Chapter 255: Chen Deng's strategy, asking for trouble Qin Zhen was like Lu Bu's nemesis. Since entering the Central Plains, he had suffered enough at the hands of Qin Zhen. Therefore, when Lu Bu heard Chen Deng's judgment that Qin Zhen had arrived in Jiujiang, his heart sank and he said: "What does Yuanlong mean by this? Isn't Qin Zhen still in Jiangdong?" "How did it suddenly appear in Jiujiang?" Although Chen Deng said that the information might have been leaked by Jiangdong, there is absolutely no reason for this! You must know that Sun Ce just couldn't stand Liu Bei anymore, so he sent envoys to the north. This kind of thing is naturally done in secret, how could it be revealed to Liu Bei's army? But Chen Deng already understood the whole situation, and immediately sneered: "General, how can you be so ignorant? Qin Zhen is a man who can make plans and make decisions!" "Even though we are heading south to Jiangdong, how can we not be concerned about the defense of Huainan?"

"Let me ask the general, what did the people from Jiangdong say this time?" "But tell the general that Liu Bei's main force is heading south, Huainan is empty, can we decide the outcome with a battle?" "But do you know, General, that Qin Zhen has joined forces with the troops of Jingzhou to defeat the navy of Jiangdong?" "At present, the entire Yangtze River coast is controlled by Envoy Liu. How could we hide the fact that Sun Ce sent an envoy north from Envoy Liu?" "Even if Sun Ce's envoy secretly goes north, Jiangdong will definitely defend it tightly in order to wait for the general to come out!" "Qin Zhen has such a sharp eye, how could he not be suspicious after seeing this?" "If he has doubts about this matter, he should go north to investigate!" "The reason why Zhongli is currently defending his city and clearing the countryside is probably because he received Qin Zhen's order in advance." "Except for Qin Zhen, there is hardly anyone under Liu Bei who can mobilize troops freely!" "So I conclude that even if Qin Zhen hasn't arrived yet, he has probably brought his troops here." "General, seeing the defense, why did you not think of other strategies but instead suspected your family?" After hearing what he said, Lu Bu and Qin Song looked at each other in surprise. When they saw Zhongli's strange behavior, their first reaction was the same as Zhang Liao and Gao Shun's, that someone had leaked the secret. But after Chen Deng said this, they realized that Qin Zhen might have really obtained the information from the Jiangdong direction. With the arrival of Qin Zhen, the difficulty of capturing Huainan will increase dramatically. Because Qin Zhen is not only good at leading troops, but also good at defending cities! While thinking about it, Lu Bu felt a little regretful. If he had known this would happen, he would not have led his troops here! He had already offended Yuan Shao, and now he had offended Liu Bei. If he can't escape from Qin Zhen, he may have to face attacks from both families next year! After thinking about it for a while, he looked at Qin Song and said: "If Qin Zhen really goes to Jiujiang, our army will probably not be able to achieve any results this time."

"What should we do in this situation?" When Qin Song heard this, he knew that Lu Bu might want to retreat, so he hurriedly said: "Marquis Wen, you must know that our army has nowhere to retreat!" "Now Liu Bei started his career in Huainan, and his power is very strong!" "Xuzhou is sandwiched between three states. Only by uniting with other states can there be a glimmer of hope." "Jiangdong and the general are inseparable. If one lips, the other teeth will be cold." "If Liu Bei controls Jiangdong, he will definitely go north to Xuzhou next year." "So even if there is no profit to be gained now, we should continue to march forward and contain Liu Bei from the side. We must not let Liu Bei take Jiangdong easily!" But as soon as he finished speaking, Chen Deng chuckled and said: "I have long heard that Qin Wenbiao was an old minister of Sun Ce. Now that he has joined the army of Marquis Wen, is he still thinking of his former master and plotting against Envoy Liu?" As soon as these words came out, the two of them changed their expressions. Lu Bu looked at Qin Song with suspicion, while Qin Song seemed to have his tail stepped on. He was so anxious that his face turned red and he said: "What are you talking about, Lord Chen? Song has already served as a servant of Marquis Wen, how can he be indecisive?" But he was so impatient that Chen Deng smiled and said: "It's just a smile, why are you so anxious?" With just one sentence, Qin Song was speechless. When Lu Bu saw this, he narrowed his eyes and looked at Chen Deng and said: "Since Yuanlong has not betrayed me and has no selfish motives, I wonder what advice do you have for me?" Of course he could see that Chen Deng was being sarcastic, so he wanted to continue testing Chen Deng's intentions. Didn’t you say you didn’t betray me? Then how can you deal with Qin Zhen? But as soon as he asked this question, Chen Deng shook his head and smiled: "According to my opinion, since Huainan cannot be conquered, then we should not conquer it!" "Why not order Sun Ce's envoy to be tied up and handed over to you, and we can reconcile!" When Lu Bu heard this, his eyes became fierce, and Qin Song immediately found an opportunity to sneer: "Your Excellency only said that I was nostalgic for the past, but now you are talking to Liu Bei. I don't know what you mean by that!" Chen Deng was not panicked at all when he heard this. He turned his head and looked at Qin Song calmly and said: "It can be seen that cousin Wen is unwise. The reason I say this is because I am friendly with Liu Xuande." "But fundamentally, it's also for Lord Wen's sake!" "Because the current envoy Liu is fighting against Sun Ce, he is fighting against the enemy for the country, and it is justified." "Marquis Wen and the envoy are allies, so we should advance and retreat together." "Now that we have betrayed our alliance and attacked each other, we have lost our righteousness and our reputation!" "So although my words are personal, they are also for the public good. If I can persuade the two families to make peace, wouldn't that be a good thing?" Qin Song was speechless for a moment when he saw him so leisurely. Lu Bu was less suspicious when he saw Chen Deng was so straightforward.

