Wait, please don't call me Emperor Zhaolie

Chapter 15 Is There Enough Money?
While the plains were busy with spring plowing, the outside world was in turmoil.

Yuan Shao, the governor of Bohai, Han Fu, the governor of Jizhou, Liu Dai, the governor of Yanzhou, and Kong Ju, the governor of Yuzhou, jointly recommended Liu Yu, the governor of Youzhou, as emperor and established a new court.

He sent Zhang Qi, the former governor of Lelang County, to Youzhou with a letter to present the title of emperor to Liu Yu.

Liu Yu first received them politely, but when he learned their purpose, he scolded Yuan Shao and others harshly and rejected their proposal.

Yuan Shao and his men were caught off guard by Liu Yu's rejection.

And Dong Zhuo began a new revenge.

Sun Jian, who was stationed in Liang County, was defeated by Xu Rong who led his troops, and had no choice but to lead his troops to retreat. Dong Zhuo still wanted to completely cut off the Guandong coalition forces.

He then ordered the Dongjun governor Hu Zhen to lead 5,000 infantry and cavalry, with Lu Bu as the cavalry commander, to strangle the remaining troops of Sun Jian.

Unexpectedly, the two of them were at odds with each other, and each wanted the other to attack first so that they could preserve their military strength. This ended up hurting the governor Hua Xiong and enhancing Sun Wentai's reputation.

After receiving the news, Dong Zhuo, who was still in Luoyang, angrily overturned the table and swept all the bamboo slips and papers to the ground, drew his sword and cut the letter into pieces, and in front of many generals from Liang Province, he angrily denounced Hu Zhen and Lu Bu for their incompetence.

It is no coincidence.

Sun Jian, who was planning to pursue Hu Zhen after his victory, also received the news. His troops chased after Hu Zhen but their food supplies did not catch up.

Having failed at the last minute, Sun Jian could only look up to the sky in rage and led his army back to the camp. He stayed up all night and rushed to Luyang to meet General Yuan Shu. After suppressing his anger and convincing him, he led his troops north again.

The other allied forces of the princes remained inactive.

Months flew by.

After entering June, the weather in Qingzhou becomes hotter.

After the Yellow Turbans in Le'an entered Beihai, many places became empty. Liu Bei then ordered Zhang Fei, who was stationed in a neighboring county, to lead his troops to Le'an to seize two counties and observe their movements.

At this time, Kong Rong, the Prime Minister of Beihai who was deliberately sent to Qingzhou to take up his post because he had offended Dong Zhuo, sent his staff to ask for help.

"The Beihai Kingdom is in danger! I heard that Lord Liu defeated the Yellow Turbans in Jinan and was so powerful that all the Yellow Turbans were terrified. My lord Kong Wenju wants to recommend Lord Liu to the emperor to be the governor of Qingzhou."

"Please send troops to save Beihai from the disaster!"

Kong Rong's staff came all the way here, exhausted, and bowed to the ground when they met, without any hesitation.

Liu Bei asked someone to lift him up and took a closer look. He saw that the aide was dressed in rags and looked very miserable.

I couldn't help but ask the reason.

Kong Rong's staff explained that he hid all the way through Le'an and Qi, and did not dare to enter the city for fear of being discovered by the Yellow Turbans, so he slept in the wild at night, drank dew when he was thirsty, and ate grains dried in bamboo containers when he was hungry.

The followers around him got separated, and he walked alone to Jinan with a sword in hand, before he dared to reveal his identity.

"He's quite courageous!" Liu Bei exclaimed in his heart.

He ordered a banquet to be arranged and during the conversation he learned that the aide was named Wang Xiu, with the courtesy name Shuzhi, and was from Yingling, Beihai.

He asked a few more questions about the situation of Kong Rong, the Prime Minister of Beihai, but Wang Xiu was vague and could not answer immediately.

Seeing Liu Bei's fixed eyes, his heart choked.

He immediately bowed and begged for forgiveness, then told everything.

Wang Xiu was previously just a minor official in Beihai. He was of medium build, an upright man, and had not been very noticeable in the past.

Now the county government is in ruins, and the new Beihai Prime Minister Kong Rong has no one to use, and he doesn't know where to start to clean up the mess.

He then stepped forward and recommended himself, saying: "Liu Xuande of Pingyuan has the demeanor of a hero, with unparalleled heroic spirit. He has defeated the Yellow Turbans many times and has made a great impact on Qingzhou. If you sincerely invite him here, he can help Beihai out of its difficulties."

An official objected, saying, "Pingyuan and Beihai are separated by two counties, and there are also the Yellow Turban bandits in between. It would be better to go to Xuzhou and Yanzhou to ask for reinforcements."

