At the end of the Han Dynasty: a stingy husband from his hometown

Chapter 200 Xuande is done
When Tao Qian heard Chen Deng's words, he showed hesitation and said, "I have no friendship with Zhou Qi. I sent an envoy to ask him to stop attacking Jingzhou before. Even if he doesn't hold a grudge, he may not be willing to send troops to help me."

"What's more, I have heard that Zhou Qi has a very good personal relationship with Cao Cao and Yuan Shao. It would be a blessing not to help Cao Cao attack Xuzhou. How dare he ask him to send troops to help?"

But Chen Deng shook his head: "How can a person like a general of chariots and cavalry ignore the overall situation just because of a personal relationship?"

"If this is true, why did the generals of chariots and cavalry not come to help Cao Cao when Yuan Guangzhi attacked Yanzhou, but went to attack Jingzhou instead?"

"Cao Cao already has a majestic appearance. If he takes Xuzhou, his reputation will be greatly shaken, and he may threaten the safety of Yangzhou."

"I predict that the general of chariots and cavalry will not sit idly by and watch."

When Tao Qian heard this, he was immediately overjoyed and ordered Mi Zhu to go north to Qingzhou to ask for help from Tian Kai, and Chen Deng to go south to Yangzhou to ask for help from Zhou Qi.

Mi Zhu arrived in Qingzhou and saw Tian Kai, saying: "My lord and General Gongsun have sworn to be allies to fight against Yuan Shao and Cao Cao. Now Cao Cao has framed my lord for killing Cao Song and led his troops to invade Xuzhou and massacre everywhere."

"Xuzhou is difficult to resist. Please send troops to help us to fight against Cao Cao."

When Tian Kai heard this, he frowned slightly and said, "Although I have the intention to rescue Xuzhou, Yuan Shao is watching from the side, and my intention is powerless!"

Mi Zhu said sternly: "General, have you ever heard of the principle of dying lips and cold teeth?"

"If Cao Cao captures Xuzhou, he can work with Yuan Shao to complete the encirclement of Qingzhou. At that time, the two major princes were attacking, how could Qingzhou be able to survive alone?"

Tian Kai pondered for a long time, and finally nodded and said: "What you said makes sense, sir. Since we will stay in Qingzhou for a while, I will order all my troops and horses to rush south to support Xuzhou."

Mi Zhu hesitated slightly and continued: "Suwen Pingyuan Xiang Liu Xuande is brave and good at fighting, and his benevolence and righteousness are unparalleled."

"Beihai Kong Wenju asked him for help before, but Xuande Gong did not hesitate and led his troops directly to rescue him."

"This time we are rushing to help Xuzhou, I wonder if I can let Mr. Xuande go with us?"

When Tian Kai heard this, his expression darkened.

Liu Bei's reputation, ability, and military exploits were no less than those of Tian Kai, and he was also a classmate of Gongsun Zan.

His ability to sneak into the position of Pingyuan Prime Minister from a white body also made Tian Kai, the governor of Qingzhou, quite afraid.

He is also worried that his future status will be replaced by Liu Bei.

Liu Bei's previous rescue of Kong Rong made him famous and gave Tian Kaijin an opportunity to slander him.

He wrote to Gongsun Zan, saying that Liu Bei's ambition to win people's hearts was not small and he needed to be careful.

Moreover, Liu Bei and Liu Yu were both members of the Han clan, and they also respected Liu Yu, the shepherd of Youzhou.

Last year, Gongsun Zan fought with Liu Yu and defeated him. He framed Liu Yu and Yuan Shao for conspiring to rebel, beheaded him and sent him to Kyoto.

Since Liu Yu became the shepherd of Youzhou, he has been lenient in government, treated the people well, and calmed down the conflicts between the Han people and the foreign races on the border.

In just a few years, Youzhou, which was originally a bitter and cold frontier fortress, actually saw a large increase in household registration, and the people were living and working in peace and contentment.

What Liu Yu did not only won the hearts of the Han people in Youzhou, but was also praised by the foreigners on the border.

Gongsun Zan beheaded Liu Yu and sent his head to Kyoto. It seemed that he had taken over the entire territory of Youzhou, but in fact he had lost the hearts of the people.

Prior to this, even if Gongsun Zan occasionally suffered minor defeats in battles with Yuan Shao, the two sides would still be evenly matched in the end.

