When Cao Cao attacked Xuzhou, he was ordered by Tian Kai to rescue Tao Qian. Later, Cao Cao ran out of food and retreated. Tian Kai led his troops back to Qingzhou, but Liu Bei stayed in Xuzhou from then on.
The reasons are quite complex. After that, Xuzhou was considered stable for more than half a year, but now Xuzhou will soon be without an owner.
Tao Qian is seriously ill.
If Liu Bei left Xuzhou and went north to rescue Tian Kai, then Xuzhou would be empty and Cao Cao might take the opportunity to attack Xuzhou again and plunder grain and grass.
And if Tao Qian dies at this time, Xuzhou will definitely be in chaos. When Liu Bei comes back, the day lily will be cold. Who knows who will be the master of Xuzhou at that time?
In the corner of Tancheng, where the Xuzhou government is located, there is an extremely luxurious and spacious mansion, which looks even more luxurious than the Zhen family's mansion in Yecheng.
Mi family.
At that time, under Tao Qian's governance, Xuzhou's commerce and agriculture were extremely developed, with abundant warehouses, smooth trade routes, and many Buddhist believers. The Buddhist temples built were extremely luxurious. Tao Qian himself was an extremely crazy Buddhist.
(Tao) Qian and his fellow countymen Zuo Rong gathered hundreds of people and came to rely on Qian. Qian sent the governor to Guangling, Xiapi and Pengcheng to transport grain, thus cutting off the transportation of the three county committees. A large pagoda temple was built, with gold plates on the top and heavy towers on the bottom.
There are also halls and pavilions that can accommodate about three thousand people. They have gold-painted images and brocade colors on them. Every time the Buddha is bathed, there are often many dining tables and mats laid out on the road. There are more than ten thousand people eating and watching.
——"The Biography of Tao Qian in the Later Han Dynasty"
However, after Cao Cao's two attacks, Xuzhou's population has dropped sharply, and farmers and merchants have suffered great damage. Even the Mi family has been greatly affected.
There were private rumors among the nobles that Cao Cao was so hostile to Xuzhou. On the one hand, he coveted Xuzhou's wealth. Another reason was that Cao Cao had a secret identity in Taoism, so he could easily subdue the Qingzhou soldiers who were formerly the Yellow Turban Army.
Because of this important status, Cao Cao was so hostile to Xuzhou, where Buddhism was widely spread, and wanted to destroy it.
Of course, this is just a rumor. As for the truth, just like Cao Cao's life experience, it is difficult to be discovered.
Deep in the Mi family's mansion, in the guest room, several people were sitting across from each other.
The first guest was Liu Bei, and behind him was Guan Yu and Zhang Fei who never left.
Opposite Liu Bei sat Diannong captain Chen Deng.
On the main seat was Tao Qian's chariot, Mi Zhu.
Mi Zhu was about the same age as Liu Bei at this time, both in their thirties, with an honest and elegant appearance. At this time, he offered Liu Bei a distant hand.
"Mr. Xuande!"
"Zhou Mu is seriously ill. We should make a decision early, otherwise chaos will occur if we wait too late!"
Liu Bei hesitated and said: "Although Gongzu Gong is sick, he may be auspicious. I am going to lead troops to rescue Tian Kai. If everything goes well, he can come back in a few months."
Even Chen Deng couldn't listen anymore and shouted: "Mr. Xuande, it will be too late by then!"
Liu Bei hesitated and said: "Two gentlemen can take care of things in Xuzhou, so what's the use of me staying here?"
Chen Deng hated the fact that iron cannot be made into steel and said: "We are all civil servants!"
"If Zhou Mu dies, whoever has the soldiers will have the final say!"
Chen Deng secretly cursed that Liu Bei was so forward-looking and backward-looking that he might not be able to dominate a place like Xuzhou for a long time.
Mi Zhu also nodded and said: "Tao Zhou Mu's subordinates are all Yellow Turban generals, and they are cruel in their actions. If Zhou Mu dies, they will have evil intentions, and my life and Yuan Long (Chen Deng)'s life will be in danger."
He thought in his heart that only Tao Qian and Liu Bei could suppress the surrendered generals. If Liu Bei left, there would be no one to control those generals, and the entire Mi family would be doomed, not to mention his own life.
