Ji Han Liu Zhang

Chapter 189 Liu Bei changes jobs
Xuzhou, Tancheng.

The atmosphere in the city is getting tighter day by day. There are many factors here. On the one hand, it is the weather, which is extremely cold and steep. On the other hand, Cao Cao's army from Yanzhou has passed through twice before, which has triggered a great crisis in the hearts of the people of Xuzhou. The panic, fear and other uneasy emotions have not been eliminated to this day. In addition, there is the physical condition of Xuzhou Mu Tao Qian. Since the beginning of winter, this strong Xuzhou Mu is not as good as before and has become increasingly weak. After getting up, according to the doctor of the Prefectural Mufu, Tao Shijun was afraid that he would not be able to see the grass growing and the orioles flying next year.

A few days ago, the rumors about Tao Qian's death finally became a fact. Just as the doctor from the Prefecture Mufu said, Tao Shijun did not survive this winter and died before the end of the year.

As soon as Tao Qian died, Xuzhou lost its backbone. Under normal circumstances, it should be reported to the court and then wait for the court to appoint a new candidate for Xuzhou Mu. However, the court now has no official form, so Xuzhou bid farewell to Mi Zhu and Diannong Xiaowei. Chen Deng and a group of Xuzhou civil and military officials, carrying the seal and ribbon of Xuzhou Mu, went to the post house in Tancheng, intending to entrust Xuzhou to a trustworthy hero.

At this time, in the post house in Tancheng, after Tao Qian, the Xuzhou pastor, became seriously ill, Liu Bei left Guan Yu to guard Xiaopei, and brought Zhang Fei and Jian Yong to Tancheng to visit Tao Qian. At this time, he knew Mi Zhu, Chen Deng and others After hearing the news of the arrival, he was standing at the foot of the steps, waiting for the visitors.

Zhang Fei was impatient and couldn't calm down. He couldn't help but walk back and forth. At the same time, he lowered his voice rarely and said to Liu Bei: "Brother, we are here to visit Tao Shijun this time. Tao Shijun has stated that he will move Xuzhou Mu I gave it to you, okay, but you didn't accept it. Then Tao Shijun sent Chen Deng to give you the seal and ribbon of Xuzhou Mu, okay, but you didn't accept it... Now it's okay, Tao Shijun is gone. Now that he's gone, I am afraid that the position of Xuzhou Mu will not fall to my brother. Without Tao Shijun to control it, some changes will definitely happen. It is not as good as what happened next when Tao Shijun said he would give it to you for the first time. good."

"Third brother, calm down and don't be impatient." Liu Bei turned a deaf ear to Zhang Fei's advice and only spoke to calm Zhang Fei's impatient mood.

Jian Yong, who loves to joke, interrupted: "Third General, the position of Xuzhou Mu is not just a few kilograms of pork. You give it to me, and I will follow up. Is it light or expensive? There is nothing worth considering and nothing to shirk... Xuzhou is a large state, with a household registration of one million, and rich scholars and people. Tao Shijun unilaterally transferred the pastoral control of Xuzhou to the lord. The lord naturally had to shirk one thing or two, and proceed in a grand manner. I am afraid that some people will think that we are here. The people around me are short-sighted and very greedy."

Zhang Fei naturally understood what Jian Yong said so plainly. He sighed helplessly, but still did not forget to complain: "It's really troublesome."

Not long after, a group of guests arriving today arrived.

Liu Bei showed a faint but attentive smile and strode forward to greet them. He greeted each other in turn, then spread out his ape arms and said, "You two gentlemen, Mi Farewell, Captain Chen, please come into the room to talk."

After saying this, Liu Bei led the way in front, followed closely by Tao Qian's two sons, Tao Shang and Tao Ying, as well as Mi Zhu, the captain of the other party, and Chen Deng, the captain of the Diannong school.

After everyone entered the house, they sat down separately. Liu Bei took the lead in expressing his condolences to the pottery merchant and Tao Ying, and asked the pottery merchant and Tao Ying to express their condolences and not to be too sad. The pottery merchant and Tao Ying naturally thanked them politely. .

