Tiger Guards

Chapter 559: Like a duck in water
Not long after, the news of the emperor's meeting with the envoy from Hebei was reported to Wei Xu by the Imperial Guards, who then informed Lü Bu.

Along the roadside in Xutian, behind a simple curtain, Lü Bu warmed himself by a fire and drank wine. After a moment's hesitation, he said to Wei Xu, "Once this man leaves Xudu, arrest him immediately and interrogate him."

Wei Xu hesitated instead: "If we do this, I'm afraid the emperor will be displeased."

Aren't you afraid I'll be unhappy?

Lu Bu smiled and asked in return. Wei Xu instantly sobered up and immediately explained, "Brother, I am worried about the Emperor."

"You should consider my feelings and Yuan Si's feelings more than His Majesty's."

Lu Bu suppressed his smile and simply stood up and went to Wei Xu. Although Wei Xu, his cousin, was over eight feet tall, he was far shorter than Lu Bu and Wei Gao.

Wei Xu looked up at Lü Bu's face, his legs trembling uncontrollably.

He couldn't compare to Wei Yue. Wei Yue grew up, traveled, and adventured alongside Lü Bu. He was Lü Bu's cousin and brother-in-law, as well as Lü Bu's right-hand man.

Without the support of Lü Bu and Wei Yue, what could Wei Xu do?
Seeing Wei Xu's incompetent state, Lü Bu was helpless. He had seen too many people, and it was already quite rare for his family to have a good helper like Wei Yue, who was brave and capable of dividing troops for battle.

Otherwise, go and see Zhao Ji. His two elder brothers have accomplished nothing so far, and his relatives also lack anyone capable of standing on their own.

Although Zhao Yan had been in and out of officialdom for more than 30 years, he was experienced and skilled at handling various affairs and cleaning up after Zhao Ji, but he was also getting old.

Zhao Ji's biological father held the official position of prefect of Dai County, but he spent most of his time at the border between Yanmen County and Yanmen County, so he probably wasn't a very capable person.

Therefore, the Zhao family's great achievements are now difficult to reward, but all the dangers and crises of the future rest on Zhao Ji's shoulders alone.

This is also the fundamental reason why many people remain calm and continue to delay bestowing rewards... They have a deep-seated contempt for Zhao Ji, and do not believe that the Zhao family can last long, nor can they suppress all other families and make the heroes of the world submit.

Lu Bu stared at Wei Xu, whom he considered worthless, but in his mind he was making comparisons.

At least Wei Xu was more capable than Zhao Ji's two elder brothers. After thinking about this, Lü Bu's anger subsided considerably.

He reached out his right hand and gently patted Wei Xu's face: "Make more preparations. Yuan Shao's envoy is meticulous. If he escapes from your hands, then you should escape too."

"Yes, I will dispatch knights immediately."

Wei Xu quickly agreed, and Lü Bu's anger dissipated considerably. He then glanced to the side, and Wei Xu, understanding the implication, cleverly took his leave as if he had been granted a pardon.

After watching Wei Xu leave, Lü Bu returned to his seat and sighed deeply. He grabbed the warm wine and drank it all in one gulp, then poured himself another cup.

He was stationed at Zhangliao to test Zhao Ji's attitude.

Zhang Liao is a good example. How Zhao Ji is rewarded directly determines the upper and lower limits of his career.

One thing is certain: Zhao Ji's reward this time will definitely break through the limits and precedents.

Lu Bu had a premonition that if he backed down here, the ministers would take the lead in cheering for Zhao Ji, trying their best to curry favor with him, and pushing the limits in terms of rewards and honors.

If he were to take just one step back, the high-ranking officials would betray the Han dynasty without any scruples, removing all the shackles that had been placed on Zhao Ji.

Therefore, there is no possibility that if he backs down, the emperor and the ministers will continue to suppress Zhao Ji.

He knew the emperor and the officials too well. Now they were all standing by and watching, as if they were all hoping that he would suppress Zhao Ji and let him bear the blame.

But when he backs down, the officials and nobles will blame him, the ruling general, for all the unscrupulous acts of selling out the country for profit.

Lü Bu felt deeply helpless about this.

More than the anger Zhao Ji caused him, he actually hated the faces of these nobles.

After a moment's thought, Lü Bu decided to continue cooperating with Fu Wan to cause some trouble for Zhao Ji in the three provinces, and then give Zhang Liao and Zhao Ji high-level rewards.

