readytorunbook Chapter 518 Guan Xingsun and Lu Yu's Reunion
Chapter 518 Guan Xingsun and Lu Yu's Reunion
Lü Dai's reaction is easy to understand. In this era where heroes were judged by their birth, many people looked down on Liu Bei, a humble man who wove mats and sold shoes, from the bottom of their hearts. This naturally included them, a group of high-ranking officials from the aristocratic families of Eastern Wu.
Also due to their background, during Zhuge Liang's debate with the Confucian scholars and Liu Bei's marriage to Sun Shangxiang, the officials of Eastern Wu did a lot to trip up Liu Bei. In addition, with the crossing of the Yangtze River in white robes, Liu Bei must have harbored resentment towards them.
If Liu Bei continued to stay in Bashu, they naturally wouldn't care about his feelings. But that damned big-eared scoundrel, oh no, the wise and mighty King of Hanzhong, had already unified Jiangnan and even defeated Cao Cao to recover Longxi. He was about to revive the Han Dynasty and become the next Emperor Gaozu of Han. Under these circumstances, the grudge between them and Liu Bei was fatal. If they didn't quickly express their stance and take the initiative to eliminate the grudge, they might be punished by Liu Bei later.
Although Liu Bei was exceptionally benevolent and righteous, and on the surface he didn't seem as petty as people thought, don't forget that his surname was Liu.
Which emperor in the Liu family wasn't ruthless and heartless?
What if Liu Bei, like his ancestor, outwardly offered kind words of comfort but secretly took notes behind his back? Wouldn't that be disastrous?
Therefore, we must go to welcome Liu Bei, take the initiative to express our submission to His Highness the King of Hanzhong, and in this way seek the King of Hanzhong's forgiveness and ask him to put aside the past unpleasantness.
Lu Xun, He Qi, and the others quickly understood the reasoning behind it and agreed to go to Dangyang to welcome Liu Bei.
This would give Zhuge Liang a headache, as he couldn't leave. What if Mi Fang surrendered the city again right after he left Jiangling? Wouldn't that be a laughing stock?
After much deliberation, Zhuge Liang decided to send Sun Shao, who had already met Liu Bei, to lead the group to welcome him, while he and Zhang Zhao would take the women back to the city.
No one had any objections. After exchanging pleasantries for a while, they parted ways. The woman followed Zhuge Liang and Zhang Zhao into the city, while the man turned around on the spot and followed Sun Shao to Dangyang to welcome the emperor.
……
On the official road leading from Dangyang to Jiangling.
Instead of riding a horse, Liu Bei walked through the army, sometimes helping the supply troops push carts, sometimes helping the medical team carry stretchers, and sometimes helping...
In short, Liu Bei was there wherever there was a need. As a top-tier succubus of the Han Dynasty, Liu Bei knew exactly how to win over the hearts of his soldiers. Almost every word he spoke resonated with them. He quickly became one with the Jiangdong soldiers who had come with Guan Yu, as well as the Wei soldiers who had been less seriously injured and had not stayed in Dangyang to recuperate, but instead followed the army.
Finally, Liu Bei walked up to Xia Tong, patted him on the shoulder and laughed, "I saw the final battle from the carriage. You're really good at martial arts, kid. Keep practicing and you might surpass your master in the future."
All the warlords admired fierce generals who could take on a hundred men, and Liu Bei was no exception. Seeing Xia Tong was like seeing Guan Yu and Zhang Fei in their youth, and he was delighted from the bottom of his heart.
In addition, Xia Tong was a master of battle and the only general in this battle to kill a Wei general, so Liu Bei naturally valued him even more.
Xia Tong scratched the back of his head and chuckled, "Don't worry, Your Majesty. Brother Anguo said that the new generation will surpass the old, and we must work hard to crush the old generation on the beach."
Liu Bei: "..."
Where is Anguo, you brat? Come here and explain what you mean by that.
After scanning around and finding no trace of Guan Xing, Liu Bei continued, not entirely sincere, "Good ambition! Young people should have this kind of daring and fighting spirit. By the way, are you married yet? Would you like me to be your matchmaker?"
Xia Tong grinned and said, "Great! Great! Brother Xingguo said he wants to marry Brother Anguo's sister to me. What do you think, Your Majesty...?"
Liu Bei: "..."
He suddenly had an urge to flee.
This kid is too honest; he can be a bit blunt.
But facing Xia Tong's eager gaze, he couldn't run away immediately, so he could only smile perfunctorily and say, "No problem, I'll ask your master later. By the way, you made the greatest contribution by killing Wang Shuang this time, so let's drop the 'deputy' title of deputy battalion commander of Chongyu Camp. I'll decide that you are the battalion commander. As for other rewards, I'll make them up to you when we get back to Jiangling."
