Chapter 270: The Xiapi Plan, the Veteran Comes Out Xuzhou, Xia Pi City, just as Chen Deng was about to leave, a troop of soldiers quietly marched towards Xia Pi. The leader of this army was Xu Xuan, a capable official under Chen Deng. However, it is said that when Chen Jiao received Chen Deng's order to attack Xia Pi, he came all the way to Xia Pi City. Because he came by water, he traveled quickly and arrived in Xia Pi in less than ten days. At that time, Zang Ba had not yet gone south, so the defense of Xia Pi was not very strict. He was not even questioned and entered Chen's house through the city gate openly and met Chen Gui. It was also said that Chen Gui was already old and should enjoy his remaining years at home. However, Xuzhou had never been stable, and for the sake of the Chen family and the people of Xuzhou, he had to play both sides. When he heard about the envoy from Jiangdong, he informed Chen Deng of the news and passed it on to Liu Bei. Although this move was not a big deal, it did reveal the secret of Lu Bu's army. Therefore, after he confidently went south, he was quite worried that he would be discovered by Lu Bu.

Fortunately, his son Chen Deng was very supportive. Facing doubts, he took the initiative to die to prove his innocence, and he managed to get through the storm. What Chen Gui didn't expect was that because he passed on a message, he would drag his family into the vortex. When Chen Jiao arrived and heard what Chen Deng had said, Chen Gui became furious and said: "It is true what the young man said. Xia Pi is where Lu Bu's base is." "Bu's wife and children are here, and he has many confidants. How can I take them if I am still here?" It’s true that Qin Zhen and Chen Deng’s plan was not without loopholes. On the contrary, the loopholes were quite large! If any one link in the strategy goes wrong, the whole situation will be in trouble. For example, what should we do if Zang Ba does not obey the transfer order and go south on time? Lei Xu had no intention of going north to become an enemy of Lu Bu, so what should he do if he wanted to block Lu Bu's retreat? Similarly, what should they do if their plan to seize Xuzhou is exposed? More importantly, Xia Pi is Lu Bu's base. Once they fail, all members of the Chen family will be killed by Lu Bu. It can be said that this strategy is a gamble with the lives of the Chen family. Chen Gui was old and his death was not a pity, but Chen Deng still had three brothers. Are all the hundreds of people in the Chen family going to become chips on the table? Therefore, when he heard Chen Deng's plan, his first reaction was that he was unwilling to implement it. But Chen Jiao heard this and tried to persuade him: "Don't be upset, Mr. Chen. From my perspective, this plan may be risky, but it is feasible!" "But if it is up to human effort, why did Mr. Chen refuse to do so?" "Although Jiao is not related to Mr. Chen, he is also a descendant of the Chen family. I think our ancestors were all loyal and righteous people for generations." "I see that you are also fighting for the country, risking your own life, and have achieved the current situation." "With national affairs at hand, how can you not worry about your country?" When Chen Gui heard this, he frowned: "This matter has nothing to do with you. After delivering the message, you can leave. Why do you have to persuade me so hard?" To him, although Chen Jiao was of the same clan, he was an outsider, and whatever he said here was just nonsense. This matter has nothing to do with your entire family, so of course you keep talking about justice here. If the time comes and your entire family is at stake, what will you think? But when Chen Jiao heard this, he said to Chen Gui with a firm face:

