I did it all for the Han Dynasty!

Chapter 240 Finally Got Fooled!
Treating Lü Bu is like treating a fierce tiger.

Only by feeding him well can Lü Bu be kept calm and satisfied, preventing him from devouring people.

Cao Cao melted down his own gold to forge a golden seal for Lü Bu, and also gave Lü Bu his own purple ribbon. To reassure Lü Bu, he even went so far as to secretly order a white porcelain cup inscribed with Lü Bu's surname from Jingzhou and send it to him along with the seal. Upon receiving it, Lü Bu immediately sent his subordinate Chen Deng to Xuchang with the finest ribbon to express his gratitude to Cao Cao, and also hoped that Chen Deng would secure him the position of Governor of Qingzhou.

Before his departure, Lü Bu repeatedly instructed, "Now that I possess the land of Qi, it wouldn't be impossible for the emperor to bestow upon me the title of Marquis of Qi! If Cao Cao is unwilling to even grant me the position of Governor of Qingzhou, then I can only melt down the gold seal he sent me and forge a new one!"

Chen Deng was ordered to go to Xuchang. Upon meeting Cao Cao, before Cao Cao could speak, he preemptively said, "Lü Bu is brave but reckless, and fickle. You should find a way to deal with him as soon as possible. You cannot get Lü Bu to obey you with just some small favors!"

Cao Cao was overjoyed that Chen Deng, a scholar from Xuzhou, would actually join him: "I want to use Xuande to attack Xuzhou, what do you think?"

"General Zuo is very popular in Xuzhou! No one is more suitable than General Zuo!"

Upon hearing this, Cao Cao became even more certain of his thoughts. After seeing Chen Deng off, Cao Cao immediately went to find Liu Bei.

Since Liu Bei was defeated by Lü Bu and sought refuge with Cao Cao, he often stayed in the vegetable garden, farming with Guan Yu, Zhang Fei and others, ignoring what was happening outside the window.

Especially after Dong Cheng showed him the imperial edict in the belt, he became even more taciturn, as if he had become a completely different person from the Liu Bei who used to be so talkative and cheerful. He focused only on tending to the vegetables in the garden and did not think about anything else.

"Why has my lord gone to such lengths?"

Faced with Liu Bei's sudden change of personality, not only Guan Yu and Zhang Fei could not understand it, but even Jian Yong and Mi Zhu could not understand it either.

To help Liu Bei regain his spirits, Jian Yong brought several scrolls of books to Liu Bei and asked him to read them.

"My lord, if we're talking about the most popular classics in the world today, they are Huan Tan's 'New Treatise' and Wang Chong's 'Discourses Weighed in the Balance'!"

"Although these books are ancient books from one or two hundred years ago, their arguments and ideas are all novel! Doesn't my lord really want to take a good look at them?"

Jian Yong leaned closer to Liu Bei: "I've heard that these are the very things that Zhongshan of Langya advocates. Don't you really want to take a look?"

Upon hearing Liu Miao's name, a glint flashed in Liu Bei's eyes.

However, Liu Bei still refused Jian Yong: "I am just a country bumpkin now, what use am I for studying statecraft and classics? I hope Xianhe will step aside and be careful not to get splashed on yourself."

After saying that, he poured a spoonful of muddy water mixed with cow dung onto the vegetable garden at Jian Yong's feet, causing Jian Yong to stumble.

Jian Yong and Liu Bei were close friends, and seeing Liu Bei so dejected, Jian Yong was somewhat displeased: "My lord, you only lost to Lü Bu once, why are you so listless?"

"We have come all the way from Zhuojun, and haven't we already endured enough hardships and dangers? Now that the great cause of restoring the Han Dynasty has not yet been achieved, are you really going to sink into despair like this?"

Jian Yong gave Liu Bei a furious rebuke, but instead of rousing Liu Bei, it made him too lazy to even plant the land. He dropped the water ladle and went into the house.

"You! You? Sigh!"

Jian Yong sighed repeatedly, threw the book to the ground, and turned to leave.

But the moment he turned around, a large face appeared in front of Jian Yong, startling him so much that he quickly stepped back.

