My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 82 Liu Ye's Schemes

"If he had stayed in Pei, that would have been fine. But it's laughable that this man is so greedy. He covets the advantages of Xuzhou, with its large population and fertile land. He actually accepted the invitation from Chen Yuanlong and Mi Zizhong to take over as governor of Xuzhou after the death of Tao Qian."

“I am certain that even if this man is not a puppet of Chen Yuanlong and Mi Zizhong, he will not be able to stay in Xuzhou for more than a few years. To accept his offer of service is no different from carrying firewood into a burning fire.”

Liu Pu and Liu Huan exchanged glances. They knew that their son and younger brother were intelligent and resolute at a young age. Not only were they meticulous and quick-witted, but they were also bold and decisive. At the age of thirteen, they had already dared to kill their father's trusted servant, a truly remarkable display of courage.

In recent years, Liu Ye has made accurate judgments on everything that has happened, helping the Chengde Liu family avoid several disasters.

This deepened the trust Liu Ye's father and brothers placed in him, and they began to listen to his every word.

But this time is really different.

Liu Bei was the governor of Xu Province, a powerful warlord who controlled an entire province.

If this were to be blamed, the Chengde Liu family would be like a piece of straw in the wind, utterly vulnerable.

Liu Bei could crush them with a single finger.

Hearing his father and elder brother's concerns, Liu Ye remained unconcerned: "Father, elder brother, when Liu Bei first entered Xuzhou, his subordinates Chen Deng and Mi Zhu, relying on their seniority and merit, will surely be arrogant and domineering. Cao Bao, Xu Dan, and Cao Hong are Tao Qian's former confidants, and they will definitely band together to oppose the new ruler. As for Zang Ba of Langya and Yuan Sui of Guangling, they all have their own agendas and will oppose the prefecture."

With only a few thousand of his own troops, how could Liu Bei possibly handle this situation?
If he had stayed obediently in Tancheng, he could have managed to survive for a few more years.

If he dares to send troops abroad, I predict he will surely lose Xuzhou within the year, becoming like a homeless dog, fearful and without a place to call home!

Hearing Liu Ye's analysis, Liu Pu and Liu Huan felt somewhat relieved. After all, Liu Ye's previous analyses had all been correct, and this time should be no exception, right?

Liu Huan was still puzzled: "As my second brother said, Liu Xuzhou may not be able to hold his position in Tancheng. But the fact that he sent someone to recruit you shows that he values ​​your talent, which is a kind gesture. Even if you don't think highly of him and don't want to accept the offer, you could simply refuse politely. Why treat the envoy so harshly?"

Liu Ye did not directly answer Liu Huan's question. Instead, he looked at the servants, signaling them to leave, and then invited his father and elder brother into the inner room before speaking, "Father, elder brother, I have no choice in this matter. It's just that Liu Bei came too late. If he had arrived a year or two earlier, I would have been willing to go to Xuzhou to see what he was really made of, even if it took some effort. It's just a pity that now..."

As he spoke, Liu Ye shook his head and sighed.

Liu Pu asked, puzzled, "How is it now?"

Liu Ye smiled bitterly and said, "Father, don't you know? The General of the Rear has swept through the Huai and Si Rivers. He himself is stationed in Shouchun and has launched attacks on all sides. He has already captured Lujiang County and Jiujiang County. We are all under his control."

"The General is brave but indecisive, arrogant by nature, narrow-minded and petty, and should not be offended."

After being defeated by Liu Biao and Cao Cao, and forced to leave Jing and Yu provinces and head south to Huai and Si provinces, Tao Qian had already coveted Xu province. However, at that time, Tao Qian was still an ally of Yuan Shu and was being campaigned against by Cao Cao.

The General of the Rear has just suffered a series of defeats for Cao in Yanzhou and fled in a sorry state. How could he dare to go to Xuzhou and get involved in the struggle between Cao and Tao?

However, after Lü Bu's rebellion in Yan Province, Cao Cao withdrew his troops to reinforce the province, and the two sides fought fiercely in Yan Province, Yuan Shu's ambition for Xu Province became obvious.

