Chapter 282: Heroic Times, the Northland Situation However, after Liu Bei returned to Shouchun, not only did Zhuge Jin come to join him with a group of talented people, but he also met his old friend Chen Qun. Faced with this situation, Liu Bei was naturally overjoyed, and as soon as Qin Zhen and others returned to the mansion, they had a banquet. At the banquet, Qin Zhen introduced the surrendered generals Zhang Liao, Wei Xu, Qin Song, Xu Si, Wang Kai and others one after another. Liu Bei and Zhang Liao were old acquaintances. Seeing that Zhang Liao was willing to surrender to him, he was delighted again. As a result, he praised Zhang Liao immediately and comforted everyone with words. After the event was over, as usual, Zhao Yun, Gan Ning and others who had made great contributions were praised, and then the banquet ended. Originally, Qin Zhen thought that since Old Liu had just returned and Madam Gan was about to give birth, Liu Bei would go to the inner courtyard to see the two ladies first. Unexpectedly, as soon as the banquet was over, Liu Bei grabbed his hand and said: "This time I sent the military advisors to the north only to defend Jiujiang and prevent Lu Bu from attacking it." "Unexpectedly, the military advisor not only saved Jiujiang, but also destroyed Lu Bu in one fell swoop."

"The situation in Xuzhou is still uncertain, why don't we stay together and talk all night long?" To be honest, this was not the first time that Liu Bei invited Qin Zhen to sleep with him. But Qin Zhen had never responded before, so when he mentioned it again, he smiled and said: "Madam is about to give birth, why don't you go back to the mansion to see her first?" "Although state affairs are more important, one night is not a big deal!" When Liu Bei heard this, he grabbed his hand and said with a smile: "I know the military advisor has been away from home for a long time, but I have already told Zhao Ji not to wait!" "Even if I return home tonight, there will probably be no beauty accompanying me." "Why don't you stay in my house for one night and come back home tomorrow?" After hearing this, Qin Zhen felt helpless and thought that he had to sleep whether he wanted to or not. He had no choice but to agree and went into the mansion with Lao Liu. But he also knew that Liu Bei kept him not because he wanted to sleep with him. Most likely, Old Liu was hesitant about something and didn't want to tell outsiders, so he had to discuss it with him. So after entering Liu Bei's bedroom, Qin Zhen bowed and said: "I know you must have something important to discuss with me, what is it?" Liu Bei was at the front. After hearing this, he sat down on the couch, turned around and said with a smile: "Since I got my military advisor, I haven't had such a private conversation. Why are you so anxious? Come and sit down!" The couch of the Eastern Han Dynasty was similar to the kang of later generations, long and narrow, and low, on which a desk could be placed. Seeing this, Qin Zhen also came and sat down opposite Liu Bei. Liu Bei turned around, took a lamp and placed it on the table. He flicked the light with his hand to make it brighter, and then he sighed: "Speaking of this matter, outsiders are not worthy of discussing it with. Only the military advisor can discuss it with me!"

"I wonder what the military advisor thinks about how to deal with Lu Bu?" Under the dim light, Liu Bei's kind face was reflected brightly, but the sadness on it was difficult to conceal. Seeing Lao Liu like this, Qin Zhen knew that Lao Liu was probably worried all the way. In fact, this question of Lu Bu was also a difficult problem that he threw to Lao Liu. If he had killed Lu Bu at that time, Liu Bei would probably not have any objection. But if Lu Bu is left behind now, the problem will be shifted to Liu Bei. But he didn't expect that after going around in circles, this problem still came to him. Seeing Liu Bei's worried look, he smiled and said: "It's not difficult to say this, but you need to know the wishes of the wise lord first!" "I wonder how you intend to deal with Lu Bu?" Upon hearing this, Liu Bei hesitated for a moment and sighed: "To be honest with you, Advisor, I have long wanted to kill this man!" "But when Kong Ming heard this, he advised me to spare Lu Bu's life first." "He said that Yong Chi had rebelled against Emperor Gaozu and then surrendered. Emperor Gaozu forgave him and used this to win over the hearts of his ministers!" "Now that we have Lu Bu, it is the same, so keeping him can calm people's hearts." "But Lu Bu is a treacherous man, so it's hard to use him again!" "So I have been hesitating all this time and have not yet decided what to do." Listening to Liu Bei's sigh, Qin Zhen knew that Liu Bei probably still wanted to kill Lu Bu to eliminate future troubles! After all, Liu Bei is by no means an indecisive person. Once he determines the truth, he can make a decision in an instant. But Zhuge Liang cited the example of Liu Bang and Yong Chi. The fact that Liu Bei was still so hesitant proved that Liu Bei was more inclined to kill Lu Bu. But I was afraid that this action might cause some trouble, so I asked for his opinion. After thinking about it for a while, he had already figured out how to deal with it, and he smiled and said: "From this it can be seen that Lu Bu is a person who is hated by everyone, and even you cannot tolerate him." "Then my opinion is similar to Kong Ming's. Lu Bu should not be killed." "It's just that my opinion is slightly different from Kong Ming's!" "In my opinion, keeping Lu Bu here can not only calm people's hearts, but also make use of his bravery!" When Liu Bei heard Qin Zhen say that Lü Bu could be used, he was surprised and said: "What do you mean, military advisor? Lü Bu is treacherous, and everyone in the world knows it!" "If we don't kill him now, there will be trouble in the future. How can we use him?"

