gnovel Chapter 32: Tie him up and hand him over to the strategist!
Chapter 32: Tie him up and hand him over to the strategist!
After Zhao Yun finished handling his brother's funeral,
He then screened all the able-bodied men in Zhao Family Village who were willing to go to Xuzhou with him.
With his only remaining relative, his sister Zhao Yu, he finally assembled a team of fifty people.
Zhao Yu rode a chestnut horse, following beside Zhao Yun.
This was the first time she had ever traveled so far from home, and everything seemed new and exciting to her.
"Brother, is that army division really as powerful as you say?" Zhao Yu couldn't help but ask.
"His abilities as a strategist are rare in this world." Zhao Yun recalled Lu Yong's flawless plans and sighed sincerely, "It is truly a blessing that our lord has his assistance."
"Is the Guo Jia he asked you to find more capable than him?"
Zhao Yun was silent for a moment before replying, "The strategist only said that this person is 'a man of extraordinary talent and strategy,' and even if he is not as good as the strategist, he must still be a person of great talent."
Zhao Yu pursed her lips and whispered, "It's a pity we don't even know where they are. How long will it take to find them..."
Zhao Yun did not respond.
He led his troops forward and arrived near Ye City in Ji Province.
Lu Yong told him that Guo Jia should still be in the Ye City area at this time, and asked him to come here to inquire.
Upon arriving in Ye City,
Sure enough, it didn't take long before they found out:
Several months ago, a talented scholar from Yingchuan once commented in front of Yuan Shao's headquarters that Yuan was "good at planning but indecisive" before storming off.
Now he seems to live in seclusion in a thatched hut on the west bank of the Zhang River, drinking wine and watching fish every day.
Zhao Yun and his men searched along the west bank of the Zhang River for half a day.
Finally, on a gentle slope backed by mountains and facing water,
I saw a lonely thatched hut.
In front of the thatched hut stood a crooked bamboo shed, under which sat a rough wooden table with seven or eight empty wine jars lying haphazardly.
A young man with disheveled hair was fast asleep on a bluestone slab under a bamboo shed, clutching an empty wine bowl in his hand.
Zhao Yu reined in his horse, peered around for a while, then turned to Zhao Yun and whispered, "Brother, you're not looking for this person, are you?"
Zhao Yun wasn't sure either, so he could only go up and ask first.
He dismounted, walked to the bamboo shed, and gently nudged Guo Jia's shoulder.
"Stop fooling around..." Guo Jia mumbled sleepily as he slapped Zhao Yun's hand away, turned over, and went back to sleep.
Left with no other option, Zhao Yun had to increase his strength.
"Ouch!" Guo Jia cried out in pain and finally woke up.
He sat up, rubbed his sleepy eyes, and asked, "Who are you?"
"May I ask if you are Guo Jia, Guo Fengxiao?" Zhao Yun asked, bowing respectfully.
Upon hearing this, Guo Jia immediately became alert.
However, they didn't appear to be dressed as soldiers.
And there was also a young woman,
He relaxed, figuring that Yuan Shao hadn't sent anyone to arrest him.
"It is I. May I ask your name, and what business do you have with me, Guo?"
"Brother, are you sure this is the 'extraordinary man' the strategist was talking about? He looks like a drunkard to me..." Zhao Yu whispered in Zhao Yun's ear.
Although the voice was soft, Guo Jia still heard it.
"The strategist? He sent someone specifically to find me?" Guo Jia thought to himself. "Could it be Zhicai or Wenruo who sent someone to look for me?"
Zhao Yun never expected that Guo Jia, whom Lu Yong had specifically asked to find, would be like this.
However, he did not doubt Lu Yong's words.
Besides, geniuses often have quirks, which is understandable.
Zhao Yun clasped his hands and said, "I am Zhao Yun of Changshan. I have come here on the orders of my lord Liu Bei to invite Mr. Guo Fengxiao to come out of seclusion and assist me."
"Liu Xuande?" Guo Jia pondered for a moment, then pursed his lips and said, "Never heard of him..."
After saying that, he lazily lay back down. "Go quickly, don't disturb my sleep."
Zhao Yun narrowed his eyes slightly, his voice deepening: "If you, sir, are unwilling to depart, then I will have no choice but to offend you!"
"Heh!" Guo Jia chuckled nonchalantly and said, "You don't necessarily intend to kidnap me, do you?"
Before he could finish speaking, Zhao Yu let out a soft exclamation and said, "You've got something going for you! You actually guessed it right!"
