We agreed that you, a weak strategist, would fight against three heroes by yourself?

Zhang Fei muttered something on the side, and Liu Bei couldn't help but frowned after hearing this.

Nowadays, half of Xuzhou is controlled by Cao Jun.

So what if he takes over Xuzhou? Will Cao Cao let him control Xuzhou?

What's more, there is another Lu Bu this time.

Once Tao Qian dies, in Liu Bei's view, the entire Xuzhou will inevitably fall apart due to factional reasons.

As a result, Cao Cao had a huge advantage.

How will he confront Cao Cao then?

"Zizhong, Gongyou, although what you two said is correct, Xuzhou at this moment is not something I can take over."

"If you accept Lu Bu, he will have more than ten thousand soldiers under his command. This kind of power cannot be underestimated!"

"What's more, there is Cao Jun outside who is watching with eager eyes!"

"This Xuzhou, I..."

Unable to accept it, Liu Bei was helpless.

If Cao Cao was not outside, there would be no problem for him to take over Xuzhou. The key is that Cao Cao's army is now in Xuzhou.

Once the opponent attacks, it will be difficult to resist with the strength they currently control.

"What my lord said is true!"

Sun Qian nodded, Cao Jun's presence was indeed difficult to ignore.

Mi Zhu beside him also frowned.

At this time, Sun Qian suddenly raised his head and looked at Liu Bei.

"My lord, why not drive away the wolf and devour the tiger!"

Wanting Liu Bei to secure Xuzhou, Sun Qian thought about it carefully and found that it was a bit too difficult after all.

Although he, Mi Zhu, and most of the people in Xuzhou did not have many opinions on supporting Liu Bei.

But the nobles in Xuzhou and Cao Cao cannot be ignored.

Lu Bu finally settled in Xuzhou. Tao Qian's original intention was to let the other party contain Xuzhou's power.

With the addition of a new force, the whole of Xuzhou will be more wary.

However, Tao Qian's skills were not good after all.

However, Tao Qian was already dying, so nothing the other party did would surprise anyone.

If Liu Bei had promised Tao Qian to take over Xuzhou earlier, Lu Bu would not have entered Xuzhou now.

Of course, no one can say whether Liu Bei will accept Lu Bu.

"Driving away wolves and devouring tigers?"

"What's the explanation?"

Liu Bei glanced at Sun Qian curiously.

Several people on the side also turned their attention to Sun Qian.

Seeing everyone looking at him, Sun Qian opened his mouth and explained leisurely.

"The so-called driving away wolves and devouring tigers is to use one force to drive away other forces!"

"Now, if my lord wants to sit firmly in Xuzhou, it is too difficult!"

"I heard that my lord and Cao Cao are acquaintances. Since it is difficult to resist Cao Cao's army now, why not take the initiative to let Cao Cao's army enter Xuzhou!"

"Given the conflict between Cao Cao and Lu Bu, it is impossible for the two to live in harmony!"

"With this, we can drive away wolves and devoured tigers. Later, the lord will take the opportunity to plot something else!"

After saying this, Liu Bei frowned slightly.

Zhang Fei beside him could no longer bear it any longer.

What is this called driving away wolves and devouring tigers? This is clearly bowing to Cao Cao!

What's your plan, Sun Gan?

If it weren't for the fact that the two of them had just surrendered, Zhang Fei couldn't help but curse.

At this moment, the whole face was darkened, and the features began to look a little more ferocious.

Sun Qian's expression didn't change much.

He knew that if he said such words, he would easily make people unhappy.

However, now for Liu Bei, there is no other choice.

For now, this is considered the best option.

Guan Yu's expression was also a little ugly.

This strategy is not a clever one, it is nothing more than bowing your head!

Mi Zhu beside him also sighed.

Liu Bei raised his head and glanced at Sun Qian. He also knew in his heart that it was extremely difficult for the other party to tell such a plan to his face.

This kind of courage is not easy!

Liu Bei's eyes flickered, and his expression gradually became a little dazed.

Before that, he was just a small county captain.

Over the past few years, he looked back and found that his journey had been too difficult and he had not achieved much until now.

Such a big piece of cake in Xuzhou almost hit him on the head, which really made Liu Bei a little happy.

