The Three Kingdoms: Zhaolie, the strategist, and the rise of the Han Dynasty

Chapter 128 Liu Bei was so moved that he shed tears. He would rather let Zi Yu betray him than let Zi Yu down!
"In addition to resettling refugees, the soldiers also need money and food expenses for the winter allowance in October."

Xun You laid out the expenses of Xuzhou clearly in front of Liu Bei.

Liu Bei had the habit of giving winter rewards when he governed his army. Every October, he would start giving winter rewards and entertaining the soldiers.

Xun You continued speaking.

"The armor and fighting equipment needed to truly establish the Xian Camp is also a considerable expense."

"As for the money and grain used for farming, the amount is countless."

"All the officials in Xuzhou worked together to increase revenue and cut expenditure, tighten their belts and live frugally, and have used the tax money and grain to the utmost."

"How to supply another imperial center?"

"In addition to the expenses of the emperor, the palaces and castles he needed, as well as the empress, concubines, and male and female palace maids around him, the amount of money spent is also incalculable."

After Xun You expressed his concerns, not only Liu Bei, but all the other ministers nodded in agreement.

They worked so hard to build Xuzhou and lived frugally. Did they want the emperor and their civil and military officials to use the money they saved?
If the emperor were to come, palaces and city walls would definitely be built.

All imperial items must be available, otherwise it would be a disgrace to the royal family.

This expense alone will increase Xuzhou's economic burden.

Cao Cao in history was not afraid. He dug up the tomb of King Xiao of Liang and obtained countless gold and silver. Of course, he was not short of money.

But Xuzhou has been increasing revenue and reducing expenditure, and every penny has been spent on the most important things, so there can be no waste.

"Sir, you are right."

Liu Bei frowned and admitted that what Xun You said made sense.

Xuzhou has reached its current situation thanks to the joint efforts of everyone. How can we bear to see it fail because of one person?
Xun You continued:
"To be honest with you, You also served in the court in his early years, and was the Minister of the Imperial Household."

"I know that the Han court is corrupt and the officials are incompetent. They are scheming against each other and attacking their colleagues."

"It is with this in mind that You wants to go to Shu to serve as the governor of Shu County, away from the chaos."

Xun You was different from his uncle Xun Yu. Xun Yu was loyal to the Han Dynasty, but Xun You was more loyal to the world.

He prefers to believe that the laws of nature are constant and to go with the flow.

If he felt that the Han Dynasty had hope, he would go to help it.

If there is no hope, he won't force it.

So when he was young, Xun You dared to assassinate Dong Zhuo.

After Dong Zhuo's death, the country became even more unstable. Xun You knew that he could do nothing by staying in the capital, so he simply resigned from his position as the governor of Rencheng given by the court and stayed in Jingzhou.

This is Xun You’s doctrine of the mean.

He is humble and resourceful.

Cao Cao commented that perhaps some people could match Xun You's wisdom, but no one could match Xun You's low-keyness.

In this respect, he is quite similar to Jia Xu.

"Gongda's words are very much in line with my opinion."

Li Yi also stood up and responded:

"Nowadays, officials are made of rotten wood."

"Between the steps of the palace, beasts eat the food."

"People with wicked hearts and dog lungs are in power; people who are servile and fawning are in power."

"I heard that there was a severe drought in Sanfu last year, locusts rose up, and the people were starving."

"The emperor once ordered the Imperial Censor Hou Wen to cook rice and beans to help the people, but Hou Wen openly appropriated the public grain, causing the people to starve to death."

"Even a single Imperial Censor could disobey the Emperor's orders to such an extent, what about the other ministers?"

"If we welcome the emperor and his officials to Xiapi, it will make Xuzhou officials redundant."

Li Yi was basically the head of the civil servants in Xuzhou. After he finished his speech.

Chief Clerk Wang Xiu, Governor Liu Ye, Assistant Xun You and a number of other senior civil servants from Xuzhou came forward one after another.

