Tiger Guards

Chapter 560 Gladly Accepting the Appointment
With the road between Xuchang and Xiapi open, just three days later, Lü Bu's letter was placed before Liu Bei.

Lü Bu spoke earnestly and frankly, explaining the current difficulties and predicaments facing the court.

We urgently need your virtuous brother Liu Bei to come to court and assist us in overcoming these difficult times.

This handwritten letter disturbed Liu Bei's mind, and he rode his horse up the city wall with the letter in his hand.

An old soldier from Zhuo County led the horse in front, while Liu Bei rode on the saddle, gazing at the soldiers and civilians working outside the city.

Xuzhou has a milder climate due to its coastal location, and spring plowing starts earlier there.

The autumn harvest was severely damaged because Zhang Xun flooded Xiapi last year.

After the war, Liu Bei organized the rush to plant winter wheat. Now that the winter snow has melted, the winter wheat, which was bent by the weight of the snow, is growing tall and straight in the sunlight.

Standing atop the city wall and looking down into the distance, the vast expanse of wheat fields gave Liu Bei a feeling reminiscent of his travels with his companions to the northern frontier, where the grasslands stretched for thousands of miles.

At this moment, there are no soldiers or civilians working in these fields of unharvested wheat; the people and livestock are all planting spring wheat in other plots of land.

As for rice, better paddy fields are needed for planting, and it's not the right time yet.

Liu Bei gradually arrived at the White Gate Tower in the west of the city. He dismounted and walked towards the tower, climbed to the second floor, and looked out over the upper reaches of the Si River.

He crossed his arms and gazed into the distance, his childhood ideals, the setbacks he encountered in his youth, and Lu Bu's invitation before him making him very hesitant.

I know very well that I'm attracted to someone, and no one can dissuade me from doing so.

Liu Bei knew his own temper all too well, and he was also aware of the risks of entering the court now.

It's unlikely that Lü Bu could have lured and killed Cao Cao like Zhao Ji did. Perhaps Zhao Ji didn't even intend to kill Cao Cao at the time. Cao Cao's death was more like a last-minute change of events by Zhao Ji, more like an accident.

However, the situation in the court could change. When Lü Bu wrote the letter, he may have sincerely invited him to join the government and resolve the difficult problem of bestowing titles and rewards upon Grand Marshal Zhao Ji.

If the situation changes again after entering the court, and Lü Bu himself is already adrift in the water, what will become of me?
Lu Bu had already granted him permission to lead 5,000 troops into the capital, so he was naturally given a strong sense of security.

However, the area around Xuchang was garrisoned by troops sent by the royal families, including Lü Bu, Dong Cheng, Liu Hui, Tian Yu, Liu Biao, Liu Xun, and Liu Ai. These troops were then linked together to launch a mutiny... This was something that five thousand men simply could not withstand.

Leading 5,000 troops into the capital, at most he could only protect Liu Bei and help him evacuate Xuchang if something unexpected happened.

In Xuchang, apart from Lü Bu, Liu Bei was not afraid of any mutiny in the other armies.

Therefore, all things considered, there are no security risks associated with him going to North Korea to assist in governing.

What made him hesitate for a long time was Zhao Ji. When Tao Qian died, Mi Zhu, Chen Deng and others welcomed him to take charge of Xuzhou, but his chief clerk and disciple Chen Qun opposed his entry into Xuzhou.

If Zhao Ji hadn't remotely controlled Liu Bei and Lü Bu through the imperial court, and if it weren't for the court's guarantee, Liu Bei wouldn't have been able to form an alliance with Lü Bu and each of them would have been able to open up new opportunities.

The sight of Lü Bu welcoming him to the court filled Liu Bei with pride, but also evoked a sense of familiarity reminiscent of his time when he governed Xuzhou.

Zhao Ji's control of the court allowed Liu Bei to stabilize Xuzhou; but now that he has entered the court, there is a factor that checks and balances Zhao Ji, which makes Liu Bei feel uneasy and uncertain.

Only when Liu Bei put himself in Lü Bu's shoes and considered the issue from a governing perspective did he truly understand Lü Bu's predicament.

As for a solution to break the deadlock... Liu Bei naturally had none.

Just as he was deep in thought about governing from a political perspective, his advisor Mi Zhu slowly ascended to the second floor and bowed to Liu Bei's retreating figure, saying, "My lord." "I am in a difficult position right now. The Grand Marshal has made unparalleled contributions, and he is already at the pinnacle of his position, so there is really no higher title he can be bestowed upon. The Grand General is in power in the court, and he wants to appease the Grand Marshal, but he also doesn't want any dissent from the court. Now that we are in each other's shoes, it is truly a difficult situation."

