Wait, please don't call me Emperor Zhaolie

Chapter 65 Taishi Ci: My Lord, you made me look for you so hard

Liu Bei originally wanted to wait until the land survey was completed in the two counties before leading his army back to the plains.

However, Xun Yu urgently sent someone to deliver documents by express horse. Liu Dai, the governor of Yanzhou, and Cao Mengde, the prefect of Dongjun, led their troops to attack Pingyuan County and fought for more than ten days.

Seeing that the siege failed, he retreated to Liaocheng, Dongjun, and stationed troops to watch the plain.

At the same time, Bao Xin, the prime minister of Jibei in Yanzhou, was also ready to take action and stepped up the harvesting of wheat fields.

Liu Bei had no choice but to let Qian Zhao take charge of the subsequent land measurement matters and leave 5,000 auxiliary soldiers to garrison the two counties.

The original county soldiers in Beihai were screened, and those who were qualified were transferred to serve in Donglai and Qi counties, and would return after the new year.

It would also stop some local tyrants from wanting to use county troops to cause trouble.

On the way back, Liu Bei sighed and said to himself: "Meng De, Meng De, I haven't come to find you yet, but you come to me first."

"Why are you so impatient to have a drink and chat with your old friend?"

The army followed the same route, passing Xia Mi, Du Chang, Ping Shou, and finally Ju County before returning to Qi County.

When passing by the capital of Beihai County, Kong Rong led the officials out to greet them again. The wind blew through the weeds, and the dust was rolled up and drifted away into the distance.

Kong Rong stood by the road, bowed to Liu Bei and said, "Xuan De, have a safe journey and take care."

Liu Bei returned the gift and said with a smile: "Wenju, now that Qingzhou has been secured, I only hope that the North Sea will be safe as expected, and that the rice harvest will be good. There is still a long way to go."

"That's true!" Kong Rong also stroked his beard and smiled.

Watching Liu Xuande's figure getting farther and farther away, Kong Rong suddenly felt the urge to leave his burden in the county and follow him to become a state official.

He was so scared that he quickly shook his head. This was the 2,000 koku that many people dreamed of. How could I have such an unrealistic fantasy...

But Xuande is indeed a good person, and I really want to become his best friend.

Wait! Aren’t he and I close friends?

Kong Rong looked down at the cloak in his hand, which was Xuande's parting gift. Thinking of him, he smiled and said, "It is almost autumn. I heard in Donglai that Wen Ju often works late at night and ordered someone to sew a cloak for me. It can also be worn to keep out the wind and keep warm."

Kong Rong was a little distracted. He was facing Gongsun Du in battle, but he was still worried about Kong Wenju. It was really annoying...

After returning victorious, he did not take credit for himself at all, and every word and action was admirable.

Among the many crude military generals he had seen, there had never been one like Liu Bei. Those people were so arrogant after winning a battle that they wanted to look up to the sky.

Suddenly, a hurried voice came: "Envoy Liu, is that Envoy Liu in front?!"

Kong Rong and the other officials looked over and saw a young man riding a black horse galloping towards them. He stopped his horse about fifty steps away. The young man, who was seven or eight feet tall and wearing a turban, bowed and asked, "May I ask if this is Envoy Liu in person?"

Kong Rong pointed to the end of the road and said, "Xuan De has just gone a short distance. If we chase him now, we may be able to catch up with him. Who are you?"

"Thank you for telling me, my name is Taishi of Donglai. I once took refuge in Liaodong. I heard that Envoy Liu conquered Qingzhou and defeated Gongsun Du. I admired him very much. I also heard that Envoy Liu issued a notice to recruit talents in various counties. I am willing to learn from Zhongjun and serve you."

When Taishi Ci saw that Kong Rong was wearing an official's crown, he knew that he must be the Prime Minister of Beihai if he was not Liu Shijun. Therefore, he did not dare to delay and quickly explained why he came.

Kong Rong nodded. Seeing that he was an excellent rider, he was afraid that he was another strong man.

I couldn't help but sigh in my heart that Xuande was truly famous, with countless people flocking to him and following him.

