The Three Kingdoms: Zhaolie, the strategist, and the rise of the Han Dynasty

Chapter 137 Li Yi is the full-time master

Great! Great!

Feather arrows came like raindrops.

Just when the Yellow Turban Army was dispersed by the Yunqi, Li Yi seized the opportunity and ordered the Zhangshi and archers to shoot and kill them.

Countless Yellow Turban bandits fell under the rain of arrows.

He Yi saw He Man escaping alone on horseback, and he himself was alone and felt that he could not resist the enemy.

He simply abandoned the main army and headed north with only a hundred or so men from his own group.

"Go away!"

How could Zhao Yun be willing to give up?

He rode his horse and drew his spear in pursuit, but before he had gone a few steps he ran into an army head-on.

They were all fully armed and looked ferocious.

The first strong man was more than eight feet tall, with a waist that was ten times the size of his waist.

He has a strong appearance and extraordinary courage.

Holding a steel knife in hand, he blocked the way.

He Yi was running ahead, and when he saw the strong man blocking his way, he immediately shouted:

"You bastard, get out of the way!"

The sturdy man ignored him and continued to block the way.

He Yi didn't care about anything else and stabbed the strong man with his spear.

The sturdy man dodged sideways and stretched out his arms again.

In just one move, He Yi was taken away alive by the sturdy man.

"what……"

He Yi screamed, and the other soldiers rushed over, held He Yi down and tied him up.

When the rest of the Yellow Turban bandits saw He Yi being tied up, they were about to rescue him, but when they saw that the strong man was very strong, they were afraid of his bravery and did not dare to step forward.

Just then, he heard the sound of horse hooves like thunder behind him, and knew that it was Zhao Yun leading his troops in pursuit.

They expected that there were strong enemies in front and behind and they could not defeat them, so they dispersed.

Some of those who failed to escape were captured by the strong men.

Zhao Yun led his troops to pursue, and the warriors led their troops to meet them.

Zhao Yun glanced at the warriors in front of him, but He Yi and his men were nowhere to be seen.

Seeing that this group of soldiers and horses did not look like the government troops, they all held axes, spears, swords and clubs, so he raised his spear and asked:
"Are you also a Yellow Turban bandit?"

The warrior replied calmly:

"Hundreds of Yellow Turban bandits have been captured by me in the fort!"

Zhao Yun then said:

"I am here on the orders of the military advisor to capture He Yi. Now that you have captured him, why don't you hand him over?"

The warrior raised the steel knife in his hand and answered:

"If you can win the sword in my hand, I will give it to you!"

Zhao Yun was furious when he heard this and shouted:

"You don't want to hand him over?"

As soon as he finished speaking, he raised his spear and rode his horse, ready to stab the warrior.

The warrior showed no fear and rushed forward to meet the enemy with his sword in hand.

Ding dong…

There was a sound of golden swords clashing, accompanied by a burst of fire.

As soon as they closed their eyes, both of their faces changed.

Zhao Yun reined in his horse, put away his spear, turned around, and stared at the warrior with his eyes shining.

"…This thief is very strong. I should defeat him with my skill."

Zhao Yun thought to himself that he knew he could not compete with this strong man in strength, so he could only compete with him in martial arts with his superb spear skills.

The two men fought back and forth, their horses intersecting, and the fight was like a spinning lantern.

They fought for dozens of rounds in an instant.

The sturdy man was full of brute strength, and every strike of his sword used a force of a thousand pounds to kill Zhao Yun.

Zhao Yun's body movements were agile, rising and falling like a rabbit in the air, and he was elusive and hard to find.

He made the Longdan Bright Silver Spear even more powerful, changing into a thousand shapes, and it was enveloped by countless spear shadows.

It is so dazzling that one cannot tell the real from the fake.

chirp...

There was a fierce fight, and dazzling sparks burst out from time to time.

Accompanied by the deafening sound of swords clashing.

The two fought for a long time with no clear winner, so they took a short break.

