Chapter 281 Liu Bei Returns, the Talented Chen Qun In the first month of the fourth year of Jian'an, Qin Zhen pacified Xuzhou and returned to Shouchun. Liu Bei also arrived here half a month later. Liu Bei's return this time was mainly due to three purposes. The primary purpose, naturally, is to deal with the overall situation in Xuzhou. After all, strictly speaking, Qin Zhen's seizure of Xuzhou was an act of usurpation. Because Lu Bu's surprise attack on Huainan was an unexpected event. From the time they started planning last year until Qin Zhen's return, Xuzhou was not part of their strategic expectations. So when Qin Zhen went north, Liu Bei did not give too many instructions. Therefore, although Qin Zhen was able to seize Xuzhou with his powerful influence, in order to stabilize the situation in Xuzhou, Lao Liu had to do it personally. In Qin Zhen's letter to Liu Bei, he also suggested that Liu Bei return to Shouchun.

This was the main reason why Liu Bei returned to Shouchun. As for the secondary reason, it was that Mrs. Gan was about to give birth. The issue of offspring has always been a concern for Lao Liu. Gan became pregnant in April of the third year of Jian'an. When Qin Zhen pacified Xuzhou, she was already eight months pregnant. As for the first month of the fourth year of Jian'an, Hua Tuo judged that Gan would give birth within a month and that this baby would be a son. This news was a great joy to Old Liu, and it also accelerated Liu Bei's journey north. And the last reason is that the situation in the South has already opened up! The story of this has to start from before Qin Zhen went north. At the end of October last year, Qin Zhen judged that Sun Ce had allied with Lu Bu based on Zhou Yu's strange behavior. But before that, they had already decided on three ways to break the impasse. The first is to let Taishi Ci and Lu Su's navy cooperate to open up the situation from the north and directly attack Wujun. The second is that Liu Bei's main force and Zhang Fei's flank would attack the two cities of Yuyang and Wanling head-on. The third is to let Liu Ye and Wei Yan gather troops from Yuzhang Zulang and other units, lead the army to take a detour from Yuzhang and launch a surprise attack on Kuaiji. After Qin Zhen headed north, the first to take action were the armies of Taishi Ci and Liu Bei. First, Taishi Ci went north from Liyang, crossed the river and attacked Shicheng, and then Liu Bei returned to Liyang and attacked Liyang City where Zhou Yu was. Faced with such an offensive, Zhou Yu adopted an absolute strategic defensive stance. Relying on the position of Grand Commander appointed by Sun Ce, he forced his generals to hold on for two months. This was a death order, meant to wait for the arrival of winter so that they could have a chance to catch their breath. It has to be said that Zhou Yu's strategy made Lao Liu very anxious for a while. The two-pronged attack lasted from the end of October to the end of November, but there was no further progress.

At that time, Qin Zhen was fighting Lu Bu in the north, and winter was about to come. Fighting on two fronts like this made Liu Bei consider retreating for a time. He prepared to withdraw his troops first and then come back in the spring. But at this time, Zhuge Liang urged Liu Bei to persevere to the end, saying that he should at least hold on until Qin Zhen launched a strategic counterattack in the north! Because although they are fighting on two fronts now, they have advantages on both sides. If we retreat at this time, not only will Sun Ce have time to catch his breath, but Lu Bu may not be defeated either. Not only would their retreat be of no help, it would also lead to an alliance between Sun Ce and Lu Bu, leading to a long strategic stalemate. In this situation, whoever persists longer and breaks the situation first will completely tip the balance of the war. They have two armies, Liu Ye and Qin Zhen, either side could open up the situation. According to Zhuge Liang's original words, it is: "Although our army is currently fighting on two fronts, both of your military advisors are world-class geniuses!" "Lü Bu is a brave man without strategy. He even has Chen Gong but cannot make use of him. He is definitely not a match for you, sir!" "Moreover, Liu Ziyang is a man of strange ideas. In the past, he single-handedly killed Zheng Bao and helped the lord to capture Jiujiang. Now he is heading south to attack Kuaiji, which will surely be very effective!" “A journey of a hundred miles begins with a single step. This is the situation today.” "In the past, Emperor Gaozu entrusted Han Xin to gain the world. Now my lord has two heroes. How can we stop halfway because of difficulties?" When Liu Bei heard this, he immediately repented and gave up the idea of ​​returning. Not only that, he also personally inspected the camp every day, cared for the wounded and boosted morale. As a result, morale did not drop but instead increased, and all the soldiers under his command were willing to fight to the death. Zhuge Liang's suggestion was obviously extremely wise. As time came to December, the situation suddenly became clear. First, Qin Zhen completed the vertical coalition in the north, captured Xia Pi, and started a strategic counterattack. Later, Liu Ye also brought good news from the south. He and Wei Yan broke through Fuchun and Qiantang counties in one fell swoop, defeated 4,000 enemies, captured the enemy general He Qi, and completely divided Sun Ce's territory into two halves. Coincidentally, at this time, the drawings of the new catapult that Qin Zhen had previously commissioned Huang Chengyan to design were also delivered. According to Qin Zhen's requirements, this new type of catapult was assembled in parts. In short, Huang Chengyan improved the original bulky catapult, and the new catapult was composed of various parts. In addition to facilitating transportation, it also increases range and power. In this era, catapults were used to throw catapults by pulling the muzzle of a gun by human power, which was an extremely primitive method. If you encounter a higher city, it will be difficult to shoot at the city and cause damage. The catapult designed by Huang Chengyan increases its range through a winch and counterweight, and can also be equipped with larger stone bullets. After obtaining this catapult, Liu Bei ordered its production to be accelerated. Fortunately, he had prepared for a long time, and both stone and wood were sufficient. In just a few days, more than twenty small catapults were produced. They pushed all the way to the city, and when stones and bullets were fired, Zhou Yu was directly stunned.

