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

"The most urgent task is to stop Lü Bu's army."

"One woman alone is not enough to change the overall situation."

Liu Bei waved his hand.

"Yes."

"Let's move! We must control the entire Xu Province as quickly as possible in order to have any chance of stopping Lü Bu's attack..."

Liu Bei was just about to order his men to guard the four gates to the death.

However, before he could finish speaking, a loud laugh rang out from the distant city tower.

"Haha, Liu Bei, thank you for helping us take Xuzhou. Without you, it wouldn't have been so easy for us to take Xuzhou so easily."

"who?"

This sudden turn of events caused everyone present to change their expressions drastically.

"It's you?"

Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, in particular, were filled with hatred.

Because the person standing on the city wall was none other than Mi Zhu, who had disappeared after entering the city.

And beside him...

There were also several thousand private soldiers who looked like bodyguards.

These were the private soldiers that the Mi family had been keeping under their control for so many years.

They initially didn't believe much of what Liu Bei had previously speculated about.

But now the facts are clear.

How could they not hate him with a vengeance?

"Lord Xuande, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to."

"We are simply serving different masters, please forgive us."

A hint of shame flashed across Mi Zhu's face, but it vanished in the blink of an eye.

Since they placed their bets on Zhou Heng, they have no way out.

They had no choice but to trust Zhou Heng.

Clearly, Zhou Heng's strategy made them feel like they had made the right bet.

Although Liu Bei had the title of a member of the Han imperial family.

But valuing brotherhood too much means that even if he were to marry his younger sister to someone else, he would still be far inferior to Guan Yu and Zhang Fei.

Not to mention that his younger sister is now married to Zhou Heng.

If that's the case, then why bother being indecisive and trying to please everyone?

“Mi Zhu......…”

Liu Bei's face turned extremely grim.

Although he had already suspected that this was a scheme by the other party, he still felt a little bit of hope at the time.

Now that the other person has actually appeared in front of me.

Liu Bei was still heartbroken.

"Zizhong, I have never treated you badly, so why are you treating me like this?"

Liu Bei was heartbroken.

"Good question."

Mi Zhu's expression also turned grim.

"In that case, I'd like to ask you something."

“Our Mi family supports you. When you arrived in Xuzhou, you had less than a thousand soldiers and no more than Guan Yu and Zhang Fei. How weak you were! It was we who helped you stabilize Xuzhou. All the money, food and weapons for your Liu Bei army were provided by our Mi family. We even wanted to marry my dearest little sister to you.”

"But how have you treated me?"

"I warned you long ago that Lü Bu is fickle and untrustworthy."

"He will surely rebel one day."

"But how did you make that decision?"

“Our Mi family has given you such tremendous support, but in your heart, it is still far less than that of your two brothers.”

"They didn't even inform us when they fled Xuzhou."

“It almost caused our tragic death in Xuzhou, and the accumulation of our Mi family for over a hundred years was destroyed in an instant.”

"Is this what you call not being stingy?"

Mi Zhu snorted coldly.

"I........."

Liu Bei was speechless.

To be honest, he was wrong in this matter.

People will support you with their whole family; they'll give you money, food, and manpower if you need them.

And how did you treat them in return?

When they finally escaped, they didn't even notify anyone.

It almost led to the extermination of their entire family.

For a moment, I couldn't help but feel a little guilty.

However, Liu Bei was Liu Bei after all, and he quickly realized what was happening.

"So you sided with Zhou Heng and devised such a vicious scheme."

"First, they deliberately made Zhou Heng appear weak and ally with Yuan Shu."

"They called it eliminating Lü Bu, but in reality, they wanted to weaken both Lü Bu and Yuan Shu."

"Then they pretended to give us Xuzhou, so that we would send troops to launch a surprise attack on Xuzhou."

"You secretly inform Chen Gong so that he can be on guard."

"It will cause both Chen Gong and me to suffer heavy losses."

"In this way, Zhou Heng can take over the entire Xuzhou without lifting a finger."

"And at the same time, it severely damaged the three major forces."

"But because you are too weak, you have not attracted anyone's attention."

Liu Bei said coldly.

“You’re right, but you’re wrong about one thing: this plan wasn’t mine, it was my lord’s.”

Mi Zhu shook his head.

"Zhou Heng?" Liu Bei asked in surprise.

"Indeed, Liu Bei, I really don't know whether to call you clever or stupid. On the surface, you are eager to find talented people, but in secret you show favoritism based on their status, which led to my lord being disappointed and leaving, resulting in today's disaster."

"I wonder if you still regret what you did back then?"

Mi Zhu countered with a question.

“I…” A hint of regret flashed in Liu Bei’s eyes.

I couldn't help but think of it.

If I hadn't been so biased back then, would all of this be mine today?

This has led to the disaster we face today.

Unfortunately, even if I regret it, it's too late now.

"Do you really trust Zhou Heng that much? He's just a commoner, and his men are nothing more than bandits and outlaws. How can he be compared to me, Liu Bei?"

Liu Bei, still unwilling to give up, asked.

"In terms of status, my lord is naturally far inferior to Lord Xuande, but in terms of talent, he is ten thousand times better than you."

"Moreover, although his status is not good, at least he doesn't show favoritism like you do, and he truly promotes people based on merit."

"They even saved our lives."

"Why wouldn't I submit to such a benevolent ruler?"

Mi Zhu asked the same question in return.

"So you willingly pledged allegiance to him, but have you ever considered that you might be plotting against all three of our major powers at the same time?"

"But with his strength, he is far from being able to occupy Xuzhou."

"Xuzhou is a place of constant warfare, with no natural defenses. Both Cao Cao and Yuan Shu have long coveted it."

Do you really think you can defend Xuzhou with just your 10,000 defeated soldiers?

"At that time, I'm afraid we won't be able to escape defeat and destruction."

“But I am different. I, Liu Bei, am a member of the Han imperial family, and I was even offered the governorship of Xuzhou three times by Tao Qian. I am the rightful heir to the throne, and the people love and respect me because it is rightful to do so.”

“He is far superior to Zhou Heng in every aspect.”

"Zizhong is a rare talent in the world, why not abandon darkness and embrace the light?"

"Zhou Heng's defeat and death are only a matter of time, but for me, Liu Bei, it may not be so."

"As long as Zizhong is willing to help me take Xuzhou today, I am willing to forgive and forget the past."

"You remain the head of my civil officials."

"And I also promise to marry your younger sister as my legal wife."

"If I, Liu Bei, succeed in the future, you will be a member of the imperial family. Wouldn't it be more promising to follow Zhou Heng, a bandit?"