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

Before Master Lu could ask more, Liu Bei, who was standing next to him, slapped Jia Xu on the head and said coldly:

"Master, since the fox has said so, there must be a solution, right?"

Those peach blossom eyes were full of coercion, and he almost said directly: If you have something to fart, let it out now.

"Yes, yes."

Even after being slapped, Jia Xu did not get angry. Instead, he smiled even more brightly and nodded.

"The government doesn't have enough food? The people don't have enough clothes? It doesn't matter. Don't those noble families have plenty?"

“…If I ask them for something, they’ll probably refuse.”

"Then why ask them for it?"

Master Lu understood the implication and shook his head, saying, "Although it is unkind for aristocratic families to amass wealth and grain, we should not commit unjust acts because of this. This is no reason for us to rob them."

"Who said we were going to rob them?" Jia Xu laughed. "Haven't the barbarians and refugees been looting recently? We just happened to rob the granaries of some noble families. It's not surprising."

Liu Bei understood a little: "These barbarians are supported by certain noble families, and when they go to rob other noble families, they will fight together. Well... this is diverting trouble..."

But Master Lu was not optimistic: "Xuan De and I can indeed fake this phenomenon. But the problem is, those people from the aristocratic families have been playing this trick for hundreds of years. Will they really fall for it?"

"Hahaha, Mr. Lu Zigan is joking."

Jia Xu laughed for a moment, then explained softly, "If we were to resort to schemes and tricks, we would naturally be no match for these aristocratic families. However... human nature has always been the same."

"...You mean," Master Lu narrowed his eyes, "even if they have doubts in their hearts, they will still go ahead with it?"

"of course."

Jia Xu patted his chest and said, "For these noble families, stability always outweighs risk."

The aristocratic families can earn a steady stream of money just by staying at home, so why would they be so desperate as to support the barbarian rebellion?

Therefore, the noble families that support the barbarians are most likely because their own industries have suddenly had a funding gap, or some small noble families are unwilling to fall behind others... To put it bluntly, they are here to make a quick buck.

And when this group of barbarians extended their plundering hands to the legitimate families, they certainly would not tolerate it.

For a single grain of revenge, he would kill the whole family.

Jiujiang County: Chapter 18: I will protect you, because you are the proof of my existence

"This strategy is feasible. Wenhe is indeed worthy of being the general's daughter. However, we still need specific intelligence on the details of this matter."

Master Lu pondered for a long time, finally nodded imperceptibly, and said calmly, "Wenhe, take my warrant and go to the government office to retrieve maps, tax and population documents. I need to understand this place better."

"only."

Although there was no expression on Master Lu's face, Jia Xu still realized that Master Lu wanted to whisper something to Xuande, so he immediately smiled, bowed, and retreated.

Liu Bei looked at Jia Xu's back, hesitated again and again, but still couldn't help but interrupt: "Master, Wenhe is not an outsider, she can be trusted..."

Master Lu didn't say anything.

She stood up and walked slowly to the antique window, gazing at the scenery outside in the sunlight.

The girl with silver hair and red eyes stood quietly, her face expressionless, her figure like a quiet painting.

Her long, silvery hair fell softly, gleaming faintly in the sunlight, like gorgeous silk woven by moonlight.

The scenery outside the window was reflected in those red eyes, as if they could see through the warmth and coldness of the world.

Her skin was as white as snow, forming a sharp contrast with her silver hair and red eyes, making her look even more cold and otherworldly.

She was dressed in a simple and elegant official uniform, and the hem of her skirt swayed gently in the breeze, like a blooming lotus, exuding a faint fragrance.

The sunlight shone through the window onto her body, covering her with a layer of golden gauze, making her look like a fairy descended to the earth, both dreamy and real.

Liu Bei didn't know why his teacher suddenly acted like that, but he still cooperated by bowing his hands and lowering his head, patiently waiting for her reply.

Time seemed to freeze here, and as the breeze blew across my face, the sound came from the air.

"I, the teacher, naturally know."

Master Lu said noncommittally, "We've suffered a lot along the way, but this girl hasn't complained at all. This is enough to make me trust her."

Liu Bei thought for a moment and said, "Then why did the Master deliberately avoid her..."

"Ah."

A soft laugh, accompanied by a faint fragrance.

Liu Bei took a closer look and found that Master Lu had come to him at some point. He was standing on tiptoe and tapping his nose with his tender little hand with great effort.

