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

Jia Xu poked his head out from behind Liu Bei, observing his expression, and said with a faint smile: "This has nothing to do with you. Even if you are powerful, you can't protect everyone alone..."

"Did you misunderstand something?"

Liu Bei did not look back at the heartless Jia Xu, and replied calmly:

"These bandits are accustomed to killing people. Leaving them alone will only bring chaos to future generations. And the secret guards who want to take our lives are the ones who deserve to be killed... As for the officers and soldiers, ah, the descendants of nobles are all the people who have been robbed by them. Why should their death be a big deal?"

To be able to serve as an officer or soldier in Luoyang, one must at least be a descendant of a noble family. These people have not been engaged in production for generations, relying on the military merits their ancestors had won in the wars with Emperor Guangwu. In addition to enjoying normal court salaries, their clans would also provide them with some special "pocket money".

All this money was obtained by the noble families by plundering the people. From this perspective, what is the difference between the noble families and bandits?

It’s just the difference between grabbing first and grabbing later.

Jia Xu was frightened by this and his eyes widened slightly: "I am also a descendant of a noble family. You don't want to kill me too, do you?"

Liu Bei knew that she was trying to liven up the atmosphere, and said with a smile: "You discovered this..."

“? How scary!”

Jia Xu shrank his head, but then said: "But you certainly won't do that."

"Why do you think so? I've suffered a lot because of my humble background, so it's only natural that I feel hostile towards you."

"Perhaps you will do so in the future," Jia Xu said, hinting at something, "but you have no other choice now... So, you even hate yourself for who you are; that's why you're just sitting here staring at the corpse, right?"

She is indeed smarter than ordinary people and can always notice some special details.

For example, she could find out that Liu Bei's strange habits and incomprehensible words came from ancient books.

For example, Liu Bei pointed out that all the nobles were his plunderers, but he had very close relationships with Cao Cao, Gongsun Zan and even himself.

Such behavior is a contradiction in terms, but if you think about it carefully... there is really no other way.

If a poor person from a small place wants to make a career, his first choice is to rely on a noble family to enter the "game chess game", so that he will have a chance to become the chess player in the future.

Liu Bei shook his head and sighed: "What you said first is right, but the second one is wrong."

"What's the reason?"

"No matter whether a person did good or evil in life, the moment he becomes dead, it is a foregone conclusion. It is meaningless to judge whether he was right or wrong afterwards. He is just a corpse."

"As a fellow human being, how could I not feel a sense of grief after seeing the dead?"

"...Your idea is really strange."

Jia Xu didn't have the perspective of thinking beyond the deceased's former status, but once she was enlightened, she immediately said, "Regardless of their reputation before or after death, the dead are only dead. Could it be that you studied Taoism?"

"I didn't teach him that."

After Mrs. Lu finished her conversation, she slowly walked over. Without even glancing at the corpses on the ground, she said calmly, "Those who are feeling bad, those who are watching the fun, are you all okay? We're about to set off again."

Liu Bei smiled and shook his head, "Master, aren't you curious about who did it this time?"

"...The situation was urgent. Even if we were to capture two of them alive for questioning, they would simply commit suicide. As for who the enemy is... I believe the answer lies in Jiujiang County."

Lu Zhi glanced at his disciple and said, "Besides, I cannot do such a thing as not daring to advance because the enemy is hiding in the dark."

You can see that she is indeed very anxious.

These people dared to openly intercept and kill the troops sent by the court to suppress the rebellion. Even if they were not the main force, this behavior meant that Jiujiang County was in dire straits at this time.

I guess nine out of ten houses are almost empty... It's autumn now, and if the war lasts a little longer, winter will come.

The common people who were displaced by the war either died of hunger and cold, or died on the battlefield.

The reason why we were not moving fast or slow before was because the situation was not too serious and the local garrison was in a state of anxious defense, but now we must speed up.

Liu Bei also realized the seriousness of the situation and asked, "What should we do next?"

"We'll go first."

Master Lu looked at the officers and soldiers leading three horses and explained, "The three of us will immediately rush to Jiujiang County, and the newly appointed deputy officials will arrive soon."

"…it is good."

"Well," Jia Xu said timidly, "I don't know how to ride a horse..."

"?"

