My game can make money starting from the Three Kingdoms period.

Lu Congtian could imagine how heartbroken Liu Bei must be at that moment.

Losing Huang Zhong is like losing a broken wing; losing Guan Yu is like losing a collapsing pillar!

Liu Bei and Guan Yu were like brothers, and Liu Bei had followed Guan Yu and Zhang Fei ever since they started their rebellion in Zhuo County.

He has been thirty-six years old since then.

It can be said that Guan Yu's power and prestige throughout China were due to the great flood that caused the Han River to overflow last year.

The defeat was also due to this flood.

The flood caused widespread damage in Jingzhou, making it difficult to sustain food supplies. Coupled with Guan Yu's greed in accepting the surrender of 30,000 Cao Cao soldiers, food supplies became even more scarce, thus sowing the seeds of today's disaster.

If Liu Bei hadn't been willing to stretch the supply line through Yizhou to ensure Guan Yu's passage, Guan Yu's defeat might have come even sooner.

Lu Congtian had worked under Guan Yu and knew that Guan Yu was unparalleled in loyalty and righteousness. He was greatly influenced by Guan Yu.

Unfortunately, even heroes grow old, past sixty, their lives burn out, their stars fall, and fate is hard to defy.

No wonder I was inexplicably imprisoned.

It must have been Liu Bei who was deeply grieved and wanted to find out the reason.

Lu Congtian could understand.

Perhaps someone wanted to show off and suggested that Liu Bei conduct a thorough investigation; it's hard to say.

It is clear that the news of Guan Yu's death was of great importance, and Zhuge Liang suppressed it, keeping it a secret. Otherwise, Jingzhou would have been in grave danger.

As a result, Lu Congtian heard no news at all.

"The governor wishes to relieve the king's worries, but he must take care of his health."

Lu Congtian nodded.

Since he is disabled and unable to fight, he can only do his best to contribute from the rear and provide support to the front lines.

Liu Ba apologized again and then left in a hurry. He still had to go to Jiangling, where Liu Feng, who had been escorted away, was located.

Guan Yu's death had far too many implications.

If Liu Bei wanted to punish those involved to vent his anger, then Liu Feng was the culprit.

Liu Ba's trip was to Jiangling to personally escort Liu Feng back to Chengdu. He would pass through Jiangzhou on the way and inquire about Lu Congtian.

Misunderstanding cleared up

Lu Congtian returned safely to his residence.

This finally put Anu's mind at ease, who had been eagerly waiting.

Tell Anu the reason.

Hearing that Anu was weeping bitterly, she said, "General Guan has treated us well; Heaven is truly blind."

After a long while, she calmed down and asked Lu Congtian what he would do in the future.

"I want to resign to take responsibility," Lu Congtian said meaningfully.

Anu was shocked. "Resign?! ​​Why?"

"General Guan's death is inextricably linked to me. In order not to be an eyesore, I must resign from this post."

Lu Congtian is trying to protect himself.

"But…"

"No buts. At most, His Majesty will demote me; he will not allow me to resign. You can rest assured."

"I hope so."

Not long after, Lu Congtian submitted a memorial blaming himself for his poor performance in overseeing the supply of provisions, which indirectly led to the shortage of provisions in Jingzhou. He requested Liu Bei to allow him to resign.

As Lu Congtian had predicted, Liu Bei did not hold a grudge against him. Instead, he demoted Lu Congtian by one rank to the position of Colonel of the Agricultural Settlement in Ba Commandery, and also assigned him to the position of Governor of Jiangzhou.

Not only did Lu Congtian voluntarily request demotion, but even Zhuge Liang and Zhao Yun voluntarily requested to be demoted.

This should be considered a form of self-comfort, a way to alleviate the inner torment and grief.

This can also be seen as a display of high emotional intelligence in the workplace, demonstrating a willingness to avoid upsetting the boss.

Winter moon

Liu Bei appointed Huang Quan as the governor of Jingzhou and commander-in-chief of all military affairs in Jingzhou, and transferred Zhuge Liang back to Yizhou.

Huang Quan was a staunch supporter of the Yizhou faction, and with Guan Yu's death, Liu Bei had to elevate Huang Quan, the representative of Yizhou, to maintain factional balance.

While Liu Bei was still alive, Zhuge Liang always served as the logistics officer.

His transfer back to Yizhou suggests that he is about to take some action.

Now that Nanyang Commandery has returned to Cao Wei's hands, and the defenses of Xiangfan have not yet been repaired, if Cao Wei were to solidify Xiangfan, Jingzhou would truly be on the verge of collapse.

