Chapter 500 Cooperation benefits both sides
At Yanmen Pass, Black Bear rode his powerful and shady horse up the hillside on the side of the pass.

Looking far and near, it was a pity that the ordinary horse that Fa Zheng was riding could not come over.

I feel that although Yanmen Pass is in ruins, the terrain here makes it destined to be a strategic pass.

Between the two tall mountains is the Yanmen Road, and the accompanying black knights and four-color knights are advancing in an orderly manner.

He was accompanied by more than a thousand baggage carts. When meeting Liu Bei this time, he had made sufficient preparations for war.

This has become a habit of his and the Guanzhong Army.

Five cavalry battalions were dispatched, plus two baggage cart battalions. This amount of troops and configuration was twice the amount of the main force that initially crossed the river to destroy the Huns!
Black Bear stayed on his horse's commanding heights and observed all directions below the mountain. After confirming that there was no ambush, he couldn't help feeling a little regretful.

Beside him, Lu Bu and Dian Wei each rode a unicorn-armored horse, and Dian Wei even held high the golden eagle banner.

Only Zhang Liao was an excellent rider and had great courage, and the strong horse of the Donghu under him followed him to the top of the mountain.

Zhang Liao looked around. When he was young, he had also climbed Yanmen Mountain with his friends.

At that time, they were not wearing armor, their bodies were light, and the horses they rode didn't even have harnesses, and they just went up the mountain like that.

But Black Bear, Lu Bu, and Dian Wei were wearing armor, and their mounts were also heavily armored, but they actually drove their horses straight up the mountain... This was a bit counterintuitive and counterintuitive to Zhang Liao.

He rode his horse with gritted teeth and followed all the way, and the Donghu horse under him was already panting.

It is easier to go up the mountain than to go down. Standing on a high place, Zhang Liao looked down the mountain and felt that if he stuck his head out three inches longer, he would become top-heavy and fall down.

The wind blew on Zhang Liao's slightly red face. He couldn't help but ask, "Your Majesty, you personally led a strong army here this time. Are you going to increase the number of troops in Dai County?"

The black bear, who was looking at the scenery, turned back to look at Zhang Liao and said, "Why would General Wenyuan ask such a question?"

"I think our allies will be uneasy if we become strong. Moreover, your majesty has risen rapidly, and it is difficult for the Yuan family to change their prejudices. If we increase the troops in Dai County, we can also support Lord Xuande if there is any change in Youzhou."

"There is no need to pick him up. In this world, no one can stop Liu Xuande, let alone catch up with him, if we want to evacuate him."

Black Bear raised his hand and took off his mask. After a moment of silence, he said, "I have never been concerned about the Yuan family in Youzhou, but what Wenyuan said makes sense. I came to Dai County with the intention of increasing the garrison of Dai County."

Zhang Liao was by no means an ordinary general. He was very smart and immediately realized the deeper significance of this meeting with Liu Bei.

After thinking for a while, he said, "I heard that Lord Xuande has been in Youzhou for less than a year, but he has already won the hearts of Youzhou people. Shanggu, Yuyang, and Dai County Wuhuan are vying to submit to him. Lord Xuande now has no less than 30,000 Han and Hu knights in Youzhou, and more than 10,000 elite cavalry. He should not be underestimated."

"Yes."

Black Bear responded that he would rather not have Youzhou, which was nominally his.

Liu Bei's army was growing rapidly, but he was still short of food in the winter, so he tried to help Hebei fight Cao Cao and eat for free to support his army.

After the beginning of spring, the Wuhuan people in the three counties of Shanggu vied with each other to submit to Liu Bei, and Liu Bei immediately became stronger. The local powerful people in Youzhou took advantage of the situation and looked at Liu Bei with even brighter smiles.

Youzhou is a place with great potential for producing a large number of soldiers. Young and strong men of appropriate age can become soldiers by picking up spears, halberds, swords and knives.

This is how Gongsun Zan quickly mobilized the army, but he underestimated his own influence and Liu Yu's influence.

After killing Liu Yu, Gongsun Zan was deserted by his relatives and friends. After heavy losses to his own people, he was unable to mobilize or urge the neutral and powerful people in Youzhou.

Even when Yuan Shao was alive, he could only acquiesce to Xianyu Fu's existence.

The powerful people in Youzhou are very difficult to deal with, and Liu Bei is also not easy to deal with.

But only if the passage was cleared and support was given, would Liu Bei leave Nanyang and head north to Youzhou.

