Wait, please don't call me Emperor Zhaolie

Chapter 153 I Want to See Who is the Traitor
On the eighth day of September, the autumn wind is bleak.

On the outskirts of Tan County in Donghai Commandery of Xuzhou, scholars in well-dressed clothes gathered in groups waiting at the side of the highway to wait for the new governor of Xuzhou, General Xuande.

There were also more than 200 female dancers playing drums and harps, waiting on the side.

Thirteen days ago, Liu Shijun wrote back to Mi Zhu saying that he was on the way to Xuzhou with 1,600 cavalry and 3,000 auxiliary soldiers.

Mi Zhu was extremely surprised when he received the letter, and he immediately informed the noble families in Donghai, Xuzhou, to prepare to welcome him. Someone spread the news outside, and in an instant the whole Xuzhou was in action.

The clan leaders and patriarchs of the noble families in each county and prefecture brought their outstanding sons with them. Many clan leaders, regardless of their masculinity, hurried to Tan County in horse-drawn carriages.

For a time, the road to Donghai County was crowded with people, scholars came one after another, and the crowds filled the streets and alleys.

Tan County had not been so lively for a long time. The number of people who came to pay tribute was four or five times more than when Tao Qian, the former governor of Xuzhou, passed away. They were all famous people from various ethnic groups who came to personally welcome Lord Xuande.

I wonder what Tao Gongzu would think if he knew about this.

When there are too many people, there will be a lot of gossip. The heads of various counties and prefectures in Xuzhou gathered together and argued fiercely just over how to welcome Lord Xuande.

Someone suggested dancing with long sleeves, and a beautiful maid in a slim waist and long skirt was selected to dance sideways with her sleeves raised to the ground to welcome the envoy.

Others say that the scarf dance is performed by having dancers holding two scarves and stepping on drums to perform graceful dance moves that showcase the beauty of rhythm.

A scholar shook his head and said, "I heard that Lord Xuande has the style of Emperor Gaozu and does not like beautiful maids. Whenever he goes to the battlefield, he personally faces arrows and stones and holds weapons with the soldiers. Why don't you welcome him with a halberd dance?"

Ganqi Dance is a dance performed with people holding axes and shields, which has been popular for a thousand years since the Zhou Dynasty.

As soon as he finished speaking, someone objected that Gan Qi was too murderous, and it would be better to use Jin Duo Tong Gu, which had a more majestic feel.

A clan leader waved his hand and said with a smile: "Since Lord Xuande has inherited the style of his great ancestor, how can he not love beautiful girls? Especially the long-sleeved dance is the most graceful and moving."

Everyone had a point, and the other scholars all supported various welcoming ceremonies. The noisy discussions lasted for several days but there was still a stalemate, and no one was willing to give in.

Finally, Mi Zhu saw that some scholars were arguing and wanted to draw their swords to fight, so he finally came out to mediate the dispute, and said helplessly: "Since you all think they are all suitable, then use them all. Lord Xuande is coming, so everyone should stop arguing."

"I will write this letter to inform General Liu of the sincere wishes of the people of Xuzhou."

Everyone bowed and apologized, and asked Mi Beijia to forgive them.

……

On the outskirts of Tan County, Mi Zhu stood in the front row, leading hundreds of scholars who were eagerly waiting respectfully.

After the messenger came to report, the scholars straightened their clothes, stood straight and looked straight ahead. They had come here with great difficulty and were not here to make a fool of themselves. They all wanted to leave a good impression on Lord Xuande.

"I'm coming."

"Lord Xuande is here."

Suddenly, at the end of the road, several teams of cavalry appeared, marching side by side. The thundering sound of horse hooves resounded through the sky. The cavalry held up bright flags, and their banners were raised and slapped against the flagpoles. Each man rode three horses, and as far as I could see, they were endless, raising a cloud of dust.

The leading cavalry officer raised his arm and whipped his horse, and the horse neighed and gradually slowed down.

The rest of the cavalry followed closely behind, and as the command flag slowed down, their movements were almost in unison.

Even a layman can see that these are definitely the elite among the elite.

When the 1,600 galloping cavalry stopped in front of them, the aristocratic and noble families who were so frightened that they dared not breathe could not help but swallow their saliva. Having grown up in Xuyang, they had never seen the scene of thousands of troops charging into battle, but they saw it today.

"Lord Xuande is indeed powerful and unstoppable!"

