My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 210 Running in both directions
Zhuge Liang replied with a smile, "This is a kind gesture from Governor Liu. Perhaps you are overthinking it, brother. In my opinion, if Uncle still intends to go to Jingzhou, then you can politely decline Governor Liu's kindness. If Uncle intends to stay in Xuzhou, then you should go to the prefectural government to express your gratitude to Governor Liu."

Zhuge Liang saw things very clearly. Although he still didn't know the information beyond his sight, the information he had was enough to support his judgment.

In Zhuge Liang's view, the Chen family of Xuzhou was currently the most prestigious family in the prefecture and the most prominent family in Xuzhou.

But how much inferior was the Zhuge family?

Originally, the Zhuge family might not have been able to secure a place in the top ten in Xuzhou; they would probably have been ranked between tenth and fifteenth.

But now, it seems to be able to rank in the top five.

This is thanks to a certain governor of Yanzhou who wishes to remain anonymous.

Since the Zhuge family can make it into the top five, how could a mere Maocai (a scholar of exceptional talent) cause dissatisfaction among the gentry of Xuzhou?
It's just that my elder brother is too cautious and unaware of this change, which is why he wants to decline Lord Liu's kindness.

Therefore, the decision-making power actually rested with Zhuge Xuan.

If he is willing to stay, then the Zhuge family, the family of Maocai, will definitely be in our grasp.

If he insists on going to Jingzhou, then the Zhuge family will have to leave Xuzhou anyway, so there's no need to offend anyone. It's better to refuse Maocai.

Zhuge Xuan agreed with Zhuge Liang's opinion and also told everyone about his plan to stay behind.

"In his letter, Liu Jingzhou told me that Liu Xuzhou would probably arrange for me to serve as a prefect, and that I should just focus on recovering from my injuries."

At first, Zhuge Xuan was somewhat worried, concerned that Liu Bei might make things difficult for the Zhuge family because of his previous refusal and disrespect.

However, judging from the outcome, it seems like a blessing in disguise.

Not only did he become a bridge between the two Liu magistrates, but his two nephews were also favored by the young master of the Liu family, who took them with him every day.

In no time, everyone in Tancheng knew that the Zhuge family was now very favored. The elders were guests of the governor, and the sons and nephews were the young masters' companions. Their rise was extremely rapid, which made many small and medium-sized gentry families in Xuzhou green with envy.

Upon hearing Zhuge Xuan's answer, the Zhuge brothers' eyes lit up and they exchanged a glance.

They had previously tried to persuade Zhuge Xuan to no avail, but unexpectedly, Liu Biao solved their problem with just a letter. This shows how highly Liu Biao regarded Zhuge Xuan.

The Zhuge brothers had just gotten rid of their old worries when they were faced with new ones.

************
Liu Feng, the benefactor of the Zhuge brothers, was at the horse farm with Liu Bei, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Taishi Ci, Pan Zhang, and Zhang Liao to check on the horses.

To Liu Feng's astonishment, Guan Yu and Zhang Liao hit it off immediately.

Although Guan Yu greatly admired Taishi Ci and maintained a good relationship with him, he also thought highly of Pan Zhang and recognized Pan Zhang's abilities.

But all of this is nothing compared to Zhang Liao.

Guan Yu and Zhang Liao were truly like destined best friends.

It has been said that Guan Yu and Zhang Liao were from the same hometown, which is why they had a good relationship.

This is actually a very popular rumor. Since both Yanmen and Yuncheng belong to Shanxi, people assume that Guan Yu and Zhang Fei were from the same hometown. This is a typical example of how later generations view history.

From the perspective of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Guan Yu was from Sili Prefecture, which belonged to Jie County, Hedong Commandery.

Zhang Liao was from Bingzhou, specifically from Mayi in Yanmen Commandery.

They were not only from different counties, but not even from the same prefecture.

During the Eastern Han Dynasty, the commandery was considered the equivalent of a kingdom, while the county and the state were secondary.

However, they were from different prefectures and states, so Zhang Liao and Guan Yu could not possibly be considered fellow townsmen.

