My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 215 The Emperor Seeks Aid
At this time, Liu Bei was essentially the same as Cao Cao. He was still loyal to the Eastern Han court and was thinking about how to make achievements and obtain higher official positions, titles and power.

As for divine artifacts, that's something I wouldn't even dare to dream of.

They weren't like the two Yuan brothers from Runan, each bolder than the other.

Therefore, when Liu Bei heard that the emperor had been in distress and that Li Jue and Guo Si had dared to attack the emperor's carriage, he was as angry as a lion, wishing he could immediately appear before the emperor and kill the traitors to wash away the shame with blood.

"My lord, please wait!"

Liu Bei looked toward the source of the voice and found that it was Xun You, who was usually low-key and humble.

Upon seeing that the other party was Xun Gongda, Liu Bei swallowed back the curses that were about to come out of his mouth.

"Gongda, what do you mean?"

Xun You cupped his hands in greeting to Liu Bei and said in a steady voice, "My lord, I have long heard that a ruler should not raise an army in anger, nor should a general wage war in resentment. My lord has committed both of these offenses at this moment. I have received great kindness from you, and I have no choice but to offer this advice. I earnestly request that you not raise an army in anger."

“My lord, what Gongda said is the correct statement.”

Guo Jia then added, "We know nothing about the situation in the West right now, and the information brought back by the envoy is far too scarce. If we rashly send troops, I fear there is a risk of our army being wiped out and our generals killed."

Liu Bei's expression changed, but as someone who had led troops for many years, he knew that although Guo Jia's words were harsh, they were all insightful.

Liu Bei spoke from the heart: "But the Emperor is in danger in Hedong at this time, how can I remain indifferent?"

Guo Jia, however, remained unyielding, saying, "I am not preventing you from going to the Emperor's aid, but I do not wish for you to make unnecessary sacrifices. As the saying goes, 'Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated.' We need to understand more about the situation before we can launch our attack."

“What Fengxiao said is in line with military strategy.”

Xun You continued, “My lord, between Hedong and my Xuzhou, there lies the entire Yuzhou and half of Henan Yin.”

Starting from Tancheng in Xuzhou, one must travel by waterway through Xiapi, Pengcheng, Pei, Liang, and Chenliu before reaching Henan Yin.

Then they would have to cross Luoyang, a blank stretch of land, either heading north to Henan Commandery and then to Hedong Commandery, or going west to Hongnong Commandery and then north to Hedong Commandery.

Along the way, there were five or six prefectures and kingdoms, and hundreds of miles of uninhabited areas.

More importantly, they would have to pass through Guo Gong's Liang Kingdom and Cao Cao's Chenliu, as well as Hanoi, which was divided between Cao Cao and Yuan Shao. If any of these supply lines were cut off, Liu Bei's army would immediately become isolated and trapped in a dilemma.

In this way, the emperor's safety would be in jeopardy, and the Xuzhou army would likely be completely annihilated.

After Xun You laid out all these dangers, Zhang Zhao also spoke up. His age determined that he was an even more steadfast supporter of the Han dynasty.

However, he had to admit that Xun You and Guo Jia were right, and he could not disregard Liu Bei's high regard for him and the interests of Xuzhou.

Therefore, Zhang Zhao compromised and said, "My lord, the army should not move rashly, but the emperor is in danger, and we cannot sit idly by. In that case, why not send a small force westward first? If we can meet the emperor, that would be the best outcome. If we cannot meet the emperor, we can at least find out the specific situation and send him back to Xuzhou so that we can decide on our next move."

To be fair, Zhang Zhao's plan was quite feasible and prudent.

Liu Bei wanted to say something more, but he noticed that Xun You, Guo Jia, Zhang Zhao, Zhang Hong, and his eldest son Liu Feng were all secretly giving him meaningful glances.

Liu Bei suddenly realized what was going on and hurriedly said, "I was shocked to hear that the Emperor is in danger. I am in a state of panic. Let's stop here for now and think it over before we discuss it further."

Liu Bei naturally trusted Jian Yong, but he was far less trusting of Liu Yan.

Liu Yan was a native of Lu and a member of the Han imperial family. He was magnanimous and eloquent, and got along very well with Liu Bei, who kept him by his side as a guest. However, Liu Yan's other talents were not outstanding, and he was fond of drinking and women, so it was best not to involve him in certain matters.

After Liu Bei went into the inner hall, Liu Feng was the first to follow him.

As Liu Bei took his seat, he gestured for Liu Feng to sit closer.

Guan Yu and Zhang Fei gave Liu Feng a smile, then stood behind Liu Bei as his attendants.

After hearing Jian Yong's report, Liu Bei felt very heavy-hearted, but he forced himself to be cheerful and asked, "Feng'er, just now in the hall, you gave me several meaningful glances. Is there something you want to say?"

