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

Chapter 208: Yuan Benchu makes an all-out effort to ally with the Xiongnu; Li Ziyu returns home in glory after meeting his eldest son

Jia Xu revealed Li Yi's thoughts in one sentence.

Li Yi frowned, and in addition to admiration, he couldn't help but sigh:

"Mr. has a keen eye, as if he were looking at fire."

"Although the siege of Guandu has been lifted, the crisis has not been resolved."

The Battle of Guandu was essentially just a defensive battle.

Its victory only meant that Yuan Shao was temporarily repelled.

Although Yuan Shao's army was defeated, just as Ju Su said,
——"My parents and brothers all depend on Yuan for their lives."

The Yuan family is powerful and has deep roots.

These defeated Yuan army soldiers cannot do without Yuan Shao.

As long as they are alive, they will return to Yuan Shao sooner or later.

In this way, Yuan Shao could quickly form a new army.

Therefore, we must not annihilate Yuan Shao’s main force.

The situation in the world is always like this: the north attacks and the south defends, Hebei is strong and Henan is weak.

"Since you know what I am worried about, please teach me a good plan."

The point that Li Yi is hesitant about now is whether to immediately pursue the victory and destroy Yuan Shao's main force.

It is better to withdraw troops temporarily, recuperate, and wait until the spring of next year before engaging in a decisive battle with Yuan Shao.

If they pursued immediately, the chances of winning would definitely be higher, but the soldiers had been holding back for too long.

Everyone was looking forward to going back to collect their rewards and reunite with their parents, wives and children. If they were told, they would have to continue fighting.

It will inevitably make people restless and may even cause a mutiny.

If we withdraw our troops temporarily, the benefits will be obvious.

It can not only calm the morale of the army, but also allow the exhausted Henan area to rest and recuperate.

If we delay the battle until next year, the food and fodder problem can be solved.

But the downside is that it gave Yuan Shao a chance to catch his breath.

Although Yuan Shao will not be able to recover to his peak strength immediately, it will undoubtedly increase the difficulty of the subsequent decisive battle.

Now, Li Yi has not been able to make a decision yet, so he has to ask Jia Xu for his opinion.

"……hehe."

Jia Xu stroked his beard and smiled, but did not tell Li Yi clearly what to do.

I just sighed to myself:
"Yuan Benchu was a great man of his time, and he was able to gain the advice of heroes and the strength of the people."

"In the east, it embraces the fruits of the vast ocean, and in the west, it embraces the entire territory of Jin."

"In the south, there are the Yellow River and the Baiqu River, and in the north, there are strong bows and horses."

"With an area of 2,000 li and a population of several hundred thousand, it can be said to be powerful."

"At this time, he is invincible in the world, and he can easily be overthrown."

"Such a hero was defeated by you, my Lord."

"My Lord, are you still asking me when the war will end?"

This is Jia Xu's character. If you ask me for my opinion, I will only express my own views and will not teach you how to do things.

It’s your business whether to use it or not, just don’t come to me afterwards.

When Li Yi heard this, he had already made up his mind and said:

"Yuan Shao has just been defeated and his illness has worsened, so we must fight a quick battle."

"I heard that he could not restrain his foolish wife, and he distinguished between legitimate and illegitimate children, and only favored his son because of his appearance."

"If this continues, internal changes will inevitably occur."

"So I would like to rest for a while and fight Yuan Shao again next year."

Jia Xu closed his eyes and did not comment on Li Yi's decision.

Upon seeing this, Li Yi also left the table and went to Cao Cao and Liu Bei.

While everyone is drunk, tell them your thoughts.

Cao Cao was eager to stop the war immediately, so he immediately agreed to the suggestion of withdrawing troops.

"Yuan Shao has just been defeated, and I am about to go back to settle the soldiers and civilians in Yuzhou."

"It would be great if we could temporarily cease fire."

