Liu Xuande would never be a succubus of the Eastern Han Dynasty!

The key factor here lies in the choices of the people of the world, not the will of heaven.

In other words, the Heavenly Dao should be the collective consciousness of the entire world, rather than a single consciousness form, but judging from the incident of the Heavenly Dao fragments, the Heavenly Dao has shown a clear "attitude".

It seems like: Those who follow me will prosper, and those who oppose me will perish.

Liu Bei suddenly thought of some novels he had read in his previous life, in which there was a method of promotion called "path". Specifically, one or more beings found the "Tao" and were promoted to the highest level. Then, anyone who set foot on this path would be influenced by the highest-level beings.

If we think about it from this perspective, perhaps something went wrong with the highest level Heavenly Dao itself, which forced subsequent holders to get closer to it in order to avoid being cursed.

However, was it really Zhang Jiao who caused the major event?

“…Looks like there’s more to consider.”

Liu Bei didn't think any further.

According to the razor principle, beyond a certain point and without any evidence, any speculation is meaningless.

Judging from the current situation, he just needs to continue to make military achievements.

"Perhaps, one day I will also face the law of nature... hehe."

-

Before leaving, Master Lu specifically greeted Liu Bei, then answered some of his questions, and then stood up to say goodbye.

The silver hair and red eyes turned back into black hair and black eyes.

His originally calm and composed temperament turned cold, and his expression was obviously different from that of Master Lu.

"Ah, Mr. Lu left."

Guan Yu moved his nose, hurriedly bowed to Liu Bei and said goodbye, then ran out.

"...Why is General Guan so rude?"

Gao Shun was a little confused, but Liu Bei smiled and explained: "The master's body is flawless and can remain clean even without bathing, but she used the second sister's body, and she ate outside for a day and a night. After the second sister came back, she naturally had to take a bath."

"Oh……"

Gao Shun stared at Liu Bei blankly, and subconsciously praised him: "My Lord, you understand women better than any woman can..."

"Haha, I'll take that as a compliment."

Liu Bei shrugged, then threw the imperial edict in his hand to Gao Shun and said, "The second imperial edict from the capital just arrived this morning. Come and take a look."

"only."

Gao Shun stepped forward and spread it out. The more he looked down, the more his brows furrowed, and his expression even became a little angry:

"...they actually said that the Lord was afraid to fight...what do they mean?!"

Liu Bei arrived here at the beginning of the month. After encountering Dong Zhuo, he rushed to kill the enemy. Then he received an order from the court and came to Dingxiang County to fight the enemy.

Two months have passed so far, and more than half a month has passed since the last document from the court asking him to send troops together with the three armies.

In such a short time, let alone fighting, they hadn't even digested the reward for killing Tan Shihuai, let alone organizing the army to set off.

Although Liu Bei had anticipated this and had already decided to set off at the end of the month, this imperial edict came at a strange time.

Yes, it's weird.

In this decree, Liu Bei's achievements were first praised, then a lot of connections were made, but in the end, doubt and anger were expressed, and he even asked why he was still standing still when the other three groups had already set out.

He looked very suspicious.

Next came the memorials submitted by the ministers, which contained countless impeachments against Liu Bei, all of which accused him of disobeying the imperial order and being afraid of fighting.

To sum it up in one sentence: Although we know that you killed the Xianbei leader, the order you received was to go to war, not to defend the city. The two cannot be compared. If you still don't go to war, it means you have the intention of rebellion.

It's so shameless.

Since ancient times, border counties have been full of suspicion. If you are asked to lead the troops, if you lose and have no reliable connections, it will be easy to get into trouble. If you win and are suspected, it will also be a problem. If you are in a stalemate with the enemy, then it will be treason and collaborating with the enemy, which is even more of a problem.

Gao Shun had no contact with the court on a daily basis and did not know their moral character, so when he saw this edict, he was filled with anger.

Xuande was obviously so brave and resourceful that he dealt with the Xianbei cavalry and their leader not long after taking office, but in the end he was not praised but held accountable.

"Who on earth is the treacherous person who made such a statement? If this were to get out, wouldn't it be enough to chill the hearts of the entire world?!"

"Harmony is worry-free."

Liu Bei remained calm and composed, "This is a good thing. I think the other noble families have spoken up for me. Otherwise, this wouldn't be an accountability, but a real punishment."

"But it doesn't matter. These are not problems. Hezhi, go and call Fengxian for me first."

"...Even under duress and challenge, he remains so calm and composed. Truly worthy of a lord, truly powerful!"

Gao Shun heaved a sigh of relief upon seeing this, and the annoyance and worry in his heart were reduced a little. He bowed and turned to say goodbye.

