Ji Han Liu Zhang

Earlier, Yuan Shao was defeated at Guandu and his main force retreated to Hebei. Yuan Tan, who was attacking from the flank, should have also retreated to Qingzhou and stopped attacking Taishan, Langya and other counties on the border of Qing and Xu.

After all, Yuan Shao had retreated, so as a minor general he didn't have to continue fighting.

But Yuan Tan was smart, and in order to show off in front of Yuan Shao, when Yuan Shao retreated, he stayed in Taishan and Langya. It was not until heavy snow fell and the roads were blocked that he led his troops back to Qingzhou.

Yuan Tan's persistence was something that could easily give rise to resentment among his soldiers, officers, and Liu Bei, who was a guest army.

Just like now, although the main army retreated to Qingzhou, Zhang Fei still had some resentment: "We have been fighting in Taishan and Langya for months, and Yuan Benchu ​​was defeated and retreated at Guandu, but our small army fought to the death and refused to retreat. It was in vain and it was really a waste of effort."

"Yide." Liu Bei put down the felt hat he was knitting and called Zhang Fei in a deep voice, reminding Zhang Fei not to talk nonsense so as not to invite trouble.

"Brother, is that the truth?" Zhang Fei did not shut up. He was still indignant and said, "Retreat when you should attack, and attack when you should retreat. This is what people who do not understand the art of war would do, just like Yuan Qingzhou."

"Yide." Zhang Fei continued to criticize, and Liu Bei's tone became more condensed and severe.

Liu Bei not only called Zhang Fei, but also warned him: "We are the guest army. It is not up to us to decide whether to fight or not. We have no right to comment on how Yuan Qingzhou does things. This is the first point."

"Secondly..." Liu Bei lowered his voice and said, "We are now in Hebei, living under someone else's roof. We must be careful that there are ears on the other side of the wall. If bad words get out, it may cause a disaster that will kill us. We need to be careful about everything."

Speaking of this, Liu Bei's expression was a little gloomy. He started from Zhuo County and fought for more than ten years, but he did not earn a foundation. He had finally obtained Xuzhou, but lost it suddenly. The position of Xuzhou Mu was seized by Lu Bu before he could even sit comfortably.

After losing Xuzhou, he first submitted himself to Cao Cao. Cao Cao did not despise him because of his status as a defeated general. Instead, he treated him with great courtesy. He traveled in the same carriage and sat at the same table with him and regarded him as a hero who could stand shoulder to shoulder with him.

But the more courtesy Cao Cao showed him, the more frightened Liu Bei became. He was a man of character and could see through Cao Cao's true nature. On the surface, Cao Cao seemed bold and unrestrained, but appearance was just appearance. Deep down, Cao Cao was very wary of others being better than himself, and many people suffered from Cao Cao's harm because of this.

In addition, Cao Cao was extremely suspicious. Except for a few close people, no matter how loyal others appeared to be, they would be suspected by Cao Cao from time to time. When the suspicion accumulated to a certain level, it would mean the death of that person.

Therefore, the more courtesy Cao Cao showed him, the more worried Liu Bei became. Taking advantage of the eastern expedition against Yuan Shu, he escaped from Cao Cao and defected to Yuan Shao to avoid staying in Xu Du for too long and being suspected or even killed by Cao Cao.

Summarizing the past, Liu Bei came up with eight words - wandering for half his life and achieving nothing.

Although Zhang Fei was a bit straightforward, he could also be careful sometimes. When he saw the dejected look on Liu Bei's face, his mood also became worse and he no longer continued to resent Yuan Tan who didn't know how to advance or retreat.

"Brother, you taught me that I shouldn't say such nonsense." Zhang Fei sincerely apologized to Liu Bei.

Liu Bei shook his head: "It's not that I shouldn't say it, but I need to consider the situation. Now we are in Yuan Qingzhou's camp, some things are not easy to say openly. Let's wait until privately, between you and me, there is nothing wrong with talking about it."

"I understand." Zhang Fei nodded heavily and responded loudly, which was as clear as thunder. The Qingzhou army that had marched south returned north. When they reached the border of Qingzhou, Yuan Tan entrusted all the affairs of Qingzhou to Wang Xiu, the deputy driver, and he returned to Yecheng impatiently.

Although as the governor of Qingzhou, Yuan Tan should stay in Qingzhou before receiving a call from Yecheng, but Yuan Tan's heart was not there. He was more concerned about the changes in Yecheng, especially the news of the successor to the throne.

On the surface, Yuan Tan also found an excellent reason for him to go to Yecheng. That was Yuan Shao, who retreated to Yecheng from Guandu, was not feeling well because of the failure of the Battle of Guandu. Yuan Tan used the excuse of showing filial piety and went to Yecheng without hesitation.

The political affairs of Qingzhou were handled by Wang Xiu, while the military affairs of Qingzhou were handed over to Liu Bei by Yuan Tan.

At that moment, Liu Bei came to Pingyuan County, and with the identities of Left General and Governor of Yuzhou, he took up the post of Prefect of Pingyuan County.

After many twists and turns, as if he had come full circle, Liu Bei returned to Pingyuan County with deep emotion. At first, he served under Gongsun Zan and served as the Prime Minister of Pingyuan. Now Pingyuan County was under his rule again. It seemed as if he had gone through a cycle over the years.

However, after returning to Pingyuan, Liu Bei did not spend too much time feeling sad about the things. Instead, his thoughts were more focused on his next move.

After more than ten years of mediocrity, Liu Bei finally figured out a problem: the reason why he was displaced and wandering for half his life was that he did not have a foundation as solid as a mountain.

Looking back at the past, Emperor Gaozu rose in Guanzhong and Emperor Guangwu prospered in Henei. Both of them had deep roots and a solid foundation to control the world. They were able to defeat the enemy when attacking and repel the enemy when retreating. Even if they encountered setbacks and failures, they would be as healthy as before after a period of recuperation.

In addition, without talking about the past, let's just talk about the present. Yuan Shao started his career in Yecheng, Cao Cao started his business in Yanzhou, and Liu Zhang made his fortune in Yizhou. They all had a solid foundation, a solid base and production area for food and supplies, weapons and armor, brave generals and sharp soldiers. That's why these people were able to have the last laugh in the struggle for hegemony among the heroes.

"Foundation." Liu Bei's heart was burning with excitement. He thought about the places that could become his foundation. Central Plains, Guanzhong, Hebei... It seemed that all the prefectures and counties in the world had owners. It seemed that he had no chance.

Maybe we can find another way.

Liaodong!!!

Liu Bei spread out a map on the desk. Now that all the prefectures and counties in the world had their own owners, it seemed that he could only look for opportunities in the corners, and Liaodong might be a good choice for him.

Firstly, Liaodong is remote and seldom experienced wars, and many people from the Central Plains fled to Liaodong due to the wars. Therefore, the population of Liaodong should be no less than hundreds of thousands, and there is no shortage of manpower. Secondly, Liaodong is close to Youyan, and for Liu Bei, who was born in Zhuo County, it is a familiar land and it is relatively cheap to conquer it.

Thirdly, Gongsun Du, the governor of Liaodong, appeared to be submissive to Yuan Shao, but was not very respectful to Yuan Shao in private, and did not take the orders from Yecheng seriously. Yuan Shao had always wanted to conquer Liaodong, but he did not have the right person or the right opportunity at the moment.

Or he could use Yuan Shao's power to pursue his own interests. (End of this chapter)