Wang Xiu smiled and said, "Xu and Yan states have cut off their roads. It's too late to defend Qingzhou against thieves. How can they come to rescue?"

"Liu Xuande has the spirit of a chivalrous man. If he really doesn't come, please promise to recommend him to the emperor as the governor of Qingzhou so that he can't refuse!"

Wang Xiu faced west, bowed respectfully and said. Kong Rong, who had been silent for a long time, ignored the dissuasion of other mediocre officials and agreed: "If he can solve the crisis in Beihai and save the people, it will not be difficult to recommend him as the governor."

"Don't say anything more, everyone!"

After explaining everything, Wang Xiu had no choice but to apologize to Liu Bei.

But it is still passionate, like seeing an idol whom one holds as a role model.

"Your Majesty is so righteous that Wang Xiu has heard of you from time to time. Everyone who passes by Jinan praises you. No one in your time has a higher prestige than you."

"The former governor Jiao He made excessive demands on the people, which led to rebellions in various counties. If you were a governor who was lenient and loved the people, the Yellow Turbans could be quelled without a fight."

"If you don't serve as the governor, what will happen to the people?"

Liu Bei chuckled.

I feel that Wang Xiu, the lobbyist, is exaggerating a bit too much. He is not Xie An.

Le Dangshi said, "Shuzhi, it's not me who will save Beihai. At most, in half a month, when the people have harvested the wheat fields, we can send troops to Le'an."

Seeing that he wanted to say something, Liu Bei raised his hand to stop him and said, "Wherever we march, we must be cautious. If we don't clear out the surrounding enemies and march straight to the North Sea, at best the food supply route will be cut off, at worst the army will be defeated and the generals will be destroyed."

"Not only will it be difficult to save Beihai, but the two counties that have been stabilized with great difficulty will also be in chaos, and the people will be forced to flee. Is this what you want to see?" Liu Bei said.

"I don't want to take the risk of using the people and soldiers under my command to gain the benefits of being a governor."

"The governor is indeed tempting, but Liu Bei would rather be with Kong Beihai than to represent me!"

In the end, Liu Bei flatly refused, not afraid of offending the famous scholar Kong Rong.

Just as he said, he would not risk the army just for the post of governor. If something went wrong, he would lose everything.

Who can guarantee good luck on the battlefield?

During the campaign against the Yellow Turbans in Jinan last year, even Liu Bei, the main general, was injured.

The battlefield is a place where two armies fight to the death, and there is no room for negligence. They rushed to rescue Beihai regardless of the dangers in the rear, and marched as if it were child's play.

Although the position of provincial governor is tempting, there will be opportunities to obtain it in the future, so why rush for it?

Wang Xiu was surprised. He didn't expect Liu Bei to refuse.

After hearing the explanation, he was even more impressed. He looked up and smiled, "I was just joking just now. Please don't blame me, Lord."

"Xiu didn't expect that the Lord of the Mansion was indeed kind, capable and measured, and he was unmoved by the temptation of benefits."

"Wang Xiu is not talented, but I have a plan that can bring win-win results to Lord Liu, Lord Kong, and even the people of Qingzhou."

Liu Bei was very interested. He knew that in history Wang Xiu was a rare talent in Cao Wei who loved the people and was extremely loyal.

I'd like to hear what he has to say.

Wang Xiu saw that Liu Bei never got angry, and he could not help but sigh and praise: "What a hero's weapon!"

As a minor official in a county relative to another county, he could be so patient. If it were any other county magistrate, he would have been beaten out with sticks long ago.

Wang Xiu smiled and said, "Your Excellency should first send troops to Le'an. You only need to win a few more battles. The bigger the momentum, the better. The Yellow Turbans in Beihai will be terrified."

"I will persuade Kong Beihai to appoint you as the governor. Then I can use the troops from Beihai, Donglai, Pingyuan and Jinan to intimidate them. I will also use the title of Liu Jun as the governor of Qingzhou to persuade the Yellow Turbans to surrender. Then Qingzhou can be secured."

Liu Bei smiled and said, "Shuzhi, even if we persuade the Yellow Turbans to surrender, Pingyuan won't be able to move 300,000 people to survive until next year. The Yellow Turbans won't believe it."

Wang Xiu said, "I heard that the Lord of the Mansion has good relations with merchants. If we can find someone to buy grain from the Mi family of Xuzhou and the Zhen family of Jizhou, it will be feasible."

"I'll find Gongsun of Youzhou to buy sheep and livestock, and next year I'll buy grain from various states and counties. But I don't know how much money it will cost. Even if I have tens of millions of dollars, I'm afraid it will still cost..."

"May I ask Lord Liu whether there is enough money in the treasury?"

(End of this chapter)