Hair as white as frost.

Like the moon in the sky, it shines on Liu Bei's body.

Unknowingly, more than twenty years have passed since he raised his troops in the plains to suppress the Yellow Turban Rebellion. Although Liu Bei's ambitions have not been diminished by years of fighting and killing, it has made him mentally exhausted and his body getting older.

This time he was stationed in Jingzhou. He originally wanted to take advantage of Cao Cao's northern expedition against Yuan Shao and join forces with Liu Biao to launch an expedition in the south, forming a north-south attack on Cao Cao's forces.

But it was a pity that Liu Biao was not interested in going north, and the reinforcements, military supplies, etc. he had promised when he was in Xiangyang were nowhere to be found.

In desperation, Liu Bei could only tap the potential internally and mobilize the available forces under Xinye rule to coordinate defense. It was under this circumstance that Wei Shi's rural soldiers were sent to Neixiang County to garrison.

In fact, after Liu Bei returned to Xinye, Wei Shi was recommended by Mi Zhu and Mi Zhen. Later, he also heard the advice of Liu Yan, Mi Fang and others. The two sides' evaluations were very different.

In the eyes of those who appreciate Wei Shi, he is a young man with dexterity and cunning.

In the eyes of those who hate Wei Shi, he is a village man who is unscrupulous and lacks integrity.

Liu Bei wondered how the same person could have such wildly different evaluations.

Liu Bei had only heard of such a contrast from one person, and that was what Xu Zijiang said about Cao Cao: A capable minister in times of trouble, a traitor in troubled times.

Conquer the world with benevolence and righteousness.

This is Liu Bei's way of life.

Similarly, the two words benevolence and righteousness are also Liu Bei's first criteria when selecting talents.

It is true that Wei Shi has some talents.

However, this man had flaws in terms of integrity and morality, so he was temporarily placed in the position of Neixiang County Lieutenant for training. Liu Bei wanted to see if this young man could withstand the test.

It's a pity that Neixiang was lost so easily, and Wei Shi's performance really disappointed him.

Looking at the moon in the sky, Liu Bei sighed with emotion, and his troubled mind gradually calmed down.

"Gongyou, you have to go to Xiangyang again and tell Liu Jingzhou about the Northern Expedition. Then Neixiang County is attacked by Cao's army. Xiangyang is worried about being attacked by Cao's cavalry."

Stepping into the tent, Liu Bei looked at Sun Qian, the clerk who was busy writing at his desk, and gave instructions.

Sun Qian, courtesy name Gongyou, was a native of Beihai County. He had followed Liu Bei since Xuzhou and gained his trust. He served as Liu Bei's envoy on many occasions and was sent to other countries. Liu Biao also valued him.

"Don't worry, my lord, we'll set off overnight." Sun Qian nodded quickly, hurriedly changed into his military uniform, and left Liu Bei's camp with a few of his confidants.

"Zizhong, the military supplies accumulated in Xinye must be transported to Bowangpo as soon as possible without any delay. By the way, the iron kiln in Yushu Bay must be operated day and night to produce ring-shou knives, spears and spears.

, iron caltrops, all shipped to the army."

Mi Zhu nodded after hearing this.

Fortunately, Wei Shi built this iron kiln, which could still supply the army. Otherwise, Liu Biao would not be able to provide supplies, and Liu Bei would have to rely on captured supplies to fight in the front.

"Yuanzhi, please go down quickly. Early tomorrow morning, I will lead the army to cross Bowang and fight Xiahou Dun's army. Zilong will be responsible for luring the enemy. Yun Chang and Yide will each lead their troops to set up ambushes in the mountains and forests. In this battle, we will

I want to bring shame to Xue Rang City."

"I obey my lord's order." Xu Shu cupped his hands and stepped back quickly with a solemn expression.

This Northern Expedition against Cao Cao was not only a turnaround for Liu Bei, but also the first major battle he planned after Xu Shu became a military advisor. There was no room for negligence.

The battle between Wei Shi and Xiahou Lan in Neixiang County gradually became the trigger for the Battle of Bowangpo.

