Chapter 45: With Such a Divine Being, Our Lord May Yet Command the World!

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Is my own daughter taken with that Xiao He? Otherwise, in such a public setting, how could she allow Xiao He to feed her in front of Zhao Yun? Guan Yu knows his daughter’s temperament all too well. If it were any other man, daring to be so presumptuous and disrespectful, he would have overturned the table and drawn his sword to cut him into pieces on the spot. Yet now, Guan Yinping neither resents nor gets angry; her cheeks flushed, she sits there quietly, allowing Xiao He to “mess around.” As Liu Bei said, if her heart is already given to someone, what else could it be?

“Ever since bringing Xiao Bowen here, this girl Yinping has treated him differently from others. Looking back carefully now, could it be that she’s been like this from the start…” Guan Yu recalled the earlier subtle signs and, seeing this scene, finally began to understand.

“Lord, General Yun Chang, why have you come?” Xiao He, noticing the two, quickly put down his chopsticks and rose to greet them. Guan Yinping, who had been distracted and blushing, suddenly shivered. Turning around, she saw her father had arrived and hurriedly swallowed the mutton in her mouth, standing up to welcome them.

“Father… Uncle, why have you returned to Xiangyang?” Guan Yinping’s words were slightly awkward, uncertain about what Guan Yu might have seen.

Liu Bei cleared his throat lightly and smiled as he stepped into the hall. To avoid embarrassment, Guan Yu had no choice but to pretend he had seen nothing and followed Liu Bei inside.

“Bei, this time you’ve returned to…” Liu Bei was about to explain his purpose when his gaze fell on the table, and he asked curiously, “Bowen, what are you eating here?”

Guan Yu and Xu Shu, who had followed in, also looked curiously at the pots and dishes on the table.

“This is mutton hotpot. When I practiced in the mountains, my master favored this dish.”

“You’ve come at the right time, my lord. Would you like to try some?”

After saying this casually, Xiao He invited them to sit down.

“Hotpot?” Liu Bei and Guan Yu exchanged a glance, both having never heard of it before. But learning it was a specialty brought out from the mountains by Xiao He, the two brothers were no longer surprised.

“To eat mutton in such a way is unheard of. This Xiao Bowen’s master must truly be a recluse from another world—I would love to see it with my own eyes…” Xu Shu, whose experience was limited, marveled inwardly.

As they spoke, the group sat down.

“This hotpot… we can try it later. The reason for my return is the planned surprise attack on Deng County. There is also a difficult matter I need to consult with you on, Bowen.”

Liu Bei’s expression grew solemn as he turned to the main topic.

Xiao He poured a bowl of tea for Liu Bei and asked in return, “I heard from General Zilong that reinforcements from Jiangxia have arrived. What difficulty could there still be? Could it be that Cao Cao has not dispatched troops to Chaoyang?”

Liu Bei glanced at Xu Shu, who then explained, one by one, the concerns raised by Ma Liang in the Water Camp headquarters.

“Everything is ready except for one uncertainty: the exact number of Cao’s troops stationed in the grain depot at Deng County.”

“If we cross the river relying only on estimates, it will certainly be risky.”

Xu Shu pointed out the key worry.

Liu Bei nodded slightly and said, “Our forces are few, Bowen, as you know. We cannot afford any mistakes.”

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“That is why I have come to ask if you can calculate how many troops Cao Cao has left in Deng County?”

Xiao He wanted to smile wryly. When you two just reunited, you were fearless, ready to go all out. If I hadn’t stopped you, you would have already made a bold move. Now you’ve suddenly become cautious? Could it be that I’ve influenced you?

It’s not that caution is bad, but now, at the crucial moment, just charging in would be the best course. Why overthink it? And Liu Bei wants me to calculate the number of troops in Cao’s camp at Deng County—that’s a bit too much.

“My lord, you make it difficult for me. If I could just snap my fingers and know the exact number of enemy troops, I’d be a real immortal…” Xiao He scratched his forehead, looking troubled.

Liu Bei and Guan Yu exchanged glances that clearly said, “Bowen is just being modest again; don’t believe a word.” If Xiao Bowen didn’t have the ability to foresee events, how could he have predicted Liu Biao’s death, Liu Cong’s surrender to Cao, or Cao Cao’s ambush at Chaoyang? Even if he isn’t an immortal, he must at least be a half-immortal…

Only Xu Shu thought Liu Bei’s request was a bit excessive. No matter how brilliant a strategist, without intelligence support, it is impossible to accurately determine the enemy’s troop strength. At best, a strategist can only make an estimate.

“Don’t be modest. You don’t have to be an immortal to make a good guess. Just give it a try~”

Guan Yinping’s delicate nose twitched as she pleaded, her voice unusually coaxing.