Liu Bei always obeyed Li Yi's words, and he nodded:

"...That's good. Ziyu has been away from home for more than a year. It's time for him to go home and visit."

"If I remember correctly, your son is already one year old now."

Speaking of this, Li Yi had an idea.

As early as when he conquered Qingzhou, he received the news of the birth of his child.

Because he had been leading troops outside, he had not been able to go home to see his wife and children.

After the Qingzhou war ended, Li Yi never went home when he led his troops from Xuzhou to Yanzhou.

It can be said that I have passed by my home for the second time without entering.

I did this just to express my determination to my soldiers.

Otherwise, as a big leader, he is always worried about his family, how can his subordinates concentrate on the war?
Now the war has finally come to an end.

Li Yi asked himself, he had already devoted all his energy and efforts to Henan.

It's just Yuan Ying and her son...

Li Yi knew that he was definitely not a competent husband or a qualified father.

"...Good, come to think of it, my lord, you should spend some time with your wife when you return."

"Yi is a few years younger than the lord, but the lord still has no children."

"You must know that we have fought bloody battles for several years to get to where we are today, so we must be careful."

Li Yi reminded Liu Bei that it was time to pay more attention to the issue of future generations.

This was not considered as meddling in other's affairs. In ancient times, ministers had the right to interfere in their lord's family affairs.

Especially since you are a first-generation entrepreneur and you worked hard to build up your family business, you can't have no heir to take over, right?
When Liu Bei heard Li Yi's words, he remembered that he was already forty years old this year.

At forty, one is no longer confused. Time really flies by like a white horse.

"...Good, I will discuss this matter with my wife when I get back."

Old Liu originally had a son, but he died young.

As he was busy with work, he had not been able to think about that aspect.

Now that the most difficult period has passed, Liu Bei can calm down and think carefully about having children.

The next day, early in the morning.

The troops in Cao's camp and Liu's camp each packed up their baggage and headed home.

After the war, the people of Henan finally no longer had to live in fear all day long.

People from all counties and prefectures went out to celebrate the end of the war.

For a time, the people were jubilant, and both the military and civilians were happy.

Not stated.

……

But Yuan Shao, wearing a thin scarf and a single piece of clothing, led more than 800 cavalrymen and fled all the way north.

When they reached the north bank of Liyang, General Jiang Yiqu came out of the camp to greet them.

Yuan Shao then informed Jiang Yiqu of the defeat at Guandu.

Jiang Yiqu said:
"Don't worry, my lord. Victory and defeat are common in the military."

"When Emperor Gaozu and Xiang Yu were fighting for the world, he was defeated by Xiang Yu several times."

"Afterwards, he won the battle of Gaixia, and finally established a 400-year foundation."

"My lord, you have only been defeated in one battle. If you regroup your army and fight Cao and Liu again, the outcome is still unknown."

After saying this, he returned all the military power of Liyang to Yuan Shao.

All the garrison troops in Liyang were commanded by Yuan Shao alone.

Yuan Shao thought to himself that he had led an army of more than 100,000 troops south, but was defeated today.

How can I go back with dignity?

He simply stayed in Liyang, gathering the remnants of the defeated army while urging forage from Yecheng.

After the army is prepared, it would not be a bad idea to go south to fight a decisive battle with Cao and Liu.

After making up his mind, Yuan Shao ordered a small team to go out and recruit the scattered people.

The entire army rested in Liyang, looking forward to fighting again next year.

The previously defeated Yuan army soldiers heard that Yuan Shao was in Liyang, so they all went to Liyang.
Overnight, the number of defenders in Liyang increased by tens of thousands.

At midnight, cries and shouts from inside and outside the mountain shook the sky.

Yuan Shao was awakened by the crying and asked hurriedly:

"Who is crying in the middle of the night?"

He felt uneasy in his heart as he had just been having a nightmare.

He dreamed that ghosts came to claim his life, and unexpectedly he heard crying sounds from afar.

