Chapter 904: Feigning Retreat to Lure the Enemy

The verification by Xin Pi and Zhu Ling did not take much time. Xu Shu had indeed left, and based on Xin Pi's judgment, he concluded that Yuan Shao likely believed the time for battle was ripe, with Liu Bei mired in a desperate struggle and in need of reinforcements.

Under such circumstances, Xin Pi and Zhu Ling naturally entrusted the city's defenses to their deputy generals, taking gifts in hand to personally visit the Cui Family that night to apologize.

In truth, all of this had been within Cui Yan's expectations. There is a stratagem known as "Feigning Retreat to Lure the Enemy," and though Cui Yan might not possess extraordinary brilliance or cunning, once he resolved to act, he never wavered. Since he had already decided to side with Liu Bei, even without Xu Shu's involvement, he would find his own way to establish ties with Liu Bei.