But now he realized that he couldn't swallow this piece of cake!

"Just do what Gongyou said!"

Liu Bei came back to his senses and smiled at Sun Qian.

Hearing this, Sun Qian in front of him was completely stunned.

He originally thought that such a strategy would make Liu Bei feel disgusted or even angry.

Unexpectedly, Liu Bei in front of him readily accepted it.

How courageous this is.

Without any hesitation, Sun Qian turned over and knelt down directly in front of Liu Bei.

"My lord trusts me so much, I will live up to my lord in this life!"

Just one sentence made Sun Qian completely recognize Liu Bei.

Although he had taken the initiative to serve the other party before, he still had some considerations in his heart.

Although this strategy was a helpless move, it was also a building of trust between them.

If Liu Bei is unwilling, he may become angry and drive him away.

Then there will no longer be any relationship between them as ministers.

However, at this moment, Liu Bei readily accepted it, which made Sun Qian feel a little warm in his heart.

As the saying goes, a scholar will die for his confidant.

He was lucky to meet such a lord.

Seeing Sun Qian next to him like this, Mi Zhu naturally felt something in her heart.

Mi Zhu was also waiting for Liu Bei's reaction to Sun Qian's plan.

If the other party drives Sun Qian away in anger, it will be difficult for people to surrender with such an attitude.

But Liu Bei's choice is gratifying.

So what if Xuzhou is gone?

His Mi family has a lot of wealth, so he has the ability to help Liu Bei make a comeback.

Such a change only occurs in an instant.

Guan and Zhang next to them were somewhat stunned.

However, no matter how you look at the results in front of you, they are extremely good.

…

Mid-June, a slight summer heat!

For more than a month, rainfall has been scarce in all parts of Han Dynasty.

In Yanzhou, it just rained lightly.

This rain was like God's sudden interest, but it came suddenly and ended too quickly.

The hot air was somewhat moistened, and the sunny weather made the heat even more intense.

Within Juancheng.

In the actor's house, compared to the stuffy heat outside, for some reason it is much cooler inside the actor's house at this moment.

In the main hall, inside the copper ice mirror, huge ice cubes filled the entire ice mirror tightly.

There are no fewer than five or six such ice mirrors in the entire main hall.

Due to the ice mirror, the air in the entire lobby has dropped a lot.

"Fengyi, if I had known it was so cool here, I should have moved the desk here!"

Xun Yu, who happened to come to visit, was a little surprised.

Logically speaking, ice cubes are extremely scarce in summer. Even the emperor's ice cellar may not have much inventory.

Of course, whether Liu Xie is there now is another matter.

But what Xun Yu saw was that there seemed to be countless ice cubes in Xi Yu's house.

From what he said, what kind of saltpeter is it made of?

Xun Yu admired Xi Yu's magical method from the bottom of his heart.

"Brother, the principle of making ice from saltpeter is actually not difficult. Even that guy Dian Wei has already learned it!"

"I just asked the baggage battalion to send the ice-making method to Brother Mengde two days ago!"

"If you want more ice at home, I will ask Dian Wei to give you some saltpeter and tell you how to make ice!"

Xi Yu didn't hide anything about making ice with saltpeter.

He didn't care about the hot weather, but he just couldn't bear it.

Simply, he asked someone to find saltpeter and make some ice cubes.

He had people send them over to Cao Cao and the Cao family.

For this reason, Cao Song praised him a lot.

"I heard that Tao Qian accepted Lu Bu, what do you think of Fengyi?"

Regarding the ice cubes, Xun Yu thanked Xi Yu, and then asked Xi Yu about the business.

Lu Bu had been wandering around Yanzhou before. How was he going to deal with Lu Bu? He never thought that the other party would choose to defect to Tao Qian.

"Lü Bu went to Xuzhou?"

So early?

Right!

Now Lu Bu has nowhere else to go.

According to the original history, after Yanzhou was re-pacified by Cao Cao, Lu Bu ran away to Xuzhou.

At that time, Liu Bei accepted the opponent directly, but what Liu Bei didn't expect was that Lu Bu kicked Liu Bei out of Xuzhou with a kick.

