Lu Bu: My wife comes from two thousand years later

Lü Bu was unaware of Yang Xiu's historical character. After the three of them sat down in the hall, Lü Bu feigned confusion and asked, "I wonder why you've come here today, young master?"

Yang Xiu thought to himself, "Didn't you send in a visiting card asking to see my father, and now you're pretending to be confused?"

While thinking this in his heart, he said, "I heard that the envoy and his wife have come to Huayin. It is only right for me to come and pay my respects to them!"

Lu Bu raised his eyebrows slightly, "What kind of relationship do I have with the Yang family? If I remember correctly, your Yang family issued a warrant for my arrest."

Lü Bu's words were a bit unfriendly, but Yang Xiu glanced at Zhang Mo calmly and replied, "Madam is the daughter of the late Minister Wang. The Wang family and my Yang family have been friends for many years. My great-uncle once married a daughter of the Wang family in Qi County. I also met Uncle Wang many years ago. According to seniority, I can call Madam "Ajie". As a younger brother, I have come to pay my respects to Ajie and Zifu. Isn't this a proper gesture?"

"As for the matter of the envoy, when Minister Wang pleaded for the envoy, my father already knew that the matter of Yang Chao was a misunderstanding, and it has long been exposed."

Lu Bu snorted in his heart. This kid is really good at making friends. He recognized them as relatives as soon as they met. But he didn't know whether he would still recognize his sister and brother-in-law when they talked about business later.

Zhang Mo was stunned. Yang Xiu had a pretty high EQ, so how could he have been involved in Cao Wei's fight for the throne in history?

Yang Xiu continued, "As for the logic, ever since Duan Zhongming of Huayin joined the envoy, Hongnong has been incorporated into Bingzhou. As a subject, is it not reasonable for me to pay my respects to my lord?"

Lü Bu was quite pleased with what he said, but he remained calm and said, "But I heard that your father went to Shouchun. I wonder if he went to visit relatives or friends, or if he wanted to transfer Hongnong to Yuan Gonglu's jurisdiction?"

Yang Xiu quickly said, "Of course I'm going to visit relatives and friends. I wrote a letter to my father this morning. If nothing unexpected happens, I'll be back in a few days."

Previously, Lu Bu refused to establish another court in Bingzhou, and Yuan Shao was no longer a powerful force. Yang Biao then thought of going to Shouchun to find Yuan Shu. At that time, Ma Teng and Han Sui in Xiliang had not yet taken any action, and Lu Bu was trapped in the battlefield in Jizhou. Therefore, Yang Biao wanted to take the opportunity to bring Henan Yin and Hongnong County under the rule of Yuan Shu, and then reorganize Luoyang and revive the Han Dynasty.

But now Ma Teng and Han Sui are coming. If the Yang family doesn't appreciate their kindness, Lu Bu can just withdraw his troops from Huayin and let the Liangzhou army in. The consequences can be imagined.

Those Liangzhou troops are not as incompetent as Zhang Ji and Fan Chou, nor as reasonable as Lu Bu. It is normal for them to attack the Yang family when they are short of food.

Jingzhao Yin had been devoured by Li Su and Li Jue. With tens of thousands of troops from Ma and Han coming from Fufeng County, the next food supply point would be Hongnong County. Therefore, once Huayin was lost, Hongnong County would inevitably become the granary for the Liangzhou Army. Yang Xiu saw this and came to show goodwill to Lu Bu. Although joining Lu Bu would also cost some money, it would definitely be better than being harmed by the Liangzhou Army.

Lu Bu nodded in satisfaction and continued, "Young Master Yang understands this very well, but I wonder if he can become the head of the Yang family?"

Yang Xiu smiled and said, "Although my Yang family has many uncles and aunts, since my great-grandfather, the head of the family has always been my grandfather and father's line. I am his only son, and I have been managing the Yang family business since I was twelve years old. Apart from my father, I have the final say in the Yang family."

