We agreed that you, a weak strategist, would fight against three heroes by yourself?

Han Dynasty, the beginning of June in the Taichu calendar, the summer solstice!

Xuzhou.

Since the summer solstice, the weather has become increasingly hot.

There has been no rain in succession, which makes people even more irritated in this hot weather.

Donghai County, inside Dongping City.

Because of the turmoil in Yanzhou, Cao Cao summoned Cao Ren and the Dongping City garrison to confront the Xuzhou army before leaving.

Fortunately, the unrest in Yanzhou did not have much impact.

After his worries were eliminated, the pressure on Cao Ren also eased a lot.

However, because of the policies formulated by Xi Yu and others, Cao Ren always felt timid when dealing with things.

During this period, he received a lot of praise because of these policies.

Some even praised him for his good handling of government affairs.

However, Cao Ren was not happy at all for such praise.

"How long does it take for the Lord to arrive?"

After asking the deputy general next to him, Cao Ren looked at the government affairs in front of him and felt that his head was about to get bigger.

As a military general, although Cao Ren handled government affairs, he didn't have many problems.

However, as a military general, who is willing to devote himself to the documents.

Being able to go into battle and kill the enemy is the best thing.

Unfortunately, the current situation in Xuzhou cannot be solved with a battle.

"About two days!"

After the situation in Yanzhou was resolved, Cao Cao returned to Xuzhou, but he did not directly arrive at the front line of the two armies at the first time.

Although he didn't know what Cao Cao was doing, Cao Ren didn't take the initiative to ask about this kind of thing.

Knowing that Cao Cao would arrive in two days, his mood improved a lot.

"Is there any letter from Xuzhou?"

…

Xuzhou, Tancheng!

Within the Chen Mansion.

At the beginning, the Chen family and his son planned to support Liu Bei.

Now in Xuzhou, as Tao Qian is old, frail and seriously ill, this situation may not last long.

Once Tao Qian dies, the situation in Xuzhou will no longer be as stable as before.

Chen Gui and his son had already made plans earlier.

These aristocratic families themselves put their family first, only after they came into contact with each other.

Chen Gui and his son felt that Liu Bei and them did not seem to be on the same journey.

"Yuanlong, what has Liu Bei done recently?"

In the lobby of the Chen Mansion, Chen Gui sat in front of the ice mirror, stretching out his hand to gently fan the cool breeze.

Next to him, Chen Deng knelt down beside him.

"Since you have been seriously ill, Liu Xuande has been keeping to himself and has shown no signs of abnormality!"

Chen Deng sighed.

His original plan was to cater to Liu Bei and become the shepherd of Xuzhou. Later, Tao Qian also had the same intention.

It's just that Chen Deng visited Liu Bei several times in succession, but the other party kept pushing the envelope.

In his words, it seemed as if he was unwilling to serve as Xuzhou Shepherd at all.

But Chen Deng could tell that Liu Bei was quite moved by the Xuzhou territory.

Just look at how the other party has behaved in Xiapi since he entered Xuzhou, and even treated the people.

It is enough to see that Liu Bei's ambition is not small.

The other party is definitely not a person who is willing to accept the status quo.

It's a pity that this person's attitude towards the nobles is not very clear, but he is quite close to the common people.

"snort!"

"Liu Bei doesn't know what's good and what's good. If that's the case, there's no need for us to cater to him!"

Chen Gui sneered.

During the previous spring plowing, he heard that Liu Bei took the initiative to lead the people to open up wasteland and cultivate in Xiapi City, and he earned a lot of reputation.

That man was willing to get close to the people, but his attitude towards them, the nobles of Xuzhou, was neither good nor bad.

It's like hanging them on purpose.

I really thought that without him, Liu Bei, there would be no one else to take over Xuzhou.

Big deal, so what if you flatter Cao Cao?

Even though Cao Cao's attitude towards the nobles in Yanzhou was not very good, it was still the matter of the nobles in Yanzhou and had nothing to do with him in Xuzhou.

This time Cao Cao attacked Xuzhou. Although his policies were similar to those of Yanzhou, for these aristocratic families, it was not harmful to their bones at all.

