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

Chapter 161 Liu Bei Wants to Form an Alliance with Gongsun Zan, Xu Shu Responds (Seeking Subscriptions and Monthly Tickets)
Although he received the imperial edict to suppress the rebels, Liu Bei did not immediately send troops to quell the rebellion.
Now that Luoyang has been initially secured, Liu Bei is focusing on building up his base in Siyong, primarily to pacify the region.

Moreover, it's not necessarily true that Liu Bei had to personally lead the troops to deal with the rebels.

The alliance against Yuan Shikai was not limited to Liu Bei alone.

Liu Biao, the governor of Jingzhou; Liu Dai, the governor of Yangzhou; Gai Xun, the governor of Xuzhou; Cao Cao, the governor of Yanzhou; Huang Wan, who was temporarily in charge of Yuzhou; and Sun Jian, the General Who Destroys the Enemy, who was under Liu Dai's command, could all be mobilized.

And Gongsun Zan, who, although the roads are impassable, will certainly not join Liu Yu in rebellion.

Like Jian Yong and Qian Zhao, Gongsun Zan was once dragged into the schemes by Liu Bei, but in the end, he couldn't win against Liu Bei and couldn't bear to part with their friendship. So, he used the excuse of studying to leave for distant lands.

Now that Gongsun Zan is in Youzhou and Liu Bei has risen to become the Imperial Uncle, Grand Commandant, and Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, he cannot help but take care of his former good brother.

Now the road from Luoyang to Youzhou is closed. If one wants to contact Gongsun Zan, the only option is to go through Bingzhou and take a detour to Youzhou. The journey is not only arduous and difficult, but also vulnerable to attacks from Hu people and rebels.

Afterwards, Liu Bei summoned Zhong Yao and asked, "I have long heard that Yingchuan is a land of outstanding people and abundant resources, with many heroes. Does Yuan Chang have any exceptional talents to recommend?"

Zhong Yao pondered for a moment and said, "Bingzhou is rife with bandits. Most ordinary scholars would be afraid to go there for fear of losing their lives. I wonder if you, my uncle, would dare to trust those who have committed crimes?"

"What crime have they committed? If it is a heinous crime, I certainly cannot employ them." Now that Liu Bei is the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, even if he were to employ someone who has committed a crime, he must be cautious and cannot use just anyone.

Without hesitation, Zhong Yao said, "Does Your Majesty still remember when you were still in the Western Garden Army, you sent a document to the county to recruit Xu Fu, a man from Yingchuan?"

Liu Bei suddenly realized: "I remember the reply from the prefecture that Xu Fu was very filial to his mother and did not want to leave his hometown. What did he do wrong?"

Zhong Yao sighed, “The world is in turmoil and the rule of law is unclear, so there are many people who fight privately with weapons. Xu Fu likes to be a chivalrous knight and is fond of swords and spears. Last year, he was captured by officials while avenging someone, but was fortunately rescued by his accomplices and fled to the mountains and wilderness.”

"Later, when the new emperor ascended the throne, he granted a general amnesty. Xu Fu returned to the prefecture, but by then he had changed his name to Xu Shu and adopted the courtesy name Yuanzhi. He also decided to abandon martial arts and pursue literature, and no longer engage in chivalrous deeds."

"I was quite surprised to see that he wore a simple turban and a single garment and was humbled in his pursuit of knowledge, which was completely different from his past behavior. This person is filial and righteous. Why doesn't the Imperial Uncle send someone to recruit him again?"

Liu Bei slapped his thigh and exclaimed with delight, "I had completely forgotten about this man!"

After failing to recruit Xu Fu on his first attempt, Liu Bei did not attempt to recruit him a second time.

After all, Liu Bei at that time was just a military officer in the Western Garden Army, without even a foothold. It was unrealistic to expect Xu Shu, who would take his mother with him wherever he went, to abandon his mother and follow him.

If one's mother suffers in order to employ someone, it is not the act of a benevolent person.

Liu Bei had planned to recruit Xu Shu's mother after he had established his own power base. Now that Liu Bei's power base was established, he could provide Xu Shu's mother with a stable living environment.

Subsequently.

Liu Bei then wrote a letter, expressing his intention to appoint Xu Shu as the Vice Minister of the Imperial Secretariat and detailing his plan to send Xu Shu to Youzhou.

