Chapter 106 You may understand strategy, but you don’t understand Lu Bu Liu Bei naturally did not dare to neglect Qin Zhen's suggestion. After thinking about it, he ordered Chen Dao to lead 3,000 elite troops to quietly leave the city through the west gate. He also ordered Zhang Fei and others to have a good rest and recuperate. At the same time, a number of spies were sent out to investigate the movements of Sun Ce's army. As a result, not long after the spies were sent out, the spies that Liu Bei had sent to explore the direction of the dam returned and said that Sun Ce's army did not demolish the dam, but instead left two thousand soldiers to garrison there. Upon hearing this news, Liu Bei was extremely surprised and hurriedly summoned Qin Zhen to discuss the matter: "As expected by the military advisor, after Sun Ce defeated Ji Ling, he did not dismantle the dam, which shows that he still wants to dig for water!" After hearing this, Qin Zhen thought for a while and said: "Sun Ce did this to leave a way out. He must be deliberately trying to make things difficult for our army, and he is afraid that he will be defeated and unable to return. He left this water to stop our army from pursuing him!" Upon hearing this, Liu Bei frowned and said in deep thought: “Although our army has captured the city and the canal has not been repaired, the enemy can still dig water into the city.”

"This is the key point, but it is blocked by the enemy. What can we do?" Seeing Liu Bei like this, Qin Zhen shook his head and said: "Don't worry, lord. Although this place is important, Sun Ce has not moved his camp yet, which shows that he has no intention of digging for water yet!" "This is the enemy's back-up plan. Don't act rashly. Wait until you find out the enemy's plan before responding." After listening to this, Liu Bei realized that it was useless to worry now, so he simply continued to wait for the spy's report. However, until the afternoon, several hours had passed and there was no sign of any unusual movement by Sun Ce's army. Instead, it was Lu Bu who sent people to urge Liu Bei to give an explanation. As for the current situation, in fact, the three families have their own thoughts. The Sun and Liu families are calculating against each other, while Lu Bu is anxious and returns empty-handed! Since entering the city in the early morning, Lu Bu has not slept. The more he thought, the more he felt that something was wrong. After all, this was not the first time that Liu Bei had tricked him. There were not so many coincidences in this world. Liu Bei agreed to use Shouchun's money and grain in exchange for his help, and the Shouchun money and grain were shipped away in advance. Obviously, he was probably tricked by Liu Bei again, and Liu Bei responded to him in this way because he knew this. Thinking of this, Lu Bu called Xu Si and Wang Kai over to discuss the matter. After some discussion, they came to the conclusion that they were probably being tricked, but they couldn't do anything. Because they are under someone else's roof, they have to bow their heads. Lü Bu was naturally ashamed and angry about this. Xu Si saw this and gave him some advice: "Now that Shouchun has been taken, General, you can ask Liu Bei how to deal with it. Our army wants to take Xincai, and Sun Ce wants to take Hefei, so just ask Liu Bei how to deal with it." "If he keeps making promises verbally and nothing is gained, we can join forces with Sun Ce to attack him!" From their perspective, it is actually difficult to see that Sun Ce was also tricked by Liu Bei this time, but they can see that Sun Ce got nothing this time. Liu Bei first agreed to Sun Ce's request to take Hefei, and now he has to deal with them for money and food, which is obviously a conflict. If Liu Bei could not give them a satisfactory answer, they could then take action openly. Upon hearing this, Lu Bu nodded in agreement and naturally asked someone to come and urge them.

