Chapter 251: Begging to be a mole

Liu Bei stayed in Yufu for one day. After the soldiers rested, they continued on their journey and arrived at Linjiang in Ba Commandery.

Along the way, everyone witnessed the difficulty of the Shu roads.

Guo Jia sighed with emotion,

"My Lord, if not for Liu Zhang opening the gates to let us in, how could we have entered the Shu region so easily?"

Liu Bei looked into the distance,

"Alas, the Bashu region has a thousand miles of fertile land, a land of abundance, yet Liu Zhang cannot even resist Zhang Lu, leaving the people of Bashu to suffer the ravages of war."

Pang Tong cupped his hands,

"My Lord, taking Bashu is beneficial to you and beneficial to the people of Bashu; it is only unfavorable to Liu Zhang and the portion of the gentry who support him."

Liu Bei looked over to the side, where Gan Ning had returned to his old home in Linjiang, with thousands of fellow villagers coming to welcome him.

"It seems Gan Gan Xingba's reputation in his hometown is very high."

Liu Bei led his men over.

Gan Ning said in a loud voice,

"Fellow villagers, this is the Uncle of the Emperor, Liu, whose might shakes the nine provinces!" **CHAPTER 451**

The crowd offered their greetings one after another,

"We commoners pay our respects to the General of the Flying Cavalry, the Uncle of the Emperor, Liu!"

Liu Bei helped several of the elder clan leaders up,

"Everyone, there is no need for such formalities."

Liu Bei conversed with the group, during which he highly praised Gan Ning for his bravery and skill in battle.

Upon hearing that Gan Ning had already become a General of the Wild-Sweeping and hearing of the generous treatment of Liu Bei's soldiers, the young men all wanted to follow Liu Bei to build their own achievements.

Gan Ning cupped his hands,

"My Lord, most of them are skilled with boats and bows; they are excellent recruits for the navy."

Liu Bei nodded,

"Good, then select the best one thousand men. You shall choose them yourself."

"Understood!"

Gan Ning had returned home in glory, gained face, and even recruited a thousand skilled naval soldiers for Liu Bei.

The great army continued up the river and arrived at Jiangzhou!

The Yizhou Assistant Governor, Zhang Song, was already waiting at the pier to welcome them.

Liu Bei knew that this short-statured, rather ugly-looking Zhang Song was the key figure for him to take Yizhou.

He very enthusiastically grabbed Zhang Song's hand,

"Why trouble yourself, Brother Yongnian, to come here to meet me!"

Zhang Song was instantly moved. The Duke of Liu Xuande, whose might shook the nine provinces, not only knew who he, Zhang Song, was, but also treated him with such courtesy!

He had originally come to observe Liu Bei, and he discovered that he had absolutely not come to the wrong place.

"Duke of Liu Xuande, you have come a thousand miles to provide aid; it is I who have been slow to welcome you here in Jiangzhou!"

"Come, come, the banquet in the city is already prepared."

The two walked into the city hand in hand.

The Administrator of Ba Commandery, Zhao Zuo, had arranged a banquet and was also extremely respectful toward Liu Bei.

Liu Bei and Zhang Song's group exchanged toasts and chatted happily.

The Jiangzhou garrison general, Yan Yan, drained his cup of wine in one gulp and let out a long sigh,

"Alone in the deep mountains with no way out, yet I have actually invited a tiger to protect me!"

Zhang Song frowned. How could this old general be so uncooperative?

Liu Bei, however, stood up, carried his wine over, and smiled,

"I have long heard that the old General Yan is a famous commander in the Sichuan region. Today, seeing that the Jiangzhou garrison is exceptionally elite, it is clear the old general is indeed skilled in governing troops. I toast the old general."

Yan Yan knew of Liu Bei's prestige and was not so arrogant as to refuse; he hurriedly raised his cup,

"The Duke of Liu Xuande's might shakes the nine provinces. You broke Dong Zhuo, defeated Cao Cao, repelled Sun Ce, and broke Zhang Han Xian in a single day. I have long admired you..."

Liu Bei drank a few cups with him.

Yan Yan's impression of Liu Bei changed significantly.

On the other side, Zhang Song was already filled with hot tears, thinking to himself,

"The Duke of Liu Xuande is humble and treats the virtuous with respect; he is truly a wise lord!"

Once a person decides on something, they strive to find evidence to support it. Now, Zhang Song increasingly believed that Liu Bei was a wise lord.

Zhang Song looked at Pang Tong again,

"This person is even uglier than me, and shorter..."

Pang Tong? What kind of look was that from Zhang Song?

He cupped his hands and said,

"Pang Pang Shiyuan of Jingzhou greets the Assistant Governor Zhang."

