He originally intended to surrender to Wei, so why did he end up restoring Han?

What was it like to go on your first military campaign?

Lu Wan didn't feel anything, because he wasn't the one in command of the troops, so no matter how big the trouble was, it had nothing to do with Lu Wan.

The one leading the troops to support Liu Bei this time was Chen Deng. As the current leader of the powerful families in Xuzhou, Chen Deng's prestige had greatly increased after that night's battle, leaving other talents with nothing to say about Chen Deng's leadership.

Before Lu Wan left, Zhang Fei sent two personal guards to protect her. Knowing that Lu Wan could not ride a horse, he also arranged an oxcart for her, which made Lu Wan feel a little embarrassed.

In the evening, Chen Deng ordered the entire army to set up camp, and Lu Wan also got out of the car to stretch her body.

With the intelligence provided by Zhang Fei and her own historical knowledge, Lu Wan slowly pieced together the ins and outs of Yuan Shu's attack in her mind.

Yuan Shu mobilized at least 40,000 men for this campaign, not counting the reinforcements that followed.

Although later generations looked down on Yuan Shu, considering his abilities to be on par with those of the rulers of the late Han Dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period, his current, on-paper stats are terrifying.

When Yuan Shu occupied Nanyang, he controlled the Nanyang arsenal, which stored a large amount of military supplies. In addition, Yuan Shu had been the General of the Rear of the Imperial Army before Dong Zhuo's usurpation of power, and when he fled Luoyang, he took a considerable number of elite northern troops with him, so his wealth was considerable.

Even Cao Cao and Yuan Shao, who later became powerful figures, were unable to take away any of the central army of the Eastern Han Dynasty. They relied entirely on recruiting soldiers to achieve their current situation.

In comparison, Yuan Shu seems even worse.

At present, Liu Bei only has a mere 13,000 men in Guangling County. This is only after he has brought over all the men he could from the entire Xu Province. Moreover, the only elite troops Liu Bei has are the Danyang soldiers and the Youzhou cavalry he brought from his hometown.

The situation is extremely dire.

Yuan Shu's strategic goal was also clear: to completely defeat Liu Bei, occupy Xuzhou, and provide political capital for his later claim to the throne.

Liu Bei can only rely on the fortified city of Huaiyin to hold out until Yuan Shu's army is short of supplies and morale is low before launching an attack.

Lu Wan knew that if this stalemate continued, it would inevitably give Yuan Shu an opportunity to take advantage of the situation. If he surrounded Huaiyin City and then sent out several detachments to attack Liu Bei's rear, Xuzhou would really fall into Yuan Shu's hands.

Lu Wan had no desire to work under Yuan Shu; that ruthless man on the road had such low moral standards that he might not even look up to Lu Wan.

Just as he was deep in thought, a soldier came to report: "Mr. Lu, Captain Chen wants to see you."

Lu Wan raised an eyebrow. Chen Deng?

Seeing me at this time probably isn't just about getting to know me.

Following the messenger, Lu Wan finally met this local tyrant from Xuzhou.

After bowing, Lu Wan quietly observed Chen Deng, who looked to be in his thirties with delicate features, but a sallow complexion and a rather thin build.

In Lu Wan's mind, Chen Deng has always been a very complicated person.

He was known for his wisdom and governance, and from a young age he had the ambition to help the people. He implemented many policies to benefit the people in Xuzhou and was a close friend of Liu Bei.

He refused to abandon his family and fight alongside Liu Bei. When Lü Bu attacked Xiapi, he surrendered to Lü Bu; when Cao Cao occupied Xuzhou, he surrendered to Cao Cao. He was practically a chameleon.

At this moment, Chen Deng sat upright in the tent, holding a brush and writing something on a wooden tablet. Noticing someone enter the tent, Chen Deng raised his head from the desk.

"Please sit. May I ask what your courtesy name is, Brother Lu?..."

"Reporting to the Captain, Wen Yuan," Lu Wan made up a name for herself.

Chen Deng instructed his personal guards to pour him some tea, rubbed his aching wrists, and asked Lu Wan, "Why is Wen Yuan so insistent on going to see Lord Liu?"

