Chapter 269: Lü Bu retreats and pursues It can be said that Xuzhou has always been the concern of Cao Cao, Liu Bei and Lu Bu. Although it is located on the shore of the East China Sea and is not as important as Huainan and other places, it has changed hands several times due to the competition among the three parties. Just like Liu Bei in the past, when Lu Bu heard that something was happening in Xuzhou, he became very disappointed and said: "What does Wenbiao mean by this? Qin Zhen has only over 10,000 soldiers and horses. How can he plan to take Xuzhou?" This was a counterintuitive thing for him. Although he left Xuzhou, Xuzhou was heavily armed. In comparison, Qin Zhen had few soldiers and horses and even had difficulty defending. How could he possibly plot against Xuzhou! But when Qin Song heard this, he immediately shook his head at Lu Bu and said: "Qin Zhen's plans have always been unexpected!" "Although I don't know how this person plans to take Xuzhou, Qin Zhen is most likely planning our retreat!" "Because there are not many soldiers and horses in Shouchun, this place is so important, how can Qin Zhen keep his troops still?" "Before, I thought Qin Zhen had too many prisoners and was afraid to mobilize his troops." "But if Zhang Wenyuan has already joined the enemy army, the troops under his command must have been used by Qin Zhen." "He has more than 10,000 soldiers and horses, why is he not taking action?"

"It can be seen that this person deliberately lured us here!" "And as soon as he showed up today, we knew that his method of defeating the enemy was not this." "If the key to defeating the enemy is not here, then it must be in Xuzhou." "We have been here for more than ten days. Since Qin Zhen dared to take the initiative to attack, it is likely that he has already made a plan." "So our army should return as soon as possible, otherwise Xuzhou may be in danger!" As the matter happened suddenly, he had no choice but to explain his general ideas to Lu Bu. In general, since Qin Zhen has persuaded Zhang Liao, what has he been doing for the past ten days? You must know that if Qin Zhen had no other plans, he could have held them back just by using his military force. But Qin Zhen, whom they were facing, maintained a negative attitude for more than ten days. Judging from the experience of the previous Battle of Shouchun, when Qin Zhen remains negative in front of you, the positive aspects must be somewhere else! Therefore, for a moment, the current situation made Qin Song feel as if he was witnessing the Battle of Shouchun! It is very likely that Qin Zhen has already set up a big net in the east and is waiting for them to fall into it. But even if he knew this, he still had to persuade Lu Bu to get out quickly! Because the families of their officers are all in Xuzhou, once Xuzhou falls, their troops will collapse without a fight! So when Qin Song thought of the possibility of something going wrong, his first reaction was to persuade Lu Bu to retreat quickly! As soon as he finished speaking, Chen Deng suddenly seemed to remember something and said: "If what you said is true, then Qin Zhen may have already contacted Lei Xu and others!" "I was wondering why Lei Xu was acting strangely before, but now I see that it might be Qin Zhen's plan!" The two of them spoke in this way, which frightened Lu Bu, and he hurriedly said: "How dare Qin Zhen, a little boy, plot against my Xuzhou. He is truly unworthy of me!" "Pass on my military order, return immediately, and order Wei Xu and Wei Yue to strictly guard the city!" Having said this, he did not care about his physical fatigue and directly ordered the army to break camp and retreat.

