I, Zhou Cang, am the number one tank in the Three Kingdoms.

Xu Shu did not immediately deliver Mi Zhu's urgent report to Liu Bei, but instead gave a brief reply early the next morning, instructing Mi Zhu and Mi Fang to first stabilize the people in the city and appropriately reduce taxes.

Next, he ordered Mi Zhu to find an opportunity to visit Huang Zu of Jiangxia, the nearest town, to establish a friendly relationship and seek external assistance in order to prevent Jiangdong from invading again.

Finally, Chen Lan and Lei Xu were ordered to help Mi Fang take over the remaining troops of Li Shu and Mei Cheng. Those who were unwilling to follow were allowed to return home, and the situation of the integrated forces was to be reported back in a timely manner.

The only way to stop them was to stabilize the situation in Wancheng first, and prevent Li Shu's troops from mutiny due to the lack of a leader.

There is no better solution for the time being, for a simple reason: Liu Bei currently has no one by his side who can go to Wancheng to guard the region.

When facing Jiangdong, Wancheng is somewhat vulnerable and difficult to defend, making it easy to attack but hard to defend.

Although they coveted the tens of thousands of troops in the city, it would be extremely difficult to truly bring them under their control.

If Liu Bei truly wanted to fully develop the valuable land of Huainan, which had been squandered by Yuan Shu, he would definitely need more capable ministers by his side.

Thinking of this place, the names of several old friends came to mind for Xu Shu.

Although the immediate priority is to capture Wancheng, the matter of personnel management is always of paramount importance to the lord.

As Xu Shu was gazing at the map, deep in thought about his choice of successor, Liu Bei entered the tent. Seeing Xu Shu deep in thought, he did not disturb him but instead sat quietly to the side.

After a long while, Xu Shu came to his senses and turned around to see his lord already in the tent.

"Ah, my lord!" Xu Shu hurriedly bowed.

"What is the strategist plotting?" Liu Bei asked with concern.

"This is to plan for the long term of our lord!" Xu Shu said with a smile.

"I wonder what Yuanzhi is referring to...?" Liu Bei asked, somewhat puzzled.

"May I ask you, my lord, how did Cao Cao achieve his current power?" Xu Shu asked a question that Liu Bei often asked him.

Liu Bei's eyebrows furrowed slightly, almost imperceptibly, before he smiled and said, "It's all about timing and fate."

Xu Shu smiled and said, "No, I believe he is a talented person."

Liu Bei laughed and said, "Now my army has Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, Yuan Fu, and Shu Zhi, all of whom are unparalleled fierce generals."

"Wen You, the military advisor, Gong You, Xian He, and Zi Zhong are all capable and resourceful ministers."

"Both civil and military officials have someone to rely on, and he is no less than the traitor Cao Cao."

Xu Shu said, "My lord, you are mistaken." After saying that, he stood up and paced around the tent.

"If our lord's ambition is merely to govern a single province, then we are indeed sufficient. However, if our lord harbors the grand ambition of sweeping away all obstacles and restoring the Han dynasty, then we are far from adequate."

Liu Bei frowned and asked, "Why do you say that, strategist?"

Xu Shu pursed his lips, walked over and sat down next to Liu Bei, saying, "My lord, look at Cao Cao's men. In terms of strategizing, there are Guo Jia, Xun You, and Jia Xu; in terms of governing the country, there are Xun Yu, Mao Jie, and Zhong Yao; in terms of diplomacy, there are Dong Zhao and Liu Ye; and in terms of governing the region, there are Man Chong and Chen Deng—"

"Therefore, in my humble opinion, what you say—that it is a matter of timing and fate—is not so."

"The strategist plans internally, while the henchmen serve externally, each giving full play to their talents, just as the body uses the arm, and the arm uses the fingers."

"It is precisely because of this that the traitor Cao Cao has gained the power to control the emperor and command the feudal lords."

Perhaps because Xu Shu had touched a nerve, Liu Bei remained silent after hearing the story.

After pondering for a long time, he asked in return, "I, too, yearn for talented individuals, but I do not know where such talents reside. How can the learned men from all corners of the land understand my heart?"

Xu Shu looked at Liu Bei and noticed that his lord's lips were trembling, and he seemed to be choking up.

"My lord! A pearl that is not polished will dim its brilliance, and a fine steed that is not galloped will remain in its stall until its death."

"I am but a humble scholar, yet my lord has not abandoned me and has even entrusted me with the position of military advisor. How could the talented people of the world not recognize my abilities?"

"I have traveled between Jingzhou and Xiangyang for many years and have some knowledge of talented people. If my lord is interested, I will secretly contact them as a commoner and try to ascertain their intentions..."

Upon hearing this, Liu Bei immediately stood up and bowed deeply to Xu Shu, saying, "How can I ever repay the kindness of my strategist!"

Xu Shu quickly bowed and knelt down to help Liu Bei up, saying, "My lord! You mustn't perform such a grand ceremony! I am only doing my duty because of your kindness and trust!"

