Chapter 366

But Liu Bei was so smart!

He understood Guan Yu and Zhang Fei so well!

He didn't want to leave any grudges in the hearts of Guan and Zhang.

Therefore, he staged this retreat as an advance.

And the facts proved that the effect was extremely good.

"Big Brother, what are you talking about?"

Sure enough, Zhang Fei looked at Liu Bei with astonishment after hearing Liu Bei's words.

Then, Zhang Fei pulled a long face and said: "Big Brother, we are sworn brothers, we already said we would live and die together! Now you say these things?"

"It's just Xuzhou, right? In the final analysis, this world is the world of the Han family, and Tao Zou Qian is just managing Xuzhou for the Great Han for the time being. This Xuzhou is not his!"

"Big Brother, as a member of the Han royal clan, what is wrong with you taking Xuzhou?"

"This world is occupied by those with virtue, and Big Brother, you are undoubtedly this person with virtue."

"Anyway, it is impossible for me to leave you, Big Brother!"

"Exactly! Third brother is very right!"

At this time, Guan Yu also nodded affirmatively and looked at Liu Bei: "Big Brother! Tao Zou Qian is just a common man, what virtue and ability does he have to possess Xuzhou?"

"We will just take Xuzhou as your foundation, Big Brother!"

"If you want to save this Great Han, you can't do it without a foundation! Big Brother, don't think too much!"

"Second brother! Third brother! You... I really, cry to death..."

Liu Bei was moved to tears looking at Zhang Fei and Guan Yu, unable to stop himself.

It still had to be his second and third brothers!

He knew they would fully support him.

"Good! Brother will listen to you! We will take Xuzhou!"

Liu Bei said decisively, and then added: "However, not now! We still need to endure and be low-key for the time being!"

"Take it step by step!"

"When the time is ripe, we will achieve success in one fell swoop. For now, second brother, third brother, you still need to keep it secret, understand?"

"Understood!"

"Hmm~"

Guan Yu and Zhang Fei both nodded in unison.

That day, they accepted the three thousand troops and a large batch of money, grain, and military equipment transferred by Kong Rong, and then, with Kong Rong's letter of introduction, they set off in a mighty force toward Xuzhou.

"Phew!"

Kong Rong watched Liu Bei and his party go far away and finally breathed a sigh of relief: "Finally gone! I can be at ease!"

Wu Wu Anguo, who was on the side, frowned: "My lord! The Yellow Turban bandits in Qingzhou have only been temporarily defeated, but the hidden dangers are still there, and there are many bandits left. Is it really good to drive Liu Bei and the others away at this time?"

He really couldn't understand Kong Rong's thoughts.

At the beginning of the crisis, he was thinking about others coming to the rescue, but now that the crisis had just been lifted, he started driving people away. His own lord was really unauthentic in doing this!

"Heh! What do you know?"

Kong Rong glanced at Wu Wu Anguo and sneered: "The current situation is that Liu Bei is strong and we are weak. If we really let them stay in Beihai for a long time, then is this Beihai mine or Liu Bei's?"

"By then, if they become too big to be controlled, what if he lingers in Qingzhou and doesn't leave?"

Kong Rong had long since regarded Qingzhou as his own territory, and he even wanted to call himself a king!

Before, Dong Zhuo enfeoffed the feudal lords of the world, and even Tao Zou Qian had the title of King of Qi, but he didn't have any king title. How could Kong Rong be reconciled?

Obviously, after the feudal lords of the world were enfeoffed as kings, Kong Rong's ambition was also stimulated, and he was no longer satisfied with being ordinary.

It's just a pity! He didn't figure out at all that he didn't have this ability and qualification at all!

"This..."

Wu Wu Anguo was loyal and had gotten along very well with Liu Bei and the others over the past few days, and their relationship was very good. Hearing Kong Rong slander Liu Bei at this time, he felt unhappy.

Even if you are the lord, you can't speak ill of your savior behind his back!

Isn't this moral corruption?

It's a pity that his own lord is a descendant of Confucius, a descendant of a saint, and has always touted himself with morality, and as a result, this?

Of course, as a subordinate, Wu Wu Anguo couldn't say anything unpleasant, so he just argued: "Is the lord overthinking? Lord Liu Xuande and the others are not such people! I believe in their character."

"Heh!"

Kong Rong sneered: "Knowing people, knowing faces, but not their hearts! What's the use of you believing? I can't just feel at ease leaving them here because of your belief!"

