People in the Three Kingdoms: Starting from Preaching

Chapter 566 It’s a good idea
"What is this? Using the common people to threaten me?" Although Xu Chen knew that the other party had bad intentions, he was not anxious or annoyed. He just asked Lu Su with a faint smile.

Lu Su then knelt straight, his expression also straightened, and he said with a righteous look: "Grand Master, you have misunderstood. Our army has no intention of threatening you. If the enemy today was not the Yellow Turbans, I would not even set foot here. It is because I know that the people will not refuse the Grand Master's thoughts that I have the audacity to come here to ask for help for the people."

Xu Chen looked at Lu Su with a disapproving expression, and finally said calmly: "You are really thoughtful and can do this for the people, but..."

Lu Su said nothing, waiting for Xu Chen to finish speaking.

"But don't you know why the people of Changsha are facing such a predicament?" Xu Chen snorted coldly, his tone full of contempt and indifference.

"This..." Lu Su's face froze. He wanted to say something but didn't know where to start.

Xu Chen continued, "If you really cared about the people, why did you force them into the city? You robbed them of their food and forced them to serve. Now they are starving to death, and you are here to act like good people?"

After Xu Chen finished speaking, Lu Su's face changed slightly, but he couldn't refute it. After all, these were facts.

He looked around and found that the Yellow Turban soldiers who had looked at him calmly just now now had strange looks in their eyes. Their disgusted expressions were enough to show what the Yellow Turban soldiers thought of him.

After Xu Chen's words tore through his disguise, he could no longer continue to be a good person.

The soldiers who were originally deceived by Lu Su's sincerity have now come to their senses. It is impossible that Wu and Shu really care about the people, otherwise the people of Changsha would not be so miserable.

How could the Yellow Turbans, who had suffered enough from them, not know what the old nobles really looked like? They were vicious dogs that ate people without leaving any bones, and they did not treat the people as human beings at all.

"Requisitioning civilians' manpower and supplies is a helpless move in military affairs, but Wu and Shu have no intention of harming the people, otherwise why would they come to beg your army today? The Heavenly Master can make any assumptions about us, as long as we can save the people in the city, we are willing to bear the blame!"

Seeing that the atmosphere was not right, Lu Su quickly began to defend his side.

He was not trying to restore the image of Wu and Shu. The two sides were enemies. It didn't matter what the Yellow Turbans thought of Wu and Shu. What mattered was what the Yellow Turbans thought of Xu Chen.

The more righteous Wu Shu appears to be, the more he can force Xu Chen to compromise. After all, even Wu Shu cares so much about the people. You, Xu Chen, always claim to be wholeheartedly serving the people. Can you just watch the people starve to death?

Xu Chen, Ju Shou and others naturally saw through his little tricks at a glance.

Ju Su moved his lips, as if he wanted to say something to Xu Chen, but this matter was indeed a bit tricky. It was a conspiracy of Wu and Shu, and no matter what choice he made, it seemed that it would not be a good choice.

In the end, he chose to remain silent. This matter was up to Xu Chen to decide on his own.

In a quiet camp, Xu Chen and Lu Su looked at each other, and the two sides seemed to have completed a communication in silence.

"You are really calculating. When there is not enough food, you treat the people as a burden and throw them to us. Hundreds of thousands of people can also consume our military's logistics. It is said that Zhou Lang's clever plan can bring peace to the world. I now agree with this statement."

Xu Chen shook his head and smiled, he couldn't help but applaud, he had to admit that Zhou Yu's conspiracy had really taken advantage of him.

Everyone looked over at once, waiting for Xu Chen's choice.

Although Lu Su appeared calm on the surface, he was nervous inside. He didn't know whether Xu Chen was really willing to take this loss.

If Xu Chen agreed, it would actually be like helping Wu and Shu, allowing them to catch their breath until reinforcements arrived. In military terms, this would undoubtedly be a very stupid thing to do, and even if it was rejected, it would actually be reasonable.

For Xu Chen, even if all these people starved to death, the blame would eventually be placed on Wu and Shu, and it would not harm Xu Chen's own reputation. He could also watch the Wu and Shu armies fall into a dilemma, and perhaps force Zhou Yu to make a final, powerless attack under insufficient conditions, and then the war would end immediately.

As long as it would not damage his own reputation, Lu Su felt that all the princes in the world knew what to choose, so he was not sure whether this conspiracy could make Xu Chen compromise.

If Xu Chen refused, then Wu and Shu would be at their wit's end and would have no choice but to launch a desperate charge.

"Although I know you are plotting, it concerns the lives of hundreds of thousands of people, so I don't mind being tricked by you once."

When Xu Chen's light words came, Lu Su's whole body trembled. He looked at Xu Chen suddenly and saw Xu Chen's calm face.

At this moment, many of the surrounding Yellow Turban soldiers breathed a sigh of relief and laughed. Only Ju Shou shook his head helplessly, with an expression that said, "As expected."

Of course, if we talk about relief, Lu Su was the one who felt the most relieved, because he knew that the Wu and Shu armies had bought time.

"Master Tianshi is so righteous, I admire him!"

Lu Su once again paid great tribute to Xu Chen, and this time he was sincerely convinced.

He could feel that the man in front of him made this decision without any hesitation or anger, as if it was a natural choice. This made him understand that the word "people" was not just a slogan, but existed in this man's heart.

This also made Lu Su feel a little ashamed. A gentleman could certainly deceive others with his own tactics, but this also made himself seem a little shameless.

Scholars always talk about the people of the world, but when it comes to reality, how many people can do what the man in front of them does?

He could have done nothing and watched the Wu and Shu armies collapse and die, but this man still made a more disadvantageous choice.

"I have agreed to this matter. You can release all the people in the city. We will receive them all and make arrangements for them."

As everyone was watching, Xu Chen looked at Lu Su indifferently: "But go back and tell Zhou Yu that just because we settled the people doesn't mean we're not settling old scores. After the war, all your crimes will be settled for how you treated the people."

Upon hearing this, Lu Su could only bow and remain silent. Although Xu Chen's words had already implied that the Yellow Turbans would win, he could not refute it.

For him, the mission of this diplomatic mission has been accomplished. As for whether the main force in the rear can still win, that is all up to fate.

Even if the old era disappears, it will eventually produce its swan song, and this swan song will be the final battle that follows.

However, after this, even if Wu and Shu were defeated in the end, Lu Su was convinced.

If the man in front of me could really rule the world, it might be the greatest blessing for all people in the world.

Perhaps it is ironic that the ultimate ideal of Confucianism, a harmonious world, was ultimately promoted by the man who dug the grave of Confucianism.
(End of this chapter)