Three Kingdoms: Fusion of Entries, Change of Destiny

Chapter 116 Xuzhou, fat or poison?
Cao Cao, who had not yet learned of the great changes in Yanzhou, was now confronting Tao Qian under Tancheng in Donghai County.

Mi Zhu went on a diplomatic mission and brought in reinforcements from Liu Bei and Tian Kai.

However, Tian Kai stationed his troops on the Qingxu border and remained motionless.

Only Liu Bei personally led two thousand soldiers, avoided the interception of Cao's cavalry, and successfully entered Tancheng.

There were originally 20,000 defenders in Tancheng, and the addition of Liu Bei's soldiers was icing on the cake.

But the most crucial thing is that the addition of two top-notch generals, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, greatly enhanced the strength of Tao Qian's side.

Cao Cao had limited military strength and only brought 50,000 men on this expedition. He also sent more than 10,000 men to other places, so he did not form a siege on Tancheng.

The gate of Tancheng slowly opened, and the three Liu Bei brothers, exhausted, led the two thousand old and weak soldiers into the city.

When the people in the city saw the arrival of reinforcements, although the number was small, it caused a lot of discussion.

As soon as Liu Bei had settled his soldiers, he received an invitation from Tao Qian to go to his mansion.

At this moment, Tao Qian was leaning on the sickbed, looking haggard, with his skinny fingers tightly clenching the corner of the quilt. His cloudy old eyes flickered in the candlelight, and he looked like he was about to die at any time.

At this time, a personal guard came from outside the door to report: "Your Excellency! Pingyuan Prime Minister Liu Bei requests an audience!"

Tao Qian's cloudy pupils suddenly tightened, and a barely perceptible smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. He then said in a deliberately hoarse voice, "Please invite Xuande in!"

After Tao Qian finished speaking, he forced himself to sit up and ordered his men to remove all the military newspapers piled on the desk, leaving only two celadon teacups.

When Liu Bei entered the room with Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, Tao Qian had already put on a sorrowful expression, with two old tears sliding down his wrinkled cheeks: "Xuan De has come a thousand miles to help us. It is a blessing for the people of Xuzhou!"

Liu Bei hurriedly stepped forward and supported Tao Qian. "Your words are too serious, Envoy Tao. I am a relative of the Han Dynasty. How can I stand by and watch the people of Xuzhou suffer?"

Tao Qian, however, seized Liu Bei's wrist with surprising force. "Xuan De, do you understand? Cao Cao, under the pretext of revenge, is actually trying to annex Xuzhou! Now that Tian Kai's troops are stationed there, you have led two thousand brave men to brave the danger. How can I repay your kindness?"

Before Liu Bei could answer, Tao Qian suddenly started coughing violently, and Liu Bei was so scared that he quickly patted his back to help him breathe.

It took a while for Tao Qian to calm down.

He loosened his hand and pointed tremblingly out the window: "Cao Cao's army is at the gates of the city. People inside and outside Tancheng are in a panic. The people all praise Cao Cao's kindness and righteousness, while I, Tao Qian, have become a sinner..."

Zhang Fei was getting impatient listening to this and was about to speak when Liu Bei stopped him with a look.

Seeing this, Tao Qian smiled inwardly, but his expression became even more sincere: "If Xuande doesn't abandon me, I am willing to give Xuzhou to you. I only hope that Xuande can protect the country and the people, and not let the people of Xuzhou suffer any more!"

"Why do you say that, sir?" Liu Bei was stunned and asked in disbelief. "Although I hold the title of Prime Minister of Pingyuan, Pingyuan County is already under the rule of Yuan Shao. I am no different from a commoner. How could I dare to covet Xuzhou?"

Tao Qian smiled bitterly, "I know my life is coming to an end, but the people of Xuzhou still need someone to protect them. Xuande, there is no need to refuse."

Before he could finish his words, he started coughing violently again.

This time, Tao Qian secretly bit his lip, and a pool of blood came out.

Liu Bei hurriedly called for a doctor, but Tao Qian waved his hand and said, "No need."

He took out a piece of yellow silk from under his pillow, and when he opened it, he found it was the seal of the governor of Xuzhou.

Tao Qian handed the seal to Liu Bei and said, "This is the seal of Xuzhou. I hope Xuande will keep it for the time being. After I die, I hope Xuande will put the people first..."

Liu Bei didn't dare to take the seal. Zhang Fei behind him was already scratching his head anxiously, and Guan Yu's slightly narrowed eyes were also full of desire.

