I did it all for the Han Dynasty!

Chapter 200 Liu Bei: You doubt me?

Kuai Liang, Kuai Yue, Cai Mao, and Zhang Yun then all looked at Liu Biao.

They believed that Liu Biao would readily accept good advice.

Just as Liu Biao had done in recent years, all he had to do was nod slightly and agree to the matter.

Liu Biao was lost in thought for a moment, then looked in Liu Qi's direction.

That look invigorated Liu Qi!

In fact, Liu Qi did not always fail to gain Liu Biao's favor.

On the contrary, because Liu Qi looked very similar to Liu Biao when he was young, Liu Biao always praised Liu Qi highly.

However, it was because powerful clans were now in charge, and Liu Biao's wife, Lady Cai, his brother-in-law Cai Mao, and his nephew Zhang Yun were all on good terms with Liu Cong and were wary of Liu Qi's age, so they often slandered Liu Qi.

If Liu Cong did a good deed, no matter how small, it would be spread; if Liu Cong made a mistake, no matter how big, it would be covered up. Lady Cai praised him internally, while Cai Mao and Zhang Yun praised his virtues externally. Only in this way could Liu Qi gradually be ostracized.

Liu Qi could sense all of this.

but!

But Liu Qi still had a glimmer of hope in his heart!
That was actually a form of protection for him, as his father Liu Biao distanced himself from him!
Liu Qi always believed that he held a very important place in Liu Biao's heart!

For example, right now, Liu Biao might...

To Liu Qi's surprise, after glancing at him, Liu Biao quickly looked away and nodded to Kuai Liang, Kuai Yue, and their group.

"Now, the only one we can rely on is Yuan Shao."

"This time, let Ji Bo go to Hebei."

Liu Qi could not hide his disappointment when he saw that Liu Biao had once again not chosen him.

Cai Mao and Zhang Yun were delighted to see Liu Qi suffer a setback, and they no longer found fault with the envoys chosen by Liu Biao.

"In that case, let Ijibo go!"

Yi Ji set out from Xiangyang, took the Funiu Mountain trail, bypassed the Central Plains, and went from Hedong to Yecheng to seek an audience with Yuan Shao.

Upon hearing this, Yuan Shao sent Guo Tu to Qingzhou to oversee Yuan Tan's attack on Jiangdong.

Guo Tu advised Yuan Shao: "Xian Si has just defeated Kong Rong and has not yet fully controlled Qingzhou. How can we easily send troops?"

"Liu Bei of Xiaopei and Lü Bu of Xuzhou. They both wanted to get close to you, my lord. Now it is clear that we need to mobilize them and get them to serve you."

Yuan Shao agreed to Guo Tu's plan and entrusted all matters in the south to Guo Tu.

"Liu Miao and Cao Cao are no more than minor troubles."

"Once we defeat Gongsun and unify Hebei, we can achieve the same great feats as Emperor Guangwu. I hope that you can, like Su Qin and Zhang Yi, temporarily control the south and buy us time."

"Here!"

Guo Tu, a robust man with a slight smile on his lips, said, "When Emperor Guangwu pacified the country, the most difficult battle was the war against Wang Lang and Xie Gong in Hebei."

"Later, for people like Liu Yong and Tian Rong, Emperor Guangwu only needed to send one general to easily defeat them."

"Now that Hebei is almost pacified, the world is in your hands, my lord. Let us deal with these few clowns!"

Guo Tu then summoned his trusted confidants—

"Liu Bei previously recommended his eldest son as a candidate for the imperial examination, which shows that he has feelings for Yuan Shao. In that case, let's start with him!"

------

Xiao Pei.

Years of war had already left this place, the birthplace of Emperor Gaozu, somewhat desolate. When Lü Bu previously stationed himself here, it instilled fear in merchants and common people, causing even greater ruin.

The turning point came with the opening of the trade route between Jiangdong and Hebei.

As a hub connecting the north and south, Xiaopei miraculously revived and regained some of its former glory thanks to the taxes levied on carriages and merchants.

Liu Bei even dredged the Suiyang Canal specifically for this purpose, allowing ships from Jiangdong to travel directly from the Si River to Xiaopei.

The thoughtful care brought a steady stream of merchants back to the capital, allowing Liu Bei to amass a fortune and recover from his previous predicament. He was able to regroup his 10,000 troops and restore his strength.

Liu Bei was well aware of who he relied on to obtain such great benefits, so whenever Lu Jun, who represented Liu Miao on business trips, passed through Xiaopei, Liu Bei would personally greet him and invite him to his residence for a chat.

Lu Jun was initially a bit reserved, but after a few times he got used to it, so after getting off the ship he naturally went to Liu Bei's residence and drank and chatted with Liu Bei, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei and others.

"News has come from the west that our lord has defeated Huang Zu and opened the gateway to Jingzhou!"

Lu Jun was in a good mood and couldn't help but drink a few more glasses.

"Previously, Gongjin and Zijing were often worried that Jingzhou would take advantage of its terrain to attack Jiangdong. Now that this major threat has been eliminated, I no longer need to worry about the safety of Jiangdong!"

Taking Jingzhou was of great significance to Liu Miao's group!

Jingzhou was even more important to Jiangdong than Huainan!
This is a joyous occasion for all the people of Jiangdong! A truly joyous occasion!!
Upon hearing this, Liu Bei was genuinely happy for Liu Miao.

"If Zhongshan can achieve a resounding victory, the hope of restoring the Han Dynasty will be even greater!"

But Liu Bei was also somewhat envious: "Zhongshan has now been able to defeat Huang Zu, attack Liu Biao, and seize Jingzhou, while I can only linger in Xiaopei. It is truly lamentable."