"What I did was precisely the matter of the Emperor being attacked!"

Liu Feng took a deep breath, knowing that the most difficult conversation he might have had since his transmigration was about to begin.

But when the time came, he absolutely could not back down.

If we concede now, all our previous efforts could be wasted, and our promising situation could be ruined.

"Oh?"

Liu Bei nodded: "Feng'er, please tell me your thoughts."

Liu Feng said, "Father, the emperor's attack has far-reaching consequences. If I have offended you in any way, please forgive me. I am doing this for the sake of the people, not for my own selfish interests."

Hearing his son speak so seriously, Liu Bei calmed down and comforted him, saying, "My son, there's no need to be like this. What is there that I, your father, cannot hear? You may speak freely."

Guan Yu and Zhang Fei behind Liu Bei also became a little nervous, their eyes falling on Liu Feng, their brows furrowing slightly.

Liu Feng said solemnly, "Father, I dare to say this: the Emperor's carriage must be saved, but the Emperor's carriage must not be welcomed!"

Liu Bei was taken aback. After a moment of thought, he asked in confusion, "Feng'er, I understand what it means that the Emperor's carriage must be rescued, but what is the explanation for not welcoming the Emperor's carriage?"

Liu Feng explained to Liu Bei, "The Emperor sent Uncle Jian to Xuzhou to seek help. Father, you govern Xuzhou with loyalty, filial piety, benevolence and kindness. How can you disobey the Emperor's order? Therefore, I dare to suggest that Father immediately organize the troops and march west into Guanzhong to rescue the Emperor."

Liu Bei slowly nodded in agreement, and Guan Yu and Zhang Fei behind him also looked relaxed. Wasn't what their nephew said exactly what they were thinking?
But none of the three expected that Liu Feng would then change the subject, saying, "But we must not welcome the Emperor's carriage. I dare to ask you, Father, which do you think is more important, the world or the Emperor?"

Liu Bei stroked his beard and smiled slightly, wanting to praise Liu Feng a few words.

Upon hearing such audacious words, he pulled hard and immediately ripped off his beard.

Ignoring his own pain, Liu Bei scolded, "How dare you, son, ask such a question!"

Liu Bei was somewhat angry; his eldest son was showing a lack of respect for the emperor.

However, that's where it ends. After all, while the emperors of the Han Dynasty possessed considerable authority, they were still incomparable to later emperors. Moreover, the scholars' attitude towards the emperor was one of respect, not one of mythologizing him.

Liu Feng continued, "Father, our Xuzhou is isolated and weak, with only five prefectures and kingdoms and a population of no more than one million. Apart from the eastern coast, it is surrounded by enemies on three sides and has no natural defenses. This is truly a place of endless battles."

"Father, I ask you, if we welcome the Emperor, can we protect him?"

Can this sentence protect the emperor?
This completely silenced Liu Bei.

He's not stupid, nor is he without ambition.

Admittedly, at this stage, Liu Bei never even considered establishing himself, let alone acquiring a divine weapon. While Cao Cao next door was still fantasizing about becoming the General Who Conquers the West of Han, Liu Bei's thoughts were even simpler. He just wanted to make achievements, bring glory to his ancestors, and secure titles and honors for his wife and children. That was enough for him.

But he also knew that if he really brought the emperor to Xuzhou, he would become the target of everyone's criticism.

Yuan Shu, with his disloyal intentions and blatant rebellion, was bound to fight Liu Bei to the death, hoping to seize the emperor from him.

Even allies like Yuan Shao, Cao Cao, Liu Biao, and even Liu Yao could turn against Liu Bei at any time.

The emperor is the ruler of all under heaven; this is an extremely precious treasure.

Those who possess a treasure are guilty of a crime; the whole world will condemn them.

Liu Bei gradually came to his senses, Guan Yu frowned, deep in thought, but Zhang Fei was the only one who couldn't understand. He opened his mouth several times but then swallowed his words. However, he felt that his nephew's words made a lot of sense, even though he didn't understand them, he just felt that they were right.

The hall was quiet for a long time before Liu Bei's slightly tired voice rang out.

"What does this have to do with your previous question?"

Liu Feng secretly breathed a sigh of relief. As long as his father was willing to stick to the facts, he wasn't afraid of not being able to persuade the other party.

Liu Feng's biggest worry was that Big Ears would become blinded by loyalty and righteousness and refuse to listen to Liu Feng's advice, which would be the worst possible outcome.

“Father, if you value the Emperor above all else, then we will naturally risk our lives to bring him to Xuzhou. As for how long the Emperor can stay in Xuzhou, and how long we can hold out, it can be summed up in eight words: we will do our utmost and die for him.”

Oops, I accidentally stole Brother Liang's famous quote.