No matter what, I have to talk about Liu Bei today.
He opened his mouth and said, "I have a sister Mi Zhen. If Duke Xuande is interested, I would like to marry him. Can I marry him?"
After hearing this, Liu Bei hesitated for a moment, shook his head and said: "I already have my first wife and my sister's status, so how can I be wronged and become a concubine? There is no need to mention this matter again."
Chen Deng felt a little hungry, so he picked up a few pieces of sashimi on the plate in front of him, dipped them in soy sauce, put them in his mouth, savored them for a few breaths, and then swallowed them.
Mi Zhu knew that Chen Deng liked fish and clams by nature, so every time he came, he would prepare several plates of fresh fish and clams for him.
Chen Deng ate a few more slices before putting down his jade chopsticks with satisfaction, "Mr. Xuande, those who do great things don't stick to trivial matters."
"In my opinion, I need to meet with Tao Zhou Mu as soon as possible, tell Xuzhou generals that they have rebellion, get the military talisman from Zhou Mu, and take control of Xuzhou in advance!"
Liu Bei was stunned: "Isn't this a frame-up?"
Chen Deng hated the iron and said: "What time has it been? If others take action first, it will be too late!"
He picked up the jade chopsticks again and picked up a piece of fish meat.
Zhang Fei shouted: "Brother! Sir, you are right, let's do it!"
Chen Denggang put the fish meat into his mouth and almost choked when he was shouted at. He sat upright and thought to himself, "Can you please stop being so surprised? Why do you always have such a loud voice?"
Seeing that Liu Bei was still hesitant, Chen Deng sighed: "Mr. Xuande, have you ever thought about where you will go in the future?"
After Liu Bei heard this, he bowed and said, "Please give me Mr. Yuanlong's advice."
Chen Deng immediately said: "Previously, the situation was that the two kings stood side by side, but after Liu Yu's death, the situation in the world has begun to get out of control."
One of the two kings, the current Han Emperor Liu Xie, was supported by the Guanzhong Army.
Dong Zhuo, the leader of the Guanzhong Army, is dead, and the remaining cavalry general Li Jue, right general Fan Chou, rear general Guo Si, Xuanyi general Jia Xu, and Anji general Dong Cheng are still holding the Han Emperor hostage.
The Kwantung Allied Forces led by Yuan Shao supported Youzhou Mu Liu Yu.
At that time, Yuan Shao and others felt that Liu Xie had been held hostage by the Guanzhong Army and was unfit to be emperor, so they elected Liu Yu to be the emperor.
"Notes on the Daily Life of Emperor Xian" - The general Yuan Shao, Marquis of Ye, had an affair with Han Fu, the shepherd of Jizhou, and the great minister Liu Yu was carved with a golden seal. He sent Bi Yu to serve as the commander-in-chief of Yu, which was used to record the number.
Therefore, the Kwantung Army led by Yuan Shao openly supported Liu Yu as emperor during the Suanzao Alliance. The princes who participated in the support included Yuan Shao, Han Fu, Zhang Miao, Liu Dai, Qiao Mao, Zang Hong, and Zhang Chao.
et al.
As for Cao Cao, he was not in this inner circle at that time.
Although Liu Yu did not agree later, he always maintained an ally relationship with the Kwantung Allied Forces.
In order to counter this situation, the Guanzhong Army who held Liu Xie hostage bribed Gongsun Zan and went south to attack Yuan Shao and others. This was the cause of the Four States Rebellion.
But Gongsun Zan also took advantage of both sides, and secretly colluded with Yuan Shu.
In the Jujube Alliance, four people did not appear, Yuan Shu, Gongsun Zan, Tao Qian, and Liu Bei.
They formed a circle headed by Yuan Shu, and first launched Quexuan, who claimed to be the Emperor, to test the situation. When they found that something was wrong, Tao Qian decisively killed him.
However, during this period, Gongsun Zan killed Liu Yu, who had gone to fight in person, causing Yuan Shao and others to fail their plan to establish a new emperor.
The ultimate goal of Yuan Shu's faction is to establish himself as emperor. Yuan Shu asked Tao Qian to introduce Que Xuan to test the world.
Liu Bei was kept in the dark at first, and it was not until recently that he came back to his senses under the hint of Chen Deng and others.
