Three Kingdoms: I am not Liu Bian

Chapter 87 Lu Zhi: He doesn’t look like a king!
On the second day after Zhang Jiao's death, Zhang Bao chose to keep the news a secret.

But the cover-up only served to arouse suspicion. Even the Yellow Turban Army's top commanders often gathered together to whisper, their eyes filled with unease. Although Zhang Bao tried his best to conceal Zhang Jue's death, no one had seen him since he fell ill in Guangyang County, which inevitably aroused suspicion.

Dong Zhuo was naturally also keenly aware of the strange atmosphere permeating the Yellow Turban Army, but at this time he had no intention of delving into the reasons because he was about to retreat.

In the middle of the night, Dong Zhuo poured kerosene on the camp and burned it down to ashes, with raging flames shooting up into the sky.

Through the arrow letter shot into the city in advance by Guo Si, Lu Zhi sent Liu Bei and Zhang Fei to lead troops out of the city to support Dong Zhuo to enter the city from the south gate.

After Lu Zhi met Dong Zhuo, they slowly climbed up to the top of the city wall side by side and sighed at the same time.

Everyone understood that Dong Zhuo's retreat was not due to fear of fighting or cowardice.

Not being afraid of death does not mean seeking death.

The reason why Dong Zhuo dared to station outside the city and form a pincer attack on Xindu City was because he took advantage of Zhang Bao's insufficient military strength.

However, with the reinforcements brought by Zhang Jue, the number of Yellow Turban Army far exceeded that of the Han Army, and the Han Army inside and outside the city combined was less than a fraction of the total strength of the Yellow Turban Army.

The 140,000 Yellow Turban Army, especially the one led by Zhang Jue, which was well-equipped and could truly be called an "army", could not have continued to garrison outside the city under anyone else's command.

Moreover, among the more than 10,000 people in the city, there were 800 of Liu Bei's Changshui cavalry, 3,000 county and state soldiers from Xindu County, and the remaining 10,000 were young and strong men temporarily recruited.

Although the people of Hebei are belligerent and warlike, they are not warriors after all. Such a large army can defend the city, but if they fight in the wild outside the city, they will probably be defeated like an avalanche in an instant.

But even if it was to defend the city, if Zhang Jue led an army of 100,000 to attack the city, with a force ten times that of Lu Zhi and carrying siege equipment, even Lu Zhi might not be able to hold it.

Similarly, if Zhang Jiao besieged Dong Zhuo, Dong Zhuo's camp would eventually be swallowed up by the sea of ​​people.

However, now that the two armies have joined forces, even though the city was besieged by the Yellow Turbans some time ago and had been cut off from the outside world, it should not be difficult for more than 30,000 people to hold out until the imperial reinforcements arrive.

Another day passed, perhaps because the weather was still cold, everyone was surprised to find that the snow had stopped.

The north wind that had been howling for over a month seemed to be strangled by the throat, and the lead-gray clouds were torn open by an invisible golden hand. Golden-red rays of light poured down from the crack, turning the mottled bricks and stones on the top of Xindu City into amber.

The icicles hanging between the battlements began to drip water. Although the snow in the wilderness had not melted, it sparkled silver in the sunlight. In the distance, the ice of the Yangshui River exploded with bursts of crisp sounds, and cracks spread in all directions like a spider web.

Although we have not yet passed the harsh winter of the twelfth lunar month, the world seems to have bid farewell to the silent winter and welcomed the spring when all things revive.

The same fate befell the Han people!
Liu Bian reined in his horse and stood at the foot of the city, his red cloak hanging from the saddle. The eight thousand elite cavalrymen below the city made bursts of noisy horse neighings, which gave people an extra sense of security.

There was a sharp creaking sound of a city gate opening, and the heavy Xindu city gate slowly opened, and a figure that was extremely familiar yet slightly different appeared in front of him.

Liu Bian did not wait for Lu Zhi to come and pay him a visit, but dismounted and ran forward quickly.

However, at this time, Lu Zhi, who was wearing gold, silver and iron armor, lowered his head slightly and did not dare to look at Liu Bian. It was not out of etiquette, but because he felt that whether as a minister or a teacher, he really had no face to face the prince.

