Wait, please don't call me Emperor Zhaolie

Chapter 161 I bet Liu Xuande dare not touch me

When they arrived at Liangcheng County of Xia Pi Commandery, the Yi River flowed to the east, blocking their way.

The Yishui River system is a busy area for transporting materials in Xuzhou, connecting the north and south and east and west counties of Xuzhou.

At this moment, all the ships passing by were intercepted by official ships flying the flag with the word "Liu" on it, and the grain ships were not allowed to sail south or east.

When the cavalry went south along the river, they could not avoid being encountered by the boats on the river. The state government had secretly requisitioned official ships to control the river all the way.

Liu Bei was also worried that the news of his marching route would not be leaked by the relay stations and post offices along the highway, but would be leaked by the grain ships instead.

Under the appointment of Tao Qian, Zuo Rong controlled the canal of the three counties. He must have had men in these places. If he did not take control of them first, the enemy would turn around and run away when they saw the cavalry heading south. No matter how good Liu Bei was at fighting, he would have no way to take the boats in the river.

The soldiers cut down trees and built a pontoon bridge. Under the terrified gazes of the passing grain ships, the cavalry quickly crossed the river and galloped south.

The galloping horses raised dust and quickly disappeared at the end of the road without stopping.

Not far away, there were some noble families from Xuzhou who witnessed everything. They saw that Liu Bei's soldiers were still majestic and in high spirits as they marched forward. They were truly the powerful army from Qingzhou that was rampant in Hebei.

Many noble families on the canal boats traveled here. They all saw the cavalry's "Liu" flag fluttering in the wind, and couldn't help but sigh in their hearts: "Fast as the wind, slow as the forest, quick as fire, unpredictable as the shadow, and powerful as thunder. Lord Xuande is indeed worthy of his reputation."

Thinking about the news he had received that General Liu lived in the military camp and took the cavalry out for training every day, he suddenly led his army to the south. It seemed that he was going to capture and kill Xia Pi Xiang Zuo Rong. There was a great chance of success if he acted so quickly. The weather in Xia Pi was probably going to change.

……

The Buddhist temple on the outskirts of Xia Pi County was built by Zuo Rong himself, modeled after the White Horse Temple in Luoyang.

Zuo Rong once joked to the Gongcao official: "The White Horse Temple in Luoyang was destroyed during Dong Zhuo's rebellion. This place can be a new White Horse Temple, and even more eye-catching."

In order to prove that what he said was true, he ordered the craftsmen to paint the body of the Buddha statue with gold and sew the Buddha's clothes with fine silk, which shocked all the viewers and believers.

The vast open space of the Buddhist temple can accommodate thousands of people worshipping at the same time.

During every grand event, the wealthy and powerful as well as the common people from nearby areas would be invited to come and watch and eat.

The next one or two days would be the days when Zuo Rong would wear Buddhist robes and sit in the center of the temple to lecture on Buddhist scriptures. He needed to wash himself in the temple for three days, so he arrived at Xia Pi Temple in advance.

"My lord, the governor of Guangling, Zhao Yu, and the prime minister of Pengcheng, Xue Li, have both sent their inspectors to listen to the Buddhist scriptures and then pay their respects to my lord."

Xia Pi Shu Zuo whispered in Zuo Rong's ear.

Hearing this, Zuo Rong opened his eyes and sneered, "This person is really cowardly. Xuzhou is not Qingzhou. What can they do without relying on us Liu Xuande? Why do they have to pretend to inspect the counties in the name of the Inspector and then turn around to Xia Pi?"

As he said this he couldn't help but sneer and shook his head.

These famous scholars were only willing to pretend. If they were really willing to share the three counties with him, relying on the convenience of the river, it would be difficult to take them away. Liu Xuande would also focus on checks and balances like Tao Gongzu, and would not dare to use force easily to prevent chaos in Xuzhou.

Unfortunately, Guangling Prefect Zhao Yu was such a coward that he completely sided with Liu Xuande and refused to listen to his advice, causing the plan to abruptly fail.

Zuo Rong had been holding a grudge for a long time.