After giving this order, the soldiers under his command became busy. However, Qin Song suggested having dinner first and then withdrawing the troops overnight. Because once Qin Zhen knew about their withdrawal, he would definitely pursue them. By that time their troops will be exhausted and may not be able to escape the pursuit. When Lu Bu heard this, he suppressed his anxiety, ordered his men to cook, and quietly loaded the important luggage onto the car. However, such an unusual movement was discovered by Qin Zhen's spies, who hurried back to the city to report. On the other side, after Qin Zhen led his troops into Shouchun, he met Liu Fu and others and headed towards the general's mansion. Even though Old Liu is not here, his two wives are still in the city. He brought his troops back this time, and caused Shouchun to encounter war. It was only right and reasonable for him to go to the palace to pay his respects. At this time, both Mrs. Gan and Mrs. Mi were pregnant, especially Mrs. Gan, who was about to give birth. When they heard that Shouchun was hit by a war, the two women felt a little panicked. After all, this was not the first time that Lao Liu’s house had been robbed, and they were also afraid that the city would be breached again. But when they heard that Qin Zhen had led his troops into the city, the two ladies felt safe and met Qin Zhen in person. After learning that Qin Zhen came this time to expel Lu Bu, the two ladies were overjoyed. As the daughter of a wealthy family, Mi naturally spoke words of comfort on behalf of her husband. Gan knew that Qin Zhen had not yet met his son, so she said a few words and asked Qin Zhen to go home and see him first. After meeting the two ladies, Qin Zhen drove back home. The brother and sister Ku Shu and Ku Cai had already informed the Qin Mansion of the news that Qin Zhen had entered the city. Upon hearing that Qin Zhen had returned to Shouchun, Cai Yan waited outside with her son in her arms, her daughter, and a group of her sisters and servants. As soon as Qin Zhen got out of the car, he saw everyone bowing down. He then stepped forward and picked up his son to examine him carefully. The little guy was as cute as a piece of jade, sleeping in the cradle, so adorable. In fact, newborn babies are all wrinkled and can hardly be said to be good-looking. But Qin Zhen's son was already a month old, and his skin had gradually become smoother and he looked lovely. Qin Zhen couldn't stop smiling when he saw him. In fact, no matter whether it is a man or a woman, they all look like this when they see their own children. But just as he was laughing, he saw the little guy's face wrinkled, his mouth pursed, and he started crying loudly. Seeing this, Cai Yan hurried forward, took the child in her arms, and complained: "My husband is out there. He must have killed someone. He has a murderous aura." "Go wash up quickly, so as not to scare He'er!"

He'er was the nickname Qin Zhen gave to his son before he left, meaning healthy growth. Hearing this, Qin Zhen thought that he had not only killed people, but also destroyed a lot of his troops. But he also knew that the smell on his body was not good, so he smiled awkwardly and picked up his daughter again. Compared to her younger brother, Xiaosui'er seemed much more friendly and kept calling "Daddy" as soon as she was held. When Qin Zhen saw this, he was delighted and thought to himself that this little girl is so caring and considerate! After such teasing, his mood improved a lot and he walked towards the bathroom. After taking off all his clothes, he entered the wooden tub and washed himself thoroughly. Lying in the wooden barrel, a wave of fatigue came over me. It was the hardship of being in the army, how could it compare to the comfort of home. After washing, I not only did not feel refreshed, but I felt even more tired. As a result, just as he finished washing up, he saw Xu Sheng in military uniform coming to report the unusual situation of Lu Bu's army. Hearing that Lu Bu was packing his luggage in the camp, Qin Zhen said confidently: "Lü Bu must withdraw his troops tonight. Send down the order to kill pigs and sheep, cook a meal, and reward the soldiers." "As soon as Lu Bu retreats tonight, we will dispatch troops immediately. We must not let Lu Bu leave easily." Although both their northern and southern armies have already sent out troops, it is not known whether Xia Pi will be successful. At this time, they have to compete with Lu Bu in endurance and try to delay Lu Bu's withdrawal. The longer it delays, the better it is for them! When Xu Sheng heard the military order, he hurriedly left the mansion and passed on Qin Zhen's order. Cai Yan was distressed to see Qin Zhen still issuing military orders, and hurriedly asked: "My husband is allowed to enter the city today. Are you going to lead the troops away?" She was a woman and didn't know the situation of Liu Bei's army, but she hadn't seen Qin Zhen for several months. She finally saw her husband return, but he had to lead the army to war again. She felt really uncomfortable. Seeing her like this, Qin Zhen hugged her in his arms and tried to comfort her with words. He said that the war is now coming to an end, and after taking Xuzhou and Jiangdong, they will usher in a period of development. In fact, up to this point in the battle, Liu Bei and others were still in high spirits, but he was already exhausted. Think about it, since he left home in August, he entered Jingzhou, fought Zhou Yu, defeated Sun Ce, and fought Lu Bu, he has not had much rest for more than four months. After this battle is over, he will plan to take a vacation. As for the affairs in the south, Zhuge Liang and others will take the credit, so he can at least have a peaceful year. Of course, he couldn't tell Liu Bei about this idea, but he could tell his wife. Cai Yan listened to his words and naturally said nothing more, just remained silent and gentle. The couple chatted for a while, and then the kitchen prepared the food. Qin Zhen called the whole family together for a reunion dinner. In this era, although there is etiquette that women are not allowed to sit at the table, each family has its own rules. Qin Zhen has only one rule at home: everyone is treated equally and must sit at the table. For this purpose, he specially built an octagonal table to organize family gatherings.