But since Gongsun Zhan killed Liu Yu, he lost the support of the people of Youzhou and laid the root of his defeat.

Liu Bei was of the same lineage as the Liu family, and he also admired Liu Yu very much, so when he learned that Liu Yu had been killed by Gongsun Zan, a gap naturally developed between the two.

Tian Kai took the opportunity to make remarks, so that Liu Bei, who had repeatedly made military exploits and had a promising future, was eventually isolated by Gongsun Zan and Tian Kai.

Every time Qingzhou fought with Yuan Shao, Tian Kai sent Liu Bei at the forefront, causing him to lose troops and generals.

Liu Bei was nominally the Prime Minister of Pingyuan at this time. In fact, Pingyuan Kingdom had long been occupied by Yuan Shao. He was just a rootless duckweed with only a thousand soldiers and horses under his command, so his situation was not good.

Tian Kai pondered for a moment, and then said: "Whether Liu Xuande is willing to go to rescue Xuzhou depends on his own wishes."

Mi Zhu said: "I would like to see Mr. Xuande."

In the military camp, Liu Bei looked at the more than a thousand troops under his command, pursed his lips tightly, and looked a little confused in his eyes.

When he first started serving as Pingyuan Prime Minister, it was also Liu Bei's highlight moment.

With each other, Liu Bei occupies a county, has thousands of troops under his command, and can be self-sufficient.

Since Pingyuan Kingdom was occupied by Yuan Tan, Liu Bei's troops have become less and less powerful.

Since both money and food depended on Gongsun Zan and Tian Kai, Liu Bei would not have been able to recruit new soldiers without their permission.

Originally, Gongsun Zan cared about his old friendship and treated Liu Bei very well.

However, since Gongsun Zan and Liu Yu went to war last year, Liu Bei could clearly feel the other party's alienation.

When he learned that Liu Yu had been killed by Gongsun Zan, even his head had been chopped off, and he planned to send him to Kyoto, Liu Bei felt quite unhappy.

However, he was now nominally a subordinate of Gongsun Zan, so it was difficult for him to accuse the other party, but there was already some estrangement in his heart.

Because Gongsun Zan killed Liu Yu, Zhao Yun could find an excuse to leave without hesitation.

Liu Bei has a large number of people under his command. If they leave Gongsun Zan, they don't know where to vote.

"Ugh!"

Thinking of what was bothering him, Liu Bei couldn't help but sigh deeply.

"Brother, someone is here to visit!"

At this moment, Liu Bei suddenly heard Zhang Fei's loud voice.

He followed the sound and saw Zhang Fei leading a scribe, striding towards him.

Liu Bei saw that the scribe was relatively unfamiliar, but he did not dare to neglect him and hurriedly stepped forward to greet him.

At this time, Liu Bei was just like Zhou Qi, who had just started his career. He wanted prestige but not prestige, status but not status, and family background but not birth.

Even though he was always humble and courteous and treated the children of the aristocratic family like a virtuous corporal, he was not noticed by others, and no scholar was willing to come to serve him.

"Liu Bei has met your husband. Do you dare to ask his name?"

Mi Zhu was shocked when he saw Liu Bei taking the initiative to greet him, and hurriedly returned the courtesy: "I am in the East China Sea. Mi Zhu, whose cousin is Zizhong, is currently serving as a special driver under Xuzhou Mu."

"I've heard long ago that Mr. Xuande is a courteous and virtuous corporal with unparalleled benevolence and righteousness, so I came here specifically to pay him a visit."

"If there is anything presumptuous, please don't blame Mr. Xuande!"

The Mi family was rich in Xuzhou, even though Liu Bei was far away in Qingzhou, he had heard about it.

He did not look down on Mi Zhu, who was a merchant, like others, but said in surprise: "I have heard of your name for a long time, and I just regret that I am so far away from you. I never thought that I would be lucky enough to meet you today. It is really Liu Bei's blessing." !”

The excitement on Liu Bei's face was natural and not artificial at all, which made Mi Zhu feel better.

He also said: "I have only heard of Duke Xuande's name before, but I have never seen him. Today I met him, but it is better to meet him than to be famous!"

The two hit it off immediately and walked into the camp arm in arm, chatting happily.

They talked for more than an hour before Liu Bei asked, "I wonder why you came all the way?"

