I did it all for the Han Dynasty!

Chapter 21 The advantage is mine!

"Does Your Excellency know that if what you just said were to get out, you would likely face great calamity!"

Zhou Yu spoke calmly, without any threats, simply stating the facts.

"Now that General Hou is at the height of his power, his arrival in Huainan is like a mountain pressing down on him! Countless people in Huainan and Jiangdong want to curry favor with General Hou, so why does Magistrate Liu insist that General Hou is doomed to defeat?"

Liu Miao returned and sat down cross-legged again.

"Does Gongjin really think that the General of the Rear is running all the way from Nanyang to Huainan simply because he misses home, as Gongwei said?"

Zhou Yu remained silent.

Clearly, apart from Chen Yu himself, no one believed what Chen Yu just said...

"That's it."

Liu Miao shrugged.

"I'm sure Gongjin has guessed some things, so I'll be frank with him."

"When Yuan Shu was fighting Cao Cao, his supply lines were suddenly cut off by Liu Biao, so he had no choice but to fight Cao Cao with his back to the river at Kuangting!"

"Unfortunately, with their retreat cut off, Yuan Shu's soldiers were mostly in a state of panic. In addition, Yuan Shu himself was not as capable as Cao Cao and suffered several defeats in succession, so he had no choice but to flee to Huainan to take refuge."

"Of course, it has nothing to do with us no matter how badly Yuan Shu is in the Central Plains, because even if Yuan Shu only has tens of thousands of troops left, the people of Huainan cannot withstand him."

"Even if a warlord who failed in his struggle for power in the Central Plains can still eke out a living, does Gongjin really think that such a person can achieve great things?"

"One must know that vying for supremacy is like rowing against the current; if you don't advance, you'll fall behind!"

"Yuan Shu was defeated by Cao Cao. No matter how many soldiers he has now or how great his reputation is, he is nothing more than a skeleton in a tomb!"

Zhou Yu stared at Liu Miao.

He was able to discern Liu Miao's contempt for Yuan Shu from Liu Miao's words!
But this contempt is not simply arrogance.

When discussing Yuan Shu's military strength, Liu Miao was also very frank, stating that Yuan Shu's power in Huainan was now far beyond what anyone else could resist.

This seemingly contradictory viewpoint did not make Zhou Yu feel awkward; on the contrary, it made him feel that Liu Miao was exceptionally terrifying!
A domineering person is not scary.

A cautious person isn't scary!
But a person who is both domineering and cautious is a different story!

Zhou Yu was in a bit of a headache.

I thought that a dragon couldn't be raised in shallow waters, but who knew that such a dragon would actually appear in Huainan, causing the situation to slide into an uncontrollable direction!

"Lord Liu."

Zhou Yu was about to say something, but Liu Miao interrupted him "very rudely"—

"Gongjin, you'd better think twice before you speak."

"Neither you nor Bo Fu are people who are content with mediocrity."

"If you two were to side with Yuan Shu, you would most likely face defeat and death in the future."

"Bo Fu was right just now. A true man should wield a three-foot sword and achieve unparalleled feats!"

"Given Yuan Shu's character, if he accepts Sun Jian's former troops now, he will most likely not return them to Bo Fu in the future."

"But I have an advantage that Yuan Shu can't match!"

Liu Miao raised his head proudly as he finished speaking!
Zhou Yu asked in confusion, "What advantages does Lord Liu mean?"

"I know nothing about military affairs!"

"..."

Zhou Yu never expected that someone would consider "ignorance of military matters" as a virtue.

Especially seeing Liu Miao's arrogance, it was genuine arrogance, without the slightest affectation! "Lord Liu, are you perhaps toying with me?"

"of course not!"

Liu Miao patted his chest—

"I know nothing about military affairs! So naturally, it's not my place to lead troops!"

"Even if we were to take in Sun Jian's old troops now, we wouldn't know how to deploy and command them!"

"In addition, Bo Fu is observing mourning for his father, so there isn't only one person who can mobilize troops?"

"who?"

"It's you, Zhou Gongjin!"

Liu Miao wanted to reach out and help Zhou Yu put his chin back up, but when he thought about how he would have to get up himself, he didn't bother to close Zhou Yu's mouth.

"Lord Liu, are you perhaps joking?"

Zhou Yu was completely unable to understand Liu Miao; his mind was blank, and he was clearly struggling to keep up with Liu Miao's train of thought.

It has been like this since the beginning.

Whenever Zhou Yu tried to anticipate Liu Miao's movements, Liu Miao would always manage to slip away with an incredibly smooth motion to a place that Zhou Yu never expected, then deliver a devastating blow, knocking Zhou Yu unconscious...

Zhou Yu never expected that Liu Miao would actually let him command Sun Jian's army!
With Liu Miao acting this way, isn't he afraid of going back on his word and starting his own business?
Or was Liu Miao just deceiving himself...?

Zhou Yu's mind became increasingly unsettled, his thoughts in disarray, and he completely lost his composure in front of Liu Miao!

Liu Miao picked up his own cup and saw that there wasn't much mulberry juice left. He then picked up Zhou Yu's cup, which had barely been touched, and slowly drank it down, not giving Zhou Yu a chance to replenish his strength...

Seeing that Zhou Yu was already stunned on the spot, Liu Miao decided to deliver another heavy blow to this poor child:
"If I'm not mistaken, Gongjin's confidence stems from the fact that he still possesses something that can control Yuan Shu, right?"

"for example……"

Liu Miao didn't say it aloud, but mouthed eight words to Zhou Yu.

But when Zhou Yu saw Liu Miao's lip movements, he was shocked!

For a fleeting moment, Zhou Yu even considered picking up the ancient sword lying nearby and killing Liu Miao with a single blow!
Liu Miao's eight words almost revealed the biggest secret between him and Sun Ce!

Zhou Yu felt a tightness in his chest, a deep ache in his heart!

He suspected that someone had leaked the information!
But upon further reflection, it becomes clear that this is absolutely impossible!

Liu Miao and Sun Jian had no prior interaction, so how could Liu Miao have leaked this top-secret matter?
Is it possible...

Zhou Yu suddenly thought of some legends that were recorded as official history—

Emperor Qin Shi Huang once said, "There is an aura of an emperor in the southeast," so he traveled east and used the auspicious omen of a wild goose to represent it. Emperor Gaozu hid in the marshes of Mang and Dang mountains. Empress Lü and others searched for him and always found him. Emperor Gaozu, puzzled, asked Empress Lü, who replied, "There is always a cloud-like aura above where Ji (his son) resides, which is why I always find him when I follow." Emperor Gaozu was pleased. Many young men in Pei heard of this and wanted to join him!
A true king, a true chosen one, is able to see the aura of an emperor!
Could it be that Liu Miao saw the imperial aura of that object, which is why he came to Huainan specifically?

Zhou Yu was a man of both literary and military prowess, a hero among men. No matter how many heroes there were in the world, Zhou Yu treated them all equally.

Only Liu Miao today seemed to have suddenly become distant and aloof in his eyes.

"Could it be that Lord Liu truly has a destiny bestowed upon him?"

Zhou Yu was momentarily speechless.

If Liu Miao truly has a destiny bestowed upon him, then how should he and Bo Fu conduct themselves?

It is to follow Liu Miao and become a Zhou Chang or Fan Kuai.

Or should they become like Wang Ling and Yong Chi, severing all ties with Liu Miao and never having any contact again?

(End of this chapter)