The Three Kingdoms: Zhaolie, the strategist, and the rise of the Han Dynasty

Chapter 72 Huainan Liu Ziyang (Please read!)

Cao Cao even thought of a way out, which was to trick Yuan Tan into sending troops first.

Anyway, Yuan Shao is in charge of Hebei, not Yuan Tan.

What's more, if Yuan Tan really sent troops, he would be in the wrong, and Cao Cao would have an excuse to evade the issue.

"As for the third route..."

Xi Zhicai was about to speak, but Cao Cao stopped him and said:

"Don't say anything, let's take a pen and write on our palms."

They both took up their pens and started writing.

In a moment,

He came closer and spread out his hands.

They both wrote the word "Shu" in unison.

"……Hahaha."

Cao Cao laughed heartily and patted Xi Zhicai's shoulder excitedly:

"Great! It seems that my ambitions coincide with mine. The third group of troops is Yuan Gonglu!"

"...cough cough cough."

Xi Zhicai's coughing became more and more intense. "Yuan Gonglu has coveted Xuzhou for a long time. Now Liu Bei has appointed Chen Deng as the governor of Guangling to threaten Jiujiang's flank."

"Yuan Shu has long wanted to take Xuzhou. We just need to send someone to arrange a date with him so that we can send troops together."

"Three armies attacking at the same time, I don't think Liu Bei can defeat them."

"Good! Good! Great good!"

Cao Cao swept away his previous gloom and was in great joy.

"With these three armies, let's see how that big-eared thief can show off his power."

He sat down comfortably, stroked his beard, and said with a smile:
"Today, it is what I want to say."

The three armies might not destroy Liu Bei, but at least they could cripple him.

It would be best if Liu Bei suffered heavy casualties and lost cities and territories.

Only a separatist and chaotic Xuzhou is a good Xuzhou.

The unification of the five counties and the unity of Xuzhou was a situation that Cao Cao did not want to see.

He hoped that Xuzhou could be divided and ruled by Guo Gong, Yuan Tan, Yuan Shu, and Liu Bei himself at the same time.

The more chaotic Xuzhou was, the more at ease Cao Cao could handle the affairs at hand.

After Yanzhou was pacified, he went south to seize Yuzhou, and then sent troops to Xuzhou.

After unifying Henan, he could turn against his former big brother, Yuan Shao, who dominated Hebei.

Cao Cao felt so happy just thinking about this.

……

Huainan, Chengye.

Liu Mansion.

"Sir, Liu Xuzhou's documents have arrived."

A minor official whispered behind a young man.

The young man didn't even turn his head, but just stood with his hands behind his back, quietly admiring the falling flowers in the yard.

A middle-aged man came over and said in a deep voice:

"My son was not even twenty years old when he was recruited by a prefecture governor. When others saw this, they were overjoyed."

"Zi Yang, you turned a deaf ear to it and refused to meet the envoy from Xuzhou. This is really disrespectful."

It turned out that this young man was Liu Ye who was recommended by Li Yi before.

Although Liu Ye is young, he is courageous and good at planning.

Xu Shao, who founded Yuedanping, commented that Liu Ye had the talent to assist the world when he was thirteen years old.

Liu Ye, who became famous at a young age, developed a character that was arrogant because of his talent.

Many county officials came to recruit him, but he refused them all on the grounds of his young age.

But this time Liu Bei seemed a little different.

Others tried to recruit him, but he refused and gave up.

Liu Bei actually sent three documents in a row, persevering in doing so, as if he was determined to get a reply from Liu Ye.

Liu Ye himself became a little numb, and when faced with documents handed over by minor clerks, he simply didn't bother to look at them.

This rude behavior was seen by his father Liu Pu, who didn't understand why his son did this.