"Tao Shijun said before his death that Xuzhou could not be settled without Liu Shijun. Today we have brought the seal of Xuzhou Mu and hope that Liu Shijun will take over and take up the post of Xuzhou Mu. This is the last wish of Tao Shijun. Tao Shijun rested in peace under Jiuquan. Secondly, the people of Xuzhou also wanted Liu Shijun to serve as the pastor of Xuzhou. Just like looking at the clouds during a severe drought, with a pure heart, I hope Liu Shijun will have mercy on him." Xuzhou farewell to Mi Zhu to see him. After the ceremony, he was the first to stand up as a guest and tell them what they wanted to do this time.

Liu Bei waved his hands calmly and said, "Bei'an dares to accept the imperial palace's official weapon lightly. Although Tao Shijun has passed away, the two young masters are still here. You can choose one of the two young masters to take charge of it."

Tao Shang adhered to Tao Qian's last words, and as a filial son, he immediately replied and blocked Liu Bei's mouth: "Liu Shijun, both of my brothers are mediocre and incapable of stabilizing the country. The position of Xuzhou pastor is beyond my brother's ability." What to do, besides my father's death, my two brothers will carry the coffin and return to Danyang to observe the festival for my father... When my father was still alive, he inspected the inside and outside and told my two brothers many times that the post of Xuzhou Shepherd was not the envoy of Liu. No, please don’t refuse again.”

Chen Deng, the captain of the Diannong School, admired Liu Bei very much. At this time, he helped: "Liu Shijun, the world is now divided and the Han Dynasty is in decline. As a clan member, you should make contributions and make contributions to revive the Han Dynasty. If you want to make contributions to the Han Dynasty, If a country does not have a foundation, it will be like a flower in the mirror and a moon in the water... Xiaopei has a small land and few people, which is not enough to build a foundation. However, Xuzhou is rich, with a household registration of one million, facing the sea to the east, and has the benefit of fish and salt. Today, the people of Xuzhou I only want you to serve as the pastor of Xuzhou, and right now, there is no more suitable candidate than you, Shijun Liu."

Liu Bei still looked calm, and he recommended someone to Chen Deng: "The Yuan Highway is near Shouchun, and five of the four generations of the Yuan family have sat in the position of the Three Lords. They can be said to be the hope of scholars and people at home. Maybe they can be The position of Xuzhou Mu is handed over to Yuan Gongdao."

"Yuan Jiujiu is arrogant and extravagant. He is not a person who can govern a country, nor is he a person who can protect the country and the people. In front of him, Yuan Jiujiu occupied Nanyang and allowed his soldiers to become bandits. The Nanyang people suffered a lot of harm, which is proof... Secondly Tao Shijun and Yuan Jiujiu are allies, but Yuan Jiujiu occupies Yangzhou, but he calls himself Xuzhou Bo and wants to spy on Xuzhou. How can such a dishonest and unrighteous person become the shepherd of Xuzhou?" Chen Deng's face There was an expression of disgust on his face, and he ignored Liu Bei's choice of Yuan Shu.

Why did he, Mi Zhu, and a group of Xuzhou aristocratic families choose Liu Bei? It was precisely because Liu Bei had the opposite character to Yuan Shu. Liu Bei was benevolent and loved the people like a son. In addition, Liu Bei was from Youyan and knew military affairs. They wanted to He was looking for a Xuzhou Mu who could protect the environment and the people, so he set his sights on Liu Bei.

During this period of time, Chen Deng was sent by Tao Qian to visit Liu Bei and visited Liu Bei privately. He probably knew the ambition of the Youyan man in front of him. He added fuel to the fire: "With a Xuzhou household registration of one million, I can serve as an envoy to you." Providing one hundred thousand infantry and cavalry can help the emperor and the people, establish the industry of the Five Hegemons, and can segregate and defend the territory, leaving a reputation on bamboo and silk... If you are unwilling to listen to the wishes of the people of Xuzhou and take up the post of Xuzhou Shepherd, on the contrary, I will Chen Deng did not dare to listen to the envoy's refusal."

Zhang Fei, who was sitting next to Liu Bei, had his leopard eyes widened under the firepower of Chen Deng's words. He turned slightly sideways and kept looking at Liu Bei, hoping that Liu Bei would nod and agree, but Liu Bei still had a look on his face. Calm, I can't tell if I'm moved by it.

