Chapter 282

but unexpectedly, as soon as Liu Bei arrived, not only was the crisis resolved,

but she also gained a husband who shook the nine provinces.

"Lord Liu Xuande is benevolent and righteous, brave and skilled in battle, and I heard he is also extremely handsome... my luck is really..."

"Father asked me to serve Lord Liu Xuande well and also try to make Lord Liu Xuande have a good impression of the Five Pecks of Rice Sect?"

Zhang Zhang Qiying didn't know if it would work, but she already had a bursting favor for Liu Bei, whom she hadn't even met!

Three days later,

Liu Bei took Zhang Zhang Qiying in Nanzheng.

Everyone naturally drank until they were dizzy.

The months of war ended, and everyone's mood was relaxed.

Liu Bei came to the backyard and walked into the room; Zhang Zhang Qiying was already waiting there.

Liu Bei looked and couldn't help but have his eyes light up; she was beautiful as a flower, her skin was exceptionally fair, her eyes were large and bright, but her figure was top-notch—the kind with a youthful face and a wow-worthy figure.

At this moment, she was looking at Liu Bei with a shy expression.

Zhang Zhang Qiying's heart finally settled; the rumors were true: Lord Liu Xuande had sword-like eyebrows and star-like eyes, a tall figure, and an excellent temperament!

The two completed the ceremony.

Liu Bei said,

"My lady, it's late!"

Zhang Zhang Qiying soon lost herself in the storm.

"Hey, what did my father ask me to do again? Five Pecks of Rice, what is that thing?"

The live stream had gone black, but it couldn't stop everyone's complaints.

"The Big-Eared Thief earned again!"

"Returning fully loaded; not only did he get Hanzhong, but he also got a beautiful wife for free! Brother Bei's life is truly nourishing."

"Zhang Zhang Qiying's figure and appearance can be maintained for at least thirty years... so jealous!".

Hanzhong, this plain area between the Qinling Mountains and the Daba Mountains, had a very critical geographical location, connecting Liu Bei's two important territories: Guanzhong and Yizhou.

Liu Bei also inspected the counties of Hanzhong and arrived at Shangyong County in the eastern part of Hanzhong.

"Kongming, what do you think of this place, Shangyong?"

Zhuge Zhang Liang had already studied the map of Hanzhong I don't know how many times.

"My lord, Shangyong's geographical location is very important; going north, you can reach Chang'an, going west, you reach the hinterland of the Hanzhong basin, and following the Han River to the southeast, you can reach Xiangyang City in Jingzhou directly."

Everyone looked at the map.

Pang Tong cupped his hands.

"My lord, once there is a change in Xiangyang, our army going from Shangyong to Xiangyang is half the distance of the road from Chang'an, and also closer than from Xuxian to Xiangyang."

Liu Bei nodded.

"In the past, Zhang Lu had no desire for progress and didn't manage Shangyong very well."

Liu Bei looked at Zhuge Zhang Liang.

"Kongming, if I want to restore the Great Han, where should I start?"

Zhuge Zhang Liang looked at the map.

"My lord, there are only four powerful feudal lords left in the world: Ding Yuan Shao in Hebei, Cao Cao in the Central Plains, Sun Ce in Jiangdong, and Liu Biao in Jingzhou."

"My lord occupies Guanzhong and Yizhou, which have the best geographical location, are located in the upper reaches of the rivers, have mountains and passes for defense, and after your many years of effort, my lord, the population is also the largest."

"Cao Cao occupies the Central Plains, has a large population, and now has taken most of Taking Xuzhou, can reach the sea directly, and has the benefit of fish and salt."

"Sun Ce occupies Jiangdong, has the natural barrier of the Yangtze River, has enough to hold territory but not enough to advance, and is eyeing Jingzhou covetously."

"Ding Yuan Shao occupies the three commanderies of Hebei, has countless fertile fields, and the population is also extremely large."

"Jingzhou has a population of over six million and is located in the center of the Great Han; to restore the Great Han, one must take Jingzhou!"

"Liu Biao is old, and his sons are mediocre; as long as Liu Biao dies, Jingzhou will surely be the center of competition for the three parties."

"Whoever takes Xiangyang first and gains the support of the Jingzhou gentry will be more likely to take Jingzhou. My lord has a high reputation in Jingzhou and has also taken the daughter of the Cai family—hmm, the daughter of the Huang family."

Zhuge Zhang Liang almost choked when he said this; his lord sacrificed too much for him and for the great cause!

