Chapter 110: The war breaks out again, and we fall into a trap again? That night, in Shouchun City, following the great battle last night, the city entered a state of war again. After the letter to Sun Ce was sent out of the city, Qin Zhen did not stay and returned to Liu Bei to tell him everything. Liu Bei was overjoyed to hear Qin Zhen persuade Lu Bu, but when he heard Qin Zhen reveal his identity, he almost had a conflict with Lu Bu again, and he said in fear: "It is a waste of our army's work. The military advisor is in danger. You must not act like this again in the future. Otherwise, even if you capture this city, it will be difficult to pay for the military advisor's life!" He originally didn't know that Qin Zhen had revealed his identity. If he knew, he would definitely go along. Otherwise, if Lu Bu really hurt Qin Zhen, Shouchun would not be able to replace his military advisor. Qin Zhen smiled when he heard this: "It looks like a dangerous place, but it's actually not. Although Lu Bu is moody, he is not a person who doesn't care about the consequences." "I dare to tell this person because our army is strong in the city, and Lu Bu is afraid of his own troops and dare not take action!"

"Besides, now that Shouchun has fallen and Huainan has been taken, it would be inappropriate to hide it from Lu Bu. We can take this opportunity to tell him!" When Liu Bei heard this, he suddenly remembered Qin Zhen's previous instructions and said in surprise: "Could this be what the military advisor said before, that we must not expose it before taking Shouchun?" Qin Zhen heard this and nodded: "That's right. Although our army was powerful at that time, we were outside the city and Sun Ce was in the south. If Lu Bu knew my identity, he might use the situation to make things difficult for our army and it would be difficult to use him." "Now, our army is in the city, and Lu Bu's troops are not as strong as ours. So we can tell this person and we are not afraid of him making trouble." "On the contrary, now that the situation is clear, even if our army does not inform Lu Bu, he will know it sooner or later." "Rather than letting him know passively, it is better to tell him proactively, so that you can gain his trust and use him again in the future!" When Liu Bei heard this, he was moved and emotional. He was touched because Qin Zhen had taken so much trouble to make him gain a foothold here, and had taken him everywhere so carefully. What makes me feel sad is how meticulous Qin Zhen is. He has to consider the overall situation while also taking into account the small situation. If someone else were to do this, they wouldn't be able to achieve the same level. Suddenly, he couldn't help but recall how Qin Zhen resisted taking up a government post. At first I thought Qin Zhen just liked a quiet life. Now it seems that Qin Zhen just doesn't want to work so hard anymore. It is really too tiring for a small force like them to rise up! Thinking about this, Liu Bei couldn't help but hold Qin Zhen's hand again and said: "Our army went to Huainan this time, which really exhausted the military advisor. I am ashamed that I could not make plans for this!" Qin Zhen saw this, but he did not pull his hand away again, but just smiled and said: "Everything is difficult at the beginning. It's the same for everyone. My lord, you don't have to be like this!" Although his words were meant to comfort, they were also the truth. In the battle for supremacy, the hardest thing is getting started! Even someone as powerful as Zhuge Kongming spent several years assisting Liu Bei in building his career.

Compared with the Battle of Chibi, their progress in Huainan was relatively smooth. Now they just need to drive Sun Ce back to Jiangdong, and they will be able to usher in a truly golden period of development, no longer being as restricted as before. Although there are still many difficulties in the rise, the most difficult time is over! Therefore, he was in a good mood and said directly to Liu Bei: "I am just tired of talking. My lord has a big battle tonight, so we must prepare well!" Seeing this, Liu Bei did not refuse, but nodded and smiled: "That's right, but I don't know how the military advisor will arrange it." Qin Zhen pondered for a while, then said to Liu Bei: "As for tonight's arrangements, they are mainly based on the enemy's momentum. Although the enemy wants to come at the fourth watch, they are cunning and cannot move on time!" "So I discussed with Lu Bu and took action at a quarter past three, pretending that Lu Bu's plan had been leaked, and lured the enemy to attack." "Our two families will ambush a small number of troops at the east gate to cut off the enemy's advance. My lord, you can lead the troops and attack their rear with Lu Bu, while Yide will lead the troops to raid the enemy's main camp!" "Let Shuzhi lead the troops to attack the enemy dam garrison by surprise, and the enemy can be defeated in one battle!" Liu Bei thought about it, and considering the number of his own troops, he couldn't help but ask: "Although we have many soldiers in the city now, if we want to distribute them to the four gates, we will need 4,000 soldiers." "Shu Zhi has 3,000 troops under his command, so our army can only mobilize 7,000 troops. If we split them into two groups, it will be difficult to be effective!" Although he did not suffer much loss in military strength, the number of troops he could mobilize had dropped to more than 14,000, and the rest were either surrendered soldiers or wounded soldiers, making them difficult to mobilize. Sun Ce's main force still has at least 13,000 to 14,000 troops. Assuming he sends out 10,000 troops, there are still 4,000 left to guard the camp. It would be difficult for them to attack the enemy camp if they did not have an advantage in terms of military strength! Facing Liu Bei's worries, Qin Zhen smiled and said: "Don't worry, my lord. If we don't take the prisoners, our army will naturally be short of manpower." "But today's battle will be mainly fought at the East Gate, so our army can use the prisoners!" "Let Yuan Yaoqing be in charge of the defense of the west, north, and south gates!" "I will go and supervise Lei Bu's troops to guard the east gate and ambush the enemy. My lord, you can lead all the troops in the city to stop Sun Ce and make sure to destroy all of Sun Ce's troops here!" "You must know that Sun Ce is our great enemy. We must not miss this opportunity!" In this battle, he intended to keep Sun Ce. If they could get rid of Sun Ce, the difficulty of their future march south to Jiangdong would be greatly reduced. Liu Bei listened, hesitated for a moment, and nodded. Although there are risks in doing so, he feels at ease knowing that Qin Zhen and Yuan Huan are stabilizing the situation in the city. After making up his mind, Liu Bei no longer hesitated and began to deploy his troops. At the same time, in Lu Bu's military tent, Qin Song was placed in a tent and was pacing back and forth. As the sky gradually darkened, he became more and more anxious. Although his mission had been going smoothly so far, he always felt that something was wrong. They had discussed everything well before coming here, but now that they had entered the city, he felt a little scared.

