Chapter 369 (1/2)

“But we just came from over there!” Ge Jun and Zhang Hu said to Jia Xu anxiously.

“No matter! Liu Bei may not be as good as Sun Ce and Cao Cao but he is still someone who can gain the hearts of people!” Jia Xu dispelled their doubts. Liu Bei always wanted to employ more people. Liu Bei would want them as long as they are talented. People like Jia Xu would definitely fit his requirements. Liu Bei’s three visits to Zhuge Liang was because Liu Bei was the one that went to Zhuge Liang. Now, it was Jia Xu that would be going to Liu Bei. Liu Bei would definitely accept Jia Xu with a smile even if Jia Xu bedded his wife and killed his son. This was why Liu Bei had loyal men following him even though he had been defeated multiple times.

Liu Mang became worried. He had thought of reasons for Sun Ce and Cao Cao but he never expected Jia Xu to bring up this shameless Liu Bei. Even though Liu Bei was a brazen and shameless hypocrite, he was still a Lord. As he was also respectful to the second grade advisor, Sun Qian, he would definitely respect Jia Xu.

If Jia Xu had truly gone to Liu Bei, Liu Mang would cry. The Fledging Phoenix had already made Liu Bei extremely powerful. If it was not because of Cao Cao providing provisions, Yangzhou would have fallen. Lujiang would then fall after that and the Central Plains would have a new owner. If Pang Tong had that kind of ability, what about Jia Xu? Liu Mang did not dare to gamble on this. This is because hundreds of thousands of his men would lose their lives if he lost the bet. Yet, the Black Flag Army and the Formation Breaker have not yet appeared.

“Let’s return to Nanyang!” Jia Xu said indifferently as he turned his horse around.

“Jia Xu! There is no need to leave yet!” Liu Mang suddenly shouted.

“Does Your Majesty plan to attack now?” Jia Xu coldly asked.

“No, no. “ Jia Xu was like a snake that would bring a person down with him. As a result, this was a matter that needed to be handled carefully. “It is already late. How about resting in Shouchun for a night?” Liu Mang smiled and asked with the intention to stall them.

Naturally, Jia Xu could see Liu Mang’s plan and sneered. “There is no need. We come from the border and we are already accustomed to sleeping outdoors. It is better for us to leave now to prevent ourselves from oversleeping!” Jia Xu had spoken plenty. On one hand, Liu Mang was a Lord he had taken fancy to. If he did not say that much, his journey here would have been a waste. The second reason was that he was afraid of provoking Liu Mang’s anger. The Xiliang Cavalry had spent days to reach Shouchun and had already reached their limits when they arrived. It would be difficult for himself to escape if Liu Mang attacked while the Xiliang Cavalry were exhausted. However, after their long talk, the Xiliang Cavalry has recovered most of their strength which also meant that it was already time to leave.

“I…” Liu Mang stepped forward and wanted to reach out to Jia Xu. However, two Xiliang Cavalry archers shot arrows at Liu Mang’s feet. It was an obvious warning that they would kill Liu Mang if Liu Mang continued to step forward. “Your Majesty. No need to see me off!” Jia Xu said again before he started to leave along with the other Xiliang Cavalry troops.

“Milord. Are we just going to let Jia Xu leave?” Liu Ye wanted to dispatch the Wolf Cavalry. However, Liu Mang shook his head with a wry smile. It would be great if they managed to kill Jia Xu. However, if they failed, the hostility would become permanent. Liu Mang believed that Jia Xu wanted to join up with Liu Bei for himself. However, allowing Jia Xu to leave like this was equally dangerous for the army.

Yangzhou has Xu Shu and Liu Ye to stop Liu Bei. Even Pang Tong has his own limits. With Xu Shu who is about the same level as Pang Tong along with Liu Ye, Liu Mang was not afraid of Liu Bei. However, if Jia Xu joined up with Liu Bei, the end result would be different unless Chen Gong also joins the fight at Yangzhou. Unfortunately, Chen Gong has to deal with Lujiang and handle Sun Ce. He had no spare time to deal with the pressure at Yangzhou.

Liu Ye and Liu Mang could only laugh bitterly for giving Liu Bei a heavy cavalry and another skilled tactician. How did they end up becoming Liu Bei’s mouthpiece? If Liu Bei had found out, he would have awarded Liu Mang with the award of being his best mouthpiece.

“Milord. You may be afraid of failing to kill Jia Xu and then receiving his retaliations but would things go smoothly after you let him go? He already said he is going to Liu Bei! The battle in the North is about to end. Liu Bei would definitely want to compete with us for the Central Plains. In a few days, Jia Xu is going to become our enemy. What other misgivings could you have?” Liu Ye finally understood Liu Mang’s intentions and advised Liu Mang.