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

Chapter 162: Liu Bei: You dare to scold my military advisor? You are really tired of living!
Liu Bei planned to promote Pang Tong as a talented person in order to show favor to Pang Tong.

There is only one quota for Jingzhou Talent every year. For Liu Biao, it is not a big deal, but also not a small one.

Pang Ji secretly guessed that this quota for Maocai might be one of the conditions for negotiations between Xuzhou and Jingzhou.

If this is true, Pang Ji would definitely agree with it.

In this way, not only can they complete the mission of this diplomatic mission, but they can also further enhance the status of their Pang family in Jingzhou.

It’s the best of both worlds!
The banquet was full of joy.

After a long journey by boat, the officials finally arrived at the prosperous place of Xia Pi, where they were treated to fine wine and delicious food by Envoy Liu.

Everyone was having a great time, washing away their fatigue and temporarily leaving their work worries behind.

But there was one person at the table who didn't fit in.

This person is none other than Ni Heng Ni Zheng Ping.

He was very careless about his meals and always ate his fill early.

Seeing that everyone was talking about official affairs, he felt it was boring and took off his belt.

With disheveled hair, he played with the millet rice in his hands.

This is not something a scholar would do.

As expected, this action immediately attracted strange looks from everyone.

Some people who did not know Ni Heng whispered to each other, asking who this man was and why he was so rude.

Liu Bei also noticed the strange man at the table and looked at him in surprise.

Jian Yong had a good relationship with Liu Bei, and he was a man of few words. Seeing this, he laughed at him:

"How can one eat this according to etiquette?"

These words were meant for Ni Heng to hear.

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone turned their eyes to Ni Heng.

Ni Heng, however, ignored him and continued playing with the millet in his hand.

Pang Ji frowned and cursed inwardly at this conspicuous bag for causing trouble for him at this time.

Jian Yong was ignored and looked a little unhappy.

Pang Ji then shouted at Ni Heng:
"Jian is asking questions, why don't you answer them?"

The shout was so loud that everyone at the table could hear it clearly.

Ni Heng then put down his millet rice, raised his eyebrows slightly, and replied calmly:

"A gentleman would rather listen to the flattery in front of the carriage?"

Well!
After hearing this, Pang Ji's face turned green with anger.

If there weren't so many guests present at the moment, he would have wanted to draw his sword and chop him to pieces.

If he had known earlier, he would not have given Huang She this favor. He already regretted bringing Ni Heng here.

Facing such a conspicuous weirdo, Liu Bei, as the host, did not look very happy.

When the guests are humiliated, it is indirectly a slap in the face of the host.

"Who is this!"

Liu Bei looked unhappy and asked in a deep voice.

Pang Ji hurriedly stood up and apologized to Liu Bei:

"General Liu, calm down. This man is a famous scholar in Pingyuan. You are the equal of me."

Pang Ji first deliberately emphasized that Ni Heng was a famous scholar in order to explain why Ni Heng appeared here.

"He said before that he wanted to come to Xuzhou to see the world, so Ji brought him along."

"I didn't expect this person to be so crazy that he made some rude remarks, offended the guests, and disturbed everyone's enjoyment."

"I hope General Liu will forgive me."

Pang Ji also specifically said that Ni Heng was insane, firstly because he wanted to make up for it, and secondly because he was seeking truth from facts.

Because Ni Heng really had insanity, that is, a mental illness.

When Ni Heng offended Cao Cao, Kong Rong specifically pleaded with Cao Cao on the grounds that Ni Heng was mentally ill.

Even Ni Heng himself said that he was mentally ill, and he was not ashamed of it but proud of it.

...Ni Heng?
Liu Bei raised his eyebrows. He had heard of this famous man from Pingyuan when he was the magistrate of Pingyuan.

People all say that Ni Heng was a gifted eloquencer since he was young, had an arrogant personality, and liked to insult the powerful.

I knew he was tough, but I didn't expect he would be so tough.

In front of Liu Bei, the top leader of Xuzhou and the Left General of Han, he dared to speak nonsense and insult his guests.

Especially since all the powerful people in Xuzhou, led by Li Yi and Mi Zhu, were present, it was too disrespectful to Liu Bei.

However, what Liu Bei didn't know was that the more powerful and wealthy he was, the crazier Ni Heng would become.

Humiliating high-ranking officials is his hobby, and trampling on the dignity of the wealthy is his pleasure.

