Brother, stop curling up! You're curling up like the founder of the Han Dynasty!

Chapter 6 Sharpening the axe won't delay the woodcutting; Liu Bei buys horses.
Although Zhao Yun was afraid of being pressured by Zhao Feng to get married and was in a hurry to leave, leaving without saying goodbye would make Liu Bei seem too impolite.

Therefore, after signaling Zhao Yun to calm down, Liu Bei personally went to find Zhao Feng.

Zhao Yun didn't know what Liu Bei had said to Zhao Feng, but he saw Zhao Feng walking out with a smile on his face, chatting and laughing with Liu Bei.

Subsequently, Zhao Feng not only instructed Zhao Yun to protect Liu Bei in the future, but also gave Liu Bei three hundred gold pieces and said, "I entrust the matter of Zilong to Xuande."

This scene left Zhao Yun dumbfounded.

The two brothers became so close when they first met that the elder brother gave the other three hundred gold coins.

You should know that at the current market price, 300 gold coins can be exchanged for 3 million five-zhu coins!
Even though Zhao Family Village has become increasingly prosperous under Zhao Feng's rule, it only has a total of six hundred gold coins in savings!

What kind of promise is being made by giving away half of one's savings at once?
"Brother, how did you talk to my elder brother?"

Unable to contain his doubts, Zhao Yun leaned closer to ask.

Liu Bei was riding high on success.

During my trip to Zhen Ding, I not only had Zhao Yun with me, but I also received three hundred gold coins from Zhao Feng.

Liu Bei was beaming with joy!
Faced with Zhao Yun's question, Liu Bei, in a good mood, did not hide anything and said:
"We didn't talk much. I mentioned to your brother that I am a disciple of Master Lu, and that when you achieve success in the future, it will not be difficult to find a good wife for your fourth brother from a family of nobles and dukes."

“Your brother believed that since we are a noble family, the matchmaker’s fee should not be stingy, so he took out three hundred gold pieces.”

Zhao Yun stared in disbelief: "Three hundred gold coins for a matchmaker? Brother, it's not easy for my elder brother to manage the household..."

Liu Bei glared at him: "It's not easy for your brother to manage his household, but it's easy for me to find you a wife from a family of dukes and marquises?"

Before Zhao Yun could speak again, Liu Bei continued, "Fourth brother, don't worry, I know you don't like weak women. But in a family of nobles and dukes, there are good men who know martial arts. Whether you want someone as strong as an ox and with a fiery temper, or someone gentle and refined who is both handsome and skilled in martial arts, I can find them for you!"

Upon hearing "gentle and refined," Zhang Fei eagerly moved closer: "Brother, you can't be biased! I don't need someone who is both brave and handsome, just gentle and refined. I don't need someone from a noble family, just a powerful clan."

"roll!"

"Okay, brother, I'll head over right away!"

As the saying goes, even a hero can be brought down by a penny.

With the three hundred gold coins given to him by Zhao Feng, Liu Bei felt even more confident.

"Let's go! Let's buy horses!"

"Buy, buy a horse? Big brother is awesome!"

Upon hearing about buying horses, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei's eyes lit up!

Although Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei all had warhorses, they were all just ordinary, inferior horses.

It wasn't that Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei wanted to ride inferior horses; it was simply that good horses were too expensive!
Now, with Zhao Feng's three hundred gold coins, Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei can finally change their mounts!
As for Zhao Yun, his mount, the Jade Lion, was a rare warhorse, which Zhao Feng bought from a merchant in Dayuan for 120 gold coins.

In comparison, the combined value of Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei's warhorses was less than half that of the Jade Lion!
"Sharpening the axe won't delay the work of chopping wood! How can we warriors be without a good horse!"

Since we're going to study, we can't just focus on academics and martial arts.

Weapons, armor, and mounts—you have to grab them all!
Liu Bei's double-edged sword, Guan Yu's Green Dragon Crescent Blade, and Zhang Fei's eighteen-foot spear were not conventional weapons of the late Han Dynasty. Instead, they were designed by Liu Bei and meticulously crafted by skilled artisans, costing Liu Bei a full three hundred gold coins!

