The Central Plains in Chaos, Liu Bei Seeks the Worthy

In the second month of the second year of Jian'an, two major events shook the Central Plains.

The first was that at the beginning of the month, Cao Cao returned in triumph from his campaign against Zhang Xiu, causing a stir throughout the court and the country as officials flocked to welcome him.

Yet, the losses sustained in this battle were by no means insignificant.

First, the strategist Qin Tian departed in a fit of indignation, and later, the great general Dian Wei fell on the battlefield.

Consequently, upon returning to the capital, Cao Cao's first act was not to claim credit for his own achievements, but to personally mourn and erect a tomb for Dian Wei, holding a grand funeral in his honor.

To honor Dian Wei's contributions, he appointed his son, Dian Man, as a Gentleman of the Household.

Following this, Cao Cao performed another act: citing the immense merit of Qin Tian, he personally submitted a memorial to enfeoff Qin Tian as the Marquis of Yiyang.

Regrettably, by this time, Qin Tian had already vanished without a trace.

According to rumors in the streets, when Cao Cao returned to Xuchang and heard that Qin Tian had left, he sighed incessantly and remained silent for a long time.

Afterward, he ordered that Qin Tian's fields and property be sealed and preserved, personally recruiting over a hundred tenant farmers to manage the estate in the hope that Qin Tian might one day return.

As for the efforts of Cheng Yu and others to track Qin Tian down, Cao Cao chose not to pursue the matter.

He merely ordered his secret agents in the army to search everywhere for signs of Qin Tian.

As for the second event, it occurred at the end of the second month: Yuan Shu, using the prophetic mandate provided by Zhang Jiong of Henei, declared himself Emperor in Shouchun, established the Zhong Dynasty, appointed ministers, and performed sacrifices at the northern and southern suburbs.

Once this news spread, the four corners of the Great Han were in an uproar.

First, Yuan Shu's Lady Feng died due to infighting in the inner palace, and Yuan Shu's attempts to appoint Jin Shang and Xu Qiu were both rejected.

Then, Sun Ce announced the severance of all ties with Yuan Shu, dispatching Xu Kun to expel Yuan Yin, the Administrator of Danyang appointed by Yuan Shu, and ordering Sun Fu to garrison Liyang to resist Yuan Shu.

By this point, Yuan Shu was abandoned by his followers, and the situation in the Central Plains grew increasingly chaotic.

At this time, within the government office of a small county in the north of Pei Commandery, Yu Province, Liu Bei was discussing affairs with his officials.

Liu Bei stood over seven feet tall, sporting a handlebar mustache but no beard on his chin.

Sitting beside him were two large men; one had the build of a tiger, standing over nine feet tall with a face like a ripe date and a long, beautiful beard.

The other had broad shoulders and a thick waist, with the jaw of a swallow, the whiskers of a tiger, and round, leopard-like eyes. These two were none other than Liu Bei's generals, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei.

Besides these two, there were also Mi Fang, Fu Shiren, and others.

Additionally, the civil officials Mi Zhu, Sun Qian, and Jian Yong sat on the right.

The group was gathered together, all wearing solemn and troubled expressions.

Seeing their demeanor, Liu Bei could not help but sigh:

"The nation is currently in misfortune, warlords are rising everywhere, and now Yuan Gonglu has committed such an act of treason. Can you all discuss how our army should proceed?"

At this moment, Liu Bei was at a low point in his life.

While nominally the Governor of Yu Province, General Who Pacifies the East, and Marquis of Yicheng, in reality, he held only the single county of Pei.

Because it was located within Pei Commandery, it was also known as Xiaopei.

He had a few talented men under his command, but his troops were pitifully few—only ten thousand newly recruited infantrymen with low combat effectiveness.

Thus, faced with Liu Bei's question, everyone wore a look of difficulty.

Only Guan Yu stroked his long beard and said:

"Yuan Shu has committed this act of rebellion; we must strike him down!"

As soon as he spoke, Zhang Fei shouted in his booming voice:

"Indeed, the Second Brother is right. We should raise our troops and head south immediately. I am willing to serve as the vanguard and capture Xiang County for our Big Brother!"