After a while, the attendant reported back:

"Sir Yuan, this is a gathering of defeated soldiers, telling of the pain of losing their brothers and sisters, and the pain of being abandoned and their relatives."

“Then everyone beat their chests and cried.”

Upon hearing this, Yuan Shao sighed:

"I didn't listen to Tian Feng's advice in the past, and I was defeated and perished."

"How can I face him when I go back now?"

This servant was the one who was bribed by Guo Tu before, and he leaked the news that Yuan Shao secretly called a doctor.

Seeing that Yuan Shao felt guilty, he offered the advice Guo Tu had given him:

"I heard that when Tian Feng was in prison, he laughed out loud when he heard that the lord had been defeated."

"He said, 'If Lord Yuan had been willing to use my advice, he wouldn't have suffered this disaster!'"

Yuan Shao was furious:
"How dare you laugh at me? I will kill you!"

He then ordered the attendant to take the sword and go to Yecheng immediately to kill Tian Feng in prison.

The attendant received the order and rushed to Ye overnight.

Yuan Shao was not in Yecheng at the time, so his young son Yuan Shang took over the government.

Yuan Shang, whose courtesy name was Xianfu.

He was born with a handsome appearance and looked most like Yuan Shao.

Therefore, Yuan Shao loved him very much and sent his other sons to other states, leaving only the youngest son in Jizhou.

He took Yuan Shang with him almost everywhere he went.

However, this time when he went to Henan, Yuan Shao, contrary to his usual practice, did not bring Yuan Shang with him.

Yuan Shang thought that his father had left and that he needed someone to help him handle the affairs of Yecheng, so he didn't take it seriously.

Yuan Shao's wife Liu also loved her youngest son, so she said to Yuan Shang:
"Now that your father has returned, why don't you go and serve and look after him?"

Yuan Shang was startled and quickly explained:

"My father left me to guard Yecheng and take charge of government affairs, so I never thought about this matter."

Liu stamped his feet and sighed:

"Confused!"

"Your father is ill, how can a son not serve him?"

"Xiansi is now in Liyang, serving your father alone. The civil and military officials are also in Liyang."

"If there is a mistake, the officials who support you will find it difficult to manage the situation because you are not around."

"After the army returns from Liyang, will you still be able to inherit the throne?"

Yuan Shang suddenly realized and said:
"In that case, I will set off immediately to Liyang to serve my father!"

"Wait a minute!"

Liu called Yuan Shang and said, "This is a serious matter. I will go to Liyang with you."

Yuan Shang knew that his mother had always supported him, so he agreed without hesitation.

The mother and son temporarily entrusted the political affairs to Shen Pei and went to Liyang.

Yuan Shao stayed in Liyang, feeling upset and ignoring state affairs.

When someone reported that the third young master had arrived, Yuan Shao was overjoyed and immediately brought him in to see him.

When Yuan Shang saw his father, he fell to his knees and burst into tears.

Shao asked why, Yuan Shang replied:
"My father was ill, and I was unable to serve him."

"That's why I've been feeling restless these days and I can't enjoy my food."

"I think you missed me so much that you temporarily put aside the affairs of Yecheng and came here to visit your father."

Yuan Shao was deeply moved when he heard this. He helped Yuan Shang up and sighed:

"It's rare that you have such a filial heart."

"Xiansi has been serving me these past few days, and he hasn't done anything wrong."

"Since you are here, you should stay here with your brother."

"Seeing you, the depression in my heart is finally relieved a little."

Yuan Shang wiped his tears and said:
"I know that I am not as talented as my brother, but now my brother is here."

"Children should do their best to assist their elder brothers and always put their elder brothers first."

Yuan Shao frowned but said nothing more.

Seeing this, Liu took the opportunity to say to Yuan Shao:
"My dear husband, I am a woman and I shouldn't ask too much about government affairs."

"But Xiansi and Xianfu are both my sons."

“I know these two people well.”

