Wait, please don't call me Emperor Zhaolie

Chapter 104: Liu Bei has the final say on whether the north is in chaos or not
The drought lasted until August, when there was finally wind and rain and heavy rain.

Rivers and ponds all over Qingzhou were filled up in just a few days.

Liu Bei did not expect that in order to prevent floods after drought, he dug ponds and ditches in many places, but they almost could not withstand the downpour. Fortunately, Qingzhou is close to the sea, so there was no flood.

The rain hit the tiles rapidly and flowed down. Even the soil smelled damp. In the distance, the mountains, forests and bushes were swept across like strong winds and waves.

Liu Bei stood in the watchtower of the Pingyuan Prefecture mansion and looked around. He said, "Rain prevents drought, and long drought prevents flooding. It is indeed true. The weather has suddenly turned cold and you are prone to catching a cold. You should put on an extra coat."

Xun You and Guo Jia nodded behind him. Guo Jia even smiled and said in return, "Thank you, Lord Xuande, for your concern. I will add an outer robe."

"How come Fengxiao is so distant that he calls me 'Duke'?" Liu Bei couldn't help but ask with a smile.

Guo Jia smiled and glanced at Zhang Liao, who looked majestic with thick eyebrows and a high nose bridge. The man's words were self-evident.

When Lu Bu's wife sent Zhang Wenyuan to ask for food, Liu Bei first told him the truth about the extent of the food shortage in Qingzhou, but still readily sent 10,000 bushels of millet to Liyang to help the people. This made Zhang Liao admire him so much that he stayed as a guest.

It has been two months now, and I have come here specially to say goodbye.

"Wenyuan, you really don't plan to stay for a while longer?" Liu Bei found Guo Jia's eyes funny and turned to Zhang Liao.

Zhang Liao bowed and said, "Thank you for your hospitality, Lord Liu. I would like to stay for a while to repay you. The other day, Marquis Wen sent me a letter saying that Yuan Shao wants to take Liyang back through Henei County. Our survival is at stake and we must return."

Liu Bei asked, "I heard that Zhang Yang, the governor of Henei, has a good relationship with Fengxian. Could he still pass through Yuan Shao?"

Zhang Liao couldn't help but sigh and said with a wry smile: "Although the relationship is good, it can't stand Yuan Benchu's constant pressure."

"Yuan Shao thought that Wen Hou was close to Lord Liu and alienated the Yuan family, so he came to ask for Liyang. After being rejected, he wanted to march to take it back. It is said that he has stationed troops in the neighboring Henei with the famous general Wen Chou of Hebei. If he captures Dangyin and crosses the West Mountain, the army will march straight to Liyang."

When Liu Bei heard this, he almost couldn't hold back his laughter. At this time, Lu Fengxian was even more miserable than Lu Bu in history.

Except for Zhang Yang, who was also from Bingzhou, no other prince was willing to accept Lu Bu. Yuan Shu and Yuan Shao did not like him, and Lu Bu looked down on other princes.

There was not enough food and grass on the way back to Bingzhou, and Bingzhou was also dependent on Yuan Shao.

To the west was his fellow townsman Zhang Yang, and to the east and south was Liu Bei, who had defeated Yuan Shao and owned eight counties in Qing and Yan states and had a strong army.

Lu Bu looked around and realized that he couldn't defeat the enemy in the east or the west, so he could only attack Yuan Shao. However, there was no county town in Jizhou within 200 miles of Liyang, so only Yecheng, which was easy to defend but difficult to attack, was in front of him.

With only a thousand men under his command, how could he capture Yecheng?

Liu Bei didn't know that Lu Bu was already wavering. He thought that as long as Xuande could gain the upper hand again in the battle between Xuande and Yuan Shao, he would lead his cavalry to Qingzhou to join Xuande, and work together to destroy Yuan Shao and save the world.

Since Zhang Liao was determined to leave, Liu Bei could not stop him. He just patted him on the shoulder and said with a smile: "Wenyuan has the talent of a great general, even Guan Ying is not as good as him. If Wenyuan helps us to destroy the Yuan family, there is no need to worry about Hebei being unstable and the world being conquered."

Zhang Liao was somewhat excited when he heard this. Guan Ying was brave and good at fighting. He followed Emperor Taizu Gaozu to attack Sima Xin, besiege Zhang Han, and led the cavalry to defeat the Wei Kingdom. He also fought a decisive battle with Xiang Yu at Gaixia. Later, he followed Emperor Gaozu to quell the rebellions of Zang Tu, Han Wangxin, and Ying Bu, and served as the grand marshal and prime minister.

