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

Chapter 236 The Meeting of Two Emperors on the Huai River: Liu Bei Deceives Yuan Shu (Seeking Subscriptions and Monthly Tickets)
the other side.

Chen Yu and Mi Fang hurriedly fled in opposite directions.

Although he blamed Chen Yu for sneaking away without warning, Mi Fang had to suppress his urge to kill Chen Yu because the plan to ambush Liu Bei had failed and he needed Chen Yu to seek help from Yuan Shu.

Chen Yu, however, held Mi Fang in contempt.

Now that the plan has failed, Liu Bei will inevitably seize the property of Mi Fang, a powerful figure in Donghai.

A powerful figure without any industry, who is neither skilled in literature nor martial arts, has long lost his value.

If Mi Fang hadn't been chasing so fast, Chen Yu wouldn't have wanted to travel with her.

To prevent Mi Fang from taking desperate measures, Chen Yu could only appease him with kind words and promise that Chen Gui had already gone to find Yuan Shu, and that once he joined Yuan Shu's forces, he would be rich and powerful.

Chen Gui was also a shrewd person.

Not only did he arrange for his family to go to Xiaqiu early on, but he also sent Chen Yu and Mi Fang ahead of him, and Chen Gui went ahead to Qulu as well.

The main strategy was that if Chen Yu and Mi Fang won, they would take control of Xuzhou; if they lost, they would go and join Yuan Shu. Chen Gui understood the importance of seeking good fortune and avoiding misfortune.

Mi Fang then learned that Chen Gui and Chen Yu had already made arrangements for their families before the uprising, but Mi Fang's family was still in Donghai.

This outcome left Mi Fang even more depressed, and she gained a new understanding of scions of prominent families like Chen Gui and Chen Yu: they were all a group of treacherous villains!
When they arrived at Xiaxiangcheng, the city gates were already closed.

Chen Yu, Mi Fang, and the knights who followed them were exhausted and hungry, so they continued to enter the city in search of food and asked someone to call the door.

Although they had besieged Liu Bei in Xiapi, Chen Yu anticipated that Xiaxiangcheng should not have received the news yet.

After the soldiers on the city wall inquired about Chen Yu's identity, they opened the city gate. Chen Yu was secretly delighted and hurriedly went inside with Mi Fang.

Upon reaching the city gate, they saw more than ten riders waiting to greet them. One of them bowed and asked, "May I ask which one of you is Lord Chen?"

Chen Yu frowned slightly, but still returned the greeting and said, "I am Chen Yu. And who are you?"

The visitor smiled and said, "I am Cui Wu, the newly appointed Junior Chancellor, and I pay my respects to Lord Chen."

"Cui Wu?" After a question flashed through his mind, Chen Yu was suddenly shocked: "Oh no, he's one of Liu Bei's men!"

Just as Chen Yu was about to flee in a panic, Cui Wu rode forward and stabbed Chen Yu to death with a single spear thrust.

Mi Fang tried to leave, but was blocked at the city gate and could not retreat. In his panic, he saw Cui Wu draw his bow and shoot an arrow, killing him instantly.

The remaining cavalrymen were also shot dead by the cavalry behind Cui Wu while they were still in shock.

"Captain, you've done a great service this time! His Majesty ordered us to intercept him, and we actually managed to catch Chen Yu." Liu Meng congratulated him with delight.

Cui Wu said regretfully, "His Majesty said that both the Chen and Mi families would rebel. He only killed Chen Yu, but he didn't find Chen Gui, nor did he find any of the Mi family members. The mission was not accomplished."

However, Liu Meng heard Cui Wu's regret as if he were showing off, and couldn't help but lean closer: "Commander, since the mission was not accomplished, could you change it to say that I killed Chen Yu?"

Cui Wu glared at Liu Meng: "What good things have you been enjoying?"

Although the mission was not fully accomplished, Cui Wu had no intention of relinquishing the credit.

Seeing Liu Meng sighing, Cui Wu pointed to Mi Fang's corpse and said, "This man's armor is better than others, so we'll give you credit for killing a squad leader."

Liu Meng was overjoyed: "Thank you, Commandant!"

Cui Wu did not know that the dead person was Mi Fang, so he ordered his men to bury Mi Fang's body together with the other corpses, leaving only Chen Yu's body to wait for Liu Bei to claim credit for him.