Upon hearing this, Lu Zhi almost couldn't help but pin her to the ground and beat her up. The daughter of a light cavalry general can't ride a horse?

If you want to rob a man, do it openly. How can you pretend to be weak like this?

Lu Zhi didn't even bother to reply. He sat down on his horse in anger and rode away without saying hello to them.

"..."

"Then we ride together?"

"Great."

Liu Bei, with a strange look on his face, got on the horse with Jia Xu. The latter immediately came close to him, as if to prove how he could rally people's hearts.

"drive."

"Why, are you confused?"

Jia Xu rested her chin on Liu Bei's shoulder and blew out a breath: "Since you've worked so hard today, you can ask anything you want. I promise to tell you the truth."

Well, it was fine before, but as soon as I said this promise, I knew I wouldn’t answer honestly.

But Liu Bei did have one question he hadn't asked yet. He asked curiously, "...you let Cao Cao and Gongsun Zan go home to manage their forces. Aren't you just trying to take advantage of the time difference to woo me?"

"Dip you?"

Jia Xu didn't understand the two words, but that didn't stop her from understanding their meaning. She immediately laughed and said, "What if I say yes? Will our Lord Xuande be happy?"

“…Can you please speak properly?”

"Yes, brother."

Jia Xu laughed for a long time before slowly answering, "That's just one of the reasons, but the truly important reason is... following you is really fun."

"interesting?"

"Who can imagine that within a few days, they could have experienced the burning of the water shelter, the nightly discussions in the palace, the execution of the treacherous Jian family, and now the ambush on the road..."

"I'm so sorry for being such a jinx!"

Jiujiang County: Chapter 10: Heavenly Dao, Go and Kill Liu Xuande

The distance from Luoyang to Jiujiang County is not far. Normally it only takes about 25 days. Even if you take into account issues such as weather and road conditions, it will not exceed one month at most.

But given the critical situation in Jiujiang County, I'm afraid we can't wait a month...

The officers and soldiers in Luoyang also knew the urgency of the situation. The horses arranged for Liu Bei and others were all top-quality horses. If they ran at full speed, they could compress the time to more than ten days.

While they were rushing there, the palace was in an uproar.

"How could the second warship appear near Luoyang!"

Sitting on the throne representing the supreme imperial power, Emperor Liu Hong of Han was dressed in formal attire, with an expression of anger on his face that looked both male and female.

Below the stage, the eunuchs, led by Cao Da Changqiu, all knelt on the ground, trembling.

As early as the beginning of his reign, the Han emperor was wary of court officials. Whenever there was an important matter, the first person to communicate was the officials, not any of the three dukes and nine ministers.

Finally, Cao Dachangqiu raised his head tremblingly, bowed and replied:

"Your Majesty, the secret guards reported that there were many cold iron men at the scene... It seems to be the work of the miracle doctor from Qiao County. Can you ask someone to invite them here to question them?"

"Are you crazy too?"

The Han Emperor snorted coldly: "If even you have thought of this, how could the people behind it not know it? Believe it or not, the day I send for the miracle doctor from Qiao County, she will die in Luoyang!"

"By then, all the scoundrels in the world will point out my sins and say that I have no heart as a doctor... Can you bear such a crime?"

"My words have slipped, my words have slipped..."

Cao Da Changqiu broke out in a cold sweat, but the Han Emperor's next words made him tremble even more.

"The Qiao County Miracle Doctor isn't the only one in the world who has this bone-changing ability. Besides her," the Han Emperor tapped the armrest, "the Mohists can do it, too."

Mohists.

This name, which should have disappeared in the tide of history, reappeared in the mouth of the emperor thousands of years later.

The so-called Mohists refer to the Mohist school, which was one of the Hundred Schools of Thought in the distant past.

But the people today are completely different from the frugal people who advocated "universal love and non-aggression" thousands of years ago. It can be said that they only have the appearance but not the soul.

It is neither universal love nor anti-aggression, nor Mohism.

This group of disciples who inherited the Mohist legacy gradually lost their benevolent heart during the thousands of years of inheritance, and eventually became a group of technology maniacs who huddled in the shadows and tinkered with things without being disturbed by the world.

If it really is them, they can not only make a replica of a warship, but can also easily create a body made of cold iron.