The sturdy man was fat and after fighting for a while, he was sweating all over.

He simply took off his armor and went into battle bare-chested to continue fighting Zhao Yun.

Zhao Yun was in excellent physical condition. After fighting for a while, he was full of energy and became more and more courageous as the battle went on.

He mounted his horse again and was ready to fight the warrior.

Yunqi had already rushed out on horseback and reported the military news from the front line to Li Yi in the rear.

At this time, Li Yi was leading people to clean up the battlefield and count the captured spoils.

Originally, we knew that Zhao Yun had taken people to chase He Yi. We expected that Zhao Yun was very brave and nothing would go wrong.

So I didn't ask any more questions.

When the Yunqi brought the military report back to Li Yi, Li Yi was also slightly surprised.

He immediately took people to check it out.

Seeing Zhao Yun fighting a shirtless man, he hurriedly spoke up to mediate:
"You two stop immediately!"

When Zhao Yun heard the military advisor's voice, he stopped.

The sturdy man was enjoying the fight and wanted to continue chasing and fighting, but he saw that Zhao Yun had stopped.

So I stopped.

Li Yi rode forward and saluted the strong man with his arm around his chest:
"I am Li Yi, Li Ziyu, the Left General of Han and military advisor to Liu Bei, the governor of Xuzhou."

"May I ask the hero's name?"

When the sturdy man heard Li Yi's name, his expression changed slightly.

As the saying goes, stretch out your hand and don't hit the smiling person.

The warrior immediately put away his sword and returned the greeting:
"Qiao County, Pei State, Xu Chu, Xu Zhongkang."

The words are concise and to the point, without any unnecessary nonsense.

Li Yi frowned slightly, thinking to himself what a coincidence.

Chengfu is adjacent to Pei State, and across the Wo River is Qiao County.

The Xu family in Qiao County had several thousand households, and they built a large number of sturdy forts to resist bandits.

Since we can meet Xu Chu here, it seems that the Xu family has already built a fortress in Runan.

"……Misunderstand."

Li Yi explained:
"We have also received an imperial decree and have been ordered to come to Runan to suppress the bandits."

"I know that Xu Zhuangshi led the villagers here to fight the bandits. We shouldn't do this."

After listening to Li Yi's explanation, Xu Chu didn't say much, but just waved to the people behind him.

Signaled everyone to put down their weapons.

Zhao Yun saw this and said:
"I led the troops to pursue them just now, but I couldn't find He Yi's bandits. I asked this warrior Xu."

"He thought I was captured in the fort, and he led his troops to block my way. I thought he was in league with the bandits."

"So I went forward and fought with him."

Zhao Yun also spoke up to explain the reason.

At this time, Xu Chu finally spoke.

"I know you are a soldier, and I want to test your martial arts."

"If you can win the sword in my hand, I will hand him over to you."

"If you can't win, I'll kill you with my sword."

Although the misunderstanding had been resolved, Zhao Yun was still surprised to hear Xu Chu's words.

"Since the warrior knows that I am a government official, do you want to kill me?"

Xu Chu replied sternly:
"I have read very little, but my brother often warns Chu with the words of The Doctrine of the Mean..."

“——A gentleman acts according to his position.”

"And today the world is in turmoil. Although the Yellow Turbans have been defeated, the princes in various places still have a large number of troops, spanning states and counties."

“Although he was in the position, he did not act according to his position.”

"The superiors oppress the inferiors, the inferiors plot against the superiors, each harboring different ambitions in an attempt to usurp power."

"If the government officials can voluntarily eliminate the bandits, our Xu family won't have to build forts. We can unite the men, women, old and young to kill the bandits on our own."

"Today, the world is in turmoil, people's livelihood is in danger, and bandits are everywhere."

"It is not the people's fault, but the failure of those in higher positions to fulfill their duties."

Xu Chu explained why he hated people in government offices.

