Chapter 378

He truly had not expected that the noble clans and officials of Xuzhou would all be genuinely willing to support him.

This was nothing short of a massive, pleasant surprise!

"Could it be that they have been moved and won over by my reputation for benevolence and righteousness? Have they been conquered by my personal charisma?"

Liu Bei even couldn't help but think with wild joy in his heart.

Thinking of this, he even had the urge to shed tears of emotion.

Had the persona of benevolence and righteousness he had cultivated finally begun to bear fruit?

"Do not hesitate! Lord Liu Xuande! Ahem... just agree to it! Consider it this old man's dying request! I beg you!"

Tao Zou Qian requested of Liu Bei while coughing.

"Alas!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Bei sighed, then bowed to Tao Zou Qian with a solemn expression: "If that is the case, then Liu Bei shall respectfully obey your command!"

"Rest assured, I will absolutely guard Xuzhou well, and I will absolutely not let Lu Bu take Xuzhou away!"

"At the same time, I will treat the people of Xuzhou kindly and protect Lord Tao's family, ensuring they live out their lives in peace!"

Since Tao Zou Qian had spoken to this extent, with full sincerity and having basically provided all the necessary conditions, Liu Bei did not dare to continue refusing.

Otherwise, he feared he might be too clever by half, causing Tao Zou Qian to truly mistake his lack of interest in Xuzhou and turn to choose someone else to take over, which would leave him completely stranded.

Knowing when to stop was the most important thing.

"Hahaha... *cough cough cough*!!"

Upon hearing this, Tao Zou Qian laughed with great joy, but the exertion strained his body, causing him to cough uncontrollably again. It took a while for him to calm down, and then he said to Liu Bei: "In that case, nothing could be better!"

"Someone! Go and summon Tao Shang, Tao Ying, Mr. Chen Yuanlong, and Cao Bao here! I have matters to entrust to them."

"Understood!"

Soon, Chen Deng, Cao Bao, Tao Shang, and the others arrived.

Tao Zou Qian said directly to them: "You have all come! I have already reached an agreement with Lord Liu Xuande! He is willing to accept the position of King of Qi and become the new master of Xuzhou!"

"From now on, you shall serve him as the master of Xuzhou and assist Lord Liu Xuande well in controlling Xuzhou. Do you have any objections?"

"We have no objections!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Deng and the others shook their heads one after another, then bowed to Liu Bei: "We pay our respects to Lord Liu Xuande!"

"Haha! You flatter me! You flatter me! Everyone, please rise quickly!"

Seeing this, Liu Bei was wild with joy inside, but on the surface, he feigned a look of humility and fluster as he helped Chen Deng and the others up.

"I will need your guidance and support in the future!"

"I have only just arrived in Xuzhou and am very unfamiliar with everything here. To stabilize Xuzhou, I will need your assistance and help!"

It was done! He was truly going to become the King of Qi and the master of Xuzhou.

That even a figure like Chen Deng was willing to submit to him and work for him made Liu Bei's heart bloom with joy.

When had he ever received such treatment?

In the past, which of those noble clans didn't look down their noses at him?

Finally, was he about to make it?

The subtle changes in Liu Bei's expression did not escape Chen Deng's notice.

Chen Deng sneered coldly in his heart: "Heh! This Liu Bei is truly hypocritical!"

"Clearly he wants it, clearly he is happy, yet he still has to put on a look of being terrified and moved. It is simply nauseating."

"Unfortunately, you won't know for a long time that I have long since been a man of His Majesty, King Zou Qian!"

"Supporting you now is merely to use your strength to temporarily hold Xuzhou, letting you clash with other warlords to weaken all of your strengths!"

"You don't really think I'm truly submitting to you, do you?"

"Compared to my lord Su Xuan, what kind of thing are you, Liu Bei? Heh!"

Of course, these thoughts only surfaced in Chen Deng's mind; he would never say them out loud.

Otherwise, he feared Liu Bei and his two sworn brothers would come out and hack him to death.

