Wait, please don't call me Emperor Zhaolie

Chapter 117 Liu Bei laughs at Tao Qian's wishful thinking
Mi Zhu hesitated for a moment and said, "Mr. Tao asked the envoy to point to the water and promise that the Tao family will enjoy wealth and honor from generation to generation, and there will be no extinction of descendants."

Liu Bei was stunned, then shook his head and laughed.

"Zi Zhong, Emperor Gaozu and the other meritorious officials were given titles and promised that they would last forever. However, the descendants of the meritorious officials relied on the favor and disregarded the Han laws, acting arrogantly and domineeringly. In just a hundred years, many families were stripped of their titles and executed."

"I think Tao Gongzu is afraid that his descendants will be too obedient, so he deliberately invites disaster. The grace of a gentleman will be cut off after five generations. I can promise you wealth and honor for three generations, but after that, the descendants of the Tao family will have no talent or virtue and will be lost in the crowd. That is the will of heaven."

Liu Bei was surprised and amused. A promise that would last forever was a special privilege only for those who had helped Emperor Gaozu conquer the world.

It can't be guaranteed for many generations, because the heroes will seek death when they have something to rely on.

Either he was plotting a rebellion or he was messing around in his fiefdom. The reports of him being reported could be put in a basket.

Promising wealth and honor does not protect against all consequences, and later generations took the promise and rushed towards the destruction of three clans. There are so many examples in history books, but Tao Qian did not learn from them.

Maybe the illness has made even his brain confused.

When Mi Zhu heard the envoy's earnest words, he could not help but recall the several volumes of history books collected at home. He had to say that what Lord Xuande said made sense.

They wanted the family to continue from generation to generation, but unfortunately the descendants did not understand the good intentions of their ancestors and instead acted lawlessly and trampled on Han laws. As a result, they were exterminated before even three generations had passed.

Liu Shijun said that the three generations of Xu Tao's family were rich and powerful, which seemed more reliable. They could ensure that the descendants of Tao Gong could survive in troubled times and also save money.

It can also prevent the descendants of Tao from becoming arrogant and domineering, which is a good strategy.

After all, as time goes by, it is easy for the younger generation to be short-sighted and act lawless, so it is a good thing that there is no promise from the envoy.

Mi Zhu was thinking a lot, and finally nodded, cupped his hands and said: "Misfortune is the root of blessing, and blessing is the root of misfortune. Fortunately, the envoy pointed it out, and Zhu already knows it."

Liu Bei raised his hand and smiled, "The predecessors had no time to mourn themselves, but the later generations mourned them. If the later generations mourned them but did not learn from them, they would also make the later generations mourn the later generations."

Mi Zhu pondered over Liu Bei's words. Every word was subtle and to the point. There were complex emotions in his eyes. He always felt that the Mi family had missed a lot.

For merchants who sell goods, the most regrettable thing is not losing money, but accidentally missing out on a profitable business right in front of them. This is more painful than taking his life!
"Xuan De, do you still remember my little sister? She is almost 18 years old, and she was thinking of Brother Liu a few years ago..." Mi Zhu didn't know why he suddenly changed his address to something closer, calling back Brother Liu Xuande and pulling his little sister out to talk.

By the time he came to his senses, the words had already been spoken and it was impossible to take them back. He looked at Liu Bei in confusion and bowed repeatedly to apologize.

"Alas, Zizhong, you and I have been friends for many years. If it weren't for your support, how could I have the money to donate to the Gaotang County Magistrate? Why should we be so polite?"

Liu Bei raised his hand and helped him up. The higher your status, the lonelier you feel sometimes. Some people want to gain benefits from you and get closer to you, while others are respectful but keep moving further away.

Although Mi Fang was a thorn in his heart, it could not erase the friendship between Mi Zhu and his family.

What's more, this time Mi Zhu stood on his side to welcome Liu Xuande to Xuzhou.

As soon as Mi Zhu mentioned Mi's younger sister, Liu Bei suddenly realized that Mi Zizhong was going to marry him again. He couldn't refuse Mi Zizhong's sincere love, so he sighed and said, "Zizhong, you know that I like older girls. She is only twelve or thirteen years old. Please take good care of her for a few more years."