After rising, Liu Bei sighed deeply and said, "The strategist is meticulous and far-sighted, far beyond my capabilities. To have Yuanzhi is truly the greatest fortune of my life!"

"This matter can be handled entirely by the strategist. If it concerns a renowned scholar or sage, even if we consult him ten or a hundred times, we will not neglect him!"

Upon hearing this, Xu Shu was deeply moved and bowed deeply, saying, "My lord is humble and open-minded, and values ​​the virtuous and learned. How can we not achieve great things? I, Xu Shu, will do my utmost to live up to your high expectations!"

Subsequently, Xu Shu handed over Mi Zhu's urgent report and his own reply to Liu Bei for review.

With the elaborate groundwork laid earlier, Liu Bei fully understood Xu Shu's thoughts and immediately sent a reply to Wancheng in Lujiang.

The messenger had barely left when a messenger rushed into the tent—

"Report! My lord! Zhang Xiu and Hu Che'er have led all the troops in the city out of the north gate and formed ranks, specifically requesting that you come out to speak with them!"

"Oh?" Liu Bei and Xu Shu exchanged a glance.

Xu Shu decisively ordered, "Order the East, South, and North camps to form ranks and await orders outside the city!"

"Order Zhang Fei to lead his cavalry to join Zhao Yun's troops in the northern camp and await orders on the battlefield!"

"Order Zhou Cang to lead three hundred elite infantrymen from the Eastern Camp to join the Northern Camp and await orders at the front!"

The messenger noted everything down and left.

After arranging the backup plans, deploying the reserve forces, and setting up the personal guards for his lord, Xu Shu finally looked at his lord Liu Bei and waved his hand dismissively—

"My lord, please!"

A moment later, "Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!" the war drums sounded, and Liu Bei, fully armored, appeared in front of the two armies north of Wancheng.

Behind him, Zhang Fei and Zhao Yun stood on the left, and Xu Shu and Zhou Cang stood on the right, lined up in a row.

"Lord Liu! I have no grudge against you, so why did you collude with Liu Biao to invade my city?" Zhang Xiu, dressed in heavy armor and brocade robes, holding a golden spear, spurred his horse forward two steps and shouted from his horse.

Liu Bei spurred his horse forward two steps slowly, not answering Zhang Xiu's question, but instead bowing and saying, "General's illustrious name is renowned far and wide!"

Zhang Xiu then asked, "Since you know my name, why did you launch a war without declaring war?!"

Liu Bei laughed and said, "I have already spread the proclamation against Cao Cao and the emperor's blood-stained edict throughout the land. Has the general not read them?"

Zhang Xiu frowned and said, "I have read the proclamation and imperial edict."

Liu Bei said, "Since you have already surrendered to Cao Cao, and I sent a proclamation to punish Cao Cao beforehand, how can you say that we fought without a declaration of war?"

Zhang Xiu angrily retorted, "Liu Bei! I have always respected you as a powerful and ruthless leader. Are you now determined to fight me to the death?"

Liu Bei shook his head and said, "No! General, you were a hero in your youth. You killed Qu Sheng and pacified Zu Li, and you established your military merits under Zhang Ji. You fought against Cao Cao's bandits in Wancheng without fear, and you annihilated his sons, nephews, and henchmen. You could have made a name for yourself in history. However, you listened to Jia Xu's words of betraying your master for personal gain and surrendered to the Han traitor. I truly regret the loss of your reputation after death!"

"This..." Zhang Xiu was speechless after Liu Bei's words, and instantly fell into a huge internal contradiction.

His first surprise was that Liu Bei knew him so well, it seemed he had come prepared.

Secondly, he recalled the day last year when Yuan Shao and Cao Cao's envoys arrived in Wancheng at the same time. He originally wanted to befriend Yuan Shao, but Jia Xu had already expelled Yuan Shao's envoys without prior authorization.

Seeing Zhang Xiu begin to waver, Liu Bei continued, "My journey here is to uphold the Han dynasty and to assist you in restoring order. If you can abandon your allegiance to the righteous cause, turn against the traitors, and return to the Han dynasty, it will not be too late!"

Zhang Xiu's mind was a complete mess. He had long forgotten the words "the Han Dynasty" when he followed Zhang Ji to attack Chang'an.

Now, witnessing Cao Cao's power to control the emperor and command the feudal lords, there are still people trying to persuade him to surrender by claiming to uphold the Han dynasty.

And what's with all this talk about posthumous fame... How laughable.

Cao Cao disregarded past grievances and treated her with immense kindness, directly bestowing upon her the high position of General Yangwu. Her daughter even married Cao Cao's illegitimate son.

I was almost bewitched by Liu Bei's wicked words; this man is truly hateful!

Thinking of this, Zhang Xiu stared intently at Liu Bei with murderous intent, gripping the golden spear tightly in his hand.