Chapter 2: Escape Route Plan

  "It's up to us!" Qin Xu secretly encouraged himself.

  What's wrong with being 15 years old? Since this era can accept a 14-year-old Zhou Yu commanding troops and making a name for himself, shocking the world. So, working hard with the insight of two thousand years beyond this era, even if Cao is not aware of it, he can still manage to keep himself safe, even hiding in Shu as a carefree old man shouldn't be too difficult, right?

  "Whatever! Whatever! In any case, it's still best to think of a way to leave Lü Bu's army first!" Qin Xu shook his head vigorously, shaking off the jumbled thoughts in his mind.

  The first thing to do now is to make the people around him believe that he is indeed Qin Zhonglu, which is the most important thing. Otherwise, before thinking of a way to leave Lü Bu's army, Qin Xu will be torn into pieces by Old Hui, and it is estimated that at that time, even if Qin Xu wants to explain, no one will believe him.

  That hit by the wine jar was too ruthless, and I don't know why my "previous self" wanted to enter the trap so much. For this so-called "ideal", I could even accept the flattery of Sima Mao and his gang, accompany them to steal wine, and finally be taken advantage of by Director Qin from 2000 years later.

  The current Qin Xu is not the same as the previous one. For anyone who has read Three Kingdoms, the Trap Array Camp, although it is a peerless and brave army under the heavens, its outcome is not very good. The Trap Array Camp, which was admired by all the soldiers of Lü Bu's army, if nothing unexpected happens, will soon have its commander replaced by Lü Bu's wife's brother, Wei Xu! And Gao Shun will be further alienated by Lü Bu and become an ordinary general.

  A lion led by a lion and a lamb leading a lion, how can their powers be compared?

  But for Qin Xu, who thought he was an onlooker, this might be an opportunity to leave Lü Bu's army.

  "Since we have to go, we must carefully plan and make sure everything is perfect."

  It's not a peaceful world now. The chaotic era of the Three Kingdoms has just begun to reveal its signs, and the small-scale disturbances from the Yellow Turbans in various places are no trivial matter.

  It seems that if he wants to find a new patron before leaving the Lü Bu army, a good guard force is indispensable. Otherwise, Qin Xu might become the first pioneer of the traversers to be killed by mountain bandits.

  Unfortunately, in the memories Qin Xu received, apart from Old Hui, there were very few people with considerable strength. Moreover, Qin Xu was too young and couldn't possibly know many formidable figures.

  Moreover, even if Qin Xu was acquainted with him, at his young age, being an official would only make him a chief clerk. To say that he could recruit heroes and warriors would be nothing but a joke.

  It seems like I can only rely on Old Xu now.

  If Qin Xu had this idea as soon as he arrived in the Three Kingdoms era, after hearing various versions of Qin Xu's inexplicable lifesaving grace to Lao Xu from Sima Mao and others, perhaps Qin Xu still had a few points of confidence to try.

  However, when Qin Xu saw Gao Shun after meeting with Lao Xue and others, his eyes showed absolute admiration from the bottom of his heart without any concealment, at that time, Qin Xu's heart cooled down by half.

  What was previously referred to as a lifesaving favor, Qin Xu himself didn't have the slightest impression. Some were just listening to Sima Mao and others jokingly mention it, anyway, in memory, Old Xu had never made any explanation, when asked urgently, he would only pull his ugly face with scars, and laugh foolishly to get by. The truth and falsehood of this matter is really hard to say.

  Looking at it from Qin Xu's experience in the previous life, as long as Gao Shun is in Lü Bu's army for one day, I estimate that asking Old Hui to be his guard would not be easy. Not to mention taking Old Hui away from Lü Bu's army to join their former arch-nemesis. Don't forget, if the people of Lin Hui's camp have a feeling of admiration for Gao Shun, then towards their absolute leader Lü Bu, it can be said that they are worshiping him. Changing someone's faith is really too difficult.

  Another reason, even if Old Xu was grateful for that inexplicable lifesaving grace and really agreed to go with Qin Xu to surrender to Cao Cao, there was another very important factor that made Qin Xu scratch his head in frustration.

  That's money!

  A penny can be a hero's downfall.

  Especially in this world, people can prey on each other at any time. Having no money is really a difficult situation.

  In his memory, Qin Xu did not think he had any savings. As the chief clerk, Qin Xu's salary was only a meager twenty dan.

  What is the concept of twenty tons?

  To put it bluntly, it's probably not even enough for a month's worth of rations for the soldiers in Old Xu's camp.

  What's even more embarrassing is that Qin Xu had his heart set on recruiting Old He as a bodyguard, but the salary was only 100 dan.

  Jingjing is five times that of Qin Xu, and this is not even in wartime. When there are military achievements, the rewards for breaking through the array camp are often the most generous, and it's not impossible to be ten or more times the salary.

  "Perhaps Qin Zhuli's strong demand to join the Trap Camp is also related to the height of his salary?" Qin Xu maliciously speculated.

  It all boils down to money in the end.

  Money can make the gods walk.

  The three kingdoms' big shots rose to fame because Liu Bei first received strategic materials such as warhorses and armor from Su Shuang, and also had a wealthy brother Zhang Fei. He then made a name for himself in the Yellow Turban Rebellion. Later on, if it weren't for the help of the Xu family in Xuzhou, who provided him with money, grain, troops, horses, and even gave their sister to Liu Bei as a wife, along with a "dowry" of 30,000 well-trained guards.