Since you're in charge, things will be easier. Lu Bu said directly, "Young Master Yang, I'm sure you're aware that Ma Teng and Han Sui from Liang Province have sent a hundred thousand troops to attack Hongnong. While they're strong, they're short on rations. Your Yang family occupies more than half of Hongnong's land. Could you possibly offer some support?"

As expected, they were from Dong Zhuo's men. Yang Xiu sighed and asked, "I wonder how many you need, sir?"

"Not much, one million stones is enough!"

Yang Xiu took a deep breath. This was going to drain all of his Yang family's wealth!

He looked troubled. "This year, Guanzhong suffered a great disaster. Even with the great wealth of our Yang family, we cannot provide so much grain. Your Excellency is putting me in a difficult position."

During wartime, if one soldier consumes five stone of grain per month, one million stone would be enough for the monthly rations of 200,000 soldiers. This was indeed a bit too much to ask for, but Lu Bu knew that the Yang family could afford it.

Now, apart from these wealthy families, there is really no place in the north to get food. Zhang Mo has recruited more than 500,000 bandits from Zhang Yan. If she doesn't get more food, many people will starve to death in a few months. Now her idea is to deduct as much as possible.

Lü Bu also looked troubled. "Although Huayin only has 13,000 soldiers and horses, Hedong County still has tens of thousands of soldiers who are short of food. This time, Ma Teng and Han Sui are advancing in two directions. If Hedong County is captured by them, it will be useless for me to defend Huayin. The Liang Province troops can still march south to Hongnong, and Huayin will be trapped in the middle. At worst, I can lead my army out of Huayin and return to Bingzhou. The Yang family is large and powerful, so it is difficult for them to leave at will. If you are reluctant to give up this little food and grass now, you will lose the entire Yang family."

Yang Xiu was speechless. If that was the case, would his Yang family have to support all the Bingzhou troops for you?

However, he knew that since Lu Bu said so, there was no room for negotiation. If Huayin was lost, Lu Bu's army could retreat to Hangu Pass to hold its ground, but the Yang family would be really finished. Since heavy bleeding was inevitable, he could only strive for some political benefits for the Yang family.

"With so much food, it's hard for me to decide. If you're in dire need of food, I'll have someone send over 100,000 dan first. The rest can only be decided after my father returns."

Lu Bu said, "Young Master Yang, it's not that you can't make the decision. You want to negotiate terms with me, right? I hate beating around the bush and dragging my feet. I can't let the Yang family spend so much food and supplies for nothing. Just tell me what you want. As long as it's reasonable, I can agree to it."

Lu Bu was well aware of the Yang family's demands. Yang Biao was an orthodox Confucian scholar, and his only wish was to re-establish the Han Dynasty.

Lü Bu's words were so blunt that Yang Xiu was momentarily unsure how to respond. He pondered for a moment before saying, "The late emperor died in Huayin several months ago. Since the new emperor has not yet been established, the various vassal states have been left unchecked and are attacking each other recklessly. The Han Dynasty is increasingly falling apart. My father has been loyal to the Han Dynasty and Your Majesty his entire life. Therefore, he wishes to select a son from the royal family to adopt under the late emperor's name and restore the Han Dynasty's prestige."

"However, our Yang family is weak. When you were with Prime Minister Dong, you repeatedly advised us against this. It's clear that you have the Han Dynasty in your heart. If you can repel the Liang Province rebels this time, why not renovate Luoyang and revive the Han Dynasty?"

"Restore the Han Dynasty?" Lü Bu scoffed. "You're just deceiving yourself! Young Master is a smart man. How can you not see that the Han Dynasty's dignity has been completely lost since Dong Zhuo's reign? Even if you truly re-established the emperor in Luoyang, would everyone stop fighting?"

"Besides, I once told General Yang that what the Han Dynasty lacks most is royal relatives. You can establish one, and so can anyone else. What's the point of going to all this trouble to find a puppet? If the Yang family wants to have an official position, there are plenty of vacancies in Bingzhou. Young Master is so talented, why not come to my side and serve as a chief clerk?"