"I have always heard that Cao Cao is a cruel person, but this war makes me think that Cao Cao is not what the rumors say!"

Chen Gui glanced at Chen Deng.

The father and son had already analyzed some situations earlier.

Even if he surrenders to Cao Cao, it actually means nothing.

After all, Cao Cao is also from a noble family, and the interests of all noble families in the world are actually the same.

Even if Cao Cao takes control of Xuzhou, the other party will not harm the foundation of the Xuzhou family.

This point can be seen by Chen Deng and his son after Cao Cao's attitude towards Xuzhou during this period.

"Father has decided?"

After hearing Chen Gui's tone, Chen Deng raised his head and looked at him.

During this time, his father exchanged information with Cao Ying a lot.

Chen Deng knew this very well.

In the entire Xuzhou family, there are many people who exchange information with Cao Ying.

After all, in this day and age, who doesn’t have two or three relatives?

These aristocratic families can be passed down to this day, and there are many marriages between them.

What's more important is that because of the reason that the great Han people promoted filial piety and integrity, there were many mutual recommendations in the same year.

Marriage is just a way to strengthen a relationship.

After all, the aristocratic families are still connected to each other.

It is precisely because of this relationship among aristocratic families that there are so-called cliques and so-called disciples.

The party's ban is also aimed at the so-called aristocratic families.

The influence of the aristocratic family was so great in this era that sometimes the role of the imperial court was minimal.

The family's problems have already begun since Guangwu's revival.

Chen Gui nodded, he had no intention of getting close to Liu Bei.

Cao Cao is a good candidate, and it is not too late to join him.

As for the entire Xuzhou situation in front of us, it seems that sooner or later it will fall into Cao Cao's hands.

He, Tao Qian, can't hold it, and neither can Liu Bei!

Regarding his father's views, Chen Deng didn't make much sense.

He is also standing on his own side.

At first, I planned to choose Liu Bei just because Liu Bei might be beneficial to the Chen family.

But the current situation seems like it would be better to surrender directly to Cao Cao!

It is better to make friends with Cao Cao early than to be attacked by his troops.

…

When the Xuzhou family began to exchange letters with Cao Ren, there was no movement from Liu Bei and others in Xiapi City.

Inside Xiapi City.

Liu, Guan, and Zhang are still as usual.

Even though the days in Xuzhou are no longer like the days without residence, the three brothers still live in the same house and sleep together.

And this situation is also the basis for a good relationship between the three of them.

Shortly after noon, Liu Bei opened the window of the house with his own hands.

The weather is too hot, and the wind blowing in from the window is a bit of a heat wave.

This situation was somewhat unbearable for the three of them.

At this moment, the three of them were sitting cross-legged on the Tukang, with their shirts exposed to each other.

Guan Yu didn't let go of the scroll, leaning on the earth wall behind his back. He was holding the scroll of Spring and Autumn that he had read countless times.

He held the bamboo slip in one hand and a writing brush in the other hand, looking at some content on the bamboo slip from time to time.

Then he used the knife to gently scratch the previously noted content.

It seemed that every moment, he had a different view on the contents of the letter in his hand.

Liu Bei's eyes were dull.

Perhaps he was dizzy due to the heat. He also leaned on the other side, his broad sleeves instinctively blowing the breeze toward his face.

It's just that the heat wave lingers in the room and lingers for a long time.

"The weather is really too hot. Brother, brother, why don't we go hunting?"

Zhang Fei was really suffocated and couldn't bear it.

I don’t know what my eldest brother was thinking. During this period, he stayed in the house all day long and couldn’t leave.

She acts like a big girl and doesn't even want to see anyone.

Isn't it just about taking over as Xuzhou Mu?

Zhang Fei felt that Tao Qian would not live much longer, since the other party intended to let his eldest brother take over Xuzhou's position.

My eldest brother can just take over directly, there is nothing to hesitate about.

Although Zhang Fei was thinking this in his heart, he still didn't say it directly.

The eldest brother kept secret about this kind of thing, and he didn't want to make Liu Bei angry.

He could only follow the other party.

However, the weather now is really too hot.

For many days in a row, the temperature has only risen but not dropped.