Facing Lu Bu's urging, Liu Bei was overwhelmed and said to Qin Zhen: "Now Sun Ce is not taking any action, and Lu Bu is urging us to do so. What should we do?" When Qin Zhen heard this, he told Liu Bei not to panic and explained: "Sun Ce is not moving, probably because his soldiers are tired. Our army has no excuse, so it is not easy to enter the camp to investigate." "Now that Lu Bu is here, we can send someone to invite Sun Ce to discuss matters." "Look at the attitude of Sun Ce's army and you will know what he is thinking!" Liu Bei thought about it and realized that this was the truth. Since Sun Ce didn't move, they would take the initiative to explore. He then sent people towards Sun Ce's camp. At this time, Sun Ce was catching up on his sleep. When he heard Liu Bei had someone come to invite him to discuss matters, he stood up in a daze and cursed: "Old Liu Bei really doesn't let us have peace!" You have to know that Liu Bei always wanted to stir up trouble every time he held a meeting. We have only just captured the city half a day and now we have to discuss matters again. You can see how troublesome it is. However, he was young and strong after all, and after being angry for a while, he called Zhou Yu and others. In fact, Zhou Yu had just gotten up, and only Qin Song and others were quite energetic because they did not fight. After everyone arrived, Sun Ce told everyone about Liu Bei's actions and asked: "Now our army has not yet taken action, and Liu Bei wants us to discuss the matter. What exactly does he want?" As soon as he finished speaking, Zhou Yu began to think, but Qin Song smiled and said: "My lord, don't worry. Liu Bei has no choice but to do this!" "You must know that Lu Bu is a man who forgets his loyalty when he sees profit. He has already become resentful of Liu Bei this morning. It is obvious that he has already realized Liu Bei's plan!" "Now it's like this, it must be Lu Bu who is forcing us, there is nothing we can do!" "We might as well take this opportunity to go and lobby. Lu Bu will definitely be useful to our army!" After hearing his words, Zhou Yu thought about this and nodded: "What Wenbiao said is correct. Although this incident was not initiated by our army, we can still use it as an opportunity to take action!" "Why not pack up and go straight into the city? We can start the action tonight!" When Sun Ce heard this, he naturally cheered up and thought to himself, this is Liu Bei's own fault, don't blame me! After thinking it over, he and Zhou Yu washed up, and together with Qin Song, they headed towards the city with dozens of guards. When Sun Ce entered the city, Liu Bei had already sat down with Lu Bu. Liu Bei held the cup and said soothingly: "Don't worry, Lord Wen. We are all friendly forces. We should discuss things carefully. Now that our army has taken Shouchun, we will help you two achieve your wishes!" "I have sent someone to find Bo Fu. Once Bo Fu arrives, we can discuss and then mobilize the army!" Although Lu Bu was angry when he heard this, he was too lazy to say anything more. He simply nodded and drank by himself. Not long after, someone came from outside the palace to report that Sun Ce had entered the city.

Upon hearing this, Liu Bei hurriedly ordered someone to bring Sun Ce and others into the mansion, and then he saw Sun Ce and Zhou Yu arriving together. Seeing the two of them, Liu Bei raised his cup and said with a smile: "Sun Lang is late. I have been waiting for you, Wen Hou, for a long time!" "Thanks to Sun Lang for holding back the enemy troops yesterday, otherwise we would have never been able to capture this city!" As soon as he said this, Sun Ce almost cursed out loud, but fortunately Zhou Yu held him back. After holding it in for a long time, he finally said in a cold voice: "Your Excellency, there is no need to do this. The enemy army has chosen to head towards the dam. Our army has no choice but to stop them!" "Let's stop talking nonsense, but I wonder what you want to discuss this time?" Seeing Sun Ce's unfriendly look, Lu Bu was surprised, while Liu Bei smiled and said: "I am a little ashamed to say that I called Sun Lang here because I have something to discuss with him." "It's because our army had promised to take the money and food from Shouchun City, but unexpectedly, the money and food in the city were moved to Xincai by the enemy army." "So our army is thinking, now that we have traitors in front of us, why don't you go south first, and after our army and Wen Hou take Xincai, we can go south to help!" "Don't worry, Sun Lang. After we get the money and food, we will go south to help Sun Lang capture Hefei!" "After we take Hefei, the three of us will march into Runan together and ensure that we can completely destroy Yuan Shu here!" Looking at Liu Bei's smile, Sun Ce was secretly angry that this man said one thing in public and another behind his back. At this point, it is wishful thinking to still try to persuade them with this kind of rhetoric. When he was angry, Zhou Yu said with a look of pity: "I dare you two to know that it is not that our army will not go, but our army has received news that Yan Baihu and others from Wujun are causing chaos." "Our army must return to Jiangdong as soon as possible to stabilize the situation!" "So although I am willing to march with you two, I must return to Jiangdong as soon as possible!" "I am not here to discuss matters, but to say goodbye. Our army is going to break camp tonight, and I am unable to help you!" As soon as he finished speaking, Lu Bu was shocked and said: "Your army will be returning tonight?" He was still thinking about working with Sun Ce to get rid of Liu Bei, but he didn't expect that Sun Ce was leaving! Sun Ce was leaving, and his family was still here, how could they be Liu Bei's opponents? But when Lu Bu was surprised, Liu Bei was also astonished. Could there really be such a coincidence in the world? They had just captured Shouchun when news from Wujun arrived! If this is true, it would be good news for them. Thinking this in his heart, Liu Bei sighed and said: "I see. I didn't expect the bandits in Jiangdong to take advantage of the chaos. It's a rare opportunity for us to join forces to fight the bandits here. The situation was so good, but we were blocked halfway. What a pity!" "However, Jiangdong is the most important place after all. If Sun Lang doesn't want to go with us, we can't force him to do so!"