The main reason why he wanted to kill Lu Bu was because Lu Bu was useless! Such a fickle person will never feel at ease no matter where he is placed. Not to mention using Lu Bu, even if he stayed in Shouchun, it would be a hidden danger! After all, Lu Bu was the bravest man in the world, and he could not be kept unless he was locked up in a cell. But if Lu Bu is locked up in prison, it would be better to kill him. After all, Lu Bu was one of the princes of the time. Instead of letting him linger in prison, it would be better to give Lu Bu a quick death. Killing Lu Bu is the greatest respect he can give to Lu Bu as an opponent! But now Qin Zhen told him that Lu Bu could be used, which made him very confused. As soon as he asked this question, Qin Zhen threw him a question: "My Lord, do you think that heroes create the times, or the times create heroes?" To put it bluntly, this issue is the fundamental difference between idealism and materialism. Liu Bei, a powerful figure in the late Eastern Han Dynasty, naturally found it difficult to understand this question and shook his head for a moment: "I don't know what the military advisor means! What if heroes create the times? What if times create heroes?" "If you can comprehend this theory, you will know whether Lu Bu should be killed or not!" Qin Zhen heard this and pointed to the dimly lit lamp on the table between the two of them and said with a smile: "I see heroes as lamps. Now in the dark night, when there is no light, they are of great use!" "If it is daybreak, with the sun shining brightly, a firefly like this, even if placed in the dark, would be of little use. This is the truth that heroes are made by the times." "In the late Qin Dynasty, Han Xin was a man under the crotch, Xiao He was just a county official, and Fan Kuai was a dog butcher." "If it weren't for the tyranny of the Qin Emperor, which caused chaos in the world, people like them would have been just like everyone else!" "So it can be seen that the heroes of this world are all made by the times, and it is not the heroes who make the times. What do you think of this?" Liu Bei listened, stroked his beard, nodded thoughtfully and said: "Military advisor, what you said makes sense. Considering the current situation, Cao Mengde is the descendant of a eunuch, and Bei's family has also fallen on hard times." "If it weren't for this chaotic time, we would probably be forgotten by everyone!" After pondering the truth for a while, he seemed to grasp something: "Although this is true, how does this matter relate to Lu Bu's life or death?" Seeing that he understood part of it, Qin Zhen stood up, took another candle and pointed it at it, saying: "We might as well use this house as the present Han Dynasty. Due to the mistakes of Emperors Huan and Ling, there is no tomorrow and everything is dark." “So everyone wants to hold the lamp here. If one person lights up a place, he will become a hero in the world.” "But some of them may have their oil run out and their lamps burn out, or some of them may have their lamps blown out by the wind." "Only those lamps that are well-oiled and protected by all parties can survive." "Now the fire is here, sir. All the people in the world are looking to you for dawn, so our army will be able to advance without any setbacks!" "Lü Bu was like a candle in the wind, with no one to help him, so he was captured." "My Lord, think about it. Times make heroes. Now that times have gone, who needs a candlelight?"

