That was enough.
After reflecting for a while, Liu Bei rose and said to Guan and Zhang, "Let's go. We'll return to Pei County first."
The two nodded and went with him.
News that Liu Bei had taken Pei County soon reached Ye City.
Liu Xie heard the news from Guo Jia. He stood stunned for quite some time, then delivered a classic two-word verdict.
"Fucking awesome."
Liu Xie could think of no other way to express how he felt.
Ten days. Five thousand troops.
Liu Bei had actually managed to take Pei County?
Nobody would believe he hadn't used cheats.
Guo Jia smiled. "Liu Bei didn't take Pei County by storm. He used a clever shortcut instead-he wrote to Lü Bu and asked for it back."
That only puzzled Liu Xie further. "Lü Bu actually returned a city already in his hands to Liu Bei? Are they really that close? That doesn't make sense."
He knew Liu Bei was a master of talking his way through things, but getting Lü Bu to hand over a city with a single letter still seemed incredible.
"Although Liu Bei didn't explain how he persuaded Lü Bu, I suspect he invoked Your Majesty's name."
Guo Jia analyzed the matter unhurriedly. "Liu Bei has no leverage with which to threaten Lü Bu or negotiate with him. The only thing he could use was Your Majesty's name."
"Though Lü Bu lacks lofty ambitions and is fickle by nature, he holds Your Majesty alone in great esteem. You also showed him favor by advancing his career."
"So if Liu Bei invoked Your Majesty's name to ask Lü Bu to surrender Pei County, Lü Bu might well have agreed."
That was what made clever people so formidable: they could glimpse one spot and see the entire leopard.
His conclusions differed slightly from the truth, but they were close enough.
After listening, Liu Xie sighed. "Fengxian is an honest, loyal man!"
Those words came straight from his heart.
Although people in later ages constantly called Lü Bu a scoundrel, a slave of three fami-pah, a slave with three surnames, when Liu Xie surveyed Lü Bu's life from a God's-eye perspective, he realized that everything Lü Bu had done was the work of a loyal minister. And he had actually done it.
Ding Yuan wanted to enthrone Liu Bian, so Lü Bu killed Ding Yuan;
Dong Zhuo threw the imperial court into chaos, so Lü Bu killed Dong Zhuo;
When Dong Zhuo's former subordinates Guo Si and Li Jue attacked Chang'an, Lü Bu fought them;
When Cao Cao held the Son of Heaven hostage to command the lords, Lü Bu fought Cao Cao.
And though Lü Bu fought everywhere in the late Eastern Han, he wasn't acting without rhyme or reason. Every enemy he fought was an enemy of the Son of Heaven, and he ultimately died at the hands of the treacherous minister Cao Cao.
Even now, when Liu Bei invoked the Son of Heaven's name to ask him to surrender Pei County, he obediently handed it over without a single complaint.
If that wasn't a loyal minister, what was?
He proclaimed Lü Fengxian the most loyal minister in all of Great Han!
Guo Jia nodded in agreement. "Lü Bu is certainly worth winning over. In the future, we might be able to use his strength to defeat Yuan Shao."
"Speaking of that."
Something occurred to Liu Xie, and he asked Guo Jia, "Fengxiao, last time you spoke of sowing discord among Yuan Shao's sons. How is that progressing?"
"What's the situation now?"
The three strategies Guo Jia had proposed last time-the best, the middling, and the worst-had left a deep impression on him.
Once they settled on the middling strategy, he had left it to Guo Jia. He had heard a while ago that two of Yuan Shao's sons had returned to Ye City, but he didn't know whether Guo Jia had started yet.
"Rest assured, Your Majesty. I've already begun making contact with Yuan Shang."
Guo Jia truly lived up to his name. Nobody deserved the title of model worker more than he did, and he gave Liu Xie a definite answer.
Guo Jia said, "Yuan Shao is currently recuperating from illness and has divided the city's affairs between Yuan Xi and Yuan Shang. First, he wants to test his sons' abilities. Second, he wants to see where his subordinates stand-which son they favor."
"Shen Pei and Feng Ji support Yuan Shang, while Guo Tu and Xu You lean toward Yuan Xi."
"Tian Feng and Ju Shou remain neutral. More precisely, though, they favor Yuan Shao's eldest son, Yuan Tan, who is currently commanding the troops guarding Qing Province."
Guo Jia gave Liu Xie a rough account of the current situation.
Then he went on to explain his plans.
"Yuan Shang is Yuan Shao's youngest son and his favorite, but he is too young and inexperienced, and rather impulsive."
"I've already gained a measure of Yuan Shang's trust. Next, I'll further drive a wedge between the brothers and set them against each other."
"It's a pity Yuan Tan isn't here. If all three brothers were fighting, the situation would be even more chaotic."
Guo Jia could barely conceal the regret in his voice.
He would have preferred all three of Yuan Shao's sons to be present so he could catch them in one net, leaving no fish to slip through and require further effort later.
After listening, the corners of Liu Xie's mouth twitched involuntarily, and he observed a brief moment of silence in his heart for Yuan Shang and Yuan Xi.
Having a cunning bastard with such a high IQ set his sights on you-you two really are unlucky.