"Alright! Let's not talk about this! Currently, the largest Yellow Turban bandit group in Beihai and even Qingzhou has been defeated by Liu Bei and the others! Next, I want you to help me pacify the banditry in Qingzhou and bring Qingzhou under my control. Do you have the confidence?"

This was actually one of the purposes of him driving Liu Bei and the others away.

Keeping Liu Bei and the others here, it was not easy for him to expand and occupy the entire Qingzhou.

After all, legally speaking, he was only the Minister of Beihai, not the Governor of Qingzhou.

If he really did this, it would inevitably damage his image in front of Liu Bei. By then, he didn't know what Liu Bei would do.

Now it's good, Liu Bei and the others are gone, and they helped him solve the biggest enemy in Qingzhou, so things should be much simpler next, right?

Wu Wu Anguo was stunned after hearing this, and then shook his head with a wry smile: "Reporting to the lord! The troops under our command currently only have 20, 00, most of whom are new recruits who have been recruited for less than half a year. Guarding Beihai is already not easy, how difficult is it to take the entire Qingzhou?"

"Don't look at the fact that the biggest enemy in Qingzhou has been defeated by Lord Liu Xuande and the others, but you should know that the remaining Yellow Turban remnants and various banditry in Qingzhou add up to no less than hundreds of thousands. With the few people in our hands, it is far from enough."

His own lord was really naive!

But what shocked Wu Wu Anguo even more was when his own lord had such great ambition?

Also, was his transformation a bit too big?

It seems he is not the way I recognized him in the past!

"Hmm?"

Kong Rong frowned: "Not enough? Then expand the territory while expanding the army! This shouldn't be a problem, right?"

Wu Wu Anguo said speechlessly: "That could work! But where do the money, grain, and armor come from? These all require a large amount of money and grain!"

Kong Rong's brows relaxed slightly when he heard this, and he waved his hand: "You don't need to worry about this. My Kong family has accumulated for so many years, and we are not short of money and grain! Just tell me how much money and grain you need, and I will have the housekeeper prepare it for you!"

"As for weapons and armor, you can buy them from the Four Seas Chamber of Commerce. They do this business. Not only is the quality good, but the price is also very affordable, much lower than others!"

"I will buy 100, 00 weapons, 10, 00 leather armors, 3, 00 iron armors, and other military equipment from them as soon as possible!"

"Once these things arrive, I hope you won't let me down and build a powerful army. Is there any problem?"

His Kong family was, after all, a noble clan passed down since the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods.

The key was that his Kong family was also the descendant of the Confucian saint Confucius. Since the Great Han dismissed the hundred schools and respected Confucianism alone, his Kong family's status in the Great Han had risen with the tide, and the benefits obtained were naturally increasing.

The accumulated money and grain were really not small.

Kong Rong estimated that supporting himself to expand the army by more than 100, 00 should still not be a problem!

By then, with these more than 100, 00 troops, he believed that he would definitely be able to take the entire Qingzhou and become a feudal lord king.

"What a pity! The title of King of Qi has already been given to Tao Zou Qian by Dong Zhuo, I cannot choose this title, so I can only choose others. Hmm... Got it! Since ancestor Confucius came from the State of Lu, I will call myself the King of Lu!"

Kong Rong thought happily in his heart.

He seemed to have seen the day when he would become a king and bring glory to his ancestors.

"If that's the case, then this subordinate has no problem!"

Wu Wu Anguo heard that Kong Rong had made such a great determination and was prepared to pay so much, so he naturally had no other thoughts and immediately responded.

If he could really expand and control more than 100, 00 troops, help Kong Rong take the entire Qingzhou, and become a feudal lord king, then his status and position would naturally rise with the tide.

By then, he would also be a great general under a feudal lord king!

Why worry about not being able to bring glory to his family?

For a time, the wavering and dissatisfaction that Wu Wu Anguo had when he thought Kong Rong had exposed his true nature were swept away.

He couldn't even care about Liu Bei's friendship.

In the final analysis, one's own interests are the most important, and everything else has to stand aside for the time being.

Two days later, Liu Bei arrived outside Xiapi City in a hurry and confronted Lu Bu.

"General Lu! You and the King of Qi are both officials of the Great Han, why did you invade Tao Gong's Xuzhou without reason? It would be better to retreat, so as not to damage your reputation, General Lu!"

Liu Bei blocked Lu Bu from attacking the city and called out to Lu Bu.

"HAHAHA!"

— Author's Notes —

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