Mi Zhu then slapped his forehead and woke up: "I was only talking to Mr. Xuande, but I forgot about the business."

He really felt that Liu Bei had met so late, and he even felt like he was meeting the Ming Lord, so he got too excited.

After being reminded by Liu Bei, Mi Zhu said seriously: "Cao Cao attacked Xuzhou and massacred the people in the name of avenging his father. This resulted in the loss of life in Xuzhou and the suffering of the people."

"I have always heard that Duke Xuande has a reputation for benevolence and righteousness, so I came here specifically to ask for help. I hope that Duke Xuande can send troops to help for the sake of the hundreds of people in Xuzhou."

When Liu Bei heard this, his face was moved at first, and then he smiled helplessly and said: "It's not that Bei is unwilling to rush to help Xuzhou, but I only have more than a thousand soldiers and horses under my command, and I have no money or food."

"Even if I try my best to go to Xuzhou, I'm afraid I won't be able to help Tao Shijun."

Mi Zhu couldn't help being shocked and asked: "Xuande Gongguang has a reputation as a virtuous man and has repeatedly made military exploits during the battle with Yuan Shao. Why is this so?"

Liu Bei just shook his head and smiled bitterly, but didn't say a word.

He was not someone who spoke ill of others behind their backs. Even if he was dissatisfied with Gongsun Zan in his heart, he would only bury it deep in his heart.

Liu Bei didn't say anything, but Zhang Fei couldn't hold it back and shouted: "Tian Kai is jealous of talents, Gongsun Zan is jealous of my brother because he killed Liu Yu..."

"Don't talk nonsense, Yide!"

Unexpectedly, before Zhang Fei finished speaking, he saw Liu Bei scolding him with a frosty face.

Although he was not afraid of anything, he was a little afraid of his brother Liu Bei, so he immediately shut up and did not dare to say anything more.

Liu Bei stood up, bowed deeply to Mi Zhu, and said, "My third brother is ignorant and just talking nonsense. Please pretend that you didn't hear anything."

Mi Zhu's eyes flashed slightly, and he quickly figured out the inside story.He stood up and returned the greeting to Liu Bei, and then said: "Don't worry, Mr. Xuande, Mi Zhu is not a long-tongued person."

"But I have something to say. I don't know whether I should say it or not?"

But Liu Bei showed sincerity on his face and said: "Sir, if you have anything to say, feel free to tell me. I will listen attentively!"

Mi Zhu turned around and looked at Zhang Fei, but said nothing.

Liu Bei knew what he meant and said seriously: "Yide and I are like brothers. If you have something to say, it doesn't hurt to say it."

Zhang Fei also understood in his heart and immediately glared at Mi Zhu fiercely.

Mi Zhu bowed his hand to Zhang Fei apologetically, and then said: "Instead of continuing to stay in Qingzhou and being jealous, why doesn't Mr. Xuande go to Xuzhou and fight hard?"

"Now that Cao Cao is approaching Xuzhou, Tao Shijun is old and seriously ill. It is difficult for his son to inherit Xuzhou's legacy. Xuzhou is about to become a land without an owner."

"If Duke Xuande is willing to go, with his reputation and my help, I might as well invite Duke Xuande to take over Xuzhou."

Mi Zhu's words were astonishing.

Before Liu Bei could answer, Zhang Fei jumped up and said, "Is this true?"

Mi Zhu nodded confidently and said: "Xuzhou has formed a deadly feud with Cao Cao. Neither Tao Shijun nor the people of Xuzhou want Cao Cao to take control of Xuzhou."

"In addition, Xuzhou is the place of the Fourth War, and Cao Cao is eyeing it. Tao Shijun's son is not a person who can be supported. I am afraid that even Shijun himself does not want his son to inherit Xuzhou's foundation."

"Otherwise, once Cao Cao conquers Xuzhou, the entire Tao family will be wiped out."

"On the other hand, your reputation has spread to Qingzhou and Xuzhou. If I add fuel to the fire, you will definitely be willing to give way to Xuzhou!"

Zhang Fei was overjoyed when he heard this. He immediately turned to Liu Bei and said, "Brother, such a good thing cannot be missed. Go to Xuzhou as soon as possible!"

