Three Kingdoms: Fusion of Entries, Change of Destiny

Chapter 117 Old Cao, our family is about to perish!

Although Liu Bei's political achievements were not numerous, Chen Deng knew more or less about his actions in Pingyuan County.

After Liu Bei took office in Pingyuan County, the local security gradually stabilized and the people's lives improved significantly. These were real achievements, not just empty words.

Moreover, Liu Bei's status as a member of the imperial family made many things much easier for him.

Regardless of whether his identity is true or false, it is at least logically plausible. As for how to verify it, I doubt anyone can do it.

But most importantly, Liu Bei had a very clean background, with virtually no support from any power.

If Chen Deng and Mi Zhu had chosen to serve him at this time, they would have become veteran figures and would have gained the greatest benefits.

After confirming that Liu Bei was indeed a good "potential stock,"

Chen Deng then gave Mi Zhu a wink, put down his wine cup, and said with a solemn expression, "Lord Xuande, there is something we should not bring up at this moment, but it concerns the people of Xuzhou, so we have no choice but to speak out."

Although Liu Bei appeared bold and unrestrained, he still harbored a degree of wariness in his heart.

Upon hearing Chen Deng's words, he sobered up considerably and said with a serious expression, "Mr. Yuanlong, please speak freely."

Chen Deng continued, "Lord Xuande, are you aware of the matter concerning Ze Rong, the Chancellor of Xiapi?"

Liu Bei nodded: "I have heard of him. He is known for his devotion to Buddhism, and he has taken in refugees and saved countless lives."

Mi Zhu snorted coldly: "Lord Xuande only knows one thing, not the other!"
This Zuo Rong is nothing more than using Buddhism as a pretext to engage in corruption, bribery, and plunder of the people!
The reason he could act so recklessly was entirely due to Tao Qian's backing!

Upon hearing this, Liu Bei was greatly shocked, and an expression of disbelief appeared on his face: "This... how is this possible? Tao Gong has always been known for his benevolent governance and love for the people, how could he act in this way?!"

"That was just an illusion deliberately created by Tao Qian."

He secretly colluded with Zuo Rong, making it easy for Zuo Rong to amass wealth.

The wealth that Zuo Rong plundered was likely all transported to Danyang and ended up in their pockets.

In recent years, countless people in Xuzhou have lost their hard-earned money to these people, and countless families have been ruined and destroyed as a result...

"Now that the situation is critical, the two of them plan to take the remaining money and flee back to their hometown of Danyang, completely disregarding the lives of the people of Xuzhou." Mi Zhu shook his head with a bitter smile.

Chen Deng then added, "Does Lord Xuande still remember 'Que Xuan' who suddenly appeared last year and usurped the throne?"

"Of course I remember! I even thought of leading my troops south to attack him!" Liu Bei said angrily.

“Lord Xuande, you are unaware of this…” Chen Deng sighed, “This ‘Que Xuan’ is very likely a fabrication by Tao Qian. Because from beginning to end, no one except Tao Qian himself has ever seen ‘Que Xuan’. And after Tao Qian used the name ‘Que Xuan’ to conquer Hua County and Fei County in Taishan Commandery, this ‘Emperor’ suddenly ‘died’ at his hands. There are too many suspicious points in this matter.”

Liu Bei's worldview shattered instantly, and his doubts deepened.

He pondered Chen Deng and Mi Zhu's words repeatedly in his mind, trying to make sense of them, but the truth was too shocking for him to accept.

He truly never imagined that Tao Qian, with his kind face and benevolent rule, was actually like this behind the scenes.

He clenched his fists, his face filled with astonishment, and murmured, "Master Tao, how could this be? How could it have come to this?!"

After a moment, having processed this jaw-dropping news, Liu Bei asked, "Since you two know about this, why haven't you taken any action?"

Chen Deng sighed and laughed, "Tao Qian commands the elite troops of Danyang, while we have no military power. Even if we have the will to eliminate the traitors, we are powerless to even kill a chicken."

Mi Zhu continued, "Lord Xuande, the people of Xuzhou are suffering terribly, and Cao Cao's army is pressing in. We earnestly request that you take over Xuzhou, eliminate treacherous officials from within and defend against powerful enemies from without, so as to ensure the peace and tranquility of our Xuzhou region."