Liu Bei didn't like such a madman.

He preferred humble scholars like Li Yi and Zhuge Liang.

In other words, the entire Chinese society respects humble people more.

In the Han Dynasty, humility was considered a virtue.

Liu Bei smiled coldly and said to Li Yi beside him:

"Just now Minister Pang said that Mr. Ni is a famous scholar in the world. He has been a military advisor for a long time and has met many heroes in the world."

"Do you recognize this Mr. Ni?"

Li Yi heard the displeasure in Liu Bei's words and immediately smiled and said:
"A true man should make friends with heroes all over the world."

"How can I talk to a person who is dressed like a human but has a dog or a pig in human form, or a beast with a human head?"

puff……

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone in the room laughed.

Everyone had long heard that Li Yi was also an eloquent speaker, but they had never expected that his remarks could be so shocking and so destructive.

Ni Heng was also a famous debater. Upon hearing this, he immediately stood up, let his hair down, and looked at Li Yi.

With a somewhat sarcastic tone, he spoke boldly:
"Are you Li Ziyu, the fame-seeking Li?"

As soon as these words fell, the atmosphere in the hall immediately became tense.

All the officials in Xuzhou knew Li Yi's talent, so they were naturally unhappy when they heard this.

The senior officials of Jingzhou, led by Pang Ji, were all sweating profusely at this moment.

I was thinking to myself, if you are going to commit suicide, please don't take us with you, we are in Xuzhou now.

If we offend someone, none of us will be able to escape.

Li Yi's face was calm and his expression was normal. He said calmly:
"I am Li Yi, the humble one, honored to be your military advisor."

"I have received the favor of the emperor, and have been granted a golden seal and purple ribbon, and have been granted the title of Marquis of Tan, with a fief of a thousand households."

"I have long heard that you are a genius, but I have never heard what position you hold in Jingzhou now."

Hahaha……

Ni Heng knew that Li Yi wanted to use his fame and position to suppress him, so he laughed out loud:
"A monkey wearing a crown is like a walking corpse among coffins."

"Everyone says that Liu Xuzhou has the strategy to be a king and a hegemon, and that Li Tanhou is a rare talent in the world. But today, I see that they are just empty words."

This is the skill of debate: don’t fall into the other party’s self-proving trap.

What is the self-proving trap?

That is, when the other party raises an argument that is unfavorable to you, don't refute it.

The more you defend yourself, the more passive you become.

Just now Li Yi used his own fame and position to suppress Ni Heng.

No matter how Ni Heng debated, his reputation and status would definitely not be better than Li Yi's.

So there is no need to defend yourself on this topic.

At this time, the best way is to change the topic and put forward a new argument that is beneficial to you.

Ni Heng continued:

"Those who seek fame and reputation, those who help weave mats and sell shoes, are truly the laughing stock of the world."

Do you think that in history, Ni Heng scolded Cao Cao simply because he hated Cao Cao?

You are wrong. Ni Heng indiscriminately attacks everyone he dislikes.

Cao Cao is so powerful, he has to confront him.

Liu Biao was so good to him, but he wanted to confront him.

Huang Zu's son Huang She was his close friend, but he still wanted to confront him.

The title of the number one troll in the Three Kingdoms is definitely not a false one.

So who is the person that Ni Heng doesn’t like?

Answer: He doesn’t like anyone who is less talented than him.

But we all know that there is no first in literature and no second in martial arts.

It is difficult to define literary talent.

So who can calculate less talented than Ni Heng?

The answer is for you to decide.

He will look down on anyone he thinks is less talented than him and attack him indiscriminately.

I will never ignore you just because of your status.

After Cao Cao was eunuch, he became extremely powerful and he wanted to confront him.

Liu Biao is a relative of the Han royal family and loves his people like his own children, so he wants to confront him.

At the same time, Ni Heng's ability to judge is not that high either.

For example, he commented that Chen Qun and Sima Lang were people who slaughtered animals and sold wine.

It is also said that Xun Yu could only go to funerals because of his looks, and Zhao Rong could only work as a cook in the kitchen.

What this means is that Xun Yu is nothing but handsome, and Zhao Rong is just a foodie with no real talent or knowledge.

And what kind of talents does Ni Heng really like?
Kong Rong and Yang Xiu.

If you put these two people together with Ni Heng, you will find that birds of a feather flock together.

They all have high expectations and are conceited because of their talent.

