Chapter 253: Lü Bu is defeated and military secrets are leaked Lu Bu is planning to mobilize troops, not already dispatching them, so this is certainly not the military report from the North. In fact, this letter was sent by Chen Deng to Liu Bei. To understand this, we have to start with the situation in Xuzhou. However, since the campaign against Yuan Shu last year, Lu Bu and Liu Bei formed an alliance to fight against Cao Cao. After this alliance, Lu Bu obtained a large amount of money and began to recruit soldiers and strengthen his own power. It was not until the end of last year that the Mi family began to sell salt in Xuzhou using the salt-making method taught by Qin Zhen. After Lu Bu got the dividends, the two families became closer and closer. Seeing that Liu Bei was expanding to the south and Cao Cao was expanding to the west, Lu Bu followed Qin Song's advice and prepared to go north to Qingzhou to destroy Zang Ba first. In the novel, when Zang Ba first appeared, he was one of the eight generals under Lu Bu and was just a small follower. But in real history, Zang Ba was also a hero and a great military commander.

Facing Lu Bu's fierce attack, he personally waited for the city to defend, and fought with Lu Bu for two months, and forcibly stopped Lu Bu in Langya. Seeing that Zang Ba was so difficult to deal with, Lu Bu had no choice but to lead his troops back to Xia Pi. At that time, Liu Bei was fighting with Cao Cao for the State of Chen. Seeing this, Chen Gong advised Lu Bu to send troops westward and take the opportunity to seize the State of Pei. Seeing Liu Bei growing stronger, Lu Bu was naturally jealous, but when he thought about the alliance with Liu Bei and the fact that Liu Bei was giving him dividends from the salt profits every month, he rejected the proposal. Upon seeing this, Qin Song directly advised Lu Bu to continue heading north and not to get involved in the conflict between Cao and Liu. Regarding Zang Ba's blocking the road, he gave Lu Bu a detailed analysis: "Zang Xuangao is well-known in Xuzhou for his filial piety and bravery. His troops are strong and well-equipped, and they have sufficient food and fodder." "Now that we have the help of Sun Guan, Wu Dun, Yin Li and others stationed in one place, we can only make peace with them, not plot against them!" "He killed Xiao Jian first, but he was afraid that the general would blame him, so he resisted stubbornly." "Why not send an envoy to the north now and join forces with them to plot against Qingzhou?" "In this case, Zang Ba will be afraid of the general's strength and will not dare to resist. When we capture Qingzhou in the future, we can divide his subordinates one by one and then proceed to attack us!" After hearing this, Lu Bu sent an envoy north to explain the pros and cons to Zang Ba, and finally convinced Zang Ba. So the two families joined forces and began to harass Qingzhou. The territory of Qingzhou has already been taken by Yuan Shao's eldest son Yuan Tan! As for Yuan Tan, although he is Yuan Shao's eldest son, he is also a good-for-nothing. When he first entered Qingzhou, he first defeated Tian Kai and then defeated Kong Rong. His battles were vigorous and remarkable. But after he completely occupied Qingzhou, his true nature was exposed. He appointed villains to positions, lived a life of arrogance and debauchery, and did not learn any of his father's abilities, but was on par with Yuan Shu. Not only did he allow his close relatives to plunder everywhere, he also conscripted men from everywhere, causing the people to become homeless. Such a person was certainly no match for Lu Bu and Zang Ba. He was defeated step by step under the fierce attacks from both sides, and Qi, Beihai and Dong'an were successively conquered. Helplessly, this man asked his brother Yuan Shang for help, asking Yuan Shang to send troops from Jizhou to reinforce.

