Free Web NovelChapter 287: The Five Tiger Generals of Longhou, Various Stances in Xuzhou
That night.
The sky was like ink.
Within the governor’s residence of Xuzhou, the warm lights made it as bright as day.
Everyone, having heard Tao Qian’s words, remained silent.
Silence.
A deathly silence.
You could hear a pin drop.
Those who were seated in the governor’s residence were not ordinary people; their minds were as sharp as foxes.
Everyone knew that speaking up at this moment would be an extremely unwise move.
If the local officials of Xuzhou were to speak, whether they said something good or bad, it would be easy to offend someone.
If they spoke well.
They would offend other local officials of Xuzhou, such as the military officers Cao Bao and Lu Fan.
These people had only achieved their current positions by being attached to Tao Qian, the governor of Xuzhou.
Moreover, it was also because there weren’t many famous and fierce generals in Xuzhou, otherwise, how could it have been their turn to hold such high positions as generals?
But if Long Chen arrived and became the governor of Xuzhou.
The situation would be completely different, completely reversed.
It was well known.
Long Chen was born a military officer, with extraordinary martial skills. His battle at Hulao Pass in the past had opened the eyes of the world.
He dared to exchange more than a hundred rounds with Lu Bu, the so-called number one general in the world, without being at a disadvantage, and even retreated unscathed.
This showed that his martial skills had reached a transcendent level, with no one able to match him.
Furthermore.
The five great tiger generals under Longhou’s command were enough to make warriors across the land tremble with fear!
The first-ranked Demon God Lu Bu.
At Hulao Pass, he alone could hold back thousands of troops; the eighteen warlords were all terrified of him (except Long Chen’s faction). Lu Bu, with the true form of Qiongqi, was known as the strongest in the world!
The second-ranked White Horse and Silver Spear Zhao Zilong. freewebnσvel.cøm
A terrifying general that even an army of 100,000 elite soldiers couldn’t stop, truly like a dragon descending to earth, unstoppable.
The third-ranked Ancient Evil Lai Dian Wei.
Wielding dual halberds, he dared to break through ten thousand troops, transforming into a gluttonous beast that could consume flesh and blood!
The fourth-ranked Tiger Fool Xu Chu.
Born with divine strength, he could split mountains with a single force. With one steel knife, he could calm turbulent waves, his strength of a tiger and bear displaying the might of a king.
The fifth-ranked Ancient Summoner Zhang Wenyuan.
He could launch surprise attacks over a thousand miles, breaking through with a remarkable army. His martial strength was vast, and his strategies were thorough. Through the ages, none have matched him.
These five tiger generals were renowned in the hearts of the people, not titles given by Long Chen himself.
But besides these five gods of war, Long Chen had many more formidable generals that the people were not yet aware of.
Such as the military genius Gao Shun, and the recently surrendered divine archer Taishi Ci, among others.
Long Chen’s generals were not only numerous but also of high quality.
If Long Chen were to become the governor of Xuzhou, then these local military officers of Xuzhou would have no place to stand!
If they spoke badly.
Heh.
That would be offending the immensely powerful Longhou, and offending the numerous civil and military officials under him.
That would only bring their death closer.
Thus.
The hall was filled with silence; no one dared to speak.
Everyone watched their noses, their noses watched their hearts, and they remained silent.
At this moment, only one person could speak.
And that person was Long Chen.
Only Long Chen had the qualification to speak.
Long Chen was a smart man; he took in everyone’s postures.
This feeling of overlooking all beings, with only himself as the sole ruler, was quite intoxicating.
No wonder countless scholars and warriors throughout history have strived to climb higher, to reach the peak.
This must be what they were seeking...
Long Chen reached out with both hands as if grasping something in the air, then deeply bowed to Tao Qian, clasping his hands in salute:
"Tao Gong, you flatter me. I came to save Xuzhou out of benevolence. When I first heard that the people of Xuzhou were in a desperate situation, I led my army to assist. Now, if I take Xuzhou for myself without reason, the world will think I came not for righteousness but for greed."
