Lu Bu: My wife comes from two thousand years later

The clay pot on the campfire was bubbling with steam. At Liu Bei's signal, a soldier helped the man serve a bowl of porridge.

The porridge was so clear that it could almost be used as a mirror. He took a look at it and said with a satisfied smile, "Just right!"

As he spoke, he stretched out his hand and a guard took out a large pancake from his bag and handed it to him. The man broke it into pieces and soaked it in the porridge, then ate it with the pickles he brought with him.

Pickles!

This is not common in this era of salt shortage. Looking at this man's demeanor, even his tattered clothes cannot hide his elegant and unrestrained demeanor.

Liu Bei felt more and more that this was a man of great learning and strategy, so he asked again, "Sir, please teach me how to restore the Han Dynasty? What should I do next?"

After finishing his meal, the man pulled a handkerchief from his sleeve, wiped his mouth, and said, "Xuan De, don't you know? A few days ago, Cao Mengde of Yanzhou selected a young boy from the royal family to ascend the throne. He has announced it to the world and established the capital in Changyi. You and Cao Mengde share the same goal. Wouldn't it be appropriate for you to join him?"

Liu Bei was greatly surprised, "Did Cao Mengde establish another emperor?"

The man folded his hands behind his head, leaned comfortably against the tree trunk behind him, and began to reveal the news to Liu Bei, who had been marching in the wilderness for some time and was unaware of what was happening in the world.

"Not only did Cao Mengde establish a new emperor, but Yuan Shu was also preparing to become emperor. And Zhang Lu of Hanzhong proclaimed himself emperor not long after Lü Bu became king, and named his country Mi."

The man chuckled as he spoke, "The United States! Wow, Zhang Lu is quite a talent. He can actually come up with such a coveted name for the country."

"Oh, and your own family member, Liu Fan of Yizhou, has also proclaimed himself emperor, but the country's name is still Han. This is understandable. He is a genuine royal family member. His father had the ambition to become emperor as early as the second year of Chuping. The son follows his father's ambition. I understand!"

It is said that Liu Yan, the former governor of Yizhou, had four sons: the eldest son Liu Fan, the second son Liu Dan, the third son Liu Mao, and the fourth son Liu Zhang. At that time, Liu Yan suggested to Emperor Ling of Han to establish provincial governors to be in charge of military and political power in various places. Liu Yan was appointed as the governor of Yizhou, while Liu Fan, Liu Dan, and Liu Zhang all stayed in the capital, and only Liu Mao followed Liu Yan to Shu.

Originally in history, Liu Fan and Liu Dan who stayed in Beijing conspired with General Ma Teng to launch a surprise attack on Chang'an in order to eliminate Li Jue, a remnant of Dong Zhuo. However, the plot was exposed and the two were killed. Liu Mao also died early, so the youngest Liu Zhang became the governor of Yizhou.

Now the people who are causing chaos in Chang'an have become Li Su and Li Jue, and the time they have been in power is short. History has completely changed. After Liu Yan's death, it is natural that his eldest son Liu Fan will succeed him as the governor of Yizhou.

As Liu Bei stared in astonishment, the man continued, "Among the great princes, the only one who's relatively peaceful is Liu Jingsheng. Some smaller prefects and even a group of bandits have claimed to be emperors. Some have even claimed to be descendants of Fusu, using slogans like 'The tyrannical Han has fallen, and the Great Qin has revived.' Even more incredible, some claim to be descendants of the Overlord of Chu, cursing Emperor Gaozu as a shameless scoundrel who used cunning tactics to seize the throne from the Overlord and now demands the Liu family return it."

The man had a gloating expression on his face. "In the future, maybe there will be descendants of Qi, Wei, Han, Zhao, or even further back, descendants of the Xia, Shang, and Western Zhou dynasties. It has to be said that those who dare to claim the throne must have a strong background!"

Liu Bei was completely stunned. What was going on? How could so many emperors suddenly appear after such a long time since the emperor's death? So, could Lü Bu and Gongsun Zan, who were merely kings, still be considered loyal ministers? And could Cao Mengde, whom he had previously considered a traitor, actually be considered a truly loyal minister?

"Alas, with this game played out like this, titles like emperor and king are actually not that important anymore. Whoever has the stronger fist has the final say."

