Liu Bei pondered for a moment, then shook his head and said solemnly: "Mr. Tao misjudged Liu Bei! Bei is not here for Xuzhou, but because he sympathizes with the people of the Han Dynasty who are mourning and wandering around, and do not want to start another war!"
"Please don't say any more, Mr. Tao," he said with a sincere smile.
"Xuande, this, this is..." Tao Qian wanted to say in his heart that this is a huge state and county with more than a million people. If you take it, it will be the foundation of your great cause in the future, why would you not want it?
He is either a truly stupid person, or he is too smart and knows that Xuzhou is a bottomless abyss at this time.
Tao Qian's heart suddenly tightened, and he was caught off guard by Liu Bei's determination.
He didn't expect that Liu Bei wouldn't want it.
In this way, if the plan is interrupted and changed, it will not be possible to escape intact... Tao Qian glanced at his wife, they should not die together with his defeat.
Try to preserve it.
"Xuande, can you think about it again..." Tao Qian said still unwilling to give up.
"Absolutely impossible, Tao Gong, don't say anything," Liu Bei flatly refused, resisting the temptation in his heart.
It is impossible to say that Xuzhou is not wanted. This is a land of one state, and it can indeed be the foundation of a great cause. However, if it is not popular, taking over at this time is courting death.
Not to mention the issue of the life and death of his people, the land of the Four Wars was surrounded by tigers and wolves, and Cao Cao even regarded Xuzhou as his meal.
Looking at his several strategies against Xuzhou, we know that he wants to completely capture it, and everyone from top to bottom wants it. Liu Bei has a keen insight into this.
Zhongming.
Xuzhou's old ministers have many celebrities. If they abandon Tao Qian at this time, they will inevitably feel guilty and leave behind a reputation of disloyalty and injustice. However, if Tao Qian appoints another person to take over, and he withdraws from the ranks of the princes, then his subordinates will no longer Is it still disloyal to switch sides?
It's hard to evaluate, but at least it's too vague and the boundary is wide. You can say that you are dissatisfied with the new master and refuse to follow orders; you can also say that you have lost your political views and adhere to the will of the previous master.
In short, the blame can be passed on to the new owner, but it depends on the new owner's means, ambition and intelligence. If he is a mediocre person, he will be played to ruin his reputation, or he may wake up and the enemy general will be beside the bed. .
This Xuzhou is undesirable.
Liu Bei had a lot of thoughts in that moment. In the end, he became more determined and refused to accept the request. I, Liu Xuande, will never take advantage of others' danger, and I will never be greedy for power!
Although you have aspirations in your heart, you must restrain yourself and serve the public, and do not follow your own will and make yourself deeply shackles.
…
Returning to the temporary residence, there were two people waiting anxiously at the door. Guan and Zhang were one wearing a dark green robe, with a figure as straight as a pine and long beards fluttering; the other was in a black robe and a black face, majestic and majestic. , eyes like copper bells.
When they saw Liu Bei, they immediately clasped their fists and said, "Brother, what does Tao Qian want from you?"
"Go in and talk."
Liu Bei's eyes were stern and his expression was serious. He waved his hands and walked in. After closing the door, he informed the two brothers about what happened in the hall today.
He sighed: "It's not that I don't want Xuzhou. In fact, I long for it in my heart and want to take it off right away, but I can't."
Guan Yu gently stroked his beard, his face was like a red date, his eyes were narrowed with pride, and he smiled and said: "Brother is benevolent and righteous."
"Alas," Zhang Fei sighed without saying anything. He felt that the eldest brother was just kind-hearted. Since Tao Qian wanted to do so, he should take it off. As for any dangers in the future, he would just deal with them one by one. How can there be free bread in this world?
Everything has a price.
"What can I do..." Liu Bei murmured to himself and sighed: "There is an undercurrent surging in Xuzhou. It is not a place where I will stay for a long time. I was not aware of it and believed Tao Ding's words. I thought Xuzhou was suffering, but I didn't expect the truth. It's because Tao Qian's plan failed and he became enemies with Cao Gong. Cao Gong was kind and merciful to the people, which was beyond Tao Qian's control."
"So, I plan to leave and no longer help each other. What do you two brothers think?" Liu Bei smiled helplessly at them.
If Cao Cao's troops were unknown, he would be able to defend it; but with all his kindness and power spread throughout Xuzhou, the situation would be difficult to reverse.
The two looked at each other and called "brother" rather helplessly, but did not object. Regardless of the current situation, Guan and Zhang were brought out by Liu Bei when they were in Zhuojun, so naturally there would be no such thing. Any objection.
However, not far away from the room, behind the desk, there was a Confucian scholar with wide ears and a slightly messy beard sitting casually. Although he was full of dust, it could be seen that his face with a messy beard still looked graceful and handsome.