"In the future, the world will be a battle between great powers, and there will no longer be a place for such scoundrels to rise up." "So even if Lu Bu wanted to rebel again, he had no basis to do so!" "Now that the candle has gone out, why rush to throw it away? Just hold it in your hand and use it to help you whenever you want. Isn't that all up to you, my lord?" After he explained this, Liu Bei suddenly felt enlightened. To be honest, before this, he thought that Lu Bu was very powerful and a disaster. But if you think about it carefully, there is indeed no foundation for Lu Bu to stand in the world now. Because now with Xuzhou captured by him, his power has surpassed that of Yuan Shu at his peak. Now, apart from the half-dead Sun Ce and a group of small warlords, there are only Yuan Shao, Cao Cao, Liu Biao, Liu Zhang, and his five major princes. At this time, the world had passed the initial stage of fighting among warlords, and there was no room for small princes to survive. If Lu Bu rebels again now, how can it shake his foundation? This is what Qin Zhen said: heroes are made by the times. Without the times, Lu Bu would be at a loss! And just as Qin Zhen said, Lu Bu was a candle that had been extinguished. When to take out this candle and light it to provide assistance, doesn't it all depend on his will? If Lu Bu could really be used by him, then this man wouldn't seem so annoying! Thinking of this, the worry on Liu Bei's face disappeared immediately, and he nodded and smiled: "If you follow what the military advisor said, then Lu Bu doesn't have to be killed!" "I heard that the military advisor also captured Gao Shun this time. I wonder where he is now?" Gao Shun was also a military general that Liu Bei valued very much. After all, there was only one Xianzhen Camp in the world! Previously, when he was in Xiaopei, he had been defeated by Gao Shun and Zhang Liao. Now that Zhang Liao has surrendered, the only thing missing is Gao Shun, and he will certainly not pass him over. When Qin Zhen heard him mention Gao Shun, he returned to the couch and sat down and said: "As for Gao Shun, it is because I advised you not to kill Lu Bu!" "This man was quite loyal and taciturn. He was seriously injured when he was captured that day." "But after being cured, he tried to commit suicide many times, as if he would never surrender." "There is also Wei Xu's brother Wei Yue, who is brave in battle and is also loyal to Lu Bu." "I think these people are all loyal and brave. It would be a pity to kill them. If we can persuade Lu Bu to surrender, they will be a help to our army!" But Liu Bei couldn't help but frowned when he heard the two men were so loyal. "They are so loyal to Lu Bu, and they surrendered to our army. How can we use them?" If Lu Bu could still be left idle, Gao Shun and Wei Yue would both become generals if they surrendered. If Lu Bu still has evil intentions, then these two loyal dogs will, in a sense, be the capital for Lu Bu's rebellion! If the two of them rebel, the risk will be even greater than if Lu Bu were alone. However, Qin Zhen shook his head and rejected this idea. "The more loyal a person is, the more useful he is. Lu Bu is not a saint, so how can he attract everyone's loyalty?"

"I see they are so loyal, they must have received favors from Lu Bu in their early years." "Your Excellency, you only need to show kindness and justice, and they will not care about it." "Now our army's territory is huge, spanning a thousand miles from south to north. We only need to separate them to break the connection between them." "As the saying goes, if you don't visit for three years, you are not even close to me." "After they separated, it would be difficult to contact each other, so how could they gather all living beings to cause chaos?" When Liu Bei heard this, he thought it made sense. Since he was worried, he could just separate Gao Shun, Lu Bu and Wei Yue! It would take several months just to walk from Xuzhou to the southeast of Jiangdong. How could people rebel? Compared with the abilities of these three people, the risk of rebellion is within the acceptable range! On the contrary, because Gao Shun and Wei Yue were loyal to Lu Bu, having these people guarding the front line was more reassuring than having other generals. After thinking about it for a while, he suddenly figured out another point and couldn't help but said with a smile: "You haven't come to my house for three years. It's not like you're close to me. The military advisor is really a wise man and a wise saying!" "But the military advisor just said that in the future the world will be a battle between the great powers." "The former military advisor also said that there will be a war between Cao and Yuan!" "Now most of Xuzhou and Jiangdong have fallen into the hands of our army." "With the current situation in the world, I wonder if the two families will continue to fight, and when will the war begin?" With the defeat of Lu Bu and Sun Ce, their strategic goals had been largely achieved. Old Liu now owns three states, so his attention naturally turns to the north. He was very curious about whether the Cao and Yuan families would take action next, and if so, how they would act. But when he asked this, Qin Zhen's face became quite serious and he said: "In my opinion, the Cao and Yuan families will definitely go to war, and most likely within half a year!" (End of this chapter)