Chapter 27: Food is everything! Sorry, Boss Cao, I'm determined to take over your corner!

"A loyal and brave man, coming to me on his own accord?"

Liu Bei looked confused.

It was not until he followed Xiao Fang's gaze and looked towards the battlefield on the banks of the Ying River that he suddenly realized.

"The loyal and brave man that Jinglue was referring to, could it be the hero named Xu who was besieged by the Yellow Turban Army?"

"It is probably this person."

Xiao Fang nodded slightly.

Liu Bei became more curious and asked:
"I wonder who this hero named Xu that Jinglue is referring to is?"

Everyone's curious eyes were all focused on Xiao Fang.

A hero who can be valued so much by his own military advisor Xiao must be no ordinary person.

"This man's surname is Xu, his given name is Chu, his courtesy name is Zhongkang, and he is originally from Qiao County, Pei State."

"This Xu Chu was originally a hero from Qiao County. He led his fellow villagers to migrate to Runan several years ago. He once fought against the Yellow Turbans in Gepi at that time, and repelled tens of thousands of Yellow Turbans with only a thousand men."

"After this battle, Xu Chu became a great power in the Chen and Ru areas. I think my lord has heard about it."

Xiao Fang mentioned Xu Chu's name slowly and calmly.

Liu Bei suddenly realized and looked back at Mi Zhu:
"Zi Zhong, is this Xu Chu the warrior from Runan who you mentioned to me before, the one who could pull down a running bull with his bare hands?"

Mi Zhu was a wealthy businessman in Xuzhou. He had caravans traveling between the states surrounding Xuzhou all year round. Naturally, he was well-informed and knew the local customs and people like the back of his hand.

"Yes, Military Advisor Xiao was referring to this Xu Chu."

Mi Zhu nodded in agreement and looked at Xiao Fang with admiration:
"However, this person's fame has only risen in the past two years, and his fame is limited to the area between Rubei and Chenliang."

"Military Advisor Xiao knows this man very well. He is really amazing."

Xiao Fang smiled.

The famous Tiger Maniac, the captain of Boss Cao's bodyguards, a fierce man whose martial arts skills can rival those of Ma Chao and Zhang Fei. How could he not know him well?

According to the timeline, Cao Cao should extend his reach into the heart of Runan in the second year of Jian'an, which is next year.

After Runan was looted by Yuan Shu, all the troops were generally short of food. The Yellow Turban Army was short of food, and local tyrants like Xu Chu were also short of food.

Therefore, due to the lack of food and the fact that he and Cao Cao were from the same hometown as Qiao County, Xu Chu led his troops to join Cao Cao.

In other words, the primary reason Xu Chu defected to Cao Cao was to find a stable job for his subordinates.

The relationship of being from the same hometown is only a secondary reason.

This is easy to handle.

Xu Chu was short of food, but Old Liu at this time had more than 100,000 hu of grain in his hands. In the eyes of the hungry ghosts in Runan, he was like a savior.

Whoever has milk is the mother, whoever has food is the father...

It should not be impossible that Lao Liu's reputation and the abundant food and grass in his hands persuaded Xu Chu to surrender and submit to him.

Who else is more suitable than Xu Chu to be the leader of his guard?

Boss Cao, I'm sorry, I've decided to take over your corner...

"My lord, I'm afraid I have to ask you to help me recruit Xu Chu as a guard."

"I hope my lord won't blame me for using my power for personal gain."

Xiao Fang smiled and looked at Liu Bei.

Liu Bei was startled at first, then said solemnly:
"Military Advisor, what you said is really embarrassing!"

"If it weren't for the military advisor, I would have been enduring humiliation and bowing to Lu Bu."

"The life of the military advisor is related to whether the Han Dynasty can be revived. It is as important as Mount Tai!"

"It is the unshirkable responsibility of the commander and all the soldiers in the army to protect the military advisor!"

Liu Bei changed the subject and softened his tone a bit, but smiled:
"Besides, Jinglue recommended Wenchang, a brave general, to me, and I promised to choose a loyal and brave man to protect you."

