I did it all for the Han Dynasty!

Chapter 263 All the heroes of the world look up to General Liu!
Zhuge Jin was sent by Liu Miao to Liaodong, but when he approached Liaokou, he saw that a ship had sank, so he rushed to its rescue.

Zhuge Jin initially thought they were just local fishermen from Liaodong, but upon closer inspection, he discovered they were Guan Jing, Gongsun Zan's chief clerk, which truly surprised him.

Zhuge Jin was even more surprised when he heard that Guan Jing's initial purpose was to find Liu Miao.

"Now all the lords in the land rely on Liu Biaoji, and the Marquis of Yan is no exception!"

After recovering his strength on the boat, Guan Jing immediately began to persuade Zhuge Jin.

"Yuan Shao's power is now beyond our ability to resist alone! We hope that General Liu will form an alliance with Marquis Ji to jointly resist Yuan Shao!"

Guan Jing spoke with righteous indignation, but Zhuge Jin did not rush to agree. He said that he would wait until he had discussed it with Gongsun Du, the governor of Liaodong, before returning to Qingzhou to discuss it with Liu Miao.

Guan Jing said anxiously, "Yuan Shao could launch an attack on Yijing at any time. How can we afford to delay?"

"If you are unwilling to report this matter to Liu Biaoji now, then I may row to Qingzhou alone!"

This attitude did not anger Zhuge Jin; on the contrary, it made him quite admire him.

"You are now just like Shen Baoxu back then, your loyalty and righteousness are truly moving. I can only admire a gentleman like you!"

Although this was Zhuge Jin's first time receiving an order from Liu Miao, he did not panic when faced with such a situation. Instead, he remained composed and calm, reassuring Guan Jing and agreeing to let Guan Jing board a boat and head to Qingzhou first.

As for Zhuge Jin, he walked to Xiangping to meet Gongsun Du.

Upon hearing this, Gongsun Du, the governor of Liaodong, couldn't help but ask Zhuge Jin curiously, "Why did you give your ships to Guan Jing?"

"Guan Jing was willing to sacrifice his life for his lord. Among all the great principles in the world, there is probably no greater loyalty between ruler and subject. General Liu has always acted in accordance with the will of Heaven. Now that such a thing has happened, how could he not give his full support?"

Upon hearing Zhuge Jin's words, Gongsun Du sighed and said, "It's no wonder that General Liu was able to force Yuan Shao to sign the alliance, given his profound understanding of righteousness."

"Hearing you say that, I now have a very clear understanding of General Liu's character!"

Gongsun Du immediately finalized the specifics of the trade with Zhuge Jin, officially exchanging warhorses, copper, iron, and ginseng from Liaodong for porcelain, ironware, and even armor from the Central Plains.

After boarding Zhuge Jin's ship, Guan Jing arrived in Qingzhou ahead of schedule and met Liu Miao.

"Gongsun Zan's envoy?"

Liu Miao was truly surprised that Guan Jing had managed to travel all the way around the Bohai Bay and arrive in front of him.

Liu Miao admired Guan Jing's loyalty, but when he heard that Gongsun Zan wanted to form an alliance with him, Liu Miao frowned.

"I am thousands of miles away from the Marquis of Ji, with no roads and no communication. Even if I were to form an alliance with him, how could I possibly help him?"

"That's not difficult!"

Guan Jing hurriedly said, "As long as Liu Biaoqi notices any signs that Yuan Shao is transferring troops to Youzhou, he should send troops to harass Hebei, making Yuan Shao wary. In this way, the siege of the Marquis of Ji can be lifted!"

What Yuan Shao fears most now is being caught in the dangerous situation of fighting on two fronts.

Thus, as long as Liu Miao persisted in harassing Hebei, it seemed that he could indeed harass Yuan Shao.

However, Liu Miao did not quite agree with this suggestion.

"This method can certainly relieve the siege of the Marquis of Ji, but what if it causes Yuan Shao to change direction and attack the Central Plains instead?"

Guan Jing blurted out, "The Marquis of Ji will naturally send troops to help General Liu!"

