Brother, stop curling up! You're curling up like the founder of the Han Dynasty!

Chapter 144 Huang Zhong Joins Liu Bei, Yuan Shu's Rebellion Begins (Seeking Subscriptions and Monthly Tickets)
Huang Zhong frowned.

This person talks way too much.

Huang Zhong, who only wanted to get rid of Xu You, didn't think much and said bluntly, "The officials in the court and the countryside are all greedy and insatiable people. I do not want to associate with them."

"Hahaha~" Xu You laughed loudly, then mocked, "I thought that Huang Zhuangshi, who lived in seclusion in this place, must be a loyal and righteous man. I didn't expect him to be just an ignorant country bumpkin. Forgive my poor eyesight, I'll leave now."

Xu You then pulled the astonished Zhang Zi aside and turned to leave.

However, these words enraged Huang Zhong, causing his hands to tremble as he shouted, "Don't run! How dare you insult me!"

Xu You turned around and sneered, "You say I insulted you? What makes you say that?"

Huang Zhong's anger remained unabated: "I do not wish to associate with greedy people, so why am I considered ignorant? You insult me ​​like this, do you really think I dare not kill you?"

"Kill me?" Xu You's eyes were even more contemptuous: "You? Back when I conspired with Liu Bei to eliminate the eunuchs, many people wished I were dead, yet I am still alive and well; a fool like you who can't distinguish right from wrong is not worthy of being recruited by Liu Bei."

Upon hearing the phrase "conspired to kill the eunuchs," Huang Zhong's expression changed, and he asked in surprise, "Was it Liu Bei who killed the eunuchs?"

"Hmph!" Xu You didn't answer, but mounted his horse and winked at Zhang Zi.

Zhang Zi now understood Xu You's intention and deliberately exclaimed with a long sigh: "I never imagined that Liu Bei, who once defied power and risked his life to eliminate the eunuchs, and who also used the late emperor's secret edict to support the new emperor, would now be slandered by the treacherous Yuan clan for forging the edict, and even a country bumpkin thinks Liu Bei is a greedy and insatiable person. How pitiful! Military Advisor Xu, I was blind to his true nature today."

Seeing Xu You's cold snort and silence, and Zhang Zi's loud sigh, Huang Zhong was even more alarmed. He quickly stepped forward and called out, "Gentlemen, please wait."

Upon hearing the title change to "Sir," Xu You was overjoyed.

If Huang Zhong is not provoked, it will be difficult to recruit him today.

Before he could finish speaking, Xu You feigned a cold laugh: "To be deferential at first and then obsequious is laughable."

Huang Zhong looked even more ashamed and cupped his hands, saying, "I was misled by rumors and became prejudiced, thinking that everyone in the court and the public was greedy and did not recognize the hero Liu Bei. Since you two gentlemen have come to find me, there must be something I can do to help you. I am willing to do my best to apologize to you both."

Seeing Huang Zhong lower his stance, Xu You also regained his initial smile and cupped his hands, saying, "It turns out it was all a misunderstanding. I was agitated just now, please forgive me, Warrior Huang."

Huang Zhong hurriedly invited, "It's cold outside, please come inside for a chat." He then told the two children to go inside and boil water.

The children responded, one went to fetch water and the other to gather firewood, showing great diligence.

"Huang Zhuangshi has indeed fathered two fine sons," Xu You couldn't help but praise.

Huang Zhong shook his head and said, “Mr. Xu, you have misunderstood. The one carrying firewood is my son Huang Xu, and the one fetching water is Wei Yan, the son of my old friend. My old friend committed a crime and left his hometown, entrusting me to take care of him. This is also the reason why I moved from Wan County to Xinye, not to avoid Liu Bei’s recruitment. Just now I only wanted you to leave quickly, so I said those words on purpose.”

"I see." Xu You gently stroked his short beard, his smile widening. "I see that these two lads are strong and hardworking; they will surely become great generals in the future. If they can become disciples of Liu Bei, their future will be limitless."

Huang Zhong exclaimed in surprise, "Mr. Xu, you are joking. How could I, a mere uncouth man, dare to have such a wish?"

Xu You laughed heartily: "Sir Huang, you are too kind. Liu Huangshu is good at recognizing people. The brave warriors that Liu Huangshu sends people to recruit must have extraordinary abilities. Among the eight colonels of the Yongzhou army, Assistant Colonel Xu Huang and Colonel Dian Wei were both brave warriors recruited by Liu Huangshu when he was in the Western Garden Army."

