Brother, stop curling up! You're curling up like the founder of the Han Dynasty!

Chapter 171 Liu Bei defeats Yuan Shu again, Cao Ang becomes his disciple (Seeking subscriptions and monthly votes)
Then, a young man who looked seven-tenths like Cao Cao appeared beside Lady Ding.

The young man bowed respectfully and said, "This junior, Cao Ang, greets Your Majesty and thanks Your Majesty for saving me."

Cao Ang?

Cao Cao's eldest son?
Cao Ang, who gave his horse to Cao Cao and died protecting him on foot?
Liu Bei's expression turned slightly solemn as he carefully examined Cao Ang.

Seeing that Cao Ang was more imposing than Cao Cao, Liu Bei couldn't help but admire him: "Back in Luoyang, I often heard Brother Mengde mention his eldest son, Cao Ang, saying that he was kind and filial."

"When I was admitted to the hospital just now, I saw you protecting Madam Ding. Although you are young, you have the courage to protect your mother and your filial piety is commendable."

Despite receiving praise from Liu Bei, Cao Ang remained even more respectful, saying, "It is only natural for parents to love their children and for children to protect their parents."

Upon hearing this, Liu Bei's appreciation for him grew even stronger.

Cao Ang did not hold the outdated view that sons must love their parents, but instead added a prerequisite: parents must love their sons.

Parents must love their children before children will protect their parents. Understanding reason without being pedantic is a quality far more valuable than blind filial piety.

"Madam Ding, I have a request," Liu Bei said, bowing respectfully. "Your son is both filial and talented, which pleases me greatly. If he does not yet have a teacher, would you be willing to become my student?"

Madam Ding was both surprised and delighted.

When Cao Cao returned to Qiao County, he mentioned Liu Bei to Lady Ding, saying: "Imperial Uncle is a hero of our time. It is my good fortune to be able to befriend him."

Lady Ding was already grateful to Liu Bei for saving her life.

Hearing Liu Bei address Cao Cao as "Brother Mengde" just now, Lady Ding became even more certain that Liu Bei and Cao Cao had a very close relationship.

Upon hearing that Liu Bei wanted to take Cao Ang as his disciple, Lady Ding did not hesitate for a moment before replying, "It would be my son's good fortune to be able to enter the Imperial Uncle's tutelage."

Cao Ang had long admired Liu Bei and was now grateful to him for saving his life. He bowed in response, saying, "If you do not despise me, I am willing to serve my esteemed teacher."

Liu Bei laughed and helped Cao Ang up: "I still have two disciples in Xiaopei. One is Fa Zheng, the grandson of Fa Zhen, a famous scholar from Fufeng, and the other is Ma Chao, the son of Ma Teng, the Left Fengyi, and a descendant of General Ma Yuan."

"These two men are about your age, and they are now defending Xiaopei with Brother Mengde against the rebels. Do you have the courage to come with me to Xiaopei?"

Unable to withstand the provocation, Cao Ang declared loudly, "What is there to be afraid of? I am willing to go with my esteemed teacher!"

Liu Bei was even more delighted.

Liu Bei took Cao Ang as his disciple not only because Cao Ang was handsome, kind, and filial, which Liu Bei admired and intended to nurture, but more importantly, because Liu Bei wanted to make Cao Cao completely submit.

First came the blood oath in Luoyang.

Later, he traveled a thousand miles to rescue Cao Cao.

They then protected Cao Cao's wife and children.

Finally, he took Cao Ang as his student.

Whether considering public or private matters, emotions or reason, even if Yuan Shao promised to share the world equally with Cao Cao, he still couldn't win Cao Cao over.

If Cao Cao were to submit, all the fierce generals of the Cao and Xiahou clans could be brought under his command.

Only when Liu Bei's power increases can he implement the policies of the Siyong region throughout the land.

Liu Bei's enemies were not simply the various warlords, but also the powerful clans that were annexing land on a large scale.

Just then, Guan Yu strode in, his tone a mixture of resentment and helplessness: "Uncle, Yuan Shu has fled towards Huainan, and I couldn't catch up with him."

After careful questioning, Liu Bei learned the details.

After Yuan Shu escaped Cao Cao's residence by scaling the wall, he assembled his troops with great momentum, seemingly ready to fight Liu Bei to the death.

Under normal circumstances, Yuan Shu, who was caught off guard, would launch a counterattack after gathering his troops.