He almost bankrupted Liu Bei!

Now that they could exchange their horses for fine steeds, neither Liu Bei, who had paid for them, nor Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, who hadn't, could hide their excitement. The group traveled all the way to the horse market in Zhen Ding City.

When Liu Bei showed off his three hundred gold pieces, the horse market merchants' eyes turned red with envy.

Horse trading is different from daily necessities like food and clothing. It's rare to encounter genuine buyers on ordinary days. In addition, with the turmoil of the times, there are many buyers who don't want to spend money, making life increasingly difficult for horse market merchants.

Today, upon encountering Liu Bei, he immediately requested the most expensive fine horse, much to the delight of the horse market merchants who wanted to kneel down in gratitude.

Liu Bei readily paid the money, and the horse market merchants dared not neglect him, leading Liu Bei and his companions directly to the most secluded part of the horse market.

Looking at the three filthy and smelly horses in the stable, Zhang Fei's temper flared instantly: "You scoundrel, we told you to pick the best horses, and you show us these filthy and smelly inferior horses?"

Seeing Zhang Fei's outburst, the horse market merchant quickly explained, "Hero, please calm down. Otherwise, these three fine horses from the Western Regions would have been stolen by the thieves long ago. Please wait a moment."

As they spoke, the horse market merchant instructed his servants to wash the warhorses.

As the warhorse was washed clean, Zhang Fei's anger turned to joy, and he exclaimed first, "That black-haired, white-hoofed horse is mine!"

Guan Yu, not to be outdone, blushed and said, "I want the red one!"

Liu Bei did not compete with Guan Yu and Zhang Fei for it, but instead went to the last fine horse with a blue mane and exclaimed, "So magnificent! From now on, I will call you Qingzhui."

Upon hearing the name "Qingzhui," Zhang Fei eagerly approached, grinning, "Brother, why don't you give my horse a name too?"

Guan Yu, hearing the voice, also moved closer, his face still flushed, and said excitedly, "Please, elder brother, bestow a name upon me!"

Liu Bei was delighted to receive Qingzhui and said, “My third brother’s horse is black with white hooves and is extremely strong, so let’s call it Treading Snow Black Steed; my second brother’s horse is entirely red and fierce as a tiger, so let’s call it Red Rabbit.”

Upon hearing this, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei were overjoyed, silently reciting the new name of their warhorse and cherishing it dearly.

Liu Bei then sold the original inferior horses to a horse market merchant for thirty gold coins and equipped the three fine horses from the Western Regions with complete horse tack.

In total, it cost Liu Bei 330 gold coins.

In less than half a day, Liu Bei had spent all three hundred gold coins that Zhao Feng had given him.

However, gold is merely an external possession, while a warhorse is a general's second life. A good warhorse can not only help a general achieve merit, but also help him escape when encountering danger.

It's incomparable to gold!
One in green, one in red, one in black, and one in white, Liu Bei, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Zhao Yun rode four extremely magnificent and distinctive horses from the Western Regions, swaggering through the city, attracting countless envious glances.

After changing their mounts, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei were eager to experience what it meant to travel at lightning speed. The four of them traveled south from Zhen Ding City, covering two hundred li a day, and arrived at Ye City in less than three days.

Judging from the condition of the warhorse, it is not yet at its limit.

Liu Bei roughly estimated that although these fine horses from the Western Regions could not reach the exaggerated claim of traveling a thousand li a day and eight hundred li at night as described in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, they could still travel four hundred li a day at their short-term limit.

In this era of generally poor transportation, whether it is a normal daily journey of 200 li or an extreme daily journey of 400 li, it is a speed that crushes others!

Throughout history, speed has been paramount in warfare; only speed can break through defenses.

Because Liu Bei's party was extremely strong and their weapons were different from those of ordinary people, they were recognized as soon as they entered the city.

"Liu Bei, who angrily whipped the inspector in the street and resigned his post, has entered Ye City. Go and inform him immediately."

(End of this chapter)