But at this point, there was no time to worry about that. Liu Feng continued, "When we die in battle, the emperor is seized by the traitors, the world becomes even more chaotic, and the emperor is even abused by the traitors and commits unspeakable atrocities, it will have nothing to do with us."

Liu Bei silently recited the eight characters "bowing and doing his utmost, dying only after exhausting himself" several times, and his heart couldn't help but soften.

Then, upon hearing the rest of Liu Feng's words, he became enraged and said, "Speak your mind. If you continue to spout nonsense, don't blame your father for beating you." Liu Feng, seeing that things were going well, stopped threatening his father and said meekly, "Father, if we temporarily place the Emperor with a relatively loyal person, with a loyal person serving him inside and Father as his support outside, this would be much better than Father welcoming the Emperor to Xuzhou."

Liu Bei fell silent again.

He understood the meaning behind Liu Feng's words: if he were to bring Xuzhou, the whole world would become his enemy.

If someone else had served the emperor, at least Xuzhou would have been an ally of the other side.

"A loyal and honest person?"

Liu Bei raised his eyelids and glanced at his son: "Which loyal and trustworthy person are you talking about?"

Liu Feng smiled ingratiatingly and said, "Of course, it's our good neighbor, Cao Yanzhou."

"Cao Mengde?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Bei was immediately displeased and stared at his eldest son with some displeasure: "Do you perhaps think that Cao Mengde is more suitable to serve the emperor than your father?"

Liu Feng couldn't help but reply, "Cao Yanzhou has a clan... relatives who command troops. Besides your second and third uncles, who else do you have?"

It's a good thing they didn't reveal that the royal family was in charge of the army, otherwise they really wouldn't have been able to cover it up.

Liu Bei was taken aback by what he heard. Seeing that he had already started, Liu Feng decided to go all out: "Father, what did you mean when you asked me whether the emperor or the world is more important? This is exactly what I meant."

"You have only been in Xuzhou for a year, yet your reputation for benevolence and loyalty has attracted many talented individuals to join you. But if the Emperor were to visit Xuzhou, do you think these talents would remain loyal to you or to the Emperor?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Bei immediately became anxious: "Nonsense! What's wrong with being loyal to the emperor? Your father was also loyal to the emperor!"

Liu Feng sneered, "If the Emperor and his high-ranking officials could govern the country well, ensuring that the people have enough to eat and drink and understand etiquette, then of course there would be no problem. But look what the Emperor has done to the country today. Doesn't Father fear that after the Emperor comes to Xuzhou, he will turn Xuzhou into a chaotic mess..."

"Bastard thing!"

Liu Bei was furious. This was the first time he had disciplined his eldest son since Liu Feng arrived in Xuzhou.

"What qualifications do you have to spout such nonsense and comment on important officials in the court!"

As Liu Bei shouted, he got up, rolled up his sleeves, and wanted to come over and give Liu Feng a loving lesson.

Guan Yu and Zhang Fei rushed forward to stop him, one on each side, holding Liu Bei tightly.

Both Guan Yu and Zhang Fei agreed with what Liu Feng just said.

These two were originally victims of the system, oppressed and then followed Liu Bei through half their lives, enduring countless scornful looks along the way.

Later, Guan Yu looked down on the literati, while Zhang Fei fawned over them. Their personalities were naturally the most important internal factor, but their experiences throughout their lives also played a significant role, and it was not solely due to their personalities.

Liu Feng's words were indeed too bold, but they were quite to the liking of Guan Yu and Zhang Fei.

The foundation of Xuzhou was built by the brothers through their own blood and sweat. Liu Feng's contribution was far greater than that of the high-ranking officials in the central government. Moreover, Xuzhou was not given to them by the central government officials, but by the deceased Lord Tao. The elder brother was far too kind and generous.

Seeing that Liu Bei still wanted Liu Feng to experience his fatherly love, Guan Yu quickly spoke up and scolded Liu Feng, "Feng'er, look how angry you've made your elder brother! What are you still doing here? Get out of here at once!"

Liu Feng saw that Liu Bei was indeed very angry, and was even more worried that he would get hurt. Having lived two lives, he was not here to be beaten up.

He hurriedly bowed to Liu Bei and said, "Father, the important ministers around the emperor may not have any other skills, but they are exceptionally good at internal strife. Father, you are kind and benevolent, so you will surely be deceived by them. What I just said was for your sake. Please think it over carefully."

"I miss your mother!"

Liu Bei jumped up and down, shouting to his left and right, "Second brother, third brother, let me go! If this boy isn't taught a lesson soon, he might commit a serious mistake before we can discipline him!"

Even Zhang Fei shouted at Liu Feng, "Nephew, why aren't you leaving? Do you want your elder brother to teach you a lesson before you're satisfied?"