In simple terms, Long Chen said he came to Xuzhou to save the lives of the people, not to take over Xuzhou.
If you directly give Xuzhou to me, then everyone in the world will think that I, Long Chen, am a hypocrite.
Therefore.
Long Chen declined; he did not want Xuzhou, only to prove that his intention in sending troops was for the people and virtue.
As soon as he said this, everyone was shocked.
The generals and ministers under Long Chen felt stifled; Xuzhou, which was within their grasp, was rejected by their lord, truly a missed opportunity. (Of course, this didn’t include Xi Zhicai.)
Dian Wei, being the impatient type, almost stood up to agree on behalf of his lord.
But now, hearing his lord’s attitude, he felt even more frustrated, more than missing a few meals.
"Hmph, the lord is too righteous. How could we let go of this fat meat that’s already in our hands?"
"Sigh, the lord has his own reasons for his words. We only need to follow his orders."
Zhao Yun patted Dian Wei’s shoulder to calm him down.
Zhao Yun remained as calm as ever, but he was still somewhat puzzled.
What puzzled him was why his lord declined.
Looking again at the local officials of Xuzhou.
Chen Deng and Chen Gui lowered their heads in thought. When they first heard Long Chen’s response, they wondered if they had heard wrong.
But the more they thought about it, the more they felt something was off.
Would Tao Qian really give up Xuzhou to Long Chen so easily?
It must be noted that Tao Qian was able to dominate Xuzhou during the chaotic times of the Eastern Han, and had the local aristocratic families of Xuzhou under his control, demonstrating considerable skill.
Although he is now old and frail, in this mythical world, Tao Qian’s lifespan could be extended by another twenty to thirty years.
Moreover, they could not believe that Tao Qian would so easily let his son lose Xuzhou, the family’s stronghold, and willingly become a mere wealthy landowner.
In this light, Long Chen’s actions cannot be considered unwise.
However, while the likes of Chen Deng and Chen Gui, who are strategists of great wisdom, could see the subtleties in this, others might not be able to grasp it.
The most obvious example is Cao Bao and others.
Their faces were openly joyful, with smiles stretching across their lips, as if they had encountered some great fortune.
"Tao Gong, Long Hou’s words make sense! If Tao Gong does this, wouldn’t it hinder Long Hou’s true intentions? Perhaps it’s best to leave this matter be!"
Though these words were ostensibly for Long Chen’s benefit, they were filled with the sycophantic tone of a petty man. frёewebηovel.cѳm
Tao Qian was inwardly frustrated, wondering how such a foolish person could hold such an important position.
What he proposed earlier was merely to test Long Chen’s intentions.
He was not truly willing to give up the position of Governor of Xuzhou.
However, now that the enemy was strong and he was weak, if he did not employ some tactics, how could he protect Xuzhou and continue being its ruler?
After all, once accustomed to a life of wealth and power, it is hard to return to the life of an ordinary person.
Aside from Cao Bao, there were also some merchants present.
Among them was Mi Zhu, a representative of the Mi family, which was a famous and wealthy family throughout Xuzhou and the southeastern part of the Han Dynasty.
Their wealth could be described as rivaling that of nations.
Their trade routes spanned the entire Han Dynasty, with the majority focused on Yangzhou.
Yangzhou’s prosperity is well-known throughout the land.
If Xuzhou were to fall into Long Chen’s hands, the relationship between Yangzhou and Xuzhou would inevitably become closer.
This would reduce the taxes on goods crossing state borders and alleviate the fear of being robbed by bandits along the way.
After all, Mi Zhu already knew that under Long Chen’s governance, the people of Yangzhou lived in peace and prosperity, and commerce flourished.
Even more valuable was the near disappearance of bandits in Yangzhou.
The enormous benefits of this could not be ignored by the entire Mi family.