"My lord, Liu Xuande has written another letter." The secretary suddenly remembered something and hurried to the door to bring it in.

Zuo Rong waved his hand and said, "Don't read it, just burn it. Liu Xuande kept saying the same few words to me, wanting me to hand over the post of supervising the three counties' canal, and change the name from three counties to two counties, and then from two counties to one county, but I don't want to give him even one county." "Burn the wooden slip. If there is no reply after a few days, let him know my determination. If you want to take back the canal, it will be impossible unless you pay a hundred million coins first."

Zuo Rong sneered, "Once it's in my pocket, how can it be so easy to take it?"

The secretary frowned and said worriedly, "My lord, isn't it inappropriate to offend Liu Xuande like this? After all, he is the governor of Xuzhou, and we are all lowly officials. Moreover, his army is strong, so it is better to get out of the way."

Zuo Rong smiled faintly and waved his hand, saying, "It's okay. I have already discussed with Yuan Gonglu, who is a noble for four generations. If Liu Xuande dares to harm me, I will immediately offer Xia Pi County to join him. Yuan Gong is very powerful in Huainan, and Lujiang County, apart from the mountains and tombs, is almost entirely his."

"Moreover, Yangzhou Governor Cao Mengde also has a grudge against Liu Xuande. Both of them can be used as reinforcements. Once Xia Pi surrenders, Guangling and Pengcheng will surely be shaken. By then, the two princes in the south will take advantage of the situation and lead their armies. Half of Xuzhou will be lost in an instant. Liu Xuande will not fail to settle this account."

Zuo Rong glanced at Shu Zuo and said with a smile: "I have calculated this in my mind, and it must be beneficial. If you dare to capture him, it will not be good for him."

The secretary was speechless and wanted to say something, but he felt that his master was right. If he were Liu Xuande, he would not dare to act rashly.

But I feel like something has been overlooked, but I can’t tell where.

On the other side, Liu Bei led his army to approach Xia Pi, and the scouts had already spread out seven or eight miles away to gather information.

Liu Bei stood on a slope and looked at the fields and vegetable plots in Xia Pi. It was just the beginning of winter and the sunflowers were resistant to slight frost and were growing lushly.

"The climate is still better in the south." Liu Bei sighed.

At this moment, the laborers in the fields had been driven together. Wherever he passed, anyone who had seen the army, whether they were common people, scholars, nobles, or officials, were all controlled and unable to leave for a short time.

Seeing the crowd in panic, Liu Bei sent a military officer to explain things clearly, while he waited for the scouts to find out where Zuo Rong was at the moment.

Just because he learned that Zuo Rong was going to lecture on Buddhist scriptures in the near future, and according to past practice, he would stay in a Buddhist temple on the outskirts of Xia Pi County for several days, he realized that this was the best opportunity, and immediately rushed to participate in the event hosted by Zuo Rong.

It would be a little bit troublesome if Zuo Rong were to return to Xia Pi City. If he doesn't, give him a gift.

"Ta-da-da..." The sound of hurried horse hooves came from the east.

The scout came and reported: "Sir, we have already found out that there will be a Buddhist sutra festival tomorrow and the day after tomorrow, and the Prime Minister of Xia Pi is washing in the Buddhist temple."

"How far is it from here?" Liu Bei asked.

The scout thought for a moment and said, "It should be less than ten miles away."

After hearing this, Liu Bei smiled and turned his head to the military officer, saying, "Order your soldiers to mount their horses and charge straight to the Buddhist temple to capture and kill Zuo Rong. Anyone who dares to stop us with weapons will be killed immediately."

"Yes!" The military officer bowed and left after receiving the order.

The crime of Zuo Rong's indiscriminate killing of officials and civilians had long been recorded in the state, but Tao Qian was powerless to do anything about it.

Liu Bei executed people according to the law based on their previous crimes. Anyone who dared to resist with weapons would be killed in an orderly manner.

The Huben Cavalry and Ruichong Battalion, which were resting, immediately gathered together upon hearing the horn sound, and formed a column formation to follow Liu Bei forward, roaring forward with great momentum like a torrent.

(End of this chapter)