Liu Bei sighed and turned to look at Mi Zhu: "If we don't reward the Grand Marshal, how can we reward those who have made meritorious contributions in the campaign against the Hu?"

Mi Zhu simply bowed again with his hands clasped, and there was nothing he could do.

It's impossible to bypass Zhao Ji. Such a great achievement, even if Zhao Ji is considerate of the court and declines the reward... what will Zhao Ji's civil and military officials think? Will they follow Zhao Ji in declining the reward, or will they accept the court's reward?
Another question is, what will officials, common people, and heroes from all corners of the land think?

Previously, Mi Zhu could stay in Xuzhou with Liu Bei and watch the court frantically and chaotically deal with this matter. Now that Lü Bu has formally invited Liu Bei to come to the court to assist in governing, Mi Zhu also feels suffocated.

He also couldn't understand how a person could be so skilled in battle.
There are actually solutions, such as devising a sufficiently generous reward and bestowing it upon Zhao Ji when he returns to the capital in triumph... It is reasonable for Grand Marshal Zhao Ji to have fallen ill and died suddenly during his expedition against the northern barbarians, and the people of the world can understand it.

But how could Zhao Ji possibly lead his troops to Xudu to claim the reward?
If they arrive in Xuchang, will the armies there listen to Zhao Ji, Lü Bu, or the Emperor and the court?

With Zhao Ji staying in the border region, the court was already caught in a dilemma, unable to attend to both sides. If he were to lead his troops to Luoyang, the court would likely be thrown into chaos and lose face.

Mi Zhu couldn't think of a way to solve the problem at hand, so he could only bow in resignation.

Upon seeing this, Liu Bei said, "Now is the time when the court needs me, how can I back down? I plan to go to Xu with Yide, and leave Yunchang to oversee the military affairs of Xiapi and Pengcheng."

Mi Zhu took a deep breath and declared, "Your subject is willing to follow you, my lord."

"Yun Chang is kind to the common people and does not care about their clothes and hats. It is difficult for him to get along with Chen Yuanlong. I will recommend Wei Shuo to be the governor of Xuzhou, but this matter may not be successful. Regardless of the outcome, I still hope that Zi Zhong can take charge of the civil affairs of this prefecture so that Yun Chang and Yuanlong will not have any rift."

The question of who should govern Xuzhou was a major issue, and Lü Bu's idea was for Liu Bei to recommend someone to serve as governor.

However, Liu Bei also faced a similar problem to Zhao Ji and Lü Bu: he could not find subordinates with sufficient qualifications and reputation to serve as governors of a prefecture.

The governor of a prefecture, upon assuming office, reorganized the prefecture and established a new relationship between ruler and subject... This matter is actually quite thorny.

Therefore, Liu Bei planned to follow Zhao Ji's advanced experience and continue to serve as the Left General after entering the court. He would select an Attendant from among the Left General's unrestricted staff and the Attendant of the Palace Guard to lead Xu Province.

Thus, the future governor of Xuzhou would also be an aide in Liu Bei's Left General's staff, and the two would have a strong personal subordinate relationship.

However, Liu Bei's appointment as Left General concurrently serving as Governor of Xu Province was a relatively reasonable configuration. Other similar configurations included Forward General and Governor of You Province Gongsun Zan, Right General and Governor of Ji Province Yuan Shao, and Rear General and Governor of Qing Province Sun Ce.

If he were to enter the court and continue to remotely govern Xuzhou, he would need to obtain the title of a high-ranking general... Perhaps he could also seize control of Yangzhou and gain the nominal power to oversee its affairs.

When the time is right, he will naturally be able to unite Liu Xun, Liu Ai, Hua Xin, and others, becoming a giant in the southeast of the country.

Liu Bei was past the age of getting excited or frustrated when things went wrong, but the ladder that Lü Bu offered allowed Liu Bei to see all sorts of bright futures.

Mi Zhu naturally gave his full support to his decision.

Seeing Mi Zhu so obedient, Liu Bei couldn't help but miss Chen Qun.

He was also very much looking forward to it. This time, when he entered the court to assist in governing, Liu Bei was confident that he could gather a group of insightful people who would help restore the Han Dynasty.

As for Grand Marshal Zhao Ji... how can matters of state be decided by personal feelings?
It's not that Liu Bei is heartless; at this point, they each have too many people behind them, and these people are pushing and shoving them forward, crushing those who stand in their way.

As the leader, Liu Bei could only choose the direction and who to crush; he couldn't stop the rolling chariot.

(End of this chapter)