Your Majesty, please spare Diao Chan; your yang energy is too strong.

"If we can take Xuzhou, we'll at least have a place to settle down."

"It's better than being stuck in this mountain stronghold."

"After all, we need to grow and expand; we can't stay on this mountain forever."

Zhou Cang said.

He was naturally aware of Zhou Heng's ambitions.

Therefore, in his view, the current infighting between Lü Bu and Liu Bei is a golden opportunity.

If we can take this opportunity to help Liu Bei reclaim Xuzhou, or rather, seize Xuzhou from Lü Bu.

Even if they didn't occupy the entire territory of Xuzhou, they at least had a place to settle down.

One side wants to grow stronger.

Land, population, talent, money, and grain are all indispensable.

"Indeed, my lord, I also think Zhou Cang is right. The fact that Lü Bu and Liu Bei are fighting amongst themselves is a golden opportunity for us."

"If we can seize this opportunity to drive Lü Bu away, we will definitely be able to negotiate with Liu Bei. At that time..."

Liao Hua nodded in agreement and turned his gaze to Zhou Heng beside him.

"Is that what you all think?"

"Not bad." The two nodded.

“Now is indeed a good opportunity. If we can help Liu Bei drive Lü Bu out of Xuzhou during this time of crisis, we can certainly gain Liu Bei’s gratitude. I believe he will not refuse us a place to stay,” Zhou Heng said calmly.

Just when the two thought Zhou Heng had decided to send troops, his next words left them dumbfounded.

"However, I disagree."

"Uh..." The two were taken aback, somewhat puzzled: "My lord... since this matter is only beneficial to us and has no harm whatsoever, why not do it? As long as we can help Liu Bei drive Lü Bu out of Xuzhou, Liu Bei will definitely be grateful to us. Then, with a place to settle down, we can also develop rapidly?"

Zhou Heng shook his head: "That is true for ordinary people, but Liu Bei cannot be judged by common sense."

"Moreover, Xuzhou is a place of constant warfare and has no natural defenses. Taking it would not bring us any benefit."

"On the contrary, it will expose us to the public eye earlier."

"Our current strength is too weak to be revealed too early."

Zhou Heng naturally knew what they were thinking.

However, having studied history extensively, he knew that this was definitely not the best time to send troops.

Xuzhou was a battleground on all sides.

There are no natural defenses nearby.

It is simply impossible to serve as a foundation.

Let alone whether they can take Xuzhou now that Lü Bu has occupied it.

Even if we do manage to win it.

Would Liu Bei truly be grateful to them?

Are they capable of holding on?

If they are forced into this situation, only destruction awaits them.

This is not what he wants to see.

Moreover, from beginning to end, his goal was not Xuzhou.

Because Xuzhou connects the Jianghuai region, Yanzhou, and Yuzhou...

It belongs to a central, open area.

Neither Cao Cao nor Yuan Shao would allow another force to emerge in their central government.

Not to mention they were remnants of the Yellow Turban Rebellion.

Nature is inherently very unfriendly in this world.

At that time, what will inevitably be faced is the future fate of Liu Bei.

Enemies on all sides.

At that time, the foundation he had painstakingly built over this period could be destroyed in a single day.

This is definitely not what he wanted to see.

If they really want to take Xuzhou.

He would start planning a month in advance.

Instead of forcing things onto the table now.

Zhou Heng's idea was based on Zhu Yuanzhang's nine-character mantra: "Store up grain, build high walls, and delay declaring yourself king."

Now that all the feudal lords are fighting to the death, wouldn't it be better to just follow behind and pick up the scraps?

Why do you insist on personally rushing in and getting yourself killed?

Moreover, he was previously a subordinate of both Liu Bei and Cao Cao.

Other feudal lords might not take him seriously, but these two knew that he was out there starting his own business.

It's definitely not a good thing.

Would Liu Bei truly be grateful to him?

Of course, there's another reason...

"Our current strength is still too weak."

"No matter what, Lü Bu was a regional warlord with strong and powerful troops under his command, and his own strength was unmatched in the world."

"Our men are just some remnants of the Yellow Turban Rebellion that we just subdued."

"Do you really have the ability to drive Lü Bu out of Xuzhou?"

Zhou Heng said calmly.

"Uh..." The two of them felt awkward.

Letting them fight the lowly soldiers is fine, but sending them to fight Lu Bu is just suicide.

"But..." For some reason, even though he knew he was no match for Lü Bu, he still felt somewhat unwilling to give up.

"Alright, I know what you're thinking, but now is not the time."

"Lu Bu is not as simple as you think, and our forces are not as strong as you imagine."

Zhou Heng shook his head.

A new recruit who has been training for no more than half a month.

What makes us think we can defeat Lü Bu's Bingzhou cavalry?

"To put it another way, even if you really had the ability to drive Lü Bu away, could you have the ability to hold onto him?"

"Well... alright!" The two hesitated for a moment, but finally nodded.

"Xuzhou is like a hot potato right now; whoever touches it will die."

"Furthermore, Xuzhou is a place of constant warfare, and it had previously experienced Cao Cao's massacre of the city."

"With a shortage of talent and resources, taking it would only attract hatred and serve no other purpose."

It wasn't Zhou Heng who was trying to suppress them.

That is indeed the case.

There are only a handful of talented people in Xuzhou, and most of them are already employed.

Supplies were scarce.

Taking Xuzhou would only attract hatred and bring no benefit whatsoever.

"It was our oversight that led to this. Our lord is far more insightful than we are." Upon hearing this, the two men immediately understood.

He thought to himself, "Luckily, Zhou Heng didn't listen to his men."

Otherwise, they would be surrounded by enemies on all sides. Just thinking about it sent a chill down their spines.

At that time, the foundation that our lord has worked so hard to build during this period will probably be completely lost by his own people.

"However, on the other hand, although we cannot send troops to drive Lü Bu out of Xuzhou now, it does not mean that we will do nothing."

Seeing that the two understood his meaning, Zhou Heng nodded in satisfaction and then spoke again.

"What?" The two were taken aback.

"Liao Hua, do you still remember the bet I made with Mi Zhu before?"

"What does the lord mean?" Liao Hua's eyes lit up immediately.

"Now that Xuzhou has changed hands and Lü Bu has rebelled, the Mi family must be feeling very lost," Zhou Heng said with a slight smile. "It's time to honor our bet."

"This subordinate understands. As the richest family in Xuzhou and one of the four wealthiest families in the world, the Mi family possesses resources beyond imagination. If we can win them over, they are indeed more important than controlling a city like Xuzhou."

"Not bad." Zhou Heng smiled, "This child is teachable."