"Now that external threats have not yet been resolved, domestic affairs must be settled as soon as possible."

"It is better to decide on the succession as soon as possible to avoid chaos."

"I think Xiansi is a tough, irritable person who lacks stability."

"Although Xi'er is not my biological child, he is weak and timid and cannot become a great man. He should not be entrusted with important tasks."

"Only Xianfu has the appearance of a hero, respects the wise and the talented, and is deeply loved by the people."

"My husband should make important decisions early, so as to prevent the bandits in Henan from taking advantage of the opportunity to sneak in."

Liu's wish for Yuan Shao to make Yuan Shang his heir was obvious.

It’s not that she doesn’t love her eldest son, but which mother doesn’t love her younger son more?
In Liu's view, the younger son should inherit the throne, and Yuan Tan, as the elder brother, should just focus on assisting him.

Anyway, as a younger brother, how can I treat you, my elder brother, badly?

"……this."

When Yuan Shao saw that Liu suddenly brought up the issue of establishing a successor, he hesitated for a moment.

Suddenly, a voice came from outside the tent:
"Absolutely not!"

When everyone looked at him, they found that it was the military supervisor Guo Tu.

Guo Tu was outside the tent just now. When he heard the conversation inside the tent, he did not care about etiquette at the moment.

He risked his life to rush in and give advice.

"Mr. Yuan, since ancient times, deposing the elder and enthroning the younger has been the way to bring about chaos."

"Besides, the eldest son has never done anything wrong so far, why should he be abolished?"

"The army's power has weakened a little, the enemy troops in Henan are eyeing us covetously, and the enemy troops are about to attack us."

"How can we allow fathers, sons and brothers to quarrel with each other?"

"My lord, please think about how to resist the enemy and do not be suspicious about the matter of appointing a successor."

Guo Tu was a staunch supporter of Yuan Tan. He had risked his life and property on this, and could not afford to fail at this moment.

Liu saw that her great plan was about to be accomplished, but it was ruined by Guo Tu.

A pair of phoenix eyes stared at him, sneering grimly:
"General Guo, you are so majestic."

"How dare you, a mere commander of the army, interfere in our family affairs?"

Guo Tu hurriedly bowed to apologize to Liu, but his attitude remained firm.

"Madam, I cannot agree with what you said."

"The matter of establishing an heir is a matter that must be handled with great care. It is the duty of the ministers to share the worries of the lord."

"Mr. Guo is devoted to his master, how can he not ask about this matter?"

hum~
Liu groaned and was about to say something else. Yuan Shao said:

"Okay, Gongze's words make sense."

"Now that we are facing a powerful enemy, I must first conquer Henan and then decide what to do after my death."

"You should take Xianfu down first!"

"Husband!"

Liu snorted softly, but still wanted to fight for it.

Yuan Shao had closed his eyes and waved at her.

Liu knew that it would be difficult to fight for this matter, so she had to give up.

As soon as he left the camp, he immediately found Pang Ji, the minister who supported Yuan Shang.

"We have arrived in Liyang now. We just wanted to discuss the matter of appointing a successor, but we were stopped by the thief Guo Tu."

"What plan do you have to make Xianfu succeed to the throne?"

Pang Ji bowed and said:

"Don't worry, Madam. I have a plan to make the third son the heir to the throne."

Liu was overjoyed and immediately ordered Pang Ji to handle the matter.

Pang Ji immediately went into the camp to meet Yuan Shao.

When Yuan Shao asked the reason, Pang Ji offered a suggestion:

"My lord, our army's morale has been weakened. We cannot fight again right away."

"I think we can first send Lord Shen to Yecheng to prepare food and grass for military needs."

"Then we will fight a decisive battle with Cao and Liu to fight for the Central Plains."

Yuan Shao nodded and said in a deep voice:

"I have this idea. You can tell me the details."

Pang Ji said:

"Although our army has just been defeated, the overall situation is still in Hebei."

"Jizhou still has 200,000 men available for conscription..."