But after a moment's hesitation, Liu Bei pushed the seal back into Tao Qian's arms and said, "I have come here only to relieve the danger in Xuzhou, and I have no desire to take it. If you insist on doing so, I will have no choice but to lead my army away."

Liu Bei, why don't you play by the rules?
Such a big piece of fat, and you don’t even want to eat it?

Tao Qian was so angry!

But seeing that Liu Bei did not seem to be pretending, Tao Qian could not force him and could only sigh and say, "Xuan De, don't worry. Think about it for a while, and it won't be too late to make a decision."

"In that case, I will take my leave!" Liu Bei bowed and left the bedroom. After leaving Tao Qian's house, Zhang Fei asked anxiously, "Brother, Tao Qian wants to give Xuzhou to you, why don't you accept it?"

Guan Yu also echoed: "Yes, big brother, if we can take Xuzhou, the three of us brothers will have a real foundation of our own!"

Liu Bei shook his head and said, "Don't you think this is too strange?"

"Strange? What's strange?" Zhang Fei asked in confusion.

"As soon as we arrived, Tao Qian was eager to hand over Xuzhou, as if he had made the decision long ago and was just waiting for us to come," Liu Bei explained.

Zhang Fei disagreed and said, "But if we take Xuzhou, it's a sure win for us no matter how you look at it!"

Liu Bei just instinctively felt that he could not accept the seal.

As for where the problem lies, he couldn't explain it clearly.

Not long after returning to the military camp, a soldier suddenly came to report that the famous Xuzhou scholars Chen Deng and Mi Zhu wanted to see him.

Liu Bei didn't dare to offend these local tyrants, so he hurried out to greet them in person.

Chen Deng was wearing a brocade robe with a green bamboo pattern and a half-worn mutton-fat jade pendant hanging around his waist, which was in line with the ancient etiquette of "a gentleman wears jade and behaves with propriety".

Mi Zhu wore a dark-colored robe with dark patterns, and the jade belt around his waist was inlaid with thumb-sized pieces of Hetian white jade, showing his wealth and nobility.

The two men stood in front of the camp gate, and Liu Bei fell in love with them at first sight.

Without waiting for Chen Deng and Mi Zhu to salute, Liu Bei took the initiative to bow 90 degrees, which stunned Chen Deng and Mi Zhu.

The two of them reacted quickly, one helping Liu Bei up and saying, "We don't deserve such a great honor from Lord Xuande."

"You are all famous scholars in Xuzhou and have done a lot for the people. How can I, Liu Bei, not pay my respects to you?" Liu Bei said sincerely, pulling the two of them aside.

To be honest, Liu Bei's attitude was somewhat artificial, but who doesn't like to be respected?
At this moment, Boss Liu successfully won the favor of Chen Deng and Mi Zhu.

After Chen Deng and Mi Zhu explained their purpose, Liu Bei immediately bowed and said, "Please wait a moment, I'll be right back!"

Liu Bei asked Zhang Fei to guard the camp and only called Guan Yu, then followed Chen Deng and Mi Zhu to the Mi family's mansion in Tancheng.

Chen Deng and Mi Zhu had naturally discussed this long ago. They hosted a banquet for Liu Bei, firstly to show their hospitality as hosts, and secondly to take the opportunity to get a good look at Liu Bei.

At the banquet, the tables were filled with fine wine and delicious food.

Chen Deng raised his glass to toast Liu Bei: "I have long heard of Lord Xuande's great name. It is truly an honor for me to meet him today."

Liu Bei smiled and replied, "Mr. Yuanlong, you are very polite. I have also heard that you have made great achievements in Xuzhou, and I admire you very much."

The three of them clinked glasses and chatted with each other, enjoying each other's company.

They talked about the situation in the world and the suffering of the people. Liu Bei spoke sincerely and his eyes were bright when he talked about his ambitions, without any hypocrisy.

Chen Deng and Mi Zhu looked at each other and saw satisfaction in each other's eyes.

After three rounds of drinks, Chen Deng and Mi Zhu had a general understanding of Liu Bei's character, ideals, and ambitions.

They found that Liu Bei was really "naive", even "naive" to the point of being a little cute.

In the eyes of most people, "supporting the Han Dynasty" is just a slogan shouted to achieve a goal.

But Liu Bei,
He seemed to truly regard it as his lifelong goal.

The "romance of Shu" may come from this "innocence".

(End of this chapter)