Xiang County was the seat of Pei Commandery, currently occupied by Yuan Shu's forces.

But at Zhang Fei's words, Mi Zhu shook his head and said:

"General Zhang's proposal is likely difficult to execute. Xiang County is garrisoned by Yuan Shu's great general Mei Gan, who has over fifteen thousand troops."

"The Art of War says: if you have ten times the force, surround them; if five times, attack them; if double, divide them."

"Our army has barely ten thousand men, and they are all raw recruits. We struggle even to defend our own city; how can we hope to capture Xiang County?"

Hearing this, Zhang Fei frowned and said:

"That brat Mei Gan is nothing but a nobody. If he dares to come out and fight, I only need five thousand men to crush him!"

"And what if the enemy refuses to come out and fight?"

Mi Zhu, a man of elegant appearance and handsome features, remained graceful even while offering a rebuttal.

"If the enemy refuses to engage and merely holds the city, how are we to attack?"

Zhang Fei was left speechless, and could only mutter:

"This... sigh, sir, if you put it that way, then we might as well not fight at all!"

Seeing this, Liu Bei shook his head and said:

"Yide, do not be rude. Zizhong's words are correct."

"Our forces are insufficient to launch an attack to the south!"

"I have summoned you all today not for a military council on marching south, but to ask for your opinions: how should our army proceed?"

With this, he steered the conversation directly toward Jian Yong and the others.

Regrettably, while Jian Yong, Sun Qian, and their peers were silver-tongued and adept at civil administration, they were utterly blind when it came to military affairs.

The only one with a clear grasp of the overall situation was Mi Zhu.

Thus, after the three exchanged glances, it was Mi Zhu who bowed and spoke:

"My Lord, as things stand, it is absolutely impossible for our army to march south alone. Why not join forces with Cao Cao, Lu Bu, and the others to march south and punish the usurper together?"

As soon as he finished, Jian Yong shook his head with a smile:

"We would certainly like to do so, but our forces are few. Why would Cao Cao or Lu Bu ever agree?"

At this, the group shook their heads once more.

That was the crux of the problem: Liu Bei wanted to mobilize and march south, but he had no leverage to command Cao Cao or Lu Bu.

The only thing they could do was wait for Cao Cao or Lu Bu to move, and then respond accordingly.

In short, the meat belonged to others; at best, Liu Bei could only hope to sip the broth!

Thinking of this, Liu Bei lost the heart to discuss further and waved his hand:

"Very well, given our current state, we have no choice but to wait!"

"I have troubled you all to come; please return to your respective duties."

Seeing this, the others knew Liu Bei was in low spirits, so they rose one after another, bowed, and departed.

Only Jian Yong remained behind, lingering.

Seeing his old friend stay, Liu Bei looked up and asked:

"Xianhe, why do you not leave?"

"It is not that I do not wish to leave!"

Jian Yong grinned:

"I remained only to resolve the confusion in your heart, Xuande."

The two had been friends since their youth, and when no one else was around, they addressed each other by their courtesy names.

Looking at Jian Yong's smile, Liu Bei could not help but shake his head and laugh:

"Xianhe, you are truly my friend!"

Hearing this, Jian Yong asked curiously:

"I see you are troubled today, Xuande. Aside from Yuan Shu's usurpation, there must be another reason. Might I ask what it is?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Bei lowered his head and said with a self-deprecating smile:

"It is because I am thinking of Yuan Yaoqing, Chen Changwen, and Chen Yuanlong!"

Yuan Yaoqing was Yuan Huan, Chen Changwen was Chen Qun, and Chen Yuanlong was Chen Deng.

Hearing these three names, Jian Yong understood that Liu Bei was lamenting the lack of someone with whom he could consult.

All three had once been men of strategy under Liu Bei.

Regrettably, he had failed to retain a single one of them.

Yuan Huan was the first; years ago, Liu Bei had recommended him as a candidate for office, but he later fled south to avoid disaster and joined the ranks of Yuan Shu.

Chen Qun was the second; he had originally been Liu Bei's attendant, but when Liu Bei moved to Xuzhou, Chen Qun did not follow and was now under the rule of Lu Bu.

