I did it all for the Han Dynasty!

Chapter 236 We are upright and honorable
It was only after Sima Lang pleaded with him that Liu Miao finally came to Chen Yu, kicking him with a look of disgust: "Let's go!"

After being kicked by Liu Miao, Chen Yu immediately perked up: "Hehe! Zhongshan, I knew you still had feelings for me! Haha!"

Liu Miao rolled his eyes again and left without looking back. Chen Yu quickly caught up and, without waiting for Liu Miao's invitation, jumped into Liu Miao's carriage and whispered in Liu Miao's ear about what he had seen and heard along the way.

Most importantly, without a doubt, came the news of the "Emperor's Blood-stained Edict" brought by General Dong Cheng from Xuchang before his departure.

Liu Miao frowned upon hearing this.

"You're just wasting your days and talking nonsense?"

"You can't say that."

Chen Yu asked, "If you were the one being treated like this by Cao Cao, what would Zhongshan do?"

"Then what's the point of all this nonsense? Draw your swords and fight Cao Cao!"

After saying this, Liu Miao couldn't help but chuckle to himself.

Chen Yu then burst into laughter.

"Zhongshan is still the same Zhongshan! Hahahaha!!"

"What should Zhongshan do then?"

"What else?"

Liu Miao shook his head.

"Do you really think that killing Cao Cao will bring peace to the world? That Yuan Shao will abandon the Central Plains? That the Han Dynasty will be restored?"

"Don't even mention Cao Cao. Even if they had fled to Xuzhou and ended up in Xuande's hands, would Xuande have relinquished power so easily? Nonsense!"

Return power to the emperor?
In times of peace, perhaps a saint or two will return the power in their hands.

But this is a chaotic world! Who dares to return power to the emperor? That would not only be irresponsible to their own life, but also to the lives of all their civil and military officials!

If Liu Miao were Cao Cao now, he would definitely punch Liu Xie three times and curse him, saying, "I, I, I, you dog!"

Conversely, if Liu Miao were Emperor Liu Xie, he would probably be lying in ambush in front of the White Horse Gate, and then rush up and stab Cao Cao in the chest with his sword!

Fortunately, Liu Miao is now caught between two sides, so it doesn't matter how things develop, because in the end, the fire won't reach him.

"Stand still!"

"Yuan Shao and Gongsun Zan haven't decided a victor yet, which buys us time. Focusing on developing our strength during this period is more important than anything else! Everything else is nonsense!"

Rest and recuperation was Liu Miao's fundamental national policy after conquering Jingzhou.

While Yuan Shao is busy eliminating Gongsun Zan, Cao Cao is busy dealing with Yuan Shao, and Lü Bu is busy conquering Qingzhou, and while Shi Xie of Jiaozhou, Zhang Lu of Hanzhong, and Liu Zhang of Yizhou do not dare to attack him, Liu Miao wants to complete the land reform of the entire Jingzhou as quickly as possible, and completely replace the previous system of aristocratic land ownership at the grassroots level with the Three Chiefs and Equal Field system.

Otherwise, by the time war approaches, it will be too late for Liu Miao to do anything!

Therefore, unless Yuan Shao attacks, Liu Miao would absolutely not waste a single soldier at this critical juncture.

“Zhongshan, you are now showing some of the cruelty of your great-grandfather.”

Is it cruel?

Liu Miao stroked his beard: "Perhaps."

Liu Miao did indeed feel great sympathy for the emperor.

But the thought that if Liu Xie were to kill Cao Cao, allowing Yuan Shao to seize the Central Plains without lifting a finger would be the greatest cruelty to the people of the Han Dynasty!

"Never mind them! Tell me, what are your so-called 'New Treatise' and 'Discourses Weighed in the Balance'?"

"..."

At the banquet prepared for Sima Fang.

Liu Miao was naturally the host, and those accompanying him were all renowned scholars and literati from Jingzhou.

Scholars such as Song Zhong, Sima Hui, Pang Degong, Huang Chengyan, and Qi Wukai were all renowned scholars of classical studies. In addition to these long-established masters, some talented young people were also seated at the end of the table, participating in this grand feast of classical studies in the corner.

Pang Tong sat with Zhuge Liang.

"Kongming, do you think Sima Fang is really that powerful?"

"Since it was General Liu who invited me, he must have some real skills."

"..."

The two, hailed as the Crouching Dragon and the Young Phoenix, eventually came together.

At first, Pang Tong was quite dissatisfied with Zhuge Liang.

Especially after Zhuge Liang openly took the thousand gold pieces, Pang Tong was extremely jealous!

After several conversations with Zhuge Liang, Pang Tong sincerely exclaimed, "Kongming truly possesses extraordinary talent."

"Even if Guan Zhong and Yue Yi were resurrected, how could they compare to Kongming?"

Zhuge Liang was also amazed by Pang Tong's talent, and even rated Pang Tong's talent as superior to that of Xu Shu, Shi Tao and others!
Moreover, Pang Tong discovered that Zhuge Liang showed absolutely no prejudice against his appearance! This was a stark contrast to the rude and uncouth soldiers under Liu Miao's command!
"Waaaaah! Kongming must be the first person who knows my talent and doesn't look down on me because of my appearance!"

Zhuge Liang comforted Pang Tong, saying, "Shiyuan, what are you saying? If I am truly the first, then where is Liu Biaoji?"

Liu Miao?

Pang Tong looked on with suspicion.

"If Liu Biaoji didn't cherish Shi Yuan's talent, how could he have released him? If Liu Biaoji truly disliked Shi Yuan's appearance, how could he have kept him by his side?"

Pang Tong felt that Zhuge Liang's words made some sense, but he still had doubts and said, "But Liu Biaoqi often scolds me!"

"Who doesn't he curse?"

Zhuge Liang's words brought Pang Tong a moment of peace!

indeed!

Those who were truly acquainted with Liu Miao had all been subjected to his scolding quite a bit.

Conversely, those who were treated with utmost respect by Liu Miao were actually people who were not close to him.

"Hearing Kongming say that, I have nothing to worry about anymore!"

Refocusing his attention on the banquet, Pang Tong asked Zhuge Liang again, "Kongming, Sima Fang doesn't seem like a renowned scholar to me at all. Do you think Liu Biaoqi has misjudged him this time?"

……

A moment later, Pang Tong realized that Zhuge Liang had not replied at all!
Zhuge Liang stared intently at the boy who was second in line behind Sima Fang, his expression grave.

The young man had clearly noticed Zhuge Liang's gaze, so when he rose to greet the guests, he made a point of glancing at Zhuge Liang, and his voice was unusually deep, as if trying to ensure Zhuge Liang could hear him clearly.

"Sima Yi of Hanoi and Sima Zhongda greet you all!"

Sima Zhongda?

Pang Tong stared intently at Sima Yi, then suddenly said to Zhuge Liang beside him, "Kongming, be careful, this man is no pushover!"

"How did Shiyuan figure that out?"

"Didn't Kongming discover it?"

Pang Tong twisted his short neck as he turned toward Zhuge Liang, saying, "This man has the look of an eagle and the gaze of a wolf! He's probably not one of us upright gentlemen!"

There was another person sitting next to Pang Tong—

Lu Meng, who had been eavesdropping on their conversation, suddenly interrupted, "Upright and honest? A gentleman? You?"

Pang Tong: ...

If it weren't for the fact that Lü Meng was Liu Miao's adopted son, Pang Tong would have beaten Lü Meng so badly that even his own mother wouldn't recognize him!
(End of this chapter)