Chapter 108: The third of the Three Heroes of Shuijing! Want to take away the talents and run away? He thinks too much!
A strange look flashed in Liu Bei's eyes.

He had been in Jingzhou for some time, and naturally had heard of the name of Mr. Sima Hui, the Water Mirror.

I heard that this famous scholar from Yingchuan was very good at judging people. When he lived in seclusion in Jingzhou, he accepted many young talents from Jingxiang as his disciples.

He had intended to visit Sima Hui earlier, but he had heard that Sima Hui lived in seclusion south of the Han River, near Xiangyang, so he had to give up the plan.

Unexpectedly, the day after he crossed the river, this hermit, whom he had admired for a long time, sent his disciples to visit him.

This is undoubtedly a statement, indirectly showing support for him.

Liu Bei immediately gave an order to invite the disciple of Shui Jing to meet him in the central army tent.

A moment.

Liu Bei was already sitting in the central military tent, waiting quietly.

"Military Advisor, I heard that there are many young talents in Mr. Shui Jing's academy."

“I wonder who he sent to visit this time?”

After a brief calculation, Xiao Fang said calmly:
"Although Mr. Shui Jing has many disciples, there are only a few who can be called great talents. They can be called the Three Heroes of Shui Jing."

"As for the most powerful one, ahem, let's not talk about it."

"The second-ranked person should be traveling around Jiangdong now. The person who came here is most likely not that person."

"As for the third one, in terms of talent and ability, he is certainly inferior to the first two, but looking at the world, he can at least be compared with Cheng Yu and his ilk."

"I guess the person who came must be Mr. Shui Jing, the third-ranked disciple."

Hearing Xiao Fang's rather "mysterious" evaluation, Old Liu's eyes suddenly lit up.

That’s Cheng Yu, one of Cao Cao’s trusted advisers, a top-notch strategist.

Before he got Xiao Fang, Cheng Yu was something he could only dream of but could not obtain in his eyes.

How could he not be surprised that this Shui Jing disciple that Xiao Fang mentioned could be compared with Cheng Yu in terms of intelligence and strategy?

"I wonder what the name of this person the military advisor is talking about is?"

Liu Bei was full of curiosity and asked impatiently.

"This man's surname is Xu, his given name is Shu, and his courtesy name is Yuanzhi."

Xiao Fang took a sip of tea and slowly said the name.

"Xu Shu, Xu Yuanzhi?"

Liu Bei racked his brains, searching for this unfamiliar name.

After searching for a long time, there was no such person.

Most likely, he was another unknown and extraordinary person, lurking in Jingzhou but not being used by Liu Biao.

"Jingzhou is truly a place of outstanding people and beautiful scenery, with many talented people emerging one after another."

"If Liu Jingsheng can make good use of these talented people, cheer up and lead his army to the north, there is no need to worry about not being able to support the Han Dynasty and rebuild the country!"

Liu Bei sighed with emotion and felt deeply sorry for Liu Biao's "waste of resources".

"The military advisor said this guy is powerful, so he is definitely powerful. Don't worry about it, brother. This Xu Shu has come to you, so just recruit him."

Zhang Fei, a die-hard fan of Xiao Fang, waved his hand and shouted loudly.

"Well, Yide's words make sense. If Xu Yuanzhi is interested, I will ask him to come out and help me."

Liu Bei agreed with this, but suddenly he remembered something and asked curiously:
"The military advisor just mentioned Mr. Shuijing's most outstanding disciple, but why did the military advisor say that it's better not to mention him? I wonder who this talented person is?"

Xiao Fang smiled bitterly to himself.

The most powerful one is naturally the Wolong in history.

However, by some coincidence, he had become his brother-in-law and regarded his brother-in-law as his teacher, so he did not become Shui Jing's disciple.

"Yes, Military Advisor, and the second most powerful disciple you mentioned is still traveling around Jiangdong or something. Who is this person?"

Zhang Fei widened his eyes, also full of curiosity.

"These two people, ahem~~"

When Xiao Fang was thinking about how to deal with it, the curtain was lifted and Chen Dao walked into the tent with a young scholar.

"I am Xu Shu, and I am here to meet Envoy Liu."

The young scholar stepped forward calmly and bowed with neither arrogance nor servility.

It was indeed Xu Shu.

Xiao Fang looked at these talented people from Yingchuan. Just as he thought, their temperaments were quite different from Zhuge Liang's. There was a sharp edge hidden in their elegance.