Before he finished speaking, Yuan Shao interrupted him:
"Wars rage year after year, and the people suffer terribly."

"Yesterday, Shen Pei reported to me that there were signs of rebellion in many counties in Jizhou. This must be because the people were tired of the war."

"Therefore, it is not advisable to recruit so many able-bodied men from Jizhou, otherwise farming will be abandoned and disasters will surely occur."

According to Cao Cao's annotations to The Art of War,

An army of 100,000 men, as long as it is on an expedition, will need at least 300,000 civilians to support it.

In other words, during the Battle of Guandu, Yuan Shao seemed to have only dispatched 100,000 troops.

In fact, there was also a large amount of personnel movement in the rear area.

This, of course, creates a productivity disconnect.

So up to now, rebellions have occurred in many counties and prefectures in Jizhou.

Especially led by Zhang Yan, the leader of the Black Mountain Army,

This guy took advantage of the Battle of Guandu to incite a large number of people to rebel and join his Black Mountain Army.

Although he heard that Zhang Yan had secretly signed an alliance treaty with Xuzhou, this wave of war undoubtedly made him a fortune.

Although Zhang Yan had a large number of people, they were only fighting guerrilla warfare and did not pose much threat to Yuan's rule.

But just having him there is annoying.

Pang Ji quickly explained:

"My Lord, please be at ease. There is no need to recruit all the men in Jizhou."

"According to my estimation, we can still recruit 20,000 people from Jizhou to prepare for the war next year."

Drawing another 20,000 adult men from Jizhou is the limit of what Jizhou can currently bear.

If we levy more, there will be massive rebellions.

"General Gao Gan still has 20,000 troops in Bingzhou. You can send someone to contact the Xiongnu Chanyu Huchuquan and agree to attack Guanzhong together."

"To control the troops of Cao and Liu on the western front."

Although the number of high-ranking officials in Bingzhou is small, their fighting power is strong.

As Yuan Shao's nephew, Gao Gan was also a talented person with both civil and military talents.

The most important thing is that the Southern Xiongnu’s Chanyu Luanti Huchuquan had a good relationship with the Yuan family.

Strictly speaking, Huochequan himself was half a subject of the Yuan family.

As long as Yuan Shao gave the order, Huochequan would most likely send troops to help.

Before this, Yuan Shao had a huge advantage, with more than 100,000 soldiers in Jizhou alone.

Therefore, Bingzhou and the Huns mercenaries were not considered at all.

What's more, Yuan Shao himself was conceited and disdained to use barbarian soldiers.

But a fire at Guandu wiped out Yuan Shao's advantage.

In order to rescue and make up for as much as possible, Yuan Shao had to lower his proud head and let the Huns cooperate with them in sending troops.

"...Good, then pass on my order."

"Order Gao Yuancai to contact the Xiongnu immediately and cooperate with me in advancing the army next year to capture the Guanzhong area."

"To control the troops of Cao and Liu on the western front."

According to Yuan Shao's idea, the senior officials of Bingzhou, in cooperation with the Xiongnu mercenaries, could mobilize at least 50,000 people.

Most of these 50,000 people are cavalry, and their fighting power is extremely strong.

It is impossible for Cao and Liu not to deploy heavy troops to defend Guanzhong, otherwise the western front defense would be completely collapsed.

Yuan Shao even believed that in order to defend the troops in Guanzhong, Cao Cao would not be able to cooperate with Liu Bei to resist his main force.

If Cao Cao went to Guanzhong to fight Gao Gan, then only Liu Bei would be left to fight against him.

Yuan Shao’s pressure will be greatly reduced.

"Mingsir, we will mobilize all the troops in Bingzhou and attack the western route of Henan."

"We must guard against the Henan bandit army, and also send troops to attack our rear."

Pang Ji's voice came again.

Yuan Shao raised his eyebrows and immediately understood which place he was talking about.

