My father-in-law Guan Yu, I persuaded Liu Bei to launch a surprise attack on Xiangyang at the beginn

Chapter 85: I admit it all! Let Mei Zhoulang feel our hospitality!
Liu Qi and Wei Yan came forward together, their eyes falling on the name Xiao He pointed at.

"Fu Shiren?"

Wei Yan's eyes were filled with suspicion again, and he said:
"As far as Yan knows, this man is from Youzhou, a fellow villager of our lord, and an old man who has followed our lord for many years."

"How did Military Advisor Bo Wen conclude that Fu Shiren would betray his lord and secretly communicate with Sun Quan?"

Liu Qi also nodded slightly, but had some doubts about Xiao He's judgment.

Of course Xiao He has his reasons.

The Xiakou garrison consisted of two parts: one was Liu Qi's Jiangxia troops, and the other was the Xiangyang troops led by Wei Yan.

Last year, Sun Quan attacked Xiakou in the name of revenge for his father. Not only did he kill Huang Zu, he also massacred the city to vent his anger.

The Jiangxia soldiers all have grudges against Jiangdong, and the internal supporters of Jiangdong are most likely not from the Jiangxia soldiers under Liu Qi.

Then there are only the Xiangyang soldiers led by Wei Yan.

To be honest, under normal circumstances, Xiao He really wouldn't be able to identify who the traitor was based on a list alone.

But the name Fu Shiren happened to be on the list.

This person has a dark history.

When the Bearded Man led the Northern Expedition to Xiangfan, Lu Meng crossed the river in white clothes and removed the beacon towers downstream. The navy rushed to Jiangling, and the first place they had to pass was Gong'an City, an important town downstream of Jiangling.

At that time, it was Fu Shiren who was in charge of maintaining public security.

As a result, when Lu Meng's troops were at the gates of the city, he only sent an envoy into the city to call on Fu Shiren, and Fu Shiren opened the city and surrendered.

Not only did he surrender, he also followed Lu Meng to Jiangling and persuaded Mi Fang to surrender.

With Lu Meng's wisdom, no one would believe that he had not won over Fu Shiren to rebel in advance.

Fu Shiren has such a criminal record, and now he appears among the Xiakou defenders. How could he not be noticed by Xiao He at first sight?

"I have my own methods, so there's no need to ask any more questions, Mr. Wen."

Xiao He naturally couldn't explain it, so he had to use mysterious tricks to get away with it.

"Master Gongwei, please summon all officers, including Fu Shiren, to the government office immediately to discuss military affairs."

"Wenchang, you must immediately strengthen your vigilance to prevent the Jiangdong troops from launching a surprise attack during this period and causing major disruptions."

"When Fu Shiren arrives, you will immediately send someone to take control of his troops and his followers. No one will be allowed to escape."

"Also, during the military meeting later, you will play a scene with me. If you do this..."

Xiao He then assigned the division of labor to Liu Qi and Wei Yan one by one.

Liu Qi and Wei Yan still had doubts on their faces, and it was obvious that they did not quite understand the deep meaning of Xiao He's series of plans.

"Military Advisor has given us instructions, so we should follow them."

Wei Yan first accepted the order, then asked:
"But if the military advisor has determined that Fu Shiren is collaborating with the enemy, he should just arrest him directly. Why go to such great lengths?"

Xiao He sighed softly and explained:
"You also said that Fu Shiren is an old man who has followed the master. If I don't use some tricks to lure him out of his true form, it won't be enough to convince the crowd to just take him down with just a word from me."

"Besides, I also want to take this opportunity to confirm whether my speculation is correct. If I am wrong and the spy is someone else, wouldn't that mean I've missed the mark?"

Wei Yan suddenly understood, so he stopped asking questions and hurriedly followed the order.

Liu Qi was filled with surprise at his uncle Liu Bei's newly appointed right military advisor.

He was also confused by Xiao He's series of actions and had no idea what was going on.

"Wei Wenchang said that Xiao Bowen has the ability to predict the future and predict the future. It is rumored that he is the son of an immortal from another world."

"Now that I've seen it with my own eyes, all his predictions are completely baseless. They really seem like they were made based on fortune-telling!"