After she left, Liu Bei stood up with a smile, walked out calmly, then ran wildly in the corridor, pushed the door open, and shouted inside:

"Wenhe, Wenhe, what can we do?!"

Bingzhou Chapter: Chapter 37: Could it be that she is not a fox, but a succubus?

Inside the internal affairs hall, the dim lights illuminated a slender yet resilient and fragile figure.

Jia Xu sat upright in front of his desk, wearing a dark blue robe with slightly frayed corners, revealing some signs of travel fatigue.

She has a beautiful face, delicate features like a painting, eyebrows like distant ink, eyes like auspicious phoenixes, revealing a sharp and intelligent look.

Her long black hair was casually tied into a low bun, with a few strands of hair scattered in front of her forehead, swaying gently as she lowered her head to read the documents.

Her skin was slightly pale, with a faint dark tint under her eyes, obviously caused by days of hard work. She exuded a tired yet calm temperament.

This is commonly known as Banwei.

The table was piled with bamboo slips and papers, with documents with wet ink scattered around. Next to them was a cup of tea that had already gone cold, but she had no time to pay attention to it.

At this time, Jia Xu was immersed in the affairs of the two counties, sketching on the paper quickly with the brush in his hand, sometimes frowning in thought, and sometimes picking up the pen to make annotations.

Dingxiang County had just experienced a great war, and its internal and external affairs were extremely complicated - food and grass distribution, troop replenishment, prisoner resettlement, and city defense repairs. After Liu Bei reviewed each matter, it would be given to her for review and execution.

Although she was the county magistrate, she took on almost all the trivial matters just to allow Liu Bei to focus on the current battle situation.

Her fingers were slightly red from holding the pen for a long time, but she didn't care. Her eyes were only focused on the pile of official business.

The night wind blew outside the window, bringing a hint of coolness, but she was completely unaware of it. Her tired body looked even thinner in the candlelight.

"Xuan De... Xu is a little bit missing your brother..."

Suddenly, the door was pushed open with a bang. Jia Xu paused with his pen in hand, and ink dripped onto the paper, forming a small black spot.

She looked up and saw Liu Bei rushing in, exhausted, with a few fallen leaves on his blue shirt and a look of anxiety on his handsome face.

He stood at the door and shouted, "Wenhe, Wenhe, what can we do?"

"Ah."

Jia Xu put down his pen, rubbed his sore eyes, and smiled faintly: "Why are you so panicked, Your Majesty? Could it be that the Xianbei are attacking again?"

She stood up, straightened her sleeves, and walked slowly forward.

Liu Bei took a breath, and then told Jia Xu everything that had just happened in the conference room - the content of the second imperial edict from the court and Master Lu's secret of the way of heaven.

After hearing this, Jia Xu's eyes flashed with a gleam of light. She returned to the table, supported her hands on the table, and whispered:

"Since the enemy is urging us to go on the expedition, it means they are fully prepared. The enemies on the surface this time are the Xianbei tribes, but the real masterminds behind this are definitely the aristocratic families of Taiyuan."

Liu Bei frowned, puzzled, and asked, "Wenhe, why are you so sure it's the Taiyuan family? Before his death, Tan Shihuai hinted that there was an aristocratic family causing trouble, but he didn't explicitly confess."

Tan Shihuai was cautious in his actions and did not carry any letters that could prove that he was collaborating with the enemy when he traveled. As for the confessions of the captives, they were all kinds of things and difficult to make out clearly.

"Ah."

Jia Xu chuckled, then pulled a scroll of secret reports from the table and handed it to Liu Bei: "Your Excellency, you may not know that during this period, the Mohist disciples have collected all the intelligence from all sides."

"—The Taiyuan family frequently sends people to the various Xianbei tribes to deliver news, and they just went there once not long ago. This is definitely not a coincidence. It's very likely that they have set a trap in advance, waiting for us to fall into it."

"is that so."

Liu Bei took the secret report, glanced at it quickly, and his expression became increasingly solemn.

He pondered for a moment, then looked up and said, "...I understand. Tan Shihuai has three chieftains under his command, and they are currently engaged in battle against three Han armies."

"Once they confirm that Tan Shihuai is dead, they will definitely return to the central grassland to fight for the cattle, sheep, and land he left behind."

"The Taiyuan family sent someone to report the news. This action is likely intended to contact one of the factions and support a new puppet leader to replace Tan Shihuai so that they can profit from it."

clever.

Jia Xu nodded, a glint of appreciation in his eyes. "Your Excellency is absolutely right. Moreover, according to grassland rules, only the strongest can become the chief."

