Super Cultivation System of the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 620 Cao Liu's Movements
Qingzhou, Beihai County, Ju County, and Taishou Mansion.

The Prefect of Beihai was the well-known descendant of Confucius, Kong Rong, so Prefect Kong was also called Kong Beihai.

Now in the prefect's mansion, Kong Beihai is entertaining guests, and this guest is none other than Liu Bei Liu Xuande.

"I have long heard that Lord Xuande and his two brothers are sworn brothers. Jiang Wude is well versed in military strategy, while Zhang Yide is invincible in courage. I also witnessed General Zhang's brave fight against Lu Bu at Hulao Pass. Now General Zhang has done another great deed by beheading Ju Yi, completely relieving Qingzhou of danger. I would like to offer a toast to General Zhang."

Zhang Fei raised his cup and laughed, feeling extremely proud: "Haha, you are still the best old man..."

"Huh? Third brother, don't be rude!" Liu Bei shouted, and Zhang Fei quickly changed his words.

"Oh no, it's still you, Lord Kong, who has great insight. I, Old Zhang, respect you, too!"

"Haha, General Zhang has such a pure heart. It's rare, rare."

Liu Bei said, "Sir Kong, please don't praise this guy. My third brother is good at taking advantage of others. Moreover, this time we were able to kill Ju Yi and seize his 30,000-man army, all thanks to the military advisor's strategy. If the military advisor had not predicted that Yuan Shao would be defeated quickly and Ju Yi had not learned the details, so he sent people to pretend that the defeated army of Jizhou came to surrender and lure Ju Yi out of the city, how could my third brother have won so easily?"

He pointed at Shen Pei and Tian Feng. Kong Rong looked over and said with a smile, "Although you two once served the traitor Yuan Shao, you are now able to abandon darkness and join the light. It is a great blessing. I respect you two as well."

Shen Pei was about to return the toast, but Tian Feng was a little displeased: "Although we two followed the lord, Yuan Shao was still our former master, and we dare not show any disrespect. Now that our former master is dead, please forgive me for not being able to drink this celebratory wine."

Kong Rong held the wine glass in the air, feeling awkward.

Seeing this, Liu Bei quickly picked up his cup and said, "I present this to the governor on behalf of Yuan Hao."

Kong Rong did not take it seriously: "Haha, Tian Yuanhao's loyalty is indeed true. I admire him."

After drinking a cup, Kong Rong asked, "Now that Lord Xuande has captured Ju Yi's troops, he is now strong and powerful. What are your plans for the future? Will you leave Qingzhou and go to Bingzhou to join the general?"

Kong Rong naturally knew that Liu Bei was driven away from his post as the governor of Shangdang by Yuan Shao, so he had such an idea. After all, anyone with a discerning eye could see that General Liu He was in his prime, and he could be the number one lord in the world after destroying Yuan Shao's vassal states, and he was also the legitimate heir of the Han Dynasty. Liu Bei had such strength, plus he was a relative of the Han Dynasty, if he went to join him, he would be highly valued and would have a bright future.

Unexpectedly, Liu Bei shook his head and said: "General, you have well-trained soldiers and sufficient food. The bravery of the generals is even greater than that of my three brothers. It is really useless for me to go to Bingzhou. It is better for me to stay here and build a career outside so that I can communicate with the court from afar."

Kong Rong nodded his head when he heard this. "Well, Lord Xuande's words make sense. Qingzhou is also the heartland of the Central Plains and is quite prosperous. Lord Xuande was the magistrate of Linji County in Anle County in his early years. Why not stay here? After all, I and Governor Jiao are old and not good at military affairs. There are many harassments from pirates in the east and bandits in Taishan in the west. With Lord Xuande here, we can all rest assured. If you are interested, I will jointly submit a petition with the governor to recommend Lord Xuande as the governor of Anle. What do you think?"

Jiang Huan and Zhang Fei were both delighted when they heard this, but Tian Feng secretly winked at Liu Bei and shook his head slightly.

Liu Bei understood and said, "If I can stay in Qingzhou, I will be more than happy. However, although Anle County is close to the sea, I have heard that pirates often cause trouble in Donglai and Chengyang counties. Since I have to guard one place for my court, how can I covet the comfort of the rear? It is better for me to go to Donglai."

Kong Rong's eyes were full of admiration and praise: "Ah, everyone says that Lord Xuande is unparalleled in benevolence and righteousness, and it really lives up to his reputation. I should respect Xuande again."

Liu He replied: "You are too kind, Lord Kong. I am a descendant of the Han Dynasty, so this is my duty. Why should I mention it?"

At this time, Shen Pei asked, "May I ask the governor, what are the customs, products, and military equipment of Donglai County like? My lord should find out the details, and after taking office, he can start to rectify the weak points."

