The revival of the Han Dynasty must start with Dong Zhuo

Chapter 276 Volume Kong Ming Meets Liu Huangshu

……

"What does it mean that the emperor entrusted me with such a problem?"

Liu Bei, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei sat around a round table where tea was brewing, looking a little hesitant.

"Whether Jingzhou is lent or not, it will have an unimaginable impact on the current situation in the world. Isn't it a bit too much of a joke that the emperor has entrusted such a big problem to me?"

If he did, with Sun Ce's strength, he might really be able to defeat Yuan Shu with ease and take control of Jiangdong.

If he did not lend the money, Sun Ce would certainly be defeated by Yuan Shu and the imperial court from both sides and would no longer exist.

The former could certainly quickly eliminate Yuan Shu, the traitor who dared to usurp the throne, but a more powerful opponent would also emerge.

The latter, allowing Yuan Shu to continue to show off his power, is obviously not what Liu Bei wants to see.

But what Liu Bei was worried about was not what he thought, but what the emperor thought.

Is the emperor willing to lend Jingzhou to Sun Ce?

The most important thing is, what is the emperor's intention in entrusting such an important decision to himself?

Liu Bei pondered over it, but did not seek to fully understand it.

Zhang Fei cut the Gordian knot and swallowed the tea leaves and water in his bowl in one gulp. "Brother, why don't you just go and ask the emperor? Why bother yourself so much?"

After finishing the drink, Zhang Fei unhappily put his little finger in his mouth, picking up the tea leaves stuck between his teeth: "This stuff is really not as good as wine! I don't know why my elder brother and second brother both love this thing?"

Guan Yu slowly put the tea into his mouth, savoring its bitter and sweet taste carefully, narrowing his eyes slightly: "Yide, don't be rude. This is a gift from the emperor, and its flavor is rare. You should spend more time to appreciate it carefully."

Zhang Fei rolled his eyes, obviously feeling from the bottom of his heart that this thing was not as good as strong liquor.

However, Guan Yu agreed with Zhang Fei's previous sentence.

"The emperor has always been close to you, brother. You only need to go and ask, and the emperor will naturally know. Why are you trying to figure it out here?"

Liu Bei waved his hand.

"Since the death of the Grand Master, the emperor's brows and eyes have been filled with fatigue. Others may not be able to see this, but I can."

"Moreover, the emperor has experienced an unprecedented war these days, so he must be extremely sad. He has been suppressing his emotions for a long time and is unwilling to relax! Since the emperor has handed this matter to me, let me resolve it myself. I shouldn't bother the emperor with this matter again."

Liu Bei also told Guan Yu and Zhang Fei about his concerns.

"If we lend Jingzhou to Sun Ce and let him attack Yuan Shu, at least we can preserve the peace of the people in Jingzhou."

"Liu Jingsheng has been running Jingzhou for so long, and he has finally made Jingzhou a paradise. How can I easily start a war just after taking office?"

"Weapons are dangerous weapons. Whenever they are used, a large number of people will be displaced and countless soldiers will die on the battlefield. Therefore, even in troubled times, I cannot use weapons easily!"

Liu Bei is still a kind person after all.

Compared with the general situation of the world, what he cares more about is the livelihood of the people.

Precisely because Liu Bei also rose from the bottom of society, he knew too well the people's aversion to war, so he decided it would be better not to fight.

When Zhang Fei heard Liu Bei's words, he immediately agreed: "Brother, you are absolutely right! In this case, I will lend Jingzhou to Sun Ce and let the people of Jingzhou live in peace!"

But Liu Bei shook his head again.

"Jiang Dong has already betrayed me once, how can I trust him again?"

"What if Sun Ce occupies Yangzhou in the future but does not return Jingzhou to the emperor?"

Zhang Fei glared: "He dares!"

"If he does that, I will kill Sun Ce with my spear!"

At this time, Guan Yu also glared at Zhang Fei and said, "Yide, stop talking nonsense!"

"Although Yuan Shao was defeated in Anyi, Hebei has a deep foundation after all and cannot be underestimated! And there is Cao Mengde in the Central Plains. You know how powerful he is... The court will have to accumulate strength to deal with the two in the future. How can it have the energy to use troops in Jingzhou?"

"If we lend Jingzhou to Sun Ce this time, unless there are no drastic changes in the future, I'm afraid Jingzhou will never be returned!"

Zhang Fei was scolded by Liu Bei and Guan Yu at this moment. He was angry but helpless: "Okay, I only know how to fight and kill. You guys can discuss it slowly!"

Liu Bei and Guan Yu were about to say something when they saw Jian Yong walk in, and greeted the three of them with a wry smile.

"My Lord, there are already a lot of guests outside the door, you should go out and meet them!"

It turned out that since the emperor handed the final decision-making power of "borrowing Jingzhou" to Liu Bei, a large number of guests came to visit.

Lu Su was the most enthusiastic guest among them.

There were also some scholars in Jingzhou who had their own thoughts. After knowing that Liu Bei would serve as the governor of Jingzhou in the future, they all presented gifts and wanted to meet Liu Bei.

But Liu Bei was in a dilemma.

Needless to say, Lu Su, at this juncture, no one can see Lu Su, the envoy of Sun Ce.