"I have come here under the order of the Lord of the Mansion. If I do not respond, I will die here rather than leave!" "You just said that this matter has nothing to do with me, Jiao will stay here. If Chen gets into trouble, Jiao will go with you. What do you think?" Seeing him like this, Chen Gui didn't know what to say. As an old man, he wouldn't be easily persuaded. "You stay at home for a few days and let me think about it carefully!" Seeing that he did not respond, Chen Jiao did not try to persuade him, and he stayed at Chen's house for a few days. As a result, three days later, news came from the north that Zang Ba had gone south. After hearing this letter, Chen Jiao hurriedly found Chen Gui and said: "Before I came here, Qin Zhen said he would send out three armies. Now Zang Ba and Xu Shu have already moved. I wonder what Lord Chen means by that?" Upon hearing this, Chen Gui twirled his beard and pondered, thinking about the success rate of the matter. After thinking for a while, he replied to Chen Jiao: "Even with this letter, there is no guarantee that Lei Xu will be able to move. We have to wait a few more days!" Faced with this, Chen Jiao had no choice but to continue waiting patiently. After waiting for another two days, we suddenly heard news from Xu Xuan in the south, saying that Lei Xu had led his troops north. When Chen Jiao received the letter, he took it to Chen Gui and said: "Lei Xu has also sent out his troops, and Lü Bu's way back will be blocked. I wonder if you have any intention?" When Chen Gui saw that the three things Qin Zhen mentioned had been accomplished, he thought to himself, could it be that God wanted Liu Bei to take Xuzhou? Otherwise, why would all parties come together to work together? After thinking about it for a while, he finally said: "In this case, how will you capture Xia Pi?" Seeing that he finally agreed, Chen Jiao hurriedly said: "According to the Lord's plan, Xia Pi is already empty." "We can order Xu Baojian to go north, cooperate with the outside forces, and seize it in one fell swoop!" But when Chen Gui heard this, he sneered: "How pedantic! You are a bunch of scholars, and you don't have any generals. How can you take the city?" When Chen Jiao heard this, he remained silent, not knowing how to respond. Seeing him like this, Chen Gui knew that he had no other options, so he immediately walked out with his cane and said: "Well, I think you are not a good military advisor, so you can order Xu Baojian to prepare troops to march north immediately." "As for the rest, I will take care of it myself!" After saying this, he ignored Chen Jiao and walked out of the mansion. At this time, as Chen Gong and Wei Yue went north, Wei Xu was the only one in charge in Xia Pi City. When he heard that Chen Gui was coming to see him, he hurried into the hall to meet him: "I wonder where the doctor came from?" It was winter and the weather was cold. Chen Gui was old, and after going out like this, he felt his hands and feet were cold. As soon as he entered the mansion, he rubbed his hands and feet. After hearing what Wei Xu said, he raised his head and said: "I heard that the general had passed away, so I came to offer my condolences." Ever since Wei Xu was defeated last time, he was assigned by Lu Bu to guard the city.

Life has been pretty okay over the past year. I just always felt that I was not valued, and I felt quite depressed. He and Chen Gui had no connection at all, and he met Chen Gui because Chen Gui was highly respected. I didn't expect that the other party came to say he was here to pay his respects. This frightened Wei Xu, and he asked hurriedly: "I really don't know what you mean by this, sir!" Upon seeing this, Chen Gui said to Wei Xu in a deep voice: "I heard that Zang Ba from the north went south, and the general sent Chen Gong to the north to guard it. Don't you know that Qin Zhen is a cunning man?" "Now that Marquis Wen has sent troops to attack Jiujiang, Qin Zhen has learned about it." "If this man marches from the west and sends Zang Ba south, how can the south not move?" "I heard that in Guangling there is a man called Lei Xu who has gathered tens of thousands of people. How does he compare to Zang Ba?" "Zang Ba was persuaded by Qin Zhen, so how could Lei Xu be immune?" "At present, the general is leading a large army to defend the north, but he has ignored the south, and he has given the way forward for Marquis Wen to others!" "If Lei Xu goes north now and takes Dongcheng, then Marquis Wen will be trapped in Jiujiang." "If Marquis Wen is defeated, Qin Zhen will lead his troops to advance from all directions. How can Xiapi be saved?" When Wei Xu heard this, his expression changed and he said: "If you hadn't told me that, I wouldn't have considered this!" As he said this, he stood up and thought about Chen Gui's words over and over again! It is true that before this he had never thought about the enemy coming from the South. It can even be said that he never thought about it at all. Because Lu Bu asked him to defend the city, he thought it would be right for him to defend the city. But now that Chen Gui reminded him, he suddenly discovered the threat from the south. Since even Zang Ba and Qin Zhen in the north can rebel, Lei Xu in the south may also take action. But now Lu Bu is alone and deep in the enemy's territory. Once Dongcheng is taken by Lei Xu, Lu Bu's way back will be blocked! At that time, Chen Gong could not retreat easily, so what should he do? Thinking of this, he suddenly became a little flustered and said: "I am the only one in charge of the city right now. Although I have soldiers, I don't know how to act!" "I hope you can teach me how to defend yourself?" Seeing this, Chen Gui knew that Wei Xu had been persuaded, so he said in a deep voice: "As for now, we should quickly send someone to inform Marquis Wen!"

