Chapter 13: This Is a Professionally Aligned Person

Xuchang.

Liu Biao sent a letter to Xuchang, roughly stating that Liu Bei had performed admirably over the years and contributed greatly to the Han dynasty. Therefore, he intended to recommend Liu Bei as the Governor of Jiaozhou.

Cao Cao read the memorial, his expression shifting as he frowned, “Liu Bei intends to go to Jiaozhou? Has he left yet?”

“No, he is still in Xinye,” Cheng Yu replied.

With Hebei pacified and the Central Plains stable, once provisions and weaponry were prepared and the troops rested, Cao Cao planned to march south. Anyone with even a modicum of intelligence could see this coming.

Knowing Liu Bei as well as he did, if there were any chance of resistance, Liu Bei would have fought tooth and nail—there was no way he would have fled early to Jiaozhou.

After pondering, Cao Cao suddenly understood, and shouted, “Xuande is afraid! Ha ha—”

Now, holding the Central Plains and Hebei—the two most vital regions of the Han dynasty—he effectively controlled half the empire. Meanwhile, the remote regions of Yong and Liang were under his influence. The rest were only Yizhou under Liu Zhang, Jingzhou under Liu Biao, Yangzhou under Sun Quan, and the chaotic Jiaozhou.

Liu Zhang was incompetent, causing Yizhou to collapse, with Zhang Lu rebelling and his followers fracturing.

Sun Quan was mediocre at best; since Sun Ce, the brothers had been constantly battling Jiangxia, yet had never won.

Jiaozhou was in turmoil; although Liu Biao had dispatched Lai Gong and Wu Ju, these two were deeply at odds, and the foremost local leader, Shi Xie, was a man of keen insight.

Looking at the situation, as long as he conquered Jingzhou, the world could be subdued in the blink of an eye.

“Xuande knows Jingzhou cannot withstand him, so he heads south to Jiaozhou to avoid my spearpoint. If I then move on Jiaozhou, where else will he go? The open sea? Ha ha—” The more Cao Cao thought, the more he laughed, even wanting to write a letter mocking Liu Bei.

…

A cold wind blew across the water’s surface. Zhao Shaojie sneezed, cursing the bitter cold.

He glanced at Xu Shu, then at Wei Yan.

Xu Shu’s mood seemed heavy, yet Wei Yan appeared vibrant and full of energy.

Zhao Shaojie sighed—Xu Shu must have lost faith in Liu Bei by now.

Historically, Xu Shu did not join Cao Cao because his mother was coerced; rather, after his mother was captured, Xu Shu voluntarily went to Cao Cao’s camp without any threat.

Looking back, it seemed that as the world’s situation was stabilizing, Xu Shu saw no future for Liu Bei, and with his mother captured, he simply left.

Wei Yan was different. He had joined Liu Bei willingly, not only recognizing him but eager to pursue a cause alongside him, even if it meant ending with nothing—he had no regrets.

…

Compared to Mi Fang, Shi Ren, and Hao Pu, Xu Shu would not abandon his post without cause, and Wei Yan was even less likely to surrender. In both ability and integrity, these two were superior.

“Yuanzhi, Wenchang, do you think our lord can survive Cao Cao’s southward campaign next year?” Zhao Shaojie asked.

Xu Shu remained silent.

Wei Yan replied loudly, “He definitely can!”

Zhao Shaojie smiled, deliberately glancing at Xu Shu. “Not only will our lord survive this trial, but he will thrive and achieve brilliance! Do you think the great generals under Emperor Gaozu, like Xiao He, Chen Ping, and Fan Kuai, were truly superior to those under Xiang Yu? I doubt it. It was simply because they followed Gaozu that their names were etched into history! That’s why I journeyed from the northern lands to serve our lord!”

Wei Yan’s face was instantly filled with passion; as a Han-era man, he could hardly have spoken such words.

Liu Bei was likened to Emperor Gaozu, destined to be a duke and marquis for all time.

Zhao Shaojie’s reasoning was indisputably sound.

Xu Shu pondered deeply, then looked at Zhao Shaojie and cupped his hands in respect. “I am enlightened.”

Zhao Shaojie waved his hand. “Heh heh, when we reach Jiaozhou, how will we manage relations with the locals? Do you know? Panyu is a good place, with the potential to become the nation’s economic center!”

Wei Yan and Xu Shu were stunned. Panyu? The nation’s economic center?!

Wasn’t that exile territory?

…

A few days later, Mi Fang, Zhao Shaojie, and others arrived in Jiangling.

Ma Su and Mi Fang traveled by boat. Though Mi Fang came from a merchant family, raised in luxury, he was surprised to find he got along quite well with the young master Ma Su.

“Zhao Shaojie, General Mi Fang has assigned me a unit of troops. Just wait and see what kind of man I, Ma Su, am!” Ma Su said with indignation.

Zhao Shaojie paid little mind.

Wei Yan was furious. Damn it, you scions of noble families truly have no heart. I’ve worked hard to join the army, strived to prove myself, earned Liu Bei’s personal recognition, and yet when I take command, I only get one unit of troops, while you just talk a bit and get a whole unit given to you?

Is there no justice or law left!?

At the Jiangling armory, they had already received Liu Biao’s orders; the handover was smooth.

The supplies needed for five thousand men were quickly distributed.

Zhao Shaojie frowned as he looked over the mountain of grain and weapons.

Jingzhou had been peaceful for over a decade, with reserves stored in Jiangling and Xiangyang.

Xiangyang was off-limits—Liu Biao was personally stationed there—but Jiangling was worth considering.

Historically, when Cao Cao marched south, the reserves in Xiangyang and Jiangling fell entirely into his hands. Though Jiangling was later retaken, after prolonged conflict its supplies had been exhausted.

After some thought, Zhao Shaojie pulled Zhao Yun aside and whispered, “Zilong, when you return, please tell the lord to do everything possible to purchase Jiangling’s supplies, ideally buying them all out. Otherwise, when Cao Cao advances south, these will belong to him. In chaotic times, money is the least reliable asset; grain, population, and weapons are what truly matter.”

Zhao Yun looked at Zhao Shaojie, wanting to ask why everything would fall to Cao Cao and why they couldn’t defend Jiangling, but he simply nodded and said, “Understood.”

Zhao Shaojie nodded in return, then glanced once more at the towering stockpile of supplies. Suddenly, an idea struck him. He left Zhao Yun and sought out Mi Fang, a specialist in the field.

“General Mi, when we arrive in Jiaozhou, we’ll definitely need to expand the army. Why not bring extra weaponry and provisions?”

Mi Fang was taken aback. “How can we bring those? Liu Jingzhou won’t give us any!”

“Then we buy them from those in charge here! We pay and bribe them,” Zhao Shaojie said with a smile.

Mi Fang hesitated. “That doesn’t seem right.”

Zhao Shaojie smirked inwardly. You old miser, you’d sell off Jingzhou’s weapons and provisions to Eastern Wu for money. Afraid of being found out, you’d rather burn down the warehouse. What a grandson you are!

“For the lord’s great cause, there is nothing wrong with this,” Zhao Shaojie said.

Mi Fang paused, then added, “We have no money. Even if we inform the lord, he can’t send funds...” Suddenly, his eyes brightened as he looked at Ma Su.

What defines a great noble family?

Countless acres of land, wealth beyond measure.

After talking with Ma Su, Mi Fang was amazed by the Ma family’s fortune. Across Jingzhou, the Ma family’s estates were everywhere, with countless properties even within Jiangling itself.