Chapter 451

The crowd offered their respects one after another,

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

Liu Bei helped several of the elder clan leaders up,

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

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

Upon hearing that Gan Ning had already become a General Who Sweeps the Wilds, and hearing of the generous treatment of Liu Bei's soldiers, the young men all wanted to follow Liu Bei to build their own merit and careers.

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; you shall choose them yourself."

"Understood!"

Gan Ning had returned home in glory, gaining face while also securing a thousand skilled naval recruits 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, rather ugly-looking Zhang Song was the key figure for him to take Yizhou.

He very enthusiastically took Zhang Song's hand,

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

Zhang Song was instantly moved; the Xuande Gong, whose might shook the nine provinces, not only knew who he, Zhang Song, was, but also treated him with such courtesy!

He had come specifically to observe Liu Bei, and he found that he absolutely had not come in vain.

"Xuande Gong, you have come thousands of miles to provide aid; for me to only meet you here in Jiangzhou is already a slight!"

"Let us go, 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 the banquet and was also extremely respectful toward Liu Bei.

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

The Jiangzhou defending general Yan Yan drained his cup of wine in one gulp and sighed deeply,

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

Zhang Song frowned; why was this old general so unsociable?

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

"I have long heard that Old General Yan is a famous general of the Sichuan region. Today, seeing that the Jiangzhou garrison is exceptionally elite, it is clear the old general governs his troops well. I offer the old general a cup."

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

"Xuande Gong's might shakes the nine provinces; you broke Dong Zhuo, defeated Cao Cao, repelled Sun Ce, and broke Zhang 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 drastically for the better.

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

"Xuande Gong is courteous to the wise and condescending to the lowly; he is truly a brilliant lord!"

Once a person decides on something, they strive to find evidence to support it; now Zhang Song was increasingly convinced that Liu Bei was a brilliant lord.

Zhang Song looked toward 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 Shiyuan of Jingzhou pays his respects to Assistant Governor Zhang."

Zhang Song let out an 'eh',

"You are the one nicknamed 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 brilliant lord..."

Both men were not blessed with good looks, but both possessed great talent; they soon found common ground and chatted enthusiastically.

"What? You spoke recklessly at a banquet, and Xuande Gong not only did not blame you, but also put you in a position of great importance?"

"Xuande Gong 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; Xuande Gong was absolutely a brilliant lord!

He had already secretly made up his mind to become an insider!

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 highly valued by Liu Bei and that Liu Bei had even cured Huang Zhong's son's illness.

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

Yan Yan felt he could fight for another twenty years!

The broadcast room exploded,

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

"The eared thief is too treacherous; he must have known this day would come! Damn, another earthquake." (A certain netizen from India).

"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 an insider!"

"The eared thief is definitely the forefather of pyramid schemes; his subordinates are all brainwashed so thoroughly!"

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

The officials of Jiangzhou, both high and low, 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 head 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,

"Xuande Gong, your benevolence and righteousness have spread throughout the world, saving countless people. Ba and Shu are vast and fertile, yet Liu Zhang is weak and feeble, having been bullied by the likes of Zhang Lu for a long time, and he cannot control the likes of Pang Xi and Li Yi. Now that Nanzhong is in rebellion, he is even more unable to control the situation."

Zhang Song bowed again,

"I implore Xuande Gong to enter and rule Ba and Shu, and save our six million people of Ba and Shu!"

Liu Bei hurriedly stood up and helped Zhang Song up,

"Yongnian, what is the meaning of this? I came here precisely to save Ba and Shu!"

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

"Xuande Gong, I am not a man who would sell his lord for glory. Liu Zhang is a Liu Zhang who cannot be helped; he cannot employ the wise or use the capable, and Ba and Shu will eventually be ruined by him."

Liu Bei sighed deeply,

"I know Yongnian is doing this for the people of Ba and Shu, but I came here to rescue Liu Zhang; how can I seize his foundation?"

Pang Tong cupped his hands,

"My lord, Ba and Shu are the foundation of the people of Ba and Shu. Liu Yan and his son occupied Ba and Shu only to carve out a territory for themselves; they are not brilliant lords. Why does my lord not take their place and give the people of Ba and Shu the good life that the people of Guanzhong have?"

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,

"Xuande Gong is broad-minded, benevolent, and loves the wise; you are the brilliant lord of Ba and Shu. If you do not agree, I will kneel here until I die!"

He took out a map he had prepared,

"Xuande Gong, this is a detailed map of Ba and Shu, along with the situation of the garrisons in various places. With this, taking Ba and Shu 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 broadcast room also exploded,

"Eared thief, can you stop pretending!"

"An eternal curiosity: someone is actually kneeling and begging to be an insider, and the eared thief is actually still reluctant!"

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