Just accept your fate. This life is destined to be one of hard work, whether it's on the battlefield, doing paperwork, or somewhere else.

Fortunately, my body has good recovery ability, so even if I have a few more, I won’t stop at just one try.

Mi Zhu's eyes suddenly lit up. Seeing that Liu Bei understood his implied meaning and mentioned the marriage, he immediately perked up.

The exhaustion of the past few days seemed to disappear in an instant. "It's stable, it's stable, the Mi family's retreat is stable." Mi Zhu shouted in ecstasy.

In the past one or two years, as Xuzhou Mu Tao Qian fell ill, he was worried about what would happen to the Mi family. He looked all over Xuzhou, Yangzhou, and Yuzhou, but found no one worthy of Mi's trust.

Until he suddenly remembered Liu Xuande, the governor of Qingzhou, and tried every means to find out about the affairs of Qingzhou. After he had a general understanding of everything that Liu Bei had done in Gaotang, he felt that there was no one more suitable for the Mi family to rely on than Liu Shijun.

It is only because of the grudges with Lord Tao that it is not easy to contact Qingzhou openly.

Now Liu Bei was finally willing to accept Mi, and because of their marriage relationship, even if they lacked talent in the future, the relationship would allow Mi to take a few more steps forward.

It was hard for Mi Zhu not to be happy. In his opinion, Liu Bei would surely be able to restore the country. Although his younger sister was a concubine now, she would not be so in the future.

With the contribution of Xuzhou and the marriage, the Mi family is bound to have a place in the new dynasty.

Mi Zhu could not hide his excitement, and said, "Don't worry, Xuande. The Mi family will definitely help the Liu family to keep Xuzhou. We will visit all the nobles and powerful families to persuade Tao Gongbiaojun to be the governor of Xuzhou."

Of course, we have to commend the governor of Xuzhou. In those days, the Han Dynasty was weak and many princes rose up. Even the prefects under his command would not approve of his position if he did not become a governor.

Liu Bei could understand Mi Zhu's joy in getting on the car, so he smiled and stroked his back, saying, "There is no need to rush. Let's put aside the nobles and powerful families and first see what Tao Gongzu thinks of the three generations of wealth and honor I promised."

Mi Zhu shook his head and smiled when he heard this, "Don't worry, Xuande. Tao Shang and Tao Ying are greedy for pleasure and hang out with girls and maids all day. When I came here, I heard that Shang and Ying's concubines are pregnant. If you can ensure their prosperity for three generations, Lord Tao should be satisfied."

If he hadn't said it, the two sons of the Tao family would have been hopeless.

Liu Bei thought that by tying himself to the Mi family, he would have his own people in Xuzhou. It would be useless even if Tao Qian changed his mind. The most fearful thing about taking over a prefecture or county is that no one would respond. As long as one family surrendered, a chain reaction would be set off.

After all, if one point is broken, the whole line will be shaken.

……

Eighty thousand hu of corn from the three counties of Juyang, Chengyang and Chengshi were shipped to the south of the Pu River to alleviate the urgent need for food in Liu Bei's army.

The armor and arrows from the arsenals of the three counties were also loaded onto baggage carts and transported across the pontoon bridge one after another to the other side of the river.

Liu Bei bought a batch of meat from the wealthy families and ordered the cooks to cook it to reward the army. Even the wealthy families' followers got a share of it, which made them cheer and express gratitude.

Who doesn't like to eat pie in the sky? It is even more rare to see it after a famine.

Liu Bei sent Taishi Ci to lead the powerful families' troops and reorganize and train them while there was still time to weaken the influence of each family.

Apart from being used during sieges to relieve pressure, it is of no use when facing off against an enemy army.

Put them in the front to fight Liu Dai. If they are defeated, even the soldiers will be affected if they are not careful and are recoiled.

Even if Liu Bei personally braved the arrows and stones and wore armor to fight, it would be difficult to break the enemy's morale.

In a head-on combat, sometimes losing your temper can lead to a crushing defeat.

Liu Bei did not dare to take the risk of using weak soldiers to wear armor and lead troops.

　Thanks to book friends Hengshan Jianzhexian and Cai Xisheng for the rewards!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)