I did it all for the Han Dynasty!

Chapter 7 Public Opinion War

“Betrothal, Asking the Name, Accepting Auspicious Gifts, Accepting Gifts, Setting the Wedding Date, and Welcoming the Bride in Person”.

These are the six rites for marriage.

If one is to marry a principal wife, the six rites must be prepared in full before the marriage can take place.

However, taking a concubine is different.

Concubines had a low status and could even be bought and sold openly.

Those who were sold would "wrap their heads in green scarves to distinguish between the noble and the lowly," and from this, the insult "green hat" was born.

However, Lady Lu was no ordinary person. Moreover, Liu Miao currently had no principal wife, so although the six rites were simplified, they were not considered humiliating.

Liu Miao looked at Madam Lu in the room, whose bright eyes were fixed on him with fervor, and sat down next to her.

Their thighs were pressed very close together, and they could feel each other's body heat.

Lu's hands, which were originally placed on her lower abdomen, were now pulled into Liu Miao's hands and placed on his lap.

I won't hide it from you.

"I married you to seek the assistance of scholars from Jiangdong."

"In this age of great strife, romantic love is a trivial matter. In the future, I probably won't have time to accompany you."

"However, what I said to Lu Zhongyi was not false. I will always remember Lu's kindness; if I am fortunate enough to succeed one day, I will naturally treat him with a high position."

Liu Miao emphasized this again.

His marriage to the Lu family was always a political alliance.

If Lu is hoping to gain love from me, then she is probably overthinking it.

To Liu Miao's surprise, when Lu heard Liu Miao's words, she was not angry at all. Instead, her eyes once again showed a look of ardent admiration.

"Does Lord Liu really think I am still a naive young woman of marriageable age?"

"How could I not know what Magistrate Liu said today?"

“Lord Liu is a man destined for great things. If he were to indulge in matters of the bedroom, it would only be disappointing.”

Liu Miao spoke directly, and Lu Shi's words were equally straightforward.

Lady Lu's marriage to Liu Miao was certainly not because of Liu Miao's handsome appearance.

It was only because Liu Miao was a generous and unconventional man, and also the governor of Jiujiang and a member of the Han imperial family, that Lu was willing to offer herself to him.

What people fear most is not being able to grasp their own worth.

But Lu clearly has a clear understanding of himself, and these words reassured Liu Miao.

"But Lord Liu, I have another request."

"But it doesn't matter."

“My son Boyan is intelligent from a young age. I hope that Your Excellency will nurture him so that he can become an assistant to Your Excellency in the future.”

Upon hearing that it was Lady Lu who was worried about Lu Xun, Liu Miao immediately smiled and said, "Madam, please do not worry about Boyan's matter."

If it weren't for Lu Xun, Liu Miao might not have chosen to marry Lady Lu.

No one knew Lu Xun's future achievements better than Liu Miao.

Liu Miao was too busy protecting Lu Xun to choose to distance himself from him.
"I will treat Boyan as my own son!"

If he had no relation to Lu Xun, Liu Miao truly had no confidence in winning Lu Xun over and making him work for him.

But it's different now.

He married Lu Xun's mother, and Lu Xun became his son!

Brothers fight together, fathers and sons go to war side by side!
After Lu Xun, it would be highly unlikely that anyone would refuse to serve me!

When Lu saw that the last worry in her heart had been resolved, she opened her heart.

The dark crimson robe was slowly undone, revealing the inner garment. Her fair skin was faintly visible, and under the candlelight, it shimmered like jade, illuminating the entire bedroom.

Then, Madam Lu gently bent down and used her pearly teeth to bite Liu Miao's waistband, slowly applying force.

Liu Miao reached out and stroked Lu's cheek, a strange feeling suddenly stirring in his heart.

Although he had already told Lu that he had no feelings for her.

But as the saying goes.

Love grows over time!
Some things really shouldn't be judged too hastily!
……

……

After Lu Kang, he also kept his word.