Liu Feng readily accepted the advice and dared not say another word, so he quickly turned and slipped away.

After Liu Feng left, Liu Bei gradually calmed down.

After a moment of silence, he said to Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, "Alright, that little thief has run away. Why are you still holding onto your brother? Let go of him."

Guan Yu and Zhang Fei chuckled and released their grip. Both of them had a slightly flushed face, but fortunately, Guan Yu was naturally red-faced and Zhang Fei was dark-faced, so neither of them showed their redness.

"This traitor!"

Liu Bei angrily sat back down and snapped at his two brothers, "Why are you two dragging me along? Doesn't that rebellious son deserve a beating?"

Guan Yu and Zhang Fei kept their heads down and remained silent, a testament to their years of experience.

If you don't engage in the argument, even if Liu Bei is furious, he'll calm down after a few words of scolding.

Liu Bei treated them like brothers, and this is not only recorded in Romance of the Three Kingdoms, but also in official history.

Even after losing Xuzhou, Liu Bei didn't dare to lay a finger on Zhang Fei.

Try replacing him with Cao Cao. When Xiahou Yuan won, he was called "Tiger Steps Through Guanzhong," but after losing, he immediately became "General of White Land."

Even when Xiahou Dun was taken hostage, Cao Cao praised Han Hao for doing a good job and doing the right thing.

While a mature politician and a valiant leader should indeed possess such shrewdness and composure, is it perhaps a bit too cold-hearted towards his brothers?

"Lord Fang, Xun, the Attendant, requests an audience."

Just as Liu Bei was still fuming, Xun You's voice suddenly came from outside requesting an audience.

Liu Bei exhaled a breath of stale air, and after thinking for a moment, he simply stood up again: "I will personally go to greet you, sir."

Liu Bei treasured Xun You, Guo Jia, and the two Zhangs immensely.

Xun You, in particular, was low-key and humble, resourceful and always followed his leader closely. He was also a famous scholar in Yuzhou, a direct descendant of the Xun family, one of the four great families of Yingchuan, and had served as an advisor in the court. He had even participated in the assassination attempt on Dong Zhuo.

After leaving Chang'an, he held various high-ranking positions, so how could Liu Bei not cherish him as a treasure?
Moreover, Xun You was different from his cousin Xun Yu. Xun Yu was loyal to the Han Dynasty and had the ideals of a scholar-official, while Xun You himself was more loyal to the world than to the Han Dynasty.

Xun You's way of dealing with people was actually quite different from Xun Yu's; rather, he was more like Jia Xu.

After Dong Zhuo's death, Xun You rose to prominence in Chang'an. Powerful figures, including Wang Yun, were very optimistic about him and wanted to cultivate his talents.

However, Xun You keenly sensed that Wang Yun had become arrogant. After failing to persuade him, he decisively packed his bags and ran away, abandoning his official position and title, and fled back to his hometown to study.

Sure enough, less than half a year after Xun You fled, Wang Yun was killed and his clan was exterminated, and Lü Bu fled in panic.

If Xun You had stayed in Chang'an, he would probably have been forced to commit suicide for Wang Yun.

This keen ability to perceive danger is exactly the same as Jia Xu's.

Later, when Yingchuan also became unstable, Xun You, relying on his talent and reputation, obtained the position of governor of Shu Commandery. If it weren't for the falling out between Liu Biao and Liu Zhang, which blocked the road from Jingzhou to Shu, Xun You would probably have gone to serve under Liu Zhang.

Even so, Xun You lived a comfortable life in Xiangyang, while his hometown of Yingchuan was ravaged by the Xiliang cavalry.

However, Xun You was far superior to Jia Xu in matters of principle; they were completely incomparable.

When Dong Zhuo wreaked havoc on the world, Xun You was willing to risk his life to assassinate him.

However, Jia Xu, for his own selfish interests, destroyed the last glimmer of hope for the Eastern Han imperial power.

This is the difference between the two.

Although he did not serve under Liu Bei for long, Xun You devoted himself wholeheartedly to his work, not only offering advice and strategies but also sharing many of Liu Bei's burdens in government affairs, thus earning Liu Bei's deep trust.

"Why must you do this, sir?"

Liu Bei grasped Xun You's hand and advised, "If you wish to see me, sir, just come in; there is no need to announce your arrival."

Xun You smiled modestly and replied, "My lord, propriety cannot be disregarded."

Upon entering the hall, Liu Bei took the initiative to ask, "Sir, did you seek me out for something?"

Xun You remained silent until all the attendants who had served tea had left, then he spoke: “My lord, I have something to say that may displease you. However, since I entered Xuzhou, I have long been favored by you. If I do not speak, it would be disloyal and unjust. Therefore, I am in a dilemma and would like to ask you for your guidance.”

(End of this chapter)