I did it all for the Han Dynasty!

Chapter 527 Magnificent Rivers and Mountains
Liu Miao wanted to grind his teeth to dust: "That damned Yuan Shang! How dare he try to pin this on me! Demanding another man's wife? Do you think I'm that kind of person?"

Zhou Tai, standing nearby, inappropriately spoke up: "Then Madam Zhen..."

"But they're not officially married yet, are they?"

"Then Madam Cai..."

"Those were captured by the Xiongnu! They don't count!"

"And then there's Madam Wu..."

"Youping, I'm afraid Xuande will be unable to hold out alone in Youzhou. Why don't you go to Youzhou and help him out?"

Zhou Tai wisely shut his mouth.

He had no desire to be sent to the harsh, cold land of Youzhou to grow alfalfa!
"Humph!"

Liu Miao glared at Zhou Tai, then gritted his teeth and looked at Ye City.

"You son of a bitch, Yuan Shang! My reputation is ruined by scoundrels like you! Bah! When I get back, I'll write your filthy affair into a storybook and let the whole world see what you're up to!"

"What does Your Majesty wish to write? A document?"

"Zhou Tai! You! Get out of here and go to Youzhou right now!"

Zhou Tai shrugged and disappeared in a flash, no longer daring to show off in front of Liu Miao.

Liu Miao continued cursing and swearing towards Ye City, but gradually he stopped.

Looking out over the Taihang Mountains, the setting sun, like blood, hangs halfway above the Yanzi Mountains. Crimson clouds dye the layered clouds, like crimson silk from the Weaver Girl's loom, spreading brightly across the sky.

The Zhang River, not far away, shimmered with golden light, encompassing the entire city of Ye. Smoke rose from the camp, mingling with the evening glow, making it impossible to distinguish between the clouds and the firewood.

Just as I was lost in thought, the setting sun suddenly sank into the ridge of the Taihang Mountains, leaving only a blush on the horizon, like the lingering makeup of a beautiful woman after a night of drinking, leaving no time for contemplation.

To be troubled by mundane matters in the face of such a beautiful land is utterly foolish.

"How can one not be reluctant to leave such a beautiful land?"

Liu Miao suppressed his desire to attack Ye City immediately, and quietly watched the northern scenery that was so close yet so far away. He watched the clouds above his head change several times before finally laughing heartily again.

"Wait until next year! I will take it myself!"

"As for now—the whole army is here! Time to go home and cuddle with your wives!"

"..."

It's highly unlikely that the entire army would return to Jiangdong.

After Liu Miao retreated from Ye City back to Hanoi, he left Xu Huang there to guard the area.

Xu Huang was originally from Hedong and had served as a member of the White Wave Army, which roamed Bingzhou Sili. He was most familiar with the terrain of this area, so leaving him here was obviously the most suitable option.

Moreover, the region of Hanoi was located right in the center of the Three Kingdoms. The generals left to guard this place not only needed to be brave in battle, but also needed to be law-abiding and flexible in their responses. Apart from Xu Huang, who had the "spirit of Zhou Yafu," Liu Miao really couldn't think of anyone else who could take on this important task.

Meanwhile, Zhou Yu remained in charge of the Central Plains.

Today, the Central Plains is not only a battlefield on the front lines, but also a crucial region urgently needing to restore people's livelihoods. It could even be said that whether or not the Central Plains can be managed effectively is entirely related to the overall situation of the nation.

In addition, Liu Miao also left Zhang Liao and other cavalrymen in the Central Plains.

Therefore, if there were to be any changes in Hebei or Guanzhong, the most mobile cavalry would be able to play a crucial role in preventing the situation from worsening.

In Qingzhou.

After stabilizing the situation, Zhuge Liang still had to return to Liaoxi to work with Liu Bei to manage Liaoxi and the newly acquired Youbeiping. There, he would establish a ferry crossing and transport all the warhorses and other important resources from Youzhou back to the Han Dynasty. Therefore, Liu Miao had to select people to stay and guard the area.

After much deliberation, Liu Miao chose Sima Yi.

"Kongming did a good job in Qingzhou, Zhongda shouldn't have done any worse, right?"

Although Sima Yi remained humble in his words, he was clearly eager to make a move after Liu Miao mentioned Zhuge Liang.

After moving the generals of the remaining defense lines further north and deploying them all on the south bank of the Yangtze River, Liu Miao was finally ready to officially return to Jiangdong.

However, before returning to Jiangdong, Liu Miao still made a special detour to Luoyang.

The official account states that Liu Miao returned to the old capital to offer sacrifices at the ancestral temple of the Later Han emperor.

But in reality, there are obviously much more important things to do.

"Mengde, how have you been?"

At the White Horse Temple outside the Luoyang ruins, Liu Miao greeted Cao Cao warmly.

Meanwhile, Liu Miao kept glancing at Dian Wei and Xu Chu beside Cao Cao out of the corner of his eye...

Cao Cao approached Liu Miao with a complex expression.

"I never expected that you would actually win."

"What do you mean 'unexpected'? Back in Guanzhong, weren't you hoping I would win?"

Cao Cao's smile contained a hint of regret.

He certainly hoped Liu Miao would win.

But I absolutely do not want to win in the way we are now.

Cao Cao hoped that even if Liu Miao won, it would be a gruesome victory, like losing an arm or a leg, rather than a victory like this, where he was only slightly out of breath and a little exhausted.

However, when Cao Cao caught the glint in Liu Miao's eyes, he frowned slightly.

"Is Zhongshan thinking about... how to kill me right now?"