Many people sighed secretly. They were also glad that they did not act arrogantly and dared to sit still and not come to meet Liu Shijun. They thought that it was impossible for their own thousand-odd troops to defeat the brave and combative cavalry.

Although some people appeared to welcome Liu Bei respectfully, they actually disagreed with him in their hearts.

They felt that no matter how powerful Liu Xuande was, if he came to Xuzhou and wanted to govern the prefecture well, he would have to rely on them. If he dared to offend the local gentry and wealthy families, Xuzhou would be unstable.

Now, suddenly seeing such a strong force, his heart couldn't help but beat nervously. He couldn't help but doubt whether the dozen or so allied troops plus the Danyang soldiers could defeat such a powerful warrior.

I heard that Liu Xuande's infantry was better than his cavalry, and his soldiers were better at charging into the enemy's territory and breaking down the enemy's formations. So they roamed Hebei and the Central Plains like wolves and tigers, and no army could stop them wherever they went.

They couldn't help but exchange glances quietly with the other families in the crowd, nodding imperceptibly, and temporarily restrained their thoughts.

On the other side, as Liu Shijun led his army to arrive, gongs and drums sounded in an instant, and the dancing maids began to dance.

"Greetings, Your Majesty!" Mi Zhu led the scholars to come forward and bow down in greeting.

"The scholars of Xuzhou pay their respects to Lord Xuande!" The patriarchs, celebrities, and Confucian scholars of many aristocratic families all bowed respectfully.

Liu Bei dismounted and saw a crowd of people standing on the side of the road. A rough count showed that there were at least seven or eight hundred people.

Only about a hundred people were able to follow Mi Zhu to come up to greet them, and more people were standing behind, stretching their necks and looking into the distance.

The scene was like being stopped behind and unable to come over, while at the same time scrambling to see some rare animal.

Liu Bei couldn't help but twitch his lips slightly.

Even Liu Bei was like this. Dian Wei and Liu He, who were protecting him, felt like they were facing a powerful enemy. They quickly stood beside the envoy to protect him, scanning the crowd with ferocious eyes. The rest of the soldiers from the Rui Shi Camp also hurried forward, holding their swords and long spears to move the crowd apart, and looked at everyone carefully.

At this time, the most feared thing was that there were assassins mixed in, but the envoy was only wearing light armor.

Although the soldier's actions were somewhat rude, causing the nobles to frown, Liu Bei did not speak to stop him.

Safety is the most important thing. Even though Mi Zhu has checked it many times, he still dare not take it lightly. After all, the more people there are, the more suitable it is for the assassination.

There are many people in the world who are confused. It is hard to say that there are no people among the people present who dare to risk the annihilation of their clan and hide a sharp knife.

Seeing the envoy being so cautious, Mi Zhu was not angry. He also knew that even if he checked several times, it might not be safe at the moment.

Those who wanted to assassinate him would certainly find ways to sneak in, so he was relieved to have the Qingzhou soldiers take over the protection.

Then he smiled and bowed to Liu Bei and said: "Since the rebellion of Dong, the whole world has been in turmoil and no one has been able to stop it. The people have suffered and the bones are exposed in the wild without anyone to bury them. Only you have risen from the streets to fight against the tyrants and revolted. You have carried forward the Han Dynasty's 400-year-old legacy. You have comforted the people with the kindness of Emperor Gaozu and Emperor Xiaowen and recruited talented people. Now you have taken Luoyang and become the hero of the world. This is the spirit of the revival of the Han Dynasty!"

"Your Excellency has made outstanding contributions to the country. I congratulate you!"

"Congratulations to the Han Dynasty, congratulations to Lord Xuande!"

"Congratulations to the Han Dynasty! Congratulations to Lord Xuande!!"

The scholars and those who were behind and had not yet come forward, upon hearing the noise from the front, all bowed and congratulated with joy.

Anyone who dared not to congratulate at this time would be a real traitor to the Han Dynasty. Even if he was caught by the soldiers and chopped into meat paste on the spot, no one would stand up and denounce Liu Shijun's cruelty.

They would just clap their hands in delight, cheer in unison for a good chopping, and then rush forward and stomp their feet hard.

　Looking up information about Xuzhou gave me a headache...and my insomnia hasn't been cured. I only slept four or five hours a day, and it still gave me a headache to write.

　　The next chapter will be updated later. I’m going to eat first.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)