The Three Kingdoms: Hindsight is 20/20, and the Three Revivals of the Han Dynasty

Chapter 247 Liu Bei and Zhong Yao cease hostilities, Zhao Yun unexpectedly blocks the road to rescue Zhen Mi (4th update)
After sleeping in the same tent as Liu Bei, Ma Chao's goodwill towards Liu Bei increased dramatically.

Only by exchanging sincerity for sincerity can you gain true friendship.

Especially for someone who grew up in an environment of betrayal and cannot survive without being ruthless and disloyal, a sudden act of genuine affection is extremely precious.

Perhaps Ma Chao's fickle, treacherous, cold-hearted nature was hard to change, but he was able to restrain his nature relatively when it came to Liu Bei.

Even after returning to camp the next day, Ma Chao was still thinking about sleeping in the same tent as Liu Bei and couldn't get over it for a long time.

Not everyone wants to live in an environment of mutual suspicion. Occasionally, people need to relax their tense nerves and enjoy a few carefree days.

Because he did not conceal his presence when returning to camp in the morning, and because Yan Xing had visited Ma Chao the previous night, news that Ma Chao had most likely spent the night in Liu Bei's camp also reached Zhong Yao's ears.

This made Zhong Yao even more suspicious of Ma Chao.

Fortunately, Yan Xing didn't know what Ma Chao and Liu Bei had discussed. Otherwise, if Zhong Yao had known that Ma Chao was going to cooperate with Liu Bei to transport Shu brocade, he certainly wouldn't have stood idly by.

Since neither Zhong Yao nor Liu Bei wanted to fight anymore, and the weather was getting colder, Liu Bei retreated directly to Jiangyi to continue farming.

Zhong Yao, under pressure from the shortage of supplies, sent Ma Chao back to Guanzhong first, leaving Yan Xing in Pishi City in case of any unforeseen circumstances.

Ma Chao was happy with this arrangement.

Liu Bei then appointed Su Shuang and Zhang Shiping as envoys to Hanzhong, temporarily accompanying Ma Chao back to Guanzhong.

The conflict between Liu Bei and Zhong Yao was waning, but Yuan Shao in Lu Nu City was becoming increasingly annoyed.

Originally, Yuan Shao intended to infiltrate Youzhou with his influence. Once he controlled Liu Bei and his family members, no matter how ambitious Liu Bei was, he would have no choice but to submit to his orders like a caged tiger.

However, Zhuge Liang, the military advisor of Liu Bei's Left General's Office and concurrently the governor of Youzhou, governed the officials of Youzhou with great obedience.

The envoy sent by Yuan Shao to win over the officials of Youzhou delivered gifts that day, and the list of gifts appeared in Zhuge Liang's hands the next day. Zhuge Liang then instructed the officials who received the gifts to distribute them among the people.

My main point is: I will accept gifts without hesitation, and I have a clear conscience regarding my loyalty to Liu Bei.

If it weren't for a county magistrate who was so embarrassed to accept the gifts secretly telling Yuan Shao's envoy about the rules Zhuge Liang had set for officials accepting gifts, Yuan Shao would still be in the dark.

However, the next day, the county magistrate was reported, by the county assistant, the county commandant, and more than a dozen county officials.

The reason is simple: the channel for happily distributing money without being held accountable was destroyed by the county magistrate's single sentence. If the county magistrate is not reported, who will be?
Then the county magistrate was dismissed to appease public anger.

Zhuge Liang also used this opportunity to conduct a "domestic affairs education" session in Youzhou, the gist of which was: how to raise money and grain in the right way.

Yuan Shao was almost driven mad with anger: "Taking my money and supplies without doing anything is the right way, right?"

Seeing Yuan Shao's humiliation, Yuan Shao's wife, Lady Liu, devised another underhanded scheme. She personally led her clan to Zhuo County to bring Zhen Mi to Zhongshan, hoping to use this to coerce Yuan Xi into turning against Liu Bei in the future.

The idea was good, but reality is harsh.

Although Liu secretly loaded Zhen Mi into the carriage, she was stopped by Zhao Yun, who had come after hearing the news, before she even left Zhuo County.

Zhao Yun didn't care how "righteous" and "eloquent" Liu Shi was; anyone who dared to approach Zhen Mi would be shot.

Although not every shot was fatal, the more people were shot, the fewer people dared to compete with Zhao Yun for Zhen Mi.

