Wait, please don't call me Emperor Zhaolie

Chapter 116 Tao Qian: I want to give you the Danyang soldiers

In the courtyard of the county government office, Mi Zhu looked at Liu Bei with a burning gaze, eagerly waiting for his answer.

He was also quickly considering how to persuade Liu Shijun to take over Xuzhou and expose all the previous unpleasant behavior of Mr. Tao.

Liu Bei had no idea what Mi Zhu was thinking, but he felt a little uncomfortable being stared at so enthusiastically.

In his early years, he also looked at others with eager eyes, but he didn't expect that the situation would change and he would enjoy the same treatment again.

He originally thought that Tao Qian would no longer entrust Xuzhou to him, but his old friend was too enthusiastic and persuaded Tao Gongzu to invite him to take charge of Xuzhou.

It was a good intention, but it interrupted his development.

According to Xun Yu and Xun You's assumptions, their entry into Xuzhou should come after Yanzhou is stabilized. They should be able to use Pingyuan and Dongjun to block Yuan Shao's offensive, and then seize several counties adjacent to Xuzhou as fertile farmland to better store food and grass in preparation for the destruction of Yuan Benchu.

After destroying Yuan Shao, he took advantage of the situation to quell the chaos in Youzhou, and then led the army south to wipe out Yuan Shu who was entrenched in Xu and Yu, and completely wiped out the Yuan family of Runan.

If we intervene in Xuzhou in advance, it would be tantamount to making enemies with Yuan Shu, and we would be caught in a pincer attack from the north and south.

By then, the troops would be exhausted from traveling back and forth, and even if they managed to defeat Yuan by chance, both sides would suffer losses, which would easily allow Gongsun Zan in Jingzhou, Yangzhou, or even Youzhou to take advantage.

Liu Bei could not help but think of Xun You's advice to seize Hebei first and then plan for the Central Plains.

If we try to seize Xuzhou under the current circumstances, we might really bleed Qingzhou dry.

First of all, Yanzhou has not been settled, and Yuan Shao has not yet been severely defeated by him. In addition, Xuzhou is close to Yuzhou, so it is necessary to confront Yuan Shu. Now Sun Jian's old subordinates should have been returned to Sun Ce, and Yuan Gonglu's subordinates are also quite powerful. Moreover, the attitude of the Xuzhou gentry and wealthy families is unclear, so heavy troops must be dispatched to garrison there.

Liu Bei pondered for a while and realized that if he tried to take over Xuzhou now, he would only choke to death. His current situation was much more difficult than Cao Mengde's original situation.

The friendship between Cao Cao and Yuan Shao can ensure that the north will not launch a large-scale attack to the south, freeing up hands to deal with Yuan Shu. In addition, the war between Yangzhou Governor Liu Yao and Yuan Shu can relieve the pressure.

If he had set foot in Xuzhou, Liu Yao was the younger brother of Liu Dai, the governor of Yanzhou, and they had a lot of grudges against each other.

Although the possibility is not high, it is better to be prepared. If he were to collude with Yuan Shu to attack him together, it would be troublesome.

I don't know whether Liu Yao went to Yangzhou or went somewhere else.

Xuzhou is like a hot potato at this moment...

Liu Bei sighed in his heart: "It would be great if you could die two years later, Tao Gongzu."

Help him hold off the southern princes for two years, so that he can severely damage Yuan Shao, seize the four counties of Jizhou and Yecheng, and drive him to Gaoyi in Changshan, and then he can lead his troops to take the five counties of Xuzhou.

"Zi Zhong, how is Tao Gongzu's health these days? Is he still often bedridden?"

Liu Bei did not reply at first, but asked about Tao Qian's health.

Mi Zhu looked surprised. To put it bluntly, shouldn't Tao Gong's illness be more beneficial to Envoy Liu?

Why are you still concerned about Mr. Tao's condition? You can see that the envoy looks very concerned. It doesn't seem like he is pretending. He is really worried from the bottom of his heart.

"Envoy Liu is indeed as open-minded as usual, kind and generous." Mi Zhu sighed inwardly.

If this is not the legacy of Emperor Gaozu, then what is? Due to information asymmetry, a wonderful misunderstanding occurred between the two.

Mi Zhu bowed and replied, "Mr. Tao has been losing weight recently. He has become skinny and bony because of eating less and less."