After cleaning up the battlefield, they saw cavalry approaching from the front; it was Liu Bei and his men.

Cui Wu hurriedly stepped forward and reported, "Your Majesty, I, the Prime Minister, have received Your Majesty's greetings. I have already slain the traitorous general Chen Yu!"

"Well done." After Zhao Yun verified Chen Yu's identity, Liu Bei paid no further attention and simply ordered Chen Yu to be dragged away and buried.

Neither Chen Yu nor Mi Fang were worth Liu Bei's time or effort, and he wouldn't care how they died.

After resting for a night in Xiaxiangcheng, Liu Bei continued south along the Si River.

On the way, news came that Sun Jian had retreated from Xuyi to Huaiyin, which is the border between the Si River and the Huai River.

However, after Yuan Shu's army marched to Huaiyin, they did not turn north from the Huai River to the Si River, clearly indicating that they did not intend to actually fight Liu Bei.

November 18th.

Liu Bei led his troops to Huaiyin.

Upon seeing that Liu Bei was safe and sound, Sun Jian's anxiety subsided.

Chen Deng looked at Liu Bei in astonishment and asked in surprise, "When did Your Majesty arrive in Xuzhou?"

"Yuanlong doesn't know?" Liu Bei's gaze towards Chen Deng became more complicated.

Chen Deng was even more puzzled.

Should I know?

Liu Bei then looked at Mi Zhu, his tone slightly cold: "Zi Zhong, do you also not know?"

Mi Zhu hesitated for a moment, then lowered his head and said, "Your subject has heard something."

Chen Deng looked at Mi Zhu in surprise: "Zi Zhong, from where did you hear this?"

Liu Bei turned around and sat down in the main seat, took a deep breath, and gestured to Sun Ce.

Sun Ce understood and shouted: "Chen Yu and Mi Fang rebelled on the 14th day of the 11th month of the first year of Zhangwu, and even attempted to kill His Majesty. Now Chen Yu has been executed, and Mi Fang is missing. The Chen and Mi families resisted the new policies and committed treason. Their clans should be punished. Quickly arrest Chen Deng and Mi Zhu!"

Mi Zhu's face turned deathly pale instantly.

Chen Deng exclaimed urgently, "Impossible! My father and uncle have already agreed to support the new policies, how could they possibly rebel? I even went with Mi Zizhong to talk to the Grand Master of Ceremonies about this matter."

Sun Ce sneered: "Your Majesty often says that Chen Deng of Xiapi, although born into a noble family, has the ambition to help the world and the people. He is also well-versed in both ancient and modern knowledge, has read extensively in historical records, is skilled in literature and art, and is well-versed in classical texts. His literary and military talents are rare in this era."

"I didn't expect that you would be so clever when we met today. Chen Gui and Chen Yu have always refused to respond to the new policies. Their sudden statement that they will respond to the new policies is just a delaying tactic."

"First, he colluded with Yuan Shu, inducing Yuan Shu to launch an attack on Xuzhou. My father then led all the troops from Xiapi and Guangling into the Huai River to resist him. Then he colluded with Mi Fang, taking the opportunity to rebel."

"As Chen Gui's son, how could you not know this?"

Chen Deng's face turned pale. He looked at Sun Ce in disbelief, then at Liu Bei, and finally at Mi Zhu: "Zizhong, you also know about this?"

Mi Zhu's tone was bitter: "I only know that Zifang had a private discussion with your father and uncle, but I don't know the specific details. Zifang only told me that he was going back to Qu County to observe the situation."

Que Xuan, who was standing to the side, said, "When Your Majesty was the prime minister, Xiang Kai and Mi Fang both came to me, pretending to be divinely ordained to make me declare myself emperor, and then sent assassins to kill Your Majesty. At first, I was confused and believed it to be true, so I sent Zhang Kai to assassinate Your Majesty."

"Later, Zhang Kai was grateful for His Majesty's kindness and was unwilling to carry out the assassination. After returning, he killed Xiang Kai and persuaded me to submit to His Majesty to atone for my crimes. That's how I managed to survive."

Mi Zhu's face turned even paler.

He didn't know anything about it either. However, even if he said he didn't know, no one would believe him.

Moreover, regardless of whether they knew about it or not, failing to assassinate Liu Bei and then launching an attack to kill him was a heinous crime punishable by the extermination of three generations of their family.