"If Huang Zhuangshi had accepted Liu Huangshu's summons back then, he would surely be one of the eight colonels of Yongzhou Army today. Huang Zhuangshi should not be discouraged. It is better to be lucky than early. If you can make a contribution this time, when you see Liu Huangshu again in the future, Liu Huangshu will surely rely on you."

Huang Zhong repeatedly said he dared not accept such praise, and then invited Xu You and Zhang Zi to sit down, saying, "My humble abode is simple and unadorned; I apologize for making you two gentlemen laugh."

"It doesn't matter."

Xu You had been working tirelessly for Liu Bei for many days and was already used to sleeping in the open. At least now he had a place to shelter from the cold wind.

"I wonder what business you two gentlemen have with me today?" Huang Zhong asked again.

“I will speak frankly.” Xu You slightly composed himself: “After Liu Huangshu, acting on the late emperor’s secret edict, joined Dong Zhuo and others in installing the Prince of Chenliu as emperor, Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu falsely accused Liu Huangshu of forging the edict to depose the emperor, and even gathered Yuan’s disciples and former officials to raise troops in rebellion.”

"Liu Bei, unable to bear seeing the people of Nanyang suffer from the ravages of war, opened Wuguan Pass and set up post stations along the way to provide money and provisions for the people of Nanyang to enter the pass. This was originally a move that benefited the people. Who knew that Yuan Shu would send troops to seize Wuguan Pass and want to enter Guanzhong."

"With Liu Bei's abilities, I predict that Yuan Shu will surely fail in his attempt to enter Guanzhong this time; however, Yuan Shu has many men and great power, so even if he fails, he can return to Nanyang to regroup. Yuan Shu is also extremely greedy. If Yuan Shu is allowed to stay in Nanyang, Nanyang and Guanzhong will inevitably be at war."

"Therefore, I intend to recruit soldiers in Nanyang, and then take advantage of Yuan Shu's defeat in Guanzhong to drive him out of Nanyang, so that the people of Nanyang and Guanzhong can be spared from Yuan Shu's calamity."

"According to Zhang, Huang Zhuangshi can draw a bow with a draw weight of two stones and hit the target every time. If he could become a general and assist me in commanding troops, he would surely make Yuan Shu flee in terror. I wonder what Huang Zhuangshi thinks?"

Huang Zhong hesitated for a moment and sighed, “It’s not that I’m unwilling. But as you both have seen, my family situation is such that if I were to take command of the troops, my two young children would be left without anyone to care for them.”

Xu You looked at Zhang Zi, who nodded and suggested, "I am now serving as an official in Jingzhou. The newly appointed governor of Jingzhou, Liu Biao, is not only a relative of Liu Huangshu but also has a long-standing friendship with him. If you trust me, I can first send the two to Yicheng. After Yuan Shu is driven out of Nanyang, you can then bring them to Guanzhong to pay their respects to Liu Huangshu. How does that sound?"

Upon hearing Zhang Zi's suggestion, Huang Zhong was tempted, but after glancing at Huang Xu and Wei Yan, who were boiling water, he hesitated to make a decision.

Just as he was hesitating, Huang Xu and Wei Yan brought over hot water.

Xu You asked with a smile, "I saw that you two were quite accurate with your slingshots just now. Have you thought about your ambitions when you grow up?"

Huang Xu and Wei Yan exchanged a glance, both grinned, and said in unison, "To be the Great General!"

Huang Zhong's expression changed slightly, and he quickly rebuked, "Stop talking nonsense!"

Xu You's smile widened: "You can't be a great general here. If you want to be a great general, you have to go to Chang'an first."

Huang Xu and Wei Yan were both taken aback.

Is Chang'an a very long place?

"Does arriving in Chang'an guarantee becoming a great general?"

Seeing that the two children were talking more and more outrageously, Huang Zhong was about to scold them when Xu You stopped him: "Strong man Huang, children's words are innocent."

He then said to Huang Xu and Wei Yan, "Chang'an is the city where the emperor resides, and the general will also live in Chang'an in the future. Although you may not become the general if you go to Chang'an, you certainly cannot become the general if you do not go to Chang'an."

"If you aspire to be great generals, you can go to Chang'an first, then study literature and martial arts, and only then will you have a chance to become great generals; however, you are still young now, and if you want to go to Chang'an, you need Huang Zhuangshi to take you there."

