Chapter 45: I Have Ruined History and Culture

Zhao Shaojie and his party were heading toward Xiakou by water when they happened to cross paths with a naval force.

The leader of the fleet was none other than Liu Bei himself.

Upon meeting, Liu Bei's excitement was palpable. "Shaojie, you've returned! Are you injured?" he exclaimed, looking Zhao Shaojie up and down as if inspecting a priceless treasure, even reaching out to pat him.

This gesture left Mi Fang and the others dumbfounded.

When had they ever seen Liu Bei, a man who rarely showed his emotions, behave with such unbridled joy?

"I'm fine, perfectly safe," Zhao Shaojie said, feeling a bit embarrassed as he awkwardly laughed and waved off the attention.

Only then did Liu Bei let out a sigh of relief. He turned to Mi Fang and Xu Shu, taking each of them by the hand, and smiled, "Zifang, Yuanzhi, now that you have returned, I have nothing to worry about!"

Mi Fang and Xu Shu quickly replied, "Thank you for your concern, My Lord."

Afterward, they exchanged updates on their recent circumstances.

Following a brief stay in Xiangyang, Liu Bei had led his forces to Jiangxia.

Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, and others were tasked with local recruitment and troop training.

Zhuge Liang, Pang Tong, and others were responsible for population placement and local administration.

As for Liu Bei, his role was to travel along the waterways of Nanjun and Nanyang commanderies to show his face. Sailing up to the riverbanks, he would ask a simple question: "Lao Xiang, will you join me in resisting Cao Cao?"

And just like that, people would flock onto the boats in droves.

Boatload after boatload of people departed.

Mi Fang and Xu Shu also recounted their experiences—from entering Jiaozhou to leaving it, marching all the way north, conquering Guiyang and Changsha, and managing both regions.

Liu Bei was overjoyed; the Changsha commandery was of paramount importance.

As for Zhao Shaojie, he chose not to mention his industrial plans, which had essentially been total failures.

He preferred to save face.

Once the conversations wound down, Mi Fang and Xu Shu took their leave.

Only Liu Bei and Zhao Shaojie remained.

"Shaojie, just as you predicted, Lu Su has arrived," Liu Bei said, his expression turning solemn.

By this point, Zhao Shaojie had relaxed. With no outsiders present, he no longer felt the need to mind his manners. He shook his head regretfully and said, "Ah, it's all gone. With you evacuating like this, we've lost Liu Adu, the God of War of Changban; Zhao Yun, the Vice God of War of Changban; Zhang Fei, whose roar shook Dangyang; not to mention your civilian-escorted river crossing, and all those grand speeches about how the foundation of a great cause is the people."

"It's all gone now! I've ruined history and culture!"

Liu Bei glanced at Zhao Shaojie, shook his head gently, and replied, "If I had stuck to that, my two daughters and the families of countless others would have been captured, and even Xu Shu would have abandoned me. Is that what you wanted to see?"

Zhao Shaojie chuckled, "I just think it's a pity. That was supposed to be your highlight reel. In such desperate times, to have people follow you through thick and thin—didn't that prove how deeply you won the hearts of the people?"

Liu Bei merely shook his head again. What good was winning hearts if it achieved nothing? Having learned fragments of history, he was already growing anxious, and some of his long-held principles were beginning to waver.

Had Zhao Shaojie not told him that the forces of Yizhou would definitely send envoys to invite him, giving him the chance to launch a surprise attack on Liu Zhang, he certainly would have chosen to attack Xiangyang this time.

According to Zhuge Liang's strategy, the Han River would serve as a natural barrier to resist Cao Cao.

When it all came down to it, he was a political figure. His political objectives could not be compromised. Some principles he valued because he believed they wouldn't interfere with his goals, but if they did, he would abandon them without hesitation.

"Shaojie, everything you foretold has come to pass: Liu Biao is dead, Liu Cong has surrendered, Cao Cao is marching south, and Lu Su has crossed the river..." Liu Bei brought the conversation back to the present situation. His gaze suddenly turned resolute as he said in a deep voice, "I am thinking of facing Cao Cao alone, without reinforcements from Jiangdong!"