It doesn't matter if it's others, but Liu Bei's reputation for benevolence and righteousness is known throughout the world, and we all have the blood of Emperor Gaozu flowing in our family, so why should we keep him at a distance?
Of course, their bloodline is much purer than Liu Bei's. Liu Ye is the fourth son of Emperor Guangwu Liu Xiu and a descendant of Liu Yan.

But in this era where anyone with a gun can be a king, bloodline no longer plays much of a role.

At least considering that he is the governor of a state, you shouldn't be so cold to him, right?
Liu Ye replied calmly:

"Today the world is in chaos, and many heroes are rising up."

"Some are large, some are connected across counties, and some are small, some are isolated from counties. They all use the name of the Han court to do things for their own selfish purposes."

"There are very few who can support the Han Dynasty and protect the people for the sake of the country. Liu Xuande was originally a warrior in a remote area. Now he has obtained such a large state for nothing. It is still unknown what his ambitions are."

"Besides, Xuzhou has been massacred twice, there is the disaster of Qingzhou in the north, Yuan Shu is coveting in the south, and Cao Cao is plotting in the west. It is unknown how long Liu Xuande can sit on the throne of Xuzhou."

"A gentleman does not stand under a dangerous wall. Before the situation becomes clear, I think it is not advisable to choose a master lightly."

Liu Ye is a very ambitious person, but also very frivolous.

He knew that he was not qualified to be a ruler, so he had to choose his lord carefully.

In history, he chose Cao Cao.

But that doesn't mean he hates Liu Bei.

He did persuade Cao Cao to kill Liu Bei, but that was because he was already a minister of Wei and naturally had to consider the overall situation.

Only those who are threatening are worth being feared.

The fact that Liu Ye repeatedly advised Cao Cao to kill Liu Bei proves that Liu Bei's ability was recognized by Liu Ye.

When he chose Cao Cao, Yuan and Cao had already occupied Hebei and Henan respectively.

Faced with the choice between Yuan and Cao, Liu Ye chose the latter.

The current situation is still unclear, and Liu Ye is not in a hurry to bet on his future. He prefers to wait and see.

At this time,

A servant came to report that Lu Zijing, a powerful man from East City, was visiting.

As they were from the same hometown of Huaisi, Liu Ye and Lu Su were old acquaintances.

Lu Su was a generous and magnanimous person, and he was willing to help others and give generously.

Liu Ye was talented and courageous.

The two admired each other, had a deep friendship, and became close friends.

"Brother, I haven't seen you for two years. It's rare for you to come to my house today, but you didn't even know to greet me."

Liu Ye warmly welcomed Lu Su in with a bright smile on his face.

"It's just because I came in a hurry and didn't have time to inform Ziyang in advance. Please don't blame me."

Lu Su also brought a few servants with him, who followed him with abacus in their hands.

Liu Ye noticed this detail keenly, but did not ask about it directly.

First he ordered the cook to heat a pot of hot wine and then cooked two fresh fish and brought them up.

"Brother, you must have traveled a long way. Have a bowl of fish soup to warm your stomach."

While Liu Ye was helping Lu Su serve the fish soup, he asked tentatively:
"Brother, it's rare for you to come to my place, so why not stay for a few more days, so that I can fulfill my hospitality."

Lu Su took a sip of the fish soup and waved his hand:

"No, I came here to do something important."

"...Oh." Liu Ye pretended to wake up and slapped his head, "Brother, if you have any trouble, just tell me directly."

"My father and I have been running Chengxi for many years, and we have some connections. I will definitely help you solve your problems."

"good!"

Lu Su put the bowl on the table and said seriously:

"Zi Yang is a quick-witted person, so I'll just speak frankly."

"I came here to buy a ship."

I see……

Liu Ye felt relieved and said:
"I have several shipbuilding shops under my wing. If you want ready-made ships, I can give you a few."

"Okay, then I want eighty."

puff!
Liu Ye almost vomited out the fish soup he had just drunk.

He stood up and looked at Lu Su in astonishment.

"How much... how much?"

……

……

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(End of this chapter)