In various Three Kingdoms games, Xu Chu's intelligence always hovers between 2 and 30.

The latest Romance of the Three Kingdoms series has reached the 14th generation, but Xu Chu's intelligence is only 36.

But the intelligence of Xu Chu in history was definitely far above the passing line.

The historical records describe Xu Chu as "cautious in abiding by the law, serious in character and seldom talkative."

People say that Prime Minister Zhuge was cautious throughout his life, and the same is true for Xu Chu.

Xu Chu was cautious and law-abiding by nature, simple and honest, and spoke very little.

Cao Ren came from Jingzhou to see Cao Cao, but Cao Cao had not come out yet.

Cao Ren met Xu Chu outside the palace and took the initiative to greet him, intending to chat with him.

As a result, Xu Chu was very disrespectful and said: The King of Wei is about to come out.

He just went back to the main hall and ignored Cao Ren.

Cao Ren was so angry that his face turned green.

He is an important official of Cao Cao's clan and the General of the Southern Expedition. He has condescended to come and chat with you.

You don't give others face.

Xu Chu replied that although Cao Ren was a relative and an important minister, he was an important vassal minister from outside.

Although I am of a different surname, I serve as an eunuch.

It is enough to talk in public, why do we have to talk inside?

Is there anything worth talking about between us?

After Cao Cao heard this, he liked and got closer to Xu Chu even more.

This incident shows that Xu Chu has a very keen political sense.

It is very unreasonable to portray Xu Chu as a reckless man without any emotional intelligence, as shown in a certain TV show.

Although he was an outsider in Cao's camp, he was able to work beside Cao Cao for twenty or thirty years.

That must be very cautious and sensible.

He knows what to do and what not to do.

Some celebrities and civil servants may not even be as mature and experienced as Xu Chu.

The reason for this stereotype may be due to Xu Chu's appearance.

Xu Chu had a strong build and a waist that was ten times bigger than his waist.

The last celebrity with a waist that was ten times bigger than his waist was Wu Zixu.

Although the 10 circumference may be an imaginary number, it is certain that Xu Chu is a fat man. His nickname in the army is Tiger Crazy.

"Tiger" describes his bravery, while "idiot" describes his silly appearance.

This is judging a person by his appearance.

I always feel that people who are fat are stupid.

On the contrary, the fatter a person is, the more sensitive and thoughtful he or she is.

For example, Goering deceived people all over the world with his honest and fat appearance.

"I came here precisely to punish the criminals and plead for the people."

Li Yi told Xu Chu that the troops under his command were different from other government soldiers.

Xu Chu was secretly surprised to see that Li Yi's subordinates were all well-trained.

"It's not far from here to our Xu's fortress."

"Sir, why don't you come to my place to rest and have a couple of cups of hot wine?"

Li Yi was overjoyed and agreed happily.

He followed Xu Chu to Qiao County.

The two places are not far apart and can be reached in half an hour.

Xu Chu first returned to the village and explained the reason to his clansmen before he could welcome Li Yi into the village.

The Xu family is wealthy and powerful. They not only have their own land and workshops, but also a large number of young and middle-aged people.

Originally, their family power was not as strong as that of the Cao and Xiahou families in the same county.

But they caught up with the game version and encountered chaos in the world.

The Xu family relied on young and middle-aged people, led by Xu Chu, to lead the villagers to fight against the bandits.

As a result, his reputation spread widely, and many country wanderers and common people came to join him.

The Xu family's strength was instantly strengthened.

However, the fortress built by the Xu family was not built in Qiao County.

Instead, it was built in the valley, with high hills on both sides and a river at its back.

There is only one exit in the middle, in order to prevent bandits.

As long as we can make good use of the terrain, we can achieve the goal of one man guarding the pass against ten thousand and resist tens of thousands of Yellow Turban bandits.

Soon, Li Yi, Zhao Yun and others arrived at the fort.

Haven't entered yet.