When Liu Bei heard this, he scolded: "If you only have the intention to save people, how can it be so utilitarian? Isn't this trapping me into injustice?"

Zhang Fei muttered, "The cities in the world are inhabited by the virtuous. Besides, my brother is a descendant of Han Dynasty Miao. Isn't he more qualified to occupy Xuzhou than others?"

Seeing that Liu Bei was about to get angry, Zhang Fei shrank his neck and stopped talking.

Liu Bei turned to look at Mi Zhu and said with a wry smile: "My brother is naughty and speaks without restraint. Sir, don't blame me!"

Mi Zhu smiled and said: "The third general has a true temperament, and what he said is not unreasonable."

"Although Duke Xuande is benevolent and righteous, have you ever thought that if Xuzhou is occupied by unscrupulous people like Cao Cao and sends troops to massacre the people, how can I bear it?"

"I am going to Xuzhou not to seize the foundation of Xuzhou, but to save millions of people."

"Since Mr. Xuande is a clan member of the Han Dynasty, he should shoulder this important responsibility!"

Faced with Mi Zhu's hard persuasion, Liu Bei hesitated for a long time, and finally sighed: "Of course I am willing to save the people from fire and water, but I only have more than a thousand soldiers and horses under my command, and no money or food. Even if I lead the troops to Xuzhou, I may not be defeated by Tao Shijun." Put it in your eyes.”

Seeing Liu Bei's loose tone, Mi Zhu immediately smiled and said: "Nowadays, we are in troubled times, and countless people have been displaced. Moreover, Xuande Gong has a reputation as a virtuous man in Qingzhou. As long as he raises his arms, everyone will rush to rely on him."

"As for money and food, Mr. Xuande doesn't need to worry too much."

"My family, Mi, has been operating in Xuzhou for more than a hundred years, and my family has quite a lot of assets. If Mr. Xuande does not give up, I am willing to provide money and food to support him."

After Liu Bei heard this, he made up his mind and immediately began to recruit soldiers locally.

as predicted.

Liu Bei had an excellent reputation, and Qingzhou was war-torn and had numerous refugees, so he quickly recruited thousands of people.

However, most of these people are hungry, poorly clothed, sallow and thin, and have no fighting ability at all.

Even so, Liu Bei, who had gathered thousands of soldiers and horses, looked quite powerful.

But Chen Deng went to Shouchun to lobby Zhou Qi, but he hit a snag.

Although Zhou Qi received Chen Deng ceremoniously, he did not agree to Chen Deng's request and just delayed.

In the final analysis, both Xun Yu and Chen Deng misjudged Zhou Qi.

The reason why Xun Yu's plan failed was not that Xun Yu was not resourceful, but that he did not know how wary Zhou Qi, the time traveler, was against Cao Cao.

If it were anyone else who could carve up Xuzhou with Cao Cao, I am afraid he would have eagerly agreed.

As for Chen Deng, he also misunderstood the friendship between Zhou Qi and Cao Cao.

He has never forgotten Cao Cao's help to Zhou Qi before and after the assassination of Pei Guo Xiang Wang Ji, and he has buried this kindness deeply in his heart.

If Cao Cao was indeed the biggest boss in the late Han Dynasty and had massacred the city in Xuzhou before, Zhou Qi might have sent troops to help Cao Cao avenge him even for the sake of this friendship.

Now Zhou Qi is not willing to completely break up with Cao Cao.

Therefore, Zhou Qi was unwilling to send troops to help Tao Qian and start a war with Cao Cao unless he was in a desperate situation.

However, Zhou Qi did not want Cao Cao to occupy Xuzhou, and immediately said to Chen Deng: "Yuan Shu of Yuzhou, who attacked Chenliu before, failed to capture Changyuan."

"This time Cao Cao attacks Xuzhou again, Yanzhou will definitely be empty. If Mr. Yuzhou goes to Yuzhou to lobby, Yuan Shu will definitely raise troops to attack Yanzhou."

"In this way, Xuzhou's crisis can be resolved!"

Seeing that Zhou Qi could not be moved, Chen Deng did not want to return without success, so he had to divert to Ruyang, intending to lobby Yuan Shu.

Yuan Shu was persuaded by Chen Deng and ordered Sun Jian to attack Changyuan again.

Sun Jian, however, argued that Changyuan was well defended and difficult to conquer, so he suggested using the strategy of attacking from the east and attacking from the west, and attacking elsewhere.