As for those scholars from Jingzhou, now is the critical period for the emperor to sort out the land and household registration of Jingzhou. Could Liu Bei not know why they came?
Liu Bei had experienced such a thing in Yizhou before, so of course he would not be fooled by these people, so he could only hide away.

But now that Jian Yong has come to him, it is obvious that the number and fame of those guests have reached an outrageous level, so he came to Liu Bei for help.

Liu Bei just felt extremely upset.

"I am only good at fighting on the battlefield, but not at handling these government affairs!"

Liu Bei couldn't help but miss Fa Zheng, with whom he had worked together in Yizhou.

Unfortunately, after helping Liu Bei deal with the problems of the Yizhou family, Fa Zheng was transferred back to Liangzhou by the emperor, and was destined not to come to Jingzhou to help Liu Bei solve government affairs. "It would be great if there was another person like Xiao Zhi who could help me solve these tedious matters."

But Liu Bei also knew that this was just his wishful thinking.

How could it be easy to meet a talent like Fa Zheng?

The rest of the emperor's close ministers, such as Xun Yu, Xun You, Zhong Yao, Yang Xiu, and Sima Yi, could not possibly come to help him deal with the mess in Jingzhou.

Some of the sufferings may have to be borne by him alone!
Fortunately, Liu Bei also has some clever ideas.

Hearing Jian Yong's words, Liu Bei's former chivalrous spirit suddenly surged up.

He held Guan Yu and Zhang Fei's arms and said excitedly, "Nanyang is the hometown of Emperor Taizu and the birthplace of the Later Han Dynasty! We haven't had a good time there yet, so why not take this opportunity to go and broaden our horizons?"

? !
Zhang Fei's eyes lit up: "Brother, you are absolutely right!"

Guan Yu was also stroking the long thread, seeming eager to try.

What’s the point of having my old nest in this county town?
It would be better to go out and take a look at the traces left by the former Emperor Taizu!

Especially the meteorite crater during the Battle of Kunyang… If you don’t go and see such a miracle, wouldn’t you have lived your life in vain?

And the most important thing is——

Before Liu Bei has figured it out, you can avoid those annoying guests!

Seeing that Liu, Guan, and Zhang were about to leave, Jian Yong was very anxious: "I want to go too!"

The three of them were very familiar with Jian Yong. Zhang Fei simply put his arm around Jian Yong's shoulder with a wicked smile and said, "No way! If you leave, who will stay to entertain the guests?"

Jian Yong was a man of elegant manners and good opinions, and he was considered the face of Liu Bei!
If he goes with us, what about entertaining people?
Jian Yong's eyes rolled and he immediately chuckled: "Isn't there still Zilong?"

"Zilong is the most honest one, so just leave him here! Hehehe!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Fei also felt that Zhao Yun was indeed a good candidate.

Good-looking, cautious, and most importantly, honest...

"Okay! Just keep Zilong here!"

After the four of them discussed it, they decided to do something extremely unreliable and leave Zhao Yun alone, letting him bear everything.

……

But the clay man also has some temper!
When Zhao Yun found out that he was the only one left behind, he angrily went to block the door.

The first time, there was no traffic jam.

The second time, there was no traffic jam again.

It was not until the third time that Zhao Yun personally captured Guan Yu and Zhang Fei because of their obvious physical characteristics, and only then were they "brought to justice"!
"My Lord! The Emperor is waiting for your reply in the palace right now! There are endless guests coming every day. How can you act so recklessly?"

Zhao Yun was really pissed off by Liu Bei this time——

"Even if the lord hasn't figured out how to deal with the emperor, he should meet these guests, right?"

Liu Bei still grumbled, "They are just scholars who asked me to help them hide their wealth. What's so good about them?"

Zhao Yun was furious: "We can't just ignore them all!"

"My lord, do you know that there is a guest who always comes to see you with a visiting card from the famous scholar Sima Hui? If you are so perfunctory, how can you unite the scholars of Jingzhou and defend the country in the future?"

Only then did Liu Bei realize that Zhao Yun was not angry because he went out without taking him, but was angry because he had delayed state affairs. He also apologized to Zhao Yun repeatedly.

Zhao Yun directly handed the visiting card in his arms to Liu Bei: "My lord, please take a look. This is the third time this person has come to visit you! If I don't see him again, I'm afraid it will discourage those who have high aspirations!"

Liu Bei corrected his mistake and immediately accepted the visiting card.

"Where is the guest who has visited three times in a row? I'm going to see him right now!"

The fact that he visited him three times in succession showed his sincerity and was worthy of Liu Bei's visit.

"They are waiting in front! My lord, you must not turn them away again!"

"understood!"

Liu Bei bathed, changed his clothes, and finally walked into the front hall.

But when he saw that person for the first time, Liu Bei felt something was strange.

The man was eight feet tall and had a very majestic appearance.

The moment their eyes met, they were both shocked.

This feeling... is as if the two of them were destined to meet here.

The two high-spirited men stood there in a daze, staring at each other for a long time.

I don't know which peach blossom or mulberry leaf made the crisp sound, and they were both awakened at the same time.

Liu Bei suppressed his inexplicable emotions and tried his best to maintain his dignity: "May I ask your name..."

The tall young man opposite also took a deep breath and bowed to Liu Bei.

"I, Zhuge Liang, greet Uncle Liu!"

(End of this chapter)