Hearing this, Zhao Shaojie was utterly stunned and blurted out instinctively, "Can we pull that off?"

Liu Bei answered earnestly, "Why not? Setting aside the more than ten thousand men you brought back, I already have an army of fifty thousand stationed in Jiangxia, and newly recruited troops are currently undergoing training. Our strength should be sufficient to give Cao Cao a fight."

Zhao Shaojie pondered this seriously and noted, "Historically, you had ten thousand men and Liu Qi had another ten thousand—combining for twenty thousand—while Zhou Yu brought thirty thousand..." He then smiled and said, "Wait, our own forces already outnumber the Sun-Liu alliance in history. We truly don't need Sun Quan's reinforcements."

"As long as we handle things properly, we can do exactly what happened in history: send agents to fake a surrender, use fire to attack Cao Cao's fleet, and capitalize on the plague that Cao Cao's troops suffered from at the time. Won't this battle that decides the fate of the realm become ours alone to reap?"

The more Zhao Shaojie thought about it, the more feasible it seemed. "Alright, let's do it. It's just a bit unfair to Zhou Yu."

Liu Bei looked at Zhao Shaojie with a strange expression.

Zhao Shaojie dismissively remarked, "Even though Zhou Yu wanted to kill you and place you under house arrest, he serves Sun Quan and stands on a different side. Isn't that perfectly normal?" Changing the subject, he continued, "Besides, someone as brilliant as Zhou Yu would do just as well attacking Hefei. He would definitely capture it, unlike that good-for-nothing Sun Quan who gets beaten back by a handful, a few dozen, a few hundred, or even zero enemies!"

Liu Bei shook his head, refusing to indulge Zhao Shaojie's rambling, and instead asked for detailed accounts of the Battle of Red Cliffs.

...

Xiakou.

Lu Su had been here for quite some time.

During these days, he witnessed firsthand how scholars and farmers, officers and common soldiers alike poured in from Nanyang and Nanyang commanderies to pledge allegiance to Liu Bei.

Such a spectacle weighed heavily on his mind.

The hearts of the people in Jingzhou entirely belonged to Liu Bei.

Moreover, Liu Bei's military strength was formidable, boasting a full fifty thousand troops, with newly conscripted soldiers actively drilling.

Under these circumstances, it seemed rather difficult for Eastern Wu to meddle.

To be safe, he had specifically paid a visit to Liu Qi. The ailing Liu Qi had cursed Cao Cao and Liu Cong bitterly, showed Lu Su no pleasant expression, and demanded that the Sun family return the several counties in Jiangxia.

Lu Su grew even more frustrated. Just as he was wondering what to do, external news suddenly arrived.

"Liu Xijun has returned!"

...

Stepping out of the guesthouse, Lu Su saw Liu Bei once again leading a large entourage from the docks, accompanied by countless armored soldiers.

"In the past, his troops numbered only dozens, hundreds, or very rarely a thousand. How on earth did he amass such a massive army?" Lu Su gasped in astonishment and hurriedly inquired about the situation.

Upon finding out, Lu Su grew even more anxious.

These troops hailed from Jiaozhou; the fact that Jiaozhou could dispatch an army of ten thousand meant it had already submitted to Liu Bei.

"What is to be done?" Lu Su fumed with frustration.

There were only so many places left in the realm worth seizing. Otherwise, they would have to go make trouble for Cao Cao—but was Cao Cao's trouble so easily provoked?

Liu Bei, leading his returning army, failed to notice Lu Su in the crowd, cheerfully exchanging pleasantries with Wu Ju and the others instead.

Wu Ju and his companions chatted with Liu Bei as well. With just a few words and a few glances, Liu Bei's charisma completely won them over; Wu Ju, Qian Bo, Liu Yan, and the other key commanders who had traveled from Jiaozhou were utterly convinced and declared their willingness to die in service to Liu Bei.

Upon entering the city, Liu Bei hosted a banquet to welcome Mi Fang, Wu Ju, and the others back from their expedition.

At this banquet, Liu Bei once again displayed his personal charm to the utmost. If the guests had been scholars, the effect might only have been favorable, but being battle-hardened warriors, their loyalty meters were maxed out entirely.