Finally, with Zhuge Liang's mediation, Lady Liu had no choice but to leave Zhuo County in disgrace, much to Zhen Mi's satisfaction; had Lady Liu truly taken her away from Zhuo County, Zhen Mi would have been trapped in a life of daily torment at her hands. After suffering repeated setbacks at Zhuge Liang's hands, Yuan Shao also abandoned his plans to infiltrate Youzhou.

But before Yuan Shao could have a few days of peace, problems arose again at the front.

First, Deng Sheng came from Hedong and accused Liu Bei of seizing Gao Gan's military power and deliberately causing the deaths of Gao Gan's former subordinates; then Yuan Shang sent someone to tell him that Guo Yuan accused Liu Bei of seizing power and sent Hu Chuquan to silence him, intending to establish himself in Bingzhou.

Enraged, Yuan Shao cursed Gao Gan and Yuan Shang as useless.

Originally, Yuan Shao wanted to take advantage of Cao Cao's fear of Liu Bei, thinking that as long as Liu Bei appeared in Hedong, Cao Cao would never dare to underestimate him.

Unexpectedly, first Gao Gan had a dispute with Liu Bei and was then stripped of his military power by Liu Bei, and then Yuan Shang believed Guo Yuan's accusation and wanted to punish Liu Bei.

Cao Cao was not only not tricked into going to Hedong, but he also increased his forces to deal with Yuan Shang. He not only drove Yuan Shang out of Yanzhou, but also fought all the way to Liyang. On the other hand, Yuan Shang had already returned to Ye City in disgrace.

Yuan Shao had a kind of depressed feeling, like someone who was so unlucky that even drinking water could make them choke to death.

How could the governors of Bingzhou and Jizhou be so narrow-minded as to not be able to tolerate Liu Bei?
Even if you can't tolerate Liu Bei, can't you at least endure it for two or three years?

Yuan Shao is now in a very passive position.

It would be unacceptable to blame Liu Bei. If Liu Bei were to be blamed, he could easily change sides and even use the slogan, "The Left General is fighting valiantly at the front, while the Grand General is listening to slanderous words and trying to harm the Left General in the rear."

At that time, it will be hard to say whether the counties in Hebei will support Liu Bei or Yuan Shao.

In fact, given Yuan Shao's current situation, remaining unchanged and responding to all changes is the best course of action.

As long as Yuan Shao does not mistreat Liu Bei, Liu Bei cannot change his allegiance while Yuan Shao is alive; otherwise, Liu Bei will be branded as "ungrateful" in Hebei.

Liu Bei lacked the foundation built up by generations of aristocratic families. Once he was branded as "ungrateful," all his efforts over the past two years would be in vain.

Even a powerful figure like Lü Bu, burdened with the infamous reputation of being fickle, could not gain the genuine support of the people wherever he went.

Even though he managed to seize Xuzhou from Liu Bei, he failed to gain the support of the people of Xuzhou. The powerful families, such as Chen Deng and his son, were plotting against Lü Bu, and the common people, upon hearing that Liu Bei was still alive, flocked to Xiaopei to join him.

Which common people would truly support a fickle and capricious Lü Bu?
Wealthy families can rise to power through generations of accumulated wealth and influence, while those from humble backgrounds must either rely on benevolence and a reputation for virtue or on absolute ruthlessness. However, compared to absolute ruthlessness, benevolence and a reputation for virtue are the easiest to acquire.

In chaotic times, there are too many people who resemble humans!
"Ziyuan, I am powerless to control the situation in Hebei." In a somber mood, Yuan Shao summoned Xu You and said dejectedly.

Seeing Yuan Shao's defeated expression, Xu You opened his mouth, but then swallowed back the words that were about to come out.

After the Battle of Guandu, Yuan Shao continued to put on a brave face, but in reality, his prestige was declining day by day.

Liu Bei's problems were not the biggest problem. It seemed that Liu Bei was gradually eroding Yuan Shao's prestige, but in reality, without Liu Bei, Hebei would have been in chaos long ago.

The biggest problem was the discord between the brothers Yuan Shang and Yuan Tan. Before Yuan Shao had even declared himself emperor, Yuan Shang and Yuan Tan were already vying for the title of "Crown Prince Da Zhong".

"If Yuan Shang and Yuan Tan can't defeat Cao Cao, what will you do, Yuan Shao?" This time, Xu You didn't call him General, but directly addressed him by his courtesy name.

Addressing the General as "the master" signifies that he is the subject of the state; addressing him by his courtesy name signifies that he is a friend.

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(End of this chapter)