Luyang was not a big city to begin with, and its walls were mostly made of loess. Under the bombardment of catapults, the walls were severely damaged. After three days of continuous bombardment, not many soldiers were killed or injured, but the soldiers on the city were plunged into fear. In desperation, Zhou Yu ordered to abandon the defense of Yuyang. At the same time, Sun Ce heard that Fuchun had fallen and hurriedly returned. Liu Bei captured Wanling and Yuyang, and then led his troops to the northeast to attack Danyang and other cities. Without Zhou Yu and Sun Ce to share the pressure, the cities northeast of Danyang were no longer defensible. Cheng Pu and others withdrew their troops one after another, resulting in the fall of Shicheng, Moling, Hushu, Jiangcheng and Jurong. As a heavy snow fell, Danyang County under Sun Ce changed hands again. At this point, Liu Bei had seized more than half of the land in Jiangdong, squeezing Sun Ce's living space into the small Wu County. At this time, Qin Zhen sent news from the north that Xuzhou had been captured and Lu Bu had been captured. Liu Bei knew that it would be difficult to destroy Sun Ce before the beginning of spring, so he simply appointed Taishi Ci as the governor of Danyang and stationed in Jurong. He appointed Zhang Fei as the governor of Wujun and stationed troops in Wanling to defend against Sun Ce's attack. He ordered Liu Ye to temporarily serve as the governor of Kuaiji and station him in Fuchun, where he continued to encroach on the land under Sun Ce's command. After such arrangements, Liu Bei took Zhuge Liang and headed towards Shouchun. So on the 23rd day of the first lunar month, Liu Bei finally arrived outside Shouchun City. Welcomed by Qin Zhen and his ministers, Old Liu returned triumphantly. Although there was an offensive and defensive battle in Shouchun at the end of last year, this did not affect Lao Liu's image in the hearts of Huainan people. On the contrary, Lu Bu's sudden appearance actually increased Liu Bei's prestige. When they heard that Liu Bei was returning, the people of Shouchun spontaneously went out to line the streets to welcome him and lined up outside the city. When Old Liu saw this, he was even shocked. He quickly dismounted and grabbed Qin Zhen and said: "Military Advisor, why is this happening? Why are all the people gathering here?" Liu Bei had seen big scenes before, but this was the first time he had seen the people in such a state. Subconsciously, he thought that it was the officials of Shouchun who instigated the people to come. Qin Zhen saw his surprised look and said with a smile: "The people know that you have returned from your expedition, so they have come to greet you!" "It is indeed the prosperity of Huainan and the fruit of the kingly way!" When Liu Bei heard what he said, he was surprised. Then he looked at the people and said: "But if the people are like this, how should we respond?" When Qin Zhen heard this, he turned behind him and asked: "You can ride your horse forward to show your closeness to the people!" "Zhen has ordered a banquet to be prepared in the palace, which can be used to reward the three armies!" When Liu Bei heard this, he shook his head and smiled: "Riding a horse along the street is like Yuan Changshui. I don't want to do that!" "But since the people are like this, it is hard to refuse their kindness."

