I did it all for the Han Dynasty!

Chapter 457 A Gentleman's Self-Reflection
Qingzhou, Donglai County, Ye County.

Yexian, as the seat of Donglai Commandery, has always maintained the characteristics of being easy to defend and difficult to attack.

The mountain ranges clustered together in the southeast blocked the cold air from the south, making the temperature in Yexian County significantly higher than in other counties of Qingzhou.

Although the high temperature may only be a small amount, that small amount of temperature can save thousands of lives.

Zhuge Liang put down the heavy bamboo slips in his hand: "Yexian has mountains to protect it from the cold, but this is not a long-term solution."

"Now that the Beginning of Winter has passed, the Minor Snow will arrive in a few days. If it snows or freezes, the people here will likely have a hard time."

Chen Gong sat opposite Zhuge Liang.

"The cold isn't a big deal, but we definitely don't have enough food."

"Although Gongsun Du had previously managed this area, most of the grain was transported to Liaodong, and the remaining grain simply wouldn't last through the winter."

Looking at the numbers on the bamboo slips, Chen Gong suddenly pushed them all away, transforming into a desktop cleaning master.

Why doesn't Your Majesty save them!

Powerless.

After being besieged by Yuan Tan in Jiaodong, Chen Gong felt increasingly powerless as the weather grew colder day by day and he watched helplessly as the grain and even the trees on the mountain became fewer and fewer.

This feeling of running out of supplies and resources, of being depleted of one's resources, is like seeing one's own death approaching, yet being able to only slowly endure and wait.

Zhuge Liang remained calm throughout.

He wore a white tiger cloak draped over his back, which Liu Bei had given him as a gift to keep him warm in the winter after hunting a tiger in the mountains of Liaoxi.

Seeing Chen Gong's anger, Zhuge Liang simply stood up, dragged his white tiger cloak over, and picked up all the scattered bamboo slips.

"Kongming! What are you doing with all this now? You already know all the data inside by heart. Does it really matter whether this is here or not?"

Zhuge Liang quickly gathered all the bamboo slips in his arms and placed them on the table under Chen Gong's questioning gaze.

"These things are not what I want to see."

"Who's watching that?"

"Those people outside."

Chen Gong frowned: "Why show it to them?"

Zhuge Liang sat down again, put his hands in his sleeves, and lowered his eyes slightly.

"His Majesty once said something to us during a casual chat."

He asked us, "Why is it that we never work, never cultivate, never weave, yet we are able to eat our fill and stay warm every day?"

"Although everyone else had different opinions at the time, and His Majesty did not reveal the answer, I understood what His Majesty wanted to tell us."

“The reason we are able to receive daily sustenance is because of the people. So, although His Majesty did not say that we should feel guilty, he wanted us to know that the people are the foundation.”

"Without the people, there is nothing."

Chen Gong impatiently interrupted Zhuge Liang: "If the people are really that important, then why doesn't His Majesty come to their aid?"

"Even if it's not a rescue mission, just sending some ships from Jiangdong and bringing some provisions would be helpful!"

Zhuge Liang looked up at Chen Gong, his slender phoenix eyes reflecting Chen Gong's impatient face.

“The Wuhuan cavalry must be waiting around the dock.”

“Once they spot the boats, they will inevitably attack the ferry crossing, so any rescue from Jiangdong is pointless.”

Chen Gong's face twitched: "But His Majesty really won't save us!"

"He said it himself!"

Zhuge Liang: "If we don't first believe that His Majesty won't come to the rescue, how can Yuan Tan believe it?"

Chen Gong was taken aback, but then a mocking expression appeared on his face: "You trust His Majesty quite a bit!"

"..."

Zhuge Liang said no more.

Seeing that he had made a fool of himself, Chen Gong pouted and slumped back onto the couch in frustration.

"If Your Majesty really wants Yuan Tan to believe that you will not send reinforcements, then what is the purpose of this... Oh, right, perhaps it is to catch Yuan Tan off guard. After all, Yuan Tan now has well-organized heavy cavalry and Wuhuan cavalry that are like hyenas under his command. It would be good to gain an advantage."

Chen Gong began to ask and answer his own questions.

"But Yuan Shao in the Central Plains is no ordinary man either. Once he discovers that His Majesty has a war against Qingzhou, he will surely press towards Pengcheng... Unless something can be done to render Yuan Shao's army in the Central Plains inactive, but how is that possible?"

Chen Gong went through the deductions in his mind over and over again.

But no matter what, he couldn't find any way to get Liu Miao out of Yuan Shao's control and lead his soldiers to come to his aid.

"Kongming, can't Jiangdong send troops directly?"

"At most five thousand soldiers at a time. Gongtai, what role do you think five thousand soldiers can play given Yuan Tan's troop strength?"

"Then what about evacuating the civilians?"

“While seagoing vessels are convenient, they require deep-water ports to dock. These places are under the surveillance of the Wuhuan cavalry.”

"Where is the Prince of Yan? Can Liu Bei provide support?"

"Gongsun Du only sent me to find the General because he didn't want the General to launch a strong attack on Liaodong. He is not a gentle and kind person, and Your Highness should stay in Liaoxi to restrain him."

"..."

Chen Gong covered his face with his hand, as if he were questioning Zhuge Liang, or perhaps himself.

"Your Majesty, will they really come to our aid?"

"Will do."