“Alright, alright, let me think about it, let me think…”

Xiao He had no choice but to bravely take on the task. There was no way around it since his reputation for miraculous calculations and foresight had already taken root deeply. If he failed now, he’d lose all credibility.

Everyone’s spirits lifted, their eyes full of expectation fixed on Xiao He.

“The true or false strength of Cao’s camp, huh…”

Xiao He closed his eyes slightly, tapping his forehead with his fingers, his mind heating up. Suddenly, a spark of inspiration crossed his eyes.

“My lord, are there any hills or elevated terrain near Deng County?”

Liu Bei was momentarily stunned but then replied, “Deng County is mostly flat, but there are a few hills, though they are quite far from Cao’s camp. I’m afraid they won’t be close enough to observe the camp’s true strength.”

Liu Bei assumed Xiao He wanted to send spies to scout from a high vantage point.

“Distance is not a problem. Don’t forget, we have this.”

Xiao He smiled mysteriously and stood up abruptly. After rummaging through a box, he brought out a telescope.

“General Zilong should know how to use this, right?”

He handed the telescope to Zhao Yun and instructed, “General Zilong, take this across the river first. Find a nearby hill close to Cao’s camp in Deng County and use this to observe the enemy’s strength from above. The number of Cao’s troops will be clear as day.”

“If our suspicions are correct and Cao Cao has indeed dispatched troops from the grain depot in Deng County, you can signal us with beacon fires.”

“When the beacons light up, my lord will have no hesitation in leading the army across the river. Thirty thousand troops will launch a surprise attack on Deng County, burning tens of thousands of bushels of Cao Cao’s grain!”

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Such a rare and precious item as this telescope cannot be entrusted to ordinary scouts. What if it falls into Cao’s hands? Only Zhao Yun can be entrusted with this, ensuring absolute safety.

Everyone suddenly understood.

The dark clouds in Liu Bei’s heart dispersed, and he praised happily:

“How did I not think that Bowen had such a marvelous item? We can use this to spy on Cao’s camp!”

“Well, well, no time to waste. Zilong, set out immediately!”

Zhao Yun carefully packed the telescope and promptly took his leave.

Everyone present, including Guan Yu, knew of the telescope’s magic and naturally felt relieved.

“Bowen gave this to Zilong. What kind of strange device is it that can observe Cao’s camp from such a distance?”

Only Xu Shu, unaccustomed to the wider world, looked on with puzzled amazement, his thoughts churning like the tide.

“With the final hurdle cleared, our army will cross the river tonight. No time to delay; I will return to the Water Camp first.”

“Bowen, rest well in the city and await our good news.”

Having solved the difficulty, Liu Bei could not stay long and rose to leave immediately.

Xiao He hurried to see him off.

“My lord, what exactly is the device you gave Zilong that can spy on the true strength of Cao’s troops?”

A few steps later, Xu Shu could no longer contain his curiosity and asked.

Liu Bei and Guan Yu were momentarily taken aback, then exchanged a smile, remembering Xu Shu was still in the dark.

Since he was one of their own, Liu Bei saw no reason to keep it secret and told him about the telescope’s wondrous powers.

“Bowen has such an incredible device? Isn’t this the legendary artifact said only to be possessed by immortals?”

Xu Shu gasped, his eyes wide with astonishment as if hearing a fairy tale.

“We had also suspected that Bowen was a disciple of an immortal recluse. But Zhuge Liang’s skepticism about spirits left no proof, and Bowen never confirmed it, so we did not investigate further.”

“Yuan Zhi, you’ve only seen one side of Bowen. The more you live with him, the more unfathomable he becomes.”

Liu Bei’s eyes darkened with emotion.

“My humble brother thinks that Xiao Bowen surely has the ability to calculate Cao’s troop strength, yet he chooses this roundabout method to observe the camp,” Guan Yu stroked his beard thoughtfully.

“My brother’s guess is reasonable; I think the same,” Liu Bei nodded emphatically.

“But Bowen is unfathomable. His concerns are beyond our understanding. He must have his reasons, so we need not probe too deeply.”

Guan Yu agreed.

Xu Shu’s expression, however, kept changing as he listened. Every word the brothers spoke about Xiao He shattered his previous impressions.

“This Xiao Bowen’s marvels are truly unlike anything I’ve ever seen in my life. Not only me, but even the strategists within Cao’s camp, numerous as they are, probably cannot match him!”

“To have such a divine figure, my lord is truly blessed by fate. Though we now hold only a corner of Xiangfan, the future may well see us rule the world…”

Xu Shu gazed toward Xiao He’s direction, his astonished eyes quietly gaining resolve.

A few steps ahead, Liu Bei put aside his reflections, changed the subject with a smile, and asked:

“Yun Chang, I intend to play matchmaker and bring Bowen and Yinping together. What do you think as a father?”