  The Sun family doesn't need to be said, whether it's Sun Ce or Sun Quan in power, their influence is a product of compromise with various big families in Jiangdong. The bureaucratic system in Jiangdong is filled with many Jiangdong aristocratic families, they have money and people, together to "help" the old Sun family, the Sun family's exclusion of outsiders is easy to understand.

  While Qin Xu's mind was determined to be the master, he relied on Old Cao to secure his future in this chaotic world. At that time, with the help of the great merchant Wei Zi, he had the current situation. It seems that it was around this time that Cao Cao welcomed the opportunity to enter Xuzhou Prefecture. Having just taken over a large area of land, Cao Cao would definitely seek talents eagerly. The famous "Decree on Seeking Talents" that shook the ages seemed to be issued around this time.

  Compared to the worldly views of light commerce in this era, Qin Zhongbo was a "successful person" in the business world of the previous life, and naturally had an innate psychological advantage over the indigenous people of the late Han Dynasty.

  It seems there is no chance at all in Lao Cao's place!

  Qin Xu, who thought he had figured everything out, was actually in a pretty good mood. He hummed a little tune that no one in this era would understand, feeling quite pleased as he tidied up his still somewhat unfamiliar hairstyle.

  Although the Han Dynasty and Three Kingdoms period was a time of collapse of rites and music, there were some established rules that some people deliberately followed, such as this hairstyle.

  For ordinary people, they cannot wear a crown without having gone through the capping ceremony. However, Qin Xu was an official with a flower-pressing card, and although he was just a small, unimportant clerk, he still had the qualifications to wear a crown. As a compromise, Qin Xu could only tie up his hair and wear a kerchief instead of a crown, which was also a kind of expedient measure.

  The sky had already darkened, and the magnificent General Lü Bu's mansion was lit up with lanterns and torches. The entire courtyard was illuminated. Due to Lü Bu's recent marriage, the court officials who were still in their honeymoon period would attend the banquet to congratulate him, even if it was just to show respect for Wang Yun. Therefore, the entire venue was decorated with lanterns and streamers, and countless colorful knots and ribbons were tied everywhere, exuding a joyful atmosphere.

  "Qin Zhubu!"

  "Qin Zhubu!"

  Busy servants and housekeepers, seeing Qin Xu, put down their work and bowed. Other officials of similar rank to Qin Xu also nodded slightly, which was considered a greeting.

  Qin Xu paced back and forth, recalling the tone and style he usually used when interacting with others, and responded cautiously, without arousing anyone's suspicion.

  Fortunately, the original owner of this body had not been in Lü Bu's army for a long time and usually only bothered to entangle with Old Xi, thinking that he could rely on his small stature to enter the most elite vanguard camp. Old Xi did not dare to make decisions and didn't know why it was not good to say so clearly, so he had to drag it out indefinitely. As a result, Qin Xu became the chief clerk for less than a month and rarely saw him even at normal roll calls.

  So, although Qin Xu was nominally a subordinate of the General's Mansion of Wen Wu, he actually had little contact with other subordinates who had followed Lü Bu for a long time due to his origin and the reason of Old Xi. Some hadn't even met him before.

  Those who can make a name for themselves in this era are basically all sophisticated people.

  People with a mind probably knew from other channels how Qin Xu got this job, after all, the contradictions between Gao Shun and Lü Bu are not what these small officials deliberately pondered, plus Gao Shun has a high prestige in Lü Bu's army, which is not something that these small officials can afford to provoke.

  Moreover, Qin Xu usually doesn't take advantage of his position or cause trouble, he just hangs out with those fierce and evil soldiers when he has free time, and there's no conflict of interest between them. Furthermore, Qin Xu is really too young, even if some older people don't approve of his idle behavior, they have to consider their reputation for bullying the younger ones, so they can't be too obvious about it. Over time, they gradually lost interest and didn't take the initiative to get close to or mentor this young main bookkeeper anymore.

  It was as if the Lu family's general had just come to report to Qin Xu, but due to the strict rules and intimidation of the Lu Bu's mansion, he only informed Qin Xu through the door. After all, Qin Xu was nominally one of the accountants in charge of the General Wu's treasury.

  Qin Xu saw that no one noticed his abnormality, and the soldiers of the Trap Array Camp led by Lao Xu and Sima Mao had already entered their posts, with no time to care about Qin Xu who was getting anxious.

  Qin Xu also enjoyed the leisure, walking towards his own residence in memory, wanting to see if he could still gather some information about Qin Zhub before, so as not to really grope in the dark when the time came.

  Back and forth, the sky had already turned pitch black. Qin Xu followed the route in his memory for a long time, but he always felt like he was walking in circles. With the help of the vague light that seemed both near and far, he only felt that everything around him had become one shape.

  It is estimated that Wang Yun, in order to better win over Lü Bu, bestowed upon him the magnificent mansion of the General of the Valiant Guards, with its grand halls and pavilions, and numerous scenic spots.

  Qin Xu himself was not a person with a strong sense of direction, and the route in his memory was also very vague. It's estimated that Qin Zhongbo also had some potential for getting lost before, and adding to that, Qin Xu subconsciously avoided crowds, resulting in him walking further and further away from the main road, until now he can't even find his way back...