However, the internal strife among the Yuan brothers was very serious. When Yuan Shang received Yuan Tan's letter asking for help, he not only did not send troops, but directly sent a military report to Yuan Shao. At this time Yuan Shao had forced Gongsun Zan into a desperate situation. Just when he was about to pacify Gongsun Zan, he did not expect that a fire broke out in his rear. This made Yuan Shao very angry, and he thought that these princes in the south were too bold! It's fine that Cao Cao pretended to obey but secretly disobeyed, but what was Lu Bu, this troublemaker, thinking? Instead of fighting for the vast Central Plains territory of Liu Bei and Cao Cao, you dare to put your hand on his ass? With this idea in mind, Yuan Shao, who had always been indecisive, was decisive for once and directly ordered Ju Su to send troops to Qingzhou to help defeat Lu Bu and Zang Ba. Ju Su was in charge of the internal and external affairs under Yuan Shao. When he received the military order, he selected elite troops and advanced by water, and captured Qi in one fell swoop. After gaining the advantage in the war, Ju Shou did not continue his advance, but instead sent a letter to Lu Bu asking what he thought. If you are planning to go to war with them, then prepare your troops. After dealing with Gongsun Zan, the first place they attacked was Xuzhou. If you're not ready to go to war with them, then get out of here. Otherwise, he would lead his troops south directly to cut off Lu Bu's retreat. Within half a year, Lu Bu will be turned into a pile of bones! Under such threat, Lu Bu was frightened and dared not advance any further. He could only retreat back to Xuzhou with Zang Ba and his troops. After this battle, although Lu Bu gained a lot of benefits, he also provoked Yuan Shao, and was extremely frightened. After listening to Qin Song's advice, he ordered Zang Ba to garrison in Dongguan and serve as the prefect of Langya, while he himself returned to Xia Pi and became a coward. So when Sun Ce's envoys Gu Yong and Lu Yi arrived, Lu Bu was in a dilemma. At this time, he could not go north to Qingzhou. There was the sea to the east, and the west and south were occupied by Liu Bei and Cao Cao. He was blocked in all four directions and had no way out. As soon as he heard that Sun Ce in the south had sent an envoy, he met directly with Gu Yong and others. When he asked about the reason during the banquet, Lu Bu was shocked to hear that Liu Bei had already conquered Huainan and Yuzhang. It turns out that while he suffered a setback in the north, Liu Bei was actually doing well in the south. Not only did he have an army of over 100,000, but even Sun Ce of Jiangdong was about to be destroyed by Liu Bei! If Liu Bei was allowed to develop for another two years, wouldn't he be able to compete with Cao Cao and Yuan Shao? Originally he wanted to use Liu Bei to contain Cao Cao, but he didn't expect Liu Bei to expand so quickly. This is like a good brother who had originally agreed to live together suddenly driving a luxury car worth millions, which caused Lu Bu to feel a huge psychological gap. Faced with the pros and cons discussed by Gu Yong and Lu Yi, Lu Bu questioned this alliance for the first time. The arrival of Gu Yong and Lu Yi also changed Qin Song's attitude, who had always opposed attacking Liu Bei. In addition, Chen Gong advocated from the very beginning that Liu Bei should not be allowed to develop. As a result, Lu Bu's subordinates reached a rare consensus on sending troops to attack Liu Bei. In the face of absolute interests, Lu Bu forgot the benevolence, righteousness, and morality that he usually talked about, and directly stated that he would send troops as soon as the food was prepared. Afterwards, he kept Gu Yong and Lu Yi and treated them well for a few days, while he deployed troops.

The abnormalities in Xia Pi City naturally could not be hidden from Chen Deng's old father Chen Gui. As mentioned earlier, after Liu Bei suffered several military defeats, Chen Gui was not optimistic about Liu Bei. In his mind, the most suitable prince to seize Xuzhou was Cao Cao, who supported the emperor. Therefore, Chen Gui did not take Chen Deng's previous praise of Liu Bei seriously. But as the situation gradually developed, he realized that his son's judgment was correct. With Qin Zhen's assistance, Liu Bei actually found a way out from between the princes and grew to his current level. This change caught Chen Gui off guard and also changed his previous thoughts! As the situation in the world becomes increasingly tense, it is hard to say which of the Cao and Liu families will take Xuzhou first. Fortunately, the father and son have made their own plans and have maintained good relations with both families to date. Therefore, after knowing that the envoy came from Jiangdong, he judged that this person was most likely sent by Sun Ce to ask for help. Liu Bei is now trying to seize Jiangdong. If his rear is attacked, the process of seizing Jiangdong may be hindered. If the Chen family wants to continue to be friends with Liu Bei, they need to convey this news to Liu Bei first. So when Chen Gui learned the news, he ordered his servants to rush and pass the news to Chen Deng in Guangling. Seeing this, Chen Deng did not dare to delay and sent the news directly to Liu Bei's army. As a result, before they reached the south, they met Qin Zhen who was preparing to go north for defense. Seeing the letter from Chen Deng, Qin Zhen smiled and said to Xu Sheng who came to reinforce him: "This is because you have many supporters because of your righteousness. Before Lu Bu even set out, a righteous man came to report the news." "From this perspective, even if we arrive later, Lu Bu will hardly have an advantage!" Xu Sheng was naturally delighted to see that they had an insider like Chen and his son in Xuzhou. But then he asked Qin Zhen if he had any plan to defeat the enemy. Now they didn't have many soldiers and it would still be difficult to fight against Lu Bu! When Qin Zhen heard this, he shook his head and said to Xu Sheng: "A general's strategy should be based on the situation. If an enemy comes, the general will stop him. If a flood comes, the earth will cover it!" "We are concerned that Lu Bu has many cavalrymen and may rob us. We should be prepared in advance!" "Now, before the enemy arrives, we should quickly tell Xiahou Lan to fortify the city and move the people into the city." "Also send a message to Xu Yuanzhi to send troops to threaten Xiao County." "Order Shouchun to speed up the production of crossbows, hook-and-sickle spears, and other equipment, and transfer the garrison troops to Zhongli to strengthen our military defenses!" "After we go in person, we will deal with Lu Bu later!" Following Qin Zhen's order, the entire Jiujiang entered a state of combat readiness. When Liu Fu learned that Lu Bu was about to arrive, he hurriedly ordered the Jiujiang workshop to start producing the equipment that Qin Zhen would need. At the same time, he mobilized Shouchun defenders Lei Bu and Qi Ji to order 5,000 troops to reinforce Zhongli by water. Qin Zhen went north from Liyang, passing through Dongcheng and headed towards Zhongli.