First of all, could their actions really be concealed from Liu Bei? It should be noted that Qin Zhen under Liu Bei's command was not someone who was easy to deal with. When they were plotting against Liu Bei, the other party was probably also plotting against them. But up to now, Liu Bei's army has not taken any action. Not even a messenger was sent! Is it really because we were too tired that we relaxed our investigation on them? Second, although they tried their best not to attract attention when they entered the city. But can they really deceive Liu Bei's army by using the excuse of entering the city to cover up their mission? You know, there is no perfect strategy in this world. If this had not been hidden from Liu Bei's army, their actions would have most likely been exposed. Is it really normal for Liu Bei's army to behave like this when their actions have been exposed? Amongst many thoughts, Qin Song became more and more uneasy. It is true that he is one of Sun Ce's ministers, but he is not Sun Ce's loyal minister. As long as it doesn't involve his own life, he naturally doesn't care. But now when his life is threatened, he needs to consider his own safety. At that moment, he stopped and prepared to go and see Lu Bu again. But when he arrived at the door of the tent, he saw six soldiers holding their guns at the same time, and the leader asked: "Where are you going, sir?" Seeing that there were six soldiers guarding outside the tent, Qin Song was surprised and said: "What do you mean? I want to meet with Lord Wen. Please let me know!" But the leading soldier sneered when he saw this: "The lord has ordered that you are not allowed to leave the tent unless summoned. Please return to the tent and wait!" When Qin Song saw this, his heart skipped a beat again. If Lu Bu treated him like this, there would be big problems! He immediately asked: "But I don't know where Mr. Xu Si is. Can I go and inform him?" But when he asked, he saw that all the soldiers did not move. This kind of performance immediately made Qin Song's heart sink to the bottom. This is definitely not the right attitude for Lu Bu to treat an envoy! Even if you want to take him hostage, you can't have this attitude! With this attitude now, there is only one possibility. Lü Bu may have been persuaded by Liu Bei. The reason why he stayed here is to plot against them! Thinking of this, Qin Song could no longer sit still. He hurriedly came outside the tent and said in a deep voice: "I want to go to the toilet, I hope you can accommodate me!" As he was about to force his way through the formation, the next second, with a swish, a knife was already in front of him, and the soldier said coldly:

"My lord has ordered that if you dare to take a step forward, you will be killed without mercy!" "There is a toilet in the tent. If you need to go to the toilet, you can do it yourself. Don't make things difficult for us!" Feeling the chill of the knife, Qin Song took a step back in fear, looking at the troops being mobilized outside the camp gate, his heart filled with despair. What went wrong? Doesn't Lu Bu mind being tricked by Liu Bei several times? Does Liu Bei really have this kind of power that can make Lu Bu willingly serve him? And when did Liu Bei convince Lu Bu? It doesn't make sense that two families that almost quarreled in the early morning would be back to normal by the evening! He said doubtfully, even the fire in the early morning was just a play performed by the two families? If this is true, then Liu Bei's army is too terrifying. What's even more terrifying is that he has become a hostage. Once Sun Ce is defeated, he will be left here. How will Lu Bu deal with him? He doesn't know! But what is certain is that neither the Liu nor the Lu families will forgive him. For a moment, fear occupied Qin Song's heart. He desperately hoped that Sun Ce could quickly discover the enemy’s plan, otherwise he would really be caught here! But Qin Song's idea was destined to be difficult to achieve. As time came to the third watch of the night, Sun Ce's troops quietly left the camp with their mouths sealed and their horses' hooves wrapped. They walked all the way to an ambush two miles outside Shouchun. Seeing the bright lights on Shouchun City in the distance and soldiers coming and going, Sun Ce's heart sank and he said: "It seems that even if our army leaves, Liu Bei's army will not relax its defenses!" Zhou Yu heard this and sighed: "With Qin Zhen plotting inside, how could Liu Bei be so careless?" Then he instructed Sun Ce: "Have our troops in the upper reaches already set up an ambush? Don't let the enemy find out!" In fact, after entering the camp to offer advice, Zhou Yu also suggested that Sun Ce hide the troops around the dam and deliberately make a gesture of leaving. Unfortunately, they ambushed too late and Liu Bei detected it too early, so this army was never able to escape Liu Bei's detection. However, Sun Ce naturally didn't know about this, so he just nodded and said: "I have ordered them to hide well, so they will not be discovered by the enemy!" "That's good. If the enemy doesn't pay attention to this place, they won't be able to find anything unusual!" When the time came, Zhou Yu looked at the city of Shouchun in the distance and began to wonder where else he might be exposed. After much thought, it seems that only the messengers in the city are at risk of exposure. He hurriedly asked Sun Ce:

"Brother, has anyone sent a message after the memorial?" "No message was sent!" Sun Ce shook his head and said: "Perhaps it is true as you said, that the document was withheld by Lu Bu!" Then he frowned again and said: "By the way, Gongjin, do you think this could be a strategy of the enemy?" Since Qin Song was detained, there is a possibility that the letter sent by Qin Song was forged by the enemy. But Zhou Yu heard it, but shook his head and said: "Most likely not. The messenger is a lieutenant colonel in our army. Even if Qin Song was detained, it was only after the negotiation was completed." "Qin Wenbiao is an old subordinate of my brother. If the enemy army has a plan, he will never let the young lieutenant do this!" Of course he thought about the possibility of Qin Song's betrayal. But this possibility is very small! Since Qin Song's family was still in Wujun, there was no need for him to rebel here specifically. Furthermore, Qin Song had only been there for a short time. Even if the enemy tortured him, it would be impossible for them to figure out their plan and counterattack in such a short time. To sum up, Qin Song's letter was definitely sent under safe circumstances. Thinking of this, he looked at Sun Ce and wanted to speak. But before he could finish his words, suddenly, there was a loud shout, and a burst of intense shouting and killing sounded in the city. In an instant, the soldiers on the city wall shouted and continuously shot arrows inward. Fires were also burning in the city, and there was a lot of noise. Hearing this, Sun Ce was shocked and said: "It's only the third watch now, why is there fighting in the city?" Zhou Yu's expression changed when he heard this, and he stood up and said: "Not good, I'm afraid Qin Zhen has discovered something and knows that our army is returning, so he wants to destroy Lu Bu first!" "Our army must march quickly, otherwise once Lu Bu leaves, Wenbiao will be in danger!" Upon hearing this, Sun Ce did not dare to delay and quickly turned around and shouted: "My fellow Jiangdong men, now that the matter is settled, follow me and charge into the city!" When taking the city, they should have quietly entered the city, fought their way outside the city, and then launched a general attack. But now that Lu Bu had made a move, they naturally could not hide their whereabouts, so they simply charged towards Shouchun City. As a result, before they even got close to the city, they heard a loud shout from the city walls: "Enemy attack, enemy attack, follow me and shoot!" As he was speaking, arrows rained down from the city walls. Seeing this, Sun Ce shouted: "Raise your shield and attack!" After a shout, his soldiers raised their shields and charged towards Shouchun City.

Tens of thousands of soldiers moved at the same time, with a large number of soldiers holding onto straight wood and preparing to climb across the river. When the soldiers on the city wall saw this, they immediately responded with arrows, battering rams and boulders. Naturally, Sun Ce's men began to suffer heavy casualties. When Sun Ce saw this, he was so angry that he shouted: "Come with me to the city. The first one to reach the city will be rewarded with a hundred gold coins!" It is true that a great reward will always attract brave men. Although there were not many siege weapons, the soldiers began to attack the city frantically upon hearing the sound. The two armies started a tug of war on the city wall. But before long, the city gate suddenly opened slowly, and with a creaking sound, the drawbridge fell down with a loud bang. When Sun Ce saw this, he was overjoyed and said to Zhou Yu: "Gongjin, you can stay here to coordinate, wait for me to rush into the city and kill old Liu Bei!" When Zhou Yu heard this, he was immediately shocked: "Brother is the commander of the three armies, how can you go into danger in person!" Upon hearing this, Sun Ce jumped on his horse and said: "Liu Bei is already on alert. If I don't go, it will be difficult to defeat him!" While speaking, he raised his gun and shouted: "My men, follow me into the city!" After saying this, he led his troops and rushed towards the city. Thousands of them filed in. Seeing this, Zhou Yu had to frown and stay outside the city to support them. But the next second, a loud shout was heard from inside the city; "Oh no, there's an ambush in the city!" As the sound was heard, a large number of rolling stones and battering rams fell instantly, blocking the city gate tightly. When Zhou Yu saw this, his eyes widened. Just as I was surprised, I suddenly heard the sound of galloping horses from both sides of the city wall, and soon a large number of enemy troops rushed out from both sides. Seeing this, Zhou Yu felt his scalp tingling. Have they fallen into the trap again? (End of this chapter)