Chapter 1085: The Situation in Yizhou

Although people often say things like "A true man doesn’t fear being without a wife," anyone with some sense knows that this is either an excuse or a sign of helplessness.

Now that both Zhang Fei and Zhao Yun had good prospects, Liu Bei also wanted to take the opportunity to check on how Emperor Liu Xie was doing lately. Sending an ordinary person wouldn’t get him any deep insights, but sending Guan Yu, someone he trusted deeply, gave him much more peace of mind.

Liu Bei gave Chen Xi a meaningful glance. This matter was no longer just idle chatter, even though it seemed to be about Zhang Fei and Zhao Yun, the underlying significance had shifted.

"General Guan, when you go, make a grand gesture. Don’t worry about spending money. Prepare a generous gift for His Majesty, and if possible, secure an imperial decree granting marriage. And of course, the more widely known this becomes, the better," Chen Xi said with a smile.

In truth, Chen Xi didn’t particularly want Guan Yu to go to Yongzhou at this time, but since Liu Bei had agreed, he wouldn’t stir up unnecessary trouble and simply went along with it.

"However, this still needs to be organized, and if you’re going, it’s best to leave as soon as possible. You might even make it in time for the Grand Court Assembly," Li You suggested.

"Indeed, that would be the best time for us to meet with His Majesty," Liu Ye quickly agreed, understanding the timing.

"Yes, it’s also the best time to assess the emperor’s situation," Lu Su nodded. He had no particular loyalty to Liu Xie, since he had never met him.

"I think we should make this a grander event. Recently, there have been rumors of an alliance between Sun Ce and Cao Cao, haven’t there?" Chen Xi added thoughtfully. While marriage alliances are often unreliable, they are also one of the most dependable ways to form alliances. Chen Xi didn’t believe Sun Ce could overlook the underlying issues this would cause.

There were already many barriers between Sun Ce and Cao Cao, and with this added dynamic, Chen Xi was sure that Zhou Yu would be on guard against Cao Cao. After all, it was just a convenient move, and it didn’t really matter if it worked out or not.

"Cao Cao and Sun Ce aren’t truly aligned, and neither are Cao Cao and the Ma family," Fa Zheng remarked dismissively, implying that a close relationship between them was impossible.

"I’ll leave tomorrow," Guan Yu, being a man of action, decided immediately. As for any dangers, he wasn’t too concerned. Of course, the unresolved issue involving Zhao Yun was still hanging in the air...

"Good. Since General Guan is going personally, the selection of gifts becomes even more important," Lu Su frowned slightly. "Come to the treasury tomorrow to collect the gift list and items. Tonight, I’ll need to discuss with our lord what should be included."

"Yunchang, come to the treasury tomorrow morning. I’ll personally select the gifts tonight," Liu Bei said after a moment of thought, agreeing that Lu Su had a point. Selecting the gifts himself would be more sincere.

"Ziyang, have someone copy our accounts tonight and bring them along," Liu Bei said, turning to Liu Ye. It was clear that Liu Bei was serious about attending the Grand Court Assembly.

Chen Xi and Liu Ye exchanged glances, while Li You and Lu Su’s expressions also grew tense, but they all agreed. Bringing those records to the court could easily stir up trouble.

"Farming should be the foundation, with the salt tax as secondary. Reporting these figures would instill confidence in His Majesty about the state of the realm. It’s not a bad thing," Chen Xi said slowly. However, they definitely couldn’t submit everything. If they did, Liu Xie would certainly raise taxes, and that would be a disaster.

Although they could technically ignore Liu Xie’s orders, it wouldn’t look good for someone in their position to completely disregard him.

"My lord, we recalculated the salt tax when we submitted the figures to you previously. Next year, we plan to extend the standard salt price across the Han territories, and we’ll need His Majesty’s approval for that," Liu Ye, quick on the uptake, immediately understood what Chen Xi was hinting at.

Historically, the Han Dynasty’s main sources of revenue were agricultural and salt taxes. Commerce taxes were minimal, so reporting these figures wouldn’t raise any alarms. Liu Ye recalled the matter of salt pricing, realizing it could be the perfect topic to bring up at the Grand Court Assembly, catching Cao Cao off guard. If Liu Xie approved, Liu Bei could implement it, and the aristocratic families would support it, leaving Cao Cao and Sun Ce powerless to stop it.

"Agreed. Such a matter concerning the welfare of the people should indeed be passed through His Majesty," Liu Bei said, no longer asking further questions after being redirected by Liu Ye.

Truth be told, Liu Bei had already noticed something. His subordinates either didn’t take Liu Xie seriously at all, focusing only on him, or they cared only about the fate of the Han Dynasty without regard for who the emperor was. In any case, there seemed to be no one who genuinely cared about Liu Xie himself!

Sigh, Liu Bei thought helplessly. "This group, with their focus on agricultural and salt taxes, will have to suffice. It’s better that Cao Cao doesn’t know our full strength."

Guo Jia, observing Liu Bei’s expression, more or less guessed his thoughts. He didn’t think there was anything wrong with Liu Bei’s considerations. Everyone in this group had their own ideas, yet Liu Bei managed to direct their diverse energies toward a common goal.

"By the way, there hasn’t been much movement in Shu lately," Jia Xu interjected, shifting the topic. "However, I’ve heard there are some excellent generals in Sichuan."

"They’ve got good ministers too, but unfortunately, Liu Yizhou doesn’t know how to use them. Still, they have enough competent people to defend the Han territories. I’ve heard that Liu Yizhou recently dealt a blow to the Nanman," Fa Zheng chimed in. He never expected Liu Zhang to be so formidable.

"That’s quite impressive," Chen Xi responded quietly. These people had no idea just how incompetent Liu Zhang was historically, and yet now they were seeing him as a weaker figure.

In truth, with the natural defenses of Sichuan, and given the current strength Liu Zhang’s forces had shown, there was no way Cao Cao could conquer them without thorough preparation.

Chen Xi estimated that Liu Zhang must have fought a significant battle shortly after ascending to power, gaining confidence after clashing with some of the top warlords of the land. Then, after driving off the invading Nanman, his mindset had clearly shifted.

The truth is, no one wants to be a failure. If you have the ability to rise up, why would you want to stay down? In the previous life, Liu Zhang likely hesitated when he first fought Zhang Lu, was internally divided, and couldn’t command his best generals. It would have been strange if he didn’t lose.

After suffering several defeats, his confidence would have been completely shattered. If you can’t even defeat a weak warlord like Zhang Lu, of course, Liu Zhang would have given up on himself.

But this time, it was completely different. Not to overstate it, but Liu Zhang had fought the third-strongest warlord in the land, Yuan Shu, to a draw, neither side gaining the upper hand. He then forced Zhang Lu to retreat and even mobilized his forces to crush the Nanman. It would be strange if Liu Zhang still saw himself as weak.

That’s also why Zhang Song showed no signs of betraying Liu Zhang. Life in Yizhou was good, so why would anyone seek glory by selling out their master? Besides, while Liu Zhang wasn’t making as much progress as Liu Bei, with the natural defenses of Sichuan, he could comfortably play the role of a local emperor.

As for Liu Bei’s eventual success in restoring the Han Dynasty, even better. Liu Zhang, being mild-mannered, would undoubtedly surrender if they rallied him enough. As the only remaining Liu family governor, with no resistance to speak of, he would be fine.

In the end, they could all follow Liu Zhang in surrendering. With Liu Zhang paving the way, it would be easier to secure high-ranking positions and rewards. So, at this point, Yizhou was actually quite united!

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