NOVPUB"Alright, in Liu Bei’s eyes, the only ones who could be causing such urgency for Lub Su and Chen Xi are Lyu Bu and Yuan Shao. Lyu Bu needs no mention, although he has withdrawn his troops from Cao Cao due to food shortages, it doesn’t mean he won’t cause trouble for Liu Bei."
"In fact, Liu Bei fears Lyu Bu even more than Yuan Shao. After all, Yuan Shao has land and food, power and influence, and brains. He wouldn’t violently clash with Liu Bei at this time, but Lyu Bu is different—he is a lone wolf, not caring about Liu Bei’s might when hungry."
"In Liu Bei’s view, if a battle were to erupt at Mount Tai now, there’s a ninety percent chance it would involve Lyu Bu, desperate due to lack of food and ready to gamble everything."
"How fierce Lyu Bu is doesn’t need explanation; Liu Bei couldn’t be clearer about that. Whenever Lyu Bu appears, he is basically besieged, and without three or five absolute top-tier warriors, it’s just delivering heads to him. What’s more vicious is that even with three or five top-tier warriors, they still can’t defeat him. When he wants to leave, it’s just a word away, as no one to this day has been said to be faster than Red Hare."
"Moreover, if Lyu Bu were to come now, it would essentially mean he is attacking Mount Tai in the aftermath of a big victory, and it would be very difficult to win without cutting down Lyu Bu’s momentum first. Leading the Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry, even the Xiliang Iron Cavalry would struggle to beat him in a head-on clash without at least double his troops!"
"No, no, no, Mount Tai is fine. Lyu Fengxian hasn’t come. He did send people to borrow food, but he hasn’t clashed with us," Hua Xiong quickly said."
"If Lyu Bu were to come, that wouldn’t just be a small problem. Relying on his current victorious momentum after defeating Cao Cao, as long as one is not foolish, no one on Liu Bei’s side would be willing to battle him at the peak of his power—not even someone as proud as Guan Yu would make such a brainless decision. It’s no longer a matter of bravery; it’s courting death. Even if one wants to face him head-on, the capability must be there."
"So, if Lybu harboured the thought of looting and running, truly no one could restrain him. Thus, Lub Su’s handling of Lyu Bu’s request for food was actually just stalling, waiting until the opponent’s momentum waned before making a move."
"Oh, that’s good, that’s good. My biggest worry was that Lyu Fengxian would launch a strong attack on Mount Tai; that guy is really hard to deal with." Liu Bei waved to the villagers around him, then signaled to the civil and military officials to follow him, and not to discuss matters here. After walking a few steps, Liu Bei turned back to Jia Xu and said, "Take Zhongyou with us too."
"Zijian, what exactly brings you here this time?" After leaving the village, Liu Bei asked again. 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘱𝘶𝑏.𝑐𝘰𝑚
Hua Xiong recounted everything that happened during Liu Bei’s absence, and Liu Bei was slightly taken aback. Then he smiled and said, "Zichuan did the right thing. At such a time, that was indeed the proper action to take. I left my sword with him precisely to avoid a crisis when they cannot contact me and Zichuan is unable to persuade the civil and military officials; it should indeed be done that way."
Seeing that Liu Bei was only momentarily surprised and showed no other emotion, Hua Xiong felt much relieved. He then mentioned Lub Su sending messages but unable to find Liu Bei, and naturally, he couldn’t avoid bringing up the issue of Fa Zheng leaving his post without permission.
Jia Xu raised an eyebrow after listening, then recounted Fa Zheng’s policies in Qi State, seemingly to offer Fa Zheng some relief. After all, if the actions previously taken by Chen Xi, Lu Su, Jia Xu, and Fa Zheng were listed out separately, Liu Bei would usually just laugh them off. But now, coincidentally, all of these incidents had occurred together.
"I see, Xiaozhi’s approach of adapting to local conditions is exactly as it should be. How could he simply apply solutions without considering the context? Establishing iron mines in Qi State and forging agricultural tools, Fa Xiaozhi is indeed extraordinary." Liu Bei said to Jia Xu with a smile, not minding the fact that Fa Zheng had left his post without authorization. For Liu Bei, what Fa Zheng had done was in line with his duties. At most, one could say that due to some unexpected circumstances, he had not inspected the public sentiment at an appropriate time.
"My lord is magnanimous," Liu Ye bowed and offered his respects, as he was the only one who had not committed any offense at that time. Therefore, Liu Ye rode his horse forward.
"Magnanimous? You think I’m unaware of what you all are worried about? Rest assured, let’s lay it out, these issues are all trivial, not one can be considered a case of leaving one’s post without permission, nor can any be accounted as unauthorized military action." Liu Bei glanced back at Jia Xu and simply laid the matters out openly. As for the current events, he really hadn’t taken them to heart.
"Don’t worry about Jia Wenhe moving troops. First off, what he mobilized were my trusted aides, and moreover, it was to protect me, with the number not exceeding five hundred. Additionally, the one who moved the troops was the leader of the Tiger Guard from Anguo, and thus he didn’t exceed his authority." Liu Bei turned back to Jia Xu and said, "So Jia Wenhe, you can be at ease. I have no intention of dealing with you. You are my right hand, an essential part of our efforts to restore the Han Dynasty. Without you, we would be missing a great support."
"Zichuan’s case is even simpler. I gave him the authority to mobilize troops, but he has never used it." Liu Bei said nonchalantly. Chen Xi’s military power had never been cut by him; it was Chen Xi himself who had been trimming it back.
"Fa Xiaozhi did the right thing. As a prefectural governor, how could he perform his duty well if he did not understand the local customs, people, and unique resources of his jurisdiction? Sending him to the North Sea, and his immediate effort to understand these things, was only natural. Xiaozhi has already proven himself capable of being a prefectural governor, and we no longer need to worry about him," Liu Bei sighed as he spoke.
"Yes, Fa Xiaozhi has indeed proven himself capable of being a prefectural governor," Liu Ye also said with a sigh. Not long ago, Fa Zheng had his outburst at Mount Tai, but now he had matured a lot, indeed. Responsibility really does play a pivotal role in a person’s growth.
Liu Bei looked around at everyone, noting the admiration in their eyes as he began to speak, "I, Liu Xuande, trust that you will not harm me, and as long as you do not intentionally do things you shouldn’t, I will overlook any minor transgressions, if they happen unintentionally. I, Liu Bei, come from humble beginnings, and to revive the Han Dynasty, I need the strength of each and every one of you. If I am at fault, feel free to speak frankly and point it out!"
Then, Liu Bei took a deep breath, "And if you make a mistake, I will point it out without hesitation. I can’t play the enigmatic sovereign like other monarchs. I am Liu Xuande, just Liu Xuande. I don’t want to pretend, nor do I need to. You don’t have to worry that I will hold your mistakes against you forever. I’ll speak my mind, so you needn’t fear offending me for no clear reason. If I say this issue is over, then I will not bother you with it ever again."
"My lord is truly a remarkable person," Jia Xu commented with a slight smirk. This honest approach seemed very unsuitable for a monarch in his view, but undeniably, under such an approach, the civil and military officials need not worry about their future. As long as they devoted themselves entirely to the present, much like he did—after Liu Bei had spoken openly about this matter, he finally felt completely at ease.
"Remarkable person, I just think there’s no need to wear a mask. My goal is not to be an unfathomable emperor; I just want to see this world become better and better, so I don’t need it," Liu Bei said casually.(To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please visit qidian.com to vote for recommendation tickets and monthly passes. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read at m.qidian.com.)