"We all agree with what Li Junshi said."

"The emperor must not be welcomed."

Liu Bei readily accepted the advice and said:
"You all advised me not to welcome the emperor, so there is no need to force it."

"But the emperor is in trouble in Hedong now, and we cannot just ignore it."

"Besides, the emperor has summoned me with an imperial edict, so I cannot disobey him."

Xun You replied:
"This is an easy matter. We can receive the imperial edict and then send people to Luoyi to deliver money and food and provide rice and meat."

"To express my attitude of Xuzhou."

At this moment, the voice of the attendant came from outside the hall:

"Your Excellency, Kong Beihai is outside seeking to see you."

"Please come quickly!"

Liu Bei stood up quickly and said, "I will go out to greet them myself."

A moment later, Beihai Prime Minister Kong Rong came to the main hall.

Since he left Beihai, he has been living in Xuzhou.

On weekdays, he mainly runs the school, teaches students and answers their questions, and he enjoys the quiet and free time.

On weekdays, he rarely interfered in the political affairs of Xuzhou, but because of his reputation, all the ministers in Xuzhou respected him.

Liu Bei treated Kong Rong even more generously and only interacted with him as a colleague.

But today, Kong Rong, who had always been indifferent to worldly affairs, came up with a unique idea and took the initiative to come to the main hall to find Liu Bei.

It was when Liu Bei gathered all the civil and military officials to discuss matters.

Liu Bei invited Kong Rong to sit at the table and asked him sincerely:
"I wonder if Kong Beihai came to the front hall today to give you some instructions?"

Kong Rong sat upright, raised his eyebrows and asked:
"Xuan De, I just heard that an angel from the imperial court came to Xuzhou. Is this true?"

Liu Bei nodded and told Kong Rong truthfully about the emperor's imperial edict.

Kong Rong was so shocked that he stood up and said:

"Then why is Xuande still hesitating?"

"The emperor has issued an edict, how can we not obey it?"

"Besides, the emperor has been humiliated by the two thieves, Kuai and Si, and the ancestral temples have been destroyed. As officials, we should think about the country and the court!"

Kong Rong has always been proud of being the 20th generation descendant of Confucius, so he always upholds the concept of loyalty and filial piety first.

Now, hearing that the emperor was in trouble, he couldn't help but burst into tears and beat his chest and stamp his feet.

"I want to come to the king's defense, but Xuzhou is separated from Yu and Yan, so it is difficult to cross a thousand miles to bring the emperor to Xuzhou."

Liu Bei sighed helplessly and explained his difficulties to Kong Rong.

He also has the will but not the ability.

Kong Rong said loudly:
"As ministers, we should protect the emperor even if there are thousands of difficulties and dangers."

"If the emperor is captured by the two thieves Kuai and Si again, we will be unworthy of being his subjects and unworthy of eating his salary!"

"Kong Beihai, please calm down! Don't be impatient!"

Everyone rushed forward to encourage him.

"We are trying to find a way to prevent the emperor from suffering!"

Everyone could see that Kong Rong was really anxious and he was yelling loudly in the main hall, which was impolite and against etiquette.

With everyone's encouragement, Kong Rong's emotions gradually calmed down.

He also realized his own mistake and stood up, bowed and apologized to Liu Bei:

"Please forgive me, Xuande. It was Rong who was disrespectful just now."

Liu Bei hurriedly spoke to comfort him:
"Kong Beihai is also devoted to you, it's understandable, there's no need to blame yourself."

After Kong Rong calmed down, he also realized the difficulties in Xuzhou.

The emperor is not just the emperor. In these troubled times, he is also a political bargaining chip for the princes to fight over.

It was unrealistic for Liu Bei to welcome the emperor to Xuzhou.

"Xuan De, even if we cannot bring the emperor to Xuzhou, we cannot let him fall into the hands of evildoers."

Kong Rong said earnestly.