This is not a technique to change people's bones, but direct creation.

And as luck would have it, Cao Da Changqiu once invested in these crazy people...

He broke out in a cold sweat and hurriedly defended himself, "Your Majesty, the money required to build all this is enormous. How could those rats hiding in the corner have such a huge amount of money?"

"Are you questioning me?"

"I dare not!"

"Put away those cunning thoughts of yours, I find them disgusting."

The Han Emperor's tone was extremely cold: "Do you think I don't know who you are close to in private? And why did you remain indifferent the night Jian Shuo was assassinated?"

"Your Majesty, please calm down, Your Majesty, please calm down," the Grand Chamberlain kowtowed repeatedly. "It was because of my desire to win your favor that I failed to save Master Jian, causing Your Majesty's plan to fail..."

"Hmph, if the plan fails, then so be it. It's just a test of the laws of nature anyway..."

Seeing that everyone below was afraid of her like a tiger, the Han Emperor slowed down his tone and said, "However, I didn't expect that this plan would fail to test the way of heaven, but instead test some daring and reckless people."

"Your Majesty, are you referring to Cao Cao, the man who beat Jian Shuo's uncle to death in the street?"

"She's nothing more than an impulsive and reckless man," the Han Emperor said calmly. "She's been in Luoyang for so long, but she hasn't accomplished much. But ever since she took in a certain young man, she's become quite famous... Oh, don't you find this quite interesting?"

"And as luck would have it, that young man happened to be next to Lu Zhi at that moment."

The Grand Chamberlain had been able to serve the emperor for so long, so he was certainly no fool. He wondered, "Could it be that he is the one truly blessed by Heaven?"

The fragments of Heavenly Dao are not like the fragments of Chi Xiao.

The latter requires blood as proof. The thicker the blood, the stronger the power it can carry. If it exceeds the upper limit, the person will either die young or lose his sanity.

Every Han emperor will be recognized by Chi Xiao at the enthronement ceremony and thus obtain the fragments of Chi Xiao.

The whole process can neither be reversed nor stopped. Come to think of it, Chixiao is the true sword of the emperor. Would he deliberately adjust the amplitude of its power for you?

You're not Uncle Bang, and you can't bear my power. Do you still want to stay on the throne? Get out of here now.

The former used the people in the world other than the Liu family as evidence, randomly bestowed fragments of the Heavenly Dao, and then used a series of "coincidences" to make them become the enemy of Chi Xiao.

This group of people usually only look like ordinary people on the outside, but their inner selves have long been transformed into something else by the laws of nature.

Take Jian Siyuan for example. He might have initially just been greedy for power, but later on, strangely enough, he wanted to kill the emperor and take the throne...

The Liu royal family was truly unlucky. The Scarlet Sky Emperor Sword, regardless of whether it would kill anyone, simply passed on its power. The way of heaven was invisible, but man was the way of heaven, and thus the 'celestial beings' that emerged were all targeting the Han Emperor to kill him...

When Emperor Liu Hong of Han ascended the throne, he was carrying an excessive amount of Chixiao fragments, which caused him to be sometimes rational and sometimes cruel. He also fell seriously ill at a young age and looked like he would not live long.

Although Liu Bei was lucky enough to obtain the Chixiao fragment of Han Emperor Liu Hong, which saved the latter from madness, his life span would still not be long.

The Han Emperor looked at the Grand Chamberlain as if he were an idiot and said in a loud voice, "His surname is Liu, and he comes from the Liu clan in Zhuo Prefecture, Zhuozhou."

"!!!"

Da Changqiu glared and said, "So, could it be that the fragment of Chixiao in Your Majesty's body went to him..."

“It’s still unknown.”

The Han Emperor smiled meaningfully, and a bit of life finally appeared on his pale face:

"...But no matter what, I share the same bloodline with him, so I might be of great use in the future."

What's the use of it? Everyone present here is discerning. Your Majesty should just speak frankly...

The Grand Chamberlain naturally understood what Emperor Liu Hong of Han meant.

Regardless of whether the person behind the scenes is a Mohist or from some other aristocratic family... these people are all birds of a feather, rebels.

Compared with these people, the Liu family members can be relatively trustworthy.