Bijia Mi Zhu stood up, brought out an old friend of Liu Bei, and criticized Yuan Shu: "I have seen a book coming from Kong Beihai before, and I said that Yuan Jiujiu is not a person who worries about his country and forgets his home. , it’s just a withered bone in the grave, it’s not enough to mind! The position of Xuzhou Mu should be entrusted to a capable and benevolent person, it should be someone like you, Liu Shijun, Shijun, this is God It was given to you, but you don’t accept it, for fear that you will regret it in the future.”

"Liu Shijun." All Xuzhou civil and military officials bowed down and began to plead sincerely. It seemed that Liu Bei did not accept the position of Xuzhou Shepherd and would not give up today.

Liu Bei stood up, bowed his head and said: "Bei deeply appreciates the kindness of all the gentlemen. Even if the gentlemen do not think that the virtues of the gentlemen are bad, I can hold the post of Xuzhou pastor for the time being." At night, Liu Bei held a banquet to entertain some important ministers of Xuzhou. , and the face of a wealthy family.

"There is one more thing that I would like to tell you in detail." Chen Deng raised his glass and paid tribute to Liu Bei.

Liu Bei raised his glass in return and said proudly: "Yuanlong, but please speak frankly."

"Yuan Jiujiu is really not a good man, and he has wolf ambitions to spy on Xuzhou. Therefore, we intend to sever the alliance with Yuan Jiujiu as soon as possible and send another envoy to Jizhou to declare the alliance to Yuan Benchu, so as to ensure the safety of Xuzhou." Chen Deng said straightforwardly. He clearly explained his intentions to the powerful local families in Xuzhou, severed ties with Yuan Shu, and bound Xuzhou to Yuan Shao's increasingly prosperous chariot.

Chen Deng was a little worried here. As Gongsun Zan's junior brother, Liu Bei was not divided into monarch and minister. They were officials in the same dynasty and had equal status. However, he was worried that Liu Bei would have scruples because of Gongsun Zan and would not be willing to form an alliance with Yuan Shao. He only wanted to form an alliance with Gongsun Zan and Yuan Shu.

The relationship between Liu Bei and Gongsun Zan was due to the fact that Chen Deng only pointed out that Yuan Shu had spying on Xuzhou, but did not point out that he was not very optimistic about Gongsun Zan, who killed Liu Yu, the Youzhou pastor who was a lenient person. He believed that Sooner or later Gongsun Zan will be defeated at the hands of Yuan Shao. If Xuzhou forms an alliance with people like Yuan Shu and Gongsun Zan, sooner or later it will suffer disaster.

After Liu Bei lowered his eyebrows for a moment, he nodded and agreed with Chen Deng's opinion.
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Jizhou, Yecheng.

As the commander-in-chief of Yuan Shao's shogunate, he read a letter in his hand from Chen Deng, the captain of Xuzhou Diannong School: "Disasters come from heaven, and disasters come to Bizhou. The generals of the state will perish, and the people will survive." There is no master, fearing that once the traitorous hero is in trouble, he will worry about the future of the leader of the alliance, so he will always serve the former Pingyuan Prime Minister Liu Bei as the suzerain, so that the people will always know that they have someone to rely on. Now that the bandits are in trouble, Shijia will not be forgotten, and I will send my subordinates to report Yu Deacon.”

The document sent by Chen Deng was very concise, but it said everything that needed to be said, and it was also explained very clearly.It was stated that the position of Xuzhou Mu was vacant after the death of Tao Qian, the Mu of Xuzhou. In order to prevent Xuzhou from falling into the hands of traitors, the people of Xuzhou planned to support Liu Bei as the Mu of Xuzhou to protect the territory and the people of Xuzhou. They hereby sent someone to inform Yuan Shao, the leader of the alliance. A sound.

The document is very clever. One part clearly states that there is a traitor spying on Xuzhou. The traitor here is self-evident. Everyone knows that Yuan Shu named himself Xuzhou Bo after entering Shouchun. The other part does not mention that Liu Bei was represented by Tao Qian. The post of governor of Yuzhou was replaced by the post of prime minister of Jizhou Plain.

Sitting at the top, Yuan Shao, who served with grace, splendor and extraordinary temperament, quietly listened to the judge read the document. He did not speak first, but looked at the civil and military officials below, wanting to hear the opinions of the counselors first.