"Now, recruiting Xu Chu for you is also part of my job."

Xiao Fang felt warmed in his heart after hearing what Old Liu said.

Just as he was about to speak, Zhang Fei shouted:
"My brother is right. Military Advisor, your life is the most precious. No matter how you protect it, it is never too much."

"Brother, just give the order. I will charge at you right now and capture Xu Chu. I will make him your bodyguard."

These simple and rude words made everyone unable to hold back their laughter.

Liu Bei smiled helplessly and said:
"Yide, don't be reckless."

"This Xu Chu is a local hero. Since I want to recruit him, I should treat him with courtesy."

"Besides, if you want him to be the military advisor's guard, he should be willing to do so. How can you threaten him with his life?"

After being taught a lesson, Zhang Fei could only say "Oh" and smiled awkwardly while touching the back of his head.

"Jinglue, in your opinion, how should we recruit Xu Chu?"

Liu Bei turned around and asked Xiao Fang.

"Lord Xu Chu needs to be conquered, and the Yellow Turban leader Liu Pi also needs to be recaptured. The several thousand Yellow Turban soldiers under his command are not a mob, and can be used by the lord."

"I guess the Yellow Turbans besieged Xu Chu, most likely to seize his food and supplies."

"My lord, you can cook on the spot, and then send people to the battlefield to express your intention to recruit us directly."

"In the name of the lord's benevolence and justice, and with the aroma of the porridge so close at hand, Liu Piding immediately withdrew the siege and led his people to submit to the lord."

After a pause, Xiao Fang continued:

"As for Xu Zhongkang, I think he must be short of food. He led his army northward probably to seek food and fodder."

"He was grateful to the lord for helping him out, and seeing that the lord had sufficient food and grass, after weighing the pros and cons, it was only natural for him to take the initiative to submit to the lord."

After some analysis, Xiao Fang revealed the true strengths and weaknesses of Liu Pi and Xu Chu, and proposed a plan to recruit the two generals.

Liu Bei agreed with this and nodded immediately:

"Military advisor, this strategy can win over two heroes without sacrificing a single soldier. This is the best strategy to defeat the enemy without fighting!"

"Okay, let's follow the military advisor's plan!" Liu Bei immediately gave the order.

Three thousand soldiers set up a simple camp on the spot and cooked porridge.

At the same time, he sent Sun Qian to the battlefield to recruit Liu Pi.

Soon, the aroma of porridge filled the air and drifted far away to the battlefield by the Yingshui River.

Everything was just as Xiao Fang expected.

Liu Pi behaved just like Liu Bang when he went to Runan during the Battle of Guandu in history. When he learned that Liu Xuande, who was famous for his benevolence and righteousness, had summoned him, he immediately ordered his troops to withdraw and led his people to pay a visit.

Liu Bei naturally treated him with courtesy and hospitality, and ordered the ready-made rice porridge to be distributed to the thousands of Yellow Turban Army under Liu Pi's command.

Liu Pi was entrenched in Xiangcheng and had been out of food for many days, otherwise he would not have overestimated his own capabilities and led his men to besiege Xu Chu.

These hungry Yellow Turban soldiers were now gifted porridge and rice by Liu Bei. They were all overjoyed and moved to tears of gratitude.

Liu Pi had always admired Liu Bei's reputation for benevolence and righteousness. Now that he saw that Liu Bei had brought so much food and fodder, he naturally did not hesitate and readily expressed his intention to submit to him.

Liu Bei took advantage of the situation and accepted Liu Pi as his allegiance, bringing the nearly 3,000 Yellow Turban Army under his command.

"When Bei first arrived in Runan, he recruited 3,000 soldiers without any effort!"

"Everything is in line with the military advisor's plan!"

Liu Bei looked at this "windfall" and sighed with admiration.

Xiao Fang smiled faintly, but his eyes looked towards the camp gate:
"Xu Zhongkang will soon come to thank you, my lord. You should go out of the camp to welcome such a brave warrior, to show your respect for him."