After finishing his writing, Liu Bei thought of Taishi Ci, who should still be in Liaodong seeking refuge. So he wrote a letter to Gai Xun, the governor of Xuzhou, asking Gai Xun to send someone to protect Taishi Ci's mother.

Donglai was too far away, and Liu Bei couldn't reach it from there, so he could only entrust Gai Xun to send someone to take care of it.

To prevent Xu Shu from being unwilling to come because he had declined the recruitment offer last time, Liu Bei gave the letter to Xu You, who had just arrived in Luoyang.

Originally, Liu Bei wanted Xu You to join the Secretariat, but after Xu You went to the Secretariat and came back, he told Liu Bei directly, "The duties of the Secretariat are heavy, and I am not talented enough to shoulder such a heavy responsibility."

This left Liu Bei speechless. What a load of nonsense!

You've served as the acting governor of Yongzhou before.

Knowing that Xu You did not want to be bound by the tedious affairs of the Imperial Secretariat, Liu Bei did not force him, and only gave Xu You the honorary title of Gentleman of the Palace.

He has no mundane affairs on weekdays, can participate in confidential matters, and is available whenever called upon.

Upon hearing that he was to go to Yingchuan to recruit talented individuals, Xu You readily agreed.

In Xu You's view, this was no different from a publicly funded trip. Not only could he experience the local customs and culture of different counties, but he could also make friends with talented people from different counties to enhance his reputation.

After learning about Xu Shu's basic situation from Zhong Yao, Xu You rode swiftly towards Yingchuan.

In order to successfully recruit Xu Shu, Liu Bei also sent Xu You with a fine horse from the Western Regions named "Lueshui" and a long sword made of wrought iron.

This clearly demonstrates how much Liu Bei valued Xu Shu.

Xu You also knew that Liu Bei needed Xu Shu to go from Bingzhou to Youzhou to join forces with Gongsun Zan, so he did not stop along the way and arrived at Yingchuan Yangdi.

He also learned of Xu Shu's address from Yin Xiu, the prefect of Yingchuan.

Xu Shu now lives in a simple thatched hut.

After avenging someone, Xu Shu hid in the mountains for more than half a year without his mother's knowledge. It wasn't until Liu Bian ascended the throne and granted a general amnesty that he dared to reappear in the county as a normal person.

However, this experience of hiding in the mountains made Xu Shu feel extremely uncomfortable, especially since his own mother had to humbly beg for alms, which made Xu Shu feel even more guilty.

It was precisely because of this period of experience that Xu Shu decided to abandon martial arts and pursue literature, no longer wanting to be a wandering knight-errant, but instead to concentrate on his studies and seek fame and fortune.

Although pursuing his studies halfway through his education was extremely difficult, Xu Shu was determined to change his way of life and vowed never to let his mother suffer from charity again.

Seeing Xu Shu engrossed in his studies, Xu's mother was quite pleased. However, she felt sad when she thought about how Xu Shu was looked down upon by scholars for pursuing his studies.

"If Yuanzhi had responded to the Imperial Uncle's call to serve, he wouldn't be suffering here now." Xu's mother stroked the document and sighed inwardly. It was issued when Liu Bei first recruited Xu Shu.

Hearing the sigh, Xu Shu rose to comfort her, saying, "Mother, you are too kind. The book says, 'While parents are alive, one should not travel far.' Mother and I depend on each other for survival. If I leave, there will be no one to take care of you. One can pursue one's future at any time, but one can only fulfill one's filial duty to one's mother now."

Xu's mother sighed again, feeling both relieved and saddened.

It is gratifying that Xu Shu was filial, but saddening that his future was ruined.

Just as Xu Shu was about to go to the courtyard to stretch his muscles, a rough voice came in from outside: "Yuanzhi, if you become rich and powerful, do not forget me. Now that you are rich and powerful, you must not forget me."

Xu Shu's face immediately darkened: "Guangyuan, do I look like a wealthy person to you? I live in a thatched hut, and your house is a mud house!"

"It's not like I didn't let you stay. You said you wanted to endure hardship, but I think you're just making things difficult for yourself." The person who came in was Shi Tao, a good friend of Xu Shu, and one of the old friends who still kept in touch with Xu Shu even after he committed a crime.

“Guangyuan is here too. Please sit down for a moment, I’ll go boil some water for you.” When Xu’s mother saw that it was Shi Tao, she also got up.