When Que Xuan mentioned Xiang Kai, Chen Deng's last shred of hope vanished.

Xiang Kai had been hiding in Chen Yu's mansion for many years. If Xiang Kai hadn't met Que Xuan and introduced himself, Que Xuan would never have known of Xiang Kai's existence.

"Detain the two men and discuss their punishment later."

Liu Bei did not immediately announce how to deal with Chen Deng and Mi Zhu.

The crimes of the Chen and Mi families cannot be lightly forgiven, but Liu Bei still felt reluctant to forgive Chen Deng and Mi Zhu, especially Chen Deng.

Chen Deng and Mi Zhu did not resist and allowed themselves to be imprisoned.

"Wentai, quickly report the battle situation." After the two men left, Liu Bei turned to Sun Jian to inquire about the specific details of the battle.

After learning the details, Liu Bei then sent a messenger to Yuan Shu to arrange a meeting.

Upon learning that Liu Bei had arrived in Huaiyin, Yuan Shu, who was holding Lady Feng's arm, paused.

"Chen Gui was indeed defeated."

Although he had expected it, Yuan Shu still felt a pang of regret when he learned that Chen Gui's plan had failed.

If Liu Bei had died in Xiapi, there would have been no need to fight in Xichuan anymore, and Yuan Shu could have directly marched north to seize Yuzhou.

Lü Bu congratulated him, saying, "Although Chen Gui was defeated, the people of Xuzhou who are dissatisfied with the new policies will surely move south. In order to avoid too much conflict, Liu Bei has also opened up the passage in Yuzhou, and the people who voluntarily move south have not been stopped."

"If Your Majesty can organize the people of Yu and Xu who have come south, and select the elite among them as your own, then in the future, whether it is to deter those who refuse to submit from Jing and Yang or to march north to attack Yu and Xu, these people will become Your Majesty's most valiant soldiers."

Upon hearing Lü Bu's flattering words, Yuan Shu's regret dissipated, and he laughed, "Fengxian is right. Chen Gui is unwilling to submit to me because of his family background and talent. Now that he is alone and has no choice but to come south to rely on me, I can gain the support of the people of Xuzhou without losing a single soldier."

"In that case, I should thank Liu Bei, haha!"

While claiming to thank Liu Bei, they were actually mocking Liu Bei for driving Chen Gui and other people from Xuzhou to Yangzhou in order to promote his new policies.

The people and officials that Liu Bei doesn't want, I want! How many there are, I want them all!

Yuan Shu immediately replied with a letter, agreeing to meet.

To increase his prestige and to mock Liu Bei, Yuan Shu also brought Lü Bu along.

After Lü Bu assassinated Liu Bei, he fled to Yuan Shu's camp and married a woman from Yuan Shu's clan. Yuan Shu always believed that this was a victory over Liu Bei in terms of personnel management.

As the warship approached the north bank, they saw that Liu Bei had only brought two people to set up seats: Zhao Yun on the left and Sun Ce on the right.

The troops behind were a hundred paces away.

Yuan Shu immediately became suspicious.

However, after scanning the surroundings, they found no place where there could be an ambush.

"Fengxian, can you capture Liu Bei alive?" Yuan Shu asked in a low voice.

Without hesitation, Lü Bu replied, "No. The man to Liu Bei's left is his fourth brother, Zhao Yun, whose horsemanship, archery, and martial arts are no less than mine. If Your Majesty can defeat Liu Bei, you might be able to capture him alive."

Yuan Shu's lips twitched.

Clearly, they weren't confident they could defeat Liu Bei.

Ji Ling suggested, "Why don't we all rush in and kill Liu Bei?"

Yuan Shu retorted, "I don't really intend to capture Liu Bei alive. I just want to dampen his momentum. To outnumber him and launch a sneak attack would make it seem like I'm afraid of Liu Bei."

Ji Ling was stunned, not understanding Yuan Shu's meaning.

Zhang Jiong said, "Times have changed. Now that Chen Gui has been defeated, it is not appropriate for Your Majesty to wage war against Liu Bei again. Let alone whether a mass attack could kill Liu Bei, even if it could, what if Liu Bei's former subordinates defected to Yuan Shao? Wouldn't that benefit Yuan Shao?"