Since he can't avoid the infamy anyway, he might as well go all out and see whether these nobles oppose or support him. Zhao Ji can break through the ranks of marquises and become a duke... then why can't General Wenhou Lü Bu go even further and become a duke as well?
Once this crazy idea takes hold, it becomes difficult to control, and it spreads and grows rapidly in the depths of Lü Bu's mind.

However, this would make it difficult to continue dealing with Liu Bei.

During this period of negotiations, Lü Bu grew to appreciate Liu Bei more and more, feeling that it was a waste of Liu Bei's talents to serve as the governor of Xuzhou. He wanted to recruit Liu Bei to the court to share the pressure from all sides.

As Lü Bu pondered, various thoughts collided and shifted, and an inspiration arose.

Immediately summon Liu Bei to court and offer him an official position that he cannot refuse; Liu Bei will definitely come!
When the time comes, we can share the responsibility of how to reward Zhao Ji.

Since we've already dragged Zhao Ji out for so long, another month or two won't make a difference.

As long as the imperial court continues to take relevant actions, no matter how anxious Zhao Ji may be, public opinion in the court and among the people will not boil over.

The sudden idea of ​​bringing Liu Bei along to discuss politics quickly filled Lü Bu's mind, shattering and dispelling all other thoughts.

Afraid of forgetting this brilliant idea, Lü Bu immediately dipped his finger in wine and wrote the character '玄' on the table.

After getting up and thinking about it again, I still felt that this was the right thing to do.

One cannot bear the infamy alone; it is better to drag Liu Bei, a member of the feudal lords, into the conflict, which will make things much easier for oneself.

There was a sense that Wang Mang and Liu Xiu were sticking together for mutual support. Lü Bu pondered this, and although he had come up with a practical solution to the immediate problem, he found it hard to laugh. A feeling of colluding with Liu Bei arose spontaneously in his mind.

Liu Bei is probably in a dilemma right now, wondering whether or not to reward Zhao Ji according to his merits.

If he were to be summoned to the court, Liu Bei would have to offer his opinion, and as a renowned member of the imperial clan, his opinion would likely become the dominant one.

Would Liu Bei refuse?
If Liu Bei were offered the positions of Grand Master of Ceremonies and Minister of the Imperial Clan Court, could he resist?

Instead of taking Xuzhou, they appointed Liu Bei's former disciples and officials as governors of Xuzhou, and allowed Liu Bei's old subordinates to serve as county and prefectural officials in Xuzhou. Xuzhou would still belong to Liu Bei. Why should Liu Bei refuse?
Based on Lü Bu's understanding of Liu Bei, high-ranking positions like Guanglu Xun and Zongzheng Qing might have been too lucrative.

Perhaps temporarily freeing up a position such as the Grand Master of Works, the Commandant of the City Gates, or the Commander of the Imperial Guards would be enough to persuade Liu Bei to come to court.

What does Liu Bei lack now?
What's missing is the recognition from the emperor, the ministers, the officials, and the scholars of the land, but Xu Du has all of these!

When Liu Bei was young, he traveled to Luodu and became friends with the sons of powerful figures such as Yuan Shao and Cao Cao, which shows that Liu Bei had strong social skills.

If Liu Bei enters Xu, he might actually be able to make something of himself.

Lu Bu no longer cared about this; he only wanted to seize the opportunity to become a duke, and then take his wealth and some of his elite people to Luodu to join forces with Wei Yue.

The world, the emperor—let him do whatever he wants. He's tired anyway; the affairs of the central government are beyond his control.

With a partner like Zhao Ji, Lü Bu felt immense pressure.

He longed to be a loyal and solitary minister of the Han dynasty... but the price was too high. Lü Bu did not want to die with those around him, nor did he believe he could die with Zhao Ji.

While achieving lasting fame in history might grant immortality, Lü Bu felt that this was far too difficult.

By entrusting these messy affairs of the Liu family to the clan members of the old Liu family, and then going to Luoyang to observe the success or failure of the world, he would have enough room to maneuver no matter what.

Thinking of Liu Bei's many ingenious uses, Lü Bu couldn't help but reveal a smug smile.

Now that he's imprisoned in the court, you can laugh at him as a tiger; but when he returns to Luodu and is no longer entangled in the trivial matters of the court, then he will be the fierce tiger of Bingzhou!
People need to return to their familiar environment to fully utilize their strengths.

Like a fish in water, it's exactly like that.

(End of this chapter)