I did it all for the Han Dynasty!

Chapter 101 The troops are approaching the city
"Lord."

Liu Miao patted Zhou Tai on the shoulder, which made Zhou Tai reveal his yellowed teeth; everything was understood without words.

Forcing himself to cheer up, Liu Miao invited everyone inside. Before they could ask about his illness, Liu Miao inquired about the situation outside: "Has Zhou Xin really raised an army?"

Liu Miao's voice was noticeably nasal, but since he wanted to talk about business first, everyone could only ignore it and tell him the information from outside.

"Zhou Xin suddenly issued a proclamation, saying that he was going to attack the lord, and had already led a large army from Wanling and stopped in the Liyang area!"

Zhou Yu handed Liu Miao Zhou Xin's proclamation denouncing Liu Miao. After reading it, Liu Miao was not angry at all. Instead, he praised him, saying, "As expected of a son of a great Confucian scholar, this proclamation is quite well written! If such a person could concentrate on his studies, he could probably become a good scholar."

Liu Miao clearly felt a stinging pain in his throat as he spoke, as if it were being cut by a knife, but his expression remained normal, just like any other day.

"Now that Zhou Xin has led his troops to attack, does Gongjin have any strategies?"

"Of course."

Zhou Yu truly lived up to his reputation as a brilliant strategist, having already devised a battle plan before even arriving.

"Liyang was formerly known as Gucheng! It is easy to defend and difficult to attack. It would be unwise to launch a direct assault on it! Since Zhou Xin has led his troops to Liyang, his territory of Wanling must be vulnerable. If we can capture Wanling, we can cut off his retreat and leave him unable to attend to both ends. After that, we only need to send a general to outflank him from the east and capture Yuqian. This will completely trap Zhou Xin in the mountains, rendering him unable to move!"

When Zhou Yu saw Zhou Xin heading to Liyang, he immediately guessed that Zhou Xin probably wanted to defend and wait for the attack, and to use stillness to control movement. Therefore, he simply did the opposite and used a move to cut off Zhou Xin's supply lines, trapping him in the shell he had built for himself!

This move also cuts off Zhou Xin's escape route, annihilating him in one fell swoop and allowing Liu Miao to completely occupy Danyang and rule the entire Danyang prefecture!
Now that the opportunity has been delivered to our doorstep, there's absolutely no reason for us to miss it!

That's why even Zhou Yu was so anxious just now! After all, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity was right in front of them. If they missed it and were really dragged into a siege by Zhou Xin, then who knows how long it would take for Liu Miao to take Danyang!

After listening to Zhou Yu's plan and using his not-so-bright mind to figure out the pros and cons, Liu Miao naturally had no reason not to agree.

"This is indeed a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! If we win, we might be able to take Danyang before spring planting. How can we miss such an opportunity?"

"Gongjin, you must immediately lead your troops to Wanling and strive for a swift victory to capture that bastard Zhou Xin!"

"Here!"

Zhou Yu glanced around and saw that some of the men did not intend to get up. He knew that someone would speak up when he needed to, so he did not linger and immediately summoned his generals to fight!

At this time, inside Liu Miao's room, besides the three female relatives, there were also Zhang Zhao, Lu Kang, and Chen Yu.

Zhang Zhao knelt on the couch, his back straight as a pine tree, his eyes like lightning, and with the white hair at his temples, he truly exuded an aura of authority without anger!
"My lord once said that you should use me as a mirror to examine your own faults. I wonder if my lord still remembers that?"

"Of course I remember. Please speak freely, Lord Zhang."

Zhang Zhao glanced at Zhou Tai behind Liu Miao and immediately said, "In that case, I urge my lord to execute Zhou Youping as a warning to others!"

Zhou Tai flew into a rage upon hearing this: "What are you saying, you old scoundrel?"

"Youping!"

Liu Miao first reprimanded Zhou Tai, then asked Zhang Zhao, "Why did you say that, Lord Zhang?"

“Zhou Tai is unable to distinguish right from wrong and has severed the path between the ministers and the lord. Is this what an upright minister should do? How can I stand idly by the side of the lord when there is such a treacherous minister by his side?”

Liu Miao waved his hand: "It's not that serious. I told Youping not to let anyone in to disturb us."

Zhang Zhao persisted, saying, "How can our lord issue such an order? As a ruler, is it right to sever ties with your subjects?"

Liu Miao was now somewhat displeased: "Master Zhang, can't you tell that I'm ill?"

Zhang Zhao then asked, "Why did our lord fall ill? Was it because Zhou Tai failed to take good care of him?"

Liu Miao: "It's my own problem, it has nothing to do with Youping!"

"joke!"

Zhang Zhao angrily rebuked Liu Miao: "As a guard, you should never have put your lord in danger from beginning to end! Do you think that if your lord is injured when he encounters an assassin in the future, you can also blame it on Zhou Tai?"

"Of course not, it is..."

Liu Miao paused for a moment, then pointed at Zhang Zhao and burst into laughter: "If you want to scold me, scold me. Why are you making veiled accusations against Youping?"

"Is Lord Zhang blaming me for neglecting my health and cutting off my ties with officials?"

Liu Miao's body no longer belonged to him alone.