"At this moment, Liu Bei has invited Your Majesty to a meeting. I suspect that Liu Bei is about to wage war against Yuan Shao. Therefore, I would like to discuss terms with Your Majesty to avoid being harassed by Your Majesty while attacking Yuan Shao."

Lü Bu echoed, "I think so too. Now Your Majesty is an enemy of Liu Bei and Yuan Shao. When the snipe and the clam fight, Your Majesty will benefit, which is the best strategy."

Zhang Jiong glanced at Lü Bu with some surprise.

For some reason, Zhang Jiong always had a feeling that Lü Bu, like himself, was trying his best to avoid a direct conflict between Yuan Shu and Liu Bei.

Lu Bu had the same feeling. He didn't know why Zhang Jiong, a sorcerer who advised Yuan Shu to declare himself emperor, was now the Grand Master of Ceremonies of the Zhong family. Not only did he not predict Liu Bei's death, but he also stopped Ji Ling from rushing forward.

If Zhang Jiong didn't speak up to stop him, Lü Bu was prepared to do so.

Seeing that neither Lü Bu nor Zhang Jiong agreed with fighting Liu Bei at this time, Yuan Shu also dismissed Ji Ling, saying, "How can matters of state and military importance be resolved by killing Liu Bei?"

"What I want is the whole country, not a precarious peace in the south. How can I allow a son born of a concubine to take advantage of me? No one may speak recklessly about the aftermath without my permission."

Considering Zhao Yun's exceptional horsemanship and archery skills, as described by Lü Bu, Yuan Shu dared not be overconfident. He had Lü Bu and Ji Ling flanking him, and then they disembarked to meet at the meeting.

"Brother Gonglu, you have quite the nerve. Aren't you afraid I'll capture you alive?" Liu Bei felt a strange unease when he saw that Yuan Shu had actually sent Lü Bu as his bodyguard.

If Liu Bei intended to capture Yuan Shu today, Yuan Shu would have to fall right here.

Yuan Shu, unaware of the situation, was instead quite pleased with himself: "With the great generals sent by Xuande to protect me, why would I be afraid?"

Neither Liu Bei nor Yuan Shu referred to themselves as "朕" (the imperial "I"). Instead, they seemed to be reuniting like two old friends, addressing each other as brothers based on their age.

"Brother Gonglu is a straightforward man, far more courageous than Yuan Shao!" Liu Bei praised, making Yuan Shu beam with delight.

For Yuan Shu, praising him for being from a family that had held high office for four generations wouldn't make him feel anything, but praising him for being stronger than Yuan Shao would definitely excite him.

Upon hearing Liu Bei's words, Yuan Shu's tone became even more arrogant: "Yuan Shao is just a son born of a concubine, what courage could he possibly have? If he really had courage, he would have broken through Hulao Pass and captured Dong Zhuo alive back then. Why would he have gone to support Liu Yu as emperor?"

"Yuan Shao has always wanted to become emperor, but he's afraid of damaging his reputation. He's like a rat in a gutter, all he knows is scheming and plotting. In terms of courage, ten Yuan Shaos wouldn't be half as brave as me. Hahaha—"

When Yuan Shu rose to power, Liu Bei said, "Brother Gonglu, since you hate Yuan Shao so much, why don't you join me in dealing with Yuan Shao? Why don't you give me Jingzhou, and I will give you Xuzhou and Qingzhou? In this way, your troops can go north through Xuzhou and Qingzhou."

Yuan Shu secretly sneered: "Trading Jingzhou for Xuzhou and Qingzhou, which we can't even defend, do you think I'm stupid!"

"Xuande is joking." Yuan Shu directly rejected Liu Bei's suggestion, saying, "Xuande is worried that when you attack Yuan Shao, I will go to Jingzhou to send troops north. But Xuande doesn't need to worry at all. As long as you attack Yuan Shao, I will go to attack Liu Yan."

"Really?" Liu Bei feigned surprise.

Yuan Shu thought to himself, "As expected," and then confidently declared, "Before Yuan Shao is defeated, I will not contend with Xuande, just as I only demonstrated my power at the Huai River but did not attack Xuzhou. As soon as Xuande's army moves, I will definitely go to attack Xichuan!"

"Brother Gonglu is a straightforward person, so I can rest assured." Liu Bei pretended to laugh.

(End of this chapter)