"How could that be! Mengde! We're best friends! Like brothers! How could I possibly kill you?"

Liu Miao smiled and shook his head.

"Don't worry, I will never kill you."

"At least not now."

"After all, with your personality, if you felt there was even the slightest possibility that I might kill you, you wouldn't have come."

Cao Cao smiled insincerely: "Keep me alive? Are you trying to cause trouble for Yuan Tan?"

"That's only one point. If I really kill you, Xun Yu, Xun You, Guo Jia, Cao Ren, Xiahou Dun, and Yu Jin will truly be my mortal enemies. If they have the strength, they should use it on Yuan Shang, not on me."

Liu Miao invited Cao Cao to sit down.

"So? You really want to become the Great General of Zhao? Why not consider becoming the General Who Conquers the West of Han?"

Cao Cao did not answer directly. "The Han Dynasty now only controls half of the country; where would we find the space to conquer the west?"

"Ha! So, if I were to conquer the Western Regions in the future, you, Mengde, would be willing to come?"

Cao Cao's expression remained ambiguous: "Hasn't the General Who Conquers the West of the Great Han already been appointed?"

"It's alright! The General Who Conquers the West is Cheng Pu! The old man is getting old, and who knows when he might be too old to fight, so it's good that he's making room for you!"

"..."

Cao Cao was both amused and exasperated: "Aren't you afraid of chilling the hearts of the soldiers by speaking like that?"

"What's so disheartening about that? It's as if the soldiers just want to fight! Besides, as long as I don't take their wives, I haven't wronged them!"

Suddenly, Liu Miao thought of something.

"Let me make this clear first! Your daughter has nothing to do with me! You understand! I don't like young girls, after all, they're not even fully grown yet!"

"..."

Cao Cao shook his head slightly.

"She chose this path herself; no one forced her, so she has no one to blame but herself."

"No! You can blame whoever you want! I'm just telling you that someone is trying to pin the blame on me! Alas, my reputation has been ruined by these rumors."

"Is your demand for the Wu family during your attack on Liu Zhang also a rumor?"

"..."

Liu Miao said seriously, "It's getting late! It wouldn't be good if others found out we were having an affair! Let's get down to business!"

"..."

"Can't you use a different word? What does 'adultery' even mean?"

Cao Cao glared at Liu Miao with annoyance.

"You've already been given Hanoi, Wuguan, and Luoyang. You've gotten a good deal here, but you'll have to put in more effort from now on."

"fart!"

Liu Miao was furious.

"If Hanoi weren't given to me, Yuan Shang would surely have seized it! I'm just helping you guard your gates! You should thank me, shouldn't you?"

"And Wuguan! I've been there countless times! Even if you won't give it to me, I can take it back myself!"

"As for Luoyang... there's not a soul in sight in this godforsaken place. I wouldn't even take it if it were given to me for free! If you like it, you can have it!"

"..."

Cao Cao said helplessly, "Your Liu family ancestors are buried in Mangshan, Luoyang! How can you so generously give them away?"

"Oh! I forgot about that!"

Liu Miao slapped his forehead.

"Mengde, do you have any tomb raiders or grave robbers under your command? If they find anything good, how about we split it 30/70? I get 70%, you get 30%! After all, I'm a descendant of the Liu family!"

Cao Cao opened his mouth, but couldn't close it for a long time.

After a long pause, he shook his head helplessly: "I'm really scared of you."

"Stop with the useless talk, what exactly do you want?"

"Simple! Harass Hebei as much as possible, giving Yuan Shang no time to breathe. At the same time, contact Zhang Yan and other bandits in the Taihang Mountains, gather their strength, and put pressure on Yuan Shang."

Cao Cao nodded.

“These are things I would do even if you didn’t tell me to.”

"As expected of Mengde!"

Liu Miao made an exaggerated remark, and then mentioned another matter.

"Also, you need to find a way to deal with the Xianbei and Southern Xiongnu in northern Bingzhou, as well as the Qiang people in Liangzhou."

Cao Cao was somewhat surprised.

"You're still getting involved in this?"

"You haven't seen Qingzhou after it was ravaged by the Wuhuan, so you don't know how chilling the saying 'Those who are not of our race will surely have different hearts' is."

Liu Miao, unusually serious, said, "These things should have been matters for me and the Han Dynasty."

"But now that I and the Great Han are going to help you contain Yuan Shang and Hebei, this is something you must do!"

"In that case, even if you die in battle in the future, future generations and history books will praise you more, instead of saying that you are all traitors and villains."

Cao Cao felt a pang of sympathy in his teeth again: "Can't you say something nice?"

"Alright! I wish you success in sealing the wolf's lair, inscribing your name on Yanran Mountain, and pacifying the Western Regions, shall you do it?"

"This is acceptable!"

"Mengde, I find you to be becoming increasingly shameless."

"Learned it from you."

"..."

"Hahahahaha!"

The two looked at each other and burst into laughter!
"I'm leaving! You have a headache, so try not to stay up too late, and rest more if you feel unwell."

"You too, such frequent battles will eventually take a toll on your body. If you don't want to end up like Benchu, take a break for a while."

Liu Miao asked Cao Cao, "By the way! Yuan Shao is still in Wuchao Marsh! Do you want to bring him back?"

Cao Cao looked eastward, his eyes filled with a fleeting sadness and a deep longing.

"never mind."

"Since he chose to sleep there, let him sleep peacefully there."

"Wuchao, Wuchao, the wild geese return to their nests, which is not a bad way for them to settle down."

(End of this chapter)