Second-hand time travel: Liu Bei, the big-eared bandit

Chapter 68 Dragon Soars into the Clouds
In fact, Guan Yu's image was different from what Liu Bei imagined.

His face wasn't the color of a jujube, but rather a rosy, robust complexion—the kind of complexion unique to a martial artist with abundant blood and energy. This kind of complexion wasn't unusual.

His eyes weren't phoenix eyes, but rather the fierce, fiery eyes of a warrior, piercing and possessing the power of a lion or tiger.

But that face brimming with vitality, paired with those piercing eyes, did indeed leave a very deep impression, making him an unforgettable figure with his broad, crimson face.

He didn't have a long beard yet, because Guan Changsheng was only eighteen years old at the time. But he would soon have one, as he had already grown a two-inch beard, which was very thick and indeed a neat and beautiful beard.

Most importantly, it's the expression.

At this moment, Guan Yu showed little arrogance, but rather a strong sense of desperate courage.

After glancing at Liu Bei, Guan Yu remained silent, slowly cupping his hands in a respectful gesture, seemingly wary.

Upon seeing this, Liu Bei felt a chill and realized that he had been too eager. He released his hands, clasped his fists in return, and no longer looked at the beautiful woman with the same gaze he had when he looked at her.

On our first meeting, with no prior connection or obligation, excessive enthusiasm would only make people uneasy.

Brotherhood needs time to develop; how can one act like a homosexual the moment they meet?
"My lord, the barbarians have been eliminated, but two escaped. Should we pursue them?"

A cavalryman came over and asked.

"We won't pursue them anymore. There are often bandits around here. We can just leave these Hu people's corpses at the northern crossroads as a deterrent."

Liu Bei turned and gave the order, then led back a sturdy warhorse belonging to the Hu people and handed it to Guan Yu.

“Chang Sheng, come with me, I’ll find you a place to stay… You crossed the Taihang Mountains but didn’t become a bandit, so you’re not a wicked person. I wonder why you’ve been convicted and are on the run…”

Once he regained his senses, Liu Bei returned to his usual composed demeanor, leading Guan Yu back as he did when he was training new recruits, chatting as they walked.

He treated Guan Yu the same way he treated his other brothers.

Just like how they treated Zhang Fei at the beginning, they didn't give him any special treatment.

True benevolence lies in treating everyone the same; if one's heart is biased, then it is not virtuous.

……

Guan Yu's courtesy name was Changsheng—this courtesy name was given to him a few years ago by an old scholar from Guan Yu's hometown.

The people of Hedong have a martial spirit, and even the poor often make a living through martial arts. Guan Yu came from a poor family, but he was exceptionally gifted and was able to protect his family with martial arts skills at the age of fifteen.

The old scholar was actually Guan Yu's employer. He ran a private school in the countryside of Jie County, where he taught children to read and write. He also taught Guan Yu to read and write. He always shared his tuition with Guan Yu, and they were both teacher and friend.

The Confucian scholar, who was well-versed in various schools of thought and also believed in Taoism, said that Guan Yu's appearance was extraordinary, and the character "Yu" in his name had the connotation of ascending to immortality. Therefore, he gave him the Taoist name of "Chang Sheng" (meaning longevity).

Guan Yu did not know the name of his old friend, who was much older than him. He only knew that the scholar's surname was Liu, that he had been convicted and demoted to a commoner, and that he could only make a living by teaching.

But that Confucian scholar only taught elementary education, saying that it was enough to just learn to read and write, and that learning too much would easily harm people.

Children learning to read and write respectfully called him Master Liu, as did Guan Yu.

Master Liu usually cultivates Taoism and knows many techniques, but he never uses Taoist methods to make money.

Guan Yu asked him why, and the Master said that the way of Tao is natural. If one deliberately uses the way of Tao to make money, then one loses the natural way, and the magic will become uncertain and unreliable. Unreliable magic is harmful to people.

Although the teacher was convicted, he did not wish to harm anyone.

This year, Jie County got a new magistrate. Although there were no natural disasters in the county, there were countless exorbitant taxes and levies. Few children in the villages could afford to go to school, and a large number of people fled the county.

Master Liu stopped hiring Guan Yu because he couldn't afford it anymore...

Guan Yu didn't intend to ask for money. Instead, he would go out hunting or escorting goods, bringing back wine and meat to share with Master Liu as a sign of friendship.

A few months ago, the county added a horse tax, but there were no horses in Hedong, so where would the horse tax come from?
As more and more people fled, Jie County in Hedong, which was originally an important place under the emperor's nose, became a place where people lived in misery and fields were abandoned.

Those middle-class families who were chosen as the leaders of the labor service were all families that had received early education from Master Liu, but now they all wanted to flee.

Master Liu was indignant that the county's taxation was harming the people, causing them to lose their land and become slaves. So he went to the government office to plead for the county to implement some benevolent policies so that the villagers could cultivate the land properly and not lose their land.