On the contrary, Xu Huang, who was born in Yang County of Hedong Commandery, was, from the perspective of a commandery being the state, a genuine fellow townsman of Guan Yu.

Those who claim Zhang Liao and Guan Yu were from the same hometown are unaware that even in later Shanxi, the dialects of Yuncheng and Yanmen people differed significantly. By the Eastern Han Dynasty, people from these two regions could barely communicate without using Mandarin.

The only thing Guan Yu and Zhang Liao had in common was their extreme confidence and pride.

Even though Zhang Liao's emotional intelligence was much higher than Guan Yu's, his emotional intelligence was limited to those he respected.

As for those who look down on you, they are not exactly the same as Guan Yu, but they are just like him.

Fortunately, on this trip, Guan Yu and Zhang Liao hit it off immediately, while Taishi Ci and Zhang Fei won him over with their strength. Liu Feng was Liu Bei's beloved eldest son, and Pan Zhang was Liu Feng's close follower.

Zhang Liao then gave him face, and his words and laughter made him appear quite amiable.

Guan Yu and Zhang Liao got along very well, chatting about all sorts of topics. Taishi Ci also occasionally offered his opinions, which impressed Guan Yu and Zhang Liao.

Only Pan Zhang and Zhang Fei wore expressions that said, "You guys sound impressive, but I don't think I understand."

Zhang Liao's military tactics were very similar to Guan Yu's; he was a typical example of being bold yet meticulous.

Whether it was Bailang Mountain or Hefei City, Zhang Liao's actions might seem like a mindless, reckless charge, but the reasons behind his decisions were actually quite different.

At Bailang Mountain, the two armies were caught off guard and encountered each other halfway. In this narrow encounter, the brave one wins.

This is the time for our iron cavalry to achieve great deeds; hesitation will lead to defeat.

In Hefei, however, the enemy army was pressing in with far greater strength than those in the city, and Cao Cao had absolutely no reinforcements to send in the short term.

If Sun Quan were to calmly besiege the city at this point, the only difference would be how many days they could hold out. Only by taking the initiative could they break the deadlock.

Seeing that Guan Yu and Zhang Fei were chatting happily, Liu Bei was also very pleased and nodded to Liu Feng repeatedly.

Originally, Liu Feng only wanted to poach Gao Shun, but he didn't expect that Zhang Miao would also be sent over as part of the Trapped Camp. This was truly an unexpected surprise.

Now Liu Feng has his eye on Zhang Liao. If he can persuade Zhang Liao to stay in Xuzhou, Zhang Liao's three or four hundred cavalrymen, even if they don't completely belong to Liu Bei and his son like Gao Shun and the Trapped Camp, can at least be used by Xuzhou.

The group went to a small mountain valley about seven or eight miles outside Tancheng, which had long been converted into a horse farm. More than a hundred large horses from Liaodong that Zang Ming had brought back earlier were also placed here, and there were five hundred soldiers guarding them.

The purpose of this visit is to select horses for Liu Bei, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and others.

At this time, the horses ridden by Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei were all quite old, and they were naturally very interested when they heard that a fine horse had arrived.

"Wen Yuan, in my opinion, Lü Bu is a treacherous and untrustworthy man, brave but reckless, outwardly fierce but inwardly weak."

While they were chatting, Guan Yu suddenly changed the subject and began criticizing Lü Bu, leaving Liu Feng, who was standing to the side, dumbfounded.

Uncle, is it really okay for you to say that?
Is it so straightforward?

"Wen Yuan, you are exceptionally talented, courageous, resourceful, and possess a strong sense of righteousness. As the saying goes, a good bird chooses a good tree to perch on, and a good minister chooses a good lord to serve. With your abilities, why should you remain under Lü Bu for long?"

Liu Feng was completely dumbfounded.

Second Uncle, you and Zhang Liao have only just met.

Aren't you afraid Zhang Liao will turn on you if you're so blunt?

The next moment, something happened that left Liu Feng speechless.

Zhang Liao looked up to the sky and sighed, "Brother, you don't know. I am a man from Bingzhou, and my men are all brave warriors from Bingzhou and Hebei. Therefore, I can only follow Lü Bu and stick together for warmth. Before, when we killed the traitor Dong Zhuo, we thought we could follow Fengxian to restore the Han Dynasty, but we didn't expect that Chang'an would fall and Wang Situ would die. We fought our way out of the city and were lucky enough to save our lives."

