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

Chapter 209: Liu Bei and Li Yi both have a son, and Benchu uses his troops to march south again
But Li Yi finally returned home after a year.

He also wanted to see his wife and children, so when he walked to the kitchen, he saw Yuan Ying and Tao Hong chatting there.

“Will it be too sweet?”

Yuan Ying frowned slightly, put down the spoon and asked Taohong.

"My husband has never liked sweets. If it doesn't suit your taste, what should I do..."

Taohong couldn't help laughing:

"You...don't worry."

"Madam made this herself. You will surely love it."

Li Yi listened and couldn't help but curl his lips, "What are you doing?"

Yuan Ying turned around in a gentle voice, took a few steps forward, and then bowed.

"...When will you return? Are you well?"

Yuan Ying's eyes were filled with tears and her eyelashes couldn't help but tremble slightly.

Seeing her crying, Li Yi's heart softened, and the words came to his lips, but he took them back.

The only word left is Yingmei.

“…Don’t worry.”

Li Yi shook his head.

Yuan Ying nodded and said:
"My husband came in at a bad time. Ying'er hasn't prepared dinner yet..."

Li Yi looked around the table and said casually:
"Just eat whatever you want, no need to bother."

"…How can this be possible?"

"My husband hasn't been home for a year. Today he finally comes back. We should have a banquet to celebrate."

Li Yi asked again, "Where is Zhier?"

Yuan Ying said happily:

"Inside the house. The child has not seen his father since he was born."

"Now that you are back, go and see him."

After saying this, he turned to Taohong beside him and said:

"... Taohong, take your husband with you."

"I don't need any help here."

"Here."

Taohong obeyed the order and looked at Yuanying with some worry.

This young lady, who comes from a wealthy family, seldom does any work, and I don't know if she can do well without my help.

"My Lord, this way please."

Taohong led Li Yi into the inner room.

Although this is his home, Li Yi's mind is still filled with a myriad of thoughts the moment he actually steps into the mansion.

He has been on the battlefield for a long time and rarely returns home, where he has a new baby.

When I walked into the inner room, I saw an old woman holding a baby in her arms.

This child was Li Yi's eldest son, Li Zhi, who was only one year old and very young and cute.

When the old woman saw her master coming back, she wanted to bow with great fear and trepidation.

Li Yi took the child and looked at him carefully. He found that the child had delicate features and looked a bit like himself when he was a child.

A warm feeling welled up in my heart.

The child slept peacefully without making any noise.

Li Yi felt even happier, stroked the child's forehead, and said softly:

"My son, your father has returned."

Li Zhi slowly opened his eyes and looked at his father with clear eyes.

The corners of his mouth slightly raised, revealing an innocent smile.

Taohong was smart and clever. Seeing the affection between father and son, she smiled and said:

"This child loves to make a lot of noise, which makes his wife very upset."

"No one in our mansion dares to challenge him."

"Today, seeing that the Lord has returned, even the young master dares not act rashly."

Li Yi felt even more emotional when he heard this.

"Who will take care of Zhierduo when I'm away?"

Tao Hong replied:

"Mrs. Yuan took care of her personally, but she was frail and became ill after a few visits."

"So Madam Mi took the initiative to hire an old woman to help look after him, and the servants in our house also carefully watched over him at all times."

"Don't let the young master get bumped into anything."

Li Yi held the child in his arms, thinking, and suddenly asked:

"...Does Madam Mi really take good care of Zhier?"

Tao Hong nodded quickly and said firmly:
"Of course, although the young master is not Madam Mi's biological son, she has always treated him as her own."

"When the young master turned one, Madam invited Mi Beijia and many officials to come and celebrate the young master's birthday."

"Madam still needs a skilled craftsman to make a longevity lock."

At that time, rewards were given to everyone in the mansion.

However, Taohong did not mention this.

"……good."

Li Yi nodded and said nothing more.

Taohong didn't dare to say anything more, because everyone in the mansion knew that Mrs. Mi was infertile.

Therefore, no one dared to mention this matter in the house.