I was used by others and became a traitor!
Chen Deng was extremely loyal to the Han Dynasty, and what he just said was a hint to Liu Bei.
What exactly do you want to do?
Although Liu Bei, Chen Deng, Mi Zhu and others were all subordinates of Tao Qian, they formed a small circle secretly. Their purpose was not exactly the same as that of Tao Qian who was attached to Yuan Shu.
What they are planning now is how to get Xuzhou.
The relationship between people in the late Han Dynasty was so complicated.
Liu Bei lowered his head, feeling extremely confused.
Mi Zhu finally spoke up: "Mr. Xuande, if you hesitate any longer, we will all die."
Liu Bei murmured: "But Grandpa Gong is very kind to me..."
Chen Deng snorted coldly: "I know better than Mr. Xuande what Zhou Mu is like."
"His time is running out, does he still want to drag the people of Xuzhou to be buried with him?"
"If Yuan Shu becomes emperor in the future, can Duke Xuande be worthy of the ancestors of the Han Dynasty and even the people of the world?"
Liu Bei suddenly raised his head: "Thank you, Mr. Yuanlong, for the tip!"
He suddenly stood up and said to Guan Yu and Zhang Fei: "Order your troops and horses and follow me to see Tao Zhou Mu!"
Chen Deng and Mi Zhu looked at each other with great joy.
In a corner of the small courtyard of the Mi family, there was a young girl with beautiful skin and beautiful skin. Listening to the bustle of people in the house, she looked worried and asked her maid to open the courtyard door to see what was going on.
The scene in front of her shocked her. Many servants of the Mi Mansion were holding fire, covered with thick leather clothes, and surrounded by several layers of bamboo.
At that time, concealing armor was a capital crime, but this substitute could be deceived and could provide a lot of protection.
A young man was passing by with someone. When he saw the girl coming out, he shouted: "Little sister, go back quickly."
The girl was Mi Zhen. She said worriedly: "Brother Mi Fang, where are you going?"
That young man was Mi Zhu's younger brother Mi Fang, who usually loved Mi Zhen the most. He pushed Mi Zhen back to the small courtyard and said, "Don't worry about it. If there is anything going on outside, don't come out."
"If I can't come back tonight, you will take people out of Mi Mansion early in the morning."
After hearing this, Mi Zhen said quietly: "If my brother doesn't come back, how will I have a chance to escape?"
Mi Fang couldn't help but laugh after hearing this: "Mei Zhen is right, you can rest assured and wait for me to come back."
At this time, Mi Zhen saw a tall man with a face as heavy as a jujube approaching from a distance, calling his servants to go out, but when he passed by, he glanced at her one more time.
When Mi Fang saw this, she felt unhappy and shouted: "What are you looking at!"
He knew that this big man was Liu Bei's bodyguard and followed Liu Bei all day long. He was obviously of low status and was looked down upon by Mi Fang, who came from a wealthy family.
Guan Yu's face turned cold. He had lived a rather poor life and knew the hardships of the people's lives, so he was rather arrogant towards the noble merchants.
Now that he saw Mi Fang being rude, the long knife in his hand suddenly struck out!
When Mi Fang saw the wind of the knife touching her neck, she was so frightened that she fell to the ground.
It took him a while to come back to his senses, and he touched his neck in shock and found that he was not injured. When he raised his head angrily, Guan Yu had already left.
Mi Fang had no choice but to curse and stand up, put Mi Zhen in bed, and left the house with her servants.
In Tancheng in the dark night, fire dragons composed of torches twisted and meandered towards the Prefectural Mufu Mansion.
That night, Tao Qian passed the position of Xuzhou Mu to Liu Bei.
He died of illness a few days later.
At this time, inside Ye City, Yuan Xi and Zhang He had already ordered two thousand troops and horses, preparing to leave the city.
Accompanying him were thousands of grain trucks and tens of thousands of civilians.
Yuan Xi's trip was to transport grain and grass, and he met Yuan Tan in the plains.
He and Zhang He led the soldiers, starting from the north gate of Yecheng and heading north, followed by a mighty ant-like convoy.
The front of the team has left the city for two hours, and the baggage train at the end of the team has not yet left the gate of Yecheng.