Their talents are at the top in any field except governing the country.

Kong Rong is the only one among the three who has remarkable political achievements, but he is certainly far inferior to Xun Yu and Chen Qun.

At this time, Pang Ji and others were already sweating profusely, as if they had lost their parents.

They really wanted to rush up and sew Ni Heng's mouth shut.

Liu Bei's face looked extremely ugly and he said nothing.

Li Yi saw this and said:
"General Liu is a descendant of the emperor. He is the emperor of today. He was granted the title according to the genealogy. There is evidence to prove it."

"In the past, Emperor Gaozu started out as a village headman, but eventually he ruled the country. Why should weaving mats and selling shoes be considered humiliating?"

Ni Heng disagreed, just raised his finger and cursed:

"Damn you!"

you!
As soon as these words were spoken, the generals led by Xu Chu and Zhang Liao could no longer endure it and drew their swords.

Another characteristic of Ni Heng's scolding is that he doesn't like to use fancy words like other literati.

Usually the curse was rather crude, similar to what modern people would say, "Your mother is dead."

Or they may directly curse you for having no descendants.

In ancient times, insulting someone to end their family lineage was considered a very serious matter.

Xu Chu raised a steel knife in his hand, glared and shouted angrily:
"Are you bullying me because there is no one in Xuzhou?"

"What would you do if I hit you on the head with this steel knife?"

Ni Heng glanced over, showing a look of surprise:

"General Liu has no one under his command, how can you let a kid speak?"

Now Liu Bei, who had remained silent all this time, finally couldn't bear it anymore.

In order to show respect to the Jingzhou delegation, he specially brought high-ranking civil and military officials from Xuzhou.

Most of the team that helped me conquer the country are here, how can I allow you to humiliate me like this?

Liu Bei said in a deep voice:

"I have Li Yi as my chief strategist, and his strategies can reach the level of Zhang Liang and Chen Ping."

"We have Zhang Fei and Guan Yu as our generals, both of whom are as brave as bears and tigers and can defeat ten thousand men."

"Xu Chu has the courage of Fan Kuai, and Zhao Yun is full of courage."

"Xun Gong is good at studying the classics and making expedient decisions, while Liu Ziyang is a talented and wise man."

"What do you mean I have no one under my command?"

Ni Heng laughed when he heard this and said sarcastically:

"You are wrong. I know all these people."

"Li Yi is just a show-off, a name without substance, he can be made to recite lines in brothels and serve women in bed."

"Zhang Fei has a dark face and a vicious heart. He likes to beat up strong men and make them butcher pigs and dogs, sell wine and meat."

"Guan Yu was careless and unconcerned, and treated scholars with indifference. He could have made them guard the gate and courtyard, and made full use of their talents."

"Xu Chu is a man without any strategy. He can be used to herd cattle and horses or pull the millstone for donkeys."

"Zhao Yun has a beautiful face, which can be used to embroider a needle, but he will not disgrace his silver spear."

"Xun Gongda can be used to visit funerals, inquire about illnesses, and guard graves."

"Liu Ziyang can be favored by the gay, and follow the legacy of his ancestors."

"As for the rest, they are all doing nothing and just filling in the numbers."

"It can be used as a clothes hanger, a rice bag, a wine barrel, or a meat bag ear!"

Clang clang!
As soon as Ni Heng finished speaking, the sound of swords being drawn was heard at the banquet.

Zhang Liao was standing nearby, and upon hearing this, he wanted to draw his sword and kill him.

But Li Yi stopped him and just laughed off Ni Heng's wild words.

The more you lack something, the more you care about it.

For example, if you say that a handsome guy is ugly, then the handsome guy will just laugh it off.

But if you say that an ugly guy is ugly, he will definitely get angry.

Li Yi didn't care about Ni Heng's insults. In his opinion, it was more of Ni Heng's incompetent rage.

However, Ni Heng’s attack range is very wide, and not everyone has such a good mentality as Li Yi.

Liu Bei also had the temper of whipping the Inspector, so how could he allow Ni Heng to be so picky and humiliate the generals.

"What ability do you have to dare to make such a bold statement?"

Pang Ji and others looked at each other, not knowing how today's events would end.

Ni Heng raised his head and smiled:

"He is well versed in astronomy and geography; he knows everything about religion and society."

"The superior can make the ruler like Yao and Shun, and the inferior can match the virtues of Confucius and Yan."