Guan Yu thought so too.

However, the truth is that after Yuan Shu gathered his troops and made some harsh remarks, he actually ran away!

Even the money, grain, and supplies outside the city were abandoned by Yuan Shu, as if he would be too late if he ran too slowly.

He was brave at first but then became cowardly, leaving Guan Yu stunned. By the time he realized what was happening, it was too late to catch up.

Liu Bei scoffed and said disdainfully, "Yuan Shu values ​​his life and will definitely run if he can. He is a descendant of the Yuan family, which has held high office for four generations. He can run into Yuan family protégés and former officials wherever he goes. If he wants to make a comeback, it will only take a few words."

Liu Bei was not surprised at all that Yuan Shu would run away.

Back in Guanzhong, the reason why Yuan Shu's 50,000-strong army was defeated was not only because Sun Jian abandoned the dark side and surrendered to the light, but more importantly because Yuan Shu, the commander-in-chief, fled first.

On the battlefield, if the commander runs away first, no matter how many or how fierce his troops are, it will be of no use.

Just like that legendary horseman from Gaoliang River, who, after his defeat, managed to escape back to Zhuozhou alone by donkey cart overnight, his escape speed was so fast that he was not even caught by the Liao army.

For noblemen like Yuan Shu, survival was the top priority; fighting to the death was out of the question.

Thirty-six strategies, walking is the best strategy.

Although cowardly and afraid of death, Yuan Shu's tactics were not flawed.

Fight to the death, and you'll either be captured or taken prisoner; run away, and you'll come back to fight in Huainan.

However, what pleased Liu Bei most was the large amount of money, grain, and supplies left behind by Yuan Shu, rather than Yuan Shu who fled.

This guy is practically a money-giving genius!

While in Yingchuan, Liu Bei was telling Xun Yu: "The three major laws will eventually be implemented in all provinces. Therefore, when formulating a plan, the three major laws should be the ultimate goal. The speed can be slowed down, but the direction cannot be changed."

As a result, Yuan Shu immediately sent a huge gift.

These funds, provisions, and supplies mostly came from wealthy and powerful households.

Yuan Shu was a ruthless man; he knew who had money and supplies and who didn't. Wealthy households were responsible for providing the money and supplies, while commoners were responsible for transporting them.

Yuan Shu even went so far as to say: "I provide food for the common people, so they should be grateful to me. How can they rebel against me?"

Meanwhile, Yuan Shu was committing atrocities in the area from Runan Commandery to Pei State. Liu Bei not only received money and grain, but he was also able to use the money and grain to relieve the suffering common people.

what?
Some wealthy households claimed that the money and grain belonged to them.

What does it have to do with me, Liu Bei, that Yuan Shu robbed wealthy households of their money and grain?

It was clearly the suffering common people who welcomed the king's army with food and drink!
I'll say it is, then it is. You see, will the common people believe the wealthy or me?

After explaining the reasons to Guan Yu, Guan Yu's frustration dissipated considerably, and he hummed, "Next time, I will definitely be able to capture Yuan Shu."

With generals from Yanzhou and Xuzhou eyeing Xiaopei, Liu Bei had no time to linger in Qiao County.

However, money, provisions, and supplies could not be abandoned.

Seeing Liu Bei's troubled expression, Lady Ding suggested, "Why don't you entrust all matters to the magistrate of Qiao County, Uncle? Magistrate Yuan Huan of Qiao County comes from the Yuan family of Chen Commandery and has a long-standing reputation for virtue."

Yuan Huan of Chen Commandery?

Liu Bei was immediately delighted.

Although both are surnamed Yuan, the Yuan clan of Runan and the Yuan clan of Chenjun behave very differently.

The Yuan family of Runan was extremely ambitious. Not only did they specialize in the study of the Meng family's Book of Changes for generations, but they were also skilled in power struggles, making the Yuan family of Runan a respected family among scholars.

The Yuan clan of Chen Commandery valued integrity, self-discipline, and public service. They did not amass private wealth, lacked ambition, and disliked getting involved in power struggles. They enjoyed extremely high prestige within the clan. Yuan Huan was the most outstanding member of the Chen Commandery Yuan clan, excelling in both talent and character.

As the saying goes, good fortune never comes in pairs, but misfortunes never come singly.

However, good fortune is coming one after another today.