He smiled gently and said, "Go quickly, Xuande hasn't gone far yet."

Taishi Ci jumped onto his horse, clasped his fists and said respectfully, "Master Kong, farewell!"

"Go, go." Kong Rong waved his hand.

Taishi Ci bowed respectfully to the other officials, then raised his whip and galloped towards the road. Thinking of Liu Bei's growing fame, Kong Rong said with emotion: "Xuan De is a relative and has great talent. Heroes all over the world will surely be driven by him!"

On the other side, Liu Bei was unaware that someone was chasing him from behind, and he was talking to Zhao Yun: "Zilong, the more than 700 war horses we captured during the expedition to Donglai are now at your disposal."

"You can select soldiers with good riding skills from the Qingzhou army to fill the ranks. I want to see the Tiger Cavalry expand to more than 1,200 cavalry next year. Don't let me down."

Now that we have a good war horse, we might as well use it.

After all, it is expensive to buy ordinary horses, and it is even more expensive to buy draft horses. As for war horses, it is unknown how much more expensive they are than both.

So I saved the money to buy a horse, and even if I had to grit my teeth and tighten my belt, I had to keep it well.

After several battles, they also captured a group of Xianbei slaves who were raising horses. They were very proficient in how to tame war horses, which was a good harvest.

The Xianbei people's trip was not in vain. They let Liu Bei's army eat horse meat for a few days, and then sent a batch of good horses.

If I have the chance to visit Liaodong in the future, I will also visit the Xianbei Murong tribe.

Liu Bei shook his head and recalled that the Xianbei Murong clan was very famous during the Southern and Northern Dynasties.

If he takes the initiative, who knows whether those powerful characters will reappear.

Just as he was thinking about it, a scout came to report that there was a man on horseback chasing the army from behind and calling out to Envoy Liu.

Should we bring it up?
Liu Bei heard this and asked with great interest, "Can you tell me my name?"

"This person said that he was the Grand Historian of Donglai County and his name was Ci. He had just returned to his hometown when he heard that the envoy had defeated Gongsun Du. He was extremely impressed. When he heard that the army had moved camp, he rode fast for several days to catch up. In order to catch up, he even threw away his sword, bow and arrow."

The scouts also had some respect for such a brave man, and they rode their horses for several days, almost chasing him all the way from Donglai to Qi County.

Only those who have ridden a horse continuously can understand how uncomfortable it is to gallop on a horse even on a seemingly flat track.

Even a strong person cannot withstand such fatigue.

Liu Bei's eyebrows were full of surprise, and he smiled and said, "Please come in quickly!"

He then turned to Zhao Yun and said, "Zilong, this warrior may be as brave as you. You should meet him for yourself."

Zhao Yun nodded slightly when he heard this. Unlike the Third General Zhang Yide, who would feel indignant when he heard the envoy say this, he was always careful and perceptive and could sense emotions.

Know deeply when to do it and when not to do it.

Since the envoy said that this man was as brave as him, he must have a basis for his statement.

The scouts brought Taishi Ci, who was seven or eight feet tall, to Liu Bei.

Before the other party could greet him, Liu Bei dismounted, bowed and said with a smile: "Are you Taishi Ziyi, the brave man?"

"It's Taishi Ci. Has Envoy Liu also heard of my name?" Taishi Ci was so surprised that he forgot to return the greeting for a moment.

Unexpectedly, Liu Bei stepped forward and held his arm, saying with a smile: "I have heard about this for a long time. If I had known that Ziyi would be returning from Liaodong in the near future, I would have stayed a few more days to welcome you back."

“How dare I, how dare I.” Taishi Ci bowed repeatedly.

He was just a commoner, so how could he dare to trouble Liu Qingzhou to welcome him.

When Taishi Ci suddenly met the person he admired so much, he didn't know what to say.

He knelt directly, cupped his hands and said: "I heard that you defeated Gongsun in a rebellion against the common people. You have the spirit of a hero and the talent to quell the rebellion. I admire you very much."

"I want to emulate Mao Sui and Zhong Jun, and offer myself to serve you, Your Excellency!"

(End of this chapter)