I did it all for the Han Dynasty!

Chapter 261 Liaodong Strategy
The biggest beneficiary of the signing of the Langya Alliance was not actually Liu Miao.

After Song Xian and Hou Cheng rebelled and handed Langya over to Zhang He, Lü Bu was constantly on guard, fearing that Yuan Shao's army would enter in droves to seize Xuzhou.

Unexpectedly, Liu Miao, who had just become his son-in-law, was so brave!
Not only did he gather all his soldiers to fight Yuan Shao head-on, but he also ceded Qingzhou to himself when signing the final alliance, making Lü Bu the ruler of Qi!

Now, Lü Bu no longer felt any resentment that his "cabbage had been eaten by a pig."

One daughter is enough to win the entire Qingzhou!
Who wouldn't like such a deal? Who wouldn't envy it? Who wouldn't be jealous?

"Zhongshan, you are my worthy son-in-law!"

Lü Bu praised Liu Miao to everyone he met, and after Yuan's army withdrew, he personally rode Red Hare towards Langya.

Upon seeing Liu Miao, Lü Bu was overjoyed but also regretful: "It's a pity that Zhongshan has already become my son-in-law, otherwise I would definitely have sworn brotherhood with Zhongshan!"

"That's not necessary!"

When Liu Miao saw Lü Bu laughing like a child, he also laughed and at the same time settled many things for Lü Bu.

"Now that we are separated from Yuan Shao by the Ji River, General, you must guard against Yuan's soldiers finding excuses to cross the river, and at the same time, you should restrain your own soldiers from crossing the Ji River."

"In addition, there is another matter that requires the general to oversee."

Lu Bu was a straightforward man, and without any unnecessary words: "Zhongshan, please tell me what it is!"

"Gongsun Du, the governor of Liaodong, dispatched his general Liu Yi to occupy the counties of Donglai and establish the prefecture of Yingzhou..."

"I understand! Does Zhongshan want me to lead troops to drive him out?"

"it's not true!"

Liu Miao said, "Gongsun Du occupies Liaodong, where there are warhorses, ginseng, copper, iron... These are all valuable commodities that the Central Plains urgently need. I will send an envoy to Liaodong to discuss trade with Gongsun Du. Therefore, I ask that you, General, do not easily provoke a conflict with Liu Yi, the governor of Yingzhou."

"So that's it!"

Before Lü Bu could agree, Liu Miao raised the price for him—

"From now on, half of the warhorses transported from Liaodong will be given to the general."

half?

Gift?

Lu Bu tried to suppress the corners of his mouth, but he still couldn't do it.

"This, this is too much! Hahahaha! Zhongshan, you've made me a little embarrassed! Hahahaha!"

Liu Miao is indeed in dire need of warhorses.

However, the mobilization during the Battle of Langya also shows that, at least in the water-rich south, the lack of warhorses did not significantly affect the mobility of Liu Miao's army.

Therefore, good steel should be used where it is most needed.

Now, who is Liu Miao's sword?

Naturally, it was Lü Bu, who occupied the lands of Qing and Xu!
If a full-scale war were to break out with Yuan Shao one day, Lü Bu, who occupies Qingzhou and can directly threaten Hebei, would undoubtedly be the one who needs warhorses the most to advance and break through!
That's why Liu Miao generously chose to give half of his warhorses to Lü Bu.

After all, when it comes to commanding cavalry alone, even Zhang Xiu and Sun Ce under Liu Miao's command would probably be no match for Lü Bu.

Entrusting the warhorses to Lü Bu would undoubtedly maximize their value!
Lu Bu didn't think that much about it.

He felt that his decision to marry his daughter to Liu Miao after listening to Chen Gong's advice was the most correct step he had ever taken in his life!
Not only did they seize Qingzhou for no reason, but they also receive a steady stream of warhorses...

Did Ding Yuan ever offer such treatment? Did Dong Zhuo ever offer it? Did Wang Yun ever offer it? Not to mention Yuan Shu and Yuan Shao.

Overwhelmed with emotion, Lü Bu was almost speechless: "Zhongshan is like this, how can I repay him?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Miao was startled!
A great favor can feel like a great enmity!
If Lü Bu truly remembers this "great favor," it would actually be a bad thing!