Not only did he launch a surprise attack on Yuan Shu, seizing Yuan Shu's money, provisions, and supplies, but he also rescued Cao Cao's wife and children and took Cao Cao's son, Cao Ang, as his protégé. At this time, he also met the talented Yuan Huan.

Liu Bei did not hesitate and immediately ordered someone to summon Yuan Huan.

County government office.

Magistrate Yuan Huan of Qiao County sighed repeatedly.

Although he was appointed magistrate of Qiao County, Yuan Huan served for less than two months.

Before he could realize his ambitions, he encountered Yuan Shu's northward raid on Qiao County.

To spare Qiao County from the ravages of war, Yuan Huan advised Yuan Shu to refrain from plundering, arguing that "the Yuan clan of Chen Commandery and the Yuan clan of Runan are of the same lineage." However, Yuan Shu retorted, "The Yuan clan of Chen Commandery? They are merely a commoner! How can they be compared to the Yuan clan of Runan?" This infuriated Yuan Huan.

Yuan Huan felt deeply guilty for being unable to protect the people of Qiao County, which instead suffered at the hands of Yuan Shu's army. He was powerless to do anything about it and could only hide in the county office, feeling ashamed to face the people of Qiao County again.

Just then, a minor official led a rider in haste, saying, "The Imperial Uncle summons Magistrate Yuan."

Imperial uncle?

The chaos in the city just now, could it be that the Imperial Uncle has entered the city?

Although he heard shouts of battle coming from Qiao County, Yuan Huan didn't know who was fighting against Yuan Shu, nor did he think too much about it.

Upon hearing that the Imperial Uncle had summoned him, Yuan Huan was greatly surprised.

Yuan Huan dared not delay and hurriedly went to see Liu Bei.

After chatting for a while, Liu Bei, seeing Yuan Huan's refined demeanor and exceptional speech, felt reassured and said:
“Magistrate Yuan, from this moment on, you are the Chancellor of Pei.”

"The money, grain, supplies, and suffering civilians outside Qiao County will all be settled by Prime Minister Yuan. As the Governor of Yu Province, I grant you the authority to do so at your own discretion."

"Xu Chu, the captain of the Lingyan Army, is also from Qiao County. I will have Xu Chu lead a thousand Lingyan soldiers to assist you in pacifying the rebellious troops."

Regardless of whether Yuan Huan agreed or not, Liu Bei immediately wrote a draft of the appointment document for the Prefect of Pei, and then handed over all the affairs of Qiao County to Yuan Huan to handle.

Yuan Huan couldn't help but ask, "Isn't your royal uncle afraid that I'll help the Yuan family? After all, I also share the surname Yuan."

Liu Bei smiled confidently: "If you employ someone, don't doubt them; if you don't trust them, don't employ them. The military situation is urgent, and I cannot linger in Qiao County. I will return to Qiao County to entertain Prime Minister Yuan after I have defeated the rebels."

Yuan Huan felt a mix of emotions.

If we say Liu Bei was a talent scout, he certainly recognized Yuan Huan's potential.

It is said that Liu Bei treated scholars with respect and talent, and he even wrote out the appointment document by hand on the spot before leaving.

For a moment, Yuan Huan didn't know whether Liu Bei was a talent scout or just going through the motions.

Unfortunately, due to the urgency of the military situation, Liu Bei did not have time to treat his subordinates with courtesy.

Therefore, after appointing Yuan Huan as the Chancellor of Pei, Liu Bei led Guan Yu, Zhang Liao, Dian Wei, Huang Zhong, four thousand Lingyan soldiers, and Cao Cao's son Cao Ang to Xiaopei.

They attacked Yuan Shu's vanguard whenever they encountered them along the way.

"What's going on? How come Liu Bei is in the rear?" Zhang Xun was terrified.

In the past, Yuan Shu suffered a great defeat in Guanzhong, and Zhang Xun managed to escape back to Wancheng in disguise. He thought he could finally get revenge, but before he even reached Xiaopei, Liu Bei attacked from the rear.

"Could it be that our lord has run away again?" Lieutenant Li Feng cautiously guessed.

Zhang Xun's expression changed drastically, and he rebuked, "How can you possibly guess how our lord will wage war? If you dare to speak recklessly again and disrupt the morale of our army, I will have you beheaded to uphold military law!"

Li Feng was startled and quickly pulled his neck back, then asked weakly, "Are we still going to Xiaopei?"

