I did it all for the Han Dynasty!

Chapter 251 The Loss of Langya Kingdom
After fighting the female general for half the night, the battle was finally ended by Liu Miao's "Victory by Half a Finger".

The next day, Liu Miao finally woke up when the sun was high in the sky.

I thought I had gotten up late enough, but to my surprise, Lü Bu didn't wake up until that very night.

"Why isn't it dawn yet? Zhongshan! Come on! Let's keep drinking!"

"General, it is already the next day!"

"what?"

Lu Bu hurriedly looked outside, only to see his own haggard reflection in the mirror.

"Have I really been harmed to this extent by wine and women?"

Lü Bu sighed, "From this day forward, I will abstain from alcohol!"

"General, your insight is brilliant!"

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Liu Miao also promoted the tea he had brought from Jiangdong to Lü Bu.

"What kind of herbs are used to make this water? It tastes awful!"

Lü Bu disliked this drink, and he said it publicly without any attempt to hide it.

"Not to mention compared to fine wine, it's far inferior even to the mare's milk from my hometown!"

However, Lü Bu was also a self-taught individual.

The tea doesn't taste good; it's too bitter.

The milk didn't taste good either; it was too fishy!

But if you mix them together...

Soon, a familiar pale pink drink was placed in front of Lü Bu and Liu Miao.

Liu Miao exclaimed with admiration, "General, you are truly a genius!"

How could Lu Bu not be a genius to have invented milk tea like this?
Liu Miao asked for some more honey water to add to it, and Lü Bu praised it highly!

Liu Miao couldn't help but chuckle at the thought of Lü Bu taking a sip of sweet milk tea and immediately going into battle.

However, to be fair, this stuff is made of milk, tea, and sugar, making it an essential medicine for soldiers!

Unfortunately, these three items are now incredibly valuable, so they can only be used temporarily to plunder the wealth of nobles and powerful families, and then we'll slowly find a way to use them for military purposes!
Lu Bu didn't think too much about it; he simply enjoyed the pleasure brought by the sweet water and laughed like a 200-pound child again!
“Jiangdong actually has many good things. For example, people often take boats to the deep sea and often catch fish the size of a chariot, shrimp the thickness of a forearm, and crabs the size of a head.”

"Unfortunately, these will become less fresh after a day at sea, smell fishy after two days, and rot after three days... so they cannot be served to the general."

"Is there such a thing?"

Lu Bu immediately became envious: "Nowadays, in terms of abundant resources, I'm afraid there's nowhere that can compare to the Jing and Yang regions of Zhongshan, right?"

Deep within Yangzhou, there were already undeveloped mountains, and now there is an inexhaustible sea of ​​opportunity; in Jingzhou, the emergence of the Wenchang School has gradually made its production efficiency far ahead of other places.

In addition, the abundance of waterways in the south, along with the Yangtze River, a vital waterway, attracted a constant stream of merchants from Jing and Yang regions. They used a unique method to gather money and grain from Shu, Guanzhong, Jiaozhi, the Central Plains, and even Hebei to the south.

In terms of cultivated land and population, Liu Miao might still lag behind Yuan Shao. However, in other aspects, Liu Miao was already capable of catching up with Yuan Shao.

In fact, if it weren't for the huge differences between the North and the South, which made the South inherently lag behind the North by more than a step, the Jing and Yang regions would now be able to rival Hebei!

Lü Bu also complained to Liu Miao, cursing and swearing, "I went to Qingzhou before, and Qingzhou has been ravaged to a terrible state for a long time!"

“In many villages, there are only elderly people clinging to life, waiting to die! That’s why I retreated directly.”

"Zhongshan, just you wait and see. Even if Zhang He and Gao Lan get Qingzhou, they won't gain much benefit!"

At this moment, Lü Bu seemed like a clever little devil: "Life in the south is still so comfortable, hahahahaha!" Liu Miao, upon hearing the names of Zhang He and Gao Lan, was not as optimistic as Lü Bu.

For Lü Bu, who was already not wealthy, Qingzhou was naturally a worthless piece of meat.

Not only could he not get meat, but he even had to cut off his own flesh to compensate the other party. How could Lü Bu possibly do such a thing?

But Zhang He and Gao Lan were different.