"Xuan De, ah Xuan De, when will you grow up?"

Liu Bei's heart moved, and he was a little confused: "Uh, Master, are you talking about me?"

"..."

After Master Lu touched him lightly, he immediately took two steps back, a look of displeasure on his face: "Stop talking nonsense, I am talking about something serious."

Seeing this, Liu Bei cooperated very well and bowed, saying, "Disciple obeys your command."

"Hmph, that's pretty much it."

Master Lu nodded in satisfaction, then said solemnly, "Although this world may seem normal, there is actually a demon in everyone's heart."

"Demons are bloodthirsty and bring chaos to the world. In other words, whoever they touch will die... Our purpose in cultivating our character is to uphold benevolence and virtue, to alleviate the suffering of the world through education, to cultivate virtue in the world through the study of classics, and to quell the demons of the world with righteousness."

"Therefore, as long as there is one person who remains steadfast in benevolence, even if the world is in chaos in the future, no true 'devil' will be born."

Liu Bei was just a country bumpkin who had just gotten online, not a complete idiot. He immediately realized, "From what you're saying, Master, could it be possible that Wenhe is a demon?"

"Looking at his mind, although he dislikes asceticism, he can actually enjoy it. Looking at his plans, he is cruel and merciless, and will do anything to achieve his goals."

"With such a mindset and such a vicious scheme, if things change in the future, she will definitely be the first to become a demon, and those who befriend her will be affected to some extent."

Master Lu's tone softened slightly as he continued, "But the ancient sages once said, 'Observe a person's actions and see his true nature.' Have you investigated her details? Do you know what kind of person she is? What is her purpose in following you?"

Master, you think Jia Xu has a bad character and is full of evil intentions, so you're afraid I'll be deceived by a bad woman, right?

Liu Bei was suddenly at a loss whether to laugh or cry.

To be honest, he knew that this turtle was generally harmless. Besides, whether the plan she proposed was poisonous or not was one thing, and whether the lord would adopt it or not was another.

In comparison, he is slightly better than a certain devil named Cheng. At least he still has some moral integrity.

However, in front of the Master, Liu Bei naturally did not dare to mention human flesh rations. He just put the plague corpses into catapults and threw them across the street...

If Master Lu knew about this, he would be so angry that he would shrink two years younger.

Liu Bei smiled and waved his hands, saying, "Master, you said Wenhe was a demon, but I consider him a friend. If I were to sever ties with my friend because I was afraid he might become a demon in the future, that would be unrighteous."

"Even if there really is no more benevolence in the world in the future, and Wenhe becomes a demon, as long as Bei still has a breath left, he will not think about eliminating demons and defending justice, but how to save his friends."

"This is my way of preparation. I'm afraid it may not align with Master's expectations. I hope you'll forgive me."

"..."

Master Lu opened his mouth, but was speechless.

She sighed and said, "Since you've come this far, I, your teacher, will naturally not argue with you any further. However, you must always remember one truth: a gentleman does not stand under a dangerous wall."

"To shoulder one's responsibilities without hesitation and to act courageously when seeing injustice is a gentleman's virtue, not a fetter. A gentleman is not pedantic; he must be able to distinguish between what is salvageable and what is not."

Although Master Lu's tone was very stern, Liu Bei did not hear any implication of a lesson in it, but rather a deep concern.

Master, I was worried that he was young and too sentimental, and might suffer in the future, so I gave him a few words of advice.

Liu Bei felt warm in his heart and smiled as if bathed in spring breeze: "I will follow the Master's teachings."

"Hmph, you're not being sincere. How can this be the way of a gentleman?"

Master Lu snorted lightly, then looked at the smile on Liu Bei's face, slightly dazed.

His own disciple was still lacking in talent. He had underestimated the charm of his own face...

If it was a charm or pure seduction, those with a strong mind would naturally have nothing to fear, but the problem was that Liu Bei's face was not simply handsome.

It's a kind of...soul attraction.

Even if Liu Bei did nothing, his words and actions would dazzle the people around him and make their heartbeats pound.

Master Lu wandered for half her life, using Confucian classics to fight against the fragments of the heavenly way. Her emotions were almost wiped out. Only when she stayed by Liu Bei's side and felt her own pounding heartbeat... did she feel alive.

Xuande.

The master will always protect you, because... you are the proof of the master's existence.

Speaking of which…

Master Lu glanced at Jia Xu who was eavesdropping outside the door and smiled slightly.

