People in the Three Kingdoms: Starting from Preaching

Chapter 337: The Expectations of the Nobles

Xiangyang, Jingzhou, has been the seat of Jingzhou since Liu Biao became the governor of Jingzhou. However, the governor of Jingzhou who was supposed to be here was no longer Liu Biao, but a completely new face.

Under the city wall of Xiangyang, representatives of Jingzhou's noble families and officials from the prefecture and county were all waiting in groups. They were all waiting for the new master of Jingzhou.

In the distance, a group of tens of thousands of soldiers were marching slowly towards them, with a huge flag with the word "Liu" written on it fluttering in the wind.

But this Liu is no longer the same Liu. The new "Liu" is more favored by the local gentry in Jingzhou, and has won the internal struggle in Jingzhou. Now he is here to gain power.

Liu Bei, dressed in military uniform, looked at the city wall of Xiangyang from afar, feeling filled with emotion.

Looking back on his military life, he felt that most of it was wasted. He complained to God countless times along the way, but in the end he could only grit his teeth and keep moving forward. Now that he has finally achieved his wish and truly begun to step onto the stage of the times, this relief and joy made his nose sore and he almost shed tears.

"I thought I had no hope of making a name for myself in this life, but fortunately with Yuanzhi's assistance, I was able to finally achieve my career. I, Liu Bei, will always remember Yuanzhi's contribution."

While riding, Liu Bei turned his head to glance at the young man accompanying him, and his words were full of gratitude.

This young man named Yuanzhi was none other than Xu Shu, who had come down the mountain to join Liu Bei three years ago.

Hearing this, Xu Shu just smiled and said, "Your Excellency has gone too far. Yuan Zhi's contribution is only a tiny bit, how can he be evaluated like this?"

"Not at all." Liu Bei turned his head and sighed, "Let alone other things, just submitting the strategy to the emperor is a great achievement. If not for this, how could I, Liu Bei, get to where I am today?"

Faced with Liu Bei's exaggeration and gratitude, Xu Shu found it difficult to be happy.

The reason why this strategy was successful was that Liu Biao himself was not worthy of his position. Otherwise, Liu Bei would probably have no chance to take advantage of it.

The current era is not a simple situation of war among princes. There is an evil dragon lurking in the north. It is the common enemy of all the nobles in the world, and this enemy has grown to a point that cannot be ignored.

If the person occupying the throne cannot solve the common needs of the nobles, he will inevitably be abandoned.

But most people in this world are selfish and greedy, and those who truly occupy high positions are mostly short-sighted. So what is there to be happy about?

If everyone can unite, can the enemies in the north really be that powerful?

Since Liu Biao was unwilling to do what should be done, Xu Shu would naturally assist someone who had the responsibility, and Liu Bei was his choice.

However, although the plan has now been successful, Xu Shu still has infinite worries in his heart. In his opinion, these three years should not have been wasted on these things.

The man in the north is about to get ready to fly like a dragon, and the monsters in the south are still fighting each other. If these three years are not used to fight and integrate among themselves, then they can concentrate on preparing for battle.

But now, do we still have so much time?
In other words, after wasting these three years, will the man in the north give the Han Dynasty a second three years?

"Sir, taking control of Jingzhou is just the beginning. The enemy is still rampant, and we must not slack off."

Looking at Liu Bei's high-spirited expression, Xu Shu couldn't help but give him a reminder.

A qualified counselor should not only give advice to his superiors, but also provide psychological support for his superiors at all times.

When your boss is proud, it is best to cool him down. When your boss is frustrated, you should give him more encouragement.

Xu Shu is now very worried that Liu Bei will slack off in his ambitions once he achieves success, which would completely go against his original intention of assisting him and would also definitely disappoint the Jingzhou gentry.

After all, everyone abandoned Liu Biao and chose you, Liu Bei, because they hoped that you could raise the banner of resistance against Xu, not so that you could continue to play music and dance.

Liu Bei's smile faded after hearing this. He finally looked calmly to the north and said in a deep voice, "Don't worry, Yuanzhi. No matter what I forget, I will never forget my ambition to support Han and attack Xu. I still have a blood debt with Xu Chen, and this matter must come to an end!"

After saying that, Liu Bei's expression became serious. He squeezed his legs against the horse's belly and ran to the top of the city wall first.

Xu Shu looked at Liu Bei's back and gradually felt relieved.

He had heard of one thing, that Liu Bei actually had more than one sworn brother, Guan Yu, there was also a third brother, Zhang Fei. However, Zhang Fei died tragically at the hands of the Yellow Turbans, and this was a great hatred in Liu Bei's heart.

With stories like this, my worries are indeed unnecessary.

Hatred is the strongest and most lasting emotion. No matter what Liu Bei said, he would never forget the Yellow Turbans and Xu Chen.

When Liu Bei walked to the front, many local celebrities and officials came forward to greet him. For a while, the honorific title of "Envoy" was heard one after another, and Liu Bei also responded to everyone's greetings with a smile.

Perhaps Liu Bei's talents are not obvious in other aspects, but when it comes to interpersonal communication, Liu Bei is very strong.