Shi Tao stopped Xu's mother, saying, "Why bother boiling water? Come to my house for dinner today! I've already had my mother slaughter a chicken."

"Slaughter a chicken? Guangyuan, are you crazy?" Xu Shu's eyes widened: "That's the only chicken in your family that lays eggs."

Shi Tao laughed loudly: "It doesn't matter! As long as Yuanzhi remembers that if I become rich and powerful, I won't forget him. What's a mere chicken?"

"Guangyuan, what are you talking about?" Xu Shu frowned. "Don't forget me when you're rich and powerful," and "Slaughtering a chicken"—was he still asleep? Xu's mother also asked in surprise, "Guangyuan, what happy event has made you so excited?"

Shi Tao leaned closer to Xu's mother and asked, "Aunt, do you still have the document from when the Imperial Uncle recruited Yuanzhi? Find it quickly and bring it with you later."

"The Imperial Uncle has sent someone to recruit Yuanzhi again. This time, it was Xu You, a trusted confidant of the Imperial Uncle, who brought a fine horse from the Western Regions and a long iron sword."

"I'm so envious. I, Shi Tao, am far more handsome than Yuan Zhi, so why was it Yuan Zhi who was recruited?"

Hearing Shi Tao's deliberately flattering and joking words, Xu Shu was immediately stunned: "I've already changed my name, how can my royal uncle still find me?"

"That's why I said, 'If I become rich and powerful, I will not forget you.' Even though you've changed your name, the Imperial Uncle still wants to recruit you, which shows how highly he values ​​you!" Shi Tao took the document from Xu's mother, examined it carefully, and laughed heartily: "It's good that the document is still here. If it had been lost, it would have been too impolite. Let's go, Yuanzhi! Don't keep Xu Sanqi waiting."

Xu Shu, however, did not move.

Seeing Xu Shu's attitude, Shi Tao knew that Xu Shu was being stubborn again. He turned to Xu Shu's mother and said, "Aunt, you have to persuade him. We can't expect the Imperial Uncle to come and invite him personally, can we? Although Yuanzhi is talented, we can't expect the Imperial Uncle to visit him three times."

Xu's mother also felt a sense of helplessness.

My son is stubborn and inflexible. When he was seeking revenge for someone, he wouldn't listen to any advice and insisted, "If I have received kindness from someone, I must repay it with my life. I must avenge my benefactor."

After thinking for a moment, Xu's mother deliberately sighed, "I had hoped to visit Luoyang someday, but it seems that I have no hope in this lifetime. Having offended my imperial uncle, I have to go into hiding in the mountains again."

Xu Shu trembled violently and said, “Mother, it’s not that I’m unwilling. It’s just that when my uncle was the commander of the Western Garden Army, I declined his invitation. Now that my uncle holds a high position and great power, if I accept, it would be seen as sycophancy and I would be ridiculed.”

Before she could finish speaking, Xu's mother scolded her, "You're so stubborn! You once risked your life in the mountains to avenge your benefactor, were you afraid of being ridiculed? Now, your imperial uncle doesn't abandon you because of your humble origins, he has recruited you a second time, and even gifted you a fine horse and a precious sword. If you fail to live up to this kindness because of empty fame, then you will be the one who is ridiculed."

If you refuse again, I will be ashamed to face the world!

Xu Shu was shocked and hurriedly said, "Mother, I was wrong. I will go see Xu Sanqi right away."

Shi Tao laughed loudly and stepped forward to help Xu's mother up: "Auntie, let me help you. Let's go together! Let's go together!"

Not long after.

Shi Tao led the two to his home, where Xu You and his two attendants had been waiting for a long time. Shi's mother warmly prepared food for everyone.

Upon seeing Xu Shu, Xu You's eyes lit up: his eyes were bright and his spirit was extraordinary; he was indeed the person the Imperial Uncle wanted to recruit.

Although he didn't know why Liu Bei was always able to find talented people, Xu You didn't bother to find out the reason. Since Liu Bei needed someone, Xu You would do his best to recruit him.

Just like when Liu Xiang went to Jiangxia some time ago, he also promised to go to Liu Biao to resign his official post and then take his son Liu Ba to visit Liu Bei.