"Well, since Uncle Xuande obeys his orders, he must be very capable. I'll just listen to him..."

Liu Qi's thoughts turned, so he suppressed his doubts and followed Xiao He's instructions.

An hour later.

In the main hall of the government office, all the officers and soldiers gathered together.

As the lord of Jiangxia and Liu Biao's eldest son, Liu Qi naturally sat in a high position.

Xiao He was next in line, sitting on his right.

As for this right military advisor, the officers and soldiers of Xiakou had heard of his name, but few had seen him in person.

Suddenly, a new face appeared in the government office, sitting to the right of the main seat, which made everyone whisper and speculate.

"Everyone, this is my uncle Xuande's newly appointed Right Military Advisor, Xiao Bowen and Xiao He."

"Uncle Xuande's strategy for the Battle of Fancheng, where he flooded Cao Cao's camp and defeated his 150,000-strong army, was devised by Military Advisor Xiao. I'm sure you've all heard of it."

Liu Qi stood up and introduced Xiao He to everyone.

At this time, Xiao He's name had already spread throughout Jingzhou, and the generals in Xiakou had long been fascinated by him.

Seeing Military Advisor Xiao suddenly arrive at Xiakou, the generals and officers were immediately shocked.

"We are here to see Military Advisor Xiao!"

"We are here to see Military Advisor Xiao!"

All the officers stood up and bowed respectfully.

Xiao Heze nodded slightly and greeted the officers. His eyes seemed casual, but he was secretly observing one of the officers.

That military general was none other than Fu Shiren.

He wanted to secretly observe and see if there would be any unusual changes in Fu Shiren's expression when he learned of his arrival.

really.

Others were either surprised or excited, but Fu Shiren had a flash of uneasiness in his eyes at the first moment.

Our own military advisor has come to Xiakou, so Xiakou must be impregnable. You should be relieved. Why are you feeling uneasy?
There's something fishy going on...

Xiao He felt more confident and said with a smile:
"I have come here today on the orders of the Lord to deliver good news to Master Gong Wei and the other generals."

"Not only did the lord defeat Cao Cao in Fancheng, he also took advantage of the victory to march north, dealt another heavy blow to Cao Ren, and recaptured Xinye in one fell swoop!"

"The threat to Jingbei has been temporarily lifted, and you can all breathe a sigh of relief."

As soon as the news came out, the hall was immediately in an uproar, and all the officers were excited.

Only Fu Shiren was not ecstatic, but frowned.

That expression made it seem as if Xiao He brought bad news instead of good news.

However, he was huddled in the crowd, and no one beside him paid much attention to his expression except Xiao He. Seeing Fu Shiren's expression, Xiao He was pretty sure of what was going on, so he winked at Wei Yan.

Wei Yan understood and gave a secret wink to the personal guards waiting outside the door.

"Report——"

A soldier rushed into the hall shouting, holding a letter high.

"Your Excellency, Master Gongwei, Your Excellency, General Wei."

"Our city gate guards captured a Jiangdong spy and found a secret letter on his body, saying it was sent by Zhou Yu to an accomplice in the city!"

In the lobby, everyone who was originally surprised was suddenly in an uproar.

When Fu Shiren heard the news, he shuddered, a few drops of tea in the bowl splashed out, and a look of panic flashed across his face.

If you weren't guilty, why are you so panicked?

Xiao He raised a slight sneer at the corner of his mouth, and then he made up his mind.

Wei Yan pretended to be shocked, snatched the letter and presented it to Xiao He.

Xiao He opened it slowly, pretended to take a closer look, and suddenly his expression changed.

"Snapped!"

The letter was thrown on the table, and Xiao He shouted angrily:
"Come here, capture this traitor Fu Shiren immediately!"

Wei Yan waved his hand, and the soldiers who had been on standby rushed forward and held Fu Shiren down.

"Military Advisor Xiao, why are you doing this? What crime have I committed that you are treating me like this?"

Fu Shiren's voice was trembling, and it was obvious that he was extremely guilty, but he still pretended to be wronged and shocked.

"Zhou Yu's secret letter tells you to act as an insider, seize the gates and allow the Jiangdong army to enter Xiakou. It's clearly written in black and white. What right do you have to quibble?"