No matter who it is, as long as they greet Liu Bei for a while, they will feel like they are bathed in spring breeze. That kind of relaxed and carefree mood can always be contagious. Before long, everyone present has a good impression of Liu Bei.

After they had considered the matter in their hearts, they all felt that Liu Bei was far superior to Liu Biao in terms of character, temperament and bearing.

Although Liu Biao was a relative of the Han Dynasty, who was not a relative of the Han Dynasty? The new Liu Shijun was the descendant of King Jing of Zhongshan. In terms of status, the two Liu Shijuns were similar, so the difference in temperament and pattern immediately made everyone feel it intuitively.

For a moment, everyone felt that they had made the right decision.

It was not easy for them to choose to support Liu Bei.

After all, Liu Biao had worked in Jingzhou for many years, had extensive connections and a good reputation, and still had many die-hard supporters.
Since the other nobles chose Liu Bei, there was bound to be an internal struggle between the two sides. The manifestation of this internal struggle was a war between Liu Biao and Liu Bei.

This battle was not only a war between two Liu clans for power in Jingzhou, but also a struggle between two factions of the Jingzhou gentry.

They all gave their real support and finally helped Liu Bei become the governor of Jingzhou. Naturally, they did not want their efforts to be wasted. They placed great expectations on Liu Bei.

Now that they have been getting along like this, they all feel that Liu Bei is indeed a capable leader and perhaps can really take on great responsibilities, so they gradually feel relieved.

After some greetings, Liu Bei glanced at everyone.

Those who can stand here are basically the leading figures in Jingzhou. This group of people almost controls the population, land and materials of the entire Jingzhou.

To some extent, they are the real masters of Jingzhou, and he, the so-called governor, actually needs to rely on their power.

"I, Liu Bei, can come this far thanks to your support. I will always be grateful for your kindness."

Liu Bei first bowed to everyone, with a neither high nor low attitude, which made everyone feel comfortable but not look down on him.

Such a precise attitude is enough to show Liu Bei's near-perfect level in dealing with people and things.

After this sentence, everyone responded with a smile and a bow. The atmosphere was very good, and Liu Bei continued to speak.

"Although I am not very talented, I have a firm ambition. I came to Jingzhou not for pleasure or fame, but to fulfill what I had in mind, which was what Liu Bei had expressed to the emperor before, that is, to support the Han Dynasty and work together to fight for Xu!"

This straightforward statement made everyone feel relieved with just one sentence.

They naturally understood that this was Liu Bei's statement. His goal of supporting Han and conquering Xu was not just talk, but he really wanted to move towards this goal.

And this is exactly what the gentry in Jingzhou care about. Having this attitude is right.

Someone took the lead and responded: "Your Excellency knows the great cause and dares to be the first. This noble character and courage deserves the name of a hero. It is a blessing for us in Jingzhou to welcome a hero like you to take charge of the overall situation. In this way, we in Jingzhou will definitely fully support your great cause!"

With the cooperation of both sides, the future route of Jingzhou was completely determined.

Xu Shu, who was standing by, couldn't help but feel that he had finally played his part, slightly improved the situation in the south, and made things start to develop in the right direction.

If not for this, the elderly and weak Liu Biao would probably be forced to resist only if Xuan Xia really wanted to attack him.

After all, Liu Bei is a wiser leader who is more trustworthy than Liu Biao.

He was also wondering what the world would be like if there was no Xuan Xia. Perhaps at that time it would be a simple struggle among the princes, and Liu Biao, the governor of Jingzhou, would be able to sit firmly on the throne.

While chatting and laughing, the Jingzhou route was determined. The general direction was decided, and the remaining problems were minor ones. It was nothing more than each family contributing manpower, effort and money to support the cause.

Liu Bei then walked around the city of Xiangyang, accompanied by many local scholars and officials.

But this was not enough. The local scholars and officials also gave Liu Bei enough face, and then there was a grand welcoming banquet.

There was dancing and music during the banquet, and everyone was toasting each other. It was truly a luxurious occasion.

Liu Bei also interacted with everyone enthusiastically. For him, how to govern Jingzhou well depended on whether he could maintain good relations with the local gentry.

As long as the local gentry can cooperate with his work, there will be no problems in Jingzhou. If the local gentry go against him, there will be problems everywhere in Jingzhou.

So this kind of human interaction is actually extremely important.

It was not until near nightfall that everyone reluctantly dispersed. It was then that Xu Shu, who had not disturbed them all along, brought them something, which was the latest issue of "Xuan Xia Monthly" which had just arrived from Youzhou.

Nowadays, Xuanxia Monthly Newspaper has become a relatively popular reading material for people all over the world. The South originally wanted to follow suit and start its own publication, but after they really started, they found that it was difficult to popularize newspapers with the South's papermaking technology, so they had to give up in the end.

Although the southern scholars looked down on Xuan Xia, they could only watch with disdain.

Liu Bei and his men never let go of the newspaper, and they were able to learn a lot about Xuan Xia from the newspaper.

This time, a headline on the front page of the newspaper made Liu Bei frown.

"Letter to the Emperor of Han" - Xu Chen
(End of this chapter)