As for Yuan Ying who came later, she was the legitimate daughter of the Yuan family, a descendant of three dukes in four generations.

In terms of background alone, he is already inferior to Mi Zhen.

Now that she has given birth to a son, her status in the mansion has become extraordinary.

Although Yuan Ying and Mi Zhen had a good relationship, everyone in the mansion was very conscious of getting closer to Yuan Ying.

It’s not that they dared to disobey Mi Zhen.

But Taohong understood that the servants in the mansion had already tacitly acknowledged that Yuan Ying was the mistress.

Li Yi's mind was mostly on military and political affairs, so it could be said that he never worried about these trivial matters in the mansion.

It would be better to say that he just doesn't want to deal with these things.

Li Yi asked this question just now because he wanted to see Mi Zhen’s attitude.

The final result was also expected.

Mi Zhen had no discord with Yuan Ying because of Li Zhi's birth.

The relationship between the two sisters remains the same as before, and their friendship is as close as that of sworn sisters.

Why do you say it is expected?
This is not only due to their personalities, but more importantly, they both come from famous families.

There is a classic character setting on many TV shows: the vicious rich girl and the kind servants.

The reality is often the opposite.

People who truly come from a prominent family are usually well-educated and have great foresight.

On the contrary, most people who come from the lower classes are short-sighted and only care about petty gains.

Taohong can be considered a breath of fresh air among the servants, which is why Li Yi kept her by his side.

After a while, dinner was ready.

Yuan Ying cooked herself and hurriedly pushed a small porcelain bowl in front of Li Yi, with a look of joy in her eyes.

"...Husband, please try it. This is the first time I have made it."

Li Yi took the bowl readily and took a sip.

Well!
I have to say, she is worthy of being a rich lady, her craftsmanship is really not good enough.

He was about to blurt out the words, but when he saw Yingmei's eyes full of expectation, he paused when the words reached his lips.

"……not bad."

After saying that, he scooped another spoonful, until the bowl of porridge was almost empty.

Seeing Li Yi finish the whole bowl, Yuan Ying couldn't help but open her eyes, "Is it really delicious?"

As he spoke he also served himself a bowl and just swallowed a spoonful when his expression became strange.

He quickly swallowed a mouthful of tea and then looked at Li Yi:

"You...you're coaxing me again..."

Li Yi couldn't help but curl his lips and smile:
"This is Sister Ying's first time trying this, and it's not easy to reach this level."

“Don’t be too harsh.”

Yuan Ying stared at Li Yi in a daze for a while, then threw herself into his arms and hugged Li Yi tightly.

Li Yi was also startled, then he came to his senses and touched her hair with a smile.

“…I’m serious.”

Yuan Ying's voice sounded a little muffled.

"No matter what time... you always indulge me like this."

Yuan Ying looked up at Li Yi's face.

"In your heart, Ying'er is a little different, isn't she?"

Li Yi was startled and asked:

"What happened to Yingmei?"

"Why do you feel a little anxious today?"

Yuan Ying buried her face in Li Yi's chest, and after a long while she spoke:

"...Ten beautiful maids came to the mansion today."

Huh?
Li Yi was startled again, "Where did it come from?"

"…sent from General Liu."

Yuan Ying curled her lips, her tone containing seven parts grievance and three parts resentment.

She is a strong person by nature, but these ten beauties were given to her by Lao Liu.

How could she dare to refuse him entry?

No wonder he looks a little anxious today.

Although given her status and position, she would not be affected at all.

It was just because Yuan Ying came from a prominent family that she did not take her status and position very seriously.

in contrast,

She is more emotional, especially after losing her father and her family was broken up.

She was very grateful to Li Yi for building a new family for her.

Li Yi was already busy, and it would be really unpleasant if someone else came and took away their rare time together.

Seeing this, Taohong hurriedly explained to Li Yi:

"General Liu said that the prince had been working hard all day, and in addition to sending beautiful women, he also sent some silks, brocades, and gold and silver utensils."

"Don't refuse, my lord."