Xiao He grabbed the letter and threw it in front of Fu Shiren.

Fu Shiren's face turned pale, and he was in a state of panic. He mumbled and didn't know what to do.

"If my predictions are correct, Sun Quan and Zhou Yu must have secretly bribed you heavily and promised you generous rewards, tempting you with huge profits to induce you to betray your master and secretly defect to Jiangdong!"

"Fu Shiren, the evidence is overwhelming. If you don't confess your crime quickly, the lord may spare your life because you have followed him for so many years!"

Xiao He stood up and gave a harsh scolding with a mixture of lies and threats.

Of course, this temptation with benefits was indeed his guess.

The inducement that can make a person betray his former master is mostly power and money.

Although Fu Shiren followed Liu Bei for many years, he remained unknown. This was simply because his abilities were limited and he was unable to shoulder important responsibilities. In his early years, he was not worthy of being bribed and instigated by the enemy to rebel.

Given his mediocre ability, Liu Bei was not treating Fu Shiren badly by entrusting him with guarding an important town like Gong'an.

Liu Bei should have given Fu Shiren enough status and official position, and he probably did not surrender to Wu for this reason.

Since it's not for power or status, it's most likely for money.

So Xiao He speculated that Sun Quan must have tempted Fu Shiren with huge benefits.

really.

As soon as this angry scolding came out, Fu Shiren's last psychological defense was instantly broken.

"Boom!"

His knees weakened and he fell to the ground.

"I am guilty. I was blinded by greed. I shouldn't have betrayed my lord's kindness because of a moment of greed!"

"I lost money gambling, and a Jiangdong merchant came to offer me some money. I accepted it out of ignorance."

"Who would have thought that after sending it several times, the Jiangdong merchant suddenly changed his words and said that he was sent by Sun Quan to befriend me. I was threatened by him and had no choice but to..."

Fu Shiren knelt on the ground, his face full of regret and shame, and he told the whole story with tears in his eyes.

Xiao He sighed.

It was almost as he expected. Fu Shiren's betrayal was half voluntary and half forced.

But as the saying goes, flies don't bite seamless eggs. If you weren't addicted to gambling, greedy for money and weak-willed, how could you have been set up by Sun Quan?

"Fu Shiren, pick up the letter and take a look at it first."

Xiao He pointed to Zhou Yu's "personal letter" on the ground.

Fu Shiren stopped confessing, picked up the letter tremblingly, and was stunned after just one look.

There was not a single word on that piece of silk book!
"Military Advisor Xiao, you—"

Fu Shiren suddenly realized and looked at Xiao He in surprise.

There was no Jiangdong spy at all, and no secret letter from Zhou Yu to him. It turned out that this was all a trap set by Xiao He!
Xiao He was too lazy to waste words with him, so he waved his hand and shouted:
"Come, take him away and send him to Xiangyang to be dealt with by the Lord!"

Wei Yan waved his hand, and a group of soldiers dragged Fu Shiren, who had a dull look and looked like he had lost his soul, out.

After a brief silence in the hall, there was another uproar.

"Military Advisor Xiao is quite resourceful. With just a fake letter, he managed to make Fu Shiren confess his crimes!"

"Qi has finally learned a lesson from Military Advisor Xiao's wisdom today!"

At this time, Liu Qi just understood the intention of Xiao He's series of plans, and couldn't help but admire it.

After praising it highly, Liu Qi asked curiously:

"But Military Advisor Xiao, there's still one thing I'm not sure about. How did you conclude from the very beginning that Fu Shiren was secretly communicating with Jiangdong?"

As soon as these words were spoken, Wei Yan and all the officers present widened their eyes and looked at Xiao He with curiosity.

"Well, ahem..."

Xiao He lowered his head and sipped the tea.

When he picked up the bowl of soup, he suddenly noticed that a thick fog had risen outside the hall.

As the smile faded from his face, Xiao He's expression instantly became alert.

"It's foggy. This kind of weather is perfect for a surprise attack."

"Master Gongwei, Master Wen, make your preparations. I predict that the handsome Zhou Lang from Jiangdong will arrive by tomorrow morning at the latest."

"A guest is a guest. We must let Zhou Lang feel our warm hospitality!"

(End of this chapter)