The next day, with a truce declared, Li Ru arranged for Li Su to take gold, silver, jewels, and Chitu to Ding Yuan's Bing Province Army camp, attempting to persuade Lü Bu to surrender.
Li Su, riding a horse with a cunning smile on his face, deliberately lingered in front of the camp and made a loud commotion, thinking to himself that he needed Ding Yuan to know someone was visiting Lü Bu, which would better facilitate his scheme of alienation.
He even deliberately announced loudly that a fellow townsman had come to visit, his voice exceptionally clear.
At this time, Lü Bu was still resting in his tent, exhausted from the previous day's battle.
Li Su's actions had not yet reached Lü Bu, but Ding Yuan had already noticed them.
Ding Yuan frowned, feeling puzzled and unsure of the visitor's intentions.
When Lü Bu heard the military report that a fellow townsman had come to visit, he was greatly surprised, a look of confusion on his young face, as he secretly speculated about the fellow townsman's purpose.
Soon, he had someone bring Li Su in.
After Li Su entered the tent, his face was wreathed in smiles as he said, "General Lü, long time no see! You're truly well."
Lü Bu frowned, looking at him blankly, and said, "I don't know you.
Who exactly are you?"
Li Su smiled and said, "General Lü truly has the memory of a busy man.
We are fellow townsmen!
We even played together when we were children.
Do you still remember that small river and that small mountain in our hometown?"
Lü Bu, slightly questioning, carefully considered the hometown scenery Li Su described and found that it indeed matched, so he said, "Oh, I think I have some impression."
Only then did Li Su relax and exchange pleasantries with Lü Bu: "Oh, General Lü is truly magnificent now, worthy of being the pride of our fellow townsmen!"
Lü Bu repeatedly declined, saying to Li Su, "You flatter me.
I am only a Scribe in the Bing Province Army, not the General you speak of."
At this moment, a hint of helplessness and self-mockery surged in Lü Bu's heart; he possessed great skill but could only hold such a position.
Li Su feigned confusion and championed Lü Bu, saying, "Fengxian's bravery is known to all, not to mention that everyone witnessed yesterday's great battle, so how could he only be a Scribe?"
Li Su inwardly rejoiced, the fish was starting to bite, but outwardly he put on a show of righteous indignation.
Lü Bu looked dejected and confirmed to him, "I am indeed serving as a Scribe in the tent."
Lü Bu's heart was filled with depression, his talent so buried.
Li Su instantly felt sorry for Lü Bu, saying, "How can Fengxian, with such high talent, serve as a Scribe?
Ding Yuan is somewhat lacking in judging people.
Even someone with my meager abilities can serve as a General under Dong Gong, let alone Lü Bu."
At this moment, Li Su thought to himself that he must make Lü Bu dissatisfied with Ding Yuan to better implement his plan.
Lü Bu started in surprise upon hearing this, his heart instantly filled with doubt and vigilance, and he said, "Are you here to persuade me to surrender?"
Immediately, he grew suspicious of Li Su and did not give him a pleasant look.
But Li Su calmly denied that he was there to persuade him to surrender, only saying that Dong Gong valued talent and treated Ma Chao with various courtesies, believing that Lü Bu, who could fight Ma Chao to a draw, was no ordinary person.
He also noted that Lü Bu had not had a good warhorse in several battles, and out of a love for talent, specially gifted Lü Bu a warhorse.
Li Su thought to himself that he must dispel Lü Bu's suspicion and make him believe in his sincerity.
Lü Bu was half-believing, and Li Su then pulled Lü Bu to go see Chitu.
Li Su led Lü Bu out, and before them was Chitu, tall and mighty, its coat as vibrant as flames, shimmering in the sunlight.
Its body was strong and upright, with smooth and elegant lines, every muscle containing infinite power.
Its long mane flowed in the wind, like burning flames.
Its eyes were bright and spirited, revealing an arrogant demeanor.
The moment Lü Bu saw Chitu, he was completely captivated; his eyes gleamed with fervent light, and his heart was filled with love and longing for this divine steed.
He couldn't help but walk forward, gently stroking Chitu's back, feeling its warmth and power.
Lü Bu thought to himself, this is truly a peerless horse; how wonderful it would be if he could own it.
Seeing this, Li Su knew the matter was settled, and a triumphant smile appeared on his face, thinking to himself that the plan was finally going to succeed.
Li Su said to Lü Bu, "Is Fengxian satisfied?"
Lü Bu, however, suppressed the surging desire in his heart, gritted his teeth, cupped his hands, and said, "Dong Gong, this gift is too valuable.
Now that both sides are at war, how can I neglect public affairs for personal desires?
