Zhoujiazhuang is located between the two cities of Fengpei, nearly thirty miles away from Fengcheng and more than forty miles away from Xiaopei, and is under the jurisdiction of Fengxian County.
Liu Bei left Zhoujiazhuang with Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, and rode back to Xiaopei.
"This trip is really worthwhile. You are really a great talent. He established Xu to conquer the world. Well, such a long-term plan was something I had never thought of before. I only wanted to get Xuzhou, but I didn't think of going so far. I'm really ashamed!"
'I don't know if Tao Gongzu will give up the state to me as the teacher said, or will become ill from fear... But even if I win Xuzhou, if Yuan Shu comes to fight for it, how can I resist the enemy? Although those Danyang soldiers are brave, they can't.
They may not obey my orders! In the last battle at Pengcheng, Xuzhou's soldiers and horses had lost twenty to thirty thousand people.'
"Cao Cao and Lu Bu compete for Yanzhou. Is Cao Cao really bound to win? It should be possible. He has Yuan Benchu to help him! If Lu Bu is defeated, where will he flee to?"
'How did Sir know about Tian Guorang?'
‘…’
Liu Bei was thinking all the time, with a look of joy on his face. After running for more than ten miles, he suddenly reined in his horse and stopped.
"Brother, why did you stop the horse?"
Guan Yu and Zhang Fei also quickly reined in their horses and asked at the same time.
Liu Bei did not answer immediately, but stood by the road, looking at the farmers driving cattle to plow the fields in the distance, and asked in dialect: "What do you think of Zhou Wen'an?"
"good!"
Zhang Fei answered loudly without thinking. After the horse racing and enjoying the wind, his drunkenness had already dissipated.
Liu Bei smiled and glanced at him: "You, you say someone is good after drinking his wine, then tell me, what is good about him?"
"Hey, if he is not good, how can the eldest brother call him sir? If he is not good, how can the eldest brother go hand in hand with him? Moreover, after the eldest brother left Zhoujiazhuang, he has been smiling happily. He thinks he is good.
I also think he is good, hehehe..."
Zhang Fei grinned.
It was rare for Zhang Fei to think so. Liu Bei nodded with satisfaction and turned to look at Guan Yu, wanting to hear his second brother's opinion.
Guan Yu also looked at the farmers plowing the fields in the distance and replied: "Although this man has some intelligence, his elder brother offered him the position of ruler, but he refused. It can be seen that this man is just a name-seeker, not a true sage."
When Cao Cao sent troops to attack Xuzhou for the second time, Zhang Miao and others invited Lu Bu to capture Yanzhou, but he failed to predict it. From this point of view, he could not predict everything."
Guan Yu stood outside the door and heard the previous conversation between Zhou Ping and Liu Bei, but what he said next was not heard by Guan Yu because Zhou Ping lowered his voice.
"Zhang Miao and others planned to seize Yanzhou. No one could have predicted it, not even Cao Cao, let alone others. Moreover, even if Wen An had expected it, I'm afraid he wouldn't have said... This man also has a benevolent heart!"
Liu Bei said and looked into the distance again. He did not agree with Guan Yu's view.
If Zhou Ping was really just trying to gain fame, it would be impossible for him to tell himself the strategy of "living Xu to conquer the world and conquer the world", nor would he agree to serve under his account when the Xuzhou officials came to invite him.
But...will Xuzhou officials really come to invite you?
Liu Bei was always hesitant about this and was not sure.
"Brother, come on, what are you looking at?"
Zhang Fei felt strange when he saw Liu Bei looking into the distance. He also looked around and saw a few farmers driving cattle in the fields to plow the fields in the distance. There was nothing special about it.
"Have you not noticed anything different about the plows in the hands of farmers?" Liu Bei suddenly asked.
Zhang Fei took a closer look, shook his head and said, "What's the difference? I can't see it. Second brother, can you see it?"
Guan Yu stroked his long beard, narrowed his red phoenix eyes and looked at it carefully. He nodded slightly and said, "Brother, the shaft of this plow is curved, which is different from the straight shafts we usually see. With such a curved shaft, only one ox can pull the plow, and
The plowshare penetrates deeper into the soil, and turning the head seems to be easier."