Just as Liu Bei led the entire province to attend Guan Yu's funeral.

Xinwei day

Cao Pi accepted the abdication and became emperor, changing the era name to Huangchu, renaming Luoyang to Luoyang, and granting a general amnesty.

Liu Xie was appointed Duke of Shanyang and settled in Shanyang County, Henan Commandery, with a fief of 10,000 households.

When the news reached Yizhou, the entire court was shaken.

What's strange is that, whether it was a mistake or intentional, someone spread the rumor that Cao Pi killed Liu Xie after he registered as emperor.

Li Yan, who was promoted to Governor of Yizhou, along with Yang Hong, Zhang Yi, Huang Quan, and others, immediately suggested that Liu Bei, who was in mourning for the country, should take up the mantle of the Han dynasty and ascend the throne as emperor.

Only a few people, such as Liu Ba, advised Liu Bei against declaring himself emperor.

Liu Bei did not heed the advice to ascend the throne.

He seemed to be immersed in the grief of losing his brother and resigning from the emperor, and had no mind to think about ascending the throne.

This sends a signal to the outside world that Liu Bei did not care about the throne or becoming emperor.

Whether it's humility or genuine indifference, no one knows.

Since Liu Bei refused, the matter had to be temporarily dropped.

Jiangzhou

Fei Guan summoned Lu Congtian.

Fei Guan was promoted to Governor of Jiangzhou and concurrently assumed the position of Governor of Agricultural Settlements previously held by Lu Congtian.

Fei Guan was Lu Congtian's immediate superior.

I paid my respects with proper etiquette.

Fei Guan introduced a person to him.

No, to be more precise, it's about letting Lu Congtian in.

The eighteen-year-old youths calmly bowed and met Lu Congtian.

"Wenwei, you will follow Lieutenant Lu to familiarize yourself with the land reclamation work."

"Yes, patriarch."

The boy's name was Fei Yi, and he was a member of the Fei Guan clan.

Fei Guanzhi's cold demeanor suggested that he knew Lu Congtian had investigated him when Lu was a clerk.

After giving Lu Congtian some official business, he left in a majestic manner.

Working under Fei Guan from now on will likely be a difficult experience.

"Greetings, Captain."

"Young master, there's no need for such formalities."

Lu Congtian had heard of this polite and gentle young man.

Fei Yi was a learned young man, a renowned talent in Sichuan. Coupled with his family's prestigious lineage, he naturally stood out from the crowd, radiating brilliance.

Liu Zhang's mother was from the Fei family, and Fei Guan was Liu Zhang's son-in-law. The relationship between the two families was similar to that between the Xiahou and Cao families.

"Having long heard of the Captain's reputation, I asked my paternal uncle to introduce me to him."

"Um?"

Lu Congtian was surprised. He had thought that Fei Guan had arranged for his clansmen to come and gain prestige, but it turned out that Fei Yi had taken the initiative to befriend him.

What do I have that would make this talented man plot against me?

Oh, it must be my mentor, Zhuge Liang.

He sought Lu Congtian to act as an intermediary so that he could have the opportunity to visit Zhuge Liang.

Zhuge Liang knew about the Fei family's petty theft, so it was unlikely that Fei Yi would gain Zhuge Liang's trust through a normal visit.

Therefore, using Lu Congtian as a middleman would undoubtedly be a good option.

This kid is pretty smart.

Lu Congtian saw through it but didn't say anything. He simply said, "Young master will inevitably be involved in court affairs in the future. If you want to learn from me, I should naturally teach you."

"Thank you, Commandant Xie."

Fei Yi, without any airs, immediately took the wooden cart from the guard and pushed Lu Congtian forward.

Now that spring plowing is in progress, Lu Congtian, as the military commander of the agricultural settlements, should be busy managing affairs at various settlements.

Because of his disability, he could only communicate the matter through a minor official.

Previously, he was the Governor of Agricultural Settlements, in charge of the agricultural settlement officers in various prefectures. Now, he has become the one who does the work.

They recruited refugees, resettled surrendered soldiers, deployed troops, and reclaimed wasteland.

They redistributed agricultural tools, seeds, oxen, and other means of production, and supervised farming practices.

Because Lu Congtian has difficulty moving around, over time, some oversights are inevitable.

Fei Yi's arrival filled this void.

After spending several days together.

Lu Congtian gradually came to recognize Fei Yi's talent.

With Fei Yi by his side to help, Lu Congtian was able to share a lot of the pressure.

Fei Yi is different from Fei Guan; his values ​​still uphold loyalty and justice, making him a promising talent.