In this way, you will definitely be more sincere to Xuande in the future.

Jiujiang County: Chapter 19: Lao Liu, you don’t like Master Bei too, do you?

While Liu Bei and his two companions were reading documents at the county magistrate's residence, a completely different scene was unfolding in the mountains four hundred miles away.

The leaves blown by the wind gently slapped the animal flags of the mountain stronghold. Several secret sentries holding weapons wrapped themselves tightly in animal skins and leather. Without lighting any fire, they looked around in the moonlight.

The simple houses temporarily built on the mountain pass swayed in the wind. A group of rough men who looked obviously different from the people in the Central Plains were eating meat with big mouthfuls and drinking wine from cups made of human heads.

Behind him was a huge tree root, and many common people were tied up like livestock. Their faces were pale, their eyes were empty, and they dared not say a word.

There was a pile of corpses as high as a hill at the foot of the mountain, with animal flags on top.

This mountain fortress, mainly composed of barbarians, did not just appear, but has continued to exist since the time of Emperor Wu of Han.

The barbarians have lived and multiplied in the mountains for generations. In most cases, they would exchange game for food with the citizens, or if they were confident in their abilities, they would go to the rich and powerful to work as retainers and thugs.

There were conspirators who tried to win over the barbarians and turn them into a powerful private army. Unfortunately, the other families were not blind and each wanted to do so, but none of them agreed.

Moreover, the authority of the government was still there. Not only the Yangzhou families, but even these barbarians did not dare to show their fangs. There were only minor frictions, mostly small-scale rebellions.

Therefore, the barbarians, the government and the aristocratic families were able to coexist in a stable triangular relationship. The government could use the barbarians to deal with the aristocratic families, and the aristocratic families could also use the barbarians' rebellion to rob the people.

But no matter what their original intention was, the barbarians undoubtedly took great advantage of this relationship, with all kinds of money, food and weapons flowing into their pockets...

Some of the successive Han emperors of the Eastern Han Dynasty also noticed this potential danger, and many of them sent people to take charge of it, and they also reserved many backup plans in advance. As long as the subsequent Han emperors continued to implement the old plan, the barbarians would not be able to make any waves.

It’s a pity that the subsequent Han emperors were younger than the last, and even the imperial power was almost divided into three parts. Everyone was busy making progress, so who would care about a small barbarian like you?

The barbarians took advantage of these coincidences to gradually grow stronger and eventually became a beast that chose its prey.

They ate the meat of the government, drank the wine of the nobles, and committed robbery. They were a group of lawless thieves and enemies.

But there is nothing I can do.

Relying on military threats to appease foreign races is not only a national policy but also a long-term solution. Genocide like Duan Xing's is actually a bad option for the government.

In addition, without relying on the aristocratic families, the military forces in Jiujiang County and Lujiang County were completely insufficient to support the suppression of the rebellion.

This is why Lu Zhi was ordered to come to Jiujiang County in times of crisis.

-

Under the silver moon, two figures stood on the top of a mountain opposite.

"Sixth Brother, it looks like there are over 700 people in this blockade... Well, the aura of some of them is very powerful. Should we take action now?"

"Wait a little longer... wait a little later."

Lao Qi was a burly man with a nightgown that stuck to his body, outlining the visually striking muscles underneath.

He gave people the feeling of a tiger that had been unleashed.

Lao Liu has a handsome face with curves in his figure, but unfortunately there is a hideous knife scar on the left side of his face that runs from his forehead to his chin, which looks extremely scary.

She casually played with her slender dagger and said in a leisurely tone: "Humph, I don't know what kind of personality Master Bei has changed. He spends every day surrounded by women..."

The tone was quite resentful.

The Seventh Old Man laughed out loud: "Master Bei has his reasons for what he does. We servants shouldn't overthink it... Hey, you don't still like Master Bei, do you?"

The woman was quite frank: "Master Bei gave me the name 'Qingying', gave me money to bury my parents, and gave me the chance for revenge. He's so handsome, too. Why shouldn't I like him?"

The seventh brother immediately sneered and said bluntly: "With your ugly appearance, I'm afraid that I'll be scared and weak again when I take off my pants."

"Bah, do you think Mr. Bei is an ordinary person like you?"

Lao Liu Qingying rolled his eyes and said in a daze, "That day, Master Bei touched my face and praised my beauty... Oh, even though I knew he was lying, I still couldn't help but be moved..."