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

Chapter 234 The rebels captured Pi, but Liu Bei remained as steady as Mount Tai (Seeking subscriptions and monthly votes)
Huai River.

The warships stretched out in a continuous line, numbering approximately three thousand.

On land, there were also infantry and cavalry roaming freely, numbering approximately 20,000.

On the central military ship.

The singers and dancers either sang loudly or danced gracefully.

Yuan Shu sat in the main seat, holding Lady Feng in his arms, indulging in extravagance and contentment.

On the left, a fierce general was also holding a beautiful woman and drinking wine from a large cup; this was none other than Lü Bu, who had married a woman from Yuan Shu's clan.

After receiving Chen Gui's letter, Yuan Shu originally only intended to send Ji Ling to deal with the situation.

Yuan Shu had Zhou Xin in Jingzhou preparing to attack Xichuan, but unexpectedly, they went to war with Liu Bei at this time.

However, Lü Bu argued that sending Ji Ling might deter Chen Gui from rebelling against Liu Bei, and could even cause Chen Gui to resent Yuan Shu and help Liu Bei. He suggested that it would be better for Lü Bu to personally lead the expedition.

All that is needed is to go to Xuyi, Huaiyin and other places along the Huai River and rely on the navy to show off, and Chen Gui will surely dare to rebel against Liu Bei, and Yuan Shu will not need to directly start a war with Liu Bei.

If Chen Gui wins, he will gain Xuzhou; if Chen Gui loses, he will be escorted away.

In this way, the scholars and commoners of Xuzhou who were dissatisfied with Liu Bei's new policies could all move to Yangzhou, and the famous scholars of Xuzhou such as Chen Gui could be used to check and balance Zhou Xin and others.

Upon hearing this, Yuan Shu immediately realized that Lü Bu's words made sense: with the advantage of a navy, as long as they do not go ashore to fight, what is there to fear from Liu Bei?

Ever since.

Yuan Shu directly dispatched 3,000 warships and 40,000 naval troops along the Huai River, and also dispatched 20,000 infantry and cavalry along the south bank of the Huai River. He also conscripted 40,000 laborers, boasting a force of 100,000 that threatened Xiapi.

Although Yuan Shu's troops were not strong in combat, they had the advantage of numbers.

With the sheer power of 100,000 men, apart from Liu Bei who had been leading elite troops to victory year after year, who among the other officials, generals, powerful families, and wealthy clans would not be terrified?

Not everyone can fight against overwhelming odds.

More often than not, it's a case of overwhelming the enemy with superior numbers!
"When you were in Luoyang, did you ever see such a powerful force of 100,000 men by land and water?" Yuan Shu asked arrogantly while drinking.

After declaring himself emperor, Yuan Shu felt that things were getting better and better.

From a defeated general who fled to Shouchun in disgrace, he gradually gained control of both Jing and Yang provinces, not only having troops to attack Xichuan, but also being able to send troops to take Xuzhou.

Whenever he recalled it, Yuan Shu couldn't help but feel overjoyed.

After marrying a woman from the Yuan clan, Lü Bu became increasingly close to Yuan Shu.

Lu Bu was initially worried that being an inside agent would be difficult, but after joining Yuan Shu's forces, he discovered that it was far too easy.

While in Luoyang, Lü Bu had to restrain himself, but under Yuan Shu, he didn't need to restrain himself at all; he could indulge in his love of wine, women, wealth, and power.

Lu Bu could offend anyone under Yuan Shu's command; all he needed to do was feign loyalty to Yuan Shu.

This was incredibly easy for Lü Bu.

What is playing yourself?

Lü Bu is it!

Chen Gui wanted Yuan Shu to send troops, but Lü Bu initially had no intention of speaking up.

Upon hearing that Liu Bei had also appeared in Xuzhou and had deliberately concealed his identity, Lü Bu immediately guessed what Liu Bei was planning to do.

Lu Bu had carefully consulted Liu Bei about the old story of Wang Yun, the powerful bandit leader of Henan, and the rebel army. After comparing the two, he knew that Liu Bei was trying to play the same trick again, so he encouraged Yuan Shu to go to the Huai River to show off.

Lü Bu knew that Yuan Shu dared not attack, and Liu Bei also knew that Yuan Shu dared not attack.

The purpose of encouraging Yuan Shu to demonstrate in Huaihai was to deliberately increase the determination of Chen Gui and others to oppose Liu Bei, so as to give Liu Bei a reason to eliminate the powerful bandits in Xuzhou.