Hundreds of young and strong men in armor came out in an orderly manner, lined up in battle formation, and were ready for battle.

Someone said dissatisfiedly:
"This Xu Chu invited us here, but he has weapons everywhere."

“Is this the way to entertain guests?”

Li Yi didn't care and said to comfort everyone:
"Xu's family takes into account the safety of the people in the city."

"We led the soldiers here, so it is reasonable for them to be on guard against us."

Soon, Xu Chu walked out of the dock.

But this time, he dragged out a fat cow with one hand.

Although he had heard that Xu Chu had the strength to pull an ox's tail backwards, he was still secretly shocked when he saw it with his own eyes.

Soon Xu Chu came closer, knelt on one knee and bowed to Li Yi, saying:

"I apologize for offending you before, sir. I hope you will forgive me!"

Li Yi hurriedly dismounted and stepped forward to help Xu Chu up.

"Ignorance is not a crime. Besides, we were rude when we came here before."

"It should be Zhong Kang Haihan."

Xu Chu replied sternly:
"Sir, you are a rare talent in the world for your talent and strategy."

"Assist General Zuo, protect the territory and the people, and eliminate bandits."

"Serve the king and protect the emperor, support the emperor, and support the Han Dynasty. I am honored to be in Chendi."

"Sir, you have made great contributions to the country. Chu knows that he admires you very much."

"I wish I could follow you, sir, and accomplish great things together!"

Li Yi was quite surprised by the difference in Xu Chu's attitude before and after.

I wondered what happened inside the dock when Xu Chu entered this time.

It turned out that when Xu Chu returned to the village, he told his clansmen the news that Liu Bei was leading his troops to Runan.

The lineage of Xu Chu is headed by his elder brother Xu Ding.

They summoned the rest of the clan to discuss a way out for the Xu family.

In troubled times, every major family would buy stocks to invest and bet on local lords.

The Xu family naturally cannot be excluded. The royal family is mainly divided into two major factions.

One faction, naturally, is oriented towards Cao Cao.

The reason is also very simple,
Cao Cao and they were from the same hometown, and the Xiahou and Cao families in the county were quite influential in Qiao County.

Joining Cao Cao was in line with the times.

However, this faction's proposition was also opposed by some members of the tribe.

The reason is also very simple.

Cao Cao's base was in Yanzhou, and Qiao County was separated from Yanzhou by the States of Chen and Liang.

If they surrender to Cao Cao, if they are retaliated against by other princes, Cao Cao may not be able to rescue them immediately.

Although Cao Cao had moved the capital to Yingchuan in Yuzhou, Yingchuan was still separated from Qiao County by the State of Chen.

Now that the emperor has moved the capital to Chen, it will be even more difficult for Cao Cao to attack Chen.

For this reason, some members of the Xu family began to question the decision to surrender to Cao.

Like Li Dian's family, the Chengshi Li family, their business is in Yanzhou.

When Lu Bu was causing chaos, the Li family dared to oppose Lu Bu without any worries because Cao Cao would be able to come to their rescue at the first time.

But if the Xu family is attacked by other princes, can Cao Cao arrive first?

Therefore, a second faction emerged among the Xu clan, namely the Liu faction.

The reason is very simple, Liu Bei is close.

Chen Gui, the Prime Minister of Pei recommended by Liu Bei, had already controlled most of the northern territory of Pei State by relying on his family influence.

If Xu was in trouble, Liu Bei would be able to provide support immediately.

If they surrendered to Cao Cao, they might have to move their entire family away from their homeland in Pei State and suffer the pain of migration.

But Liu Bei's hand had already reached Pei State, and by surrendering to Liu, they could keep their family property in Pei State.

Not to mention, Liu is strong and Cao is weak now, so it is obviously more promising to vote for Liu.

The arms cannot twist the thighs.

In the Xu clan, most people prefer to support Liu.

The brothers Xu Ding and Xu Chu were also people with relatively strong say among the royal family. They also believed that surrendering to Liu was the right thing to do.

