Wait, please don't call me Emperor Zhaolie

Chapter 51 Officials in Beihai
On March 12, the army set out to attack Donglai County.

In addition to three battalions, one cavalry, and seven thousand auxiliary soldiers, Liu Bei also brought Zhao Yun, Zhao Zhen, Han Mu, and Qian Zhao.

The cavalry was still under the leadership of Zilong, Zhao Zhen was in charge of the Xiandeng Camp, Han Mu was in charge of the Shengshe Camp, the Armored Camp was led by Liu Bei himself, and the 7,000 auxiliary soldiers were led by Qian Zhao and the county lieutenants of Le'an County and Qi County, who were in charge of unified dispatch and management.

Guan Yu and Zhang Fei stayed behind.

Jian Yong was temporarily transferred to Le'an.

Liu Bei stayed in Linzi, Qi County for several days. Only after all the recruited soldiers had gathered did he order the troops to continue their march towards Donglai County.

Documents from the state had already been sent quickly to all counties in Beihai.

All county magistrates and county magistrates must prepare to allocate money and food from the government treasury to support the army.

During this march, Liu Bei planned to pass through Guang County from Linzi, and then enter Ju County, the first county of Beihai County. After mobilizing local laborers, he would go north to Duchang and Xiami, and along the river system, first take Donglai Luxiang, Dangli, and Ye County, three connected counties, and then attack Qucheng in the north.

They stopped temporarily to rest and camped along the river, waiting for the arrival of food and grass from Jimo and Zhuangwu, and continued to wipe out the Liaodong Army in the southeast and north of Donglai.

Gongsun Du was a man of ruthless character. When he arrived in Liaodong, he saw no one who could govern him, so he took the opportunity to kill more than a hundred wealthy families in the county, consolidated his power, and went eastward to attack Goguryeo.

After conquering Goguryeo, they turned their attention to Qingzhou across the sea and attacked Donglai by crossing the sea with ships.

This time, it would be best if we could thoroughly hurt the opponent.

He must not dare to think about Qingzhou easily, otherwise he will launch a surprise attack from time to time, and he will have to station troops in Donglai County for a long time.

On the ancient Chi Road that runs from Linzi in Qi County to Ju County in Beihai, flags flutter in the wind.

The sound of horse hooves startled a flock of birds several feet away from the road.

The scouts quickly guarded the high ground and waited for the Huben light cavalry to arrive before handing the position over to the other side and continuing to explore forward.

The light cavalry had to wait for the infantry who had first arrived at the camp, hand over the position to the infantry, and then move forward again.

The unarmored heavy cavalry, as well as the Iron Armor Battalion and the Sound Shooting Battalion walked on both sides of the Wugang chariots and the baggage caravan. Although the caravan had pack horses and mules to pull the carts, it still needed many auxiliary soldiers to transport it.

Even on a seemingly safe road, you will not be attacked.

But Liu Bei still ordered the entire army to advance in the most cautious manner.

Warfare is a matter of life and death, so we cannot be careless or negligent in the slightest. If we are prepared, we will succeed; if we are not, we will fail.

Surrounded by dozens of riders, Liu Bei rode his warhorse along the road looking eastward.

This highway was built after Qin Shihuang unified the world. After continuous repairs during the Han Dynasty, the road has been widened by about 55 steps and is nearly four feet higher than the ground on both sides. It is made entirely of fried rammed earth rolled flat with large bluestones.

From the capital city of Xianyang, out of Hangu Pass, along the Yellow River through Dingtao and Linzi in Shandong Province, to Cape Chengshan, which is also known as the end of the sky. The road is desolate and has no weeds or trees.

Liu Bei guessed that the carriage that Qin Emperor Ying Zheng used for his inspection also took this road, and under the protection of the endless Qin army, it traveled eastward to the end of the world and climbed up for the first time to look out at the vast ocean.

Unexpectedly, hundreds of years later, he led the Han soldiers to continue their journey.

After a while, a small river appeared in front of them, separating Qi County and Beihai, and floating bridges were built along the river.

There were also many ferries waiting for the Han army under Liu Bei to cross the river to the north.

