Chapter 17

"Report!"

"A troop of soldiers has arrived outside the city. The leader claims to be a member of the Han imperial clan, a descendant of Prince Jing of Zhongshan, and his name is Liu Bei."

Liu Yu's eyes lit up.

"Oh, he is actually a clansman of mine?"

"Quick, invite him in immediately."

"No, I will go to welcome him personally."

Liu Yu arrived outside the city and couldn't help but feel a bit discouraged upon seeing Liu Bei's group.

There were only a hundred or so cavalrymen and a few hundred infantrymen, their armor and weapons in a complete mess; anyone with a discerning eye could tell at a glance that this was the most ragtag of ragtag armies!

Liu Bei walked over, cupped his hands, and said,

"A descendant of Prince Jing of Zhongshan and the eighteenth-generation grandson of Emperor Jing of Han, I, Liu Bei, styled Xuande, pay my respects to the Inspector."

Bai Yuekui's mouth twitched; this Liu Bei had to state his lineage the moment he met someone!

Liu Yu observed Liu Bei and couldn't help but feel some admiration.

His face was kind, his eyes were clear, and he gave people a feeling of being bathed in a spring breeze.

"Brother Xuande, thank you for coming to our aid. Please, come in quickly."

Liu Yu led Liu Bei into Youzhou City, chatting as they walked.

Very soon, Liu Yu felt as if they were old friends who had met too late.

"Brother Xuande, you are truly righteous. To tell you the truth, you are the only reinforcements I have been waiting for."

"With the nation in such dire straits, many people only care about sweeping the snow from their own doorsteps. There aren't many people left like you, brother!"

Liu Bei let out a long sigh, and there seemed to be tears in his eyes.

"Inspector, I only regret that my strength is limited. I scraped together what I could and exhausted my family's wealth. My third brother even sold our ancestral house and fields just to gather these thousand soldiers."

Zhang Fei was moved to tears.

"Big Brother has always remembered my efforts. That is enough, that is enough!"

"I must strive to kill enemies on the battlefield for Big Brother and contribute all my strength."

Hua Mulan's mouth twitched, and she thought to herself,

"Is Zhang Fei starting to self-pua again? Liu Bei is clearly using him to make a point, hoping to gain Liu Yu's help!"

Liu Yu looked around, and seeing Liu Bei's teary-eyed appearance in particular, he felt especially distressed.

"What a good man, what a loyal subject. The imperial court needs people like you, Brother Liu!"

"Xianyu Fu, quickly take Brother Liu's soldiers to the Youzhou armory and equip them with the best armor and weapons!"

Liu Bei cupped his hands.

"Many thanks, Inspector. You are truly providing charcoal in snowy weather."

Liu Yu patted Liu Bei on the shoulder.

"Brother Xuande, this journey must not have been easy."

Liu Bei continued,

"It was indeed not easy, but there are many righteous people. The Zhongshan merchants Zhang Shiping and Su Shuang saw that our army lacked horses and specially gifted us a hundred, which is the only reason our three hundred cavalrymen have warhorses to train with."

Liu Yu was stunned and moved once again.

"Brother, you came to the rescue with three hundred cavalrymen but only one hundred warhorses? You are truly righteous!"

Clearly, Liu Yu had grasped the key point.

Liu Bei spoke with a resonant, powerful voice,

"When the imperial court is in trouble, we naturally must assist with all our might. Even though our army only had five days of rations, we had to rush to Youzhou to help!"

Liu Yu let out a long sigh.

"If all my Liu clansmen had Brother's awareness, why would we worry about not extinguishing the Huang Jin rebels, and why would we worry about the imperial court not flourishing?"

"Xianyu Yin, have someone send three hundred warhorses and six hundred units of grain to Brother Liu!"

Hua Mulan and Bai Yuekui exchanged a glance, shocked in their hearts. In just a few short sentences,

the captain had swindled another three hundred warhorses and enough grain to feed the entire army for over half a month?!

The viewers in the broadcast room were frantically sending barrage comments.

"I am truly impressed by this Big-Eared Liu!"

"In the blink of an eye, his thousand-man ragtag army has upgraded their gear and even gained three hundred warhorses!"

"He is the king of getting something for nothing! A master of free-loading!"

"Why do I feel like this Liu Bei is very positive, yet also very not positive?"

"Some people think he is a liar, but I think he is a grand liar!"

"I feel like the reckless Zhang Fei already treats his Big Brother as a god."

"Why do I feel like this Liu Bei might actually succeed?"

"Bang!"

Liu Bei slammed the table in anger and stepped out of the ranks indignantly.

"Inspector, Cheng Yuanzhi, a rebel of the Huang Jin, actually dares to lead an army to attack. I, though untalented, am willing to lead troops to suppress him!"

Liu Yu hesitated slightly.

Xianyu Fu also said,

"Brother Xuande, you only have a thousand men, but Cheng Yuanzhi has a force of fifty thousand."

The meaning was clear: don't blow your own trumpet too hard; act according to your ability!

Liu Bei shook his head.

"Every time I think of Cheng Yuanzhi rampaging across the land of Youzhou, oppressing and harming the people, I cannot eat or sleep in peace. I cannot wait a single moment longer. Inspector, I request to take the initiative and attack Cheng Yuanzhi!"

Liu Yu was moved by Liu Bei's innocent heart and arranged for him to receive another hundred bows and crossbows!

Liu Bei cupped his hands and left with his head held high!

This scene left a deep impression on Liu Yu.

"Liu Xuande has commendable courage; he is a truly loyal subject!"

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