Super Cultivation System of the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 954: Rebellion in Qingzhou
Liu Bei looked at the messenger and said, "Are you Chen Qun, the son of Mr. Chen Yuanfang?"

The messenger replied in a neither humble nor arrogant manner: "Yes, my name is Chen Qun, and my father is indeed Chen Ji."

"That's strange." Shen Pei at the side interrupted and said, "Back then, the entire Chen family was arrested and imprisoned. How come you were able to escape?"

Chen Qun said coldly: "Qun was studying abroad at that time, not at home, so he was spared."

"Huh, there is still a fish that slipped through the net, what a pity." Shen Pei's expression was full of contempt. He immediately stood up and suggested to Liu Bei: "My lord, Chen Ji committed treason and his crimes are heinous. Since Chen Qun escaped by chance, he should have lived in hiding and lived in shame. But now he dares to help Cao to commit atrocities and come here to promote the traitor. My lord, you should quickly capture him and escort him to Luoyang to send him to the emperor for punishment."

"Zhengnan's words make sense. This is what we should do. Please make a decision quickly, my lord." Tian Feng also stood up and expressed his opinion.

Upon hearing what the two of them said, Zhang Fei, who had just retreated, immediately acted aggressively again, as if he was ready to capture Chen Qun at any time.

Liu Bei did not say anything, but continued to stare at Chen Qun, and Chen Qun suddenly raised his head and laughed.

"Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha……"

Liu Bei asked, "Sir, why are you laughing?"

Chen Qun pointed at Tian Feng and Shen Pei and sneered, "I laugh at you two. You have been receiving salaries from the envoy, but you have no intention of repaying your lord's kindness. Instead, you have made such misleading remarks."

"Hey, you are the son of a traitor, how dare you insult my two military advisors? Come, take my spear..."

Zhang Fei flew into a rage and thrust his spear forward, but Jiang Huan quickly stepped forward and grabbed him.

"Hey, Third Brother, don't be reckless. Wait for Big Brother's decision."

Liu Bei frowned and said, "Your Excellency, are you trying to alienate me and the two military advisors by saying this? If so, it would be better to save some effort."

"Haha." Chen Qun smiled calmly, "Every word I said is true. You two are the envoy's staff, and you should be concerned about the envoy's future. But the current situation in the world is exactly related to the envoy's life and death. Not only did they not plan for the envoy, but they also said such bad words. Aren't they trying to put the envoy in a miserable situation?"

Tian Feng looked a little unhappy: "Zhengnan and I, although we dare not say that we are upright gentlemen, we are loyal and righteous and never dare to violate it. You have slandered us so much, today I must ask you for an explanation."

Shen Pei also glared at him, and everyone else present also cast unfriendly glances at Chen Qun.

Chen Qun didn't take it seriously at all and said calmly, "May I ask, what is your official position now?"

Liu Bei was a little confused, but he still answered him: "I have been favored by the emperor and appointed as the General of the Left and the Governor of Xuzhou."

Chen Qun said, "Your Excellency is such a high official title. But in my opinion, the rank of this official position is not important to the current Envoy. The Envoy controls most of Xuzhou and more than a dozen cities in Qingzhou, with a population of millions. He has ten carriages in and out, and he lives a life of luxury, just like a prince. This is not because of the official position conferred by the emperor, but because of his strength."

Liu Bei was a little impatient: "What do you mean by saying this?"

"Of course it's for your future." Chen Qun stood straight with his head held high.

"The emperor in Luoyang is so majestic and powerful that all the officials at all levels and the wealthy and powerful families in the prefectures and counties under his rule have been weakened layer by layer. All parties are checked and balanced, and no one who may threaten the imperial power is allowed to appear."

"Your Excellency is so powerful now because Xuzhou is not under the jurisdiction of the Luoyang court. If the whole country were united, would you still be able to claim to be alone and lead the military and political affairs of a state like you are now?"

"nonsense."

Zhuge Xuan scolded him, "Your Majesty is wise and powerful, and is a wise ruler throughout history. Since Your Majesty ascended the throne, the barbarians have surrendered, the people have lived in peace, and the Han Dynasty has never seen such a prosperous era. My master is a noble of the Han Dynasty, a descendant of the Liu family. Since the Yellow Turban Rebellion, he has been loyal to the country and has made many contributions. Even Your Majesty must respectfully call him the emperor's brother. You are the descendant of a treacherous villain, and now you are serving the traitor. You are a traitor and shameless. How dare you come here to alienate the friendship between my master and Your Majesty?"

"Brother Jun Mo is right." Chen Deng also said, "My lord is only concerned about the Han Dynasty. You are instigating him to rebel against the court for personal gain. You deserve to be killed."

"My lord, please capture this man quickly and send him to your majesty for punishment."