That is Qingzhou, which has been captured by Li Yi.

All the land of Qingzhou south of the Yellow River now belonged to Liu Bei.

Qingzhou is adjacent to his Jizhou base camp, and now only Pingyuan and Le'an counties remain as a buffer zone.

Once the Xuzhou army moves north in large numbers, it will be possible for them to directly attack Yuan Shao from behind and steal his home.

That’s why Pang Ji said that we must be cautious.

"……good."

Yuan Shao nodded, agreeing with Pang Ji's words.

Pang Ji took the opportunity to say:

"Since the defense of Qingzhou is of vital importance, we must send our trusted people to guard it."

"We should not send people like Zhang He and Gao Lan to surrender the land to others in vain."

When Yuan Shao heard the names of Zhang He and Gao Lan, he became furious.

"I have long seen that these two thieves have rebellious intentions. After I conquer Henan, I will kill them with my own hands!"

"……but."

Changing the subject, Yuan Shao said:

"What Yuan Tu said makes sense. It was the failure of the Qingzhou war that triggered this series of events."

"So we need to be extremely careful in selecting the person to guard Qingzhou this time."

If Qingzhou had not been lost so quickly, Li Yi would not have been able to free up his hands to assist Cao and Liu in defending Guandu.

If Cao and Liu were missing Li Yi's troops, they would not have been able to resist me for half a year.

If the people of Henan had not held on for half a year, they would not have been short of food because of the Wuchao fire.

...Alas, there are no ifs in this world.

"Before that, the eldest son was the governor of Qingzhou, and he was feared throughout Qi."

"Why not send the eldest son to guard Qingzhou now?"

Pang Ji's true intentions were revealed. He wanted to take this opportunity to transfer Yuan Tan away from Yuan Shao.

Anyone with a discerning eye could see that Yuan Shao’s health was failing, and he might suddenly die one day.

Then the son by his side will undoubtedly be the one with the best chance of inheriting the throne.

Yuan Shao had no suspicion of him. He just thought that although Yuan Tan was tough and murderous, he had outstanding military talent.

It was he who drove Tian Kai in the north and Kong Rong in the south, and occupied most of Qingzhou.

The most important thing is that he is his own son and he can be trusted.

There will no longer be any more acts of treason like those committed by Zhang He and Gao Lan.

As expected, I still have to use my trusted people.

"...Good, just follow the instructions of the Yuantu."

"You can tell Xiansi to go to Pingyuan immediately to defend Qingzhou. There must be no mistakes."

"...here."

The corners of Pang Ji's lips curled up slightly, and he knew in his heart that great things were about to happen.

Soon, Yuan Tan received the order and thought it was issued directly by Yuan Shao.

Yuan Tan couldn't disobey, so he immediately got up and set off for Qingzhou.

After hearing this, Guo Tu planned to step forward to dissuade them.

He wanted to teach Yuan Tan that he could not go to Qingzhou to take up the post because his father was ill and he could not be far away from home.

But when Guo Tu arrived, Yuan Tan had already set out.

"Ugh!"

Guo Tu was so angry that he stamped his feet and cursed inwardly that this boy was not worthy of being a consultant.

Xin Ping also belonged to the eldest son faction, and asked Guo Tu anxiously whether he should go after them.

Guo Tu said:
"If the eldest son has not left yet, we can still persuade him to stay."

"Now that we are far away, even if we catch up, how can we come back?"

Xin commented:
"If something unexpected happens, what should we do?"

Guo Tu pondered for a while and said:

"We will stay here and observe the situation."

"If anything changes, just hold it down for now, and then secretly notify the eldest son to come back and take the throne."

The implication is, what if Yuan Shao died.

They first blocked the news of Yuan Shao's death, and then sent someone to notify Yuan Tan to return from Qingzhou as soon as possible.

We, the Henan Gang, will definitely lift you to a higher position.

Xin Ping thought it made sense and it was best for them to stay here now.

