But the more Mi Zhu thought about it, the more his eyes shone with excitent when Tao Qian ntioned giving Xuzhou to Long Chen.
Oh, my! Such a great opportunity, quickly agree to it!
However, Long Chen’s response greatly disappointed him.
On second thought, perhaps Long Chen was simply too righteous to do sothing that might tarnish his reputation.
This was exactly the ti for Mi Zhu to play his role.
As long as he persuaded Long Chen and made him understand that taking Xuzhou would benefit the people, how could he refuse?
Mi Zhu smiled smugly to himself and then bowed deeply to Long Chen, speaking earnestly:
"Now that the Han Dynasty is in decline, the Eight Directions and Four Seas are in chaos, and bandits and rebels are rising everywhere."
"The world is already in great turmoil, and the emperor is young and humiliated. Fortunately, Long Hou is loyal to the emperor and the nation, personally leading the army to bring the emperor back."
"Otherwise, the emperor would have continued to suffer humiliation. This is Long Hou’s rit, and it is enough to be made a king!"
"Long Hou, being such a hero, should rally millions of troops and quell the chaos across the land, restoring the glory of the Han Dynasty."
"And Xuzhou is rich and prosperous, with a population of over a million. If Long Hou were to govern this province, it would strengthen the Han Dynasty’s power and lay a solid foundation for pacifying the country!"
"Now that Tao Gong has recognized your talents and is willing to give up Xuzhou, I hope Long Hou will not decline and waste Tao Gong’s goodwill, the goodwill of the officials of Xuzhou, and the goodwill of the people of Xuzhou and the Han Dynasty!"
As Mi Zhu finished speaking, everyone present was utterly astonished.
Tao Qian’s face had already turned pale.
He never expected that, at such a crucial mont, he would be stabbed in the back by his own man. He was rely testing the waters.
But here they were, directly pressuring him!
He regretted it! He regretted that in a mont of rashness, he had even considered giving up the position of Governor of Xuzhou.
But now, the die was cast, and what was said could not be taken back, just like water that had been spilled.
He could only hope that Long Chen would not agree.
Yet, even Tao Qian had to admit that Mi Zhu’s eloquence was impressive, addressing all of Long Chen’s concerns.
After all, if you didn’t accept the position, it would seem like you didn’t care about the people.
These words perfectly aligned with public opinion!
The civil and military officials on Long Chen’s side were overjoyed as they looked at Mi Zhu, finding him more and more pleasing to the eye.
“Haha, this guy is great! This guy is aweso! We should invite him for a drink soday!”
The rough and bold Xu Chu burst out laughing.
Dian Wei also grinned foolishly as he looked at Mi Zhu.
Feeling these friendly gazes, Mi Zhu’s initial tension gradually relaxed.
Although today he had directly offended Tao Qian and even Cao Bao and other local aristocrats with his words, it didn’t matter.
As long as he could establish a connection with Long Chen, it wouldn’t matter if these people saw him as a mortal enemy.
Mi Zhu was a businessman.
And a successful one at that.
He understood the importance of thinking long-term and was good at it.
It was only by looking further ahead that he could protect himself, his family, and his wealth in this chaotic end of the dynasty.
In history, it was Mi Zhu’s far-sightedness that led him to invest all of the Mi family’s assets in Liu Bei.
As a result, when Liu Bei later beca emperor, the Mi family reaped enormous benefits.
They ascended from a rchant family to beco the famous Mi family of the Three Kingdoms era.
It was a remarkable leap for the family.
Now, after eting Long Chen, Mi Zhu was already thinking of betting all his resources on him to pave the way for the Mi family’s future rise.
At this mont, Mi Zhu even thought to himself: "Why not marry my sister to Long Chen as a concubine? That would further strengthen their relationship."
“Besides, Long Hou is so young and handso, I’m sure my sister wouldn’t object.”
Indeed, Long Chen was much better than Liu Bei, who was nearing fifty, a middle-aged man.
Silence.
The room fell into complete silence.
Long Chen stepped forward, cupped his hands, and respectfully replied, "I dare not accept this offer."
Rejection.
I reject your offer.
Just like that, with pride.
Just like that, with stubbornness.
Tao Qian’s face, which had been pale, gradually turned rosy, and he breathed a sigh of relief.
What righteousness! Long Chen was indeed a righteous man!
But even Chen Deng and his father, Chen Gui, couldn’t help but feel frustrated.
Why? Why refuse?
Why push it away when it has co to this?
Chen Deng stood up, clasped his hands, and said solemnly: "Tao Gong is ill and unable to perform his duties, Long Hou, please do not decline."
Long Chen continued to refuse: "Yuan Gonglu has served as one of the Three Excellencies for four generations, and he is respected throughout the land. He is close to Shouchun. Why not give the province to him?"
Chen Gui retorted loudly: "Yuan Gonglu is nothing but a decaying corpse in the tomb, unworthy of ntion! How could he compare to Long Hou! If you do not take what heaven offers today, you will regret it forever."
Long Chen remained adamant and refused to accept.
Tao Qian was moved to tears and sobbed, "If you leave , I won’t be able to die in peace!"
Of course, this was fake crying and shouldn’t be taken seriously.
Zhao Yun stood up and cupped his fists, saying, "Since Tao Gong has offered to relinquish his position, my lord should temporarily take over the affairs of the province."
Zhang Liao nodded in agreent and said, "It’s not as if we are forcibly taking his territory; he’s offering it out of goodwill, so why should my lord refuse?"
"This..."
Long Chen’s face showed a hint of worry as he paced back and forth.
Then he looked solemnly at Tao Qian, walked up, and grasped his old hand, saying:
"Tao Gong, are you truly willing to give Xuzhou? If I don’t accept, will you truly not rest in peace?"
Long Chen’s gaze was so intense that Tao Qian couldn’t keep his eyes open.
He felt a jolt of panic in his heart.
What does this an?
What does this an?
His earlier crying and words were just a polite gesture!
Could it be... that Long Chen, this honest child, took it seriously?!
"Uh... well..."
Tao Qian mumbled, but before he could say, "If Lord Long really doesn’t want to... then let’s drop the matter for now..."
Long Chen spoke gravely: "Sigh... why must you all put in a position of disloyalty and unrighteousness?"
"If I don’t take Xuzhou, the people of Xuzhou will be unsettled, and so will the people of the land."
"If I don’t take Xuzhou, Tao Gong won’t rest in peace!"
"Fine, fine, fine!"
"Since you all want to take Xuzhou, I will... reluctantly accept it..."
As soon as he finished speaking, Long Chen’s followers were overjoyed.
Tao Qian’s group, on the other hand, was downcast, cursing Tao Qian for foolishly giving away Xuzhou.
Although Long Chen did protect Xuzhou, it could have been handled differently.
They could have just increased the supply of food and armor; why did they have to give away the whole province?
So, everyone started blaming Tao Qian for his poor judgnt.
But Tao Qian himself had grievances he couldn’t express!
Who could have guessed that Long Chen would be so unpredictable, refusing to play by the rules?
"My dear nephew, my dear nephew, about this Xuzhou matter, it can still be discussed," Tao Qian quickly wiped away his tears, held Long Chen’s shoulder, and said with a kind smile.
Long Chen, pretending to be puzzled, asked, "Hmm? May I ask how Tao Gong intends to discuss it?"
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