For example, Chen Gui, the prime minister of Pei, relied on the reputation of his ancestors, the "Three Kings", to strengthen his rule over Pei.

Many counties in the north have already joined the Xuzhou camp.

The rest basically also defected to Yuan Shu and Cao Cao.

Only a small number of people, like Xu, are still watching the situation.

Now that Li Yi has brought his troops here, the Xu family believes this is a good opportunity.

After the discussion was over, Xu Chu personally went to catch a fat cow and presented it to Li Yi.

One is to apologize, and the other is to show goodwill and express the attitude of the Xu family.

Li Yi reacted quickly. He noticed the Xu family's ambiguous attitude and immediately held Xu Chu's hand and said:
"Zhongkang became famous at a young age, and all the people in Yuzhou have heard of his heroic name."

"Yi has admired you for a long time, it would be great if we could work together."

"I will recommend Zhongkang to General Liu!"

Xu Chu was overjoyed, and personally led the way for Li Yi into the dock.

Xu Chu's elder brother Xu Ding, led a dozen clan elders to greet them.

Xu Ding, whose courtesy name was Bo'an.

Although he is not as famous in history as his younger brother, he is still well-known in history.

In Cao's camp, he was promoted to General Zhenwei and was in charge of the Huben Guard.

He became Cao Cao's close attendant with a surname other than his own and held a high position, which shows that he was quite capable.

"We have been waiting for Mr. Li here for a long time!"

Xu Ding stepped forward to perform the ceremony, although he and Xu Chu were brothers.

But he is thinner than Xu Chu and looks more like a normal warrior.

"Thank you all!"

Li Yi immediately bowed in return and greeted the elders one by one.

Many people in the royal family had heard of Li Yi's name, and when they saw that he was a modest and polite gentleman, they immediately had a good impression of him.

After the meeting, Xu Ding ordered his men to cook sheep and cattle to entertain Li Yi and Zhao Yun.

He also took out the fine wine that had been collected in the dock for many years, just to get drunk.

"Yi followed the order of General Zuo to lead troops to suppress the bandits and passed through Runan."

"I didn't expect to meet you heroes. It's a blessing from heaven."

Li Yi raised his wine bowl and began to toast in a very familiar manner.

"Before, due to a momentary mistake, I bumped into Mr. Xu."

"For this, Yi Dang should punish himself with three cups of water as an apology."

After saying this, he drank three big bowls in a row.

Xu Chu was somewhat flattered, and immediately stood up and returned the greeting:

"Chu has offended many people before, how dare he accept Mr. Li's toast?"

"Sir, give me three cups of wine, and I will punish you with a jar of water!"

Xu Chu was also very good at handling things. After he finished speaking, he directly raised the jar of wine and drank madly.

Li Yi nodded secretly. The drinking table culture is really a test of obedience.

In the workplace where intrigue is rampant, this is always true.

Afterwards, Li Yi toasted to the elders one by one.

Although Li Yi was an important official of Liu Bei and the second-in-command of Xuzhou, he was not at all arrogant in his words and deeds.

As a junior, I would like to humbly express my condolences to all the elders.

During the conversation, he also asked many times whether there were any difficulties in the clan and how the harvest was last year.

Everyone was very fond of this eloquent, humble and polite young man.

Sometimes, a person with high emotional intelligence can really turn the tide on political issues.

What's more, Xu had already been loyal to Liu Bei.

After Li Yi's toast and consolation, most people were impressed by his personal charm.

Previously, there were still a few elders who were still loyal to Cao Cao, but their positions began to change subtly.

I secretly felt that there seemed to be nothing wrong in joining Liu Bei.

quickly,

After three rounds of wine, five flavors of food.

Li Yi felt that the time was about right, so he asked:

"I think that the two warriors, Bo'an and Zhongkang, are both heroes of the time."

"Why do we have to stay in a corner and fight against bandits every day?"

……

(End of this chapter)