Can Zhang Wenyuan be compared with Guan Ying of the Han Dynasty?

Seeing Zhang Liao's happy look, Liu Bei said, "Wenyuan, the rain has been too heavy recently. Stay a few days until the rain stops. It won't be too late to leave. I will see you off in person then."

"Mr. Liu, why do you have to be like this? How can a humble person like me be compared with famous scholars?" Zhang Liao bowed and refused.

Liu Bei shook his head and said, "Perhaps I am just delighted to see you and I get along well with Wenyuan, so there's nothing wrong with seeing you off out of the city. Don't refuse." "Thank you, Mr. Liu!" Zhang Liao clasped his fists heavily.

Lord Liu was in charge of all affairs of the two states, and he was also willing to send him a foreign general, which touched him deeply. Only by comparing him with other princes could he realize how valuable Lord Liu was.

People in high positions can sometimes flatter others by simply doing something, even calling them a name, or remembering their subordinates' personal details.

Many people have been treated coldly or even rudely in other places. Those who enjoy fame, such as Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu, their demeanor is only revealed in celebrities, and warriors are rarely valued.

After Zhang Liao left, Guo Jia asked curiously, "Why does the envoy think so highly of Zhang Wenyuan?"

"It's not that I like Zhang Wenyuan, but he really has the talent of a great general. A man who accomplishes things must not only promote talented people from his hometown, but also have the sincerity to attract talents from all over the world."

"Fengxiao, only by uniting all the people you can unite with can you become invincible." Liu Bei sighed.

You don't understand the profound meaning of the sentence "unity is strength".

Xun You and Guo Jia looked at each other and felt that they were indeed gifted by heaven.

Liu Bei glanced ahead and sighed, "The area under my jurisdiction is getting bigger and bigger now. Yunchang, Yide, Zijing, and Xianhe all have to guard one side. Wenruo has also gone to Le'an County. We can hardly see each other for half a year."

"It's not like before when everyone in the county wanted to get together to drink, they could just ride horses and gather together. Only Zilong is still in the plain."

Suddenly thinking of this, Liu Bei felt as if he had neglected Zhao Yun. All the other old brothers had become prefects, but he was still serving as the county lieutenant in Pingyuan County, and he had never complained in private.

Although I know that Zhao Yun is a non-competitive person, sometimes he can be careless when mobilizing people.

It would be better to take another county in Yanzhou and send Zilong out there to gain experience as a prefect.

Liu Bei leaned over and asked, "Gongda, Fengxiao, there are still several months left in this year. Although the army cannot be called up, a thousand men can still be deployed. Although Liu Dai of Yanzhou is incompetent, how can I allow others to sleep soundly beside my bed? If I send someone to lead the troops to take Taishan County, what do you think?"

After thinking deeply, Xun You bowed and said, "Sir, it is better to take Jiyin County first than Taishan County. This place is a plain with a lot of arable land, and there are large and small lakes that can be used for irrigation.

Our army often stops fighting due to shortage of food and fodder. Once Jiyin County is lost, Chenliu County will become an isolated place and can then be attacked.

If we hold Jiyin and Chenliu counties, it will be far better than attacking Mount Tai. Now that we have limited food and grass, why not use it in the best place? "

"Gongda's words are very good!" Guo Jia agreed and said, "Sir, the reason why we have to go to war and consume so much food is because of the disadvantages of the terrain. From Donglai, Beihai, Qijun to Puyang City in Dongjun, the distance to transport food is thousands of miles.

Most of the food and grass were lost on the way. From the perspective of topography, the land of your lordship's several counties is like an open arm embracing Hebei. You should immediately seize the hinterland of Yanzhou and the farmland for your own use. Only with the entire territory of the two states can you rival Yuan Shao's Jizhou."

Liu Bei nodded in agreement. He also often lamented that the larger the territory, the more enemies he would have.

His close neighbors included Yuan Shao of Jizhou, Liu Dai of Yanzhou, and Tao Qian of Xuzhou. After he seized Dongjun and Jibei, he also became close to Zhang Yang of Henei and Yuan Shu of Yuzhou, as well as Gongsun Du who was across the sea from him in Liaodong.

The northern princes are almost bordering him.

After hearing this, Liu Bei smiled and said, "If Yuan Benchu ​​doesn't come to cause trouble, you can send Yunchang and Zilong to take Jiyin County in October, and I will personally go to Dongjun to support the battle."

　Thanks to the two book friends Qingkongqi and Fengtingyue_CB for their rewards!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)