God doesn't know how many times it will rain. If it keeps going like this, sooner or later people will get sick from the heat!

Zhang Fei felt unhappy and wanted to go hunting.

Liu Bei, who heard the voice, turned around and glanced at his third brother, feeling helpless.

What kind of hunting is there in this weather?

Even those wild beasts are probably unwilling to come out to hunt in such an environment.

Seeing that the weather was getting hotter and hotter, Liu Bei was probably feeling a little tormented inside.

On the one hand, Tao Qian's matter was really weighing on his mind.

It is not difficult to take over as Xuzhou Mu.

The difficult thing is how to deal with the current situation in Xuzhou. Liu Bei has now clearly seen the entire Xuzhou faction.

Xuzhou looks simple on the surface, but its roots are intertwined and its power distribution is not that simple.

Gentlemen, wealthy families, Tao Qian!

There was originally an extremely peaceful relationship between these three forces.

Probably Tao Qian was able to control the relationship smoothly at first, but as Tao Qian got older, his frailty began to show.

The situation that was originally balanced gradually began to tilt.

What's more, under such circumstances, Cao Cao's army is pressing down outside, and the entire Xuzhou is now like being roasted on a fire.

Liu Bei, who came up from the bottom, still paid some attention to the common people.

These people are targeting each other, and it is the people at the bottom of Xuzhou who are hurt after all.

Liu Bei couldn't bear it.

At this time, he leaned against the wall and let out a sigh of relief.

"Brother, is there something on your mind?"

Guan Yu on the side heard Liu Bei couldn't help sighing, turned his head and asked Liu Bei.

Guan Yu casually put away the letter in his hand.

When Liu Bei heard this, he couldn't help but glance out the window.

"It hasn't rained for many days!"

"I remember this scene. This is a sign of a severe drought!"

"If there is no rain in the sky, the rice growing on the ground will die of drought. This year's autumn harvest will be difficult!"

Liu Bei felt a little worried.

Once there is a problem with the autumn harvest, these people will not be able to survive the winter, and there will even be large-scale disasters in the coming year.

He had seen such a scene before more than ten years ago.

When the refugees had no food, they looked like haggard gnawing bark along the way, and everything they passed was deserted.

"Brother, the rain is beyond our control!"

Guan Yu also sighed.

My eldest brother's concern for the people is still the same as before.

As if thinking of something, Guan Yu glanced at Liu Bei subconsciously.

"Brother, recently, I heard that Zuo Rong seems to be building a temple!"

After saying this, Guan Yu couldn't help but glance at Liu Bei.

Zuo Rong is the Prime Minister of Xiapi. After all, their brothers just live in Xiapi. Although Zuo Rong is usually very polite to them.

Guan Yu even felt that this person was indeed okay.

However, building a temple is not that simple.

Zuo Rong believed in Buddhism and wanted to build a temple. If it was just an ordinary temple, Guan Yu wouldn't care much.

However, the temple he wanted to build was huge!

I even heard that the other party wanted to cast gold for those Buddha statues.

"temple?"

Hearing Guan Yu mention this, Liu Bei frowned subconsciously.

When he came into contact with Zuo Rong, he found that his abilities were not weak.

He was a fellow countryman of Tao Qian, and he was considered a person whom Tao Qian trusted more. Tao Qian intended to entrust Xuzhou to him.

This made everyone under Tao Qian's command somewhat close to Liu Bei.

And when he settled in Xiapi, Zuo Rong treated him with even more respect.

He knew that the other party believed in Buddhism.

However, if Guan Yu had not mentioned the construction of the temple, Liu Bei would not have heard of it.

Looking at Liu Bei's expression, Guan Yu knew that his eldest brother did not understand this matter.

According to the current situation, Zuo Rong belongs to Tao Qian. If his eldest brother wants to succeed Xuzhou Mu, he naturally cannot turn against Tao Qian's subordinates.

But, he said it after all.

Although the temple is good, it is too aggressive.

"You mean, he plans to cast a golden statue, and even build a Buddhist temple like a towering tower?"

Since the time of Guangwu, Buddhism has appeared in various parts of the Han Dynasty.