Chen Deng also stood up and bowed deeply to Liu Bei: "Lord Xuande, I am willing to serve you with all my might, and I hope you will grant my request!"

Liu Bei remained silent for a long time, weighing the pros and cons in his mind.

On the one hand, Tao Qian's actions deeply disappointed and angered him; the people of Xuzhou truly needed a good leader. On the other hand, taking over Xuzhou meant facing immense pressure from Cao Cao, which was undoubtedly a huge challenge.

After a long while, Liu Bei slowly got up and helped Chen Deng and Mi Zhu to their feet: "I understand the intentions of you two gentlemen. Although I am not talented, since you two have trusted me and are thinking of the people of Xuzhou, I will do my best. However, this matter is of great importance and needs to be considered carefully."

Chen Deng and Mi Zhu exchanged a glance, knowing that Liu Bei was wavering, and a hint of joy flashed in their eyes.

……

The situation in Tancheng has become somewhat deadlocked recently.

Previously, Cao Cao's generals and officers had come every day to challenge him, clamoring for Tao Qian, Cao Bao, and others to come out and fight one-on-one.

After Guan Yu and Zhang Fei appeared, the only one left who could continue to shout was Xu Chu, that brute.

After Xu Chu and Zhang Fei fought twice, they actually hit it off!

These past few days, they've been fighting from morning till night, and they've almost developed a real bond from it.

Today, they fought another three hundred rounds, and still couldn't determine a winner.

Seeing that it was getting late, Xu Chu said to Zhang Fei, "Hei Zi, let's call it a day. We'll continue fighting tonight after we go back and have some food!"

Zhang Fei sheathed his spear and said, "But my elder brother won't let me go out tonight! How about we continue fighting tomorrow?"

Xu Chu still felt a bit unsatisfied, but there was nothing he could do if Zhang Fei couldn't get out.

"Fine..." He scratched his head and then said, "I'll bring a jar of good wine tomorrow. We'll have a good fight and a good drink!"

"One jar isn't enough, we need at least four jars!"

"Drinking alcohol is forbidden in the army, and this jar of mine is a secret stash... But I know that the lord has some more hidden away, so I managed to steal some out so we can all have a taste together."

"That's wonderful! Alas... my elder brother is not as good as Cao Mengde in this respect."

Cao’s army camp.

Just as Boss Cao was about to serve his rice in a large bowl, Cao Hong suddenly burst in, shouting, "Brother, something terrible has happened!"

Cao Cao glared at Cao Hong and scolded him, "How many times have I told you? If you want to become a great general, you must be calm and composed! Look at Zixiao and Zihe, they are almost becoming generals who can stand alone. But you are always making a fuss and being stingy, and you look like you have lost your home base. You have not made any progress at all."

Cao Hong said with some grievance, "But elder brother, our hometown is really going to be gone!"

"?"

"Zhang Miao, in alliance with Lü Bu and Guo Gong, has already captured Dongjun and Jiyinjun. Lü Bu and Zhang Miao are currently leading their troops towards Juancheng, while Guo Gong is attacking Changyi in Shanyang..."

Cao Cao suddenly stood up, dropping his rice bowl and slamming it onto the table. "Say that again? What happened to Zhang Miao?"

"Zhang Miao has rebelled! He and Lü Bu marched from Chenliu and captured Dongjun and Jiyin Commandery!!"

Cao Cao felt a splitting headache and his vision went black as he was about to faint.

Cao Hong quickly went up to support Cao Cao and said, "However, Zian and the others were prepared in advance. Dongjun and Jiyinjun were actually strategically abandoned."

Next time, can you at least finish what you're saying in one go?
Cao Cao's body stiffened abruptly, and he exclaimed, "That's right! That fellow Zian refused to come with me on the eastern expedition no matter what, and even specifically requested to leave behind 30,000 Qingzhou soldiers... I previously thought he was just being stubborn with me, feeling that without him I couldn't take Xuzhou. But now I see, he was actually keeping a backup plan, guarding against Zhang Miao!!"

"Shouldn't it be you, elder brother, arguing with Ziju?" Cao Hong ripped off the last fig leaf of Old Cao.

Old Cao was so angry that his face turned red, and he pointed at Cao Hong for a long time without being able to utter a single word.

(End of this chapter)