I did it all for the Han Dynasty!

Chapter 161 Gao Shun, you don't want Lü Bu either...

Once the matter in Xuzhou was settled, Lu Su immediately wrote a letter to Liu Miao.

Liu Miao was overjoyed to learn that Yuan Shu had instigated Hao Meng to rebel.

"In this way, Yuan Shu will have no external support he can rely on at all!"

Lu Su's trip not only settled Liu Bei, resolved the conflict between Liu Bei and Lü Bu, and prevented a potential conflict between them that could have led to Cao Cao or Yuan Shu obtaining Xuzhou, but also completely drew Lü Bu into the anti-Yuan camp.

Even if Lü Bu and Yuan Shu have interests to pursue, Lu Su's constant references to "loyal minister" and "Han Dynasty" clearly legally block any possibility of Lü Bu joining forces with Yuan Shu.

Unless something unexpected happens in the court controlled by Cao Cao, there is clearly no possibility of further cooperation between Lü Bu and Yuan Shu, the self-proclaimed emperor who started his own regime.

Especially upon seeing that Lu Su had actually managed to lure Gao Shun to Guangling, Liu Miao waved his hand and exclaimed, "It's done!"

"My lord, what has become of this?"

"The Fubing system is a success!"

The most difficult aspect of the Fubing system at present is not the selection of soldiers, but how to train a group of farmers into invincible elite soldiers in a short period of time.

Liu Miao may have many generals who can win battles, but very few who can quickly train elite soldiers!

“Gao Shun’s elite troops are unparalleled, and he himself must be a general skilled in training soldiers. In that case, why not go and ask him for advice in person?”

consult?

At this moment, Chen Yu was sitting next to Liu Miao.

Chen Yu glanced at Liu Miao and said, "Zhongshan, isn't using the word 'asking for advice' a bit too much? Besides, he's just a general under Lü Bu. Is he really worth you going there in person?"

Liu Miao rolled his eyes: "Gongwei, haven't you heard the saying, 'There is a sequence to learning the Way, and each has their own area of ​​expertise; therefore, a disciple is not necessarily inferior to his teacher, nor is a teacher necessarily more virtuous than his disciple'?"

Chen Yu was taken aback!
He'd never heard that before!

But upon closer reflection, it does seem to make sense!
Chen Yu casually pulled out another bamboo slip from his pocket and began to scribble on it in tiny characters.

……

Liu Miao, along with Zhou Tai, Chen Wu, and others, left Jinling again and traveled from Jiangdu to Huaiyin.

When Liu Miao arrived at the dock, he immediately spotted Sun Ce hiding behind Zhou Yu.

After disembarking, Liu Miao went straight to Sun Ce and kicked him.

"Why are you hiding from me?"

"He didn't hide."

Sun Ce muttered a defense in his own voice, but what he really wanted to say to Liu Miao were four other words—

"You know the answer already, so you ask!"
Seeing Sun Ce's evasive gaze, Liu Miao asked directly, "Did you know about Sun Ben and Sun Fu's affair beforehand?"

"I don't know."

"Then it's over!"

Liu Miao then went even further, saying, "Even if they really succeed, it will be their wealth and glory! What are you, a member of a collateral branch, doing getting involved? Who would suspect you of getting involved? What? Isn't that right? When Emperor Gaozu gained the empire, wasn't it his son who inherited the throne, but rather his collateral brother?"

"Instead of worrying about this and that like a woman, we should think about how to defeat Yuan's army on the other side!"

Sun Ce's listless face, which looked as if it had been soaked in water for more than ten days, finally brightened up at this moment.

"That's right! It seems kids do need to be scolded!"

Liu Miao ignored Sun Ce, who seemed like a completely different person, and went straight to Lu Su: "Where is Gao Shun?"

"In Dongyang."

"Dongyang?"

Dongyang was closer to the west and closer to Yuan Shu's army than Huaiyin.

When Liu Miao arrived, he had already heard that Lü Bu had taken over Gao Shun's elite troops, so why was he sending Gao Shun to such a dangerous place as Dongyang?

Liu Miao stared at the crowd suspiciously: "Are you trying to isolate Gao Shun and push him out of Dongyang?"

"No way!"

Sun Ce, now revitalized, began to chatter away—

"What do you mean we've isolated Gao Shun? It's clearly him who's isolated us all!"

Zhou Yu also spoke of Gao Shun's actions after arriving in Guangling.

“My lord, we all advised General Gao Shun to stay with us in Huaiyin and coordinate our efforts. But General Gao Shun said that he came to protect Guangling on the orders of Lü Bu, not to become your subordinate.”

"Therefore, General Gao Shun deliberately did not station with us, but led the newly recruited soldiers to Dongyang in the west."

Liu Miao was delighted!

It was indeed Gao Shun who single-handedly isolated Zhou Yu and his group!

Liu Miao winked at Lu Su: "It seems that Zijing's judgment wasn't very good this time either."