"Keep it up, Fengxiao. I have faith in you."
Liu Xie smiled and offered Guo Jia moral support.
Well... moral support was all he could give Guo Jia right now. When you were bad at the game, you should honestly cling to an expert's coattails, sit back, and coast to victory while watching the master work.
Issuing random orders and blindly setting the pace would only make everything collapse.
Although Guo Jia didn't understand what "keep it up" meant, he could tell it was encouragement. He nodded. "Rest assured, Your Majesty. Leave everything to me!"
With that, Guo Jia rose and took his leave.
Watching him stride away, Liu Xie felt that his retreating figure looked exceptionally tall and imposing, and a sense of security welled up in his heart.
"It feels great to be carried."
So Liu Xie remarked.
Chapter 56: Zhen Mi
Yuan Shao's plan to kill Liu Bei fell through because Lü Bu yielded.
When Yuan Shao learned the news, he was both shocked and furious.
"What terms did Liu Bei offer to make Lü Bu agree to return Pei County?!" Yuan Shao's expression was dark, and he was thoroughly vexed.
According to his original plan, if Liu Bei failed to take Pei County, he would simply have him executed under military law. Then he would send his army sweeping in to capture Pei County, driving a nail into Xu Province in preparation for a future invasion.
But now Liu Bei was still alive. Even if he sent a large army to garrison Pei County, it would not remain secure in the future. He simply couldn't rest easy.
"My lord, please calm your anger. Mind your health."
Inside the room, Ju Shou spoke with a worried expression, afraid that Yuan Shao's anger would worsen his illness and make him fall unconscious again.
Yuan Shao steadied his breathing, then gave a long sigh. "It seems Liu Bei wasn't destined to die. Even such dire straits couldn't kill him."
"Forget it. Let him be. He won't be able to stir up any great waves."
Although he regretted failing to kill Liu Bei, Yuan Shao did not dwell on it. To him, Liu Bei was utterly insignificant and posed no threat, so he wasn't worth any further effort.
Besides, there was still the matter of Yuan Shu to deal with.
"My lord, I have another matter to report. It concerns Lü Bu."
As Ju Shou spoke, he took a confidential report from inside his robe and handed it to Yuan Shao.
"A few days ago, Yuan Shu sent an envoy to Xiapi to seek a marriage alliance with Lü Bu, asking for Lü Bu's daughter to marry his son."
"But Lü Bu had the envoy beheaded outright, hung his head above the city gate, and publicly announced that he would send troops to campaign against Yuan Shu."
Yuan Shao frowned slightly. He took the confidential report and read it while listening, speaking only after he had finished.
"None of the other lords are willing to send troops against Yuan Shu, yet Lü Bu is actively preparing for war. What exactly is he trying to do?"
"He's merely a brute. Why can't I see through his actions?"
Yuan Shu might have been foolish, but his forces were vast. Even after Sun Ce broke with him, his remaining troops could not be underestimated, and the various lords were all eager to steer clear of him.
Zhang Xiu of Wan City, for instance, had made no move whatsoever after Cao Cao issued an edict in the Son of Heaven's name ordering him to send troops against Yuan Shu. He clearly had no desire to be the bird that stuck its head out first.
Yet Lü Bu was exceptionally eager about the matter-so eager that Yuan Shao suspected issuing him an edict would be redundant. There was simply no need.
"That isn't difficult to understand."
Ju Shou was not surprised. "Lü Bu was born a commoner and has no one to rely on. His fickle nature also makes him unwelcome among the various lords and great aristocratic clans."
"The only person he can rely on is the Son of Heaven. Only by firmly committing himself to upholding the Han Dynasty can he claim the moral high ground."
"So it's no surprise that he is eager to send troops against Yuan Shu."
After hearing this analysis, Yuan Shao exclaimed in surprise, "Lü Bu possesses such insight and cunning? How did I never notice before?"
Ju Shou answered, "You misunderstand, my lord. Lü Bu has a man under his command named Chen Gong, courtesy name Gongtai. He is upright in character and full of resourceful strategies. He once served Cao Cao and was a trusted confidant, but later broke with him for unknown reasons and joined Lü Bu."
"Presumably, all of Lü Bu's actions were recommended by Chen Gong."
Only then did Yuan Shao's expression relax slightly. He nodded. "So that's it. Then it's no surprise. No surprise at all."
Lü Bu's martial prowess was already unparalleled in the world. If he also excelled in foresight and strategy, the threat he posed would multiply.
Fortunately, that was not the case. He merely had an adviser devising plans for him.
While Ju Shou and Yuan Shao were talking, a beautiful woman with a graceful, noble bearing entered, followed by two maids.
Upon seeing her, Ju Shou immediately assumed a respectful expression and hurriedly cupped his hands in greeting. "Greetings, Madam Liu."
She was none other than Yuan Shao's principal wife, Madam Liu.
Madam Liu smiled and nodded in acknowledgment, then said to Yuan Shao, "Husband, it's time to take your medicine."
As she spoke, a maid behind her placed a tray on the table.
On it sat a jade bowl filled with medicinal broth, still sending up billows of steam.
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