When Yuan Shu inquired about the imposing presence of 100,000 troops, Lü Bu raised his cup in agreement, saying, "Liu Bei lacks a navy, making it difficult for him to match Your Majesty's combined land and water prowess. With the advantage of a navy, even if Liu Bei has elite infantry and cavalry, they cannot harm Your Majesty in the slightest."

"If Your Majesty does not come ashore during this demonstration in Xuzhou, Liu Bei will be left helpless on the shore. I fear that Liu Bei, knowing he is no match for Your Majesty, will hide in Xiapi and dare not come out, only daring to let Sun Jian fight."

Yuan Shu, beaming with pride at the praise, laughed loudly, "Fengxian is right. Since ancient times, the south has relied on boats while the north on horses. For the south to win, it must have ships. But now Jingzhou and Yangzhou are both in my hands. In terms of naval superiority, who can defeat me?"

"Let alone Liu Bei, even if Liu Bei and Yuan Shao, that son of a concubine, joined forces, they would still be no match for me in the south."

Talking and laughing.

Yuan Shu then looked at Zhang Jiong, the Grand Master of Ceremonies: "Minister Zhang, can you tell me for me whether Liu Bei will die this time?"

Zhang Jiong was the sorcerer Liu Bei sent to Shouchun to deliver a talisman to Yuan Shu.

In the past, Liu Bei promised Zhang Jiong that as long as he could persuade Yuan Shu to declare himself emperor, Zhang Jiong could enjoy wealth and honor under Yuan Shu's command. Even if Yuan Shu was defeated in the future, it would not matter, as Liu Bei would still remember Zhang Jiong's contribution.

In other words: those under Yuan Shu's command could live a life of ease, and those who couldn't would return to Liu Bei and still enjoy wealth and status.

The task was entirely beneficial and perfectly suited to Zhang Jiong's expertise, which allowed Zhang Jiong to act quite freely under Yuan Shu's command, simply choosing the most appealing words to deceive Yuan Shu.

Zhang Jiong was also lucky. After Yuan Shu declared himself emperor, his territory continued to expand. In a short period of time, he destroyed Liu Dai, captured Liu Biao, and controlled the Jing and Yang regions. Zhang Jiong also rose through the ranks to become Taichang.

These two were both Liu Bei's inside agents, but they did not inform each other of their identities.

Zhang Jiong couldn't believe that the opportunistic and fickle Lü Bu was Liu Bei's inside man, just as Lü Bu couldn't believe that Yuan Shu's Grand Master of Ceremonies was Liu Bei's inside man.

Seeing that Yuan Shu wanted to divine Liu Bei's fate, Zhang Jiong pretended to be serious, tossing around a few pieces of tortoise shell and fabricating a story: "Your Majesty, this is a 'Lake and Water Trapped' formation! Kan represents water, and being trapped in a swamp foretells that Liu Bei will be trapped in Xiapi. However, Liu Bei possesses the aura of an emperor; although in adversity, he can fight to the death. Although Chen Gui is powerful, he will find it difficult to withstand Liu Bei's counterattack!"

Yuan Shu paused, his wine cup agape: "Chen Gui will be defeated?"

"Not so!" Zhang Jiong's tone suddenly changed, scratching a shallow mark along the edge of the divination chart with his fingernail: "The other night, I observed the celestial phenomena, and the 'Tianrui Star' secretly crossed the Xiapi region, precisely because Your Majesty's dragon aura is protecting us! Although Chen Gui may suffer a temporary setback, the comet's tail trailing into Xiapi means that the gentry of Xuzhou will surely float south of the Huai River. Your Majesty will gather all the elites of Xuzhou; why worry about the failure of your great undertaking?"

Although Zhang Jiongting was spouting nonsense, what he said was almost identical to what Lü Bu had previously told Yuan Shu to demonstrate his power.

The main point is to not speak recklessly about the victory or defeat of Liu Bei and Chen Gui, as long as Yuan Shu is happy.

Yuan Shu didn't really understand what Zhang Jiong was saying in a mystical way, but he understood the last sentence, "Your Majesty has gathered all the elites of Xuzhou, so why worry about not achieving your great cause?"

He clapped his hands and laughed: "Excellent! I will observe Liu Bei's predicament from the Huai River. If he is fortunate enough to win, I will definitely send someone to humiliate him."

As Yuan Shu marched along the Huai River into Xuzhou, Liu Bei, in Xiapi, finally revealed the satisfaction he had been waiting for for many days.