In Chen Deng's eyes, Liu Bei had always been nothing more than a tool.

“Not at all! Not at all! You are too serious, Lord Liu Xuande! These are all things we ought to do!”

“We also wish to defend Xuzhou and not let it fall into the hands of that thief Lu Bu.”

“Furthermore, we do this out of admiration for your character and conduct, Lord Liu Xuande. You are worthy of this!”

Chen Deng smiled with a humble appearance.

Hearing these words, Liu Bei felt extremely comfortable.

“Ahem!”

Seeing this, Tao Zou Qian felt a great weight lift from his heart. He glanced at Tao Shang and Tao Ying and, finding that looks of unhappiness and unwillingness still lingered on their faces, his heart sank instantly.

However, he quickly composed himself, took the Seal of the Prince of Qi from his side, and handed it to Liu Bei, saying: “Lord Liu Xuande! This is the Seal of the Prince of Qi. Please keep it well! From now on, you are the Prince of Qi and the master of Xuzhou!”

“Many thanks, Lord Tao!”

Upon seeing this, Liu Bei hurriedly took the seal and bowed to Tao Zou Qian: “Please rest assured, Lord Tao. I will certainly guard Xuzhou well and protect the Tao family.”

“Good! Very good!”

Tao Zou Qian nodded in satisfaction and then said: “I am weary! Lord Liu Xuande, you may leave first to handle the handover matters!”

“I have some words I wish to say to my two good-for-nothing sons.”

“Very well! We shall take our leave! Please take care of yourself, Lord Tao!”

Liu Bei, Chen Deng, and the others naturally did not hesitate; they immediately took their leave and turned to depart.

Once they had walked far away, Tao Zou Qian looked at Tao Shang and Tao Ying and asked with a sunken face: “It seems you are still somewhat unwilling?”

“That is correct, Father!”

Tao Shang replied, looking at his father with a sullen face: “Your son is indeed somewhat unwilling. Why must you abdicate the position of master of Xuzhou and the title of Prince of Qi to Liu Bei?”

“Do you truly trust him that much? Do you think so highly of him?”

“Could you not have yielded the position to me, your son, and let Liu Bei continue to serve me?”

Although Tao Ying did not speak, Tao Zou Qian could see that he actually held the same thought.

“Sigh!”

Hearing this, Tao Zou Qian sighed with a headache: “Why are you both so foolish?”

“Did I not already tell you this before?”

“We are in troubled times, and your abilities are extremely mediocre! If Xuzhou were truly handed to you, you would absolutely be unable to hold it!”

“Moreover, you actually want Liu Bei to serve you? On what grounds? Who do you think you are?”

Naive. Is Liu Bei such a simple character?

On what grounds do his two foolish sons think they can obtain this man’s loyalty, or that they can control him?

Did they not see that even he himself failed to subdue Liu Bei, and only managed to obtain his assistance?

In the end, the man simply does not think much of him, Tao Zou Qian.

Furthermore, that Liu Bei has immense ambition and is a hero of his age; how could he possibly submit to others?

Even if he were to submit to someone, could he not go and serve the likes of Su Xuan, Lord Yuan Shao, or Cao Cao?

Why would he choose him, Tao Zou Qian, or even Tao Shang and Tao Ying?

It is simply absurd.

How could he leave with peace of mind when they are so unable to see the situation clearly?

Fortunately, he had prepared early to yield Xuzhou to Liu Bei and had arranged a path for the Tao family. Otherwise, given the state of his two foolish sons, the Tao family would surely be doomed in the future!

“This…”

Tao Shang and Tao Ying were rendered speechless.

Truth be told, he really had no way to make Liu Bei loyal to him.

In fact, he was even somewhat afraid of Liu Bei and his two sworn brothers.

He did not know why, but they simply felt afraid of this man.

It was as if there were some invisible deterrent force.

“Enough!”

Seeing this, Tao Zou Qian waved his hand: “Do not even think about the positions of Xuzhou and the Prince of Qi!”

— Author's Notes —

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