After saying that, he decisively turned and left. After wandering through the formation for a while, he finally found Guan Xing, Zhang Bao, and Jiang Wei, who were huddled together at the back of the group, their arms around each other and talking about something. He went over and slapped each of them on the back of the head.
The three men turned around angrily at the same time, and when they saw it was Liu Bei, they immediately put on a harmless smile and asked, "Your Majesty, what brings you here?"
Liu Bei crossed his arms and said meaningfully, "Anguo, what does 'the Yangtze River's back waves push the front waves, and the front waves die on the beach' mean?"
Guan Xing: "..."
Which bastard snitched on me?
Before he could answer, Liu Bei turned and asked, "Xingguo, I heard you've already arranged for Anguo's sister to marry Xia Tong?"
Zhang Bao: "..."
Who said that? Why did they only say half of it? Was that my original statement?
Seeing the two men looking embarrassed, Liu Bei couldn't help but laugh. He kicked them and said, "What are you slacking off for? Get back to work! Why are you all so relaxed when we old folks are busy?"
Guan Xing and Zhang Bao dragged Jiang Wei away in a panic, which made Liu Bei beam with delight and laugh heartily.
Although he was old, these little ones had grown up. With them around, his foolish son would have someone to assist him, and there was hope for the future of the Han Dynasty.
The journey from Dangyang to Jiangling is over two hundred li. Since this was a triumphant return and there was no rush, Liu Bei traveled slowly, planning to return in four or five days.
Unexpectedly, just two days after he left, a group of messengers suddenly arrived from the direction of Jiangling, saying that important officials of Eastern Wu, including Lü Dai, Lu Xun, and Zhuge Jin, had come to greet him in person.
Upon hearing this news, Liu Bei was first stunned, then overjoyed. The benefits of defeating Cao Cao head-on were becoming apparent, and these arrogant aristocratic officials had voluntarily bowed their heads.
We really need to win this battle. Otherwise, if we lose, these guys will probably stay in Jiangling and give him attitude.
Liu Bei was well aware of the character of these aristocratic families, but he also knew that now was not the time to put on airs. He immediately summoned Sun Quan, Guan Yu and others to welcome them, while pondering whether he should issue an edict to Shi Xie to summon him to Jiangling.
I could overlook your past disdain for me, Shi Xie, and your instigation of rebellion among the southern gentry behind my back. But now that Jiangnan is unified, shouldn't you make a statement? If you don't, I'll have no choice but to send troops to punish you.
Shi Xie had been in charge of Jiaozhou for many years, and there were many aristocratic scholars and Confucian masters in the region who had fled to Jiaozhou to avoid the war. His influence in Jiangnan was enormous, and if they did not submit, it would pose a great threat to the stability of Jiangnan.
This time, however, Liu Bei did not intend to compromise. Instead, he wanted to force Shi Xie to come and pay his respects as a monarch. If Shi Xie came, he would naturally give him the proper courtesy. But if he did not come, he would have no choice but to fight.
In short, he could not possibly bow down to Shi Xie first; no one in the world, except Cao Cao, could make him bow down.
Thinking this, Liu Bei, along with Sun Quan, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and others, broke away from the main army and advanced steadily. When they reached about 500 meters from the front of the formation, Sun Shao, Lü Dai, and others jogged forward, bowed, and said, "Your subjects pay their respects to the King of Hanzhong..."
Liu Bei accepted their greetings with peace of mind before helping them up one by one and offering words of comfort.
After exchanging pleasantries, Sun Shao, Lü Dai, and others bowed to Sun Quan and said, "Greetings, Lord Wu."
Sun Quan felt disgusted by their obsequious manner. "You've never been so respectful to me before."
Despite their affection, they still had to maintain appearances. Sun Quan was not qualified to receive such a grand gesture, so he quickly stepped back and bowed in return.
Sun Shao, Lü Dai, and others stood up and saluted Guan Yu and Zhang Fei again. Guan Yu and Zhang Fei returned the salute, and the atmosphere was harmonious.
After chatting idly for a while, the two sides returned to their camps and continued their advance. Two days later, they successfully arrived at Jiangling City. Under the arrangement of Zhuge Liang, who came out of the city to greet them, the army was settled and they entered the city together to attend a banquet.
Guan Xing did not participate and slipped away in the chaos. After making some inquiries, he went straight to the tent where Sun Luyu was staying.
Sun Luyu knew he was returning today, so he had been sitting at his desk waiting for him. When he entered the tent, he stood up and said affectionately, "You're back."
Guan Xing nodded and grinned mischievously, "Yeah, you didn't have your period today, did you?"
"Ugh..." Sun Luyu rolled her eyes at him shyly and pointed behind the screen, saying, "The hot water is ready, go wash up, I'll scrub your back for you."