Zhang Song let out an "Oh?"

"You are the one nicknamed the Fledgling Phoenix, Pang Tong? I have heard you possess great talent."

Pang Tong cupped his hands,

"Brother Yongnian, you flatter me. I wasted several years in Jingzhou, but last year I finally found a wise lord..."

The two did not have good appearances, but both possessed great talent, and they soon found common ground, chatting enthusiastically.

"What? You spoke recklessly at a banquet, and the Duke of Liu Xuande not only did not blame you, but also promoted you?"

"The Duke of Liu Xuande even arranged for you to marry the youngest daughter of the great Confucian Zheng Xuan? She is as beautiful as a flower?!"

Zhang Song was deeply moved. The Duke of Liu Xuande was definitely a wise lord!

He had already secretly made up his mind to become a mole!

Over there, Huang Zhong and Yan Yan were also chatting happily.

Yan Yan felt he was getting old, but he had not expected that Huang Zhong, who was even older than him, was still heavily relied upon by Liu Bei, who had even cured the illness of Huang Zhong's son.

"What? The Duke of Liu Xuande even arranged a second wife for you? A beautiful woman of twenty-eight, and she is now pregnant?!"

Yan Yan felt that he could fight for another twenty years!

The livestream exploded,

"Pang Tong and Huang Zhong's personal testimony directly captured the hearts of Zhang Song and Yan Yan! My Brother Bei has arranged things very properly!"

"The Big-Eared Thief is too treacherous; he must have known this day would come! Damn, another earthquake." (A certain Indian netizen).

"Liu Bei is too good at buying people's hearts. He hasn't even said anything yet, and it feels like Zhang Song is about to become a mole!"

"The Big-Eared Thief is definitely the ancestor of pyramid schemes; everyone under him has been brainwashed so thoroughly!"

The group drank heavily and chatted until the fifth watch at dawn, when the roosters crowed three times.

The officials of Jiangzhou, both big and small, had an extremely good impression of Liu Bei.

At noon the next day,

Liu Bei led his army and Zhang Song north along the Fu River to go to Fu County to meet with Liu Zhang.

After setting up camp that night, Liu Bei, Zhang Fei, and Pang Tong took turns drinking with Zhang Song, moving him to tears.

Zhang Song suddenly stood up and bowed deeply,

"Duke of Liu Xuande, your benevolence and righteousness have spread throughout the world, and you have saved countless people. Bashu has a thousand miles of fertile land, yet Liu Zhang is weak and has been bullied by the likes of Zhang Lu for a long time. He cannot control the likes of Pang Xi and Li Yi, and now that the southern regions are in rebellion, he is even less able to control the situation."

Zhang Song bowed again,

"I beg the Duke of Liu Xuande to take charge of Bashu and save our six million people of Bashu!"

Liu Bei hurriedly stood up and helped Zhang Song up,

"Yongnian, why do you say this? I have come specifically to rescue Bashu!"

Zhang Song looked up, his face already covered in tears, and he gripped Liu Bei's hand tightly,

"Duke of Liu Xuande, I am not a person who would sell out my lord for glory, but Liu Zhang is a Liu Zhang who cannot be propped up. He cannot appoint the virtuous or use the capable; Bashu will eventually be dragged down by him."

Liu Bei let out a long sigh,

"I know you are doing this for the people of Bashu, but I have come to rescue Liu Zhang; how can I seize his foundation?"

Pang Tong cupped his hands,

"My Lord, Bashu is the foundation of the people of Bashu. Liu Yan and his son occupy Bashu only to carve out a territory for themselves; they are not wise lords. Why does my Lord not replace them and let the people of Bashu live the good life that the people of Guanzhong live?"

Zhang Fei, Gan Ning, Taishi Ci, Huang Zhong, and Fa Zheng all urged him.

Liu Bei waved his hand,

"Are you trying to trap me in unrighteousness!"

Zhang Song knelt down directly,

"The Duke of Liu Xuande is broad-minded and loves the virtuous; you are the wise lord of Bashu. If you do not agree, I will not rise from my knees!"

He took out a map he had prepared,

"Duke of Liu Xuande, this is a detailed map of Bashu, along with the troop deployments in various places. With this, taking Bashu will be as easy as turning over one's hand!"

Liu Bei was still refusing,

Zhang Fei was so anxious he was scratching his ears and cheeks!

The livestream also exploded,

"Big-Eared Thief, can you stop pretending!"

"A strange tale for the ages; someone is actually kneeling and begging to be a mole, and the Big-Eared Thief is actually not happy about it!"

"I didn't expect Liu Bei's popularity to be this high!" **CHAPTER 452**