"Whoo~~~~"

Chen Gong sat up again, and the skin on his face became somewhat rosy after being rubbed vigorously.

"Okay! I'll trust you this once!" Just then, a commotion suddenly broke out outside.

"what happened again?"

Yuan Tan drove most of the people of Qingzhou to Jiaodong. With too many people and too little land, there were daily disputes, and on several occasions, large-scale armed clashes broke out. Therefore, Chen Gong couldn't help but feel uneasy whenever he heard any commotion outside.

"military adviser!"

Zhao Yun strode into the tent with the gait of a tiger and the stride of a dragon.

Upon seeing Zhao Yun charge in, Chen Gong's heart skipped a beat.

Although he hadn't spent much time with Zhao Yun, Chen Gong was certain that Zhao Yun was the kind of steady and reliable general that everyone could trust.

He was roughly the same as Gao Shun.

Therefore, Chen Gong almost never saw him in a state of panic.

The sudden loss of composure and unannounced intrusion made Chen Gong realize that this riot was probably not caused by ordinary people.

"Strategist! It's Wuhuan cavalry!"

Zhao Yun clenched his fists.

“Some people were heading towards Yashan to gather more firewood for the winter, but they encountered the Wuhuan cavalry. Only one person survived by hiding in a secluded spot!”

Asan!

Upon hearing this direction, Chen Gong instinctively exclaimed, "Impossible!"

The reason why Zhuge Liang chose to relocate all the people to Yexian was because Yexian is surrounded by mountains to the west and south, especially with large mountain ranges like Yashan blocking the way, so the enemy could not threaten Yexian from these two directions.

To the east lies the coastline.

It was precisely for this reason that Lü Bu was not actually in Yexian, but rather encamped in Fushan, north of Yexian, to resist Yuan's army.

But now, someone has discovered traces of Wuhuan cavalry on Yashan Mountain. How is that possible?

"Nothing is impossible."

Zhuge Liang remained calm throughout.

“I met the Wuhuan when I was in Liaoxi. They are skilled at walking mountain paths and hiding in the forests... They can even cross the Yanshan Mountains, let alone the Yashan Mountains.”

"It seems that the Yuan family has truly made ample preparations for this battle."

Whether it was the previous raid on Qingzhou from Lu via mountain roads, or the current direct attack from Yashan on the heartland of Yexian, these were not things that ordinary cavalry could accomplish.

Yuan Shao and Yuan Tan dispatched the Wuhuan cavalry to the Qingzhou battlefield, which clearly shows that they were very familiar with the terrain of Qingzhou and had decided in advance on the role that the Wuhuan cavalry could play.

"What should we do? Quickly send someone to Fushan to inform the General and request his return to reinforce the area!"

The only thing Chen Gong could think of right now was to get Lü Bu back as soon as possible.

Because Yexian was mostly populated by defenseless people, and even if there were many of them, they would not be able to withstand the onslaught of the Wuhuan cavalry.

However, Chen Gong soon realized—

Too late!
It's probably too late!

Lu Bu was in Fushan, where he was directly resisting Yuan Tan's main force.

In this situation, how could Lü Bu easily escape?
The confidence that had been painstakingly built up was shattered once again.

even……

A dark feeling inevitably crept into Chen Gong's heart.

If the Wuhuan cavalry really manage to reach Yexian and scatter these Qingzhou people, then wouldn't they no longer have to stay here and wait to die in despair?
At that time, with Lü Bu's bravery and strength, it would not be difficult for him to defeat Yuan's army, let alone lead a few dozen cavalrymen to break out of Yuan's encirclement.

Although Zhuge Liang was telling him about the importance of the people.

But at this moment, Chen Gong felt that these people were a complete burden!
Just as Chen Gong was about to speak, he saw Zhuge Liang get up again and walk to the back of the tent to start rummaging through things.

moment.

A finely crafted small hat appeared in Zhuge Liang's hands.

Zhuge Liang stroked the brim of his hat with his fingers, a rare smile appearing on his face, before putting the small hat on his head.

Just as Zhuge Liang was about to leave the tent, Chen Gong suddenly grabbed him: "Kongming, where are you going?"

"Naturally, we must go to defend against the enemy and protect the people."

Chen Gong frowned immediately: "Those Wuhuan cavalry are numerous and powerful, how can you possibly resist them?"

Zhuge Liang remained silent, but gently pushed up the brim of his hat with his feather fan, revealing his pupils, which were always as deep as an abyss.

“Gongtai, if His Highness the Prince of Yan or His Majesty were here, they would do the same.”

"There are many things in this world that cannot be done, but many things are done anyway."

Zhuge Liang extended his right hand toward Chen Gong—

"How about it? Does Gongtai want to come along?"

Looking at those large hands, Chen Gong suddenly fell into a daze, unconsciously murmuring, "Meng..."

However, Chen Gong quickly regained his senses!

He shook his head helplessly: "These days, you mention Liu Bei in five out of ten sentences. I don't know what's so good about him."

……

Finally, Chen Gong placed his hand in Zhuge Liang's hand, and Zhuge Liang pulled Chen Gong up from the ground with a forceful pull.

"Kongming, sometimes I really don't understand what you're thinking! Don't you have even the slightest thought of using public office for private gain?"

Zhuge Liang turned around and strode forward, so fast that even Zhao Yun could hardly keep up with him.

"A gentleman simply reflects on himself."

(End of this chapter)