It is impossible to say that Liu Bei has no regrets in his heart now.
Such a great opportunity to make friends with the emperor was missed!
Although his business is now flourishing, Liu Bei would only be able to expand into Yuzhou with justification if he received an imperial decree to confirm his title as the governor of Yuzhou.
After all, the people in other directions of Xia Pi were either allies or enemies much stronger than himself. Liu Bei could not be enemies with either Yuan or Cao Cao.
However, the only direction for expansion, Yuzhou, was occupied by Yuan Shu. The two sides had always been at odds. Yuan Shu coveted Xuzhou, and Liu Bei was not a pushover either. He blocked Yuan Shu's several attempts to send troops.
But usually he could only plunder Yuan Shu's grain team and take small advantages as revenge. As for breaking into Yuan Shu's territory and conquering cities, Liu Bei didn't even dare to think about it at the moment.
Liu Bei's biggest problem now is that he can't find a counselor who can show him a clear way forward.
He is not without officials under his command who are proficient in domestic policies and strategies. Mi Zhu, Sun Gan, and Jian Yong are all considered good, but they are still some distance away from being top strategists who can strategize the world and predict general trends.
Chen Qun and Chen Deng, who were truly capable of offering advice in this regard, have already turned to others.
Moreover, Mi Zhu's younger brother Mi Fang is also not a worry-free person. Recently, he has often had conflicts in the East China Sea and Langya where Yuan Tan is located, and he has suffered a lot.
Liu Bei knew that Yuan Tan was definitely bullying others by taking advantage of his power, but he was just looking for an excuse. Mi Fang had a temper that could not be tolerated, so wasn't this exactly what he wanted?
Thinking of this, Liu Bei sighed and said, "We may seem to be in high spirits now, but in fact, there are hidden dangers everywhere."
"Although we can now gain a foothold in Xuzhou, it is really difficult to decide what to do next."
"Yuan Shu is powerful, but if he sets up his own army and becomes an enemy of the Han Dynasty, Yuan Benchu and Cao Mengde will not miss this opportunity. We can benefit from it, so we must make plans early."
"But what I am most worried about is Mi Zifang. He has clashed with Yuan Xiansi many times. Donghai is behind us. If there is a fire in the backyard, we will be attacked from both sides."
"I asked Mi Zizhong to write several letters to persuade him, but the effect was minimal. After all, the conflict between the two sides was not simply a unilateral issue on Mi Zizhong's side."
"Now that the two sides are at a stalemate, we must resolve it as soon as possible, otherwise it will not be a good idea to hold on."
"Now I want to find a capable person to mediate this matter, but I can't think of a suitable person."
"Third brother, you have a bad temper and have done many bad things. I am afraid that you will clash with the Qingzhou army after you arrive."
"Second brother, you are a steady person, but you and Zifang have had some private disagreements. I am afraid that if both sides refuse to give in, the situation will get worse."
After hearing this, although Guan Yu and Zhang Fei were not quite convinced in their hearts, they had to admit that Liu Bei's considerations were reasonable.
Liu Bei sighed, "Zi Zhong did give me an idea. Send a letter to Yuan Xianyi for help and ask him to mediate."
"What do you think?"
Zhang Fei heard this and muttered, "Please mediate. Last time we lost half of Xuzhou. I'm afraid that if we continue to mediate, we will give the remaining half away to others!"
Guan Yu stopped Zhang Fei and said, "Don't act on impulse, Third Brother. If he hadn't intervened last time, we wouldn't even have a place to stand!"
"Although Xiong Hu is not the kind of friend who would stick his neck out for you, he is a pretty good ally. When I was besieged by Jiangdong generals under Guangling City and was about to die, it was he who sent his generals to rescue me."
"If he is really the kind of villain who is plotting against us, he can just sit back and watch me die in battle. Wouldn't that make Big Brother even more powerless to resist?"
Zhang Fei had no way to refute what he heard, so he could only say hesitantly: "Even if what Second Brother said is right, he is now the governor of Xuzhou. I'm afraid he is eyeing our remaining pieces of land. Will he really help us?"
Liu Bei sighed, "Second brother and third brother, have you ever thought about where we should go?"
"Will you stay in Xia Pi and live out your life in solitude?"
Guan Yu nodded and said, "Indeed, Cao Cao has evil ambitions, Yuan Tan's intentions are unclear, and Yuan Shao will not always treat us the same. Now we can only rely on ourselves to create a world for ourselves."
"The forces around us are too strong. If we want to defend Xuzhou, we need to expand. We cannot do it by ourselves in the next few years. We may even be annexed by others."
Liu Bei nodded and said, "Yun Chang, this is exactly what I wanted to say."
"Among the princes who are eyeing us, Yuan Xianyi is the most reliable one."
"If we lose this ally again, how can we continue to gain a foothold?"
"What's more, Xiong Hu has the support of the Yuan family and has been personally appointed by the emperor. In terms of righteousness, reputation and power, there is no one in the world more suitable to join forces with him."
"So we need to be on good terms with them at least for the next few years in order to consolidate our own power, or even go a step further and establish a relationship with the Han court. This is what we urgently need."
"Now that we need his help, it is actually an opportunity. We can take this opportunity to get closer to him and make the alliance between the two sides more solid. This is the best option for us."
After hearing this, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei had to admit that Liu Bei was right.
Zhang Fei said gloomily, "What if we ask him for help and he asks us to surrender Xuzhou?"
After hearing this, Guan Yu also said, "What Third Brother said does make sense."
Liu Bei said in a deep voice: "That's what I think."
"We have been wandering for half our lives, and it took us two years to finally find a place to stay."