Although Chen Deng had a smile on his face, his eyes were fixed on Lu Wan.

Lu Wan only thought about it for a moment before deciding to tell the truth. She knew she couldn't outsmart someone as clever as Chen Deng, so she might as well be honest and make a good impression.

"I wonder if Captain Chen is familiar with Sun Ce, who is currently sweeping across Jiangdong?"

"That little tyrant?"

"Indeed, Captain Chen. In the past, every city that Sun Ce conquered was taken back by Yuan Shu. Yuan Shu was much more stingy with him than he was with his father, Sun Jian."

However, things changed when Sun Ce invaded Jiangdong. Yuan Shu not only provided him with soldiers and supplies, but also allowed Sun Ce to develop in Jiangdong. It is likely that the two of them made some kind of deal.

Combining the rumors from when the warlords were fighting against Dong Zhuo, and the news I saw earlier in Jiujiang Commandery that a large number of people near Shouchun were forcibly conscripted to perform corvée labor to build palaces for Yuan Shu, I can see the truth.

It seems Yuan Shu has obtained the imperial seal and can't wait any longer.

Chen Deng had only intended to test Lu Wan, but ended up hearing a shocking revelation. He no longer had any doubts about whether Lu Wan was a spy sent by Yuan Shu, and he believed Lu Wan's background to some extent.

What spy would leak such important information? Even if one did, it couldn't be from Yuan Shu's household.

Chen Deng's expression also turned serious. The Han Dynasty still held considerable weight in his heart; otherwise, he wouldn't have cooperated so closely with Liu Bei.

"Not only that, but a large amount of grain and supplies are being transported to Shouchun from all over the country. I have also heard some merchants complain that their properties in Shouchun were forcibly bought at low prices by powerful figures, and the prices skyrocketed the next day. Now, the closer to Yuan Shu's palace, the more expensive the land is. If this continues, the day Yuan Shu occupies Xuzhou will be the day he declares himself emperor."

Lu Wan's addition was not unfounded. The first step in establishing a regime is to determine a basic ideology, followed by the selection of the capital. Yuan Shu's civil and military officials would naturally not live outside the capital, so it was a foregone conclusion that housing and land prices in Shouchun would rise.

Moreover, the resources required for such a large-scale event as Yuan Shu's ascension to the throne are enormous, and these must be prepared in advance; they cannot be dealt with casually. Lu Wan doesn't need to produce concrete evidence that Yuan Shu truly declared himself emperor; he only needs to raise these doubts, and a smart person like Chen Deng will investigate on his own.

"You have such talent, able to see the big picture from small details, it's truly rare." Chen Deng sighed a few times. Now there are people who dare to call themselves emperor, has the majesty of the Han Dynasty weakened to this extent?

"Therefore, I must meet with Prefect Liu and explain the advantages and disadvantages to him. The hope of the Han Dynasty rests on Prefect Liu." Lu Wan bowed solemnly to Chen Deng.

--------

Several days later

Huaiyin City, Guangling Commandery

Liu Bei sat on the cushion with his legs drawn up, pondering the distribution of his troops and the remaining provisions, while Guan Yu quietly read a military book beside him.

Several days earlier, Liu Bei had received news that Cao Bao and others, along with Lü Bu, were preparing to rebel. However, they were defeated by Zhang Fei and Chen Deng, who killed Cao Bao and others and seriously wounded Lü Bu.

One of them, Lu Wan, played a significant role and has now accompanied Chen Deng to support Liu Bei. He must also be a virtuous man with the Han dynasty in his heart.

Upon hearing the news, Liu Bei felt a mix of emotions. He was pleased that his third brother was now capable of handling things independently and sharing his burdens, but he was also furious that Lü Bu, whom he had kindly taken in, had dared to attack him at this crucial moment. He was utterly inhuman.

The letter also mentioned that the powerful families of Xuzhou had gathered 5,000 private soldiers and were escorting a shipment of supplies. Liu Bei breathed a sigh of relief; the more soldiers he had, the better his chances of defeating Yuan Shu.

Just as Liu Bei was fretting about where to station these newly arrived private soldiers, a personal guard stood at the door and said to him, "General, Chen Deng, the Colonel of Agriculture, has arrived."