"Sikong?"

Cao Cao appeared behind Jian Yong without anyone noticing.

Cao Cao stepped forward, picked up the scrolls from the ground, wiped off the mud, and said with some regret, "Such white and smooth paper can only be made in Jingzhou. It's such a pity to just throw it on the ground."

Cao Cao wiped all the mud and sand off the pages with his sleeve before placing it back in Jian Yong's hands.

"Is Xuande still as dejected as before?"

"Ugh!"

Jian Yong nodded helplessly.

"Perhaps the Battle of Xiaopei had too great an impact on our lord, and he has not yet recovered."

Cao Cao sighed, "Xuande finally established a foundation, but it was twice destroyed by Lu Bu's despicable tricks... If it were an ordinary person, he would probably have really fallen into ruin."

"But Xuande is no ordinary man. Don't worry! I will go and resolve Xuande's misunderstanding right now!"

When Cao Cao passed by Liu Bei's vegetable garden, he saw that the vegetables were planted in a neat and uniform manner, like an army formation, which made him feel even more reassured!

Upon entering Liu Bei's room, he saw Liu Bei lying on the couch wearing only short clothes and couldn't help but laugh, "Xuande is so leisurely!"

Upon seeing that it was Cao Cao, Liu Bei quickly jumped off the couch and said somewhat awkwardly, "I did not know that Mengde was coming here, and I failed to greet you. Please forgive me, Mengde."

"Xuande, what are you saying?"

Cao Cao invited Liu Bei: "You've been cooped up indoors for so long, Xuande must be exhausted. Why don't you come with me for a walk?"

Liu Bei naturally agreed, but his demeanor no longer reflected the boldness he had when he was still the governor of Xuzhou.

"Xuande, are you aware of the current state of affairs in the world?"

Liu Bei followed behind Cao Cao, even walking with a limp, looking like a useless person.

Upon hearing Cao Cao's question, Liu Bei shook his head and said, "I have been studying farming these days and have no understanding of the general situation of the world."

Cao Cao carefully examined Liu Bei's face and, seeing that Liu Bei indeed looked completely bewildered, finally felt relieved.

"Previously, Lü Bu was fickle. After attacking Xiaopei on Yuan Tan's orders, he suddenly joined forces with Zang Ba to attack Yuan Tan, resulting in Yuan Tan being captured by Zang Ba and then heading to Jiangdong."

"Zhongshan and I joined forces to attack Liu Biao. In the end, I took Nanyang, while Zhongshan took Nanjun, Jiangxia, and Jingnan, completely pacifying Jingzhou."

Cao Cao laughed as he asked Liu Bei, "Now that Zhongshan has conquered Jingzhou, he must be in dire need of a capable person to help him govern. If Xuande is willing, how about I send you to Jingzhou now to help Zhongshan pacify the region?"

Liu Bei was initially delighted, but his heart sank upon seeing Cao Cao's smile. He quickly shook his head, saying, "I, Liu Bei, am a man who has suffered repeated defeats; how can I be considered a great talent?"

"Now, all I want is to find a quiet place to cultivate the land and live out the rest of my life."

Liu Bei's words were so poignant and sorrowful that even Cao Cao's close attendants couldn't help but feel a lump in their throats.

Cao Cao quickly grabbed Liu Bei's hand: "How could you say such a thing, Xuande?"

"Have you forgotten how spirited we were, drinking wine and composing poetry together on the high platform by the Huai River?"

But at this moment, Liu Bei only saw gloom.

Upon hearing Cao Cao mention Liu Miao, Liu Bei finally smiled.

"With Mengde and Zhongshan, surely the great cause of restoring the Han Dynasty can be achieved?"

"In this way, I can finally put my mind at ease and no longer be bothered by external things."

When Cao Cao saw Liu Bei, who looked like a walking corpse, he felt even more sorry for him!

"What are you saying, Xuande?"

"The three of us made a pact on that high platform back then to restore the Han Dynasty together! How could you break your promise?"

"To be honest, Chen Deng, one of Lü Bu's subordinates, came to see me before and made a pact with me to attack Lü Bu together and eliminate the traitor to Han!"