"How about this, I will prepare a banquet now, and we will have a feast tonight as a farewell to Sun Lang?" Seeing this, Sun Ce sneered and said: "Jiangdong is in urgent need of help. How can we have the energy to attend the banquet?" "Your Excellency is having a banquet with Marquis Wen. I am sorry that I cannot accompany you. Goodbye!" After saying that, he glanced at Zhou Yu, who nodded, and the two left one after another. Seeing the two of them coming and leaving in a hurry, Liu Bei couldn't help but look at Lu Bu and said: "We were supposed to march forward, but Sun Lang went ahead. What should we do?" Seeing this, Lu Bu drank a sip of wine in a depressed mood and said in a deep voice: "Whether Sun Bofu goes or not, we can still seize Xincai. Could it be that Xuande wants to go back on his word?" When Liu Bei heard this, he immediately expressed his opinion: "Don't worry, Lord Wen. Even if Sun Lang doesn't go, our army will help Lord Wen capture Xincai!" "Why not wait until tomorrow to send Sun Lang away? We will rest for two days and then march!" Seeing Liu Bei's determined expression, Lu Bu didn't say much, so he simply drank the wine in the cup, stood up and said: "If that's the case, then just follow Xuande's advice!" "Now that Sun Bofu has gone, there is no need for our two families to have a banquet. Bu can go by himself!" As he spoke, he also stood up and walked out with a serious expression. It can be said that he realized that something was wrong with the current situation, but he didn't know how to respond. He could only return to the camp and find someone to discuss it. When he left, Liu Bei saw off two families in succession and couldn't help but smile. He originally thought that there would be another big battle, but he didn't expect it to go so smoothly. Now that Sun Ce is gone, only Lu Bu's family is left, and it is easier for them to act. Thinking of this, Liu Bei felt relieved and couldn't help but drink two more cups. Then he asked someone to remove the wine utensils and returned to the mansion to prepare to tell Qin Zhen the good news. But when he returned home, he found that Qin Zhen was gone. He searched for several times but couldn't find Qin Zhen. Upon seeing this, Liu Bei panicked and called his guards to ask: "Do you know where the military advisor went?" Upon hearing this, the guards hurriedly replied: "The military advisor said earlier that he had to leave the palace for an important matter, so he left with his entourage. I wonder where he is now!" Liu Bei felt relieved after hearing this. It was not because he suspected Qin Zhen had left, but because there was chaos in the city and Qin Zhen was not safe in the mansion. And now that Qin Zhen left on his own initiative, he naturally didn't need to worry. However, although he was not worried, he was still a little afraid that something might have happened to Qin Zhen, so he hurriedly sent someone to look for him. Not long after, he saw Qin Zhen returning leisurely on a horse. Seeing his leisurely look, Liu Bei could not help but step forward and complain:

"Where is the military advisor going? We have been waiting for him for a long time!" When Qin Zhen heard this, he immediately dismounted and said with a smile: "But I don't know what the lord wants to see me for?" But after saying this, without waiting for Liu Bei to speak, Qin Zhen stepped forward and said with a smile: "My lord, wait a minute. Let me guess. You must be telling me that Sun Ce has left. Is that right?" When Liu Bei heard this, he shook his head with a strange look on his face. "How did the military advisor know that Sun Ce was coming to say goodbye?" Then Qin Zhen dusted off his clothes and said with a smile: "Because I have discovered Sun Ce's plan. He came here today to say goodbye on purpose to relax our army's defense. In fact, he is secretly communicating with Lu Bu and is preparing