Liu Bei... "Kongming, continue."

"The support of the Pang family, Ma family, and other gentry. However, because our army has an advantage, Cao Cao and Sun Ce might join forces to deal with us."

"Cao Cao takes Nanyang Commandery, pointing directly at Xiangyang!"

"Sun Ce takes Jiangxia Commandery; following the Han River, he can attack Xiangyang, and following the Yangtze River, he can attack the four commanderies of Jingnan!"

Liu Bei nodded; Jingzhou was a piece of fat meat that everyone wanted to take a bite of!

"Then how should we respond?"

"Our army can send troops from three places: from Chang'an through Wuguan to compete with Cao Cao for Nanyang Commandery!"

"From Shangyong, strike directly at Xiangyang to take the capital of Jingzhou!"

"From Badong Commandery, go down the river to take Nanjun and the four commanderies of Jingnan!"

Zhuge Zhang Liang cupped his hands.

"My lord left Wei Yan to garrison Badong Commandery and trained the navy, and this time brought us to Shangyong; apparently, you have already started deploying."

Guo Jia also nodded.

"Three armies taking Jingzhou with the speed of lightning and rejecting the enemy outside is the key."

Liu Bei smiled.

"Good, everyone's analysis is very good. Kongming, I intend to appoint you as the Prefect of Hanzhong to manage Hanzhong, with a focus on the Shangyong area; what do you think?"

Zhuge Zhang Liang cupped his hands.

"My lord, rest assured, I will surely complete the task!"

"Good, Shangyong has many mountains; I will let Wang Ping lead the Qingqiang mountain troops to garrison it under your command, and leave Guo Huai and Yan Xing to assist you."

"Thank you, my lord!"

Liu Bei stayed in Hanzhong for a few more days and led his army back to Chang'an, which he had been away from for many days.

The accompanying Liu Zhang was sent to Anding to be settled, and Liu Zhang's son came to the Chang'an Academy to study.

Liu Bei also ordered Guanqiu Sun Jian to lead ten thousand troops to assist Zhang Lu's more than ten thousand troops to go to the Western Regions to occupy territory, helping Zhang Lu gain a firm foothold, and by the way, bring back some good horses and beauties from the Western Regions.

After arranging all this, Liu Bei finally returned to Chang'an.

The people of Chang'an heard that Lord Liu Xuande had returned from Yizhou and flocked to the streets on both sides to welcome him!

Zhang Ren, who followed Liu Bei to Chang'an, sighed long.

"My lord has such popularity with the people; why worry that the world won't be settled!"

Liu Bei let Zhang Ren and Gan Ning train the navy together, training in the Wei River and Yellow River areas.

Returning to the General of the Flying Cavalry's mansion,

Ju Shou, Xun You, and Lu Su reported the recent situation.

"My lord, you opened up the trade route to Yizhou, and now the merchants of the two places communicate frequently; the commercial tax in Guanzhong alone has doubled!"

Liu Bei nodded.

"How is the situation of the other feudal lords?"

Xun You presented the bamboo slip.

"My lord, Ding Yuan Shu died of illness in Huainan, and the whereabouts of the Imperial Seal are unknown; it was most likely taken by Sun Ce."

"Although Lü Bu killed Chen Gui, Chen Deng escaped; he joined some gentry to welcome Cao Cao's army, and Taishan bandits like Zang Ba and Sun Guan also defected to Cao Cao to besiege Lü Bu."

"Lü Bu was no match and was trapped in Xiapi City; my lord once reminded him to be careful of Cao Cao digging open the Si River to flood Xiapi."

"He led his elites to break out, should have gone to Jiujiang Commandery, but was defeated by Liu Xun of Lujiang; like a stray dog, he has now fled to Jingzhou."

"Jingzhou?"

Liu Bei was also speechless; this Lü Bu actually imitated his previous route, but unfortunately, it was a path of defeat and flight.

"What do you think Lü Bu wants to do in Jingzhou?"

Lu Su cupped his hands.

"My lord, Lü Bu should want to imitate his experience in Taking Xuzhou, ask Liu Biao for a place to rest, and when Liu Biao dies of illness like Tao Tao Qian, he will replace him."

Liu Bei laughed dumbly.

"This Lü Bu killed his two foster fathers, Ding Ding Yuan and Dong Zhuo, and outlived Tao Tao Qian; now he wants to outlive Liu Biao? Even if he is a bit younger and has a better body, he can't be like this, right?"