The Three Kingdoms: Hindsight is 20/20, and the Three Revivals of the Han Dynasty

Chapter 4 This journey was like a bird soaring into the blue sky or a fish entering the vast ocean; it was no longer bound by any constraints.
These three armored giants were none other than General Liu Bei, who came from Xuchang, along with Guan Yu and Zhang Fei.

Several dozen days ago.

Cao Cao held a banquet at the Sikong Mansion, inviting Liu Bei to taste plums, drink wine, and discuss heroes.

At first, Cao Cao's assessments were normal. He took advantage of his drunkenness to mock the heroes of the world one by one, and Liu Bei smiled and agreed.

Never thought.

After Cao Cao had mocked all the heroes of the land one by one, he suddenly changed his tone and pointed at Liu Bei, laughing loudly, "The only heroes in the world today are you, my lord, and I. Yuan Shao and his ilk are not worth mentioning!"

Liu Bei was so startled that he dropped his dagger and chopsticks.

Fortunately, a sudden clap of thunder caused Cao Cao to underestimate Liu Bei, thinking he was "afraid of thunder when drunk and only good at gardening in his spare time," thus saving Liu Bei from disaster.

This is precisely why Liu Bei felt a sense of crisis that "Xudu is not a place to stay for long."

In addition, Liu Bei was secretly involved in Dong Cheng's conspiracy of the secret edict, which often made it difficult for Liu Bei to sleep peacefully.

Just then, intelligence came in that Yuan Shu intended to take the imperial seal north to join Yuan Shao, so Liu Bei asked Cao Cao for permission to lead an expedition against Yuan Shu.

Cao Cao made a careless decision and agreed to let Liu Bei lead the expedition under the command of generals Zhu Ling and Lu Zhao.

Although Zhu Ling and Lu Zhao were nominally Liu Bei's deputy generals but in reality, they were there to supervise him. However, their official ranks were not as high as Liu Bei's, their bravery was not as great, and they were bound by military law while in the army. It would have been easy for Liu Bei to deal with them!
Fearing that he might let Liu Bei return to the mountains, Cao Cao hurriedly sent Xu Chu to "invite" Liu Bei to return to the army.

When he first received the order, Xu Chu made a solemn vow to "invite" Liu Bei back.

Seeing Liu Bei sitting upright on the stool, exuding an imposing aura without anger, Xu Chu dared not act rudely.

In particular, Guan Yu's half-closed phoenix eyes and Zhang Fei's glaring eyes made Xu Chu even more wary.

Xu Chu is a tiger fanatic, not a tiger wall.

When you can't win a fight, you have to reason with them!

Liu Bei saw through Xu Chu's intentions at a glance.

The statement "Return to Xuchang immediately for further discussion" was merely a pretext to deceive others.

Having finally escaped the perilous and dangerous city of Xuchang, why would Liu Bei be foolish enough to return?
If Dong Cheng's plot is not kept secret, Liu Bei, who was involved in the secret edict, will die without a trace.

True.

Cao Cao was magnanimous and bold, daring to employ Liu Bei, a fierce tiger.

but.

Cao Cao employed Liu Bei only because he believed Liu Bei posed no threat to him.

However, once Cao Cao discovers that Liu Bei is conspiring with Dong Cheng and others, he will not hesitate to kill Liu Bei to eliminate any future troubles!

“When a general is in the field, he may disobey the emperor’s orders. I have already bid farewell to His Majesty and have also received words of advice from the Minister of Works, so there is no other matter. You may return immediately.”

Xu Chu "reasoned" with Liu Bei, but Liu Bei's seemingly gentle tone carried an unquestionable authority, causing Xu Chu to frown.

He wanted to get angry, but he was afraid that Guan Yu and Zhang Fei would suddenly attack and hurt him.

For a moment, Xu Chu was at a loss as to how to respond.

Seeing that Liu Bei remained silent, and that Guan Yu and Zhang Fei were also scrutinizing him, Xu Chu gritted his teeth, clasped his hands in farewell, and said, "In that case, Xu Chu will reply to the Minister of Works and convey the General's message. Farewell!"

They came fiercely like tigers, but left as slinking away as cats.

Xu Chu couldn't help but think to himself that he was in trouble.

I can't win a fight, and I can't win an argument, so what am I doing here?
Watching Xu Chu slink away, Liu Bei's face not only failed to show any sign of relenting, but instead became more serious.

Cao Cao is suspicious of me again.

With this in mind, Liu Bei mounted his horse and sternly ordered, "Zhu Ling, Lu Zhao, pass on the order to advance swiftly. The soldiers must not stop, and the horses must not halt."

Zhu Ling and Lu Zhao exchanged a glance, both seeing the confusion in each other's eyes.

