Wait, please don't call me Emperor Zhaolie

Chapter 205 Why did you run into my pocket?

The Huben soldiers rode on horses with swords and bows hanging on their backs. Thousands of horses were tied with the same bridle, shaped like a sickle. The knights squeezed their horses' bellies and galloped at full speed, shouting and the sound of hooves shook the sky and the earth.

Liu Bei was riding his horse in the center of the army when suddenly a scout came to report that Yuan Shu's general Qiao Rui had been unexpectedly captured ahead. This made him a little confused as how could he have run into Yuan's army led by Qiao Rui when they hadn't even reached Longkang yet.

After asking in detail, I found out that it was actually a group of fleeing soldiers who happened to run into Zhang Liao leading the scouts to explore the way. They just used a simple charge to kill the opponents and made them cry for their parents.

Qiao Rui was captured by Zhang Liao before he could even climb onto his horse. When the remaining defeated soldiers saw their leader being captured, they did not struggle and simply dispersed decisively.

Liu Bei looked down at Qiao Rui, who was thrown to the ground by Zhang Liao after being tied up with thick ropes. He looked up and around with a dusty face. He felt a little funny in his heart. He waved his whip and said with a smile: "Qiao Rui, the road is wide and we can go our separate ways. Why do you want to go west and get into my pocket?"

When Qiao Rui heard Liu Bei's question, he looked up in panic and saw Liu Bei with flags covering the sky, full of pride, and shining on his saddled horse. He was startled, but then his surprise turned into joy.

If you encounter a strong warrior, you have no way of feeling his pulse and wonder whether you will chop off his head and take it as a reward.

Now that he has met Lord Xuande, things are much easier. At least he won't be beaten black and blue and then tied to the back of a horse like these crude warriors did.

Qiao Rui's hands and feet were tied with ropes, so he could only crawl on the ground. He raised his head and spit out the dirt, shouting and complaining: "Lord Xuande, Rui has never been against you, nor do I have the intention to rebel against the Han Dynasty. Please let me live and don't kill me!"

Liu Bei said with a smile: "Yuan Shu's rebellious behavior is known to everyone in Huainan. You are Yuan Gonglu's general, so how can you not obey him? Even if I kill you, it is not a personal grudge, but a national hatred."

Qiao Rui thought about it and felt that what Lord Xuande said made sense. He nodded and said, "Rui is willing to surrender, Rui is willing to surrender! You can kill those who resist me, but you can't kill a mediocre man and lose the heart of those who came from heaven. I hope you will think twice before you act."

Dian Wei pulled him up with his hands, and Qiao Rui was so frightened that he quickly bowed his head and offered his heartfelt advice to Liu Bei.

"Killing the surrendered is unlucky, Lord Xuande. It is not the behavior of a wise leader. Just put me in jail and punish me."

Qiao Rui just wanted to live, otherwise he would not have abandoned his army and fled in the face of the enemy. He was willing to do anything to stay alive.

Liu Bei was amused by him, so he changed his mind and said, "In this case, someone should take Mr. Qiao to Xiapi County Prison. If there is an amnesty in the future, he can be pardoned."

"what?!"

Qiao Rui was so frightened that he let out a slight cry. Going to jail was only a slightly better punishment than being beheaded.

The county prison is not a place for human beings to stay. Not to mention the extremely bad environment, even the jailers can make him suffer. Who knows if his body can withstand staying in there for a long time.

"Lord Xuande, I..."

Qiao Rui wanted to plead for himself again, but Liu Bei chuckled and said, "If you dare to say it again, you will never be pardoned. You should think about it."

Qiao Rui quickly covered his mouth and dared not make a sound. If he was pardoned, he might be able to endure it by gritting his teeth, but if he was never pardoned, he would have no choice but to wait for death.

He thought silently: "The amnesty Lord Xuande mentioned may not be the general amnesty issued by Emperor Liu Xie in Chang'an every year..."

When that kind of imperial edict was previously transmitted to Guandong, no prince actually pardoned the thieves and murderers in prison. The imperial edict was just an edict, but whether the local authorities would do it or not was another matter.

Rumor has it that Liu Xuande had already turned against the Liangzhou bandits, so I guess he would not obey their forged edict.