"Chen Deng told me personally: 'Xuande has a great reputation in Xuzhou! As long as Xuande goes east, he will surely be able to easily defeat Lü Bu and retake Xuzhou!'"

Liu Bei's lips twitched slightly, but he quickly suppressed it so much that even Cao Cao didn't notice.

Liu Bei continued to decline Cao Cao's offer, saying, "I am merely a defeated general under Lü Bu; how could I possibly defeat Lü Bu?"

"Xuande! There's no such thing as a lifelong loser."

Cao Cao was full of fighting spirit!

"You lost to Lü Bu twice. The first time was because you were caught off guard while fighting Yuan Shu in the south, which allowed Lü Bu to launch a surprise attack on your rear. The second time was because Xiaopei was barren and could not support elite soldiers, which led to your defeat by Lü Bu!"

"Back then, Lü Bu also took the entire Yan Province from me in the same way! If I had done the same thing as you, how could I have defeated Lü Bu later?"

Cao Cao even used himself as an example to encourage Liu Bei!
Liu Bei, however, remained dejected: "I heard that after Mengde (Cao Cao) lost Yanzhou to Lü Bu, didn't he want to go north from Zhencheng to join Yuan Shao?"

Cao Cao: ...

I kindly reopened your wounds to comfort you, but you, you big-eared scoundrel, not only didn't appreciate it, but actually pressed it hard twice, stabbing yourself in the lungs?

Cao Cao was speechless, thinking that Liu Bei was probably really finished.

But at that moment, Liu Bei suddenly spoke—

"Mengde said that Yuanlong had come before?"

"Exactly!"

Cao Cao suspected that Liu Bei had been farming for too long, and that even his reactions were starting to become sluggish.

"He, like the scholars of Xuzhou, disapproved of Lü Bu's reckless behavior, which is why he invited me to join him in attacking Xuzhou!"

Liu Bei finally raised his head and asked somewhat uncertainly, "If all the scholars in Xuzhou were on Mengde's side, wouldn't we be able to defeat Lü Bu?"

"of course!"

When Cao Cao saw that Liu Bei had finally regained some of his vitality, he noticed that the plums on the branches in the garden were green. So he stood on tiptoe, picked a green plum himself, and put it to Liu Bei's lips.

"In the world today, no one is more suitable to defeat Lü Bu than Xuande, and no one wants to defeat Lü Bu more than Xuande, is that not it?"

"I hope that Xuande can pull himself together, lead the troops, and go to take Xuzhou!"

Liu Bei stared blankly at Cao Cao, then looked at the green plum on his lips. As if he had finally made up his mind, he took a bite of the green plum, letting the sweet and sour juice burst in his mouth and dispel the gloom on his body!
"I have already disappointed Zhongshan before, and I will absolutely not disappoint Mengde now!"

"Since Mengde trusts me, I will definitely conquer Xuzhou for Mengde and kill Lü Bu!"

"Xuan De is magnificent!"

Cao Cao patted Liu Bei on the shoulder with delight and personally gave him troops: "In that case, the affairs of the East can be entirely entrusted to Xuande!"

Just three days later, Liu Bei immediately led Cao Cao's 3,000 elite troops to Xuzhou without any hesitation!

Guo Jia and Cheng Yu were both away in Xuchang on business. Upon their return and hearing the news of Liu Bei's departure, they were immediately alarmed and rushed to Cao Cao's side, advising, "How could you, my lord, let Liu Bei go! If you let him go now, things may change in the future!!!"

Upon hearing this, Cao Cao changed his mind and quickly ordered men to chase after Liu Bei, hoping to recall him.

But after Liu Bei left Xuchang, he headed east without any delay!

At this moment, Liu Bei was radiant, showing no trace of the dejection he had shown in the vegetable garden earlier.
Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Jian Yong, and Mi Zhu all smiled knowingly upon seeing this: "So our lord was deceiving Cao Cao!"

Liu Bei laughed loudly: "If not, why would Cao Cao have let me leave?"

"Head east immediately! Join forces with Yuan Long from within and without to seize Xuzhou!"

(End of this chapter)