After hearing this, Liu Bei was stunned, wondering if he couldn't hold on any longer.

He then asked again: "Can you still speak? Is your spirit weak?"

"Although Lord Tao is weak, he can sometimes cheer up. Your Excellency does not need to worry. After taking over the affairs of Xuzhou, Lord Tao will be able to recuperate and perhaps recover soon." Mi Zhu said with a smile.

Liu Bei pondered for a while and said, "Zi Zhong, you must have known that Yuan Shao is attacking Pingyuan and Dongjun to prevent me from taking Jiyin and Chenliu. At present, Qingzhou has few soldiers and generals and is short of food and grass. It is not the right time to station in Xuzhou."

Liu Bei also coveted Xuzhou, but now he really couldn't mobilize the manpower to take over several counties in Xuzhou, and then get himself involved in the mess of the southern princes.

"Envoy, this..." Mi Zhu didn't expect that his previous passionate words did not impress Envoy Liu.

This kind of opportunity for the whole state to be entrusted to each other is rare in a century. If Mr. Tao changes his mind, he will miss it.

Life is like a fleeting arrow. You can only encounter such good opportunities a few times. If you don’t seize them, you will suffer the consequences.
Liu Bei waved his hand and explained, "Zi Zhong, I understand your intention. If Gongsun Bogui can attack Yuan Shao again in the next two years, and if we take Yanzhou and drive out Liu Dai, and Tao Gongzu still wants to entrust me with this, I will lead my army south to Xuzhou."

The day before yesterday, Liu Bei also received a secret letter from Juye Li Mancheng, stating that Yanzhou Governor Liu Dai was mobilizing soldiers from Shanyang and Dongping counties, as well as the powerful families affiliated with him, opening the armory to distribute armor and weapons, and intending to lead his troops to Dingtao County to fight him to the death.

Liu Bei couldn't help but feel delighted that Liu Dai had finally shown some courage when he fought the Yellow Turbans. It seemed that he would not fight to the death unless he forced the enemy into a desperate situation.

If he could defeat the remaining county soldiers in Jiyin and the reinforcements led by Liu Dai in this battle, the three counties of Dongping, Shanyang and Jiyin would all fall into his hands by the end of this year.

In Yanzhou, only Chenliu County and Taishan County remain unresolved. Next year, Yide and Zijing will lead their troops to take the twelve counties of Taishan together, and then persuade the Zhang brothers to surrender, so that the defensive border can be pushed forward to Xu, Yu, Henei and Henan.

The situation will have changed by then.

Liu Bei said silently: "Bogui, it depends on whether you can defeat the Wuhuan and Xianbei in the next two years, take advantage of Yuan Benchu's transfer of troops away from the north, and lead the army to attack Yuan Shao again, and show the power of the White Horse again."

There are many princes in the north and south, but no one can help him to contain one of the two Yuans. Except for Gongsun Bogui who will fight Yuan Shao, Youzhou Mu Liu Yu will not stand on his side.

If Yuan Benchu ​​could be contained, he could be free to occupy Xuzhou and Yuzhou. Conversely, if Yuan Gonglu could be suppressed and prevented from controlling Xuzhou and Yangzhou, he could concentrate his forces to destroy Yuan Shao first.

In short, never face the enemy on two fronts.

Mi Zhu thought for a moment and said, "It will take time to present a memorial to the emperor. Now the court is controlled by the Liangzhou bandits. It may take a year or two to go back and forth. The envoy can first agree to let Zhu return to Xuzhou to give an explanation to Lord Tao."

Liu Bei smiled and asked: "What's the point of empty promises? Why not wait a year or two before making a decision?"

After he finished speaking, Mi Zhu bowed politely and said, "As long as Lord Xuande agrees to one thing, Lord Tao will not look for anyone else to entrust Xuzhou to, and all the more than 10,000 Danyang soldiers under his command will be given to you."

"Danyang soldiers..."

Liu Bei couldn't help but look strange, as he was famous for turning against Tao Qian after his death.

Soon Liu Bei shifted his attention away. The Danyang soldiers were just extras and the point was not here. He then laughed and said, "What did Tao Gongzu want me to do? He actually gave me the whole state as a gift?!"

(End of this chapter)