After exchanging pleasantries, Xu You handed Liu Bei's letter to Xu Shu, saying, "The Imperial Uncle has said that the journey ahead is fraught with peril. If you are unwilling, he will choose another warrior. But what he promised you will not change. You may bring your mother to Luoyang to serve as a Gentleman Attendant."

After a pause, Xu You continued, "Although I shouldn't speak out of turn, what I want to say is that a true man should value fame and achievement. If he doesn't cherish the opportunity that is right in front of him, he will surely regret it in the future."

Xu Shu was somewhat troubled.

Although Liu Bei offered very good terms, Xu Shu was more concerned about whether he could be filial to his mother.

Seeing Xu Shu's expression, Xu's mother understood a bit, so she asked Shi Tao to read the contents of the letter aloud.

Upon hearing Liu Bei's deep admiration for Xu Shu in his letter, and his detailed explanation of the dangers of going to Youzhou, as well as his statement that "if you are unfortunate, I will take care of your mother," Xu Shu's mother's eyes became serious once again.

"How fortunate I am that my son Yuanzhi exists in this world, my Imperial Uncle!"

“My son Yuanzhi is going to Youzhou this time for the greater good of the country, and also to repay the kindness of the Imperial Uncle. How can we hesitate?”

"How could my son Yuanzhi be without courage?"

Xu Shu was startled. After gazing at his mother for a moment, he made up his mind and turned to Xu You, saying, "If we go to Youzhou, it will be difficult for me to accomplish anything alone. I have several friends. Could you bring their families with me to Luoyang? If any of us suffer misfortune, please take care of everyone's families."

Xu You stroked his short beard and secretly admired: If it weren't for Xu's mother's understanding of things, how could she have raised such a talented person?
He then laughed and replied, "Imperial Uncle values ​​warriors the most. Let alone a few, even if there are hundreds or thousands, as long as they are willing to serve Imperial Uncle, Imperial Uncle will take care of their families."

"You may not know this, but the soldiers under the Imperial Uncle's command who have families receive regular rice and rations from the local government. Young men are also taught literature and martial arts."

"The request you made is nothing more than what the Imperial Uncle does on a daily basis, and there is no need for me to specifically ask the Imperial Uncle."

Upon hearing this, Xu Shu and the others all widened their eyes.

The phrase "daily actions" in particular amazed everyone.

After a while.

Xu's mother laughed heartily: "How fortunate my son Yuanzhi is to have met such a wise ruler!"

Shi Tao patted Xu Shu on the shoulder and laughed, "In that case, I will accompany Yuanzhi this time; without me, Yuanzhi, you will probably have a hard time entering Youzhou."

Xu Shu took a deep breath, his gaze hardening.

Although Xu Shu had never met Liu Bei, Liu Bei's two recruitments, letters, and praise for Liu Bei, along with Liu Bei's growing reputation over the past two years, were enough to make Xu Shu yearn for him.

To save time, Xu You instructed Xu Shu to take his companions back to Luoyang first, while Xu's mother and the others would be transported to Luoyang by carriage arranged by the prefectural government.

Seeing that Xu You had arranged everything properly, Xu Shu no longer hesitated.

Besides Shi Tao, he also sought out six old friends, all of whom were former wandering knights who still associated with Xu Shu after he committed a crime.

True friendship is only revealed in times of hardship.

Xu Shu was also willing to share wealth and honor with those who were willing to help him in times of trouble.

Outside Luoyang.

Upon receiving Xu You's message by fast horse, Liu Bei, after discovering the whereabouts of Xu Shu and others, personally went out of Luoyang to meet them ten miles away.

This high regard moved Xu Shu to tears and made him feel ashamed, while Shi Tao and the other six following behind Xu Shu were both surprised and delighted.

"I am but a commoner, yet I have received such favor from the Imperial Uncle. Even if I were to die a martyr's death, I would not fail the Imperial Uncle's trust!" Xu Shu's eyes were filled with tears, and his voice became more and more resolute.

Liu Bei laughed and stepped forward to help Xu Shu up: "Yuanzhi, you flatter me. This time, I am not sending you and the other warriors to their deaths in Youzhou."

Then he had someone bring over fine horses, armor, and weapons, saying, "Since you have seven friends, I will give you seven more fine horses, eight sets of fish-scale soft armor, eight crossbows, eight light bows, eighty light arrows, eight ring-pommel swords, thirty-six throwing knives, eight bottles of wound medicine, and eight bags of flying sand."

(End of this chapter)