"An army of 100,000, advancing by both land and water, Yuan Shu is quite impressive." Liu Bei smiled, though he claimed to have an army of 100,000, his words and expression showed no sign of panic or even seriousness.

On the contrary, Sun Jian was on high alert.

Sun Jian, who was from Wu Commandery, knew the strength of Yuan Shu's navy and said, "Your Majesty, Yuan Shu is powerful. It would be better to eliminate Chen Gui and others first. Otherwise, if Chen Gui and others cooperate with Yuan Shu from the inside, we will have difficulty resisting them."

Liu Bei, unperturbed, countered, "Does Wentai really think Yuan Shu dares to attack Xuzhou?"

Sun Jian was taken aback, his face showing doubt. Zhao Yun spoke up, "His Majesty's main forces are concentrated in Yan, Yu and Siyong regions, leaving him no time to attend to the east. Therefore, the defensive forces within Xuzhou are negligible. If Yuan Shu really wants to attack, he can naturally conquer it."

"However, Xuzhou's terrain is mostly accessible by land, and it is also a place where brave cavalry can gallop freely. Even if Yuan Shu obtains Xuzhou today, His Majesty can send troops to reclaim it within ten days. Even if Yuan Shu sends 100,000 men to defend it, it will be difficult to withstand His Majesty's military might."

"Therefore, Yuan Shu's 100,000-strong force marching along the Huai River was merely a show of force. If Chen Gui and his men were to win, he would seize Xuzhou. If Chen Gui and his men were to lose, he would surely plunder their wealth and coerce the people to march south."

Zhao Yun's meaning was very clear.

Xuzhou was easy to attack but difficult to defend. After Yuan Shu gained control of Xuzhou, he would simultaneously face attacks from Cao Cao of Yanzhou and Guan Yu of Yuzhou, as well as the return of Liu Bei's Lingyan Army.

Most importantly, with Yuan Shu and Liu Bei at war, Yuan Shao in the north could sit back and watch the two tigers fight, which was not in Yuan Shu's interest.

In a three-way power struggle, one must always be wary of a third party taking the opportunity to steal one's territory.

In particular, Yuan Shu and Yuan Shao were extremely at odds, and Yuan Shu did not want Yuan Shao to benefit from the situation.

Sun Jian suddenly realized what was happening and felt a surge of admiration for Zhao Yun.

I initially thought Zhao Yun only became Guanglu Xun Cheng because of his status as Liu Bei's sworn brother, but now it seems that Zhao Yun's strategic judgment is also quite good.

Zhao Yun followed Liu Bei for many years and went through many great battles, so his martial prowess and strategic acumen were unmatched by ordinary people.

“Now that Yuan Shu has arrived, Wentai, there’s no need for you to stay in Xiapi any longer.” Liu Bei’s eyes were gleaming as he explained his strategic plan: “Take all the troops and go to Xuyi and Huaiyin to set up defenses. Just hold your ground and do not engage in battle.”

"As for Xiapi, Zilong can guard it."

After a pause, Liu Bei continued, "Let Chen Deng and Mi Zhu accompany the army. If either of them makes any unusual moves, kill them without exception. Also, take Que Xuan and his few thousand men with you."

Although both men were recommended to Gai Xun by Liu Bei in the past, Liu Bei would not be lenient when it came to implementing the new policies in Xuzhou.

If the two men had behaved themselves and had not participated in the rebellion, Liu Bei might have spared their lives. But if they had, Liu Bei could only sigh and give up.

Sun Jian kept Sun Qian because he said Sun Qian was of the highest moral character, extremely supportive of the new policies, and disliked accumulating wealth.

Liu Bei also highly valued people of noble character.

As Yuan Shu's 100,000-strong army marched along the Huai River, and Sun Jian mobilized all his troops from Xiapi and Guangling to deploy defenses in the Xuyi and Huaiyin areas.

Chen Yu was overjoyed: "Brother, your plan has succeeded! Now there are only a thousand or so cavalrymen under Zhao Yun in the city. We can quickly summon Mi Fang to seize Xiapi and surround and kill Liu Bei!"

"Liu Bei was able to defeat Tao Qian's army of hundreds of thousands with only 20,000 troops, thanks to a surprise attack on Pengcheng. Now, the Chen and Mi families together have 30,000 troops, and with the help of other powerful families and officials, the total number is no less than 50,000. Liu Bei will have no chance to escape!"

Chen Gui also breathed a sigh of relief.

I thought Yuan Shu would only send a subordinate general to lead the troops, but I didn't expect Yuan Shu to come in person with 100,000 troops!
This led Sun Jian to conscript even Que Xuan and others who had just responded to the new policies to defend Xuyi.