The talents of strategists like Zhou Yu and Lu Su, former subordinates of Sun Jian like Cheng Pu and Huang Gai, Jiangdong gentry like Lu Kang and Gu Yong, scholars and celebrities like Chen Yu and Zhang Zhao, and even systems like the Three Chiefs and Equal Fields, as well as the recuperation and development of the people from the north and south in Jiangdong, all fell on Liu Miao's shoulders.

If anything were to happen to Liu Miao, all of this would fall apart, and the once thriving development would turn into a pile of mud, ending in utter destruction.

Therefore, Liu Miao's safety is more important than the lives of many people! How could Liu Miao be treated so carelessly?
Secondly, there was the matter of suddenly severing ties with his ministers.

Such things are always a big taboo! If a villain seizes the opportunity, can Zhou Tai bear the consequences?
That's why Zhang Zhao was so furious and wanted Liu Miao to execute Zhou Tai as a warning!
After understanding Zhang Zhao's advice, Liu Miao finally realized how much trouble he had caused the day before because he hadn't worn a cloak. He sincerely apologized to Zhang Zhao: "It was my oversight. Lord Zhang's advice was not wrong."

Liu Miao turned around and instructed Zhou Tai, "If Zhang Gong, Lu Zhongyi, Gongjin, or Zijing come to see me in the future, do not stop them. Just let them in."

Chen Yu: ? ? ?
He kept waving at Liu Miao, as if asking, "What about me?" "What about me?" But Liu Miao seemed not to see him, his eyes filled with clarity and emptiness.

Seeing that Liu Miao was about to change the subject, Chen Yu finally lost his temper: "What about me? Zhongshan, what about me? Have you forgotten about me? Or do you think I would harm you?"

"of course not."

"Then why won't you let me in!"

Liu Miao was wary of Chen Yu: "I ask you, if I really allowed you to come see me anytime, how many times a day could you come?"

"just one time!"

"Ha, just once? Is it because you're here and not going anywhere?"

"..."

Chen Yu was utterly dejected, as if melting away like a lump of mud: "I am weary of the tortoise, and it no longer tells me anything. There are too many strategists, so I cannot gather them all..."

"Okay, you're in!"

Liu Miao swore that he didn't sympathize with Chen Yu; he simply found Chen Yu's deathly appearance unlucky!

"Zhongshan! Zhongshan! Zhongshan! I knew it..."

Liu Miao slapped Chen Yu away as he lunged at him, and apologized to Zhang Zhao again: "This kind of thing will definitely not happen again in the future. Please don't be angry about this, Lord Zhang."

Seeing that Liu Miao's attitude in admitting his mistake was quite good, Zhang Zhao stopped dwelling on the matter and earnestly advised him: "A ruler should be able to occupy the central position, manage heroes, and command the wise, rather than acting arbitrarily based on personal preferences! What you bear on your shoulders now is the expectation of the people, the peace of the populace, and the hope of restoring the Han Dynasty! I hope that next time you act, you will think thrice before acting and not make hasty decisions!"

"I have remembered what Master Zhang said."

After entrusting Liu Miao with all his words on "cultivating the mind," Zhang Zhao then turned his attention to "cultivating the body."

"I have a physician I know in Jiangdong. I wrote to him before and invited him to come. He should be arriving soon."

"Now that our lord has entrusted Zhou Yu to deal with the bandits, there should be nothing serious at the moment. We hope that our lord will take care of his mind and recover as soon as possible."

"Thank you, Mr. Zhang."

Lu Kang and Chen Yu inquired about Liu Miao's condition one by one, and only left after confirming that Liu Miao's illness was indeed minor and not a serious one.

After everyone left, Liu Miao relaxed and lay down.

Because his nose was blocked, Liu Miao had to talk as if nothing was wrong, which almost suffocated him!

Now that the person was gone, Liu Miao could finally breathe freely with his mouth wide open.

Once the heaviness in his chest subsided, Liu Miao laughed and said, "Youping, Youping, tell me, I can't even get sick now, I can't even sleep. Isn't this life miserable?"

"hey-hey."

Zhou Tai went over and closed the door: "Now that no one will disturb us, my lord can finally sleep peacefully."

"Why sleep?"

After recovering, Liu Miao immediately lost the desire to sleep.

"Let's go to Yecheng again. I just remembered that yesterday I talked about the forging method but forgot to tell the craftsman what kind of blade I needed! So we have to go again!"

"what?"

Zhou Tai's eyes widened: "Although Zhang Zhao's attitude was not good, what he said made some sense. Does our lord really intend to drag his ailing body to Yecheng? Aren't you afraid of being reprimanded by him?"

Zhang Zhao had indeed displayed great majesty and imposing presence just now, and thinking back on it now, it's quite frightening.

Liu Miao said nonchalantly, "I'm not going there for fun; I'm really going to do something important. So what if Lord Zhang finds out?"

"Besides..."

Liu Miao grabbed Zhou Tai by the neck to support his body: "Anyway, he's going to chop off your head, what am I afraid of? Hahahaha! Let's go!"

Zhou Tai chuckled helplessly, but still helped Liu Miao onto the carriage and headed towards Yecheng.

Just as Liu Miao's carriage left the main city of Jinling, a rustling sound came from the mountains to the south.

A deep, powerful voice said, "Remember! When night falls, ignore everything else and rush straight to the innermost part to get Liu Miao out!"

"If any of you dare to delay important matters because of money, Commander Hao will surely take your heads!"

　Sorry, the afternoon chapter will be a little later.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)