Xu You was a skilled orator who traveled far and wide, and seducing two children was a piece of cake for him.

With his expressions, tone of voice, and gestures, he excited Huang Xu and Wei Yan with just a few words. In the end, they even turned around and reassured Huang Zhong that they would wait for him to return in Yicheng.

It carries the implication of "hoping one's father becomes a dragon" or "hoping one's uncle becomes a dragon."

Seeing this, Huang Zhong dispelled his hesitation and cupped his hands, saying, "I am willing to help Mr. Xu succeed."

Xu You was overjoyed and appointed Huang Zhong as a provisional colonel, to be formally appointed as a colonel after they arrived in Guanzhong.

With Zhang Zi's prestige in Nanyang and Huang Zhong's fierce and powerful presence, Xu You quickly recruited a group of brave warriors in Nanyang.

To avoid arousing Yuan Shu's suspicion, Xu You lied to the outside world, claiming to be "the troops of the Prefect of Nanyang," and directly played the role of secretly training soldiers in Yin County.

At the same time, Liu Xiang, the governor of Jiangxia, also received a letter from Xu You.

Liu Xiang was the son of Liu Yao, the governor of Cangwu. He had always been on good terms with Sun Jian and was also a former official of the Yuan family.

When Yuan Shao's proclamation reached Jiangxia, Liu Xiang expressed his willingness to respond, but did not raise troops to go to Luyang for the alliance meeting.

If it had been ten years earlier, Liu Xiang would have led his troops directly to the alliance meeting.

Now that Liu Xiang has married and had a son, Liu Ba, who is still young, he has some concerns.

Although Yuan Shao's proclamation stated that Liu Bei and Dong Zhuo had forged an imperial edict to depose and install emperors, Liu Xiang worried that if the edict was not forged, his future would be ruined.

Liu Bei's secret edict to Dong Zhuo not only affected the overall situation but also the life trajectories of many people.

For example, Zhang Zi was originally appointed by Dong Zhuo as the governor of Nanyang, but he was to be killed by Sun Jian.

Liu Xiang was also resented by the people of Nanyang for being of one mind with Sun Jian, and was eventually attacked and killed by them.

After carefully reading Xu You's analysis of the pros and cons, Liu Xiang felt both fortunate and apprehensive.

If they actually go to the Luyang meeting, they will surely be punished in the future.

After carefully weighing the pros and cons, Liu Xiang, as Xu You had predicted, chose to remain neutral and observe.

The situation is unclear now. If Yuan wins, it doesn't matter whether the edict is secret or forged; if Yuan loses, with Xu You's letter, it's not too late to choose a side later.

As for the disciples of Liu Huangshu mentioned in Xu You's letter, Liu Xiang didn't care much. Since Liu Huangshu's disciples were neither disciples of the emperor nor disciples of great Confucian scholars, they didn't hold much appeal for Liu Xiang.

Liu Biao was overjoyed by Liu Xiang's neutrality.

Now that Wang Rui, the former governor of Jingzhou, is dead, Sun Jian, the governor of Changsha, has gone to Wuguan, Cao Yin, the governor of Wuling, is too far away, Liu Xiang, the governor of Jiangxia, is neutral, and Su Dai of Changsha, Bei Yu of Huarong, Zhang Hu and Chen Sheng of Xiangyang are all just brave men.

Once the local forces and bandit leaders are dealt with, then external forces such as prefects and magistrates will be no threat.

Liu Biao was also ruthless. With the help of Kuai Yue, Kuai Liang, and Cai Mao, he lured 55 leaders of the rebel clans to a banquet in Yicheng.

Subsequently, after failing to reason with the crowd, Liu Biao overturned the table and killed all fifty-five people. He then attacked and killed the followers brought by these fifty-five people, taking over their entire force.

The sheer force of the attack was so overwhelming that even Kuai Yue, who had offered the strategy, couldn't help but feel a sense of awe.

The Liu Biao of today is not the same senile and muddle-headed Liu Biao of twenty years later. In his youth, he participated in the Taiyuan student movement and was nearly imprisoned for his words.

After the Yellow Turban Rebellion, he was directly appointed as the Marquis of the Northern Army, and now he is even following the imperial edict to depose and install emperors, along with Liu Bei, Dong Zhuo and others.

His reputation and style far surpassed those of ordinary celebrities.

