After parting ways with Liu Bei and Wang Fangyi at a fork in the road, Liu Wei, dressed in plain clothes and looking as if he had traveled through wind and rain, arrived outside Zhenjiazhuang.
Zhenjiazhuang is located north of a large river, with rolling hills hundreds of feet high behind the village.
Nestled amidst mountains and water, this auspicious place is bound to be a land of talented people and abundant resources.
It really is a great place for beautiful women.
After seeing the entire landscape of Zhenjiazhuang from horseback, Liu Wei couldn't help but sigh.
As we rode closer, Zhenjiazhuang became increasingly clear.
There were about fifty or sixty households, crisscrossing each other and standing side by side.
The surrounding area is crisscrossed by fields and mulberry trees, with farmhouses stretching endlessly around them.
It is quite different from Yangjiazhuang, which Liu Wei passed by outside Hongnong City; it is a typical village on the northern plains.
At this time, because winter had not yet passed and spring had not yet arrived, all that could be seen as far as the eye could see was a gray, desolate, and barren landscape.
Amidst the gray landscape, several tall pine trees stand out.
Surrounded by green pines, there is a high-walled manor covering a large area. With its blue bricks and tiles, it is immediately recognizable as something special.
There is a main road at the entrance of the village, and a few miles to the west is Wuji County.
Along the roadside, there was a bustling noise and rising heat, with what appeared to be hundreds of people gathered there, forming a long queue and slowly inching forward.
Men, women, young and old, with their wives and children, were all dressed in rags, their faces sallow and emaciated.
Some held a broken bowl, some held a wooden spoon, and some simply scooped the scalding hot porridge into their mouths with their hands.
"The Zhen family is distributing porridge. Everyone line up to receive it, and once you're done, move to the side!"
A man stood on a high place behind several large pots of hot porridge, shouting loudly.
"Please don't rush or crowd. We have prepared plenty of porridge, so everyone will have a chance to drink some!"
Then a clear, melodious, and somewhat childish female voice rang out.
Although it's a bit tender, it sounds very pleasant and soft, making people feel relaxed and happy.
As soon as the woman's voice fell, a chorus of gratitude erupted from men, women, and children:
"Miss Zhen is truly a living Bodhisattva, a truly wonderful person!"
"We are deeply grateful for Miss Zhen's great kindness and virtue, and wish her a long and healthy life!"
"The Zhen family is kind and righteous, distributing porridge to relieve famine; their kindness and virtue are immense!"
"When we finally have a place to stay, we will definitely erect a longevity tablet for Miss and worship it at home!"
"......."
It turns out that the Zhen family was here to distribute porridge and do good deeds to help refugees.
In Youzhou, foreign tribes rebelled. Apart from a few major cities such as Zhuojun, Liaodongjun, Lelangjun, Xuantujun, and Jixian in Yuyangjun, which were still in the hands of the Han Dynasty, the rest had been captured by Zhang Ju, Zhang Chun, the Wuhuan Qiuliju, and the Xianbei Murong tribe.
The Han army retreated to Zhuojun to regroup, awaiting Liu Yu's command to launch a counterattack and recapture the city.
Liu Yu had just returned from Luoyang and was busy reorganizing his troops, but he had not yet launched an attack on Zhang Ju.
On one hand, he was waiting for Liu Wei to arrive;
On the other hand, he followed the teachings of Confucius and Mencius, and wanted to win people over with virtue. He planned to treat these foreign tribes with leniency and kindness through a policy of appeasement.
He may have believed that the best strategy is to subdue the enemy without fighting.
This has fueled growing discontent among local powerful figures like Gongsun Zan, who were already dissatisfied with his policies.
Gongsun Zan advocated using war to subdue foreign tribes, which contradicted Liu Yu's policy of appeasement and persuasion.
Therefore, this time, Zhang Ju and Zhang Chun joined forces with the foreign tribes to rebel. Gongsun Zan disobeyed orders and led his White Horse Cavalry to recuperate in Yi County, allowing the foreign tribes to sweep through Youzhou.
Gongsun Zan wanted to wait until Liu Yu couldn't hold on any longer and then come to him for help, so as to gain more political benefits from Liu Yu, the leader of the Han imperial family.
It should be noted that Liu Yu had a very high reputation.
Yuan Shao once intended to enthrone him as emperor; however, Dong Zhuo, because Yuan Shao had rebelled against him, killed more than 300 people from the families of Grand Tutor Yuan Kui and Grand Master of the Palace Yuan Feng, and then submitted a memorial requesting that Liu Yu be appointed as Grand Tutor.
His virtue and prestige are evident.
When Liu Yu was about to seek help from Gongsun Zan because Youzhou could not withstand the rebel army, he happened to meet Liu Wei in Luoyang.
Thus, Liu Yu invited Liu Wei to a trip to Youzhou.
However, while waiting for Liu Wei to arrive, Liu Yu temporarily held back.
This led to many people from Youzhou outside Zhuojun fleeing south to Jizhou for refuge.
On his way from Pingyuan to Zhongshan, Liu Wei saw many refugees.
There were hundreds, even thousands, of them, and their faces were filled with helplessness towards the world.
Liu Wei was unaware that the large number of refugees he was now facing was actually related to his dawdling along the way.
Jian Yong in Pingyuan, Qu Yi in Anping, as well as Zhang He, Ju Shou, Cui Yan, and others should be able to follow his orders and, in addition to taking in the people led by Liu Wei, also take in these people who have drifted from Youzhou.
Their actions were naturally under the surveillance of the Northeast Division of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.
If there's even the slightest unusual movement, it's not impossible that your head might be missing while you're sleeping at night!
......
Let's return to Liu Wei's current perspective.
At this moment, he had already ridden his horse to a spot not far from the Zhen family's porridge stall.
Because he was riding a horse and carrying weapons, he stood out from the other refugees and attracted a lot of attention.
In this world, owning a warhorse is as awesome as owning a car.
As Liu Wei led his horse closer to the porridge stall, the refugees were intimidated by his imposing presence and quickly made way for him.
Amidst the crowd, a beautiful sight suddenly appeared.
A sixteen-year-old girl was seen serving porridge to the people queuing up with a wooden spoon.
She has a pretty face, a high nose bridge, and eyes like the moon. At first glance, she looks a bit like Yang Mi!
Her smile is warm and full of maternal radiance.
Although she is young, she is already beautiful. Her body has already developed and is curvaceous. If she grows a few more years, she will be even more perfect!
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