Chapter 15: Farewell, Xuzhou; I, Liu Bei, shall return to reclaim you sooner or later!

"How did the naval commander and his troops end up in the Mi family’s dungeon?"

Mi Zhu was completely bewildered. Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and the others stared at one another, equally confused.

"Could it be that Military Advisor Xiao is referring to that Xu Sheng fellow?" Mi Fang suddenly realized, jumping up with a face full of pleasant surprise.

*Xu Sheng?*

Liu Bei and Mi Zhu turned to Mi Fang, their expressions remaining blank. Clearly, when Sun Qian had met with Liu Bei, he had not reported the matter of Xiao Fang’s scheme to capture Xu Sheng alive.

"It’s like this. When we were returning to the fortress, we ran right into that man from Ju County, Xu Sheng, who was attacking us to seize our grain and supplies. It was Military Advisor Xiao who devised a plan..." Mi Fang recounted the events in vivid detail.

Sun Qian also caught on, his eyes lighting up. "That Xu Sheng is quite skilled in naval warfare. Having traveled between Xu and Huai for years, he must be intimately familiar with the winds and waves of the sea and the waterways of the Huai River."

"He had several hundred naval troops under his command, all of whom we captured alive and locked away in the dungeon."

"Military Advisor Xiao’s intention must be to have the Lord persuade this man to surrender and serve him."

"With Xu Sheng and his naval troops, we can travel by water to Runan!"

At these words, everyone suddenly understood.

*No wonder my brother-in-law repeatedly exhorted Wei Yan to capture Xu Sheng alive.*

*Could it be that my brother-in-law not only valued Xu Sheng’s talent as a general but was also making preparations in advance for Liu Xuande to travel to Runan by water?*

*If that is truly the case, my brother-in-law’s foresight is simply unfathomable...* Zhuge Liang’s thoughts churned.

Liu Bei’s face brightened as well, and he looked toward Xiao Fang with pleasant surprise. "Jinglue, as Gongyou said, was this truly your intention?"

Xiao Fang smiled, silently confirming Liu Bei’s question.

"So that’s it, so that’s it."

"Heaven has indeed been kind to me, Liu Bei, truly kind."

"Zifang, where is Xu Sheng held? Lead me to him at once!"

Liu Bei slapped the table and stood up, intending to go to the dungeon himself to persuade Xu Sheng to surrender. Mi Fang hurried to lead the way. The rest of the group temporarily paused the banquet, awaiting the outcome of Liu Bei’s efforts.

"Advisor Xiao, this Xu Sheng is quite a tough character. He’s been held for several days now and has remained stubborn, refusing to yield."

"Do you really think the Lord can win him over?" Jian Yong asked with a touch of concern.

Xiao Fang sat back down, poured himself a bowl of hangover-soothing tea, and sipped it slowly.

"This Xu Sheng is a hero by nature; what he values most is the concept of loyalty."

"Looking across the world, there is no warlord more to his liking than our Lord."

"Previously, he had no opportunity; now that he has met the Lord, how could he not surrender?"

As he sipped his tea, Xiao Fang laid out Xu Sheng’s temperament. The others began to understand.

"Then, Advisor Xiao, tell us, how will my Big Brother go about persuading this Xu Sheng to surrender?" Zhang Fei asked with wide eyes, full of curiosity.

In his words, there was a subtle hint of testing Xiao Fang, wanting to see if he truly understood Liu Bei.

"If I were to guess, the Lord will likely untie him personally, treat him with courtesy, and candidly express his desire to recruit him."

"If Xu Sheng is unwilling to submit and insists on going to Jiangdong to join Sun Ce, the Lord will not only refrain from holding him by force but will also gift him grain and supplies, and send him off from Haixi with all the honors due a guest."

Zhang Fei let out a burst of laughter.

"I’m a straightforward man, and I couldn't help but laugh—don’t take offense, Advisor."

"If that fellow Xu refuses to serve my brother, it would be magnanimous enough for my brother not to kill him. Why would he waste money and grain to send him off to work for Sun Ce?"

"Do you take my brother for a fool, to engage in such a losing business?"

The corners of Xiao Fang’s mouth curled slightly, but he did not argue with the black-faced warrior, choosing instead to leisurely sip his tea.

A moment later, footsteps were heard. Everyone’s gaze turned toward the hall entrance, and in an instant, they were all filled with surprise.

Liu Bei had returned.

But he was not alone; he was accompanied by Xu Sheng, and the two were chatting and laughing along the way.

In such a scene, was there any need to guess? Liu Bei had clearly succeeded in winning Xu Sheng over. Everyone’s admiring gazes shifted secretly toward Xiao Fang.

"Wenxiang, this is Xiao Fang, Xiao Jinglue, my newly appointed military advisor."

"That defeat you suffered that day was the result of his strategy."

