Three Kingdoms: A Million Soldiers Grown from the Fields

Chapter 51 Zhang Jiao of the Way of Peace (Please continue reading)
A new area for archery practice has been built outside the training ground.

It was a dozen paces wide and a hundred and eighty paces long, enclosed by a wooden fence, with warning signs placed around it.

The evening in Taoyuan was peaceful. Outside Taoyuan, some shacks had been built, where refugees who made a living in Taoyuan lived.

The head of the kiln pavilion came once and asked Zhang Xian if he wanted to drive them away, but Zhang Xian refused.

The refugees outside wanted to eat, and he needed labor; both sides had a need.

After the feeding was finished, the people of Peach Blossom Spring also entered a period of rest.

Every day, I train from six or seven in the morning until nine o'clock, and then from two o'clock in the afternoon until four o'clock. The training volume is not small. But people are not made of iron, and they still need to rest when they need to.

However, for the people of Peach Blossom Spring, patrolling was a form of rest, so they split into several teams to patrol and keep watch.

In the archery training ground, Zhang Xian nocked an arrow and aimed at a grass target about twenty paces in front of him.

With a whoosh, the arrow pierced the straw man's chest, its fletching trembling uncontrollably.

However, such superb archery skills did not win praise from Huang Zhong and others; instead, they made them suppress their laughter.

"The bow's trajectory is veering to the right; I need to make some adjustments!"

Zhang Xian gritted his teeth. He had clearly drawn a straw target twenty paces in front of him, but he had hit a straw man forty paces behind him instead.

What a ghost!

You might say he was wrong, but he hit the target; you might say he was right, but he didn't aim properly.

"The patriarch has made rapid progress," Huang Zhong said, barely suppressing a laugh.

But despite the laughter, he wasn't lying. Zhang Xian's progress was obvious. This was only the third arrow. Thinking back to the first arrow, not only did it not hit the target, but his patriarch even used the wrong technique to draw the bow, causing the arrow to fly off at an angle.

But by the second arrow, after I briefly explained the hand gestures and the essentials of holding the bow, the patriarch was able to draw the bow and shoot. Although he still missed the target, the direction was correct.

The third arrow, although it hit a straw man forty paces behind, was enough to show that the patriarch had a firm grasp of the direction and altitude, and this progress was visible to the naked eye.

So after seeing the expression on the patriarch's face and hearing his comment that the trajectory was too far to resist laughing, Huang Zhong was left only with surprise.

He stepped forward, took the bow from Zhang Xian's hand, examined it carefully, and said, "Patriarch, there's nothing wrong with the bow; it's just that your wrist needs to be a little more steady."

Zhao Yun stood to the side with his arms crossed, a slight smile playing on his lips.

He had long been accustomed to his son Xian'er's almost monstrous learning speed—three months ago, Xian'er was a complete novice who couldn't even use a knife, but now he could fight him, a person who had practiced martial arts since childhood, to a standstill.

If others knew, they would probably be astonished, but to himself, he could only say: "Xian-ge'er's comprehension has always been like this."

After Huang Zhong's personal instruction, Zhang Xian's next few arrows mostly hit the target.

Seeing that their patriarch had already mastered the skills, the others also began practicing archery, including Zhao Yun, whose instructor was naturally Huang Zhong.

He practiced his archery skills until the sun had completely set and the light was almost gone.

After washing up by the stream, everyone returned to their thatched huts.

Zhao Yun was in charge of patrolling and guarding during the day, while Huang Zhong took over the duties at night.

Inside the thatched hut, Zhang Xian and Li Zhen exchanged a few words and were about to start reading when footsteps sounded outside. Huang Zhong, his clothes slightly disheveled, walked in.

"Master, we have secured the arrival of several guests."

"Oh—." Zhang Xian glanced out the window; it was pitch black, even the moonlight was faint.

He put down the scroll, stood up, and walked towards the door with his hands behind his back: "Lead the way."

Taoyuan Main Hall.

