I did it all for the Han Dynasty!

Chapter 10 The Invincible Yuan Shu!
The seat of Lujiang Prefecture was Shu County.

Inside the prefect's residence, Liu Miao and Lu Kang were roasting kumquats in the courtyard and warming wine with a stove.

"Zhongshan, that method of using ledgers and forms is indeed very useful."

In his words, Lu Kang had already addressed Liu Miao by his courtesy name, clearly indicating that he completely regarded Liu Miao as one of his own.

The "account books and forms" that Lu Kang mentioned were what Liu Miao had taught him.

Because of the need to recruit soldiers, the accounts were inevitably numerous, so Lu Kang asked Liu Miao to review and organize them personally.

They had assumed Liu Miao would take at least two or three days to sort out the accounts, but to their surprise, he simply created tables and compiled the statistics. Not only were the results clearly visible, but this also saved a significant amount of time on sorting and calculation. This allowed the two of them to steal a moment of peace amidst their busy schedules, enjoying a half-day of tranquility in the courtyard while brewing wine with kumquats!
At the same time, Lu Kang was even more surprised, thinking that Liu Miao was definitely not an ordinary person.

Perhaps, as Lu Yi said, this Prefect Liu is a figure like Emperor Gaozu Liu Bang!

"Does Zhongshan think that the Han Dynasty, now in its darkest hour, will ever be restored to its former glory?"

Lu Kang's words were filled with expectation.

It's not just about expectations for Liu Miao.

More than anything, it was an expectation for the Han Dynasty!

The world is now in great chaos. Will the Han dynasty be replaced by later generations like at the end of the Qin dynasty, or will it return to peace after a few years of turmoil, like at the transition between the two Han dynasties?

Lu Kang didn't know the answer, so he asked Liu Miao.

Upon hearing this, Liu Miao's expression became somewhat unnatural.

How should I tell Lu Kang?

Should we tell Lu Kang that the Han dynasty you want is basically impossible to maintain?
And the peace you desire will have nothing to do with China for the next few hundred years.
Liu Miao looked at Lu Kang's temples and saw that his hair was white and almost without luster.

Such people are like candles flickering in the wind or lamplight burning in the rain.

How could one possibly stir up this last wisp of extinguished breeze from their own mouth?

So Liu Miao laughed and said, "The world, after a long period of division, will unite; after a long period of unity, will divide."

"Even if China falls into chaos, it will eventually be unified. Why should Lu Zhongyi cause trouble for everyone?"

This answer, which wasn't really an answer, didn't know if it could offer Lu Kang any comfort.

Upon hearing this, Lu Kang indeed pressed for further details—

"Zhongshan believes that no one can achieve the great achievements of Emperor Gaozu and Emperor Shizu."

Before Liu Miao could speak, Lu Kang took the initiative to ask—

"Can the current emperor revive the Han dynasty?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Miao immediately shook his head.

"Dong Zhuo is dead. Li Jue and Guo Si, these military men from Liangzhou, lack both great wisdom and Dong Zhuo's prestige. A court supported by these people has no chance of restoring the dynasty to its former glory."

Liu Miao knew that Liu Xie was somewhat clever, even able to produce something like the "Imperial Edict in the Belt" right under Cao Cao's nose... but now that the Han Dynasty was in decline, it was clearly not something that a puppet emperor like him could change.

Disappointment flashed in Lu Kang's eyes.

If possible, he still hoped that Liu Miao could tell him that the Han Dynasty could be restored and its revival was possible.

But even if Liu Miao said such a thing, wouldn't it be self-deception?
So Lu Kang asked about the second person—

"Does Zhongshan think Yuan Shao can succeed?"

Lu Kang looked at Liu Miao nervously.

Now Yuan Shao is powerful, and there is no one in the world who is not afraid of him.

Even though Liu Miao had no fear of Yuan Shao before, Lu Kang was still uneasy, thinking that Yuan Shao might actually be able to establish an empire in the future!
Liu Miao's face showed even more disdain—"Yuan Shao is outwardly generous but inwardly suspicious; how can he achieve great things?"

"Although he was born into a noble and powerful family, his life was full of hardships, and he suffered cold looks from others when he was young... Such a person is bound to be suspicious, and therefore is not someone who can achieve great things!"