These two men were originally from aristocratic families in Hebei, not a poor man like Lü Bu or an unwanted "son of the Yuan family" like Yuan Tan.

Zhang He and Gao Lan brought not only Hebei's elite troops, but also the entire reserve of Hebei, its money and grain, and its support.

Therefore, Qingzhou was of little use to Lü Bu, but it was the best bridgehead for attacking Xuzhou in the hands of Zhang He and Gao Lan!
Liu Miao advised, "General, have you not sent anyone to defend the north?"

"Zhongshan, do not worry! I have already sent Song Xian and Hou Cheng back to guard Langya! As long as Langya is not lost, Xuzhou will be safe!"

As early as the seventh year of Empress Lü Zhi's reign, she separated the Langya Commandery of Qi into the Langya Kingdom and enfeoffed Liu Ze, the Marquis of Yingling and a cousin of Emperor Gaozu of Han, as the King of Langya. Thus, the Langya Kingdom was almost the size of a commandery.

In the fifteenth year of Jianwu in the Later Han Dynasty, when the Liu family was re-enfeoffed as princes, Liu Jing, the eleventh son of Emperor Guangwu, was enfeoffed as the Duke of Langya.

In the seventeenth year of Jianwu, when the Langya Kingdom was re-established, Liu Jing was naturally granted the title of King of Langya. The Langya Kingdom governed thirteen cities, including Langya, and was a major power in the Guandong region.

When Emperor Guangwu died and Emperor Zhang succeeded him, Liu Jing, the King of Langya, obediently and sensibly wrote to Emperor Zhang, offering to exchange five counties of Langya—Hua, Gai, Nanwuyang, Houqiu, and Ganyu—for two counties of Donghai Commandery—Kaiyang and Linyi, thus shrinking the territory of Langya.

From then on, although Langya Kingdom was no longer as vast as before, the two counties of Kaiyang and Linyi that Liu Jing had acquired were both rich and fertile lands, and also the vital passage from Qingzhou to Xuzhou in the south. Therefore, it did not weaken, but instead became richer and more important.

Previously, Zang Ba had led his troops to garrison in Kaiyang, the capital of Langya. Now that Zang Ba has left, Lü Bu naturally took over Langya and made it the first line of defense against Qingzhou.

really.

Although Lü Bu was somewhat foolish in other aspects, he did not make any major mistakes in military matters. He did not leave a single soldier in the north, allowing Zhang He and Gao Lan to advance unimpeded.

However, Liu Miao was still worried: "Who are Song Xian and Hou Cheng? Is it really appropriate to entrust Langya to them?"

"Hahahaha! Zhongshan, do not worry! Both of them are my valiant generals, and they are also relatives of my brother-in-law Wei Xu. They can definitely hold off Yuan's army with ease!"

"Then... what about these two men and General Gao Shun?"

"Nature is far superior to Gao Shun!"

Just as Liu Miao and Lü Bu were slurping down milk tea, Wei Xu suddenly burst in crying, ran to Lü Bu, knelt down, and wept bitterly!
"What are you doing? This posture is just making Zhongshan laugh at you."

Wei Xu didn't care about any jokes at that moment.
What he cares about most now is clearly his own life!

"My lord! Song Xian and Hou Cheng were originally stationed at Langya with troops, but after seeing Zhang He and Gao Lan leading a large army, they both surrendered to Yuan Shao!!!"

Lu Bu's expression changed drastically!

Liu Miao also put his hand to his forehead.

Was he out of his mind after being ridden by that female general yesterday? How could he believe that Lü Bu would not make any mistakes?

Now that Langya is lost, the entire east is flat and open, with no natural defenses left!
"Youping, quickly mobilize the troops in Jiangdong!"

The loss of Langya has completely shattered Liu Miao's hopes for a period of recuperation.

"To defend the Yangtze River, one must defend the Huai River; to defend the Huai River, one must defend Xuzhou; and to defend Xuzhou, one must defend Xiaopei and Langya, the two gateways to the east and west!"

Liu Miao suddenly felt that even the milk tea in his hand no longer tasted sweet.

"General, come with me to the front lines immediately!"

"If Yuan Shao really opens a breach from the east, it will be a catastrophic disaster for all of us!"

(End of this chapter)