"How can I discuss this with common people?"

Xu Huang walked to Liu Bei's side and said:
"My lord, don't pay any attention to him. This man has a false reputation and is well-known far and wide."

"Just drive them out of Xuzhou and never allow them to enter again."

Liu Bei laughed coldly and said, "Why should we use a knife on such a small creature as rats and sparrows?"

After saying this, he turned his gaze to Ni Heng and said:

"Ni Heng, you listen carefully."

"If I kill you, it would be like killing a sparrow or a mouse. You have always had a false reputation, and people near and far will think that I am intolerant."

"Leave Xuzhou as soon as possible, and don't let it reappear and disturb you."

After hearing this, Ni Heng just shook his head and shook his hair.

"People say Liu Xuande is courteous to the wise and humble, and is eager to seek talents. I am a famous scholar in the world, but he drove me away from Xuzhou."

"At that time, Yang Huo looked down on Confucius and Zang Cang slandered Mencius."

"General Liu, if you want to become a king, why do you look down on others?"

Li Yi stood up and said:

"I don't want to argue with you."

"I just heard from someone that there are villains and gentlemen among Confucian scholars."

“You call yourself a gentleman, but you don’t know that the essence of a gentleman is to be loyal to the emperor and love the country, and to uphold justice and protect justice.”

"We must make our influence known to the people of our time and leave our name to future generations."

"General Liu is now in Xuzhou. He has reduced taxes and levies, gathered refugees, reclaimed wasteland, and abolished cruel punishments."

"Finally, Xuzhou's fields will be fertile and the land will be lush, and there will be no worries about floods or droughts every year."

"When a country is rich and its people are prosperous, there will be orchestral music from time to time."

"The products produced are as abundant as mountains."

"The crowing of cocks and the barking of dogs can be heard, and the streets and alleys are bustling with activity."

“Isn’t this the way of a gentleman?”

Although Li Yi spoke to Ni Heng, he did not even look at him, but just walked among the guests.

Whether they were visitors from Jingzhou or local officials from Xuzhou, they all nodded in agreement.

"I have heard that the petty Confucian scholars are only interested in trivial matters."

"Specializing in calligraphy, writing poems in youth, studying classics in old age."

"I may have a thousand words in my pen, but I have no plan in my heart."

Although no one was mentioned by name, everyone knew that it was Ni Heng.

The reason why Ni Heng became famous throughout the world was because he wrote well.

In an essay titled "Ode to the Parrot", the author compares himself to a parrot and calls the rest of the people birds.

Although they all have feathers, although they are all human beings.

But if we really compare their virtues, how can they be compared?

Li Yi continued:

"For example, Yang Xiong was famous for his writings, but he served Mang and eventually committed suicide by jumping off a pavilion. This is what we call a petty Confucian."

“Even if I could write ten thousand words a day, what would it gain?”

Zi Yu scolded well!

Liu Bei gave Li Yi an admiring look.

Li Yi was simply his mouthpiece, saying everything he wanted to say.

If Liu Bei really wanted to chop Ni Heng to death with a knife, he would feel that it was not enough to vent his anger.

You think you are the only one with eloquence, but my military advisor is as eloquent as Su Qin and Zhang Yi.

It's just that people don't want to bother with you.

Liu Bei knew that Li Yi was speaking up for him and didn't want to pay any attention to him.

But seeing that he was angry, Li Yi took the initiative to stand up and confront Ni Heng, criticizing his shortcomings.

"The Peng flies thousands of miles, how can other birds understand its ambition?"

"Xuzhou had been in turmoil before, but since General Liu arrived, people's livelihood has changed dramatically."

"Everyone looked up to him. Even a child praised General Liu's kindness."

"It is to brush away the clouds in the sky, to look up to the brilliance of the sun and the moon, to save the people from water and fire, and to put the world on the throne."

"Isn't this a contribution to the country and the people?"

As he spoke, he gradually walked up to Ni Heng and asked:
"If you just keep making big speeches, making specious arguments, and just engage in verbal disputes, how can you build a country and accomplish anything?"

"You claim to be a famous scholar, but what kindness have you shown to the people?"

"He only knows how to count the black and white, and play with words and ink. Isn't this a corrupt scholar in the world?"

"You say you are insane. In my opinion, it is because your old illness has not gone away and a new one has come back."

"What you have done is to contract rabies!"