Now, because the Yanzhou incident has been resolved ahead of schedule, some things have also been moved ahead of schedule.

However, this time when he went to Xuzhou, Lu Bu no longer had Chen Gong by his side to help him make suggestions.

This kind of Lu Bu is not worth taking seriously.

However, Lu Bu's visit to Xuzhou will make the situation in Xuzhou more complicated.

"Brother, don't worry about the lost dog!"

Without Chen Gong, Lu Bu is just a headless fly!

According to Lu Bu's temperament, it would not be so easy for him to get along with the Xuzhou nobles, or even Liu Bei.

"I heard that Tao Qian is unconscious now!"

"Xuzhou, I'm afraid chaos will break out!"

Xun Yu said softly, but the expression on his face was not too disturbing.

"This is an opportunity for our army!"

Chance?

When Xi Yu heard this, he nodded in approval.

Once Tao Qian dies, the entire situation in Xuzhou will be out of balance in an instant!

The Danyang forces that originally belonged to Tao Qian were in opposition to the Xuzhou gentry.

And this Danyang force naturally has to find its own way out.

Taking refuge with Liu Bei may be a good choice for them.

The appearance of Lu Bu is also a new choice.

"Brother, let Brother Mengde worry about Xuzhou's affairs. It won't do much good for you and me to sit here and discuss these matters!"

Looking at Xun Yu, Xi Yu said helplessly.

Now that Cao Cao is in Xuzhou, Cao Cao will have a clearer perception of the changes in Xuzhou.

The two of them were at the rear, and what they should be thinking about right now was food and grass.

"That's right!"

Xun Yu raised his head and glanced outside the hall. From this door, he could see layers of heat waves rising with the naked eye!

People throughout Yanzhou have long been complaining about such hot weather.

During this time, Xun Yu often inspected the farm areas during the day.

Because of the continuous hot and dry weather, the rice in that area has become a little dry.

"These days, many ditches have been built between fields in Yanzhou. As Fengyi said before, water diversion for irrigation has been quite effective!"

Diverting water from a large river to a place where there is a lack of water flow is no small project!

The most famous South-to-North Water Diversion Project in later generations is an extremely dazzling presence in water conservancy.

At the moment, he is just borrowing some from it.

In this era, only ditches and some water trucks are used to transfer water, and the efficiency of utilization is still somewhat low after all.

It’s so hard to survive this summer!

…

"I'm afraid I won't be able to survive this summer!"

Tancheng, Xuzhou.

Before Tao Qian's death bed, Cao Bao, Mi Zhu, the current Xuzhou farewell driver, and others were all waiting in front of Tao Qian.

At this time, Tao Qian's aura was slightly sluggish, and the look in his eyes had become thinner.

"Your Majesty!"

Cao Bao opened his mouth, but nothing came out of what he wanted to say.

At this time, the people in front of Tao Qian were all people he could trust.

Mi Zhu was here because Tao Qian deliberately called him in front of him.

However, in less than ten days, Tao Qian's condition has become increasingly critical. Anyone with a discerning eye can see that Tao Qian cannot hold on much longer.

And within these ten days, the situation in Xuzhou as a whole seemed like a storm was about to come.

When Lu Bu took control of Pengcheng, he frequently communicated with some nobles in Xuzhou.

In just a few days, Lu Bu seemed to have forgotten his previous embarrassing state in Yanzhou.

In just a few days, Lu Bu returned to his previous arrogance.

Someone reminded Lu Bu that Tao Qian is no longer good now.

The huge Xuzhou was like an extremely attractive piece of fat, and Lu Bu was also tempted.

Liu Bei, on the other hand, remained extremely stable during this period, but at this stage, he and Cao Cao have once again resumed communication with each other.

Cao and Liu exchanged letters of greetings from time to time, which seemed like mutual confidants.

However, both of them knew that once Tao Qian died, some things would soon change.

"Zizhong!"

"This thing is entrusted to you!"

When he was dying, Tao Qian asked someone to entrust a letter of testament to Mi Zhu, and then turned to look at Cao Bao.

"A Bao, follow Mr. Xuande from now on and abide by your duty!"

Tao Qian always chose to entrust Xuzhou to Liu Bei.