Li Yi nodded, with something in mind.

He hugged Yuan Ying tightly in his arms and gently stroked her back with one hand.

"Ying'er has always been irreplaceable to me."

Women are still easy to coax,
Especially the higher your status, the easier it is to please you.

Because women inherently admire the strong, when a strong man lowers himself to coax her, she will feel safe.

Sure enough, Yuan Ying seemed to feel relieved after hearing these words.

He gently rubbed Li Yi's chin, "You are always good at coaxing me."

"...Heh, when have I ever lied to you?"

Li Yi smiled and ordered Tao Hong, "Call those ten beautiful maids."

Taohong said yes, then went out and called in the ten new beauties who had arrived today.

The girls came in in a flock of girls, and as soon as they entered the door, they all bowed to Li Yi.

"~Greetings, sir."

The girls were indeed quite pretty, with their eyes conveying affection and their glances sending each other secret glances.

Everyone hopes to be favored by Li Yi tonight, so that they can become a phoenix and rise to the top.

Not to mention that Li Yi is tall, rich and handsome, powerful and influential, who wouldn't love him?
Li Yi looked around and said calmly:
"General Liu sent you to my house. From now on, you will be my people."

"Don't treat others with contempt just because I'm your military advisor."

"You must be respectful at all times and be careful at all times."

"Be respectful and cautious, and serve with all your heart."

When the girls heard this, they were immediately delighted and smiled:
"Don't worry, my lord. We will serve you carefully."

The reason they were happy was because Liu Bei had given them instructions before coming.

No matter what, Li Yi must accept them.

Old Liu knew that Li Yi was diligent. Now that the war was over, he also hoped that Old Li could enjoy a peaceful and happy life.

After all, we’ve been fighting for a year, can’t we enjoy ourselves?
Now, the girls were all delighted to see that Li Yi gladly accepted them.

Because they knew that if Li Yi really didn't want to take them in, even Lao Liu wouldn't be able to persuade him.

Now I can finally put my mind at ease.

Unexpectedly, before the girls could be happy for a few moments, Li Yi suddenly pointed his hand behind him:
"I don't need too many people to serve me."

"You should stay with the two ladies and serve them wholeheartedly. Don't be lazy."

Ah? ?

The girls opened their mouths wide, with disappointment evident on their faces.

Ok? !

Li Yi raised his eyebrows and asked coldly:
"how?"

"You guys don't want to?!"

The women hurriedly bowed and apologized:

"Yes! Yes!"

"We are so lucky to be able to serve Madam."

Mi Zhen had a very generous personality, and since she had no children of her own, she hoped that Li Yi would be fair to her and leave more descendants.

He advised Li Yi:
"General Liu sent these girls here because he wanted their husbands to take them into his inner chambers."

"General Liu means well, why should you reject his kindness?"

Li Yi said:

"Now is the time to enjoy ourselves, as things are not yet settled."

Li Yi used the example of Huo Qubing to explain the reason to Mi Zhen.

But his true thoughts were that although these women were beautiful, they were of little use to him.

Li Yi doesn't like to waste too much time on women because they don't help much in his career.

This is actually quite similar to Lao Liu.

Why does Lao Liu like to be with his brothers?
Because Lao Liu knew that only these brothers could help him conquer the world and be helpful to his career.

Compared to Lao Liu, Li Yi is already considered a "lecher".

The identities and backgrounds of people like Mi Zhen and Yuan Ying were of great help to Li Yi's career, and Li Yi was also quite affectionate towards them.

Over the years, he hardly ever took in a beautiful concubine.

Except for being away on business trip for a year, he also tried his best to fulfill his responsibilities as a husband on weekdays.

Look at Cao Cao next door, he took a concubine just for the purpose of whipping him.

What's more, when Li Yi was handling official documents in the mansion, he didn't like too many people serving him.

The more people there are, the easier it is to go wrong. Tao Hong is the only one left to serve by his side because she is careful and cautious.

Dinner is over.

In a blink of an eye, the moon is up above the branches, and the candles are lit deep in the night.

