Chapter 69: Morning Etiquette

  Liu Bian led his army to Guangcheng Pass, and Lu Zhi personally came out of the city to welcome Liu Bian into the city.

  When Liu Bian arrived to provide reinforcements, Lu Zhi was both delighted and worried. He was happy that the reinforcements had arrived, so he no longer had to worry about Sun Jian's attack. He was worried because the emperor was sending troops, and it was inevitable that there would be danger. On the battlefield, anything could happen, and even if you were well-protected, a stray arrow could still take your life, not to mention assassins hiding among the soldiers.

  "Your Majesty is the respected one of the ten thousand carriages, you should be cautious."

  Liu Bian sighed and said, "Lu Qing, the world is in chaos, the Han Dynasty is crumbling, can I still hold on? I can only exert my remaining strength, follow the example of Emperor Gaozu and Emperor Guangwu, take up a three-foot sword to pacify the world, so as not to betray our ancestors. Even if I die on the battlefield, sacrificing myself for the country, in the future, I will not be ashamed to face them underground. Lu Qing, thank you for your good intentions, let's talk about the war."

  Lu Zhi let out a long sigh, worried about the difficulty of the situation and delighted by Liu Bian's bravery. What Liu Bian said was true, the Han Dynasty had already collapsed, and now only the two capitals in the east and west were still under control. The imperial edict had been issued outside the capital, but who would listen to it? It was uncertain. At this moment, the emperor's personal expedition was also a way to boost morale.

  Yuan Shu himself was stationed in Luyang, Sun Jian led a large army of 10,000 men and had already approached Liang County. Lu Zhi brought Liu Bian and others to the map, asking Liu Bian to sit in the middle, then explained the current situation. He had been guarding Guangcheng Pass for days, although he was unable to launch an attack due to the disparity in forces, but he hadn't been idle either, sending out a large number of scouts to clarify Yuan Shu's general military deployment, explaining it one by one to Liu Bian and others.

  After listening, Liu Bian sneered: "Yuan Shao is indeed a mediocre person."

  Lu Zhi was puzzled: "Your Majesty, why did you say this?"

  Liu Bian nodded at the map: "Yuan Shu's deployment is clearly intended to send Sun Jian to his death. Ruyang and Liang County are separated by 200-300 miles, even if it's cavalry rushing forward, it will take two days, and infantry reinforcements will take at least three to four days. What if something happens in Liang County, can he arrive in time to reinforce? Sun Jian is alone in the front line, this is our best chance to get rid of him. Taifu, Wenhe, you two say, isn't that right?"

  Huangfu Song nodded in satisfaction: "Your Majesty's words are indeed correct. This is a good opportunity to defeat Sun Jian."

  Jia Xu stood up: "Your Majesty's divine eyes are like electricity, and your words are accurate. However, Yuan Shu's actions are not entirely unreasonable." His gaze swept across the faces of Lü Bu, Zhang Xiu, and others, saying meaningfully: "Sun Jian may be a southerner, but he is no humble gentleman. At seventeen, he won the reputation as the 'Tiger of Jiangdong'. The position of governor and the title of Duke of Wu are his rewards for fighting bravely. Such a fierce general, who can take on ten men at once in battle, cannot be underestimated..."

  Jia Xu had barely finished speaking when Lü Bu burst out laughing loudly.

  "Hahaha... Jiangdong's Fierce Tiger?" Lü Bu's smile faded, and a fierce glint appeared in his eyes. He spat disdainfully: "Pfft!" He stood up, clasped his fists: "Your Majesty, I, Lü Bu, am not talented, but I wish to lead my thousand cavalry as vanguard for Your Majesty. If we encounter Sun Jian, I will surely behead him and present it to Your Majesty."

  Before Lü Bu could finish, Zhang Chao stood up and said: "Your Majesty, I am honored by your trust. The Imperial Guard cavalry is composed of the bravest warriors in the land. I wish to lead the vanguard, behead Sun Jian, defeat Yuan Shu's army, and dispel Your Majesty's worries."

  "Zhang Heng, do you dare to compete with me for merit?" Lü Bu was furious, puffing out his chest and glaring, rolling up his sleeves, ready to fight Zhang Heng again. Zhang Heng refused to show weakness, also glaring and rolling up his sleeves: "Am I afraid of you? In the dozens of battles big and small over the past few days, have you, Lü Bu, ever gained even a slight advantage? This is His Majesty's first campaign, and it must be won at all costs. Of course, we will use my Yu Lin cavalry."