However, it was said that Tian Kai and Liu Bei led troops to rescue Xuzhou, and Mi Zhu returned first and said to Tao Qian: "I went to Qingzhou to ask for help. Tian Kai, the governor of Qingzhou, didn't want to rescue me. Fortunately, I knew the benefits and finally persuaded his leaders." Troops are coming to help.”

"However, Tian Kai did not bring many soldiers and horses in order to prepare for Yuan Shao."

When Tao Qian heard this, he couldn't help being shocked and said in a voiceless voice: "We don't have many soldiers and horses, how can we stop Cao Cao?"

Mi Zhu said with a smile: "Don't worry, I am going to Qingzhou and have invited a contemporary hero. With his help, Xuzhou will be safe!"

Tao Qian was surprised when he heard this and asked, "Who is the hero Zizhong talks about?"

Mi Zhu said: "This man is a clan member of the Han Dynasty, and he is also the Prime Minister of Pingyuan, Liu Bei and Liu Xuande!"

Tao Qian couldn't help but perked up and asked, "Could it be Liu Bei and Liu Xuande who rescued Kong Wenju and were praised by scholars in Qing and Xu states?"

Mi Zhu smiled and said, "That's exactly the person!"

"Xuande Gongyi and Bo Yuntian learned that Cao Cao was massacring the people of Xuzhou wantonly. Even though he only had thousands of soldiers and horses in his hands, he still volunteered to come to rescue without hesitation."

When Tao Qian heard that Liu Bei had only brought thousands of soldiers and horses, he immediately said with a gloomy face: "We don't have many soldiers and horses, how can we stop Cao Cao?"

Mi Zhu said confidently: "I don't know what you know, but the two sworn brothers under Duke Xuande are both brave and unstoppable. They can take the head of a general out of a million troops like a man in a bag."

"Xuzhou does not lack soldiers, horses, food and grass, and the Danyang soldiers under your command are rare elites in the world. What they lack is just a general to command the troops."

"If Duke Xuande and his two sworn brothers help, why worry about not being able to repel Cao's army?"

When Tao Qian heard this, his anger turned into joy.

Mi Zhu took the opportunity to say: "The battle on the front line is tense. The soldiers and horses under Duke Xuande alone, even with the help of two fierce generals, may not be able to cope."

"There are still four thousand Danyang elite soldiers in Xuzhou, all of whom are close confidants of the envoy's hometown. If they can be sent to help Duke Xuande garrison Xiaopei, it is expected that Cao's army will not be able to advance even half a step further."

Tao Qian came to his senses and immediately said: "Quickly transfer four thousand Danyang elite troops to Xuande's command. If there is no shortage of money and food, Xuande is ordered to march to Xiaopei!"

Mi Zhu was overjoyed when he heard this, and immediately took Tao Qian's orders to take away four thousand of Xuzhou's most elite Danyang soldiers.

When Liu Bei received these four thousand well-trained, well-armed and well-armed weapons, he couldn't help but be stunned.

Even Guan Yu and Zhang Fei were pleasantly surprised.

They used to follow Liu Bei. Due to lack of money and food, most of the soldiers and horses under his command did not wear armor. How had they ever commanded such an elite force?

Now Liu Bei, from having only a thousand remnants of defeated generals, now directly receives [-] Danyang elite soldiers.

If you add in the hungry people who were collected in order to make up for the loss, Liu Bei already has more than [-] people under his command. Even compared with the most prosperous times, it is still far more than the number.

　The general plot trend of Liu Bei in this chapter is basically consistent with history, but I added some of my own speculations about the relationship between Liu Bei and Gongsun Zan.

　　Otherwise, Liu Bei, who had followed Gongsun Zan for so many years and was worshiped as Prime Minister of Pingyuan, would not have been so miserable.

　　When Liu Bei rescued Xuzhou, he immediately left Gongsun Zan and joined Tao Qian, indicating that there must have been a gap between the two before.

　　Mi Zhu plays a bit more role here, and there is no record in the history books, but if Liu Bei had no one to help him, it would be impossible for him to be gifted [-] Danyang elite soldiers by Tao Qian as soon as he arrived in Xuzhou.

　　Even for princes like Zhou Qi, these are a force that cannot be ignored.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)