flstandardbreds Chapter 123 Liu Bei in a Frenzy! Traitors on All Sides
Chapter 123 Liu Bei in a Frenzy! Traitors on All Sides
What are the Danyang soldiers?
They're a ruthless army that'll start fighting at the drop of a hat!
In fact, not only Liu Bei, but also Cao Cao in the original history suffered losses at the hands of the Danyang soldiers.
That was after the Battle of Xingyang, when Cao Cao, who had lost everything except his underwear, received a sum of military funds from the Cao, Xiahou, and Ding families on the way.
Therefore, Cao Cao conceived the idea of recruiting soldiers.
Before returning to Yanzhou, he decided to go to Yangzhou to recruit some Danyang soldiers.
As a result, of the 500 people recruited, 400 ran away halfway through, and less than 10% of the money was stolen!
This incident was recorded in the Records of the Three Kingdoms, becoming Cao Cao's most humiliating moment before the Wancheng Incident.
And now.
Liu Bei is in luck; he has personally experienced the power of the Danyang soldiers!
The situation is tense!
The veterans from Youzhou were filled with trepidation.
The number of Danyang soldiers was several times that of them.
If a real fight breaks out, there probably won't even be time to write a will!
Guan Yu and Zhang Fei also dared not be overconfident.
This was the first time the three brothers had encountered such a sudden event.
Cao Bao was nowhere to be seen in the crowd.
However, several military generals from the Danyang faction were prominently featured among them.
"Liu Bei! Quickly distribute the soldiers' provisions! Otherwise, the brothers will storm your damn governor's mansion!"
The soldiers of Danyang acted immediately upon hearing the word.
Many hot-tempered individuals had already started throwing small stones and twigs at Liu Bei!
Liu Bei hid behind the shield-bearers, his brows covered in cold sweat.
His governor's office simply couldn't produce the money the Danyang soldiers were demanding for their wages.
The consequences of not being able to produce the necessary documents are obvious.
Although the Danyang soldiers might not have killed Liu Bei.
But burning down the governor's mansion and humiliating Liu Bei, the newly appointed governor of Xuzhou, was something that could be easily accomplished!
After much deliberation, Liu Bei adopted a compromise approach, tentatively speaking to the Danyang soldiers on the other side:
"Brothers, how about I pay you half a month's worth of military pay first?"
"The remaining military pay will be paid to you in two months!"
It is obvious that Liu Bei, the newly appointed governor of Xuzhou, is not familiar with the people's conditions.
If you're going to make a promise, you have to make the whole thing!
Give them half a month's military pay first, and the rest two months later. The Danyang soldiers aren't stupid; why would they bother with you?
Without saying a word, the Danyang soldiers immediately started using their weapons.
A clash with the veterans of Youzhou is imminent!
Liu Bei's heart was in his throat.
Damn it... How could Liu Xuande, the dignified governor of Xuzhou, be in such a sorry state?
"Big brother, let's get out of here!"
Guan Yu and Zhang Fei urgently urged Liu Bei to run away.
Just as Liu Bei was hesitating whether to turn tail and run away, displaying the "Liu the Runner" spirit, a voice as beautiful as heavenly music suddenly rang out.
"Lord Xuande, please calm down. It's just a small amount of military expenses. My Mi family is willing to support you."
The visitor was none other than Mi Zhu.
Upon hearing the news of the Danyang riots, Mi Zhu knew that Cao Bao had unleashed his power.
However, it is not difficult to counter Cao Bao's move.
Liu Bei could not provide the military pay demanded by the Danyang soldiers.
Who is Mi Zhu?
He's the richest man in Xuzhou!
Even if the Mi family were to spend this money, it wouldn't be considered a major financial blow.
To know.
The historical figure Mi Zhu actually funded the recruitment of tens of thousands of troops for Liu Bei!
Without Mi Zhu's support, Liu Bei would have had no troops to confront Ji Ling in Xuyi.
At this moment, Mi Zhu boldly stepped forward, offering to help Liu Bei resolve this crisis.
Mi Zhu also brought with him a large amount of military funds.