"Hahaha, Yun Chang is right, but do you know the name of this plow?"
Liu Bei was satisfied with Guan Yu's answer and continued to ask.
"What's your name?"
Guan Yu and Zhang Fei asked in unison.
"Wen'an plow." Liu Bei gently stroked his short beard, with a smile on his face, "I heard that this plow was modified by Zhou Wen'an, and people in Fengfei and two counties now use this plow. A large plow with a straight shaft sometimes requires two oxen.
It is extremely inconvenient to pull a straight shaft, but using this curved shaft plow not only saves oxen, but also saves labor. Therefore, the people call this curved shaft plow Wen'an plow. Mr. Wen'an does not know farming but knows how to change plows. This shows that this man's wisdom is as deep as the sea.
ah!"
After hearing this, Zhang Fei laughed and said: "Hahaha... I didn't expect Mr. Zhou to be so capable this time!"
Guan Yu, however, had a slightly sullen face, stroking his beard and saying nothing.
Liu Bei sighed and said: "It is a pity that there is a severe drought in Sanfu this year and several states are suffering from locust plagues. I hope that the people can replant in time to survive the disaster year!"
Suffering from drought and locust disasters this year, people in several states have suffered from food shortages, and in some places there has been no harvest at all.
It's only August now, and the food that people have in their homes will probably run out, and the price of food is rising day by day. It's inevitable that people will starve to death, and there may even be tragic situations of cannibalism.
"I feel uneasy because the people have no food. I want to use part of the military rations to help the people affected by the disaster!"
After Liu Bei was silent for a while, he seemed to be talking to himself.
Guan Yu was very anxious after hearing this: "Brother, we don't have much food. If we use the food to relieve the people, how will we recruit troops?"
"Mr. Wen'an is right. Yuzhou is not a place for competition. No matter how many soldiers you recruit, it is useless. It is better to use food to save the people. The hearts of the people are worse than the strength of a hundred armies! And..."
Liu Bei did not continue. He knew in his heart that if he wanted to develop in Yuzhou, he must choose one of the two Yuans to rely on, but it was obvious that he did not want to rely on them.
If, as Zhou Wen'an said, he went to Xuzhou, he would not be able to take the troops he recruited in Yuzhou with him, so it would be better not to recruit them at all.
Moreover, even if you can't go to Xuzhou, it won't be too late to recruit troops to help the people survive the disaster years. The soldiers you recruit by then will probably be willing to sacrifice their lives for you, which is hundreds of times stronger than Dong Zhuo's people who gathered for profit.
The soldiers and horses at that time could not be taken away except for the troops of the tribe, but the soldiers of the state and counties could not be taken away. They could only stay in the state and county.
Guan Yu did not object again. As long as his elder brother made a decision, he would implement it.
Liu, Guan, and Zhang clapped their horses and rushed back to Xiaopei.
…………
"Your Majesty, Tian Guorang would like to see you."
When Liu Bei returned to the palace, before his buttocks felt hot, the palace servant came to report.
It happened that he also wanted to tell Tian Yu what Zhou Ping said, so he ordered: "Let him come in."
"promise."
The government servant went out, and after a while, Tian Yu came in.
"Your Majesty, Yu Li's home..."
"Guorang, I happen to have something to ask you."
Liu Bei and Tian Yu said at the same time.
"Your Majesty, please speak first."
Liu Bei was the most respected person, so Tian Yu could only let him speak first.
"Do you know Zhou Ping and Zhou Wen'an?" Liu Bei smiled first, then looked at him and asked.
Tian Yu thought for a moment and shook his head: "I don't know him. I have heard of this person's name. He seems to be from Feng County. It is said that this person had predicted in advance that Cao Cao was going to massacre the people of Xuzhou and persuaded the people of Xuzhou to flee."
"Yes, I just came back from an interview with this man in Feng County. He knew about you and spoke highly of you, saying that you are wise, courageous and strategic. He also said that I am now appointed to Yuzhou and live in Xiaopei. You will think that I can do nothing and want to
He asked to return on the grounds of his mother's death. Wen'an's information is quite accurate, but I don't know if it is true?"
Liu Bei looked at Tian Yu carefully, trying to see something on his face.