However, Liu Bei's military orders did not deviate from the prescribed procedures, so Zhu Ling and Lu Zhao, even if they had doubts, dared not ask any further questions and could only obey the orders and leave.

Zhu Ling and Lu Zhao dared not ask, but Guan Yu and Zhang Fei had no such concerns and asked directly, "Why are you in such a panic before this expedition, elder brother?"

[Note: The terms "eldest brother" and "second brother" did not exist in the Han Dynasty; they are used specifically for Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei in this book.]

Liu Bei made no attempt to conceal his intentions, and said sternly, "I am like a bird in a cage or a fish in a net. This journey is like a bird soaring into the sky or a fish entering the sea; I will no longer be bound by any constraints. Quickly head to Xiapi to intercept Yuan Shu; there is no time to lose."

Liu Bei was in a hurry. Although Xu Chu was persuaded to back down, Cao Cao would become even more suspicious.

If Cao Cao were to issue another order appointing Zhu Ling and Lu Zhao to command troops, Liu Bei would no longer have control over military affairs.

To completely break free from Cao Cao's control, Liu Bei needed to hurry to Xiapi.

Once Liu Bei arrives at Xiapi, he will have a reason to stay there, given his past reputation there.

For example, phrases like "It's hard to refuse the people's kind invitation" and "Farming with the people demonstrates the court's benevolence" were used to deceive Zhu Ling and Lu Zhao.

And things turned out exactly as Liu Bei had predicted.

Upon learning that Xu Chu had failed to bring Liu Bei back, Cao Cao immediately drafted a military order, appointing Zhu Ling and Lu Zhao to command the troops instead.

Because Liu Bei urged his troops to march at breakneck speed, by the time the military order was delivered, Liu Bei had already arrived in Xiapi.

"Since the Commander-in-Chief has given the order, the troops are now in the hands of the two generals."

Liu Bei readily handed over military power, leaving Zhu Ling and Lu Zhao looking at each other in bewilderment.

This was because Cao Cao's secret order contained another clause: if Liu Bei refused to hand over military power, he would be executed on the spot!

Zhu Ling whispered to Lu Zhao, "Sikong has always treated Liu Bei well, sharing the same carriage and the same seat when they go out. Now that Liu Bei has entrusted military power to us, we must not invite trouble upon ourselves."

Lu Zhao agreed with Zhu Ling's suggestion: "I think so too. It is enough for you and me to intercept Yuan Shu. There is no need to ask Liu Bei to help."

Guan Yu and Zhang Fei were furious when Guan Yu was stripped of his military command as soon as he arrived in Xiapi.

“Once you relinquish your military power, the troops you brought from Xudu will no longer belong to you. Without troops, how can you escape Cao Cao’s control?”

"It would be better to kill Zhu Ling and Lu Zhao and seize their troops."

Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, each uttering a single sentence, were filled with murderous intent.

"Do not speak recklessly."

Liu Bei rebuked him in a low voice.

When Liu Bei first left Xuchang, he was in a hurry to march and wished he could reach Xiapi in a single day.

Once Liu Bei arrived in Xiapi, he was no longer in a hurry.

Delivering troops was actually a way of doing Zhu Ling and Lu Zhao a favor.

The implication is: you should listen carefully when I'm reasoning with you; if you don't listen carefully, then I'll resort to fists and weapons.

"Yun Chang, go to the governor's mansion and ask Governor Che to allocate me a few acres of fertile land."

Liu Bei leaned against the table, his gaze deep and thoughtful.

Guan Yu was taken aback: "Brother, what do you need fertile land for?"

Liu Bei smiled slightly: "If you want fertile land, naturally you should grow vegetables."

Growing vegetables?

Guan Yu and Zhang Fei looked at each other in bewilderment.

They grow vegetables in Xudu, and now they want to grow vegetables in Xiapi too?

"Big brother-"

Guan Yu was interrupted by Liu Bei as soon as he opened his mouth to ask a question.

"Don't ask any more questions, I have my own plan."

Seeing that Liu Bei was unwilling to explain, Guan Yu could only stomp his foot in frustration and turn to go to the governor's mansion to find Che Zhou.

Liu Bei then instructed Zhang Fei, saying, "Yide, go into the city and spread the word that 'General Liu Bei is studying gardening in Xiapi. If there is anyone skilled in gardening, I am willing to pay a large sum of money to learn the art.'"

Zhang Fei became increasingly confused: "Brother, are you really going to grow vegetables?"

While asking Che Zhou for fertile land, Liu Bei was also spreading rumors about planting gardens. Zhang Fei really couldn't understand what Liu Bei was up to!
"Don't ask any more questions, I have my own plan."

Liu Bei still didn't explain, but urged Zhang Fei to quickly spread the news about the Xuepu Garden.

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(End of this chapter)