Moreover, I am deeply indebted to my foster father Ding Yuan; how can I easily betray him?
Please, brother, take the horse back and thank Dong Gong for his kind intention."
At this moment, although Lü Bu desperately yearned for Chitu, the magnificent image of Chitu constantly swirled in his mind, making his heart restless for a long time, but reason still made him try to restrain himself, constantly reminding himself not to do anything against righteousness for a horse.
Li Su continued to speak eloquently, "Fengxian, you are mistaken.
Since ancient times, a fine horse has been paired with a hero.
Dong Gong has no demands on Fengxian; he simply admires Fengxian's martial prowess.
Fengxian's bravery is awe-inspiring, and such a precious horse perfectly matches Fengxian's status and temperament.
Think of Ma Chao's exceptionally magnificent mount, which adds a few points to his prestige.
If Fengxian acquires this horse, it will be like adding wings to a tiger, and he will surely achieve even greater accomplishments in this chaotic world."
Li Su rejoiced inwardly, feeling that Lü Bu was beginning to waver, and he worked even harder to persuade Lü Bu, attempting to completely break down his psychological defenses.
Lü Bu, meanwhile, struggled internally, thinking about Ding Yuan's temperament and the potential consequences if he accepted the horse, his heart filled with entanglement and contradiction.
He frowned tightly and said again, "No, this is truly improper.
I cannot bear the name of disloyalty and unrighteousness for my own selfish desires.
This horse absolutely cannot be accepted."
Li Su then encouraged Lü Bu, "Fengxian, why don't you ride it and see how it feels?"
Lü Bu ultimately could not suppress the surging love in his heart, like a flood, gritted his teeth, and leaped onto the horse.
The moment Lü Bu mounted Chitu, he felt a powerful force instantly course through his entire body.
Chitu galloped out like a red lightning bolt, its hooves flying as if treading on clouds.
The wind whistled past his ears, roaring loudly, as if playing a stirring symphony.
Lü Bu felt as if he had become one with Chitu, each gallop bringing an unparalleled sense of exhilaration and heroism.
Chitu was exceptionally magnificent, and when it galloped, it was as swift as a gale and as shocking as thunder.
Its speed was so fast that one could barely see the surrounding scenery, leaving only a blurred shadow.
Its strong muscles bulged when exerting force, displaying infinite explosive power.
Its hooves struck the ground, kicking up clouds of dust, like a storm sweeping through.
Lü Bu felt an unprecedented sense of freedom and passion on horseback, and the heroism in his heart was completely ignited.
He was intoxicated by the thrill of galloping, momentarily unable to extricate himself, and Chitu seemed to carry him into a whole new world, allowing him to experience a transcendent and exhilarating feeling.
While Lü Bu was riding Chitu, Li Su quietly gave a look to his attendant.
The attendant understood and secretly hid all the gold, silver, and jewels they carried in Lü Bu's tent.
Meanwhile, Lü Bu was immersed in the excitement and joy of controlling Chitu, completely unaware of Li Su and the attendant's small actions.
He fully enjoyed the lightning-fast sensation Chitu brought him, his heart growing fonder and more appreciative of this divine steed.
At this moment, his mind was only filled with Chitu's majestic posture and the exhilaration of running, completely unaware that those tempting treasures had been quietly placed in his tent.
Ding Yuan had already sensed the unusual nature of this matter when Li Su arrived; Li Su's feigned actions truly filled Ding Yuan's heart with doubt.
Ding Yuan ultimately remained uneasy and summoned his generals, expressing his concerns to them, because he knew that Lü Bu was from Wuyuan and had no familiar fellow townsmen in the capital, and the only possibility was in the Xiliang Army, as Western Liang also belonged to the frontier.
Ding Yuan stated that Li Su was likely an envoy sent by Dong Zhuo, and that Lü Bu might be colluding with Dong Zhuo.
Although the generals all asserted that Lü Bu was not such a person and strongly defended him, the more the generals spoke, the more suspicious Ding Yuan became.
Finally, he ordered Lü Bu and Li Su to be brought to him.
Just as Lü Bu had finished trying out Chitu, he saw a team of soldiers approaching from afar, directly wanting to take them to see Ding Yuan.
Lü Bu said, "This Li Su is my fellow townsman and good friend; how can you treat him like this?
I will go see my foster father."
The soldiers said, "Excuse us, General Lü, please forgive us, but the Lord has requested to bring both of you."
After speaking, regardless of whether Lü Bu agreed, these personal guards of Ding Yuan showed no due respect to Lü Bu, let alone Li Su, an outsider, and pushed and shoved them to see Ding Yuan.