However, not long after Liu Fuzi entered the government office, he was killed by the county magistrate's registrar for the crime of... a commoner who had entered the government office without permission.

Guan Yu was out hunting at the time. When he returned and learned of this, he was furious. He grabbed his knife and went straight into the government office, killed the registrar, took his head and left. No one in the county dared to stop him.

But when they took the chief clerk's head back to their hometown to offer sacrifices to Master Liu, the middle-class households in the village all accused Guan Yu...

Because Guan Yu was wanted by the authorities, this was a crime of collective punishment; if no one reported it, everyone in the pavilion would be implicated.

Guan Yu had no choice but to flee north for his life. He passed through Bingzhou and entered Taihang Mountain. Avoiding cities and crowded places, he took the Feihu Road to Zhuojun.

He had heard that Liaodong lacked sufficient officials and was plagued by the Xianbei, and had originally intended to go there to relieve the prisoners of their punishments and defend the border. But since he had found a suitable place in Zhuojun, he decided to stay and observe... Perhaps this Liu Xuande and Master Liu had some similarities?
They both share the surname Liu and are both working for the people.

Master Liu never used his skills to harm others, and Guan Yu had no intention of using his martial arts to become a bandit.

Master Liu died for the land of the Han people, and Guan Yu was also happy to defend the land for the people.

……

Liu Bei did not deliberately associate with Guan Yu. He simply followed the normal procedure, found a barracks for Guan Yu, and placed him in his own righteous and brave troops. Based on his skills, he appointed Guan Yu as the captain of the armored soldiers.

However, when registering households, Liu Bei asked Guan Yu, "If I register Guan Changsheng... it might not be appropriate. You are wanted by the authorities and should not be enlisted in the army according to the law. It would be best to register your name again, register a piece of land for you, and incorporate you into my household, so that you will have the status of a good citizen."

"Isn't this a violation of the law?"

Guan Yu looked up at Liu Bei.

"Of course it's illegal. But the law you've broken is the extermination of your entire clan, while mine is just a minor offense of illegally registering a household. If I take the blame for a minor offense, I can save your clan from extermination. What's wrong with that?"

Liu Bei shook his head: "Chang Sheng, do you think it was a crime for you to kill that registrar?"

"...No...I just regret not killing that magistrate too..."

Guan Yu thought for a while and then shook his head.

"In that case, is it a crime for me to classify you as a law-abiding citizen?"

Liu Bei smiled and said, "I'll give you another name. 'Feathers ride the wind and fly far away,' which means a dragon soaring into the clouds and flying high in the sky. So I'll call you... Yun Chang, is that alright?"

"...I am deeply grateful for your kind offer, young master!"

Guan Yu looked at Liu Bei, thought for a while, and seeing Liu Bei's sincere expression, clasped his hands and bowed his head, addressing him as "Lord".

He truly left his hometown on a whim and soared far away; this word perfectly aligns with his destiny and embodies the natural way.

However, Guan Yu still did not address him as his elder brother.

Liu Bei didn't mind and arranged for Guan Yu to become a retainer and soldier, incorporating him into his personal guard and making him a captain.

……

September, the year of Yi-You.

An auspicious day, suitable for offering sacrifices.

The memorial service for Gongsun Bogui, the magistrate of Zhuoxian County, is currently underway.

After recovering from his injuries, Liu Wei left the official residence and presided over the funeral arrangements at the Yitang Hall in the county. He was required to preside over all sacrificial ceremonies for officials of the prefecture.

Liu Bei did not intend to keep him under house arrest indefinitely. Liu Wei was a prefect, and a prefect should maintain his dignity. Liu Bei did not intend to oppress him; he simply wanted Liu Wei to rely on him as much as possible.

After all, Liu Bei had not yet received an official position, and the later the imperial decree came, the more uneasy he felt.

During the ceremony, Liu Bei received a recruitment notice that was completely irregular.

Wang Men, the chief minister of Zhongshan and concurrently the chief accountant of Zhongshan, came to attend Gongsun Zan's sacrificial ceremony. On the way, he brought Liu Bei a letter of recruitment, saying that the imperial envoy had been killed by bandits in Taihang Mountain and that the letter was found on his corpse.

Moreover, there was only a written document, but no official seal.

Wang Men said that the seal of office might have fallen into the hands of the Taihang bandits.

Liu Bei was very suspicious that this "Taihang bandit" was Wang Men himself, but after Liu Wei saw the recruitment document, Liu Wei said that it was indeed the real deal.

The imperial court appointed Liu Bei as "acting as the Commandant of Anxi", and the appointment was made in April.

At the same time, Wang Men also delivered Duan Jiong's obituary and the announcement of Wang Fu's conviction and death to Liu Wei.

Clearly, the imperial court issued the obituary and the recruitment notice together.

In other words, the order to conscript Liu Bei was issued not long after he left Luoyang, but it took more than five months to receive it.

And it was received at the memorial service...

An Xiwei...

This position seems ominous no matter how you look at it.

(End of this chapter)