"Send another general with troops to support them!" "If the East City has not been conquered, we will garrison the East City. If the East City has been conquered, we will help Marquis Wen return to the army!" Upon hearing this, Wei Xu immediately had an idea and was ready to lead his troops out of the city. But after he took a few steps, he felt something was wrong. He was the only one in the city now. If he left, who would guard Xia Pi? Thinking about it, he told Chen Gui about his hesitation. Chen Gui smiled and said to him: "General, you are responsible for defending the city. Why don't you order General Xu Dan to lead the troops?" "This man once betrayed Liu Bei, so he would not dare to make peace with Qin Zhen!" "Send this person there, he will definitely be able to help Marquis Wen return from Jiujiang!" When Wei Xu heard this, he suddenly remembered Xu Dan, who was originally the commander of the Danyang troops under Tao Qian, and later joined Liu Bei's army as the General of the Central Army. When they attacked Xuzhou, it was Xu Dan who acted as the accomplice! However, because Lu Bu appointed people based on personal connections, Xu Dan was never valued. When Chen Gui brought it up, Wei Xu thought for a while and simply ordered Xu Dan to lead 5,000 soldiers to the east city to support Lu Bu. After this was done, Chen Gui came to the military camp to meet Xu Dan and said: "I heard that the general once betrayed Liu Xuande and welcomed Lu Bu. I wonder if he has repented now?" Xu Dan was not a good person to begin with. The reason he betrayed Liu Bei in the past was because he behaved improperly and was incompatible with Liu Bei. He originally thought that he would be reused by offering the city to Lu Bu, but in the end he was always on the bench. Now seeing Chen Gui coming to visit him in person, he said with a dejected look: "Could it be that Prime Minister Pei has come here on purpose to make fun of me?" "It was Cao Bao's idea to rebel against me in the past, not mine!" "If I regret it now, what can I do?" Chen Gui saw his expression and knew that Xu Dan was already dissatisfied with Lu Bu, so he hurriedly said: "I know that the general has the intention to repent, and I want to point out a way for the general. I wonder if the general is willing to do so?" Xu Dan heard this and saw that he was evasive, so he couldn't help but frown and said: "Doctor, are you trying to persuade me to join Liu Bei?" Although he was not valued under Lu Bu, he was unwilling to return to Liu Bei. But when Chen Gui heard this, he stroked his beard and smiled: "General, you have misunderstood. This road is in the west!" As he spoke, he looked up to make sure there was no one around and said: "General, you may not know that my Chen clan has already connected with Lord Cao and wants to help him seize Xuzhou." "Now that Lu Bu has advanced deep into the enemy territory alone and Liu Bei is far away in Jiangdong, this is a godsend opportunity!" "Now Zang Ba and Lei Xu have both received orders from Cao Gong, and their general Xiahou Dun has led 30,000 troops to Mount Tai." "As long as Xia Pi is captured, we can take all of Xuzhou!" "I am concerned that everyone in the city is Lu Bu's confidant, and only the general is loyal to the court, so I am now persuading Wei Xu to allocate troops and horses to reinforce the general and advance westward."

"If the general is interested, you can leave Xia Pi first, and then return after receiving my letter." "With this kind of cooperation from both inside and outside, once Xia Pi is taken, the general will be the first to make the contribution in this battle!" "I will meet Lord Cao someday, and be made a marquis and a general. Wouldn't that be wonderful?" When Xu Dan heard this, he was overjoyed. He even wondered why Wei Xu suddenly transferred troops to him, but he didn't expect that Chen Gui was helping him! If he really had the opportunity to join Cao Cao, he would definitely not want to sit on the bench here. "Doctor, you are serious. I am a rough man. Doctor, please don't lie to me!" "Why is it untrue? Cao Gong wrote it here, how can you not believe it?" Chen Gui immediately handed a handwritten letter to Xu Dan. Xu Dan naturally did not recognize Cao Cao's handwriting, but all he needed was a proof. As soon as he saw the letter, he immediately expressed his willingness to act. Seeing this, Chen Gui stroked his beard and smiled, saying hurriedly: "In that case, General, please write a letter and let me give it to Lord Cao." "This advance contact will also make it easier for Cao Gong to show his merits in the future!" Upon hearing this, Xu Dan hesitated for a moment, then nodded in agreement and personally wrote a letter and handed it to Chen Gui. Then he led his troops out of the city, waiting for Chen Gui's order. But what he didn't know was that Chen Gui got the letter, made some changes, and then came to Wei Xu again. When Wei Xu saw the handwritten letter, he was shocked and said hurriedly: "When did Xu Dan form an alliance with Cao Cao?" Seeing this, Chen Gui stroked his beard and sighed: "I don't know either. I originally recommended this person today and wanted to go visit him." "I didn't expect this man to take out a handwritten letter and persuade me to join him in taking Xia Pi!" "I am already too old to accept this request, so I will just pretend to agree and report to the general!" Upon hearing this, Wei Xu did not doubt it and sighed: "Now with Qin Zhen plotting on the side, I didn't expect Cao Cao to be the mastermind!" "I didn't expect to give him military power. He will definitely cause trouble. What should I do?" But as soon as he finished speaking, Chen Gui said: "Don't worry, General. I have a plan that can break this situation!" (End of this chapter)