"Take him down first." Liu Bei waved his hand and ordered, straightened his back and looked into the distance, and said to Lu Su with a smile: "Sun Bofu is worthy of being the son of Sun Wentai. He has inherited his father's bravery and fighting style. He is a true Han general." Liu Bei raised his whip and waved it, smiling: "Come on, follow me to meet Sun Lang of Jiangdong."

The cavalry obeyed the order and followed the envoy on horseback, galloping eastward. The sound of horse hooves quickly disappeared in the plain.

When the flags reached the west bank of Qiaoshui River, Sun Ce learned from the scouts that Lord Xuande was about to arrive with his cavalry, and he broke out in a cold sweat.

He turned to Zhou Yu and said, "Fortunately, Gongjin is here. Otherwise, General Ce and Qiao Rui's army would be in danger if they were fighting together."

Zhou Yu was also somewhat surprised at the speed of the envoy's advance, but he did not show it. Instead, he smiled and said, "The good ones are active, and their momentum is unpredictable. Lord Xuande is a disciple of Lord Lu. He is good at using troops and is able to make decisions like a god. He is good at taking the enemy by surprise. Even if he is thousands of miles away, he can come at you in an instant, almost as fast as the wind and lightning."

"Besides, Longkang is located beside the Caohe River, and the transportation of food, fodder and military equipment is easy, and it can be reached overnight. Fortunately, Bofu acted decisively and avoided disaster and turned to fortune. This is not Zhou Yu's credit."

"Since the envoy has reached the river bank, Bofu may as well lead the generals to go with me to pay respect to Lord Xuande."

Zhou Yu suggested cheerfully.

Upon hearing this, Sun Ce pondered for a moment and nodded.

Once the arrow is drawn, there is no turning back. The damage is done and it is too late to recover. Huainan and Jiangdong are completely gone and there is no point in hesitating.

It would be better to go and pay a visit to Lord Xuande and even show him some favor.

Sun Ce brought with him generals including Cheng Pu, Huang Gai, Han Dang, Lu Fan, Sun He, Jiang Qin, and Zhou Tai, and ordered the military officers to tie up Zhang Xun and Liang Gang as a small gift to Liu Shijun.

Chen Lan in Qiao Rui's army had died on the battlefield, Chang Nu and Liu Xiang had fled and their whereabouts were unknown, and Zhang Xun's generals Li Feng and Le Jiu had also died in the previous fight for military power.

Sun Ce was worried that the gift was too little. If he had captured Yuan Shu's generals Qiao Rui and Zhang Xun alive, he could have brought them to meet Lord Xuande. But one of them escaped, which was a pity.

After hearing this, Zhou Yu laughed and said, "The generals that Yuan Gonglu relied on were only Zhang Xun, Qiao Rui, Ji Ling, and Bo Fu. But in my opinion, the other three are not as good as your grandson Bo Fu. Envoy Liu is thirsty for talents and is very good at identifying talents. Lu Zijing of Gaowang Township in Dongcheng County is only famous in the township and county, but Lord Xuande still visited him to seek talents."

"I have heard that in Qing and Yan states, there are countless small officials who have been promoted to county and prefecture officials. With Bofu's talent and strategy, how could Lord Xuande be so careless and lose the big picture?"

Sun Ce then stopped worrying and led everyone and Zhou Yu out of the camp, crossed the river and went to pay a visit to Lord Xuande.

Seeing the large banners and flags of the Huben cavalry approaching, Sun Ce immediately dismounted and led his generals Cheng Pu, Huang Gai, Han Dang and others to bow respectfully on the side of the road.

Liu Bei saw from afar a tall and majestic-looking young man beside Zhou Yu bowing respectfully, and the generals under the Sun family, all without armor, also bowed and saluted.

He couldn't help but nod slightly. Sun Ce knew etiquette and knew when to advance and retreat, so he could be better employed.

Otherwise, you have to do the same as Lu Fengxian and slowly beat him until he faces reality, so that he can use this sharp knife smoothly.

After he finished thinking, Liu Bei dismounted, happily helped Sun Ce up, stroked his shoulder, laughed and said: "Today I finally got Sun Lang from Jiangdong."

He also said with emotion to Lu Su, Dian Wei, Zhang Liao and Xu Chu: "When the princes were fighting against Dong Zhuo, they held back their troops. Only Sun Wentai was loyal to the Han Dynasty and fought hard to recover Luoyang. His heart was as firm as iron and stone. He was truly a loyal minister of the Han Dynasty."

(End of this chapter)