Subsequently, taking advantage of his reputation for killing fifty-five leaders of the rebel clan, Liu Biao dispatched Kuai Yue and Pang Ji to Xiangyang to persuade Zhang Hu and Chen Sheng to surrender.

Having served in Xiangyang for many years, and even the former governor of Jingzhou, Wang Rui, had to treat them with a smile, they had never seen Liu Biao with such a tough attitude. After being persuaded by Kuai Yue and Pang Ji, the two of them directly took their seals of office and went to Yicheng to surrender.

Upon hearing of Liu Biao's formidable reputation, everyone, including Cao Yang, the prefect of Wuling, Liu Xiang, the prefect of Jiangxia, Su Dai of Changsha, and Bei Yu of Huarong, was filled with trepidation.

Since Sun Jian raised troops in Changsha, he gathered soldiers along the way under the banner of the Yuan family, taking away almost all the capable soldiers from various counties.

As for the powerful clans in various counties, some followed Sun Jian and others were killed by Liu Biao, and the remaining powerful clans dared not utter a sound.

From officials to powerful figures, no one could rival Liu Biao's prowess.

Even Liu Xiang, who had maintained neutrality, took the initiative to send someone to Liu Biao to express goodwill after hearing about Liu Biao's strength, hoping that Liu Biao would abide by the agreement.

Liu Xiang was also afraid.

I thought Liu Biao would take things slowly and methodically.

As a result, Liu Biao acted swiftly and decisively, almost overthrowing Jingzhou.

Subconsciously, Liu Xiang pulled out Xu You's letter again, and upon reading the analysis of advantages and disadvantages in the letter, Liu Xiang gained a deeper understanding.

One is Liu Bei, the other is Liu Biao. Are all members of the Liu family this fierce?

Although Liu Xiang also shared the surname Liu, he was completely different from Liu Bei and Liu Biao, who were both descendants of the great-great-grandfathers listed in the clan genealogy.

Liu Xiang couldn't help but think to himself:
Although I remain neutral, Liu Biao is now a powerful figure in Jingzhou. Even if I were to submit to him now, he might not be able to tolerate me.

It would be better to wait until Yuan Shu is defeated, then I can directly ask Liu Biao for my leave. For Xu You's sake, Liu Biao will surely let me enter Guanzhong.

Although the war between Yuan Shu and Liu Bei was still unresolved, Liu Xiang had already lost faith in Yuan Shu.

These two men surnamed Liu are too fierce, so fierce that Liu Xiang was terrified.

If Liu Xiang were Yuan Shu, he wouldn't understand how to defeat Liu Bei and Liu Biao either.

Especially when Liu Xiang read the line in Xu You's letter, "Back in Luoyang, Liu Huangshu (Liu Bei) defeated Ding Yuan and his more than 10,000 men with only 800 cavalrymen, without a single casualty," he felt even more terrified.

Eight hundred defeated ten thousand, and not a single soldier was killed?

Even if I had 80,000 men fighting against 10,000, I couldn't avoid a single casualty
Xu You was also cunning. He neither mentioned that Liu Bei's eight hundred cavalrymen were all armored, and even three hundred of them had horse armor, while Ding Yuan and others had almost no armor. He also did not mention that Ding Yuan and others ran away without even fighting, nor did he mention that the bravest Lü Bu took the initiative to leave the battlefield, or the terrain advantage that was favorable to the cavalry.

They just want to intimidate and boast.

Liu Xiang glanced at Liu Ba, who was engrossed in his reading, and a thought arose in his mind: My son is even more intelligent than me. If he can really become Liu Huangshu's disciple, his future achievements will surely far surpass mine.

Liu Xiang is quite proud of his son's intelligence and talent.

At this time, Yuan Shu was unaware that his rear in Jingzhou was already in dire straits, and he was cursing loudly at Lantian City.

"Liu Bei, you little brat, all you know is how to defend your city like a tortoise?"

"Leave the city immediately and fight me!"

However, on the city wall...

Liu Bei, however, set up a brazier, warming himself by the fire and breathing out warm air, completely ignoring Yuan Shu's cursing outside the city. Instead, he was reminiscing about the taste of roasted sweet potatoes.

"What a pity, what a pity. If only we had sweet potatoes. If we have the chance in the future, we must send people to America to look for them. They are not only delicious, but can also be used as disaster relief food."

(End of this chapter)