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

Chapter 99 Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang's tacit cooperation makes Yuan Xi chicken out (2 updates)
Jiao Chu and Zhang Nan were both frightened and ashamed.

What terrified them was that Zhao Yun not only possessed exquisite swordsmanship but also extraordinary wrist strength. With just a touch, he knocked the swords out of Jiao Chu and Zhang Nan's hands, causing them excruciating pain in their hands, as if their wrists were being torn apart.

Embarrassingly, both Jiao Chu and Zhang Nan's swords were knocked away, and Zhao Yun's words, "Zhao Yun, the cavalry commander under the Left General, is willing to remove your swords," were barely uttered.

on purpose!
This was absolutely intentional!
Jiao Chu and Zhang Nan gritted their teeth in anger, yet were helpless, and at the same time, they were even more afraid of Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, who were not yet under Liu Bei's command.

If a cavalry battalion commander is this capable, how valiant must Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, who are known as warriors of fierce strength, be?

The more boastful the two men were in front of Yuan Xi, the more fearful they were of Guan Yu and Zhang Fei at this moment: it wasn't that Liu Bei didn't want to bring Guan Yu and Zhang Fei along, but that Liu Bei simply didn't think that the "valiant generals" under Yuan Xi were qualified for Liu Bei to bring Guan Yu and Zhang Fei along.

"Prefect Yuan—"

Liu Bei reached out and pulled Yuan Xi, startling Yuan Xi so much that the hairs on Yuan Xi's body stood on end.

Yuan Xi subconsciously stepped to the left, knocking over the wine cup on the table.

Realizing his lapse in composure, Yuan Xi's neck instantly turned hot and red.

Yuan Xi felt both ashamed and angry, and cursed Jiao Chu and Zhang Nan in his heart: I should not have believed the words of the two traitors, which caused me to lose my composure like this today.

They lost when they compared their elite troops to Liu Bei's.

He lost a duel with Liu Bei.

He lost when he tried to outmaneuver Liu Bei.

Yuan Xi intended to intimidate Liu Bei, but he suffered a crushing defeat and ended up being intimidated by Liu Bei instead.

"Governor Yuan, are you perhaps unable to hold your liquor? Come, come, let's drink some more!" Liu Bei laughed as he got up, picked up the wine cup for Yuan Xi, refilled it, and handed it to him.

Seeing Liu Bei's composure and gentleness as before, Yuan Xi felt a little relieved. He first accepted the wine with one hand, but then switched to accepting it with both hands. His tone also became more humble: "I am not a strong drinker, and I have made General Zuo laugh at me."

Zhuge Liang, who was below, also rose and toasted Han Heng: "I have long heard of Han Heng's refined and elegant character. It is truly an honor for me to feast and drink with Han Heng!"

Han Heng was first startled by Jiao Chu and Zhang Nan having their swords knocked from their hands, and then by Yuan Xi's loss of composure. Just as he was at a loss, he suddenly saw Zhuge Liang get up to offer a toast. He immediately understood Zhuge Liang's intention and hurriedly picked up his wine cup to drink with Zhuge Liang.

Pang Tong then poured two cups of wine for Jiao Chu and Zhang Nan, and stood up to toast them, saying, "Governor Zhao was a bit rough and disturbed your sword-wielding, I'm truly sorry. I am Pang Tong, the Left General's Chief Clerk and Military Advisor, and I apologize on your behalf."

Jiao Chu and Zhang Nan were taken aback, but seeing that Pang Tong's smile was gentle and without any hint of mockery, the two felt ashamed.

Jiao Chu and Zhang Nan wanted to embarrass Zhuge Liang and Pang Tong, but Zhuge Liang and Pang Tong resolved their predicament with humility.

"Thank you, Chief Secretary Pang!"

Their tone was no longer arrogant and haughty, but gentle and humble.

After the two men finished drinking, Zhao Yun picked up their fallen swords and presented them with both hands, saying, "Just now, I was blind and mistakenly thought that you two generals were going to hurt someone. In my haste, I used too much force. Only after knocking the swords away did I realize that you two generals had not used any force. Please forgive my rudeness."

Seeing Zhao Yun's "honest and apologetic" expression, Jiao Chu and Zhang Nan felt even more ashamed: Look at his demeanor, and then look at ourselves!
The minor conflict at the banquet quickly dissipated, and the atmosphere became more amicable.

Not long after, cheers suddenly rang out outside the banquet hall.