The scout, who had finished his investigation, reported quickly: "The Northern Sea Gongcao led the county officials to the river crossing to welcome the envoy."

He added: "According to the county officials, Beihai Prime Minister Kong Rong, the King of Beihai, and the nobles in the county have set up a banquet at the county prime minister's residence to welcome Lord Xuande who has come from afar."

Liu Bei pondered for a moment. He realized that King of Beihai Liu Kang had the same name as King of Jinan. When he heard this, he thought that the unfortunate King of Jinan had come to invite him to a banquet.

During the Han Dynasty, many princes and kings had the same name, and there was no taboo.

Of course, it was only the kings who had the same name. If someone dared to take the same name as the emperor, that would be another matter. When Liu Bei arrived at the ferry, the officials learned that Lord Xuande was in person, and they all saluted in unison.

Beihai has the largest number of Confucian scholars, and Confucianism emphasizes etiquette, so in this regard, it has indeed done its best.

The civilians and boatmen brought by the official also brought dry food, meat and wild fruits to reward the army that had come all the way.

The Beihai Gongcao, who had a long beard and a square face and wore a Jinxian crown on his head, bowed his head slightly and said, "Lord Xuande, you can let the army rest here for a while, and then go to Ju County after eating and drinking enough."

"You may go to the banquet first, and we, the clerks, will lead the way for you, Lord Xuande."

After Liu Bei thought about it, he decided to refuse.

How could he abandon his army and go to the banquet alone? Even if he went, he would have to wait for the army to arrive.

With strict military discipline, he was not worried that the Third Battalion would engage in looting.

Besides, human nature is sinister and difficult to describe, and assassination is a low-investment, high-return endeavor.

Who knows if there is anyone in Beihai who hates him.

If you go to a city that you haven't completely controlled, and there are people familiar with the terrain hiding in the dark and attacking you with crossbows, you will be in real trouble.

It is easy to attract jealousy when you are in a high position, so be sure not to fall into the ditch.

Liu Bei hesitated for a moment, then slowly shook his head and said, "I am in my current position thanks to my soldiers who have devoted their lives to me. We should share the joys and sorrows. Besides, it is even more inappropriate for us to drink alcohol now that we are on a crusade against the Liaodong bandits."

"After the soldiers have rested for a while, I will lead the three battalions of my personal army into the city for a chat, and then return to the barracks at dusk. As for military duties, we should keep everything simple."

The officials looked at each other, not knowing how to respond.

After all, a banquet had already been set up in the county town. They made a big promise in front of the county prime minister and the King of Beihai, and soon welcomed Lord Xuande.

Unexpectedly, Lord Xuande just wanted to simply reminisce about the past, which left them speechless and at a loss as to what to do.

After all, the governor has great power, and there are rumors that Lord Yuan wants to recommend him as the governor of Qingzhou, so it would be even more difficult to disobey.

It would be difficult to explain the problem to my superior, the county prime minister, when I return home. It would be uncomfortable for anyone to be caught in the middle.

"Lord Xuande, this is the wish of everyone... I hope you..." Some senior officials wanted to persuade him.

Gongcao sighed when he saw that Lord Xuande was indifferent.

He walked past the crowd and bowed, saying, "In this case, Beihai County will obey your orders, so it won't hurt for us to wait a little longer."

"But bringing soldiers into the city might cause unrest. I hope Lord Xuande will understand and be understanding."

Liu Bei said, "The military discipline under my command is very strict. If there are really people who commit crimes, anyone who reports them to me will be rewarded with ten gold coins first, and then the soldiers will be strictly investigated and punished according to the law."

“All the officials and common people in the city could see it.”

You can't just use hard tactics when dealing with these Confucian scholars, as this will only ruin your reputation. You have to use both hard and soft tactics.

Besides, Liu Bei also held the title of Lu Gong's disciple, and it would be even more difficult for him to damage his teacher's reputation as a great scholar.

Beihai is a mixed community of Confucian scholars and wealthy families, and we need to distinguish between those who focus on empty talk and those who can get practical work done.

We still need to be cautious and patient. After all, this will also help to tie up the hands of the powerful families and return power to the plain provinces and counties.

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(End of this chapter)