But now Qin Song’s words make sense, Jiangdong must keep the previous song first no matter what. Otherwise, without any restraint, Liu Bei would definitely try to take back Xuzhou! After thinking for a while, he knocked on the table and said: "Let's put aside the question of public and private matters. Yuanlong just needs to tell me how to advance in the current situation." Seeing his determined expression, Chen Deng stopped trying to persuade him and simply bowed and said: "If Marquis Wen insists on taking Huainan, then in my opinion, we can take Dongcheng first!" "Because although Qin Zhen is heading north, the focus of defense is set in Zhongli." "If the general takes Zhongli himself, he will be stopped by Qin Zhen's troops." "So we might as well leave a troop here to hold them back, first take the East City, and then head north." "Once East City is taken, we will threaten Yinling." "If Qin Zhen retreated at that time, Zhongli could have taken the city without a fight; if Qin Zhen did not retreat, Marquis Wen could have seized Quyang and threatened Shouchun." "Shouchun is the enemy's base. If we can capture Shouchun, General Liu will definitely return." "In this case, whether Marquis Wen retreats calmly or holds Sun Ce back from both sides, it is up to him to do whatever he wants!" After he finished speaking, he planned a marching route for Lu Bu. Lu Bu had intended to test him, but seeing that he was talking so clearly, he looked at Qin Song and said: "Does Wenbiao think Yuanlong's plan is feasible?" Hearing this, Qin Song looked at Chen Deng with a rather unfriendly look and began to think. According to his idea, Chen Deng must not be kept. If there is any plan in this strategy, he can tell Lu Bu directly. But after thinking about it for a while, there was a hint of surprise in his eyes. There was nothing wrong with Chen Deng's strategy. On the contrary, it was their best strategy for advancing now! Because Zhongli is no longer a city that can be easily taken after Qin Zhen dispatched his troops. If they don't take Zhongli, they will have to take a detour. Although the cities in the north are okay, they can hardly serve as a base for advancement. After much calculation, only Dongcheng is the best base for advancement! In other words, Chen Deng’s strategy was not only not intended to trap Lu Bu, but on the contrary was a serious suggestion? Thinking of this, he looked at Chen Deng with an increasingly complicated expression and said: "Although your plan is feasible, why is it inconsistent with the previous one?" "Just now, the Lord of the Mansion said that we cannot fight. Why are you still offering advice?" To be honest, he felt that Chen Deng was unfathomable and he could hardly understand him. But Chen Deng saw this and smiled complacently: "I have just made it clear that although I am acting in a private way, I put the public interest first!" "Although Envoy Liu is my friend, the ruler of Xuzhou is Marquis Wen."

