Three Kingdoms: Daily settlement helps Liu Bei revive the Shu Han dynasty.

Yuan Shu and Liu Bei dismounted and stepped forward, bowing to each other amidst their respective entourages.

Lu Yong's gaze passed over Yuan Shu's shoulder and met Yang Hong, who was standing behind Yuan Shu.

Yang Hong nodded almost imperceptibly, then looked away.

Their message was that arrangements had been made to obstruct Sun Ce's efforts to gather grain.

Yuan Shu's gaze fell on the seemingly endless procession of civilians in the distance, and he asked, "Brother Xuande, your journey south is long; do you have any specific plans?"

Liu Bei replied earnestly, "After escorting Lord Tao back to his hometown of Danyang, I will find a safe place in southern Danyang so that the people who follow me can have a place to stay."

Yuan Shu nodded slightly, his face remaining expressionless, but he couldn't help but sneer inwardly.

What is the southern part of Danyang?

That place was filled with towering mountains, miasma, and poisonous insects. It was also the most concentrated area of ​​the Yue tribes, where rebellion and killing officials were commonplace.

Otherwise, how could he have handed over such a large area to Wu Jing and Sun Ben, former subordinates of Sun Jian?

Everyone else is running away as fast as they can, but you insist on heading into those poor, desolate places...

Whether or not one understands is another matter; Yuan Shu is now quite supportive of Liu Bei's southward march.

Because he had already received a secret report.

It is said that after Wu Jing and Sun Ben met Sun Ce, they secretly harbored the idea of ​​following Sun Ce and establishing their own independent state.

To know,

Wu County in Jiangdong was Sun Jian's hometown, and Zhu Zhi, the Commandant of Wu Commandery, was a former subordinate of Sun Jian. The Sun family had deep roots in Jiangdong.

If Sun Ce were to defeat Liu Yao and enter Jiangdong, his power would inevitably expand rapidly, and he would likely be unable to control it.

For this reason, Yuan Shu was more eager than anyone else for Liu Bei to cross the river as soon as possible.

Yuan Shu had another idea,

It was during the subsequent struggle between Liu Bei and Sun Ce that...

If Liu Bei had been defeated by Sun Ce

Then Yuan Shu could take the opportunity to annex Liu Bei's troops and population, greatly increasing his strength.

If Liu Bei had defeated Sun Ce, it would have taken him at least several years to conquer Jiangdong.

Moreover, the Jiangdong region was home to many powerful clans, making it difficult for Liu Bei, an outsider, to gain their recognition and support.

Integrating them will likely take several more years.

This back and forth

By the time Liu Bei truly took control of Jiangdong and began to develop and accumulate strength, probably more than ten or twenty years would have passed.

Moreover, would Yuan Shu sit idly by and watch Liu Bei gain the support of the Jiangdong gentry?

Of course not!

They could secretly bribe the powerful families in Jiangdong to openly and covertly resist Liu Bei and create obstacles for him.

As long as Yuan Shu maintains his current rate of development...

And within the next ten years, they will take Liu Biao and Jingzhou.

Even if Liu Bei had established a foothold in Jiangdong, all his options had been completely blocked by Yuan Shu.

Even if Liu Bei were to become more capable, with only the poor and remote Jiangdong region, what could he possibly use to fight against Yuan Shu, who occupied the richest land in the world?

This time difference is precisely the core of Yang Hong's strategy.

Yuan Shu also deeply agreed with this.

Having figured out these key points, looking at Liu Bei's army now, they were ragged, emaciated, and exuded an air of poverty from the inside out.

Yuan Shu suddenly felt even more relieved.

What can a mat weaver and sandal seller accomplish with a group of peasants?

The Yuan family has held high office for four generations, and its disciples and former officials are all over the country. How could they not deal with these bumpkins?

Countless thoughts flashed through Yuan Shu's mind, but his face remained full of smiles.

He patted Liu Bei's arm and said warmly, "Xuande, we are old friends who fought side by side against Dong Zhuo, so there's no need for formalities."

The situation in the Central Plains is complex and difficult to address, so it's unlikely to offer you much assistance.

I can only provide you with five thousand shi of grain as a token of my appreciation.

If I ever face Cao Cao in the future, I hope that Xuande can lend me a hand.

"He is indeed an ally, but you almost kicked him out..." Liu Bei muttered to himself upon hearing this.

He then cupped his hands in a gesture of respect and replied, "Brother Gonglu, if you have any needs, I will certainly do my utmost to help!"

"Good, good, good! Xuande is indeed straightforward!" Yuan Shu laughed loudly.

Liu Bei also burst into laughter.

The two laughed like long-lost brothers, but each had their own agenda.