Zhang Xun pondered for a moment with a gloomy expression, then ordered, "I have guessed what the lord means. The lord probably wants us to temporarily avoid Liu Bei's sharp edge, let Liu Bei fight with the generals of Yan and Xu first, and then we will take advantage of the situation."

"Pass on my order: turn back immediately. Don't bring any supplies; they're all bait. Head south quickly."

Seeing Zhang Xun blatantly lying, Li Feng's eyes widened. He secretly memorized Zhang Xun's words and then hurriedly followed Zhang Xun away, leaving behind a pile of supplies.

Seeing Zhang Xun's vanguard collapse at the first encounter, Guan Yu was even more disdainful: "Besides letting his troops plunder, what other skills does Yuan Shu have? He's so easily defeated, so the so-called 'four generations of high-ranking officials' is just an empty title."

They thought it would be difficult to defeat Yuan Shu, so the Lingyan Army even had a farewell feast before the battle, and Liu Bei himself took to the field.

As a result, their fighting strength was even worse than that of the Yellow Turbans!
At least the Yellow Turbans would confront and fight to the death with the government troops, but Yuan Shu abandoned his money, food and supplies and ran away when he saw that things were not going well. Calling them chickens and dogs is an insult to chickens and dogs.

"Second brother, you should be grateful."

"If Yuan Shu hadn't happened to be looting in Qiao County and hadn't left the city gates open, catching us off guard, how could things have gone so smoothly?"

"On the battlefield, although you can use luck to gain an advantage and defeat the enemy, you cannot overestimate your own strength."

Liu Bei solemnly corrected Guan Yu's mindset.

Attributing luck to skill and becoming complacent will lead to significant losses.

Just as history records, Guan Yu flooded the seven armies, using the advantage of the flood to capture Yu Jin and others, thus establishing his might that shook the land.

As a result, Guan Yu overestimated his own strength. He did not expect that Mi Fang and Fu Shiren, who had followed Liu Bei for a long time, would surrender the city directly. Instead of knowing when to stop, he wanted to take Xuchang in one fell swoop. In the end, Sun Quan betrayed him by attacking his own stronghold.

Historical records indicate that Guan Yu, at least, followed Liu Bei through many defeats and suffered considerable losses.

Now, Guan Yu, who is following Liu Bei, is having a smooth and successful life. This is one of the reasons why Guan Yu, who has been following Liu Bei for many years, still has a proud and arrogant attitude.

Everything went so smoothly!
In Guan Yu's eyes, Liu Bei was invincible.

Just like a scene from a TV series: Xiang Yu wanted to challenge Liu Bang to a duel, and Liu Bang thought Xiang Yu's request was outrageous. However, Lu Wan believed that Liu Bang could defeat Xiang Yu in a duel.

This blind confidence stemmed from Liu Bang's heroic image in his early years and his rapid rise to become one of the two most powerful warlords in the land within just a few years.

Lu Wan even believed that no one in the world could compare to Liu Bang, and publicly encouraged Liu Bang: Who does he think he is? Brother, you should take him down and let him see what he's made of.

Guan Yu also showed a similar tendency.

Especially after the flogging of the inspector in Anxi County, Liu Bei became the Grand Commandant, Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, and Imperial Uncle, controlling the Siyong region, in just over two years.

First, he decisively defeated Yuan Shu, a descendant of four generations of high-ranking officials, in Guanzhong. Then, in Luoyang, he persuaded Dong Zhuo to relinquish power without bloodshed, using only persuasion techniques.

Now, hundreds of thousands of troops are using Xiaopei as bait to surround and kill Liu Bei. Liu Bei led 5,000 soldiers and scared Yuan Shu away. Zhang Xun and others collapsed at the first touch.

This made Liu Bei seem like a god in Guan Yu's eyes.

Liu Bei's correction did not gain Guan Yu's approval; instead, it made Guan Yu even more contemptuous of Yuan Shu: "Yuan Shu doesn't even have luck, so how can he be even less capable?"

For a moment, Liu Bei was speechless.

Liu Bei could only change the subject, saying, "Although Yuan Shu is not familiar with military affairs, Tao Qian once followed Huangfu Song and Zhang Wen to fight against the Qiang people and also defeated the Yellow Turbans. He should not be underestimated."

"If Tao Qian learns that I am attacking Yuan Shu in the south, he may urge the generals of Yan and Xu to attack Xiaopei together. If that happens, Xiaopei will be in danger."

(End of this chapter)