Hahaha……

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone in the room laughed.

Ni Heng has an extremely extreme personality and is a super angry young man.

His three views are: everyone is drunk, but I am sober.

In his view, all politicians and princes are warlords and are the root cause of this chaotic world.

So he hated the powerful and wealthy, believing that they were the ones who seized the wealth of this society.

The people will become increasingly miserable.

But there is a key problem. Although Ni Heng saw the situation clearly, he did not propose any practical and effective solution.

All he does is criticize this and that, and vent his negative emotions blindly.

Even when he was hung up and beaten by Huang Zu, he kept cursing.

"You..." Ni Heng was about to refute.

Li Yi interrupted sharply:

"You only have the views of a child, and are not worthy of talking with the noble men."

"Someone, drive them out with sticks!"

Huh!
The warriors in the hall were also considered civil servants of Xuzhou, but when this order came down, everyone rushed to act.

According to Ni Heng, he swung the stick and hit him.

Ni Heng was about to curse again, but he was beaten with sticks until he could not breathe.

The best way to deal with trolls and argumentative people is to physically shut them up.

So after Li Yi confronted Ni Heng and helped Liu Bei and the officials of Xuzhou regain face, he immediately took physical measures.

Make Ni Heng shut up and don't give him the chance to continue speaking.

Soon, Ni Heng was carried out by the warriors.

The farce finally came to an end after Ni Heng was driven away.

"I'm going to host a banquet today to entertain you all."

"However, Zhongsheng has experienced such an unexpected event. We were not well prepared."

Liu Bei apologized to everyone, saying that as the host, he had failed to organize the banquet well.

Pang Ji and others secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, Liu Bei was open-minded and did not blame them for bringing this lunatic here.

"… Phew, fortunately Lord Xuande did not blame us, otherwise we would have come here but never returned."

Someone secretly rejoiced and said to Pang Ji:

"Minister Pang, when you bring people here in the future, please keep your eyes open and don't bring anyone out."

"It is fortunate that we met Lord Xuande today. If it were anyone else, wouldn't we all be harmed by this madman?"

Pang Ji couldn't refute it, but he secretly regretted doing Huang She a favor.

I thought that Ni Heng was a famous scholar in the world, just a little crazy, and would not cause any trouble.

But who could have thought that he would be so crazy?
He publicly criticized the top two leaders of Xuzhou, as well as other senior officials.

"You have all worked hard today. We have prepared the rooms for you. You can go back to the inn and rest first."

Li Yi ordered people to arrange for all the officials in Jingzhou to return to the post station, which was equivalent to issuing an order to expel them.

Instead, everyone felt as if they had been pardoned and left one after another.

Pang Ji was also planning to thank him and leave, but was stopped by a voice from behind.

"Minister Pang, please stay!"

Li Yi called Pang Ji from behind, and Pang Ji had to turn around awkwardly and asked angrily:

"I wonder if Marquis Tan has any other advice for you?"

"I don't deserve your advice, but I just wanted to welcome you all during the banquet."

"Now that we've finished drinking, why don't we come to the back hall and chat about Lujiang?"

Oh... so we were talking about business.

Pang Ji thought that Liu Bei was going to settle the score himself, but that was fine.

However, they didn't expect to talk about the Lujiang issue so soon. Pang Ji thought that Xuzhou would keep dragging it out and not let them go to Cao Cao.

"By the way, you can ask Shi Yuan to come along." Li Yi said again.

"...Good, this is a blessing for Shiyuan."

Pang Ji readily agreed and took the boy to participate in a high-level meeting between the two places, which was a good opportunity for him to gain some experience.

Soon, the uncle and nephew came to the back hall together.

Emperor Liu Bei and his minister Li Yi were already there waiting for each other, and they each exchanged greetings and took their seats.

Pang Ji spoke sincerely and expressed his feelings:

"General Zuo, you and my lord agreed that Jingzhou would trade with Xuzhou using grain and fodder as goods."

"After we deal with Yuan Shu in Huainan, I will hand over the Lujiang memorial power to my lord."

"How can we return today and hand over Lujiang to Cao Cao?"

Liu Bei sighed:

"It's not that I don't keep my promise, but the Lujiang governor was appointed by the emperor, so it's not appropriate for me to interfere."

Pang Ji had already guessed in his heart that Liu Bei would use the emperor as a shield, and this reason was unsolvable.