"My plan to travel to Runan by water, incorporate the Yellow Turban Army, and subsequently plot for Nanyang also originated from his planning."

Liu Bei introduced Xiao Fang to Xu Sheng with a tone of pride.

Xu Sheng looked Xiao Fang up and down, a look of wonder appearing in his eyes; he seemed surprised that someone so young could be so cunning and calculating.

"Sheng pays his respects to Master Xiao... no, Advisor Xiao."

"I did not expect the Advisor to be so young yet possess such brilliant strategies."

"There are few people in my life whom I, Xu Sheng, admire. The Lord is one, and Advisor Xiao is the second!"

Xu Sheng stepped forward and bowed, openly declaring his submission. Although he was impressed by Xiao Fang, he could not hide his inherent arrogance in his tone.

Xiao Fang sighed inwardly, thinking that old Liu certainly had it tough, having such proud and arrogant ministers under his command.

There was the Second Brother Guan, not to mention Wei Yan, Huang Zhong, Pang Tong, Fa Zheng...

Every one of them carried their pride on their sleeves, more than he could count with both hands.

It was only because of old Liu’s magnanimity and capacity that he could manage so many proud, talented heroes, all of whom were willing to go through fire and water for him.

Compared to those others, Xu Sheng’s arrogance was, at best, bronze-tier. Old Liu would have no trouble managing him.

"Wenxiang, you are too kind; let us not stand on ceremony among our own."

"Come, come, let us drink and discuss how to travel by water to Runan."

Xiao Fang smiled and stepped forward to help Xu Sheng up, taking his role as advisor to offer some comfort and reassurance.

The banquet continued. With Xu Sheng having "joined the ranks," the atmosphere was even more lively than before.

"Tell me, Zifang, what methods did my brother use to win over this Xu Sheng so easily?" Zhang Fei pulled Mi Fang aside and whispered in his ear.

"The Lord personally untied Xu Sheng and invited him to join in the effort to restore the Han Dynasty."

"But the Lord is truly magnanimous; he said that if Xu Sheng insisted on joining Sun Ce, he would give him grain and supplies and send him off from the city with honors."

"This Xu Sheng is not a man without vision; he was moved by the Lord’s benevolence and righteousness, so he submitted."

Hearing the process from Mi Fang, Zhang Fei gasped. He turned his head and looked at Xiao Fang with a stunned expression.

"This Xiao Jinglue, is he a worm in my brother’s stomach? Nothing my brother thinks can be hidden from him..."

The banquet was a grand and spirited affair.

The next day, everyone went their separate ways to prepare for the journey to Runan. Mi Zhu purchased fishing boats from nearby fishermen, Xu Sheng drilled the naval troops, and Liu Bei ordered Guan, Zhang, and the other generals to merge the two thousand household servants donated by Mi Zhu with the one thousand remaining veterans.

Three days later, the winds were favorable. Three thousand soldiers, along with their families, boarded the ships in an orderly fashion at Haixi Port.

On the pier, Mi Fang commanded the servants to move countless amounts of grain, gold, silver, and cloth onto the ships.

"Brother, although our Mi family is not a century-old noble clan like the Chen family, we are still considered a prominent family in the province."

"Our family’s wealth and foundation are all in Xuzhou."

"Are you truly determined to exhaust our family’s wealth to support Liu Xuande and gamble the future and fate of our Mi family on him?" On the deck, Mi Zhen knitted her brows and asked in a low voice.

Mi Zhu looked at the figure of Liu Bei on the neighboring ship and said meaningfully:

"Even if our Mi family is wealthy enough to rival a nation, we are ultimately of merchant origin and will always be considered inferior."

"If we want to rank among the noble clans in our lifetime, we must place our bets on a warlord."

"Based on my decades of experience in business, Lord Xuande is vastly different from other warlords; he is a heroic leader worth supporting!"

Changing the subject, Mi Zhu’s gaze shifted to Xiao Fang’s back.

"Now that Lord Xuande has also gained this Xiao Jinglue—though he is not widely known, he possesses divine wisdom and can be called a rare talent of the world!"

"For Lord Xuande to have such an exceptional person to assist him, it is truly a blessing from Heaven!"

"I am even more convinced of my judgment; the Mi family’s decision to bet our lives and fortunes on Lord Xuande will absolutely not be a mistake!"

Mi Zhen felt a shiver of excitement, her bright eyes fixed on that young, elegant figure.

"Xiao Fang, Xiao Fang..."

She murmured the name to herself, repeating it softly over and over.

At noon, under a clear, cloudless sky, dozens of large and small ships, carrying three thousand soldiers, sailed away from Haixi Port.

With sails hoisted, they headed south.

"Xuzhou, one day, I, Liu Bei, will surely return..."

Liu Bei stood at the stern with his hands behind his back, watching the coastline fade into the distance, secretly making a silent vow in his heart.