The meeting between the two was certainly not just for mutual business flattery.

After the laughter, it's time to get down to business.

Yuan Shu ordered his men to bring out the prepared alliance document, two copies of which were laid out on the table.

Liu Bei had Lu Yong and Yang Hong check each item one by one, while he stood aside and chatted casually with Yuan Shu.

Before long, Lu Yong and Yang Hong finished checking their respective documents.

Yuan Shu wanted to check it again.

But Liu Bei simply picked up a pen, signed his name, and pressed his fingerprint on it without even looking at it.

Yuan Shu's gaze lingered on Liu Bei's hand for a moment, then he simply stopped looking at the contents and signed his name directly.

After bidding farewell to Yuan Shu, Liu Bei returned to his troops.

Although the alliance was signed, he did not relax his vigilance and ordered his soldiers to take turns on duty day and night to protect and help the migrating people along the way.

Yuan Shu also dispatched his generals along the way to "assist in maintaining order."

It was ostensibly to assist, but in reality, it was to monitor.

There were no major conflicts between the two sides, and the situation remained relatively stable overall.

Crossing the river from Huainan,

The most convenient route is naturally to cross the river at Hengjiangjin or Danglikou and head south directly into Danyang.

However, Hengjiangjin was occupied by Liu Yao's generals Fan Neng and Yu Mi, Danglikou was occupied by Zhang Ying, and Niuzhuji on the south bank was heavily guarded by Liu Yao's troops.

It was impossible for Liu Yao to open the ferry crossing and allow Liu Bei to cross the river.

It was obvious to anyone with eyes that Liu Bei's army was there to seize Jiangdong.

It's already considered kind of Liu Yao not to take advantage of the situation; how could we expect him to open the door to welcome guests and let wolves into the house?

Liu Bei and his party had no choice but to continue south and cross the river at Ruxukou.

The route they agreed on was to cross the river, land at Dongguan, and then travel overland to Dangtu.

Finally, by taking the waterway along the Shuiyang River, one can reach the foot of Wanling City.

After Liu Bei and his party crossed the Huai River, the 5,000 shi of grain allocated by Yuan Shu arrived as scheduled.

Lu Su then approached Liu Bei and offered to donate 80% of his family fortune to the army.

Moved, Liu Bei held Lu Su's hand and walked a long way.

Lu Su tried to pull his hand away several times but couldn't, so he could only let him be.

More than half a month later, Liu Bei's vanguard finally arrived at the border between Jiujiang County and Lujiang County.

Ruxukou is just a short distance ahead.

this day,

Lu Yongzheng was discussing plans with Liu Bei after crossing the river when Xu Sheng suddenly tugged at his sleeve.

Lu Yong followed his gaze and saw that the wheels of a cart ahead were stuck in a mud pit.

Two elderly people with gray hair were struggling to push the cart from behind, but the cart did not budge.

Liu Bei also saw it.

He dismounted and strode over.

Lu Yong and Xu Sheng quickly dismounted and followed.

The three of them worked together to push the cart out of the mud pit.

The two elderly people were somewhat at a loss for words, and could only keep thanking them.

"Thank you, Magistrate Liu!"

"You're such a high-ranking official, yet you personally came to help us push the cart!"

Just as Liu Bei was about to offer some words of comfort, the old man suddenly squatted down on the ground, covered his face, and began to cry:

"Lord Liu! If you had come a month earlier, my son wouldn't have died at the hands of Cao Cao's army!"

The old woman next to her could no longer hold back and sat down on the ground, silently wiping away her tears.

Liu Bei stepped forward and helped the two elderly people up, one in each hand.

He opened his mouth as if to say something, but didn't know how to comfort him.

In the end, he just sighed and then turned to Xu Sheng and said, "Wenxiang, go and arrange for two soldiers to help the old man and woman pull the cart."

"Yes, sir." Xu Sheng accepted the order and left.

Liu Bei stood there for a long time, gazing at the hunched backs of the two old men.

Just then, a fast horse galloped from the front of the column.

The scout dismounted, knelt on one knee, and said in a somewhat anxious voice, "Report! My lord!"

A large number of small boats have been spotted on the river ahead.

According to nearby residents, they were river bandits from the Yangtze River!

Water bandits!!!

Liu Bei's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately had a bad feeling.

His procession of civilians stretched for hundreds of miles, traveling along the river.

The river bandits could launch a surprise attack from the riverbank at any time, but Liu Bei's army didn't even have a single warship, making it impossible for them to pursue them down the river.

What to do?

Liu Bei was at a loss and could only turn to his strategist Lu Yong.

And Lu Yong,

At this moment, however, he was gazing towards the river, seemingly lost in thought.