"Please rest assured, Kong Beihai, I was just discussing this matter with the ministers."

After Kong Rong calmed down, he carefully analyzed the situation for Liu Bei:

"The emperor is fortunate to be in Hedong, intending to return to the old capital in Luoyang."

"But since the traitor Dong burned down the palace, nothing has been done yet."

"The city walls collapsed, and we could not repair them."

"There are only a few hundred households left in Luoyang. I heard that the local people have no food to eat, so they all leave the city to peel tree bark and dig grass roots for food."

"How can the emperor be allowed to settle down in such a tragic situation?"

"So what does Kong Beihai mean...?"

Liu Bei humbly asked Kong Rong for his advice.

Kong Rong replied:

"The emperor returned east to get rid of the two thieves, Kuai and Si."

"Even if we return to Luoyang, we lack loyal ministers and good generals, so we will inevitably be captured by the two bandits again."

"Therefore, we must have powerful princes to guarantee and support the royal family, and move the capital to another place, so that there will be no danger."

Kong Rong was telling the truth. There were less than a hundred guards around Liu Xie.

Luoyang is not far from Chang'an, Li Jue and Guo Si will catch up soon.

If there were no powerful princes to protect him, the emperor would inevitably fall into the hands of the two thieves Li Jue and Guo Si again.

"Cao Cao controls Yanzhou, which is close to the governor of Henan. Will the emperor also send an imperial edict to summon him to the throne?"

Sun Qian, who was engaged in this activity, suddenly spoke up.

Liu Ye nodded, agreeing with Sun Qian's idea:
"What the emperor needs urgently now is the guarantee of the princes. Cao Cao has a strong army and many generals."

"Of course I won't go to Xuzhou to seek help."

Liu Bei's face tensed up, and he could not help but stand up and said seriously:
"If the emperor falls into Cao Cao's hands, Cao Cao will use the emperor to control the princes, and won't we all be constrained by him?"

"This is what I am worried about."

Liu Ye said, "Not only Cao Cao, but Yuan Shao in Hebei has a grudge against the emperor, but he may also send troops to seize the emperor."

As soon as Liu Ye finished speaking, the faces of all the officials in Xuzhou became nervous.

This emperor is really a hot potato and is difficult to handle.

Liu Bei was in a dilemma and hesitated.

I could only find Li Yi and ask him for advice.

"Military advisor, you have always been resourceful and strategic."

"Now Xuzhou is undecided, please give us some advice."

"Show us a clear path."

Li Yi raised the corners of his mouth slightly, and said softly to comfort Liu Bei:

"Don't worry, my lord. Yi has already made preparations for the emperor's return to the east." Already made preparations?

When these words were spoken, not only the ministers in Xuzhou, but even Liu Bei himself was a little surprised.

Why didn’t even I know that you, military advisor, had been prepared for this?
Li Yi was not in a hurry and called out, "Wenyuan!"

Zhang Liao took the order and stepped out.

Although he was seconded to Xuzhou to take orders, he liked the working atmosphere in Xuzhou very much.

The employees here are full of ideals and drive, and their eyes are full of light.

Zhang Liao felt lucky and honored to work with them.

"What are your orders, sir?"

Zhang Liao stepped out and asked with a bow.

Li Yi asked:
"Wenyuan, do you still remember the matter of rescuing the State of Chen before? I once asked you to do something?"

Zhang Liao answered without hesitation:

"Yes, I will remember."

"The master asked me to warn King Chen to repair the city walls and build a palace."

"……Um."

Li Yi nodded and pondered for a moment.

"The State of Chen is rich, with abundant resources and sufficient manpower."

"According to the time, King Chen should be almost done with the repairs."

Having said that, everyone understood what Li Yi meant.

"Military Advisor, are you planning to take the emperor to the State of Chen?"

"Exactly."

Li Yi patiently explained the reasons to Liu Bei.