Liu Bei agreed with this and immediately went to the outside of the camp gate with Xiao Fang.

As soon as they walked out of the camp gate, a group of people came slowly towards them, waving the flag with the word "Xu" on it.

A warrior with a broad back and strong arms, as strong as an iron tower, came riding ahead on horseback.

No need to guess, it must be Xu Chu without a doubt.

Without Xiao Fang's reminder, Liu Bei stepped forward and said with a bow:
"When I was in Xuzhou, I had heard for a long time that Xu Zhongkang was a great warrior. Now that I see him today, I can see that his reputation is well-deserved!"

Xu Chu suddenly reined in his horse, a strange look flashing across his face.

Although Liu Bei had lost Xuzhou, he was once a local lord and a superior on equal footing with Yuan and Cao.

Such an important figure not only came out of the camp to greet him personally, but also knew his name and said he had heard of him for a long time?
Xu Chu's heart was shocked, and he couldn't help feeling flattered.

He immediately dismounted and bowed to Liu Bei:
"Chu is just a commoner, but I didn't expect that Envoy Liu knew my name Xu Chu. Chu is really, really..."

As a warrior, he was naturally not good at speaking and could not think of the right words to describe his mood at the moment.

Liu Bei quickly dismounted from his horse and helped Xu Chu up.

Xu Chu calmed down a little, and hurriedly bowed and thanked him:
"Thank you for helping me out just now. Chu would like to express his gratitude."

"It's just a small favor, Zhongkang, there's no need to take it too seriously."

Liu Bei waved his hand and asked again:

"I heard that you, Zhongkang, stationed troops in the Ruyin area. Why are you near Xiangcheng?"

Xu Chu looked bitter and said helplessly:

"I'm not afraid of making you laugh at me, General Liu. The Ruyin area has been ravaged by Yuan Shu and there is no food left."

"Chu had no choice but to lead his people northward, hoping to find food in the Chenliang area, but he didn't expect to have the good fortune to meet the envoy here."

Hearing this, Liu Bei couldn't help but look back at Xiao Fang.

Just as Xiao Fang said, Xu Chu had to lead his people to migrate north due to lack of food.

"When I came to Runan this time, I brought more than 100,000 bushels of grain and fodder with me."

"If Zhongkang doesn't mind, I will give you three thousand hu of rice to help you out of your urgent need."

Liu Bei followed Xiao Fang's advice and generously gave him food and fodder.

When these words were spoken, Xu Chu was shocked and looked at Liu Bei with an expression of disbelief.

Obviously he couldn't believe that this Liu Shijun was so generous. They were just casual acquaintances, but he not only helped him out of trouble, but also gave him three thousand hu of grain and fodder!

"This Liu Xuande is truly a man of honor and righteousness..."

Xu Chu was secretly amazed, and a bit of respect appeared between his brows.

"Envoy Liu, this..."

Xu Chu was about to speak.

Suddenly, someone shouted from behind:

"Brother, the old lady is dying!"

When Xu Chu heard this, his face suddenly changed. Without even bothering to thank Liu Bei, he turned around and ran back to his own team and got into a carriage.

"Mother, mother——"

Xu Chu's panicked cry soon rang out from inside the carriage.

Liu Bei and Xiao Fang looked at each other, then rode forward to take a look.

Then I saw an old woman lying motionless in the carriage, and she seemed to be dead.

"Mother was fine just now, how come she suddenly passed away?"

"Quick, go find a doctor, quick!"

Xu Chu was in great confusion, and yelled at his men.

The tribesmen were in a dilemma. Where could they find a doctor at this moment?
Besides, the old lady has no breath left and is most likely dead. What’s the point of calling a doctor?
Seeing this, Liu Bei sighed and was about to say something to comfort him.

"Brother Zhongkang, please move aside and let me take a look at your mother."

Xiao Fang dismounted from his horse, and under the surprised gazes of everyone, he jumped onto the carriage and gently pushed Xu Chu aside.

Xu Chu was stunned.

(End of this chapter)