This is because Xu Shu was also a chivalrous man when he was young. He once killed people for revenge and was once on the run.

Although he later became sober and became a student of Shui Jing, becoming more bookish, he still couldn't conceal the chivalrous spirit in his bones.

This kind of person should be the most suitable for an "old ranger" like Lao Liu...

as predicted.

When Old Liu saw Xu Shu for the first time, his eyes lit up and he said hurriedly:

"Yuanzhi, please don't be polite. I have heard of your name for a long time. Today I see that your reputation is well-deserved."

Xu Shu raised his head and looked at Liu Bei with surprise. He obviously did not expect that Liu Bei knew his reputation.

You should know that although he is a disciple of Mr. Shuijing, he has not yet become famous. In Jingzhou, only a few elders such as Pang Degong who are familiar with Sima Hui know him well.

"I am just a commoner who lives in seclusion in the mountains with my teacher. How could Envoy Liu know my name?"

Xu Shu, who was sitting down, asked with a flattered look on his face.

Liu Bei's smile was slightly embarrassed, so he could only point at Xiao Fang:
"I'm sorry to have made you laugh, Yuanzhi. I actually just learned of your name. It was Military Advisor Jinglue who said that you are extremely talented and are Mr. Shuijing's favorite student."

"Just now, the soldiers reported that a disciple of Mr. Shuijing came to visit, and the military advisor guessed that it must be Yuanzhi."

Xu Shu's eyes widened and he looked at Xiao Fang in surprise, a look of flattery appearing on his face.

"So he is the legendary Yiyang man Xiao Jinglue who is so resourceful and has so many ingenious plans?"

"I didn't tell him my name, but he was able to guess that it was me who came to visit him just by the words 'Shui Jing disciple', and he even knew everything about me?"

"Xiao Jinglue's reputation for being a master of strategy is indeed well-deserved..."

Xu Shu was amazed and immediately bowed to Xiao Fang: "Although I live in seclusion in the mountains, I have long admired the name of Military Advisor Xiao. My master once said that Military Advisor Xiao is a man of great wisdom and ability, and that he is a talent bestowed by heaven on Envoy Liu to help support the Han Dynasty."

"I have admired Military Advisor Xiao for a long time. I am so lucky to see him today!"

Whether Xu Shu's flattery came from the bottom of his heart or contained some flattery, it still sounded a bit exaggerated to Xiao Fang.

Xiao Fangyi coughed lightly and laughed at himself:
"Yuanzhi, thank you for the compliment. I feel a little embarrassed when you praise me like that..."

Xu Shu was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter.

The atmosphere in the tent was cheerful.

"Xu Yuanzhi, it's natural that my military advisor is brilliant and has great foresight. I don't need your flattery."

"I just heard from the soldiers that you have something urgent to ask to see my brother?"

Zhang Fei couldn't help but remind him.

Xu Shu's smile suddenly disappeared and his expression suddenly became serious.

So he immediately stood up and bowed to Liu Bei:
"On the night of Liu Biao's defeat at Han River, he led the remaining troops and fled south to Jiangling, abandoning Xiangyang."

"Before fleeing, he even used force to coerce the noble families in Xiangyang to move with him to Jiangling."

"My master and his good friend Pang Degong were among them. Now they have all been taken away by Liu Biao and fled south."

"As soon as I heard the news, I came to ask for help from Envoy Liu. Please don't wait for the whole army to cross the river. Immediately occupy Xiangyang and go south to pursue Liu Biao to rescue my master and all the heroes of Jingxiang who were held hostage by him!"

Hearing Xu Shu's words at this time, Liu Bei's expression changed slightly, and he turned around to look at Xiao Fang in a hurry.

As expected, his own military advisor’s words came true, and Liu Biao really abandoned Xiangyang and fled south!
But unexpectedly, Liu Biao not only fled south himself, but also forced all the famous Xiangyang scholars such as Pang Degong and Sima Hui to move south!
"Xiangyang is the heart of Jingzhou. Except for the Cai and Kuai clans, half of the noble families in Jingzhou are gathered near Xiangyang."

"Once Xiangyang changes hands, these people will definitely turn to the lord, and the people's hearts and minds in Jingzhou will be completely reversed."

"Liu Biao's move is to use force to compete with the lord for the hearts of the people!"

Liu Bei suddenly understood, and a hint of sarcasm flashed across his eyes:
"How can people's hearts be won by force? He used force to force these people to follow him south. This move itself has already lost their hearts!"