"The State of Chen is rich, and the emperor will not humiliate the royal family if he comes here."

"Its geographical location is also excellent, being located between Yanzhou and Yuzhou."

"Xuzhou is not far from Chen State and can be reached tomorrow."

After a pause, Li Yi pointed at Sun Qian and said:

"As Sun Congshi said before, the emperor may not only bring the imperial edict to our Xuzhou family."

"It is also possible that Cao Cao received the imperial edict."

"With Cao Cao's literary talent and military strategy, he will definitely not miss this opportunity to welcome the emperor."

"If Cao Cao really kidnaps the emperor, all the princes in the country will be constrained by him."

"Especially the royal family members like the Lord, Liu Yangzhou, Liu Yizhou, and Liu Jingzhou, who suffered the most."

"On the contrary, if we want to welcome the emperor, Cao Cao will be constrained by us, and he will definitely not allow it."

"By then, Cao and Liu will surely fight again, with blood flowing like a river and no one will hear anything."

"The ones left behind are still the common people and the emperor's officials."

Upon hearing this, Liu Bei and others nodded and agreed with Li Yi's proposal.

Yes, no matter who comes to welcome the emperor, neither Cao nor Liu will be happy.

There will definitely be an exchange of fire at that time.

Although Xu is strong and Yan is weak now, Cao Cao's foundation is still there and he is not an easy bone to chew.

"But what if we bring the emperor to the State of Chen?"

Li Yi continued speaking.

"If the emperor were to visit the State of Chen, there would be four great benefits."

Which four?
Liu Bei asked.

"First, ease the conflict between Cao and Liu and stop the fighting in Yan and Xu states."

Since everyone wants it, then just don't want it.

Send the emperor to the State of Chen, and no one should threaten anyone else.

"Secondly, the State of Chen is located in Yuzhou, which is difficult for other princes to seize, so the emperor can be kept safe."

If the emperor was really placed in the State of Chen, he would be looked after by the two great princes, Cao and Liu.

Other princes really can't snatch it.

Li Yi turned the State of Chen into modern Mongolia.

Two great powers are serving me. How can this be considered a small blessing?
"rational!"

Liu Bei nodded repeatedly and listened carefully.

Liu Ye just said that it's not just the Cao and Liu families who have their eyes on the emperor. Yuan Shao might also come and snatch him away later.

Moving the emperor to Chen, away from Heshuo, can prevent powerful princes like Yuan Shao from coming to rob him.

"Third, King Chen Liu Chong has protected himself in Chen for many years, and the country is rich and the people are well-off, the people are loyal to him, and the army is strong and powerful."

"Moreover, Prince Chen Liu Chong and Prime Minister Luo Jun are both loyal to the court. They think that the people of the Han Dynasty are loyal and righteous."

"If the emperor were here, he would never be bullied by villains."

Li Yi's arrangement is definitely worthy of Emperor Liu Xie.

You must know that now the imperial power is lost and the emperor's majesty is gone.

When in Hedong, Liu Xie could only live in a thorny hedge without even a door.

When Liu Xie was having a meeting with his ministers, the soldiers would just lie on the fence and watch, laughing at each other.

There is no military law at all.

As for the autocratic generals who protect the emperor, their numbers are countless.

Some generals even dared to torture imperial officials without authorization, and some even tortured the Shangshu to death.

Not only the higher-level officials, but even the common people at the bottom of society are taking advantage of them.

Doctors and runners were all given the title of colonel.

Since there was no seal, the generals took awls and carved the seal themselves, carving random words.

There was chaos and the food supply was exhausted.

Do you think Liu Xie was a cowardly and aggrieved emperor?

But things were different in the State of Chen.

King Chen Liu Chong was very capable, and he had three thousand Ju Zhang soldiers at his command.

Although he cannot compare with the great princes, he is capable of dealing with civil and military officials.

The State of Chen was the territory of King Chen, and the local people were all his cronies.

