He originally intended to surrender to Wei, so why did he end up restoring Han?

Lu Wan took a sip of tea: "Actually, there's only one rule in business and finance: if you're incompetent, you have to be honest; if you want to play tricks, you have to be clever."

"?"

"It's a very simple principle: if you're honest and make a mistake, your friends will still lend you a hand."

Liu Bei nodded and asked, "Then what does 'clever' mean?"

"If there's profit to be made, nobody will bother. Businessmen aren't stupid, at least not that stupid." Lu Wan spread her hands and shrugged.

Liu Bei nodded in sudden realization: "Then the ideal merchant is one who is both honest and intelligent?"

"Of course, my lord, you must tell me when you happen to run into him."

Lu Wan's words were very clear: in the business and finance industries, there is simply no one who is both honest and intelligent.

In other words, if a person does business honestly and in accordance with the rules, pays taxes on time, and does not bribe or misappropriate funds, then he cannot make a lot of money; but if this person is very smart and is a powerful figure who can lead everyone to get rich, then he cannot help but use gray or black methods.

That's why Lu Wan said she should tell him if she encountered such a person, because such people are extremely rare, almost non-existent.

Putting economic matters aside, Lu Wan and Liu Bei began discussing Zang Ba's affairs again.

In fact, when Liu Bei received the letter, he immediately sought out Lu Wan to discuss the matter.

Although Lu Wan is currently only a clerk in official rank, he is actually summoned by Liu Bei for advice every few days, so no one really regards him as just an ordinary official.

Zang Ba's letter was actually quite veiled, only subtly indicating his desire to serve. Even this slight willingness to serve was based on the promise of substantial benefits. Zang Ba proposed:

First, Zang Ba acknowledged Liu Bei as the sole legitimate leader of Xuzhou and obeyed Liu Bei's command.

Second, Liu Bei was appointed Governor of Xu Province, Zang Ba was appointed Prefect of Langya, and the generals of Mount Tai were given their respective positions. They would each retain a small contingent of troops for their own security, while the rest would be under Liu Bei's command.

Third, all cities in Langya, except Kaiyang, will be transferred to Liu Bei. Kaiyang will become a free city and be separated from the Langya district.

Liu Bei laughed in anger at first glance. It seemed this guy hadn't given up and still harbored unrealistic fantasies, hoping to gain some benefits from this. If he had to resort to such tactics to win over a small local warlord, what kind of bargaining chips would Liu Bei offer when facing those who might bring large armies to surrender in the future?

"Wen Yuan, look at this! It says here that I, Liu Bei, am a man of noble character and integrity, a true gentleman. It seems that if I don't agree to his demands, then I, Liu Bei, will be despicable and a petty person."

Lu Wan's expression was also very unpleasant. At a time like this, they still wouldn't give up. Did they really think the swords in the hands of the Xuzhou people weren't sharp? At the same time, Lu Wan also began to reflect on why Zang Ba wouldn't bow his head at a time like this.

He suddenly remembered a saying that the reason why dynasties were able to unify the country in the end was not only because their leaders were capable, but also because the people were tired of the long wars and no longer wanted to support those ambitious people. Those ambitious people gradually disappeared in the wars, large and small.

To put it simply, it means that most of the dishonest ones are dead.

He also felt guilty, as his previous plan had failed; otherwise, Zang Ba wouldn't have had the chance to jump up in anger. At that time, Zang Ba successfully prevented Lu Wan from buying up the grain he had prepared later by purchasing it in small batches on a large scale.

Liu Bei patted Lu Wan on the shoulder: "Don't be angry, it will harm your health. There are too many ambitious people in the world, my strategist cannot be defeated by such people. Besides, Wen Yuan, your plan is very good. If I were in Zang Ba's position, I might not be able to escape. Moreover, who would have known that so many people in the neighboring Taishan County would sell his grain?"

"Moreover, in the long run, it's actually a good thing that this plan didn't succeed. It would be a waste to use such a powerful method on Zang Ba; it would be more effective if it were used on Cao Cao."

Liu Bei took the letter, but instead of looking at it, he gazed out the window: "It seems I still need to show my strength, otherwise this kind of person won't be satisfied."

He thought for a moment and slowly said, "Then let's do it this way. I will immediately send troops under the pretext of suppressing bandits and station them near Jiqiu. If he is unwilling to surrender, then let him go and follow Cao Cao. We have plenty of ways to deal with him. If he is willing to surrender, we cannot abandon him. We must do our best to strive for peace."

Today, Liu Bei has finally revealed his ruthless and ambitious side.

Lu Wan also understood that blindly pursuing peace and using only mild methods would likely not yield the desired results in the end. Peace must be sought through struggle for it to last.

--------

After Liu Bei issued the order, all departments immediately began relevant preparations. Within a few days, a force of 5,000 men was mobilized and ready to set off at any time.

With a wave of his hand, Liu Bei immediately mobilized his army, accompanied by military generals Tian Yu and Chen Dao, and civil officials Sun Qian and Lu Wan. Liu Bei knew that this battle was unlikely to break out, but he still made ample preparations. In addition to various military equipment and supplies, he also kept the two thousand troops led by Tian Yu heading north as a reserve force.

Tian Yu was somewhat taken aback when he received the news. Wasn't he supposed to go north to launch a diplomatic offensive? Why was he suddenly mobilizing troops?

After receiving the details, Tian Yu fell silent. Zang Ba was truly impervious to both soft and hard tactics and needed to be taught a lesson.

The smell of war is intense and stimulating, so strong that it can be smelled from a great distance. This smell, carried by the cold winter wind, reached Langya County and Kaiyang City.

"Is Liu Bei really going to make such a fuss? I'm just trying to get some benefits for my brothers, is it really necessary to make such a big fuss?" Zang Ba was so anxious after seeing the news that he paced around the room in circles.

The others were also startled by Liu Bei's actions and asked one after another, "Boss, what should we do?"

In fact, their hearts were more focused on Liu Bei. Their previous attitude was nothing more than wanting more benefits. Now that Liu Bei had suddenly become angry, they were all terrified.

After several rounds, Zang Ba finally came up with a delaying tactic: "How about this, Chang Xi, you go to Jiqiu and garrison troops to block Liu Bei's northward advance, buying time for our army to negotiate with Liu Bei, is that alright?"

"Don't worry, boss, I've got it covered." Changxi immediately patted his chest to indicate that there was no problem.

Zang Ba patted Chang Xi on the shoulder with satisfaction and straightened the wrinkles in his clothes: "Brother, the longer you hold out in Jiqiu, the more advantageous it will be for our negotiations."

Chang Xi grunted in agreement and immediately went out to prepare to return to his post and launch an attack.

Chang Xi was historically quite irrational. Whenever Liu Bei showed any signs of success, he would immediately rebel against Cao Cao. This was simply because he disliked Cao Cao and wanted to constantly oppose him. Even knowing that the north already belonged to the Cao family, he remained undeterred.