Only Zhao Yun's thousand or so cavalrymen remained in Xiapi.

Chen Gui also speculated that if Liu Bei hadn't been hiding among Zhao Yun's cavalry, Zhao Yun would have certainly gone to Xuyi to assist in defending against Yuan Shu.

Thinking of this, Chen Gui could not hide his excitement: "It is Liu Bei's fate to die. Gongwei, quickly contact all sides and make sure Liu Bei never returns."

East China Sea.

Mi Fang was overjoyed upon receiving the news.

They immediately gathered 10,000 slaves and marched in a mighty force towards Xiapi City.

However, Mi Fang acted too arrogantly. Instead of secretly going to Xiapi to kill Liu Bei, he made a big fuss, as if he wanted everyone to know.

Such a large-scale operation also alarmed Zang Ba of Kaiyang.

"Zhao Yun, the Grand Master of Ceremonies, is His Majesty's sworn brother. His inspection tour of Xuzhou is likely to promote the new policies. The Mi family has always been arrogant and unwilling to implement the new policies. Could it be that their dispatch of slaves to Xiapi is intended to harm the Grand Master of Ceremonies?"

"However, regardless of whether it is detrimental to the Grand Master of Ceremonies, I should still go and speak to him."

"Pass on my military order: muster three thousand infantry and cavalry to follow me south."

Zang Ba quickly made a decision.

As Liu Bei's troops stationed in Langya, Zang Ba was not required to obey the orders of the governor of Xuzhou and formed his own faction in Kaiyang, thus having the right to deploy troops independently.

If Zang Ba believes that any unusual situation has occurred, he can send troops first and then submit a memorial.

This was also the special power that Liu Bei granted to Zang Ba after he sent his wife and children to Luoyang.

Mi Fang had no idea that Zang Ba was following closely behind him, arriving in Xiapi with great fanfare.

After making contact with Chen Yu, Mi Fang had his servants disguise themselves as ordinary people and shout outside Xiapi City, "Abolish the new policies and restore justice to us!"

Chen Yu, meanwhile, hid his troops in the rear, waiting for Liu Bei to appear.

According to Chen Gui's plan, when Mi Fang's 10,000 followers gathered outside the city to plead for his life, Zhao Yun would definitely be unable to control them, and therefore Liu Bei would inevitably appear.

The moment Liu Bei appears, it will be time to surround and kill him.

However, to Chen Gui and Chen Yu's surprise, Liu Bei had no intention of leaving the city at all, but instead directly protected the families of Sun Jian and others.

He even had the leisure to teach Sun Ce how to manage his younger brother.

“Bo Fu, you are the eldest brother. As an elder brother, you must be reasonable. Confucius said, ‘Without learning propriety, one cannot stand.’ Since your younger brother does not learn to be polite to you, beat him until he can’t stand up.”

Beneath Liu Bei's gentle smile, his first words were a violent outburst.

Sun Quan, after reading a few books, became arrogant and showed off his knowledge in front of Sun Ce, who only knew how to wield swords and spears, leaving Sun Ce speechless.

If Sun Ce hadn't become Liu Bei's disciple, Liu Bei naturally wouldn't have interfered in the affairs between the brothers Sun Ce and Sun Quan.

But Sun Ce was now Liu Bei's protégé, and he was rendered speechless by Sun Quan's few words, which made Liu Bei lose face.

Knowing that Sun Ce, like Ma Chao, disliked studying, Liu Bei directly gave Sun Ce a violent version of the "scolding" technique.

Sun Ce was overjoyed and immediately shouted, "Confucius said, 'Without learning propriety, one cannot stand,'" before unleashing a loving punch on Sun Quan.

Liu Bei was enjoying himself in the prefecture.

Chen Yu and Mi Fang, who were outside the city, were furious.

After discovering that Liu Bei's troops were in the prefecture, Chen Yu and Mi Fang could no longer contain themselves. They stopped waiting for Liu Bei outside the city and filed in, heading straight for the prefecture.

They then surrounded the prefectural government and shouted again, "Reject the new policies and give us justice!" hoping to force Liu Bei to appear.

Hearing the clamor outside the prefectural capital, Sun Ce also stopped his loving punches to Sun Quan, and rubbed his hands together, saying, "Master, Sun Ce requests to fight!"

　With a regular sleep schedule, writing has become much easier. I'm still writing two chapters each night and two during the day. Please vote for me and subscribe!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)