"Over the years, we led hundreds of troops and joined the feudal lords until we took Xuzhou from the governor of Taozhou. Before that, how could we have our own territory?"
"Land is important, but if we have a strong and loyal army, win the hearts of the people, and have a good reputation throughout the world, we can make a comeback even if we lose our land."
"I only hold the title of Yuzhou Mu in vain. If Xionghu can help me achieve my wish in the future, why not give Xuzhou to him?"
Guan Yu said in a deep voice: "Brother, you are very courageous. If it were two years ago, you would never let go of Xuzhou."
Liu Bei smiled bitterly and said, "Anyone who suffers a loss should think about it."
"We were beaten so badly last time. If it weren't for the fierce tiger's help, we would have been almost wiped out."
"It's fine if our wives and daughters are lost, but if all the soldiers and subordinates who followed us are gone, how can we three brothers turn the situation around?"
Everyone was silent.
Liu Bei said, "So I've thought about it. At least for now, we are in urgent need of Xionghu's help, so I must make my attitude clear and find a way to establish a closer relationship with Xionghu."
Zhang Fei shook his head and said, "That fierce tiger is not a good person. He is extremely shrewd. If we want him to take action, I am afraid that he will not help us for nothing unless he cuts off a large piece of meat."
After hearing this, Liu Bei said, "I have already discussed this matter with my subordinates."
"Xionghu is indeed a man of extraordinary strategy, decisive and clear-headed. He is indeed very difficult to convince."
"But it's not without its shortcomings."
"I have already discussed with Zi Zhong and plan to take the girl from the Mi family as my adopted sister. I will act as a matchmaker and provide a dowry to marry her to Xiong Hu."
"In this way, I can be tied to Xionghu through this relationship."
After hearing this, Guan Yu praised: "Brother, you are very thoughtful."
"At first, Xiong Hu had intended to marry Mi, but for some reason, he suddenly left."
"According to my guess, although this man is lustful, he also cares about his reputation. Seeing that the Mi family was wavering, he probably thought that the lord was still interested in the Mi family girl. He was worried that he would compete with his eldest brother and spread a bad reputation among the nobles, so he gave up."
Liu Bei sighed, "This is a huge misunderstanding. Now that my original wife is back, how can I have an excuse to marry another one?"
"It's my fault that I didn't have a clear attitude at that time. Now I will take the girl from the Mi family as my sister and act as a matchmaker for her marriage, so that she can dispel this doubt."
Zhang Fei thought to himself, does elder brother really have no interest in the girl from the Mi family?
Why do I feel that I don't look like him?
Is it really not because he has no other options that he is throwing stones at the girl from the Mi family to test the waters?
But my brother clearly said that women are like clothes!
Since he is not interested in the girl from the Mi family,
Thinking of this, Zhang Fei blurted out: "Brother's daughter, is she also old enough to get married?"
"Brother, if you really want to establish a relationship with that fierce tiger, how can you just become in-laws directly?"
"If Xiong Hu agrees, wouldn't Big Brother just become his father-in-law? Isn't this more direct than having a stepsister?"
Guan Yu's face froze. You're the only one who talks too much!
Why do I become smart when I shouldn't be smart?
Is this something you just said casually?
Liu Bei's face froze, and he forced a smile, "That fierce tiger already has a wife. I am the ruler of a state after all, so I have to maintain my dignity."
Zhang Fei nodded, then shook his head, "That's not right. I heard that Marquis Wen also gave his daughter to Xiong Hu. It can't be that she is his legal wife, right?"
Liu Bei was speechless and looked even more embarrassed.
Guan Yu heard this and shouted, "Third brother, you just keep getting entangled in places like this. You should train your troops well this time. You may have to fight a war someday!"
After hearing this, Zhang Fei's attention was diverted and he began to talk incessantly about the soldiers' laziness during training.
Guan Yu was staring at the shallow scratches on Liu Bei's cheeks, as if thinking about something.
Yecheng.
Lu Lingqi sat under the tree, leaning against the cool trunk, and said sullenly, "What's the point of going through the six rituals? I have to run back and forth so many times. It's so annoying."
"Father just nodded at the beginning, why is there such a big mess?"
Yuan Xi sat next to her and said with a smile, "This is for the Jizhou nobles to see."
"You also know that although Wen Hou is the bravest in the world, there have always been some people who are interested in trouble. They privately slandered Wen Hou for his lack of etiquette."
"So this time I asked the Zhen family mistress to adopt you as her adopted daughter and complete the six ceremonies for him. It was also for the sake of Marquis Wen and your reputation."
Lu Lingqi knew in her heart that the main reason why Wen Hou was criticized was that he killed his two sponsors. Although he later used the emperor's edict as an excuse, it was still dishonorable after all.
She knew that this was not the time to be rude and make trouble, so she could only say sullenly: "Yecheng is so troublesome, and getting married is so troublesome. It's better to be happy in Huaicheng."
"I miss my mother."
Yuan Xi comforted him: "Everyone has to grow up and leave home."
"I'm afraid that after my aunt married Marquis Wen, she never saw her parents again."
"Besides, Youzhou and Hanoi are not far away in the future, and there will be many opportunities to go back and visit relatives."
Lu Lingqi's mood improved. "I know you are comforting me, but I am still very happy."
"Let me not talk about it. You have been traveling around for the past six months. You haven't had time to meet your family in Jicheng, right?"
Yuan Xi smiled bitterly and said, "Indeed."
"Besides, we don't know when the Black Mountain incident will be resolved. By then, we will have to return to Jicheng, which may take until the end of the year."
"I was afraid that my child would be born by then."
Lu Lingqi nodded slightly. This was the helplessness of conquering the world. It was common not to see one's wife and children for several years.