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

Chapter 97 Liu Bei Returns Home in Glory, the True King of Zhuojun Has Returned (3rd Update)
The first day of the eighth month in the fifth year of Jian'an.

Xinqi rode his horse swiftly, as if flying.

Zhuo County, the prefectural government office.

Yuan Xi, the governor of Youzhou, frowned deeply.

The messenger arrived on horseback with news that General Liu Bei had reached a point thirty li outside Zhuo County.

Meanwhile, Han Heng, also known as Han Zipei, the Prefect of Youzhou and a native of Dai County, was also deeply worried: "The General appointed Liu Bei as the Governor of Zhuo County, although it was to assist you in overseeing the various counties of Youzhou. However, Liu Bei is not one to remain subordinate for long, and he has brought tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians, as well as more than two thousand infantry and cavalry. You must be cautious!"

Han Heng's concerns were not unfounded. Liu Bei had the support of the people and the army at his disposal, and he was also from Zhuo County. The threat he posed to Yuan Xi was no less than that posed by local forces such as Xianyu Fu and Yan Rou. If Liu Bei were to join forces with Xianyu Fu, Yan Rou, and others, Yuan Xi, the governor of Youzhou, would have to rely on Liu Bei's whims.

Although Yuan Xi was Yuan Shao's son, he was only one of Yuan Shao's illegitimate sons and his talent was mediocre. The reason he was able to become the governor of Youzhou was not because Yuan Xi was talented or famous, but because Yuan Shao had no one else to use!

Although the Yuan family was a prestigious clan that had produced four generations of high-ranking officials, the previous massacre of the entire Yuan clan in Luoyang by Dong Zhuo, followed by the fierce infighting between the brothers Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu, had left Yuan Shao with very few clansmen he could actually use.

The talents of the scholars were insufficient, while the heroes of the world were like ministers crossing the river.

On the surface, it was claimed that "each son should be assigned to a province to see their abilities," but in reality, Yuan Shao was not comfortable letting someone outside his family govern a province. He could only choose the most capable among his sons and nephews, tacitly allowing Yuan Tan to be in Qing Province, sending his nephew Gao Gan to Bing Province, and appointing his illegitimate son Yuan Xi as the governor of You Province.

His eagerness to march south and fight Cao Cao stemmed from his concern that his son lacked prestige and that a subject might overpower his lord.

In the face of power, protégés and former subordinates are nothing but a joke.

Having learned from Dong Zhuo's example, Yuan Shao had no choice but to be cautious.

Yuan Xi was also aware of his own limitations.

Knowing that it was almost impossible for him to subdue local forces such as Xianyu Fu and Yan Rou with his own prestige and talent, he focused his energy on Zhuojun and appointed Han Heng, a famous scholar from Daijun, as his assistant, hoping to gain power in Zhuojun and rival the other prefectures of Youzhou.

And now.

Liu Bei has arrived!

Between Yuan Xi and Liu Bei, one of them was destined to kneel down.

Either Yuan Xi listens to Liu Bei, or Liu Bei listens to Yuan Xi.

When Yuan Xi first received Yuan Shao's secret order, he even wondered if Yuan Shao was deliberately making things difficult for him, trusting an outsider instead of his son.
If Yuan Shao knew that Yuan Xi had this idea, he would surely be so angry that he would whip him and then scold him: If you could be like Yuan Tan, who defeated Tian Kai in the north, attacked Kong Rong in the east, and wielded troops in the coastal areas to contend with Zang Ba, or like Gao Gan, who governed Bingzhou for nine years and attracted many wandering scholars from all directions to join him, why would I need to send Liu Bei to guard Zhuojun as governor? Xianyu Fudu surrendered to Cao Cao right under your nose. How did you become the governor of Youzhou?

Hearing Han Heng's concerns, Yuan Xi sighed softly, his tone dejected: "I am well aware of what you said, but Liu Bei is powerful and highly regarded by the General. Even if I want to be cautious, what can I do?"

Although Han Heng was appointed as Yuan Xi's advisor, he was not very intelligent. After thinking for a long time, he could not come up with a good solution and could only say, "Please forgive my stupidity, I cannot share your worries."

The voice just fell.

This elicited two loud laughs.

Han Heng frowned and looked up. It was Jiao Chu and Zhang Nan, generals under Yuan Xi. "Why are you two laughing? Do you have a good plan to teach me?" Yuan Xi looked up at the two and asked.