Liu Miao quickly replied, "General, you and I are son-in-law and father-in-law, how can there be any talk of favors between us?"

"If anyone deserves credit, it should be my father-in-law who has done me a favor by guarding the north for me!"

"As for those warhorses, they were merely converted into commercial taxes for passing through Qingzhou. General, please don't overthink it!"

Upon hearing Liu Miao's words, Lü Bu finally stopped showing his "I have nothing to repay you with" expression and instead nodded: "If that's the case, Zhongshan's words are not wrong." Whew...
Liu Miao breathed a long sigh of relief.

He truly didn't ask for anything in return from Lü Bu.

I only hope that Lü Bu will cause trouble in the future... Bah! I only hope that if something really happens in the north in the future, Lü Bu can help hold things off for a while. That would be a great help!

Especially with someone like Lü Bu, even if you have shown him kindness, you can't keep mentioning it, otherwise it will only make him resentful.

Only by nourishing things subtly and silently can one tame a beast like Lü Bu.
In a relaxed mood, Lü Bu immediately took out his wine flask: "Here you go! Zhongshan!"

"To be honest, I've given up drinking!"

"What kind of alcohol? This is milk tea!"

Lu Bu took a couple of sips, looking completely absorbed: "Zhongshan, how much do you think this can be exchanged for in Liaodong?"

"One bushel contains at least one warhorse!"

"Zhongshan is absolutely right!"

"Hahahaha!"

The two men let out wicked laughter, clearly having made a firm decision to join forces!

Originally, Liu Miao wanted to send Lu Su as an envoy to Liaodong, but transferring the 200,000 troops of Langya in batches was also a big problem. The front line would really be difficult to operate without Lu Su.

Liu Miao had no choice but to select new people.

Zhuge Liang and Sima Yi were still young.

Jia Xu... It's not the right time to ask him to take action yet.

Fortunately, at this time, Zhuge Liang recommended someone to Liu Miao—

His own elder brother, Zhuge Jin.

After the death of Zhuge Gui, the father of Zhuge Liang and Zhuge Jin, Zhuge Liang was taken to Jingzhou by his uncle Zhuge Xuan because he was young, but Zhuge Jin stayed in Langya to take care of him and Zhuge Liang's stepmother.

Now that Zhuge Liang had followed Liu Miao back to Langya, the two brothers were naturally able to meet. At the same time, Zhuge Liang did not shy away from recommending his brother Zhuge Jin to Liu Miao, even though Zhuge Jin was his elder brother. Instead, he strongly recommended Zhuge Jin to be the envoy to Liaodong in place of Lu Su.

Liu Miao also gave a special meeting with Zhuge Jin.

Like Zhuge Liang, Zhuge Jin was also a tall and handsome man.

Even dressed in simple clothes, his handsome appearance was hard to conceal.

When Liu Miao asked him about the state of the world, Zhuge Jin answered fluently.

When asked about governing the country and training troops, Zhuge Jin was able to answer eloquently and logically.

When Liu Miao asked him why he stayed in Langya to take care of his stepmother, Zhuge Jin replied, "Taking care of one's parents is like serving one's lord; it should be done faithfully until the end. This is the natural order and moral principle. Why does General Liu ask me for the reason?"

But Liu Miao was not satisfied with this answer.

"If the king is not upright, his ministers will defect to foreign countries; if the father is not kind, his son will join in business."

"Everything has its reason, nothing is inherently obligatory. Ziyu's words are perhaps a bit too righteous."

Zhuge Jin hadn't expected Liu Miao to say this, so he remained silent for a moment before giving Liu Miao his answer.

"The Zhuge family was not a prominent clan, and in the chaos of the times, they could be destroyed at any time. I have no ability to protect my family, so I can only hope to uphold the Way of Heaven and let the righteous spirit protect me."

Liu Miao nodded in satisfaction upon hearing Zhuge Jin's tactful reply.

"Without desires, nothing can be accomplished."

"High moral character is one thing, but having aspirations is another."

"Now that I hear that Ziyu still has aspirations, I can entrust the mission to Liaodong to Ziyu with peace of mind!"

(End of this chapter)