So, he told the rest of Yuan Tan's eldest son faction about this idea.

Everyone said that if something really happened, everyone would do their best to help Yuan Tan take the throne.

An alliance was quietly established in Liyang.

……

The war came to an end and the Xuzhou army was finally able to disarm and return home.

Everyone had been away from home for a long time, and once they returned to Xuzhou, they couldn't wait to reunite with their wives and children.

Liu Bei also seriously considered Li Yi's suggestion and returned to his mansion to discuss the issue of having a child with Yuan Ying.

As for Li Yi, he did not return home immediately.

Instead, he went to the government office first.

Because he knew that the rewards for his generals were decided by the bosses of Cao’s camp and Liu’s camp respectively.

However, the surrendered generals in Hebei must be appeased with caution.

So he wrote a petition, requesting to confer titles on the "meritorious officials" of Hebei.

Xu You recommended himself to be a counselor.

Zhang He was appointed as Lieutenant General and granted the title of Marquis of Duting.

Gao Lan was appointed as Lieutenant General and was granted the title of Marquis of Donglai.

As for the troops brought by the two men, they were still under his command.

After pacifying the three important officials of Hebei, Li Yi returned home with peace of mind.

The Marquis of Tan's Mansion had already known that Li Yi was going to return home.

After not seeing each other for nearly a year, Mi Zhen personally led everyone in the mansion out of the gate to greet them.

Li Yi returned home in great glory, dressed in brocade clothes and jade belt.

Mi Zhen stood outside the mansion gate and saw Li Yi from afar.

His eyes flickered, and he couldn't help but step forward.

Just when he was about to take a step, he didn't want to lose his manners, so he forced himself to stay where he was.

"Welcome back to the palace!"

When Li Yi came closer, everyone saluted in unison.

Li Yi nodded and signaled everyone to stand up.

He walked up to Mi Zhen and said:
"I'm fine, my dear wife, just rest assured."

After not seeing each other for a year, Mi Zhen never expected that she would hear these words when they met again.

She tried hard to hold back the tears in her eyes, remained silent for a while, looked away, and said softly:

"How can I feel at ease?"

Li Yi seldom saw Mi Zhen's emotions fluctuate like this, and he, who was usually as eloquent as a lotus, was at a loss for words for a moment.

Perhaps, this is because of Su Shi's words,
——"We looked at each other without words, but with tears in our eyes."

Mi Zhen paused and said to himself:

"My husband is not in the mansion, I will take care of the affairs of the mansion, so you don't have to worry about it."

"Thanks for your hard work."

Li Yi replied.

Mi Zhen shook her head, "I know my husband has been on an expedition for a year, and has been accompanied by war."

"What we eat is dust from war; what we drink is blood and water."

"During the years of traveling, I have experienced many hardships."

"Compared to my husband, my little hardship is nothing."

"...As long as my husband asks, I will do my best."

After he finished speaking, his eyes met Li Yi's, but he suddenly stopped talking.

There was a flash of grief in his eyes, and then he lowered his eyes again.

Li Yi held his hand and patted it gently. He looked around and asked:

"...Why can't I see Yingmei?"

To be honest, the people Li Yi felt most guilty about were Yuan Ying and her son.

For this purpose, he even bought some small items on the streets on his way back to Xuzhou.

Although it is not expensive, I chose it myself and it shows my thought.

Mi Zhen covered her lips and smiled:
"Sister Ying knew her husband was coming back, so she went to the kitchen herself to make a dish for him."

"Oh?"

Li Yi raised his eyebrows and smiled, "I don't remember when Yingmei learned to cook."

"There is a first time for everything. My husband, please come into the mansion and talk."

Li Yi followed Mi Zhen and others back to the mansion.

As soon as he entered the door, Li Yi went straight to the kitchen.

He didn't even ask the servants to inform them and just walked straight in.

Just then, Yuan Ying and Tao Hong were both here.

……

(End of this chapter)