After hearing this, he suddenly said: "My lord came to Xuzhou from afar. Although the situation is reversed as expected, this is not the fault of the lord, nor the fault of the benevolent people in Xuzhou, but the fault of Tao Qian."
"My lord, please don't abandon your ambition and leave."
Liu Bei smiled and turned back to look at this Confucian scholar. This man was his childhood friend and had been by his side since he was a knight-errant. His surname was simply Yong and his courtesy name was Xianhe. He was arrogant, eloquent and informal. He was devoted to Liu Bei. .
"Xianhe," Liu Bei walked towards him, his voice a little louder, "You want me to make friends with famous people in Xuzhou without having to worry about Tao Gong's surrender to Xuzhou, right?"
"Huh," Jian Yong smiled coldly, took off the crown on his head, and let his hair fall down. He held his hands back comfortably and made a posture, "Today, the news of the Lord's upright gathering in Xuzhou will definitely spread. Due to our reputation in the past, people have been coming to visit us and make friends since we arrived in Xuzhou, and now there will only be more people.”
After he finished speaking, he sat up a little and said with a smile: "There is no need to ask for the name of Xuzhou, and I don't bother to fight for it. My lord, you can be realistic and pragmatic, not vain! What's wrong with winning the hearts of Xuzhou scholars and making friends with people with lofty ideals?" "
"Tao Qian's decline has been determined, and the people's hearts are not towards him. Why aren't these people considering their own retreat?"
Jian Yong's words made Liu Bei feel at ease again.
You are right, Tao Qian is the one who lost his way, not Xuzhou's lofty ideals. This is the time to seek virtuous people and make friends, and wait for the current situation.
"Yes, brother," Guan Yu breathed a long sigh of relief, "Foolish brother's opinion is temporary. If Tao Qian is really an unjust person, there is no need to help him. We should only do our best to guard a place and keep the peace. If Mr. Cao is benevolent, he will be considerate."
"Second brother's income is good, I think so too!" Zhang Fei solemnly and firmly clasped his fists and agreed with this statement.
"Okay." Liu Bei sat down and started thinking as usual.
In the evening, a sentry returned to the government office and reported to Tao Qian.
"How is it? Did Liu Bei ever have any intention of leaving?"
"Replying to my lord, no. Since he returned to the mansion today, he has been at home and has never gone out."
"Hmm... In that case, letting him station troops in Xia Qiu can be regarded as a place to stay, and at the same time he can take care of my Xiapi City." Tao Qian thought to himself, but Liu Bei already had a place to settle, but his layout was at a loss.
Think about it bluntly...
If this pot cannot be dissipated and the family cannot be saved, who can come and take over the current stall in Xuzhou...
When he was worried, a strong general with a dark face and beard hurriedly walked in and lowered his voice and said: "My lord, Lu Bu came from Yanzhou to seek refuge and asked my lord to take him in. He said he was willing to lead the rest of his generals to resist Cao Cao for my lord."
This person is Tao Qian's trusted general, Cao Bao, an old general from the Danyang faction. He is Tao Qian's real source of confidence.
"Oh!?" Tao Qian stood up immediately, his illness more than half healed, "How many troops does he bring?"
Cao Bao cupped his fists and said, "One thousand three hundred riders!"
Tao Qian lay down again.
It's useless. The cavalry defending the city is no different than the infantry. After the city is broken, the cavalry can run faster than anyone else. This is not a field battle.
But he quickly sat up, his expression moved slightly, and he said weakly: "Please, please, please, please come to Tancheng and garrison Tancheng."
…
Xiaopei.
After three rounds of drinking, Zhang Han, Xi Zhicai and Sun Gongyou were all drunk, their eyes were hazy, their smiles were bright, and they gradually started talking more.
Although Sun Qian was steady, his ears were buzzing, and Zhang Han needed to speak loudly to hear him clearly.
They talked about Sun Qian's future arrangements. They originally planned to go back to Yanzhou directly and come back after the autumn harvest and war.
But Sun Qian shook his head firmly, "I need to go back. Can Bo Chang trust me?"
His eyes suddenly became clear again, and he looked steadily at the young and promising man in front of him.
In my heart, I wanted him to hesitate and waver a little, but I also didn't want to see him waver.
Finally, Zhang Han laughed and said: "I treat you as a scholar of the country, and I know that you also have friendship. A promise worth a thousand pieces of gold, no matter what you do when you go back, I will wait for you in Xiaopei."
This sentence made Sun Qian breathe a sigh of relief. At the same time, he no longer had any hesitation in his heart. After bowing, he said in a deep voice: "Okay, please wait for me."