"I do not think so."

Lu Su was clearly dissatisfied with Liu Miao's pickiness.

"Gao Shun is like General Xu Huang, strict in discipline and unaffected by external factors."

"It's much more reassuring to have him stationed in Guangling than to have any of Lü Bu's other generals stationed there."

Liu Miao wasn't really blaming Lu Su, but he was slightly dissatisfied.

"If Zijing could also bring Zhang Liao over, that would be even better!"

"Since Gao Shun is unwilling to obey my orders, then we will take the initiative to find him!"

Liu Miao asked Lu Su, "Do you know what Gao Shun likes?"

"Gao Shun neither drinks alcohol nor accepts gifts."

"Not a beautiful woman either?"

"not good."

"Tsk! No wonder Lü Bu dislikes Gao Shun!"

It's true that it's hard to like a person who is perfect.

"But it did save money!"

Lu Su was surprised that Liu Miao's first concern was avoiding sending gifts to Gao Shun, and he was both amused and exasperated: "My lord didn't seem to mind sending so many gifts to Lü Bu before, so why are you suddenly concerned about this little bit of money?"

"Nonsense! Who would complain about having too much money? If Zijing doesn't believe me, he can go back and have a good chat with Yuan Tan or Zhang Gong, and ask them how difficult it was to collect those gifts."

Since Gao Shun refused to accept gifts, Liu Miao simply went empty-handed.

Gao Shun was training new recruits in the camp when he heard that Liu Miao had come in person. His first reaction was not surprise or joy, but rather a sigh: "What a hassle."

Gao Shun had set up camp outside Dongyang City, so Liu Miao's arrival meant he went straight into Gao Shun's camp.

After arriving at the camp, Liu Miao did not idly wait for Gao Shun. Instead, he stood on tiptoe and examined Gao Shun's arrangements as if no one else was around.

The military camp was compact overall, with 256 central fortifications and a total of 24 formations, forming a unified whole with an inner circle and an outer square.

There were deep and wide trenches outside, and pontoon bridges were laid across them for passage, completely isolating the outside world from the military camp and achieving a truly airtight defense.

Inside the trench were tightly packed wooden palisades, which, rather than appearing haphazard, possessed a natural, harmonious beauty. Every hundred paces, watchtowers and observation towers were positioned, allowing for easy observation of distant enemy positions. At the four corners, structures resembling "barbicans" were built, seemingly concealing large-scale weapons of mass destruction such as Han crossbows, making this military camp virtually impregnable!

Liu Miao clicked his tongue and turned to ask the generals behind him, "Which of you can set up such a camp?"

Immediately, most of the generals raised their hands. Liu Miao then asked, "Which of you can use the newly recruited soldiers to set up such a camp?"

No one raised their hand after that.

"Looks like we've really found a treasure!"

At this moment, Gao Shun finally arrived late and welcomed Liu Miao into the camp.

After Liu Miao entered the tent, he smiled knowingly.

No wonder Gao Shun is not a likable person.

Liu Miao is now the General of the Cavalry, Governor of Yangzhou, and Marquis of Wu of the Han Dynasty!
Even on a grand scale, he was a renowned and powerful regional lord!
The only food that Gao Shun served to Liu Miao in his tent was millet and pickles.

After taking his seat, Liu Miao pointed to the food on his plate and asked, "Do the soldiers usually eat this?"

Gao Shun then realized something was wrong and was about to order his personal guards to prepare food again when he saw Liu Miao pick up a ceramic bowl and put a piece of pickled vegetable on the millet.

Gao Shun could only bite the bullet and ask, "Is this really the food the soldiers usually eat?"

"Does General Gao usually eat this?"

"I dare not be different from the soldiers."

Liu Miao looked curious: "Why?"

"Shouldn't the general's food be more plentiful than that of the soldiers?"

If it were someone else, they would probably have gone along with Liu Miao's words and agreed.

But Gao Shun shook his head: "This is not the right way to behave."

The Wu Zi states: "People often die where they cannot do it and fail where they are not comfortable. Therefore, in the art of war, instruction and warning come first."

"If a general wants to win every battle, he must use every cruel method to train his soldiers and make them into elite troops."

"However, being too strict will inevitably cause dissatisfaction among the soldiers. Therefore, in wartime, rewards and punishments should be clearly defined to ensure that everyone is convinced of their authority; in peacetime, one should share weal and woe with the soldiers and prevent them from hating their superiors."

"If I were to be harsh on my soldiers on ordinary days, while I myself were to hide in my tent enjoying fine wine and food, wouldn't that be courting death?"

Listening to Gao Shun's methods of military command, Liu Miao devoured a bowl of millet rice with great relish, which surprised Gao Shun.

Military rations are ultimately not as refined as fine grains.

Millet, in particular, is extremely difficult to clean, inevitably containing some stone fragments and other impurities, making it hard for ordinary nobles to get used to eating. Seeing Liu Miao wolfing it down like this made Gao Shun realize that Liu Miao might not be the nobleman he had assumed.