Everyone made the suggestion in unison, but Chen Qun ignored them and stared at Liu Bei.

Liu Bei pressed his hands together, signaling everyone to be quiet, and then he spoke: "What you said is correct. I am a weaver and shoe seller, but I have been favored by Your Majesty and promoted to this day. I will do my best to repay Your Majesty's grace. Your Majesty has a heart of benevolence and righteousness, and as a minister, I should assist you as much as possible. Even if Your Majesty makes mistakes, we should also do our best to advise you. How can we abandon the greater good for our own selfishness?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Chen Qun immediately asked, "However, the man in Luoyang has been killing loyal officials and framing nobles. The Han Dynasty may seem prosperous, but in fact, it is fraught with hidden dangers. As a royal relative, how can you sit back and watch?"

“No need to say too much in a long article.”

Liu Bei raised his hand to interrupt him: "Your Majesty's many policies, whether they are right or wrong, I dare not speak rashly. I only have one thing to say, Your Majesty is not wrong, there are many loyal and patriotic people in the court, now is the time to revive the Han Dynasty, I should help you with all my strength, and there is no reason to disobey."

"But..." Chen Qun wanted to say more, but Liu Bei no longer intended to listen.

"All right. When I was young, I traveled around to study and was taught by your father. Considering our friendship, I will not tie you up in Luoyang today. You can spend a few days in Xuzhou. If you are willing to give up evil and stay here to work, I will certainly make use of you. If you insist on returning to the traitor Cao Cao, I can also let you go and will not make it difficult for you."

"My lord, this may not be appropriate..." Tian Feng and others became anxious.

"Okay, there's no need to persuade me anymore. I've made up my mind. Someone, take Mr. Chen Qun back to the inn to rest."

Several soldiers ran in quickly and took Chen Qun away.

Inside the inn, Chen Qun paced back and forth in the room, muttering to himself.

"Your Majesty is not at fault... Your Majesty is not at fault... Liu Bei emphasized this sentence on purpose. Is there any other meaning behind it?"

After repeating it several times, Chen Qun suddenly clapped his hands and said, "Yes, I understand..."

In Pingyu City, Yuzhou, Zhang Yong and Gao Shun met here.

"Then Cao Cao finally had some self-awareness. He led the remaining troops and retreated southward. I think he was preparing to cross the Yangtze River and return to Jingzhou to confront the imperial court."

"This man does have some courage to cut off his own arm, but even if he still has the land of Jingzhou, how can he compete with the imperial court? It seems that the unification of the world is just around the corner. Just thinking about it makes me excited."

Many generals from the two armies gathered together at this moment to discuss military affairs, and everyone seemed very excited and happy.

"It's a pity that General Gao is too seriously injured. He managed to hold on to capture Pingyu City these days with great difficulty. Now his injury has relapsed. I'm afraid he can't continue the march for a while."

A general under Gao Shun sighed.

"Don't worry. Cao Cao is like a grasshopper in autumn, he won't be able to jump for many more days. What's the harm in letting him live a few more days?" "That's right, General Gao is a general of the court, as famous as our General Zhang, we must not let him fail."

"Hey, what do you think the imperial court will reward us with after the war is settled?"

"Needless to say? Good farmland, houses, titles and noble rank are all necessary. Moreover, after the unification of the world, there will inevitably be some wars, whether on the border or in rebellion, so we don't have to retire. I asked my two unpromising sons to take the exam for the Military Academy of the Imperial College, hoping that they can inherit my legacy in the future. It would be best if they could surpass me and win a title for their wife and children."

"Hahahaha...you are quite ambitious..."

As everyone was talking and laughing, Zhang Yong came over and many generals hurriedly saluted.

"No need to be so polite, I'm just taking a look around."

Zhang Yong said casually.

"General Zhang, when are we going to send troops to attack Cao?" Several generals seemed impatient.

Zhang Yong smiled: "Haha, don't worry, you will fight in this battle and win military merit. But General Gao's injury is serious. The military doctor said that he needs to rest for at least ten days to half a month before he can lead the army again. And my fifth brother is still recovering in Xuchang. The generals under Cao Cao are all skilled in martial arts. They need my fifth brother to recover and then go out together to ensure safety."

These generals had all witnessed the martial arts of Xiahou Dun and others, so they naturally agreed with what Zhang Yong said.

"Thump thump thump..." A burst of hurried footsteps was heard. Zhang Yong looked back and saw a soldier running towards him in a hurry.

"Why are you panicking?"

The soldier replied, "General, there is an urgent report from Qingzhou and it is about to be sent to Luoyang."

Zhang Yong frowned: "Qingzhou? What happened?"

"Qingzhou was suddenly invaded by pirates. They were quite powerful, numbering tens of thousands. The governor Jiao He led troops to suppress the rebellion, but was ambushed by the pirates and died of his wounds."