Jiao Chu clasped his hands and shouted, "I laugh at Han Biejia for having read too many Confucian classics and losing his courage. He only knows how to boost Liu Bei's morale while diminishing your prestige. You are the Governor of Youzhou appointed by the Grand General and are also the Grand General's son, while Liu Bei, although appointed by the Emperor as the Left General, is now only a minor commander appointed by the Grand General. Liu Bei has soldiers, and you also have soldiers; Liu Bei has generals, and you also have generals. What is there to fear?"

Zhang Nan also clasped his hands and said, "Since we joined your ranks, we have been diligent in training our troops, and we have five thousand elite soldiers under our command who can serve as your vanguard. If you are worried that Liu Bei will not submit, we can help you establish your authority over Liu Bei first."

Yuan Xi's eyebrows twitched: "How do we establish authority?"

Zhang Nan laughed and said, “Your Excellency can first lead the officials to a banquet ten miles outside Zhuo County to welcome Liu Bei. We two can then perform a sword dance during the banquet, and have our elite soldiers demonstrate their martial arts for entertainment. Seeing that Your Excellency has fierce generals and strong soldiers under your command, Liu Bei will certainly not dare to be disrespectful. Your Excellency can then take this opportunity to promise Liu Bei benefits, using generous gifts to win his heart. With both kindness and power combined, why worry that Liu Bei won't be at your disposal? Your Excellency can then take this opportunity to exert your authority in Dai Commandery and Yuyang, and who among the rebellious scoundrels like Xianyu Fu and Yan Rou would dare to disobey Your Excellency?”

Upon hearing Jiao Chu and Zhang Nan's words, Yuan Xi was moved, and his tightly furrowed brows relaxed considerably: "If this can really be done, the two generals will have made a great contribution!"

Han Heng thought for a moment and said with concern, "It is rather impolite for you, my lord, to order your soldiers to perform sword dances and martial arts when you have just arrived. Moreover, I have heard that Liu Bei has fierce warriors like Guan Yu and Zhang Fei under his command, and they should not be underestimated."

Two more cold snorts rang out.

Jiao Chu looked displeased: "Does Governor Han mean that the two of us are not worthy of being called fierce warriors?"

Zhang Nan said arrogantly, "Guan Yu and Zhang Fei are just empty names. Even if they really have the strength of bears and tigers, I have led men to hunt bears and tigers before. What is there to fear?"

The implication is: I have truly hunted both bears and tigers, let alone two so-called bear and tiger hunters who are merely empty names.

Speechless after being rebuked, Han Heng suggested, "Why don't you ask Supervisor Ju first, my lord?"

However, Yuan Xi looked disgusted: "Arrogant fools only know how to make baseless accusations, why should I bother making a fool of myself?"

After being tricked by Xu You and transferred to Zhuo County, Ju Shou initially helped Yuan Xi with his strategies, but soon Ju Shou discovered that Yuan Xi was even less tolerant of honest advice than Yuan Shao.

Generals Jiao Chu and Zhang Nan were worried that Ju Shou would seize military power, and they were always at odds with Ju Shou. Behind his back, they even slandered him, saying, "The reason why the General transferred Ju Shou to Zhuo County was to prevent Ju Shou from interfering in important matters. Ju Shou has no self-awareness and even wants to interfere in the affairs of the magistrate. He is extremely despicable!"

Yuan Xi was already annoyed by Ju Shou's constant meddling, so he simply put on a show with Jiao Chu and Zhang Nan, putting Ju Shou in charge of education in Zhuo County and responsible for the education and etiquette of the people of Zhuo County. He claimed that if the scholars of Zhuo County heard of the name of Lord Ju, they would flock to him!

Ju Shou was indignant, but there was nothing he could do.

Even a tiger fallen into the plains is bullied by dogs. The current Ju Shou is no longer the "Ju Supervisor" who once commanded respect from both the civil and military armies.

Yuan Xi despised Ju Shou so much, yet Han Heng still wanted Yuan Xi to seek advice from Ju Shou, which was no different from directly slapping Yuan Xi in the face!

After being rebuked by Yuan Xi, Han Heng felt both helpless and ashamed, and reluctantly stopped speaking.

“Let’s follow General Jiao and General Zhang’s plan! We’ll set up a banquet ten miles away, and I want to meet Liu Bei in person!” Yuan Xi flicked his sleeve and finalized the plan.

Yuan Xi's brows furrowed fiercely: Zhuojun belongs to me, Yuan Xi, not Liu Bei. I, Yuan Xi, am the true king of Zhuojun!

　Asking for monthly ticket
　　
　
(End of this chapter)