The soldiers of Danyang instantly took the adjective "money-grubbing" to its extreme.
They threw down their weapons, grinned, took their money, and dispersed to go home.
The generals from the Danyang faction looked at each other in bewilderment.
Damn... Boss didn't expect this to happen!
But there was nothing they could do; the group had already broken up, and staying any longer would only make them look bad.
The group left the governor's mansion looking disheveled and headed towards the Cao residence.
……
曹府
Upon hearing the reports from several Danyang generals, Cao Bao smiled disdainfully.
"You all probably think that my plan, Cao Bao's plan, was foiled by that scoundrel Mi Zhu."
"But you only saw that Mi Zhu broke the plan, but you didn't see that my brothers in Danyang received several extra months' worth of military pay!"
Upon hearing this, several Danyang generals immediately stared at Cao Bao with eyes full of idol worship.
really!
The boss is still the best!
They stood on the first floor, Mi Zhu stood on the second floor, and the eldest brother stood on the third floor!
If Liu Bei cannot provide military pay, his prestige will be severely damaged.
Mi Zhu paid for Liu Bei's expenses, yet Cao Bao still made a huge profit!
After several Danyang generals left Cao's residence.
Cao Bao said to the person behind the screen:
"I released you from the dungeon so that you could assist me in taking control of Xuzhou."
"I consider this first strategy a victory."
"When should the second strategy be launched?"
A resolute yet slightly hoarse voice rang out from behind the screen:
"It will be ready in three days."
……
"What!?"
"Has the Xiapi Commandery rebelled?"
Liu Bei listened to the sentry's report in disbelief.
The sentry wiped the sweat from his brow and repeated:
"Reporting to my lord, Xiapi, under the leadership of Zuo Rong, has declared its secession from Xuzhou!"
Upon hearing this, Liu Bei felt all his strength drain away instantly.
He's only been in office as the governor of Xuzhou for a few days!
First, there was the incident of soldiers in Danyang demanding unpaid wages;
Now Xiapi has rebelled again!
Just how many more hardships await Liu Bei?
When talking about Xiapi, we must mention its importance to Xuzhou.
The county with the highest GDP in Xuzhou is Pengcheng.
The second is Xiapi.
Historically, Pengcheng suffered heavy losses when Cao Cao attacked Xuzhou.
After Liu Bei took office, he moved the capital from Pengcheng to Xiapi.
At this time, since Pengcheng was still intact, the relocation of the administrative center did not occur.
However, the chancellor of Xiapi was a very thoughtful person.
This man was named Zuo Rong, a monk who shaved his head, and the only monk-lord in the late Han Dynasty.
When Tao Qian was still alive, this man, given Tao Qian's power, kept a low profile and acted as a loyal subject.
But after Tao Qian's death, Cao Bao, following the advice of his strategist, persuaded Zuo Rong to rebel with a little manipulation.
So, there is this scene now.
Enraged, Zhang Fei quickly bowed to Liu Bei and said:
"Brother, don't worry! Watch me capture Zuo Rong alive and avenge you!"
Having said that, Zhang Fei picked up his eighteen-foot spear and was about to lead his troops to conquer Zuo Rong.
Liu Bei quickly reprimanded him:
"Yide, you must not be reckless!"
"Zuo Rong has seized control of Xiapi, making it impregnable, and has nearly 20,000 soldiers under his command."
"A strong attack on Xiapi would require at least 50,000 troops to besiege the city."
"Look at my Pengcheng, where did all these troops come from?"
Liu Bei dared not trust Cao Bao's 60,000 troops!
But after abandoning Cao Bao's army.
All he could mobilize were the 40,000 troops under Chen Gui and Mi Zhu, and about 2,000 veteran soldiers from Youzhou. (Originally there were 3,000, but some died outside Linzi.)
Attacking Zuo Rong would be tantamount to giving Cao Bao an opportunity to raid his base.
Feeling dizzy and lightheaded, Liu Bei was already starting to regret getting involved in the mess in Xuzhou.
This is... completely different from what he imagined!
……