After the servants cleared away the dishes, they went about their own business.

Yuan Ying loved to stay by Li Yi's side. She took his arm and said:
"Husband, can you stay and accompany Ying'er today?"

Li Yi comforted softly:
"I still have some official documents to deal with, so I will stay in the study tonight."

"…Why is my husband still dealing with official business at this late hour?"

Yuan Ying pursed her lips. Although she was unhappy, she still told Tao Hong beside her:
"... Taohong, you should wait for your husband to rest early."

Taohong smiled and replied:

"Madam, rest assured. I will persuade her carefully."

Afterwards, Taohong waited on Li Yi and prepared to go to the study.

Li Yi said:

"I will review the official documents in your room tonight."

Eh! ?

Taohong raised her eyebrows, a hint of joy flashed in her eyes, but she still didn't dare to think about it.

She also knew in her heart that she was just a maid.

Usually he was Li Yi's close attendant, taking care of his daily life.

When Li Yi first touched her, he was just going through the motions to avoid ending up in a tragic situation.

Taohong understood this clearly and was very grateful to Li Yi for it.

Apart from this, I dare not have any more unreasonable thoughts.

Today, Li Yi suddenly had a whim and said he wanted to go to her room to review official documents.

She was delighted, but still tried to remain calm and said:

"Eh!"

"I will fetch your bamboo and silk now."

After a while, Li Yi followed Taohong into the room.

Seeing a piece of calligraphy on the table, he approached it for a closer look and asked casually:
"Practicing calligraphy?"

Taohong handed a bowl of ginger soup to Li Yi and said with a smile:
“When I have free time, I write for fun.”

Li Yi took a closer look and realized that the calligraphy Taohong was practicing was actually a copy of his own calligraphy.
Taohong seemed to have noticed it too, her cheeks flushed as she explained:
"I have no one to teach me, but I think your handwriting is very good."

Li Yi nodded and grabbed her wrist.

"If there is no one to teach you, I can teach you in the next few days."'

"really?"

Taohong opened her eyes wide and asked in a daze.

"It's true."

Li Yi picked up Taohong.

Since we are teaching writing, naturally you have to copy.

This copying took an entire night.

……

Early the next morning, Li Yi finished washing up.

He then received an invitation from Liu Bei, saying that a banquet was set up to reward the meritorious soldiers.

Since it was a social event, Li Yi couldn't refuse.

After getting dressed, we went to the lobby for a banquet.

By the time Li Yi fell, the hall was already full.

All those who came were prominent figures in Xuzhou, except for a few who were leading troops outside and could not come. Liu Bei invited all those he could.

"Hey, sir! It's finally here!"

As soon as Zhang Fei saw Li Yi, he walked forward carelessly.

She took his arm and said:
"If the gentleman doesn't come, we won't dare to pick up our chopsticks."

"Today I will drink three hundred cups, and I will not return until I am drunk!"

"...Haha, Yide is still so ambitious."

Li Yi calmed Zhang Fei down, then strode forward and sat down in his own seat:
——Next to Lao Liu.

"Sir, did you sleep well last night?"

Liu Bei asked with concern as soon as he came up.

He is very concerned about the private lives of his subordinates, especially Li Yi.

Li Yi smiled and asked:

"My lord, you invited me to a banquet today. Could it be that I am really here to drink?"

Liu Bei also raised his lips and smiled:
"The soldiers were in great hardship at Guandu."

"Now that we have won, we should hold a grand feast for the soldiers."

After saying this, he turned and looked at the ministers below.

These are Liu Bei's humerus, and he was overjoyed and said with emotion:
"Today's meeting can be described as a joy."

Liu Bei was a man of sensual pleasures.

He is not a workaholic like Li Yi, and he knows how to enjoy himself when he needs to.

There’s a famous meme that goes, I’ve been fighting all my life, can’t I just enjoy myself?

Although this meme is often used to make fun of, it actually has a historical prototype.

Historically, when Liu Bei entered Shu, he conquered many counties because of his consecutive victories.