This place was originally built by the Guo family as a place for their young master and young lady to stay, but later everyone went back, so Zhang Xian used it to entertain some visiting guests.

Taoyuan did not yet have a prison, so Huang Zhong detained the man there after capturing him, and had him guarded by several night patrolmen.

As the two entered, Zhang Xian saw three people sitting cross-legged on the ground. Although their hands were tied behind their backs, they showed no panic on their faces. Instead, they were all looking at him with great interest.

A man with a crown on his head, a beard on his face, and a humble demeanor.

One man had a ruddy complexion, a carefree demeanor, and the most unbridled gaze. Another man had a thick beard covering his face, a rugged appearance, and a resentful expression.

"Brother, did I tell you what I said? Zhang Xian and Zhang Zixu are elegant and refined gentlemen. Now that we are face to face, do you think I was wrong?"

The ruddy-faced man among the three spoke to the middle-aged man with a crown on his head.

"Second brother is right, it really is like a gentle breeze." The middle-aged man smiled and nodded at Zhang Xian.

"Hmph! They're nothing but hypocrites, just like the powerful and wealthy families!" The bearded man was quite dissatisfied.

"Third brother!" "Third brother!"

The other two rebuked him.

This scene stunned Zhang Xian.

Hey, wait, what are you guys doing?

Eldest brother, second brother, and third brother.

No way. Could it be Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei?

That's not right either. It's only 182 years now, quite a distance from when you three became sworn brothers. Liu Bei is probably still selling shoes and weaving mats right now!
Zhang Xian carefully examined the three people and found that they seemed to match up and yet didn't match up at the same time.

Helpless, he could only step forward a few steps: "A visit late at night is not the mark of a friendly guest. Who are you three? I do not recall offending anyone."

He bowed respectfully with a gentle demeanor, but behind him, Huang Zhong's hand rested on the hilt of his sword, a sign that he might suddenly strike and kill at the slightest provocation.

"Haha, of course, of course. It's inappropriate to come so late at night, but my two brothers and I can only come at this time to avoid causing too much trouble for Mr. Zixu."

The middle-aged man with the crown laughed.

Zhang Xian asked, puzzled, "What do you mean?"

The man then said, "Zhang Jiao, the Duke of Julu, carries the banner of Zhang Gong." Zhang Jiao nodded and bowed.

"Zhang Bao, the Duke of Julu." The ruddy-faced man nodded in greeting.

"Hmph! Zhang Liang, Zhang Gongyi!" The bearded man's eyes were still filled with resentment, but he was looking at Huang Zhong instead of Zhang Xian.

(The three brothers all adopted their courtesy names from Yuan Dynasty dramas and plays.)
It's clear that he felt somewhat ashamed that none of the three brothers could defeat him.

"To think he's the leader of the Way of Peace! My apologies for my overconfidence." Zhang Xian's heart was churning, but he didn't show it on the surface.

He turned his head and said, "Hansheng, untie me."

"promise!"

Huang Zhong silently stepped forward and untied the ropes, then stood silently beside the three brothers.

"I wonder what brings these three men from the Way of Peace to my humble estate?"

After the three were untied, Zhang Xian asked directly.

"I wish to discuss some matters with Mr. Zixu. Is that permissible?"

Zhang Jiao looked at Zhang Xian with an unwavering gaze.

In fact, the three of them had arrived early in the morning. In the afternoon, they even changed into refugee clothes and worked in Taoyuan for an entire afternoon, getting a free meal in return.

Zhang Jiao's goodwill towards Zhang Xian was obvious at this moment, because he hadn't seen a rich man in a long time who was truly willing to give the common people a meal and treat them as human beings.

　"I retired and became a streamer, but the system wants me to play professionally."

　　-

　　"You said I could play in the Shanghai Masters, so I watched CS:GO on your stream for a whole month."

　　Valorant, Valorant, Born to Livestream, Wealth from All Directions

　　
　
(End of this chapter)