"?" Guo Jia's body stiffened.
Then Zhao Yun was heard to whisper, "Men, tie him up and hand him over to the strategist!"
"I……"
-----------------
Xuzhou.
Mi Zhu worked tirelessly and finally completed the survey of all the people who wanted to follow Liu Bei south.
The people had been mostly settled and were just waiting for Liu Bei's order to set off.
In Liu Bei's residence,
Mi Zhu walked in.
Upon seeing Mi Zhu enter, Liu Bei and Lu Yong ceased their discussion.
Mi Zhu bowed and reported: "My lord, all the people who are willing to follow us south have been registered, totaling 29,312 households, about 100,000 people."
"So many?" Even with Liu Bei's composure, he couldn't help but be taken aback.
He originally thought there might be only a few thousand households at most, but he didn't expect there to be nearly 30,000 households!
Lu Yong smiled and cupped his hands in greeting: "Your lord's reputation for benevolence has deeply resonated with the people, a cause for celebration."
"If Xuzhou hadn't been under Cao Cao's tyranny, I'm afraid so many people wouldn't have been willing to leave their homes," Liu Bei sighed, then turned to Mi Zhu and Sun Qian, "but it all depends on your usual mobilization efforts."
Mi Zhu cupped his hands and replied, "That's because of our lord's benevolence and righteousness; otherwise, what use would mobilization alone be?"
Mi Zhu paused for a moment, then said, "Besides ordinary people, there are also some small families and local gentry who want to follow our lord south."
However, since they planned to go ahead first, I took it upon myself to agree to their request.
Please forgive me, my lord.
Liu Bei quickly helped Mi Zhu up, saying, "This is a meritorious deed; what crime has he committed?"
After speaking, Liu Bei turned to Lu Yong: "Strategist, when shall we set off?"
Lu Yong cupped his hands and said, "Yang Hong's reply has arrived. Yuan Shu has also been notified. We can head south in three days."
"Alright!" Liu Bei immediately decided, "We'll depart in three days!"
Late October of the first year of Xingping.
Liu Bei appointed Guan Yu as the chief general, commanding an army of ten thousand.
Zhang Fei led five thousand soldiers as the vanguard.
Liu Bei personally led 8,000 soldiers to guard the central army, escorting Tao Qian and 100,000 people from Xuzhou southward.
Xuzhou Governor Shan Jing, along with Chen Deng and other officials, escorted Liu Bei all the way to Xiapi before bidding him farewell, which inadvertently enhanced Liu Bei's prestige.
When the people of Xuzhou learned that Liu Bei was protecting Tao Qian as he returned to Danyang, they became even more supportive of Liu Bei.
The procession of civilians stretched for hundreds of miles.
Some people were driving livestock and pulling carts loaded with their belongings.
Some young people helped the elderly walk slowly forward.
Although the journey to Danyang was long and arduous, the faces of the people were filled with hopeful smiles.
Liu Bei rode at the head of the procession, surrounded by Lu Yong, Xu Sheng, and three hundred personal guards.
He would occasionally rein in his horse and stop to look back at the endless procession.
Liu Bei knew,
These people will be the foundation upon which he establishes himself in Jiangdong.
It was his hope to quickly gain a foothold.
There must be absolutely no room for error.
As Liu Bei's forces gradually approached Yuan Shu's Jiujiang Commandery
Sun Qian then went ahead to negotiate the alliance agreement with Yuan Shu.
Unexpectedly, when Sun Qian arrived at the border of Jiujiang Commandery, he found that Yuan Shu was already there with civil and military officials such as Yang Hong and Ji Ling.
Although Yuan Shu agreed to open the passage for Liu Bei,
But I'm still a little worried.
I want to see for myself what Liu Bei and his group are really like.
Sun Qian sent a messenger back at top speed to report the news.
When Liu Bei heard that Yuan Shu was ahead,
He immediately led Lu Yong and Xu Sheng away from the main force and rode off at full speed.
From afar, they saw Liu Bei and his entourage approaching.
Yuan Shu was the first to raise his hand in greeting:
"Xuande, it's been a long time."
I heard you have become the Governor of Yu Province; congratulations!
Upon hearing this, Liu Bei couldn't help but think to himself, "Why don't you return Runan and Pei to me?"
Of course, these words could never be said aloud.
Liu Bei smiled, dismounted, strode forward, and cupped his hands in greeting:
"Brother Highway, it's been a long time. You're even more dashing than before."