Just as Yuan Xi and the others were wondering what was going on, someone reported that "a general under the Left General is enjoying archery on horseback." The group then left the banquet and stood on a high platform to look down.

Below the high platform, a brocade robe hung on a willow branch, and beneath the robe was a quiver of arrows, with three arrows firmly embedded in the bullseye.

At this moment, another mighty general rode his horse, drew his bow, and executed a backflip shot, hitting the bullseye once again.

The surrounding soldiers shouted again, and some even yelled, "One more arrow!"

Looking at the valiant general below, Yuan Xi couldn't help but ask, "Is this Guan Yu or Zhang Fei?"

Liu Bei remained calm and introduced, "This man is Huang Zhong, also known as Huang Hansheng, the General of the Central Army of Jingzhou. He is a guest general sent to my command by the General Who Guards the South."

Yuan Xi was even more surprised.

The banquet first featured Zhao Yun, who could instantly knock the swords out of Jiao Chu and Zhang Nan's hands. Now, Huang Zhong, whose archery skills are amazing, has arrived. But Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, who are known as warriors of fierce strength, have not yet appeared!

Yuan Xi couldn't help but ponder: Just how many fierce generals does the Left General command?
At this moment, Huang Zhong turned around and shot an arrow that hit the bullseye, drawing cheers from the soldiers once again.

Seemingly having discovered Liu Bei observing the arrows, Huang Zhong spurred his horse and galloped forward, shooting an arrow that severed the willow branch hanging from the brocade robe. The willow branch snapped in response, and the brocade robe slipped down, which Huang Zhong caught perfectly. The whole process was so smooth and effortless that it was truly amazing!

The soldiers cheered and applauded Huang Zhong's superb archery skills!

Jiao Chu and Zhang Nan looked at each other, both seeing the shock in each other's eyes. Whether it was turning around to shoot from behind or turning around to shoot an arrow, both were high-difficulty moves in mounted archery, let alone hitting the bullseye every time!
The fact that he could catch the falling brocade robe after severing a willow branch with an arrow is truly miraculous. It not only demonstrates his superb archery skills but also his exceptional horsemanship and absolute confidence in his own archery and horsemanship!

The two men were filled with renewed fear: if a cavalry commander and a guest general were this fierce, then how valiant were Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, the fierce warriors?
However, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei did not appear until the end of the banquet!

Although Guan Yu and Zhang Fei did not appear, the prestige of these "bear and tiger warriors" continued to rise in the minds of Yuan Xi and his civil and military officials, as if Guan Yu and Zhang Fei were real bears and tigers lurking in the shadows, watching their prey.

What is deterrence?

This is deterrence!
Even though Guan Yu and Zhang Fei never actually appeared, legends about them circulated among Yuan Xi and his civil and military officials.

As dusk approached, Liu Bei led his men to Zhuoxian County.

Returning to his old haunts, Liu Bei was filled with emotion as he looked at the two characters "Zhuo County" above the city gate.

The phrase "going out to guard Zhuojun as governor" means that Liu Bei would become the governor and governor of Zhuojun. In other words, Liu Bei would be in charge of both the military and political affairs of Zhuojun. This is why Yuan Xi was initially angry that Yuan Shao trusted outsiders instead of his son.

Although the Eastern Han Dynasty had a system of avoiding people from their place of origin, such as the governor of a province not being a native of that province, the prefect, chancellor, assistant prefect, and chief clerk of a commandery not being native of that commandery, and the magistrate, chief assistant, and lieutenant of a county not being native of that county, Liu Bei's appointment as governor of Zhuo Commandery was not an appointment by the emperor of Xuchang, but rather a decision by Yuan Shao to control the commanderies of Youzhou.

To put it nicely, Liu Bei was appointed by Yuan Shao as the Prefect of Zhuojun.

To put it bluntly, Liu Bei was appointed by Yuan Shao under false pretenses, which is why he always referred to himself as General of the Left rather than Prefect of Zhuojun.

Neither Yuan Shao nor Liu Bei paid attention to the details. What Yuan Shao wanted was for Liu Bei to suppress the unruly forces such as Xianyu Fu and Yan Rou, while what Liu Bei wanted was to establish himself in Youzhou by borrowing Yuan Shao's name.

Just as Sun Ce, under the guise of Yuan Shu, attacked the rebellious forces in the counties of Jiangdong and eventually established himself in Jiangdong.

　Asking for monthly ticket
　　
　
(End of this chapter)