Now the Wuhuan people in the three counties of Shanggu have also understood the situation and are vying to submit to Liu Bei, which will naturally be beneficial.

The first advantage was that Liu Bei could share the meat with him, and these Wuhuan people could also drink the soup; the other advantage was that he lost the reason to conquer them.

That's right, it's not just him. The core of the shogunate thinks that Liu Bei's ability to quickly recover the Wuhuan in the three western counties is a kind of opportunity. It is the shogunate's coercion that forces these Wuhuan people to rely on Liu Bei. In this case, Liu Bei must give an explanation.

Otherwise, the Wuhuan people would have refused to submit to Liu Bei earlier or later, but why did they quickly turn to Liu Bei when the shogunate was sharpening its knives to conquer the Xianbei in the east?
He could directly question and demand the right to deal with the Wuhuan in the three western counties, but his behavior was too overbearing.

The incident with Sun Qian, as well as stopping Liu Bei from attacking Cao Cao, and mediating a truce between Yuan Shang and Cao Cao, had already angered Liu Bei and his ministers.

Now, when questioning the affiliation of the Wuhuan in the three western counties, the other party's reasons are very legitimate. The various Hu people came here to join the General Zhenbei out of gratitude for his kindness. What is there to question?
Once things get involved at the moral level, they become unclear.

Therefore, we should first see what Liu Bei says. If all else fails, we should take back Dai County and use it as a buffer between the two sides.

As for the falling out…it’s actually easier to deal with if it happens early on.

As Black Bear pondered, the thought in his mind gradually dissipated.

There must be no omissions in the defense lines under your control.

Since Liu Bei's place is unstable, let's build a firewall.

The establishment of a firewall will blatantly tear apart the trust and dependence between the two parties.

If he loses the barrier in the northeast, Liu Bei will also lose a layer of tiger skin, resulting in a decrease in his voice against the powerful and the various Hu peoples, and a decrease in his distribution ability.

But we have to be decisive. Gongsun Du had just died, and his son Gongsun Kang succeeded him but was reluctant to submit. This made Hei Xiong wonder whether Liu Bei's group had any counter-effect.

Just as Black Bear was thinking about how to deal with the problem in the Northeast, Liu Bei, who was waiting for the solution, was quite uneasy.

At this moment, Liu Bei's troops were stationed at Juyongkou, and there were disputes within the army over the issue of alliance.

In terms of official position, Hei Xiong was the Grand Marshal of the Han Empire, Liang Hou, and recommended Liu Bei, the Left General, Governor of Yuzhou, and Marquis of Yichengting, as the General Zhenbei.

Liu Bei was stripped of his title of Governor of Yuzhou. The emperor was gone, Xu Du was also destroyed, and the special significance of this position of Governor of Yuzhou, which was similar to the Inspector of the Imperial Guards, was gone.

In the system of the Han Empire, both sides were still Han ministers. Yuan Shang was a great general of the Han Dynasty, and they were both old ministers loyal to the Jian'an court.

Therefore, this meeting is an alliance.

The covenant has both equal and unequal status.

Liu Bei has not yet digested the powerful people in Youzhou, and he really cannot do without strong foreign aid.

With the external aid of Guan Zhong, the internal warlords did not dare to resist stubbornly, and the Yuan family did not dare to intervene forcefully.

Under excellent external conditions, Liu Bei could let go of the integration and the efficiency of integration was extremely high.

However, if the relationship breaks out, the powerful people in Youzhou will certainly show a different attitude, the Wuhuan in the three western counties that have already been dependent on Liu Bei will also waver in their stance, and the Yuan family, the Gongsun family, and the Wuhuan king of the three eastern counties, Tadun, will also interfere and invade Liu Bei's rule wantonly and brutally.

Once the basic living order in Youzhou cannot be guaranteed, the support from officials and people in his hometown will inevitably decline.

Everyone follows and supports you for a better future and a good life.

Except for a few ambitious and aspirational people, the vast majority of people just want to live a better life.

Especially after the old soldiers under Liu Bei returned to Youzhou, they generally became lazy and complacent with the status quo.

However, the military officers who defected from the south and were promoted and rose to prominence were in their prime and were generally full of ambition.

Therefore, if this alliance is broken, the losses will be immeasurable.

Even though Liu Bei's two daughters have been raised by Black Bear at home, can these two daughters compare with the sons of Liu Bei and his core generals?
The closer it got to the alliance, the more uneasy Liu Bei felt.

(End of this chapter)