In the past, there were only Cai Yan, Cai Yao and Xiao Sui'er, but now there were more bridges, big and small, and Xiao He'er, making it even more lively. After finishing his meal, Qin Zhen changed his clothes and left the house. Then the spy brought a message saying that Lu Bu had withdrawn his troops, so he led 5,000 soldiers and horses to chase Lu Bu from behind. At this time, after several casualties, Lu Bu's army of 30,000 was reduced to only 14,000 people. Among them were more than 3,000 men under Chen Deng's command (more than a thousand were lost during the siege). With such a huge contrast in troops, when Lu Bu heard that Qin Zhen was indeed pursuing him, he became furious and said: "Qin Zhen is such a despicable brat, he dares to chase us with only a few thousand soldiers!" "Look at a certain leader fighting back, and let him know the bravery of our army!" As he said this, he was about to lead his troops back to fight Qin Zhen to the death. But when Qin Song saw that he was going back to the army, he hurriedly tried to persuade him: "Marquis Wen, you can't do that. Since Qin Zhen dares to chase him, he must be planning to attack Xuzhou." "If Marquis Wen returns, he will have to withdraw. Wasting time like this will only serve his purpose." "We must return to the army as soon as possible and not delay any longer!" "Why not leave a group of soldiers here to stop the enemy and hold him back from coming!" Upon hearing this, Lu Bu realized that something was wrong with Qin Zhen's behavior and that something was probably wrong in the east. But now he doesn't have enough troops and it's difficult to divide them to resist. After thinking about it for a while, he couldn't help but look at Chen Deng and said: "I wonder if Yuanlong is willing to stay and stop the enemy for me?" But as soon as he finished speaking, before Chen Deng could reply, Qin Song hurriedly said: "Marquis Wen, you can't do that. Your Majesty is not brave enough. How can he resist Qin Zhen?" "Why not send General Hou Cheng to lead the troops to stop them?" "Then leave your Majesty here and march with us!" Although Lu Bu now has some trust in Chen Deng, Qin Song has always been on guard against Chen Deng. In his opinion, it is not clear whether this kid Chen Deng is a human or a ghost. If Chen Deng is allowed to stop the enemy, what will happen if he turns against them and joins the pursuit? I'm afraid it will be too late for them to cry by then. Therefore, it is more controllable to keep Chen Deng in their sight. But Lu Bu obviously didn't understand Qin Song's intention at this time, and immediately frowned and said: "Qin Zhen is good at scheming. Although Hou Cheng is brave, he is no match for Zhang Wenyuan. How can he stop the army?" Qin Song was embarrassed when he heard this. He hesitated for a moment and then gritted his teeth and said: "In this case, I will follow the general to stop the enemy."

"Marquis Wen can go on his own. As long as the Lord of the Mansion does not leave lightly, there will be no major problems." As he said this, he looked at Chen Deng with an unfriendly expression. When Chen Deng saw this, he stroked his beard and smiled: "Sir, what you said is absolutely right. With you here, we will definitely be able to stop Qin Zhen!" When Lu Bu saw the two men like this, he said nothing more and ordered Qin Song and Hou Cheng to lead 3,000 troops back to stop Qin Zhen. But soon after the two of them left, they suddenly saw a rider running from a distance, shouting: "My lord, my lord, there is an urgent report from Xia Pi. Zang Ba suddenly led his army south." "Mr. Chen has gone to resist with General Wei Yue. My lord, please return to Xuzhou as soon as possible!" Hearing this letter, Lu Bu was horrified, and immediately raised his whip and shouted: "My dear little Qin Zhen, if I catch you tomorrow, I will kill you!" "All troops, listen to my orders. Keep half a month's worth of food and fodder, abandon baggage, and speed up your advance!" After shouting like this for a while, he led his troops and accelerated towards the east. When Chen Deng saw this, he narrowed his eyes and thought that since something had happened in the east, he should find an opportunity to leave. But I wonder if Xia Pi has already started any action? (End of this chapter)