"Huh?" Zhang Yong was shocked: "Governor Jiao died for his country?"

Jiao He had been the governor of Qingzhou since before the Yellow Turban Rebellion. He had been in office in Qingzhou for fifteen or sixteen years. Although he was not proficient in martial arts and was not familiar with military affairs, he was an upright official and loyal to the court. He could be regarded as one of the earliest local officials to be loyal to Liu He.

The sudden news of death made Zhang Yong mourn and feel alert at the same time.

"Where did these pirates come from? How dare they invade our borders?"

The soldier said, "We don't know about this yet. After killing Governor Jiao, these pirates became more rampant and frequently harassed the coastal counties. They even occasionally looted and ravaged the area, causing suffering to the people. The deputy governor of Qingzhou and several governors jointly wrote to the court, requesting the court to send troops to quell the rebellion."

Zhang Yong nodded with a serious face: "In this case, you should send this urgent report to Luoyang immediately without delay."

"As ordered."

In the palace, Liu He, who had just received this urgent report, hurriedly sought out Xun Yu to discuss.

Xun Yu looked at the urgent report and said, "Your Majesty, although the court is now strong in soldiers and horses, and the military is powerful, it is not good at naval warfare, and has not even formed a navy. These pirates travel on the waves all year round. Considering the current situation of the court, I am afraid it will be difficult to deal with them."

Liu He nodded slightly: "I am also troubled by this. The report said that the bandits have no less than 20,000 or 30,000 soldiers, and they are familiar with naval warfare and the terrain of Qingzhou. They appear and disappear at will, and every time the officers and soldiers go out, they quickly sail away, which is really difficult to deal with."

Xun Yu thought for a moment and said, "I do have a candidate who may be able to quell this rebellion."

Liu He looked at him and said, "Could it be that Wen Ruo meant..."

"It seems that Your Majesty has also thought of it." Xun Yu bowed.

"Well, after thinking about it, only my brother Liu Bei can take on this important task. When he was in Donglai County, he trained the navy and quelled pirate rebellions many times. His three brothers are familiar with naval battles. Now that Cao Cao has retreated, my brother's situation in Xuzhou should be greatly eased, and he can concentrate his forces to quell this rebellion. But..."

Liu He was secretly worried: "It's just that Liu Bei seems to have big ambitions. I'm worried..."

Halfway through his words, he shook his head again: "Oh, forget it. Now is not the time to think about this."

Xun Yu said, "Your Majesty, there is one more thing. The three generals have submitted petitions several times in the past few days, requesting to go to the battlefield in Yuzhou. I wonder what Your Majesty thinks..."

Liu He thought for a moment and said, "It's hard for him. Among the five of us, he is the most warlike. He risked his life alone that day. After I rescued him, I beat him with a hundred military sticks and put him in solitary confinement for more than half a year. With his temper, I'm afraid it would be more painful than beheading him. Well, anyway, my fifth brother is injured, and my fourth brother and Bo Ping also need the support of the general."

After he finished speaking, he straightened his expression and said, "Send an order, order Cheng Liang to lead an army of 30,000 to rush to Yuzhou to help. Also, confer Liu Bei the title of General Zhendong and Marquis of Linshui, and order him to rush to Qingzhou to quell the rebellion without delay."

"I will draft the decree now."

Just as Xun Yu was about to pick up his pen, Liu He suddenly said, "Oh, let Da Meng go with my third brother. Dian Wei is no longer the same as he was before, and my fifth brother is injured. My third brother alone is definitely not his opponent. Da Meng is Dian Wei's nemesis, so he might be able to do something amazing."

"Your Majesty is wise."

Xun Yu praised him with a few words, then picked up his pen and drafted the imperial edict.

Two days later, outside the city of Luoyang, Cheng Liang and Dameng, leading a large army, marched slowly.

"Oh no... there's another fight..."

Da Meng, who had been kept at home and had not been to the battlefield for several years, seemed extremely excited at this moment. He was dancing while riding on the horse.

Cheng Liang looked at the cheerful Da Meng and was also influenced by him and in a good mood.

"Hey, Da Meng, follow me to fight Cao Cao this time. We brothers have to work harder. We can't let the limelight be stolen by the fourth and fifth brothers."

"Work harder...work harder...Da Meng wants to chop off that grass' head with his own hands and give it to the eldest brother of the Liu family."

"That's right." Cheng Liang was very happy. "These sons of bitches have caused me, Master Cheng, a lot of harm. I was beaten with military sticks several times because of them. Last time, they almost caused my eldest brother to lose his life. They are so despicable. This time, I must let those Cao troops see my methods and see if they dare to go against the court."

When he said this, a fierce light flashed in Cheng Liang's eyes.

(End of this chapter)