Kong Rong did not doubt him and said immediately, "Donglai County is just to the east of my Beihai County, and I know a lot about it. This county has about 110,000 households and more than 400,000 people. Except for Changguang County, the rest of the counties are all along the coast. The people mostly rely on fishing, hunting and farming for a living. It is not rich, but it can be called a land of fish and rice. It is precisely because of this that pirates gather here. As for the military equipment, although I don't know the details of the soldiers in the county, the total number should be between 30,000 and 40,000. Because they have been resisting pirates for many years, they are not good at horse fighting, but they are quite proficient in sea fighting."

Liu Bei lowered his head and thought for a moment, then said: "So, I have a plan in mind." "Oh? Xuande is really talented. I wish Xuande great success in his position in Donglai!"

At the same time, at Hulao Pass, Cao Cao gathered all his generals.

"Everyone..." Cao Cao's tiger eyes swept across the people standing below.

"Zhongde's strategy of showing weakness to the enemy has now worked. Our army has defended more and attacked less. Yuan Shu has long regarded us as nothing. Now that Yuan Shao is dead, he is the only heir of the Yuan family. He thinks that he has won the battle with Yuan Shao for many years and has become more rampant. The time for our army to advance has come. I wonder if you have any suggestions?"

Xiahou Dun said excitedly: "What other suggestions do you need? The army is out in full force to flatten Luoyang City. All the generals under Yuan Shu are incompetent. Even if it is Ji Ling, who has some skills, there is nothing to be afraid of."

"Yuan Rang is right." Cao Hong also agreed, "For several months, our two armies have been deliberately showing weakness. The soldiers have been holding their breath for a long time. If we launch an attack now, the soldiers will fight to the death. How can we not win?"

Cao Cao nodded and looked towards his advisers. Jia Xu lowered his head and remained silent, Cheng Yu was eager to try, Guo Jia seemed to be thinking, and Xi Zhong had a calm expression.

Cao Cao didn't think much about it and called out directly: "Zhicai, what do you think?"

Xi Zhong stepped forward and said, "My lord, what the two generals said is indeed reasonable. If we go into battle now, our army will surely win. However, after winning, we will face a huge problem."

"Oh? What a difficult problem?" Cao Cao asked.

Xi Zhong said, "My lord, your ambition is not to kill Yuan Shu, but to strengthen our army. If we attack the city by force, we will surely win, but firstly, our army will suffer heavy losses, and secondly, it will take a long time, not a one-day achievement. If we take Luoyang, the general will lead the army to take over Luoyang and Yuzhou. My lord will have no power to resist, and then all our efforts will fall into Liu He's hands. Isn't it a pity?"

At this time, Xiahou Yuan interrupted: "Didn't Feng Xiao suggest that we trick Liu He into entering the palace and then ambush him with assassins? I think this is a good plan."

Xi Zhong still had a calm expression: "The plan of Feng Xiao is indeed brilliant. The lord has always pretended to be flattering and loyal to Liu He. Even if Liu He does not fully trust him, he will not be suspicious when Luoyang city is right in front of him. But if so, General Miaocai, have you ever thought about the consequences?"

Xiahou Yuan was confused: "Consequences? What consequences? Kill Liu He, annex his forces, and then seize the world. What else can I do?"

Cao Cao seemed to understand: "Well, Zhicai is right. If we kill Liu He, we will have to face the counterattack of his subordinates and hundreds of thousands of troops. This is the problem."

"That's right, my lord." Xi Zhong continued.

"Not to mention that Guan Yu, Cheng Liang and others have been sworn brothers with Liu He for more than ten years, sharing life and death with him. Their friendship is extraordinary. Even famous generals of the time such as Gao Shun and Zhao Yun are loyal to him. The soldiers under Liu He are all brave and good at fighting, and their morale is unparalleled. Liu He's death alone will not deter them and make them surrender. Instead, it will make them furious and determined to fight to the death with our army."

Cao Cao nodded, "Yes, this is also why I admire Liu He. Most of the officers in his army, from squad leaders to generals, were promoted and trained by Liu He from the grassroots. The reason why he dared to present his military token to Dong Zhuo and made Dong Zhuo completely defenseless against him was because even if he didn't have the military token in his hand, the soldiers under his command would only obey him and would never pay attention to Dong Zhuo who held the military token. Such military spirit is rare in the world."

There was one more thing Cao Cao hadn't said yet. There were many children of large families in his army who came with their troops to join him, ranging from hundreds to thousands. The soldiers actually recruited by him accounted for less than half of them.

Although he usually used both kindness and force, and the troops such as Xiahou and Cao were his relatives, so the army was united and stronger than the troops of the two Yuans, he still believed that if he died suddenly at this time, most of the soldiers and generals in the army would definitely disperse and choose another wise leader, or even join his enemies in a blink of an eye. At least in this regard, he envied Liu He's methods.

Xiahou Yuan frowned and asked, "Is Liu He unable to move?"

He looked at Guo Jia, expecting him to say something, but to his surprise, he just had a smile on his face and didn't seem to have any objection to the matter at all.

(End of this chapter)