to return overnight to attack Shouchun with the help of internal and external forces!" Liu Bei was shocked when he heard this: "How does the military advisor know the enemy's plan?" When Qin Zhen saw this, he smiled slightly: "Because I just came from outside the city and saw Sun Ce's army preparing to withdraw their camp, so I knew that he would leave!" "But even though Sun Ce has left, his troops are still guarding the dam. If Sun Ce really doesn't want to make things difficult for our army, he will dismantle the dam in advance after learning the news. Even if he doesn't, he should withdraw his troops first!" "But his troops have not withdrawn yet, which shows that Sun Ce is still determined to do evil." "He is still intent on stealing and has come to say goodbye. I know he is plotting something. But now he is outside the city and has no siege equipment. How can he attack our army?" "The only way is to persuade Lu Bu to rebel. If he wants to contact Lu Bu without attracting our army's attention, he needs to take advantage of the opportunity to enter the city and persuade Lu Bu." "So I waited outside the mansion to see if Sun Ce really discussed this with Lu Bu." Listening to Qin Zhen's series of speculations, Liu Bei's drunkenness disappeared immediately and he said hurriedly: "What did the military advisor see outside the palace? Could it be that Sun Ce was really having a secret conversation with Lu Bu?" But Qin Zhen heard this, but shook his head and smiled: "No, Sun Ce not only did not discuss this with Lu Bu, but he headed out of the city as soon as he left the mansion!" "I followed him all the way to the city gate, but I didn't see him discuss anything with Lu Bu!" "Seeing this, I know that there must be something strange going on with Sun Ce!" "Since he didn't do it in person, then he must have sent an envoy!" "So after Sun Ce left, Zhen asked the spy how many people were with him when Sun Ce came." "When the scout informed us that Sun Ce was coming, there were thirty-seven people under his command, including his guards!" "But when he left, Sun Ce only had thirty-four men under his command!" "After questioning several people, they were able to confirm that he had thirty-seven men under his command when he came." "It can be seen that Sun Ce is indeed missing three people under his command!" "My Lord, think about it, where will the remaining three people go?" As Qin Zhen continued to tell the story, Liu Bei was shocked and said:

"Military Advisor, are you saying that Sun Ce's envoy is now in Lu Bu's army?" He thought Sun Ce was really leaving, and he was a little happy in his heart. He didn't expect that this was actually Sun Ce's plan! If Qin Zhen hadn't gone to investigate personally, they would have been in real trouble this time! Thinking of this, he immediately said: "If that's the case, why don't you go and stop it?" But when Qin Zhen heard this, he smiled and said: "My lord, don't worry. If Sun Ce has other plans, our army can still be cautious." "If he wants to use Lu Bu, he will be trapped in his own trap and will suffer the consequences!" If Lu Bu was really so easy to use, then he wouldn't have to spend so much effort planning against Lu Bu. From this strategy, we can see that Sun Ce’s army may be good at strategy, but they do not understand Lu Bu. Is the truth important to Lu Bu? Of course it is. But for Lu Bu, what is more important is interests! If Sun Ce thinks that he can convince Lu Bu with just some words, then he is too naive. While thinking, he said to Liu Bei: "My lord, just call Lu Bu to discuss matters again. I have my own way to make Sun Ce suffer the consequences of his actions!" When Liu Bei saw this, he was surprised. Although he still had some doubts, Qin Zhen said so, which showed that he was confident. So he nodded and agreed, and hurriedly sent people to bring Lu Bu back. (End of this chapter)