"We can just walk into the city, and that will save the people's hearts!" Having said this, he simply threw away the reins and walked forward hand in hand with Qin Zhen. Unexpectedly, just as he reached the door, he suddenly saw a man. Liu Bei was surprised and said: "Isn't this Ziyu? When will he return to Shouchun?" As soon as he finished speaking, Zhuge Jin hurriedly stepped forward and saluted, saying: "My lord, I just arrived the day before yesterday. Now I heard that you are returning to the army, so I brought my friends to welcome you!" After completing his mourning period, Zhuge Jin returned to Liu Bei's army. But this time he did not return alone. Just as he had told Qin Zhen at the beginning, this time he moved all of the Zhuge family here. Not only did he bring Zhuge Jun, but also his cousin Zhuge Dan. Shi Tao and Meng Jian, who had previously intended to join the team, were also brought along. Seeing that Old Liu noticed his return, he felt warmed in his heart and introduced Shi Tao and Meng Jian to him. Seeing this, Liu Bei patted Zhuge Jin on the shoulder and said: "Great! It just so happens that our army has just conquered many new territories and is in need of talented people." "Tzuyu's return is just in time and will be of great use!" After giving these compliments, he took the initiative to greet Shi Tao and Meng Jian. When the two men saw that Liu Bei was asking them questions personally, they were flattered and quickly bowed with a humble attitude. Qin Zhen watched Lao Liu like this and said to him with a smile: "Guangyuan and Gongwei are both talented people. They can become the pillars of our army in the future!" "But there is one more person, you will be pleased to see him!" Liu Bei was surprised to hear that the two men had the talent to be county governors, but he heard another strange sentence: "Could it be that in addition to the two gentlemen, there are other talented people joining our army?" As soon as he finished speaking, Qin Zhen called out to the back, and then a middle-aged man with a square appearance came up to Liu Bei and bowed, saying: "It has been many years since we last met. I wonder if you still recognize me!" As soon as this person appeared, Liu Bei's expression was moved. He grabbed his hand and said: "Where did this long article come from, and why is it here?" This person is another great talent that Old Liu had been longing for in the past, Chen Qun Chen Changwen! This person's fate with Lao Liu is also a bad one. Long ago, when Liu Bei first entered Yuzhou, Chen Qun was Liu Bei's deputy driver. At that time, Tao Qian died of illness, and the people of Xuzhou welcomed Liu Bei to Xuzhou. Chen Qun urged Liu Bei not to go, on the grounds of preventing a surprise attack from Lu Bu. As a result, Liu Bei refused to listen and insisted on going, which eventually led to Lu Bu's successful sneak attack.

From then on, Chen Qun and his father Chen Ji fell into Lu Bu's hands. Whenever Liu Bei talked about this matter, he felt extremely regretful. In the original story, after Lü Bu's death, Chen Qun followed his father to pay a visit to Cao Cao. After that, he served successively as a clerk in the Western Cao of Sikong, and later became an advisor to the prime minister on military affairs, and eventually became one of the Three Dukes. He was well versed in the law, good at judging people, and was also the founder of the infamous Nine-Rank System. But it is undeniable that Chen Qun was definitely one of the top talents in the late Han Dynasty. This is also the reason why Liu Bei was so excited when he saw Chen Qun. As for why Chen Qun ended up like this, it is actually similar to the original history. After Qin Zhen captured Lu Bu, he returned to Xia Pi, and Chen Qun took the initiative to come and pay a visit to him. In fact, Chen Qun and his son had been living in seclusion in the suburbs of Xia Pi. Seeing that Lao Liu's power had expanded here, Chen Qun wanted to come and say hello. As a result, when Qin Zhen saw that the big fish had drilled out by itself, he took the father and son back to Shouchun. So the current scene appeared, and Liu Bei met his old friend again. Seeing that he was asking questions, Chen Qun simply told him the whole process again. When Liu Bei heard this, he was overjoyed and held Chen Qun tightly, saying: "I am not very happy about the pacification of Xuzhou now, but I am happy that I have left with a long article and returned." After saying this, Liu Bei felt very proud and pulled Chen Qun towards the city. (End of this chapter)