Xu Shu was slightly shocked and looked at Liu Bei with admiration, secretly applauding Liu Bei's words that spoke to the hearts of the people.

"Unfortunately, Liu Biao has been forced into a corner and can no longer think that far ahead."

After Xiao Fang sneered, he bowed to Liu Bei:

"No matter what, since Liu Biao has already abandoned the city and fled south, our pre-war goal of capturing Xiangyang has been achieved. My lord, please enter Xiangyang first!"

Liu Bei put away his feelings and immediately ordered the entire army to march straight to Xiangyang.

Dusk.

An army of 20,000 marched into the deserted city of Xiangyang.

On the top of the city wall, the flag symbolizing Liu Bei slowly rose above the four gates.

Liu Bei spurred his horse and whipped it, with a spirited smile on his face, and finally stepped into the capital of Jingzhou.

When entering the provincial capital, everything they saw was in a mess, which showed how hastily Liu Biao fled.

Liu Bei had no time to appreciate this new prefecture that now belonged to him. While ordering his soldiers to be restrained and to appease the people of Xiangyang, he summoned all his generals to discuss the matter of pursuing Liu Biao.

After all, when competing for supremacy in the world, the most important thing is talent.

We captured Xiangyang City, but all the talented people in the city were abducted by Liu Biao. Isn't that the same as capturing an empty city?
"That old thief Liu Biao only has 8,000 troops, and he has held hostage so many old, weak, women and children. He definitely can't run fast."

"In my opinion, it's easy to catch up. Let Wen Mian lead the Xiliang cavalry in front, and I will lead the infantry in the back. We will be able to catch up with that old villain in less than two days!"

Zhang Fei suggested without hesitation.

The generals didn't think too much and all agreed.

Liu Bei stared at the map with a frown on his face, but did not express his opinion.

"If Envoy Liu uses light cavalry to pursue, he will certainly be able to catch up with Liu Biao, but I am afraid that if a fight breaks out, the soldiers will get so angry that they may hurt innocent people."

Xu Shu reminded with a worried look.

Liu Bei nodded slightly. It was obvious that what Xu Shu said was exactly what he was worried about.

Xiao Fang naturally understood Old Liu's concerns.

The scene before me is quite similar to what Lao Liu experienced in history.

When Cao Cao led his troops south, Liu Bei could not bear to attack Xiangyang after Liu Cong surrendered to Cao, so he led his troops south to seize Jiangling.

Unexpectedly, the people of Xiangyang were afraid of Cao Cao's reputation for brutality in massacring the city, and nearly 100,000 of them, along with their families, spontaneously followed Liu Bei to flee south.

Cao Cao, however, had no scruples and sent the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry to hunt down Lao Liu.

The final result was that Lao Liu was indeed severely hit, forcing him to abandon his plan to seize Jiangling.

But the consequence was that the 100,000 soldiers and civilians who fled south were killed and wounded by the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry.

It was this move of Cao Cao that made the people of Jingzhou deeply hate him, and they all turned to Liu Bei and strengthened their determination to fight against Cao Cao.

The situation today is slightly different, as Liu Biao forced the people of Xiangyang to move south.

But as long as Lao Liu dared to learn from Cao Cao and sent light cavalry to pursue southward, the result would be the same.

"If it is as Yide said, Liu Biao may not be able to catch up, and he may even accidentally kill the people of Xiangyang who were forcibly relocated by him."

"Forget it, let Liu Biao flee to Jiangling."

After hesitating for a long time, Liu Bei decided to give up pursuing Liu Biao.

Xu Shu's eyes showed respect again, but he sighed:
"Envoy Liu's reputation for benevolence and righteousness is indeed not just a rumor. I really admire him."

"If we just give up the pursuit, Liu Biao will be able to escape south at ease, and the Xiangyang celebrities like Pang Degong and my teacher who are willing to support you will be forced to move to Jiangling."

Liu Bei showed a hint of unwillingness on his face, but he was helpless and could only shake his head and sigh.

Just when there is nothing else to do.

Xiao Fang, who had been silent all this time, suddenly pointed at the map:
"In fact, if you want to pursue Liu Biao and rescue the famous people of Xiangyang who were held hostage by him, but don't want to hurt innocent people, it's not a difficult thing to do."

"As long as we can seize this place before Liu Biao, the lord's concerns will naturally be resolved."

Liu Bei and everyone else were cheered up, and their eyes all fell on the place Xiao Fang pointed to on the map.

The look of surprise turned into confusion.

(End of this chapter)