  "Damn it!" Lü Bu's eyes widened in anger. For days, he had been itching to give Zhang Fei a good thrashing, but since Zhang Fei obtained the diagram of the Guiding and Pacing Method, his martial arts skills had improved dramatically. Even with all his might, Lü Bu could only fight Zhang Fei to a draw. This meant that his original plan to prove that he was defeated by Zhang Fei solely because of his warhorse was now impossible, in other words, he had indeed been defeated by Zhang Fei back then.

  This was something he could not tolerate. As soon as Zhang Hua said this, he immediately became furious. "Dare to fight another battle in front of Your Majesty?"

  The battles of the past few days have greatly boosted Zhang Fei's confidence, and even when facing Lü Bu, who had once made him feel inferior, he showed no fear. He glanced at Lü Bu with disdain: "If I get Your Majesty's permission, I'll accompany you anytime."

  "How dare you!" Lu Zhi finally couldn't bear it anymore, shouting loudly. His voice was like a bell, and his demeanor was upright and authoritative, even someone as fierce as Lü Bu or Zhang Jue wouldn't dare to be rude in front of him. "In the presence of Your Majesty, yelling and screaming, can you not give the imperial court some face?"

  "Uh..." Lü Bu and Zhang Liao awkwardly bowed their heads. Whenever they mentioned dignity, they felt a little guilty. On the battlefield, they could look down on the world, but when it came to court etiquette, they became timid. This thing really can't be played with. Thinking of the former Taifu Dong Zhuo being chased out of the imperial court, they still had lingering fears. In front of Lu Zhi, a great Confucian scholar, they didn't dare to be even slightly presumptuous.

  Lu Zhi turned around and deeply bowed to Emperor Liu: "Your Majesty, a gentleman must not be lenient or else he will not be awe-inspiring. Even in the military camp, one cannot be remiss for a single day. Please, Your Majesty, blame Lu Bu and Zhang Liao for their previous disrespect, to correct the views of the people."

  Liu Bian was speechless. Although he didn't think so, he also knew that Lu Zhi was right. They couldn't let Lü Bu and others be so arrogant, otherwise the emperor's dignity would become an empty phrase. From this, it can be seen that when Shusun Tong established Confucian rituals in the past, it was still very necessary. A group of rough men, every day in front of the emperor, shouting and fighting, even drawing swords and dancing with them, what is this, a vegetable market?

  "Both of you will be penalized half a year's salary." Liu Bei announced the punishment for Lü Bu and Zhang Yue with a stern face, then added: "Lü Bu, wipe your saliva clean, no one is allowed to do it for you, you do it yourself, now!"

  "Your Majesty......" Lü Bu was overwhelmed with shame and begged for mercy, looking at Liu Bei: "I...dare not anymore."

  "You have to wipe it even if you don't dare." Liu Bian waved his hand: "If I don't teach you a lesson, you won't remember."

  Lü Bu was speechless, and everyone burst out laughing, but no one dared to laugh out loud. Firstly, they were afraid of offending Lü Bu, secondly, they didn't want to be rude in front of their lord and get fined. Losing money was a small matter, losing face was a big deal.

  Lü Bu was helpless and found a mop to wipe it off hastily, writing in a crazy manner. He then threw the mop far away as if it were scalding hot.

  "A country has its laws, an army has its rules." Liu Bian's face sank, and he said slowly: "Only when we are of one mind, like the arm and finger working together, can we use the few to defeat the many, and the weak to overcome the strong. If everyone does their own thing, acting recklessly, they are just a handful of loose sand, how can they defeat the enemy?"

  Everyone stood up and said in unison: "Yes, we will carefully follow Your Majesty's instructions."

  Liu Bian slowed down his tone: "Lu Qing, Liu Biao, I have a task to entrust you."

  "Please instruct us, Your Majesty." Lu Zhi and Liu Biao hastily stood up.

  "All of you are heroes, but neglect etiquette. The court's rituals are complex and I'm afraid they can't get familiar with them in a short time. Lu Qing is an expert in etiquette and Liu Biao is also a knowledgeable scholar, so please consider the imperial rites, simplify some of them, so that they can grasp them as soon as possible and not make mistakes again." Liu Bian paused for a moment, then said: "The great way is simple, simplicity makes it easy to practice. The current court rituals are indeed too complicated, and we can't blame them entirely."

  Lü Bu and Lü Liu had not spoken yet, when Lü Bu exclaimed in deep agreement: "Your Majesty's words are indeed correct, the court etiquette is too complicated, we ministers can't remember it."

  Liu Bian sternly scolded: "Not allowed to spit at any time, can't you remember that?"

  "Uh——" Lü Bu awkwardly shut his mouth and regretfully slapped his own cheek.

  Everyone burst out laughing.

  First update, seeking Three Rivers, seeking recommendations, about to drop new book rankings, need everyone's support, seeking all kinds of opportunities to show face.