Isn't it like a piece of cake to deal with those treacherous villains?
Especially since Liu Chong himself was loyal to the Han Dynasty, how could Liu Xie, as a junior, suffer under the protection of his uncle?
It’s better than falling into the hands of Dong Zhuo or Cao Cao, right?

It’s a hundred times stronger, right?

"Fourthly, it is not easy for Xuzhou to send troops to Luoyang."

"But if the King of Chen were to send troops from the State of Chen to the Yin of Henan to protect the king, he would not fall behind Cao Cao."

"Even if Cao Cao gets there first, we can still control the situation."

Li Yi finished speaking the above four points with great enthusiasm.

After hearing this, Liu Bei pondered for a long time, then clapped his hands and shouted:
"Good! Good! Great good!"

"The military advisor's plan is most timely."

"Gentlemen, there is no need to discuss this further. Just follow the military advisor's advice and handle this matter."

Everyone nodded in agreement and accepted the order.

Liu Bei suddenly recalled that Li Yi had previously asked Liu Chong to repair the city walls and build palaces.

Doesn't this mean that he had already expected this day to come?

Is everything we do a preparation for the emperor's return to the east?
"Military Advisor, could it be that you have already anticipated that the emperor would return to the east, so you have already started planning since the beginning of protecting the states of Chen and Liang?"

Liu Bei opened his eyes wide and looked at Li Yi in disbelief.

Li Yi nodded, with a hint of fatigue on his face:
"Yes, the two thieves, Kuai and Si, have committed atrocities and will be punished by heaven sooner or later."

"It is only a matter of time before the emperor returns to the east."

"Yi worked hard to protect the royal family in Yuzhou affairs for this very moment."

Li Yi had previously tried hard to preserve the royal families of Chen, Liang and other states in order to let them look after Liu Xie.

In this way, no one can use the emperor to command other royal family princes.

According to Li Yi's idea, he placed the emperor in a very suitable position.

It is not too far and out of Xuzhou’s control.

But not too close, put it next to Lao Liu.

Otherwise, the positions of the ministers in Xuzhou would be very embarrassing.

Moreover, everything Lao Liu did had to be reported to the emperor, which made the affairs of Xuzhou even more complicated.

At the same time, both Liang and Chen had members of the Han royal family, who could look after Liu Xie and ensure the stability of the royal family, and would not easily lead to a change of power.

This allowed the Liu family's Han Dynasty to continue.

In addition, Li Yi did not keep the emperor by his side.

But if something happens, it won’t be too far away.

Considering that we are from the same clan,
It is impossible for Liu Xie to turn his elbow outward and side with Yuan, Cao and Sun. He has to consider his uncle at least.

As for Liu Biao, Liu Yao and Liu Zhang, who were also members of the royal family.

One is in Jingzhou and the other is in Yangzhou.

There is another one who is far away in Yizhou!
The road to Shu is rugged, with thousands of mountains and rivers. Carts cannot run on straight tracks and horses cannot be tied with reins.

Don’t even think about it!
As for Liu Biao of Jingzhou and Liu Yao of Yangzhou, if they really want to send envoys, Xuzhou can also fully monitor them.

This is the emperor that Li Yi has been painstakingly planning for Liu Bei during this period.

It can not only enable Lao Liu to make the best use of the emperor's political value, but also prevent other princes from abusing it.

Staying in the State of Chen can also ensure the safety of the emperor and the royal family.

After listening to Li Yi's explanation, Liu Bei was deeply moved.

He stepped forward and held Li Yi's hand, tears still gleaming in his eyes, and said affectionately:
"If it weren't for you, I really don't know how to welcome the emperor."

"Fortunately, Ziyu has been working hard these days to prepare for the plan."

"Cao Cao once said that I would rather betray others than be betrayed by others."

"Then let's talk about it today——"

"I would rather let Ziyu betray me than let myself betray Ziyu!"

……

(End of this chapter)