Liu Bei went all out, and all his thoughts were focused on how to defeat the enemy. He had no time to take into account other things, including being away from home for a long time, the feelings of Mrs. Gan, Mrs. Mi and other female family members.

Sun Qian and Mi Zhu turned around quickly.

After the two arrived in Xinye, they said goodbye immediately without stopping.

Sun Qian was going to Xiangyang, while Mi Zhu was going to the Yushuwan iron kiln and brick kiln to supervise production. When he was leaving the city, Mi Zhen and his maid were waiting to meet him at the city gate.

"Brother, do you still remember what Wei Shiwei County Lieutenant said when he first came to Xinye City?" Mi Zhen sat in the car, and the maid lifted up the corner of the car curtain and talked to Mi Zhu.

Mi Zhu was startled and asked doubtfully: "What happened? There are a lot of things going on in the army these days, so I don't remember it."

Mi Zhen sighed softly, hesitated, and said: "Wei County Lieutenant said at the time that the pedal spinning wheel was just an idea he came up with in his mind. He still has many such improvement ideas."

"Later, Brother Zhong and I went to Yushu Bay again and saw new looms, tall brick kilns and iron kilns, which I had never seen before."

"So, my little sister thinks that Wei Shi is a rare talent. Now, he is trapped in a siege by Cao's army, waiting for rescue. We met each other, and we owe the couple a favor, so we can't ignore it... .”

Mi Zhu's expression gradually became restless as he listened to Mi Zhen's words.

It wasn't that he doubted Wei Shi's ability, but he was surprised by Mi Zhen's attitude and tone.

In his impression, the little girl whom his father regarded as the apple of his eye had a gentle and virtuous temperament, did not like fighting, and had never shown any affection for men.

Even from the emperor's uncle Liu Bei, Mi Zhu rarely heard Mi Zhen comment or complain.

"Since I'm worried, my brother will go to Fu Xu's army to see if he can spare time to go to the inner country. However, don't hold too much hope. The war ahead is tight. Although Fu Xu stays behind, he can still The number of troops dispatched is also limited."

Mi Zhu thought for a while, and finally nodded and agreed to Mi Zhen's request.

This little girl he had grown up watching.

Because of the big age difference, Mi Zhu cherished her dearly, but after marrying Liu Bei, Mi Zhen's life was not happy.

Although Liu Bei was the queen of King Jing of Zhongshan, by his generation, he was in decline and could only make a living by selling straw sandals.

Mi Zhen was from a wealthy merchant family, so the two had different family backgrounds and shared few common languages. Therefore, in General Zuo's Mansion, Liu Bei preferred to stay with Mrs. Gan, who also came from a small household.

He is young and beautiful, but he can only stay in an empty house alone.

Mi Zhu saw the pain in Mi Zhen's heart and felt pain in her heart.

...

Neixiang County.

The flag of Cao Jun has been planted on the tower at the highest point of the city.

Xiahoulan sent troops to the inner city and quickly occupied this small border town in Nanyang County. During this period, Cao's army fought several battles with the Wei Yan tribe of Liu Bei's army who blocked the enemy, and they were victorious.

Xia Houlan was quite proud of this.

Therefore, when the deputy general Hou Cheng advised him to be cautious, Xiahou Lan was very unhappy.

Hou Cheng was originally a capable general under Wen Hou Lu Bu, and he once won Lu Bu's trust.

Cao Cao led a large army to besiege Xiapi. Hou Cheng knew that the situation was over, so he led his men to capture the trapped general Gao Shun and counselor Chen Gong, and then left the city to surrender.

Hou Chengcheng thought that with such great achievements, he would definitely be reused by Cao Cao.

The result disappointed him. Although Cao Cao loved talents, he looked down on capricious villains like Hou Cheng. On the contrary, Zhang Liao, who was also a strong general under Lu Bu, but fought hard against the captured Zhang Liao, was highly valued by Cao Cao.

.

Hou Cheng was so angry that he complained a lot in front of his generals. After it reached Cao Cao's ears, Cao Cao became even more disgusted with him. Hou Cheng's military positions were demoted again and again. Now the tiger fell on Pingtan, only
Chapter completed!