"And how do we prove ourselves to be strong? Naturally, we must defeat those whom Tan Shihuai failed to defeat—that is, us."

She paused, her tone growing graver. "However, the court's timing of reprimanding us is incredibly clever. The other three Han armies are likely in grave danger. I urge you to make early preparations."

Liu Bei gave a bitter laugh and spread his hands, saying, "Why bother doing it earlier? We don't have the upper hand, nor do we know the hidden currents behind the scenes. All we can do is constantly strengthen ourselves to avoid being misled."

Hearing this, Jia Xu's eyes flashed with cunning: "Your Excellency is right, but going to war now may not be without benefits."

She walked to the window, opened it, and the night breeze blew in, bringing a hint of coolness.

"First, the other side is currently in a state of division, with the three major factions fighting each other. Even if the aristocratic family can win over one of them, it is impossible to control all three factions at the same time."

"As long as we choose one as our enemy, and then send people to the other two factions to persuade them, even if we don't ask for a joint attack, we can at least make them stand aside and watch the fight."

Liu Bei's eyes lit up and he nodded, "That makes sense. It seems our ancestors' advice of making friends with distant nations and attacking those nearby is true. Please continue."

Jia Xu turned around, his tone becoming more determined: "Secondly, since the other party is so anxious to urge us to go to war, it means that they have a comprehensive plan."

"But if we dispatch our troops sooner than planned, we can catch them off guard. The enemy will be caught off guard, and we can seize the opportunity and gain the upper hand."

As Jia Xu finished speaking, Liu Bei suddenly narrowed his eyes and whispered, "Wenhe, since we know the enemy is hiding in Taiyuan... perhaps we can send an elite team to carry out a decapitation operation and directly capture the head of the Taiyuan family, how about that?"

Of course, he actually couldn't use such an overly radical method. He was just reminding Jia Xu in a roundabout way not to have any crooked ideas.

Jia Xu was stunned when he heard this, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes, and then he smiled bitterly and said, "Although your plan is brilliant, it is too risky."

"The eyes of the world's noble families are all focused here. While fighting is one thing, if someone dies, it will be a complete catastrophe. If that happens, the noble families will all attack us, and our army will be unable to withstand it."

As long as you know.

Liu Bei laughed heartily and waved his hand, saying, "I was just saying it casually. How could I really do such a radical thing? Wenhe, don't take it seriously."

Jia Xu breathed a sigh of relief, but then a flash of inspiration struck him, and he added:

"Although we can't actually behead them, we can send people to infiltrate Taiyuan and spread false intelligence. We can even disguise ourselves as members of aristocratic Taiyuan families and go to Xianbei to deliver false military information. This way, we can disrupt the enemy's formation without creating a complete enemy."

It can still turn like this...

Liu Bei clapped his hands in admiration, his eyes full of praise: "Brilliant! Wenhe's plan is excellent. It can both confuse the enemy and maintain a sense of proportion."

He pondered for a moment, a look of determination appearing on his handsome face, "In that case, I have made up my mind——"

"I will personally lead the troops out of the city, making friends with those far away and attacking those nearby. I will first deal with the nearby Xianbei faction and strive for a quick victory. You will stay in the county city, spread false information, and compete with those malicious families to prevent them from plotting behind the scenes."

Jia Xu bowed and said firmly, "Don't worry, my lord. I will guard the rear and prevent the noble families from succeeding. When you are on the battlefield, you must also be cautious and never underestimate the enemy."

Liu Bei nodded, stood up, walked to Jia Xu's side, patted her shoulder, and said gently: "Wenhe, you have worked hard during this period. When I return victorious, I will drink a cup with you."

Jia Xu looked up, and a hint of warmth flashed in Ruifeng's eyes. He smiled and said, "If the Lord can return safely, I will be very satisfied. As for the wine... let's leave it to Yide. She will definitely like it more than I do."

"...Xu Xu still prefers something thicker." Jia Xu licked his lips, his eyes pointed, "Ah, I'm talking about soy milk, please don't misunderstand me, my lord."

"...If you hadn't said that last sentence, I wouldn't have misunderstood you."

"Oh, this is really rude," Jia Xu smoothed his hair and held Liu Bei's hand. "Since that's the case, we still have some time. Why don't you take me out for some soy milk?"

"..."

Liu Bei couldn't refuse.

Could it be that she is not a fox, but a succubus?

Bingzhou: Chapter 38: Sticky Moisture

Time flows by steadily.

Lu Bu, who was standing at the door, waited for a long time but there was no movement. He couldn't help but stamp his feet anxiously.

"Squeak-"

The door of the housekeeping room was opened.