The prince entrusted him with the heavy responsibility of Jizhou, and he vowed to guard Jizhou for the prince, but he was unable to do so and caused the prince so much trouble.

Not to mention the successive losses of cities and territories in Jizhou under the Yellow Turban offensive, yesterday, the Crown Prince's concubines, Liu Dai and Liu Yao, had entered the city ahead of Lu Zhi to inform him of the Crown Prince's impending arrival. From them, Lu Zhi learned of the recent events. Especially when they mentioned Zhang Jue's letter and He Yong's sinister attempt to commit suicide by disembowelment, even though Jia Xu had resolved this major issue for him, Lu Zhi still felt terrified.

If He Yong's plan had really succeeded, he would probably have been infamous by now, being escorted to the Supreme Court in a prison car and imprisoned, and then executed.

He also heard that the prince, in order to avoid impeachment, had rarely refused everyone's advice, and personally led the elite cavalry in the army north to rescue Jizhou at the cost of a thousand gold, and even his thighs were rubbed bloody from the rapid march. Lu Zhi was overwhelmed with emotions.

"Teacher!" Liu Bian shouted as he quickened his pace, his face filled with concern.

Hearing the prince's shouts so close, and remembering the prince's slightly awkward gait due to his leg injury when he walked quickly just now, his sense of responsibility as the prince's tutor subconsciously made him blurt out words of advice.

"Teacher, you've lost weight."

However, before Lu Zhi could speak, Liu Bian grabbed Lu Zhi's hands tightly.

There was no mention of Lu Zhi's guilt, nor was there any implicit boasting about his favor in saving him from the Modern Literature School. It was just a sentence: "You have lost weight."

These three short words choked back the advice that Lu Zhi was about to say.

Giving a slap in the face and then giving a sweet date is a standard way to control people.

If he really was an emperor like Emperor Xiaowen and Emperor Xiaowu, he would certainly demonstrate his ability to control people in front of the city gate, and first point out that the officials in the court impeached him for the loss of cities and territories since he took office as the governor of Jizhou.

The situation in Jizhou was deteriorating, but that was not his fault, and he had no choice but to lose cities and territories, but who made Lu Zhi the governor of Jizhou?

Although it was not entirely his fault, and there were many reasons for losing cities and territories, but as the governor of Jizhou, the Taiping Dao rebelled in Jizhou during his term and conquered cities one after another, which was a crime he could not shirk.

If Lu Zhi had pacified the Yellow Turbans, his merits and demerits would have offset each other; if he still needed the court's aid, then his merits were greater than his demerits.

Of course, when the Secretariat really discusses the merits and demerits, they will not be so unkind, but that is the king as the judge forgiving his subjects, not that the subjects are innocent.

Then, according to the procedure, a group of close ministers around the prince would speak for him, mentioning the prince's love and trust in him. Then it would be his turn to express his feelings of gratitude and appreciation for the prince's love. A drama of mutual understanding between the monarch and his ministers would be performed outside the city gate. Finally, the historian behind the prince, who was preparing to write a long poem about it, would record it in the book.

But the prince did not play according to the rules!

Liu Bian didn't know what Lu Zhi was thinking. He just looked at Lu Zhi's figure. He looked older and thinner than a few months ago. Even his once jet-black temples were unconsciously mixed with a few strands of white hair. He subconsciously blurted out: "Teacher, you have worked hard."

For some reason, looking at the prince's sincere expression, Lu Zhi felt as if someone had shot an arrow into his heart.

He suddenly remembered the time when He Jin and hundreds of officials jointly advised the emperor to appoint the then prince Bian as the crown prince. The emperor's evaluation of the then prince Bian was that he was frivolous and had no dignity, and was not fit to be a ruler!

He is truly a frivolous monarch. Which prince would choose to go into danger just to avoid the memorial from Lantai impeaching his teacher?
He doesn't look like a king!
Oh, it seems to be his house.

Forget it.

(2160 words)
(End of this chapter)