Liu Miao put down the earthenware bowl and let out a burp.

"It seems General Gao Shun is quite skilled in training troops?"

"Soldiers are the foundation of generals; if one cannot train soldiers, how can one be a general?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Miao immediately turned to look at his generals and indeed saw many of them, who were not formally trained, lowering their heads in shame.

Of course, there were also a few troublemakers, such as Zhou Tai, who was glaring at Gao Shun, clearly disagreeing with what Gao Shun said.

"General Gao Shun is right."

Liu Miao looked at Gao Shun again, and finally said seriously, "In that case, may I ask General Gao Shun to train my troops?"

Gao Shun never expected that Liu Miao would say such an impolite thing in such a polite tone!

He had no relation to Liu Miao, so why should he train troops for Liu Miao?
Moreover, Liu Miao's current troop strength is several times greater than Gao Shun's, so why would Gao Shun need to train Liu Miao's troops?
Gao Shun refused outright: "I am too busy with military affairs to train troops for Liu Yangzhou."

Liu Miao was not in a hurry; he simply inquired about the battle between Lü Bu and Cao Cao in Yanzhou.

"General Lü was defeated by Cao Cao back then. I wonder if he can defeat him now?"

Unlike Lü Bu, Gao Shun was not stubborn and shook his head almost without hesitation: "No."

"What should you do if Cao Cao attacks Lü Bu in the future, General?"

"Fight to the death for Marquis Wen!"

"Isn't that still a loss?"

Liu Miao's words were brief and cold, leaving a deep wound in Gao Shun's heart.

"General Gao Shun, Lü Bu has treated you well. You don't really want to see him die in the future, do you?"

Gao Shun finally became displeased: "Liu Yangzhou, did you come here today just to mock me and General Lü?"

"of course not!"

Liu Miao said frankly, "To be honest, I came to Guangling this time for the sake of the general."

"Come for me?"

"Of course."

Liu Miao said, "General, you are able to train such a strong army as the Trapped Camp. Your training methods must be different from those of ordinary people."

"I am currently recruiting new soldiers and urgently need generals skilled in training troops to train them."

"These soldiers will surely become a great help in pacifying the world and restoring the Han Dynasty! That's why I've come specifically to seek your help, General, in order to lend a hand to the Han Dynasty!"

Gao Shun tried to decline, saying, "Liu Yangzhou already has countless elite soldiers under his command, why would he need me, Gao Shun?"

"However, none of them are as good as the Trapped Camp trained by the general."

Liu Miao knew that Gao Shun was neither lustful nor greedy, and could be considered a perfect person.

Even such a person has a fatal weakness, which is his loyalty, and that is, Lü Bu's survival.

"As you probably know, Lü Bu is not the kind of person who can dominate a region and make all sides submit."

"His personality will bring him trouble sooner or later."

"Now, Yuan Shao, Cao Cao, and Yuan Shu will no longer tolerate him. In the future, the only one who can help him should be me, Liu Miao."

"If the general is willing to help me train the troops, then I assure you, if Lü Bu ever encounters trouble in the future, I, Liu Miao, will certainly lend him a helping hand!"

After Lü Bu was driven out of Guanzhong by Li Jue and Guo Si, he wandered around aimlessly like a headless fly.

He first sought refuge with Yuan Shu, who was then in Nanyang, but was rejected by Yuan Shu because he was ugly.

Later, he went north to join Yuan Shao, but because he was too brave in the battle against the Black Mountain Army, Yuan Shao became wary of him. As a result, he was not only expelled by Yuan Shao, but Yuan Shao also wanted to kill him.

Later, Lü Bu arrived in Yanzhou and finally found a place to stay, but was killed by Cao Cao and fell into exile in Xuzhou again.

Lu Bu now seems to have a safe haven, but aren't Cao Cao and Yuan Shu both eyeing Xu Province covetously?
Given Lü Bu's abilities, could he really govern Xuzhou well and use the entire province to defeat powerful enemies like Cao Cao and Yuan Shu?
Liu Miao's words seemed to utterly crush Gao Shun.

Although Gao Shun was unwilling to admit it, it seemed that Liu Miao was truly the only one who could save Lü Bu in the future.

If I don't want Lü Bu to be defeated, then I must submit to Liu Miao today no matter what!

Gao Shun took a deep breath: "How many soldiers does Liu Yangzhou want me to train?"

Liu Miao thought for a moment...

Preliminary estimates suggest that twenty military prefectures will be set up in Danyang, ten in Wujun, and five in Yuzhang.

If each military garrison has a thousand men, that's nearly thirty-five thousand men.

Adding in the new recruits who weren't even properly trained, Liu Miao gave a rough figure—

"Not many, only about 50,000 new recruits!"

"Liu Yangzhou, you should return!"

(End of this chapter)