At midnight, Tao Qian died!

As a wail began to sound in the Zhou Mu Mansion, Xuzhou Mu Tao Qian was already a thing of the past.

The next day it was just light.

News of Tao Qian's death began to spread throughout Xuzhou.

On this day, Xuzhou, which had been dry for a long time, coincidentally began to rain heavily.

The entire people of Xuzhou were very sad about Tao Qian's death, perhaps because of the rain.

Si time has just passed.

Mi Zhu contacted Cao Bao, Sun Qian and others, and went straight to Xiapi with Tao Qian's death.

At the same time, within the Chen Mansion, letters from the Chen family were also delivered to Cao Ying.

"Gongzu, let's go!"

In the Chen Mansion, Chen Gui sighed, even though he knew it would not be too late.

But when Tao Qian actually died, Chen Gui was still quite touched.

He had been on the offensive with Tao Qian in Xuzhou, and there were not many conflicts between the two.

They are just standing in different positions!

What Chen Gui values ​​more is just the honor and disgrace of his family.

"Father, Tao Shijun ordered Liu Bei to serve as the shepherd of Xuzhou, us!"

Chen Deng glanced at his father.

Hearing this, Chen Gui shook his head subconsciously.

It's just a suicide, so what if Liu Bei takes over Xuzhou Mu?

The Chen family won't have too many opinions on this. If you, Liu Bei, can do it, you can stabilize Xuzhou Mu's position.

The Chen family can also support Liu Bei.

But, can Liu Bei do it safely?

Since Lu Bu was in Xuzhou, he was not an easy person to get along with after all, just for a few days.

Those Xuzhou nobles who interacted with Lu Bu seemed to have great respect for Lu Bu, but now, how many people would stand by Lu Bu's side.

The Chen family sees this very clearly.

Nowadays, Cao Cao's army is suppressing the country outside, and these Xuzhou nobles are like grass on the wall.

Now that Tao Qian is dead, I don't know how many people have already passed the news to Cao Ying at this time.

Of course, the goals of these noble families are the same, and the Chen family is no exception.

Inside Xiapi City.

At almost noon, Mi Zhu and a group of people arrived at Liu Bei's location.

When he learned that Tao Qian had passed away last night, Liu Bei stood there as if in a daze.

The expression that followed him couldn't help but be a little pitiful.

"Mr. Tao has gone?"

…

"Tao Qian is dead!"

In Cao Ying, Cao Cao, who was in Dongping City, also received the news of Tao Qian's death in the early morning.

This happened somewhat unexpectedly.

Although Cao Cao knew that Tao Qian was about to die, he did not expect that this would happen so quickly.

It's so fast that it catches people off guard!

Regarding Tao Qian, Cao Cao did not have many conflicts with him.

The incident of Cao Song being intercepted and executed in Xuzhou probably had little to do with Tao Qian.

Cao Cao also knows this!

This matter was just an excuse to attack Xuzhou. He wanted to expand his power, and Xuzhou was in a better place.

If he were not afraid of Yuan Shao, Cao Cao would even want to occupy Qingzhou as well.

However, his current strength is still somewhat inferior to that of Yuan Shao.

The accumulation of the Four Generations and Three Dukes is much deeper than that of the Cao family.

Yuan Shao just issued an edict, and countless nobles defected to him. This was something that Cao Cao could not match.

Both Yuan and Yuan were like this.

"Brother, there are people in the city voluntarily seeing off Tao Qian. Do you see this?"

While Cao Cao was sighing with emotion, Cao Ren beside him couldn't help but ask.

Cao Cao was not surprised when he heard that some people spontaneously saw off Tao Qian.

Tao Qian has been operating in Xuzhou these years and has gained a lot of reputation among the people of Xuzhou.

If he had not planned his strategy for attacking Xuzhou in advance this time, it would have been a trouble for Cao Jun just because of the people's respect for Tao Qian.

"In this case, there is no need to stop him. Just ask someone to go down and open the city gate! All the people coming and going from Xuzhou can see Tao Qian off!"

There is no need for Cao Cao to stop this kind of thing.

The people left voluntarily. This was the reputation Tao Qian had accumulated during his lifetime, and he deserved it! -