As for Chen Deng, he was the man Liu Bei admired most, and the two had been of one mind.

Alas, Liu Bei had lost Xuzhou, leaving Chen Deng under the command of Lu Bu.

With three men of such intellect all serving his enemies, it was easy to see how much pain Liu Bei was in.

Reflecting on this, Jian Yong smiled:

"In this world, how can everything go exactly as one wishes?"

"Since you have no power to change it, you might as well cast it to the back of your mind!"

"Come, come, let us find a tavern and drink until we are satisfied!"

Hearing this, Liu Bei laughed hurriedly:

"There are still matters in the manor; you should go on your own, Xianhe!"

"And what of the Lord's affairs?"

Jian Yong cast a sidelong glance and smiled:

"I, too, have many matters left unprocessed, but one day will not make a difference!"

With that, he stepped forward, took Liu Bei by the hand, and insisted on heading to the streets.

Unable to resist his old friend's persuasion, Liu Bei had no choice but to follow him out.

As the two walked through the streets, the passersby saw them and all bowed in greeting.

Although Liu Bei's territory was small, his reputation among the soldiers and civilians of Xuzhou was by no means insignificant.

Liu Bei treated the common people with great kindness; regardless of their status, he would sit at the same table and share the same food with them, making no distinctions.

Consequently, whenever Liu Bei went out, he was like a star surrounded by the moon.

Seeing the peace and harmony within the city, the worries in Liu Bei's heart faded significantly.

Seeing his brow unfurrow, Jian Yong could not help but smile:

"One must go out; staying in the manor all day, what kind of life is that!"

The person under Liu Bei's command who understood him best was not Guan or Zhang, but Jian Yong.

This was because the two had been close friends since their youth.

He knew very well that Liu Bei's nature was not inherently so grim and burdened; he was naturally fond of liveliness.

In his youth, he loved fine clothes, fast horses, and hunting dogs, mingling in the world as a spirited young man.

It was a pity that he was later shackled by affairs of state, causing him to become increasingly steady and learn to hide his emotions from his face.

In truth, Liu Bei might not have wanted to set aside the many affairs of state to relax for a while.

Facing Jian Yong's teasing, Liu Bei smiled without a word, simply watching the people on the street and pondering who in the world could restore peace.

Seeing him frown again, Jian Yong could not help but laugh:

"Xuande, do not be like this. Are there not many extraordinary talents in the world?"

"Not to mention those far away, look at Qin Zixuan under Cao Cao; did word not spread recently that he abandoned Cao and left?"

"Now that his whereabouts are uncertain, if we search for a few more days, perhaps we might just find him!"

"Xianhe is joking again!"

Listening to this, Liu Bei gave a bitter smile:

"Who is that Qin Zixuan? Even the two Yuans could not win him over despite their rivalry. I, Liu Bei, occupy only a small county and lack a virtuous reputation abroad; why would Qin Tian be willing to come and join me?"

For some time now, Qin Tian's departure from Cao had caused quite a stir.

How could he not have dreamed of having Qin Tian join him?

But thinking about it, it felt unrealistic.

Who was Qin Tian? He was a top-tier strategist that even Yuan Shu and Yuan Shao could not obtain despite their best efforts.

Although he was a provincial governor, he only held such a small piece of land; how could Qin Tian possibly come?

While he was lost in thought, he suddenly heard a burst of singing and asked in surprise:

"Xianhe, listen, where is that singing coming from?"

Jian Yong had just wanted to offer more persuasion, but upon hearing the song, he stopped speaking and listened carefully, hearing faint singing from afar:

"The heavens and earth are in turmoil, the fire is about to die; the great mansion is collapsing, one timber cannot hold it up."

"A sage dwells in the valley, wishing to join a wise lord; the wise lord seeks the sage, yet knows not of me."

Hearing the song, he looked up and saw a man in Taoist robes singing as he walked away.

Seeing this, he exclaimed with joy:

"Since this man sings such a song, he must possess great talent!"

But before his voice had even faded, he saw that Liu Bei had already quickened his pace to follow.