So Liu Bei held a banquet in Fu County to celebrate and reward his soldiers.

As we all know, the monarchs of the Three Kingdoms were easily carried away by success.

Liu Bei was no exception. He said to Pang Tong:
"Today's gathering is really a great honor and a great joy."

Pang Tong poured cold water on him and said:

"To take pleasure in attacking another's territory is not the behavior of a righteous army."

Pang Tong was mocking Liu Bei for being benevolent and righteous many times before, so why did he become so arrogant this time?
Liu Bei was drunk and said angrily:

"In the past, when King Wu of Zhou attacked King Zhou, he sang before him and danced after him. Does that mean King Wu of Zhou was not kind and righteous?"

This sentence is actually the prototype of "I have been fighting all my life and I can't enjoy myself."

After saying this, Liu Bei drove Pang Tong out.

However, afterwards, Lao Liu also felt that he had done something wrong.

He went to invite Pang Tong back, but he was too embarrassed to apologize.

As a result, Pang Tong was also very strong-willed. He didn't talk to Liu Bei or apologize to him, and ate calmly.

Finally, it was Old Liu who couldn't hold it in any longer and asked first:
"Who of us did something wrong just now?"

Pang Tong replied that both the king and his subjects were at fault.

So Liu Bei laughed, and the two of them reconciled and their relationship became even better.

This is also another famous story in history about the relationship between an emperor and his ministers.

"Did the lord discuss the issue of succession with the mistress last night?"

Li Yi took the initiative and asked Lao Liu if he practiced calligraphy like him.

Liu Bei looked a little nervous. He didn't like talking about these topics very much. He just said:
"I have already said that."

After he finished speaking, he raised his wine cup and drank it all in one gulp.

Li Yi smiled and said:

"I have nothing to do these days, my lord, why don't you come with me to go hunting?"

"If Yi can hunt a female deer, he can eat the deer's blood, liver, and antlers."

"Yi also often drinks this and finds it quite useful."

Liu Bei said yes repeatedly.

In the next few days,

Liu Bei often held banquets to entertain his subordinates, a small banquet every three days and a large banquet every five days.

After the banquet, he went out hunting with his brothers.

On weekdays, I hunt more pheasants and rabbits, and if I'm lucky, I can also shoot doe, tigers and black bears.

Deer antlers, tiger bones, and bear bile are all top-grade supplements.

Li Yi gave all these tonics to Zhang Zhongjing, asked him to prepare them into tonics, and then gave them to Lao Liu according to the prescription.

As for the remaining game, it was handed over to the cook to be prepared for tomorrow's banquet.

This went on and on, and everyone in Xuzhou had a happy month.

During this month, Li Yi was also at ease teaching Taohong calligraphy.

Finally, as expected, Taohong became pregnant.

The happiest person was Taohong. As long as she became pregnant, her status in the mansion would change drastically.

But after being happy, Taohong also felt a little lost in her heart.

She could more or less guess why Li Yi wanted to accompany her during this period of time.

Now, the goal has been achieved, and after the child is born...

Taohong didn't dare to think further, nor did she want to think about such things.

All she knew was that she was a mother now, at least for now.

During this month, Li Yi seemed to be having fun every day.

But I am not idle at work either.

At the same time, he urged Chen Deng to escort grain and fodder from Guangling and Huainan.

At the same time, he ordered Zhang Fei to go to Qingzhou to assist Tian Yu in guarding the city in case of emergency.

On this day, the food and fodder from Huainan arrived, and Li Yi went there personally to count them.

Suddenly, Pang Tong came over quickly and whispered in Li Yi's ear:

"My Lord! Urgent news from Yanzhou!"

"Yuan Shao has gathered an army of over 100,000 in Liyang and is heading south!"

"……understood."

Li Yi nodded lightly.

The Yuan family’s brand was indeed attractive, and it gathered together the remnants of the defeated army so quickly.

However, compared with the last stalemate, this time the Henan Army can fight a decisive battle with Yuan Shao.

Last time, Yuan Shao was very powerful and the Henan Army had to avoid his attack.

