. When he said this, Qin Zhen was stunned, then smiled bitterly and said: "Taking a concubine is a private matter, but now it's known to everyone!" Having said this, he said something strange: "Could it be that the general has an unmarried daughter?" It seemed that there were rumors in later generations that Qiao Rui was the father of the Second Qiao. He didn't care much about it before, but now that Qiao Rui mentioned it, he had to confirm it. But when he asked, Qiao Rui shook his head and smiled: "I have only one son and one daughter. The son is fifteen and the daughter is only eight, but they are hardly suitable as military advisors!" When Qin Zhen saw this, he shook his head and smiled, thinking that it was indeed not such a coincidence. But as he was smiling, he saw Qiao Rui stroking his beard and saying; "But one of my brothers died young, and my two daughters are still unmarried." "The elder is eighteen, the younger is sixteen, all alone and helpless, I am worried about who to marry." "If the military advisor is interested, maybe we can choose to accept it!" As soon as these words came out, Qin Zhen was stunned on the spot, his eyes narrowed and he said: "The two girls the general mentioned, could it be that they both live in Wan County?" When Qiao Rui saw this, he was shocked and said: "How does the military advisor know this?" He thought that his two nieces had been staying in his hometown ever since his cousin passed away, never leaving the house. Theoretically speaking, Qin Zhen shouldn't know this! But how could he know that Qin Zhen was also shocked at this moment, thinking to himself that it was really such a coincidence. Qiao Rui is not Erqiao's father, but he is Erqiao's uncle! But if you think about it, it makes sense. After all, in history, Qiao Rui highly respected Sun Ce and Zhou Yu. Although he died early, he had interactions with Sun Ce and Zhou Yu.

This can also explain why after the fall of Wan County, Sun Ce "got the two daughters of Qiao Gong, both of whom were beauties." He also said to Zhou Yu, "Although the two daughters of Mr. Qiao are displaced, they are happy to have us two as their husbands." Because Qiao Rui was acquainted with the two brothers, and only after getting Qiao Rui's family could he see the two beautiful girls. Otherwise, if Erqiao had already become famous, how could it be the turn of Sun Ce and Zhou Yu? It can be seen that the fact should be that Sun Ce and Zhou Yu captured Wan County and obtained the families of Liu Xun and Qiao Rui. The two brothers caught a glimpse of the beauty of the two Qiaos and agreed that each of them would take one as a concubine. As a result, when this matter reached Lao Cao's ears, he had another wish to build the second bridge. At this time, Qiao Rui accidentally entered their army, and in order to establish a relationship with him, he planned to marry Erqiao to him as a concubine. It was indeed somewhat accidental, but there was also a cause and effect relationship, which really caught him off guard. While thinking, he saw Qiao Rui was surprised, so he smiled and said: "I have also heard that the two daughters of Lord Lujiang Qiao are both very beautiful, and because the general's last name is Qiao, I made this guess!" Seeing Qin Zhen like this, Qiao Rui wondered in his heart, why had he never heard of such a famous name of his niece? But what Qin Zhen said was right. His two nieces were very beautiful, otherwise he would not dare to recommend them to Qin Zhen. Seeing Qin Zhen's praise, he couldn't help but smile: "Then according to the military advisor, are you willing to accept it?" Seeing this, Qin Zhen was somewhat doubtful and said: "Although I am interested, even if I am related to the general, how can I be his concubine?" Originally in history, Erqiao was indeed a concubine. But at that time, Qiao Rui had died, and the big and small bridges had no support. Now Qiao Rui is still here, and Erqiao is a concubine, which is really an insult to Qiao Rui. But when Qiao Rui heard this, he laughed and said: "If I were to be someone else's concubine, I would not want to, but the military advisor is a young and talented man with an extraordinary appearance. If I were to marry him, it would not be a disgrace!" Of course, he was not trying to flatter Qin Zhen. To be honest, if she married an ordinary person as a concubine, even if she was just a niece, it would be a great shame for him, Lao Qiao. But Qin Zhen is different. At such a young age, he is already second only to the emperor. While still under Cao Cao's command, he was granted the title of Marquis of Yiyang Ting. Now under Liu Bei's command, his words are law and his status is extraordinary. If Qin Zhen really assisted Liu Bei in quelling the chaos in the future, he would surely become a high-ranking official. At that time, what can a concubine do? As long as Qin Zhen is willing, a concubine's son can also be granted a title of nobility and become a prime minister. In comparison, marrying someone else as a wife is actually worse than having a concubine.

Moreover, Qin Zhen was a well-known good husband under Liu Bei's command, so he naturally would not treat his niece badly. More importantly, he had no one to rely on under Liu Bei. Only Qin Zhen had the grace to recommend him. He is old now and has long passed the age for hard work. If he could marry Qin Zhen, it would naturally be a good thing for his Qiao family! So when he saw Qin Zhen letting go, he continued to smile and said: "If the military advisor really has this intention, then the matter is settled?" Qin Zhen saw this and simply nodded and said: "Just follow the general's wishes!" It was just that he wanted to marry a virtuous wife and take a beautiful concubine. Since they came to him, it was impossible for him to refuse them. Regardless of whether we can get along or not, we have to meet each other first. "But Wan County has not been captured yet. Let's wait until Wan County is captured!" Seeing that he agreed, Qiao Rui nodded and smiled and stopped pestering him. After the agreement was reached, Qin Zhen led his troops all the way past the north of Longshu and headed west. After the news was reported back to Wan County, Liu Xun was overjoyed. He thought that Qin Zhen's march was not intended to attack him. Although Chen Ce's surrender would increase the strength of Liu Bei's army, it would be a good thing as long as he was not attacked. After knowing this, he simply ordered Liu Xie to continue to station in Wuchao, while he himself continued to lead his troops to station in An County. But Liu Xun was happy, but Chen Ce, who was far away in the mountains, was in panic. (End of this chapter)