It wasn't just Lu Kang who was pondering the current state of affairs in the world.

In these days, besides cultivating his relationship with Lady Lu, Liu Miao also privately pondered why these feudal lords had not unified, allowing the chaos at the end of the Han Dynasty to continue for hundreds of years!

Liu Bei and Sun Quan were inherently disadvantaged in occupying the south, so let's set those two aside for now.

It is quite a coincidence that Yuan Shao and Cao Cao, who were most likely to unify the country, were able to achieve such victories as Guandu and Chibi in succession!
Moreover, such a battle in which the few defeat the many might be a coincidence once, but it would be absolutely inevitable if it happened twice!

After much thought, Liu Miao concluded that the problem likely lay with Yuan Shao and Cao Cao themselves.

Upon closer reflection, both of them are quite suspicious.

A suspicious personality is usually developed in youth.

One was constantly being called "the son of a maid" and "my family's slave," while the other was constantly being called "the descendant of a eunuch"...

In the Later Han Dynasty, an era that placed great importance on reputation and birth, it would be strange if these two people, who were scolded from childhood to adulthood, did not develop psychological problems!

When this psychological tendency is applied to specific matters, it generally means that it is extremely difficult to trust other people!

Yuan Shao was like this, and so was Cao Cao!
If these two were to actually become emperors, their personalities shouldn't be a problem. They could even become another Qin Shi Huang or Emperor Wu of Han, or at the very least, a Jiajing Emperor!
But they are all starting their own businesses! They are becoming heroes who lead the way in their early stages!
In this situation, not trusting others is simply a sign of mental illness!

Given the sheer volume of business at the founding of the nation, it would have been the limit for either of them to unify Hebei or the north. How could they possibly have pacified the entire country?

That's why Liu Miao said that relying on these two suspicious fellows to quell the chaos was probably a mistake!
On the contrary, Liu Bei had the bearing of a hero... It's just a pity that Liu Bei started too late and had bad luck, constantly wandering and unable to find a place to settle down.

If the current situation in the world were that Liu Bei was in Youzhou and fighting with Yuan Shao, then it would be really hard to say who would win in Hebei!
Liu Miao's thoughts wandered, and seeing that the topic had been brought up, he took the initiative to mention the other people—

"Tao Qian of Xuzhou is old and frail, and though he is willing, he is powerless."

"Liu Biao of Jingzhou was good at maintaining the status quo, but lacked the ability to make progress."

"Liu Yan of Yizhou is too selfish and is not fit to be a king."

"As for Yuan Shu..."

Upon hearing Liu Miao mention Yuan Shu, Lu Kang immediately perked up his ears, eager to hear Liu Miao's assessment of Yuan Shu.

However, Liu Miao was no longer as calm and collected as before.

Because I am currently in Huainan, whether it is Yuan Shao or Cao Cao, they are unlikely to cross thousands of miles to bring troops to fight!
But Yuan Shu, that thing is really about to arrive in Huainan! Almost there!

Even if he wanted to underestimate him, the reality did not allow Liu Miao to disregard Yuan Shu!
Therefore, Liu Miao's expression was solemn.

"With skill and reputation, one's army and armor are sufficient."

"In Huainan, the threat of 'technique' is like Mount Tai pressing down; it is something we must be prepared for!"

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Note 1:

Yuan Shu allied with Gongsun Zan, while Yuan Shao allied with Liu Biao. Many powerful and influential figures sided with Yuan Shao, and Yuan Shu angrily exclaimed, "These scoundrels won't follow me, but instead follow my household slaves!" — *Book of the Later Han*

Note 2:

Cao Cao, a disgraceful descendant of a eunuch, possesses no virtue whatsoever. He is cunning, ruthless, and prone to rebellion and gloating. —From "A Proclamation to the Governor of Yu Province on Behalf of Yuan Shao"

Note 3:

Liu Bei, with his ruthless and ambitious nature, and the fierce generals Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, were certainly not destined to remain subservient for long. —From *The Biography of Zhou Yu* in the *Records of Wu*, commentary on Liu Bei.

(End of this chapter)