But this time, the morale of the Hebei army was shaken and the people were uneasy.

Moreover, most of Yuan Shao's powerful fresh troops were killed.

Now this army of one hundred thousand can be said to be a real gathering of ants and a mob.

What Li Yi needs to do is to achieve success in one battle.

Annihilate Yuan Shao's main force.

If it succeeds, it will be a true change of offense and defense.

At that time, it will be Henan's turn to conquer Hebei.

"Shi Yuan, go and tell the lord immediately."

Li Yi first ordered Pang Tong to inform Liu Bei.

Then he personally wrote an invitation to Zhang Xiu and Lu Bu to fight on the front line.

Because it is going to be a meat-mincing decisive battle, Li Yi is also trying his best to get new troops to join the battle.

After receiving the news, Liu Bei immediately led his civil and military officials to discuss the matter.

"Yuan Shao has just been defeated, and his military prestige has suffered a setback."

"They had not rested for long before they gathered their fellow ants and headed south again."

"Now is a good time to join forces with Cao Sikong's troops and attack them together. We can win in one battle."

"From this, the offensive and defensive situation in the world will be easy!"

Li Yi gave Liu Bei some advice.

After Liu Bei lifted the siege of Guandu, he rested for several months and got a chance to catch his breath.

Just then, food and fodder had been delivered to Huainan, and the army was ready to set off at any time.

"When can we advance?" Liu Bei asked.

"First, order Yunchang to lead an army to meet Cao Sikong."

"We will lead the army behind us and march forward."

Liu Bei was overjoyed, "Good!"

He immediately accepted Li Yi's advice and ordered Guan Yu to lead 3,000 vanguard troops to join Cao Cao's troops.

He himself prepared the army and left Lu Su in Xuzhou to raise food and supplies to ensure that there would be no shortage.

Guan Yu set out immediately, while Liu Bei and Li Yi prepared in Xuzhou for a month before sending out their troops.

By the time the army set out, it was already the beginning of the new year.

Liu Bei and Li Yi were riding side by side. As soon as they left the city gate, a rider suddenly came up from behind.

The guards stopped him and reported it to Liu Bei, who asked him what was going on.

The knight dismounted and bowed:
"My lord, my lady has just seen the doctor."

"The doctor diagnosed it as a happy pulse!"

what! ?

Hearing the knight's words, Liu Bei's brows suddenly brightened with joy, "Are you serious?"

"It's absolutely true! I'm willing to guarantee it with my head!"

"Good! Good! Good!"

Liu Bei rubbed his hands together, unable to hide the excitement on his face.

Li Yi, on the other hand, remained relatively calm and ordered his men to reward the knight who brought the news generously.

The knight bowed his head repeatedly to express his gratitude.

"Congratulations, lord! Congratulations, lord!"

When the people around heard the good news, they all congratulated Liu Bei.

Liu Bei clenched his fists and sighed:

"I just hope it's a boy."

People on the left and right said:
"My lord, rest assured, your wife will give birth to a child who will be a unicorn!"

Li Yi was more rational, and took advantage of the good news to say:
"As soon as we set out to fight today, the lord got a son."

"This is a good sign, indicating that our army will win this battle!"

Use auspicious omens to boost morale.

When Li Yi learned that his son was born, he used this method to package it as a good omen to encourage the soldiers on the Qingzhou front.

I clearly remember that the morale of the soldiers was greatly boosted.

This kind of auspicious sign does not necessarily require the use of children, as long as you publicize it properly.

Anything can be packaged as a good omen.

Liu Bei raised his head and laughed:

"Okay, okay! You all heard it!"

"Our army will win this battle!"

All the soldiers shouted in unison:
"We must win! We must win!"

The shouts shook the sky and echoed throughout Xuzhou.

……

(Brothers, please give Lao Li's second son another name)
(The name of the eldest son is the one with the highest number of likes in the last comment. The same applies this time. I hope brothers can help with some advice.)
(If possible, give it a girl's name)
(End of this chapter)