However, Liu Miao expressed his doubts about this.

"I heard that the Marquis of Ji is building the Jingtai Tower and the Hundred-Foot Tower in Yi County, but he does not have the courage to fight against Yuan Shao."

"What if, in the future, the Marquis of Ji suddenly changes his mind and is unwilling to fight against Yuan Shao?"

Liu Miao didn't accept just any ally.

Cao Cao may seem cunning and somewhat shrewd, but deep down he was tougher than anyone else!

Lu Bu, though sometimes a bit dim-witted, is absolutely decisive when it's time to step up! On the other hand, Liu Miao genuinely doubts Gongsun Zan's courage to confront Yuan Shao!
When choosing allies, it's better to choose someone weaker or less intelligent than to choose a coward!

Otherwise, it would likely result in a situation where Liu Miao shocks the entire world, while his cowardly allies are shocked by him...

Guan Jing also sensed Liu Miao's distrust and couldn't help but feel annoyed.

"The Marquis of Ji is definitely not the kind of person Liu Biaoqi imagines! The former Governor of Xu Province, Liu Bei, was once a classmate and friend of the Marquis of Ji! If you want to know what the Marquis of Ji is really like, you can go and ask him first!"

“Xuande, oh~~~ what a pity, he just defected to Yuan Shao not long ago.”

Guan Jing immediately stared at him wide-eyed: "What did General Liu say?"

I said—Xuande has already defected to Yuan Shao!

Liu Miao recounted the story of Liu Bei and Cao Cao to Guan Jing, and also expressed some感慨 (feelings/reflections):

"After Mengde captured the brothers Mi Zhu and Mi Fang that day, he specifically submitted a memorial recommending Mi Zhu as the governor of Ying County and his brother Mi Fang as the chancellor of Pengcheng State, but the two of them did not accept the offer and chose to follow Xuande to Hebei."

"It would be difficult for me to question Xuande now."

Guan Jing felt a lump in his throat.

Before he arrived, he had a premonition that the trip would not go smoothly.

Liu Miao and Gongsun Zan were complete strangers, and Gongsun Zan had previously assassinated Liu Yu, the Grand Master of Ceremonies, Grand Marshal, and Governor of Youzhou. This meant that Liu Miao, a member of the Han imperial family, would not have a very good attitude towards Gongsun Zan.

Therefore, Guan Jing wanted to use Liu Bei, Gongsun Zan's classmate and friend, to get closer to Liu Miao. But now you're telling me that Liu Bei has already gone to Hebei and surrendered to Yuan Shao?

Guan Jing is now in a dilemma.

Liu Miao now clearly no longer trusts Gongsun Zan.

It wasn't that they didn't trust Gongsun Zan's abilities, but rather their ambition.

Are you suggesting that Gongsun Zan should form a White Horse Cavalry and, like a few years ago, roam freely in and out of Hebei as if it were empty territory?
Guan Jing took a deep breath.

The world is hilarious, all come for profit.

The world is in turmoil, all driven by the pursuit of profit.

If you want to form an alliance with Liu Miao, you need to offer something that Liu Miao will respect.

A person's spirit cannot be shown in a short period of time.

However, some things can be displayed in a short time.

"Did Liu Biaoqi send an envoy to Liaodong to ask Gongsun Du for warhorses from Liaodong?"

"Exactly."

Anyone with eyes to see could see this, so Liu Miao had no need to hide it.

Cao Cao now obtains horses from Guanzhong and Xiliang, while Liu Miao obtains horses from Qingzhou and Liaodong. These are basically the only two sources of warhorses for the Central Plains forces.

After receiving Liu Miao's affirmation, Guan Jing smiled and asked, "If the Marquis of Ji is willing to give Liu Biaoqi two thousand mares, would Liu Biaoqi be willing to form an alliance with the Marquis of Ji?"

……

Damn!

Liu Miao looked helplessly at Guan Jing opposite him.

This guy actually knows my weakness?
Not only were they given a horse, but it was a mare!

This put Liu Miao in a difficult position, leaving him hesitant and undecided!

(End of this chapter)