This...this is my older brother?

Liu Feng felt that Guan Yu and Zhang Liao were progressing a bit too quickly.

Just a moment ago he was Brother Guan, how come he's become Brother in the blink of an eye?

Zhang Liao continued to complain: "I followed Fengxian south and north, traversing the Central Plains, and entered Yanzhou. However, we fought a series of fierce battles with Cao Cao, and both sides suffered heavy losses. Of my former thousand-plus followers, only three hundred remain. Now Fengxian has been driven out by Cao Cao and forced to leave Yanzhou. It is a pity that in this vast world, there is no place for me, Zhang Liao, to stand."

Zhang Liao suddenly poured out his grievances to Guan Yu, his eyes even turning red, clearly indicating that he had touched a sore spot.

Liu Feng secretly pinched his thigh and found it hurt terribly, which confirmed that he was not dreaming.

In fact, if Zhang Liao had reacted this way in another dynasty, there would probably have been some kind of conspiracy involved.

But this was perfectly normal during the Han Dynasty.

Zhang Liao, a frontier warrior, was drawn into the central government's political affairs by chance and personally experienced several mutinies.

Although he could no longer accept an ordinary life, he also desperately needed support in his heart.

But Lü Bu couldn't give him those things. Over the years, almost all his decisions had failed. He was first driven out of Guanzhong by the Liangzhou people, then out of Jingzhou by Yuan Shu, then out of Hebei by Yuan Shao, and finally out of Yanzhou by Cao Cao.

It turned out that only Xuzhou was willing to accept him; otherwise, he would have had nowhere else to go.

If Lü Bu was in such a state, how could Zhang Liao not be even more fearful and uneasy?

It was a rare opportunity for Zhang Liao to encounter Guan Yu, with whom he found himself extremely compatible, and the latter was so concerned about his future. How could Zhang Liao possibly resist such temptation?

Guan Yu listened silently to Zhang Liao's grievances with a stern face. Just as he was about to speak, he heard his third brother roar loudly.

“Wen Yuan is utterly useless. A real man shouldn’t be crying like this.”

Zhang Fei spurred his horse forward, leaping half a head ahead, and shouted to Zhang Liao, "In my opinion, Wen Yuan, you are a man of great loyalty, far surpassing Lü Bu. How can a traitor like him be worthy of your devoted service? Brother Wen Yuan, why not heed my advice and join my elder brother? My elder brother is a member of the Han imperial family and the governor of Xu Province. He is courteous to the virtuous and eager to recruit talented individuals. He would never dishonor you, Wen Yuan."

Good guy.

Liu Feng thought to himself, "Wow!"

My second and third uncles are really more outspoken and more eloquent than the other.

I was so scared that I didn't dare to utter a sound, even though I'm usually very talkative.

Liu Feng now suspects that Guan Yu and Zhang Fei may have given Zhang Liao some kind of sleeping potion. He is afraid that if he makes a sound, he will wake Zhang Liao up and then fight Guan Yu and Zhang Fei to the death.

Taishi Ci and Pan Zhang followed Liu Feng, their eyes wide open, yet their breathing was barely audible.

Although Liu Bei appeared calm and composed, he was inwardly apprehensive, feeling that Zhang Fei's words were somewhat inappropriate and worried that they might anger Zhang Liao.

If you try to undermine a corner of a building but end up collapsing it and getting hurt in the process, that would be a real joke.

So Liu Bei remained calm and reassured his brother, "Third brother, don't talk nonsense."

After reprimanding Zhang Fei, Liu Bei bowed to Zhang Liao and apologized sincerely, saying, "I have long heard of Wen Yuan's abilities and know that he is the most outstanding general under Feng Xian, his right-hand man. I only admire Feng Xian for having Wen Yuan follow him and dare not overstep my bounds in the slightest. My brother's words are truly on Wen Yuan's behalf, and I beg you not to blame him."

Liu Bei's words first praised Zhang Liao's abilities and talents, and then expressed his envy of Lü Bu. What did he envy?