"If Marquis Wen is determined to take Huainan, I will follow Marquis Wen's lead!" "Besides, my family is all in Xia Pi now. How can I only worry about others and not think about my family?" This answer obviously satisfied Lu Bu very much. He stroked his beard and smiled: "Yuanlong's words are quite in line with my heart. As a minister, you should be loyal to your master." "As an elder, you should also be concerned about the old and young in your family." It’s strange to say, but in fact, Chen Deng and his son gave him a very complicated feeling. Ever since he came to Xuzhou, this father and son always gave him the feeling that they were not in harmony with each other but were actually at odds with each other. But every time he made up his mind to get rid of the two, their words seemed reasonable to him. For example, taking Chen Deng now, before they met again, he had already made up his mind to kill Chen Deng for some reason. But after a conversation, he felt that Chen Deng was indeed a good person. After thinking about it for a while, he simply spoke out: "I thought Yuanlong had betrayed me, but now that I see him, I know his true heart!" "Since you are willing to help me conquer Huainan, why not lead your troops into the city?" "Tomorrow, we will march west again!" When Chen Deng saw that he had let go, he knew that his crisis was over, and he stood up and said: "Marquis Wen must know that Qin Zhen is an extraordinary warrior, so it is better to act sooner rather than later!" "I hope we can mobilize the troops as soon as possible so that we can achieve miraculous results!" "Why not prepare today and march south overnight to catch the enemy by surprise!" Seeing his eagerness, Lu Bu was overjoyed and said: "Well, since Yuanlong is so anxious, let's go down and organize the troops first." "We will wait until we have dinner tonight before setting out our troops!" Upon hearing this, Chen Deng immediately agreed and walked out of the mansion. As soon as he walked out, Qin Song stood up and said to Lu Bu: "General, this person is different and cannot be used for important tasks!" Hearing this, Lu Bu raised his thick brows slightly and asked again: "Before you said Chen Deng was a traitor to me, so you asked me to bring him here!" "Now his words are the same, his actions are the same, so why should his words be different?" "Could it be true, as Yuanlong said, that you are thinking of your former master and want to plot against Liu Bei?" Chen Deng's words obviously made him suspicious of Qin Song. He thought that no matter what Chen Deng did, at least he had some kind of exchange of interests with Liu Bei. But this time when Sun Ce's envoy came, it was Qin Song who introduced him.

So in a sense, Chen Deng is worthy of suspicion, but aren't you, Qin Song, worthy of suspicion? These words left Qin Song speechless. He was thinking of helping Lu Bu get rid of a disaster, but he didn't expect to be tricked by Chen Deng! No wonder Chen Gong was so angry with Chen Deng, but he couldn't do anything about Chen Deng. Now it seems that his suggestion to bring Chen Deng here was just asking for trouble. At that moment, he had no choice but to express his loyalty to Lu Bu again, saying that he was serving the public wholeheartedly and had no ulterior motives. On the other side, Chen Deng came out of the city and came to Chen Jiao. Seeing that he was safe and sound, Chen Jiao breathed a sigh of relief and asked what had happened in the city. Chen Deng then recounted what had happened in the city one by one. Chen Jiao listened to Chen Deng's flexible response and was filled with admiration. But when he heard Chen Deng offer a plan to Lu Bu, he hurriedly said: "Since you don't want to make peace with Lu Bu, why do you have to offer advice?" "Just keep silent and let him go and fight Liu Bei!" Seeing this, Chen Deng stroked his beard and shook his head, saying: "This is a plan to gain Lu Bu's trust. Otherwise, Lu Bu will not trust me." "Besides, I see that Qin Song is also a man of wisdom and strategy. If I don't come up with a plan, he will offer one!" "If I hadn't offered this plan, I would have been killed by Lu Bu sooner or later!" Chen Jiao listened to this and sighed: "Why did you come here if your lord is like this?" "Putting yourself in danger for Liu Bei's sake is truly unwise!" But as soon as he finished speaking, Chen Deng said generously: "I am not only doing this for Envoy Liu, but also for the people of Xuzhou!" "When I entered the court, Cao Gong once said that all the affairs of the East would be handed over to me." "Now that Lü Bu has left Xuzhou, it is the right time to make his plans." "It so happens that Qin Zhen has probably already arrived in Jiujiang. With him here, he can certainly help me in the conspiracies for Xuzhou!" "I will be your internal support for military affairs. Now I am sending Lu Bu southwards to penetrate deep into enemy territory. You can quickly inform Qin Zhen and have him arrange external affairs." "With this, one inside and one outside, we may be able to eliminate Lu Bu. If we miss the opportunity, we don't know when we can do it again!" When Chen Jiao heard that Chen Deng intended to expel Lu Bu directly, he was shocked. Seeing his generosity, I could only admire him secretly and said with emotion: "It is a great fortune for Xuzhou to have such a man as you!"

"In that case, Lord, take care. I will leave now!" After saying this, he left Chen Deng with two guards and headed towards Zhongli. (End of this chapter)