After two hundred years, there are already not a few people who believe in Buddhism.

Like Zuo Rong, there are many people who believe in Buddhism among some wealthy noble families.

Liu Bei didn't have much opinion on this.

However, it is somewhat inappropriate to build Buddhist temples on such a large scale at this time of year.

Regarding Zuo Rong, Liu Bei couldn't help but have a slightly different impression.

But he also knew that at this time, he was not qualified to accuse the other party.

After all, he is the Prime Minister of Xiapi, and he is just someone who lives in Xiapi!

"Brother, I think it would be better if you took over the responsibilities of Xuzhou Mu as early as possible, so that our brothers can do things easier!"

"You are so timid now!"

Zhang Fei couldn't help but muttered, and Liu Bei just shook his head when he heard this.

…

Xuzhou, Tancheng Administrative Office!

Today, Tao Qian looks much better, but the burden on Tao Qian is getting heavier and heavier.

He already knew the situation in Xuzhou.

Once he cannot support himself, if this huge Xuzhou is not properly settled, the entire Xuzhou may not fall apart in an instant.

Tao Qian didn't want to see this situation.

He called Cao Bao in front of him, asked the bystanders to step back, and then raised his eyes to look at Cao Bao.

"Has Liu Xuande made a statement in recent days?"

Right now, Tao Qian knew that the only person he could trust Xuzhou to was Liu Bei.

It's just that Liu Bei has been unwilling to take over Xuzhou for some unknown reason.

He knew that it was not that Liu Bei was unwilling to take over Xuzhou, but because things in Xuzhou were not that simple.

"In recent days, Liu Bei has been living in Xiapi, living in seclusion!"

Cao Bao told Tao Qian the information he learned, but he didn't have much opinion on Liu Bei.

Having fought side by side with Liu Bei before, Cao Bao still quite recognized Liu Bei in the future.

The other party is a benevolent and righteous gentleman.

"Bao Bao, you have been following me since Danyang for more than ten years now. Now I can't hold on for much longer. The Tao family will need you to take care of me in the future!"

Looking at Cao Bao in front of him, Tao Qian's tone was extremely sincere. He knew that his end was not far away.

The two sons behind him are all mediocre people. Tao Qian is satisfied if they can live peacefully in this world.

Today's situation in the Han Dynasty is no longer what it was before.

The imperial court was weak and there were many princes.

The great man fell apart, perhaps just in a matter of days.

He, Tao Qian, has been loyal to the Han Dynasty and to the Liu family all his life.

Now, Liu Bei is also a relative of the Liu family. Entrusting the entire Xuzhou to the other party is exactly entrusting Xuzhou to the Liu family.

This is one of the reasons why he is willing to entrust Xuzhou to the other party.

Liu Bei was a benevolent man and would certainly treat Xuzhou well, and he would not be too harsh on his former subordinates.

"Your Majesty!"

Cao Bao clenched his fists and looked a little nostalgic, remembering the days when he followed Tao Qian wholeheartedly.

However, although he was good at leading troops, he did not have the ability to govern such a large Xuzhou.

He also knew that Tao Qian's only choice was to entrust Xuzhou to Liu Bei.

Regarding this, Cao Bao did not have the slightest resentment in his heart.

Over the past ten years, Tao Qian has always been very good to him. Just because they are from the same hometown, this close trust has a beginning and an end.

"What is Cao Jun doing now?"

"Those nobles must have communicated with Cao Cao a lot, right?"

Tao Qian stood up and asked Cao Bao again.

After asking this question, Cao Bao became somewhat silent.

With just one glance, Tao Qian knew that what he guessed was not wrong.

The attitude of those nobles was for their own benefit, and now Tao Qian was no longer looked down upon by those nobles.

"The previous turmoil in Yanzhou, Cao Jun has no intention of taking the initiative to attack, but I heard that Cao Cao has solved the trouble in Yanzhou!"

Cao Bao didn't say anything else.

After hearing this, Tao Qian naturally understood.

After Cao Cao solved the troubles in Yanzhou, he would naturally turn his attention to Xuzhou.

By now, it is no longer a matter of avenging his father.

What Cao Cao did was just to increase his power.