On the other hand, it is said that Lu Bu decided to attack Liu Bei, so he led a total of 30,000 horses and marched down the waterway to Zhongli. In order to ensure the effectiveness of this battle, he has mobilized all his elite troops. Gao Shun and Zhang Liao were the vanguards, Hou Cheng, Song Xian and others were the generals, Qin Song was the military advisor, and Xu Si, Wang Kai and others were in charge of military affairs. After receiving the order, Gao Shun and Zhang Liao fought their way to Zhongli. But when they arrived in Zhongli, they found that there was no one around. The people in the village had already been moved into the city by Liu Bei's army in advance. Seeing this, Gao Shun asked Zhang Liao curiously: "Liu Bei didn't know about our army's expedition before it started, so why did he clear the fields in advance?" Zhang Liao was also surprised when he saw this. He hesitated for a moment and said: "Someone must have leaked military information. Liu Bei's army may be prepared and cannot be taken lightly. We should report it to the general first." After a brief discussion, the two reported the news to Lu Bu. When Lu Bu heard that Liu Bei's army had made preparations in advance, he was also confused and looked at Qin Song and said: "Gao Shun and Zhang Liao said that someone in our army leaked military information." "Sir, do you know who this person is?" Qin Song heard this, thought for a while, and said, twirling his beard: "I heard that Guangling Governor Chen Deng was on good terms with Liu Bei." "His father Chen Gui is still in Xia Pi, this person must have leaked the news!" "Now our army is advancing by water and must pass through Xutai." "Dongyang, where Chen Deng is stationed, is only a hundred miles away from here. We must be on guard!" When Lu Bu heard this, he became furious. In fact, he had heard from Chen Gong many times about Chen Deng's betrayal. But because Chen Deng had not actually rebelled before, he didn't bother to care. But now when he heard that Chen Deng was still helping Liu Bei, he became furious and said: "Did Chen Deng, the little boy, deceive me by saying that I don't know what's going on?" "He was originally in Sheyang, but came to Dongyang to garrison, which shows that he had a secret relationship with Liu Bei." "You came here to block my retreat, you should kill me!" When Qin Song saw Lu Bu like this, he laughed and said: "General, there is no need to be angry. I have a plan that will ensure that Chen Deng will not be able to stop our army!" Seeing this, Lu Bu hurriedly asked for the plan, and then saw Qin Song said: "Our army is now attacking Liu Bei, and Chen Deng, as the governor of Guangling, should help!" "General, you may as well stop at Xutai and send someone to ask Chen Deng to send reinforcements." "If he sends troops to help, then he has ulterior motives, and we can take this opportunity to get rid of him."

"If he doesn't send troops to help, then the general can take advantage of the situation to attack him." "I am concerned that his father is still in Xia Pi, and he will not dare to do evil to the general. Not only can we eliminate a threat, but we can also add a helper!" When Lu Bu heard his words, he immediately praised Qin Song for his cleverness and sent someone to deliver the letter to Dongyang City. (End of this chapter)