He first declared himself Earl of Xuzhou, and later, when Tao Qian died, he considered taking control of Xuzhou.

Unexpectedly, Chen Yuanlong and Mi Zizhong welcomed Liu Bei to the throne first.

Enraged, the general even cursed Liu Bei, asking who he was and how he dared to enter the hall and become the governor.

This shows that the General harbored resentment towards Liu Bei.

Since we are under the command of the General of the Rear, how dare we befriend Liu Bei?

I, Ye, though unworthy, dare to assert that if I accept this conscription today, the calamity of my family's destruction will not be far off tomorrow.

We detained the envoy because we were forced to do so. If we send the envoy away, the general will hold us accountable for this. What should we do then?
We can only ask that this envoy stay here a little longer.

If the General does not punish him, then he will naturally apologize and give him a small gift to let the matter drop. I imagine that after the envoy returns, he will not dare to report such a shameful thing to Liu Bei.

If the General of the Rear really punishes us, then we will have no choice but to use this envoy's head to resolve the disaster for my Liu family.

This matter arose because of Liu Bei's recruitment, and this disaster was naturally caused by him.

Since that's the case, it's only natural that our family uses his superiors to resolve this trouble.

Liu Ye's long and rambling speech left his father, Liu Pu, and his brother, Liu Huan, bewildered and at a loss for words.

When they finally understood the meaning behind Liu Ye's words, they were both shocked by Liu Ye's wisdom and helplessly admitted that this was indeed the only way to save the Liu family.

Subsequent developments, however, progressed in a positive direction.

Yuan Shu only initially occupied Jiujiang, and his rule was always very crude. He did not even have full control over the administrative institutions at the county level. He only knew how to force local gentry and powerful families to contribute money, grain and manpower, and did not interfere with the local self-governance.

Therefore, the news of Liu Bei's recruitment of Liu Ye did not spread, which put Liu Ye's whole family at ease.

Just as Liu Ye was about to release Huang Li, give him a gift, and send him back to report, a letter arrived that changed his mind.

It wasn't that Liu Ye didn't intend to release Huang Li anymore, but rather that he had a new idea about Liu Bei's recruitment.

The author of this letter was his close friend, fellow townsman of Huaisi, and Lu Su, the head of the powerful Lu family in Dongcheng.

They have been friends since childhood and have known each other for five or six years.

Lu Su was much older than Liu Ye, with a full seven-year age difference between them.

However, Lu Su never looked down on Liu Ye because of his age. On the contrary, he valued this precocious member of the Han imperial family highly and regarded him as a close friend.

Lu Su was generous and righteous, while Liu Ye was quick-witted and talented.

After they became acquainted, their friendship deepened day by day. They frequently exchanged letters and knew each other's aspirations.

What made the two even more compatible was that even Liu Ye, a member of the Han imperial family, agreed that the world was about to descend into chaos and that the Han dynasty could not be restored!
Yes, Liu Ye felt that the Han dynasty was on the verge of collapse.

Because this world is so rotten, it stinks to high heaven!

Despite being a member of the Han imperial family, owning land and shops, and having numerous servants, Liu Ye lived a life of unparalleled comfort compared to Liu Bei.

But for a talented scholar like Liu Ye, the most important thing was to enter officialdom.

However, Liu Ye's family was closer to a powerful clan than a noble family.

Like Lu Su, he was troubled by the lack of a famous teacher to follow and the absence of a family of scholars to help them gain fame.

Later, he was indeed appreciated and praised by Xu Zijiang, who hailed him as a talent fit to assist a king.

But when was that?
This story was told by Xu Zijiang, who was down on his luck due to the chaos of war in the Central Plains and the suffering of the people. He fled from Runan and passed through Yangzhou, where he was warmly received by the Liu family, who gave him money and escorted him to Yangzhou.

If it weren't for the war, Liu Ye, the second son of a powerful family in Jiujiang, would probably never have been qualified to stand before Xu Zijiang, let alone have him praised as a talent fit to be a king's advisor.

(End of this chapter)