Zhang Fei interrupted, "That's definitely Lü Bu's strongest fist. Big brother, go to Bingzhou. Don't listen to this guy's nonsense. Why would you join Cao Mengde? He was beaten so badly by Lü Bu in Hanoi. If you join him, you'll be beaten too."

Liu Bei was now even more confused. He sat on the ground and thought for a long time but still had no clue.

The man said, "If you really don't want to surrender to Cao Mengde, for the sake of a bowl of porridge, I will point out two ways out for you. It's up to you whether you can use them or not."

Liu Bei suddenly came to his senses, quickly stood up, and bowed sincerely, "I beg for your guidance, sir!"

The man sat up, picked up a branch from the ground, and smoothed the ground in front of him with his foot. As he drew the map, he said, "I think the emperor's uncle is really supporting the Han Dynasty. He is really ambitious and wants to make a name for himself. You should forget about Lu Bu and Gongsun Zan. I didn't miss them. You don't want to go to Cao Mengde, let alone Yuan Shu."

He crossed out all of these places and pointed to Hanzhong. "In the eyes of the emperor's uncle, Zhang Lu's country of rice must be a great traitor to the Han Dynasty. This place has fertile land and natural defenses. It is very suitable for you. Take it!"

The man pondered and said, "It's definitely not possible to ask you to rely on him and become a traitor. We have no choice but to fight. Zhang Lu has occupied Hanzhong for less than a year, and his foundation is unstable. If the emperor's uncle has the ability to conquer him, he will have the territory and the reputation of eliminating traitors for the Han Dynasty."

He shook his head again as he spoke, "Theoretically, this route is the best, but looking at your team, let alone fighting, it's even a question whether we can even get there."

After hearing this, Liu Bei's eyes lit up at first, but then his face was full of helplessness.

"Second, go and attach yourself to Liu Biao first. His two sons are not very capable, and he himself is old. You can go there to make some friends and build some connections. Once Liu Biao dies, your chance will come."

Liu Bei immediately shook his head. "No, Liu Jingsheng and I are both relatives of the Han Dynasty. During those years, the imperial court was controlled by the traitor Dong and the two Lis. Only Liu Jingsheng never forgot the emperor and paid tribute every year. Now that everyone in the world is independent, only Liu Jingsheng has remained steadfast in his duty. How could I seize his legacy?"

The man spread his hands and said, "Since the emperor's uncle is loyal, there's really nothing I can do!"

At this time, Zhang Fei stepped forward and said, "Brother, I think the first idea is good. We can go to Amo to borrow soldiers and Liu Jingsheng to borrow food. First, we can conquer this damned United States, and then we will have a home."

"Ha~"

The man laughed and looked at Zhang Fei in surprise. "I didn't expect that a rough guy like you could be so smart. Just a word and you've got soldiers, food, and territory. It's guaranteed to be profitable!"

Liu Bei, however, still frowned. "Borrowing grain can be returned later, but borrowing soldiers means you'll have to let them fight to the death. We don't have anything to offer Lu Bu, so he might not agree."

Zhang Fei said, "As long as Ah Mo agrees, she treated us to drinks and gave us money back in Luoyang. She was very generous. Now she wants to lend us tens of thousands of soldiers. She shouldn't be so stingy, right?"

Liu Bei sighed, "Third brother, you think too simply. How can this be the same?"

"You can just ask and find out if it's okay. We have to go that way anyway."

Liu Bei nodded and said, "Well, let's give it a try."

He then bowed to the man and said, "I'm very grateful for your guidance today. I wonder where you're going? If it's convenient for you, could you please come with me?"

Liu Bei originally wanted to recruit this person, but when he thought about it, he thought that since he was unwilling to reveal his name, he must not want to follow him in wandering, so it would be useless to speak.

The man stood up and patted his robe out of habit. "It's on the way, but your group is moving too slowly. I'd better go ahead. Bye!"

The guards had already fed the horses, and the man led his mount over. Liu Bei couldn't help but chase after him and ask, "Sir, could you tell me your name?"

The man jumped onto his horse, turned around and smiled, "Yingchuan Guo Jia, Guo Fengxiao!"

After saying this, he gave a light shout and rode away.