He raised his head, looked at Liu Bei, and said seriously:
"To be honest, I don't want to discuss too much about the Lujiang memorial this time."

"Liu Xun now offers Xunyang County to seek protection from my lord."

"My Lord took pity on his loneliness and gladly accepted him."

"I am afraid that Cao Sikong will send more troops to Nanlujiang, so I would like to ask General Liu to help put in a few good words for the sake of our alliance."

"Then the whole Jingzhou will be grateful to General Liu and everyone in Xuzhou."

Pang Ji had almost told Liu Bei the main purpose of this mission truthfully.

Anyway, this is the situation. Can you please give me a quick answer?

If you really can't do it, then Jingzhou can only go to Cao Cao for consultation.

Liu Bei nodded and said:
"Zi Yu just told me about this. Minister Pang said that Jingzhou is willing to donate 300,000 hu of grain to supply Xuzhou's military needs."

"It's not that I can't be kind, but the ownership of Lujiang requires the approval of Cao Sikong."

"With only 300,000 bushels of grain and fodder, it may not be enough to impress the people in Cao's camp..."

Liu Bei looked embarrassed, with his brows furrowed.

Pang Ji was a smart man and immediately understood what Liu Bei meant.

Got it, you have to pay more.

"My master sent me to Xuzhou precisely to ask General Liu to come forward and say a few good words for my master in front of Minister Cao."

"If General Liu is willing to come forward, Jingzhou will definitely reward him handsomely."

Pang Ji’s words are very clear. Lao Liu, just name your price.

We in Jingzhou will estimate for ourselves whether it is cost-effective.

Liu Bei said:

"I think Minister Pang also knows that Xuzhou and Yanzhou have united and gathered troops from Henan to fight against Hebei."

"If a war breaks out, farming will be put to rest. If two places fight each other, it will take more than one or two years to quell the conflict."

"So the military advisor advised me to cultivate the land to store military supplies."

"In the next two years, we will rest and nourish the people, replenish the granaries, and enrich the arsenal."

Liu Bei also gave Pang Ji a guarantee to show his sincerity.

Xuzhou has no plans to resort to war in the next two years, and will store food, the most important resource in this troubled time, at all costs.

"The Yuan family claims to be the descendants of Emperor Shun and has long wanted to become emperor."

"Now that Minister Cao and General Liu have raised an army of righteousness to fight, how can we in Jingzhou not help them?"

"I don't know how much military rations Xuzhou needs. Jingzhou is willing to donate generously."

Liu Biao was known as a good shepherd in troubled times because he turned Jingzhou into a paradise.

During Liu Biao's tenure, there were basically no major wars in Jingzhou.

Thanks to Liu Biao's policy of protecting Jingzhou to the death, Jingzhou became very prosperous.

Many scholars from the north, including Sima Hui and the Zhuge family, moved to Jingzhou to settle down.

Therefore, Jingzhou’s foreign policy is generally resolved by using money and food first.

Only when money and food cannot solve the problem, will we consider using force.

Liu Bei replied sternly:
"If we want to feed 10,000 soldiers, we need more than 20,000 bushels of grain a month."

"But if we transport soldiers to the front line, even if the distance is only 200 miles, it will take 15 days to go back and forth by ox cart."

"The loss during the journey was at least 40%."

It was only after Liu Bei experienced large-scale battles such as the conquest of Huainan that he realized how expensive war was.

Ten thousand people eat more than 20,000 hu of grain a month, which doesn't sound like a lot.

But this also includes the food for horses and livestock, and the loss along the way will double.

If the supply line is extended, it is normal for the supply to double or triple.

Hebei has depth and the Yuan family has the support of the people.

Liu Bei was very worried that even if they conquered Hebei, they would not be able to collect grain locally.

Even if we collect grain, how much can we collect?

At that time, we can only transport grain from Xuzhou.

Once this supply line is extended, the amount of loss will definitely be an astronomical figure.

It was Li Yi who settled the bill for him, and after that.

Liu Bei was even more afraid to start a war now, and he tried every possible way to raise food and grain, raising as much as he could.

"So what does General Liu mean...?"

When Pang Ji saw that Liu Bei's forward swing was so long, he had a bad feeling in his heart.

Sure enough, Liu Bei's next words made Pang Ji almost jump up from the ground.

"...One million bushels of grain."

Liu Bei looked into Pang Ji's eyes and said calmly.

……

(End of this chapter)