Lu Jun quickly replied, "Liu Yuzhou has simply not had the right opportunity yet!"

"Our lord often praises Liu Bei to us, saying that he is a hero and will surely achieve great things in the future!" Liu Bei asked in surprise, "Does Zhongshan really say that about me?"

"How could it be fake?"

Liu Bei was then pleased: "To receive Zhongshan's praise, I, Liu Bei, have nothing to regret!"

Forgetting his earlier lament about his fate, Liu Bei resumed his banquets with Lu Jun, holding feasts for several days without stopping.

On the last day before his departure, Lu Jun finally regained his senses, declined Liu Bei's invitation to drink with him, and instead took some valuables to visit Mi Zhu, Mi Fang and others in order to maintain their private friendship.

Mi Zhu, Mi Fang, and Lu Jun were all acquainted. After inquiring about Mi's recent situation, they invited Lu Jun to stay at their home for drinks.

Seeing that they still wanted to drink, Lu Jun shook his head repeatedly in fright: "I can't drink anymore! Otherwise, it will delay important matters!"

Lu Jun even specially brought out tea produced in Jiangdong to give to the two of them: "This stuff can refresh the mind and has a sweet aftertaste; it's a truly excellent drink!"

After giving the wine to Mi Zhu and Mi Fang, Lu Jun was about to leave, but when he thought of how Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei drank like cattle, especially Zhang Fei, who could easily gulp down a whole jug of wine, Lu Jun changed his mind.

"We should also give them some wine, and at the same time advise them to drink less."

Putting aside the fact that Liu Bei was Liu Miao's ally, after these several interactions, Lu Jun could sense the flaws of the three men to varying degrees, such as Liu Bei's impulsiveness, Guan Yu's arrogance, and Zhang Fei's temper and fondness for alcohol... but without a doubt, all three were people worth befriending.

Out of concern for his friend, Lu Jun asked the head cook to carry a load and returned to the prefect's mansion, intending to advise Liu Bei and the other two to drink less alcohol in the future.

When Liu Bei's personal guards saw that it was Lu Jun, they assumed that Lu Jun had come to drink with Liu Bei again, so they laughed and said, "Don't rush! Don't rush! Our lord has a guest visiting today. Please wait in the side room for a moment!"

guest?

Lu Jun did not suspect anything.

Liu Bei is now the governor of Yu Province, so it's not surprising that he has guests visiting him. He can't just play music and drink wine all day long and not do his job, can he?
Lu Jun then waited in the side hall.

But after waiting for an hour, Liu Bei still hadn't appeared, which made Lu Jun suspicious.

"Xuande is not the kind of person who hesitates. Who is this guest he is meeting today, and why has it taken so long?"

Although puzzled, Lu Jun knew the proper etiquette of a guest, so he did not urge him. Instead, he sat in the room and brewed himself some tea to help soothe his body, which had been damaged by alcohol and women these past few days.

Another hour.

Lu Jun had already finished several pots of tea, and when he felt the urge to relieve himself, he wanted to go to the outhouse.

Having drunk with Liu Bei several times before, Lu Jun was familiar with the location of Liu Bei's outhouse. Without asking anyone to lead the way, he went straight to the backyard on his own.

As Lu Jun passed by the central hall, he instinctively tried to avoid it, but a sentence spoken inside the house made him instantly alert, and he quickly held back his urge to urinate.

"Yuan Shao actually wants me to attack Zhongshan?"

Lu Jun's scalp tingled instantly, and he quickly pressed his ear against the wall.

One of them was Liu Bei, and the other spoke with a distinct Hebei accent.

"Liu Yuzhou, do you really consider Liu Miao to be some kind of loyal minister of the Han Dynasty? He talks about supporting the Han Dynasty, but in private he does all sorts of things like killing high-ranking officials and disrespecting the imperial system!"

"If Liu Yuzhou agrees now, Lord Yuan will immediately provide money, provisions, and military equipment, and take advantage of Liu Miao's weakened rear to seize Jiangdong in one fell swoop!"

Inside the room, Liu Bei fell silent.

Outside, Lu Jun was drenched in cold sweat!
problem occurs!
What a big deal!

Yuan Shao actually wants to take action against Liu Miao?

Lu Jun was shaken, and after the initial confusion, he quickly clarified his mission—

"We must get this message back to Jiangdong as soon as possible!"

If Yuan Shao were to launch a surprise attack on Jiangdong, the consequences would be unimaginable!

Lu Jun dared not go out through the main gate, for fear of attracting attention.

After looking at the wall for a while, he quickly moved some things to stand on, stepped on them, and flipped himself over.

Not daring to talk to anyone, Lu Jun covered his face and quickly made his way out of the city.

However, his appearance was still suspicious, and quite a few people secretly sized up Lu Jun.

Just as Lu Jun hurriedly boarded the boat and was about to leave, someone suddenly came chasing after him—

"Bowell! Where are you going?"

It turned out that Liu Bei himself had come after them!
At this moment, Lu Jun could not determine whether Liu Bei was a friend or foe, and he just kept urging the boatman to hurry up.

But how could these commercial ships compare to the military's light boats and warships? After only a few miles, Lu Jun was overtaken by Liu Bei.

Liu Bei angrily jumped onto Lu Jun's boat: "In your heart, am I, Liu Bei, such a treacherous person?"

Lu Jun said nervously, "That's not the case..."

"Your sudden departure from the city to Jiangdong must be because you overheard my conversation with that envoy from Yuan Shao!"

At this time, Liu Bei was quite resentful towards Lu Jun!

"If I, Liu Xuande, ever betray my allies and humiliate my kin, I will make sure that all my brothers are severed from my hands and feet, and that I never have a peaceful day again!"

(End of this chapter)