The gift of 10,000 bushels of millet and 100 sets of iron armor to Liu Miao is truly generous!
“Lord Liu, now that we’re all family, I’ll speak frankly.”

After Liu Miao took Lu Shi as a concubine, Lu Kang's words became even more affectionate.

“That Zhou Ang, Zhou Xin, is the governor of Danyang. His Danyang soldiers are brave and skilled in battle, so we must be wary of them.”

"Although Zhou Xin cannot directly send county troops to assist Zhou Ang, he will certainly allocate some of Zhou Ang's elite troops to help him."

"My lord, you should not rush to Jiujiang now. You should recruit troops so that you can compete with Zhou Ang for Jiujiang."

Liu Miao agreed wholeheartedly after hearing this.

Yuan Shao, who was far away in Ji Province, could not possibly appoint just anyone as the governor of Jiujiang.

The reason for appointing Zhou Ang as the governor of Jiujiang was because his elder brother, Zhou Xin, was the governor of Danyang and had influence in Yangzhou.

If I were to go to Jiujiang alone, I would most likely get stabbed and thrown into the Yangtze River to feed the fish.

No matter what, having troops at your command gives you confidence!

However, besides armed resistance, Liu Miao had another idea.

As I recall, Yuan Shu's subsequent takeover of Huainan was generally smooth, but there were some twists and turns along the way.

Liu Miao recalled that it seemed the governor of Yangzhou was unwilling to open the gates to Yuan Shu, so Yuan Shu was furious and had no choice but to lead his troops to attack. This caused the people and scholars of Huainan to despise Yuan Shu, and they went to Jiangdong to seek refuge.

Therefore, Liu Miao guessed that the current governor of Yangzhou was probably not on Yuan's side, and he could start from this point to wage a war of public opinion!

"Lu Zhongyi should send someone to the governor of Yangzhou to put pressure on him and ask him whether he is close to the Yuan family or loyal to the court."

"In addition, the news can be spread among the people, putting Zhou Ang in a passive position regarding the greater good."

Liu Miao was very clear about his advantages.

A member of the Han imperial family! Appointed by the imperial court!
The prestige accumulated by the Han Dynasty over four hundred years was Liu Miao's greatest trump card!

His disadvantage was precisely Zhou Ang's advantage at this moment, namely the support behind his brother Zhou Xin.

Using one's own weaknesses to attack the opponent's strengths is clearly not something a smart person should do.

Playing to one's strengths and avoiding one's weaknesses—this is the principle Liu Miao should follow now!
Lu Kang's eyes lit up when he heard that Liu Miao wanted to wage a "public opinion war".

He initially only thought of using force to fight, but he never expected that he could also use underhanded tactics to influence public opinion!
If we have the support of the governor of Yangzhou and the approval of the common people, then the advantage in this battle may very well tilt in our favor!

"Excellent! I will send the document to Chen Yuanti immediately!"

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Note 1:

Chen Wen, the governor of Yangzhou, was on good terms with Cao Hong. Cao Hong, with over a thousand of his personal troops, sought out Chen Wen to recruit soldiers, obtaining two thousand elite armored men from Lujiang. He then traveled east to Danyang and gathered several thousand more men, who then met with Cao Cao at Longkang. — *Records of the Three Kingdoms, Book of Wei, Volume 9, Biography of Cao Hong*

Yuan Shu then appointed Chen Yu as the governor of Yangzhou. Chen Yu, courtesy name Gongwei, was from Xiapi. After Chen Yu took control of the province, Yuan Shu was defeated at Fengqiu and fled south to Shouchun. Chen Yu refused to be received by Yuan Shu. Yuan Shu retreated to Yinling and then joined forces to attack Chen Yu. Fearing for his life, Chen Yu fled back to Xiapi. — *Records of Heroes*

The current governor of Yangzhou is Chen Wen, Chen Yuanti, not Chen Yu, whom Liu Miao remembered as refusing to open the gates to Yuan Shu.

(End of this chapter)