Jushou, the supervisor, was the first to attend. He bowed his hands to Yuan Shao with a smile on his face and said: "Congratulations, Duke Ming, for getting another big help. The former former Xuzhou Mu Tao Qian is an alliance with Yuan Gongdao, and is connected to Youzhou Gongsun Zan from Xuzhou and Qingzhou. The thief The situation is noisy and huge... Now Xuzhou has sent an envoy to report that he wants to submit to Duke Ming. If Liu Xuande is allowed to be the pastor of Xuzhou, it will cut off the connection between Yangzhou Yuan Guangdao and Gongsun Zan, making the two men unable to fight. If we connect them together, it will be much easier to deal with Gongsun Zan."

"Hmm..." Yuan Shao heard this. This was something that suited his heart. The person he urgently needed to deal with now was Gongsun Zan. If he could cut off the connection between his good brother Yuan Shu and Gongsun Zan, Gongsun Zan would be impoverished. Li Gu, then it would be easier to deal with Gongsun Zan.

"No, this is a big mistake." Guo Tu stood up, first expressed his attitude, and then he said earnestly: "Liu Bei is Gongsun Zan's junior brother, not to mention that in the third year of Chuping, Gongsun Zan once With Liu Bei's garrison at Gaotang and Shanjing garrison on the plains, we can threaten the flanks of Jizhou in response to the Yuan Highway. Liu Bei has been our enemy. If Liu Bei is appointed as the herdsman of Xuzhou, I am afraid that Yangzhou, Xuzhou, Qingzhou, and Youzhou will be connected to each other. , difficult to replicate.”

"Huh?" Yuan Shao frowned when he heard this and was caught in a dilemma. He felt that what Guo Tu said seemed more reasonable. Considering the relationship between Gongsun Zan and Liu Bei, if Liu Bei was allowed to lead Xuzhou Mu, what would happen? A very dangerous thing.

Tian Feng took action. He did not give Guo Tu any face, but said bluntly: "What Gongzhi said is wrong. Liu Bei, judging from his actions, is also a hero. Such a person will not be inferior to others." Yes, don’t you hear that after Yuan Jiujiu took possession of Shouchun, he called himself Xuzhou Bo. If Ming Gong appointed Liu Bei as the pastor of Xuzhou, Yuan Jiujiu would definitely be resentful of Liu Bei due to his temperament. In addition, Yuan Jiujiu also wanted to get Xuzhou. Xuzhou and Yangzhou will definitely fight each other, so how can there be a chance to unite... Furthermore, Gongsun Zan and Yuan Jiujiu are allies, but Yuan Jiujiu is Gongsun Zan's younger brother who leads troops to attack. There will definitely be discord between the two families. Therefore, allowing Liu Bei to be the pastor of Xuzhou is a good thing that achieves multiple benefits with one stone."

Yuan Shao nodded. Tian Feng's analysis was very clear. He was using Xuzhou as bait to let Yuan Shu and Liu Bei go dog-eat-dog, and at the same time drive a wedge between Yuan Shu and Gongsun Zan. Firstly, he did what Yuan Shu had already done, and secondly, he defeated Gongsun Zan. foreign aid.

Faced with Tian Feng's merciless accusation that his words were not thoughtful enough, Guo Tu's face turned blue and white, which was very unsightly. However, facing several local ministers from Jizhou, he stood alone. If we fight and debate, I'm afraid we won't get any benefits.He felt a little regretful in his heart. If Chunyu Qiong was here, he could still help him with the matter, but it was a pity that Chunyu Qiong led his troops out.

"Zheng Nan, what do you think?" Yuan Shao asked for the opinion of Shen Pei, the commander-in-chief of the shogunate. He probably made a decision in his mind, but he also wanted to hear Shen Pei's opinion to help him make up his mind.

The trial match summary summarized: "What Yuan Hao (Tian Feng) and Gong Yu (Ju Shou) said is true. Yuan Jiujiu must be unhappy when he allows Liu Xuande to be the shepherd of Xuzhou. Sooner or later, he will have rifts with Gongsun Zan and others. This is our responsibility Opportunity, we should seize this opportunity.”

All the hesitations in Yuan Shao's heart were gone. He made a decision and gave the order to the judge: "Then I will write a letter back to Xuzhou, saying: 'Liu Xuande is elegant and faithful. Xuzhou is happy to honor him now. He is sincere and worthy of expectations.' Liu Xuande was appointed as the pastor of Xuzhou."

(End of this chapter)