Of course, I envy Lü Bu for having someone like you to follow and be loyal to him.

Finally, he subtly suggested that although Zhang Fei's words were dishonest and suspected him of poaching Zhang Liao, he was also speaking up for Zhang Liao. Even if Zhang Liao didn't agree, he shouldn't blame him.

"Your Excellency is overthinking this. I know that Brother Zhang is doing this for my own good."

Zhang Liao cupped his hands in greeting to Liu Bei, then shook his head and sighed, "Third Brother Zhang, you don't know, I'm not as lucky as you. Lord Liu has many soldiers and generals, what am I, Zhang Liao, compared to him?"

Liu Bei and Liu Feng exchanged a glance; there was something fishy about Zhang Liao's words.

After Liu Bei keenly noticed this, he immediately spoke up and said, "Wen Yuan, you are mistaken."

"Although Liu Bei and Wen Yuan had only just met, they were like old friends. Liu Bei had heard of Wen Yuan's outstanding achievements in the battle against the Black Mountain Army when he was in Hebei, which shows Wen Yuan's ability."

Liu Bei sighed, "I only regret that I met Wen Yuan too late, so we could not work together."

Zhang Liao turned around in astonishment, his eyes filled with a complex expression: "My lord..."

Liu Bei replied solemnly, "If Fengxian is willing to part with Wen Yuan, I am willing to reward him with a whole prefecture."

Zhang Liao's body trembled, and he stared at Liu Bei in disbelief.

Those who are family know their own affairs best, and Zhang Liao knew Lü Bu all too well.

At present, Lü Bu is like a stray dog, and he would be satisfied as long as he can find a place to stay. How could he refuse a prefecture?

Zhang Liao was willing to bet that if Liu Bei and Lü Bu spoke up, Lü Bu would even come over and persuade him to agree to Liu Bei's offer.

Liu Bei was also willing to take risks. After keenly sensing that Zhang Liao was wavering, he immediately and decisively placed his bet.

In reality, Zhang Liao and Lü Bu were not in a master-servant relationship, but rather partners.

Zhang Liao's loyalty to Lü Bu came at a price: Lü Bu had to lead the people of Bingzhou, or at least guide their group to greater heights.

However, Lü Bu's performance was astonishing, as if he was heading straight for the bottom.

Zhang Liao has not left Lü Bu yet, which is already quite respectable for his fellow townsman.

At the same time, no one appeared who was attractive enough to Zhang Liao.

In official history, Zhang Liao had nothing to do with the White Gate Tower.

For the six months that Lü Bu was besieged in Xiapi, Zhang Liao could only watch helplessly from the state of Lu.

After Lü Bu's death, Zhang Liao surrendered to Cao Cao without hesitation, instead of remaining defiant to the death and denouncing Lü Bu for being greedy for life and cowardly, which led to Guan Yu standing by and trying to persuade him.

Now, a powerful ruler whose strength is no less than that of Cao Cao in historical records is looking at him differently. This powerful ruler's right-hand men and eldest son are also very friendly and attentive to him, and they all step in to persuade him.

If Zhang Liao still doesn't know how to make decisions, then we've really underestimated him.

"Ming Gong..."

Zhang Liao was somewhat incredulous, but in a moment of fear, he dared not confirm it again.

Liu Bei, however, seemed to be able to read Zhang Liao's mind and took the initiative to confirm, "Wen Yuan, do not doubt. As long as I have your approval, I will discuss this matter with Feng Xian after I return to the city. I am willing to exchange a county for Wen Yuan."

Zhang Liao dismounted and rolled on the ground, bowing deeply to Liu Bei.

"I am unworthy and unworthy to be so highly regarded by Your Excellency. I am willing to die for Your Excellency!"

Liu Bei was overjoyed, while Liu Feng was somewhat surprised that winning over Zhang Liao had gone so smoothly.

In fact, Liu Feng made a mistake in his judgment; this was indeed a two-way defection.

Zhang Liao's loyalty to Lü Bu can be divided into three main parts. One part comes from his inherent loyalty and righteousness, which led him to choose to stand on Lü Bu's side in several difficult situations.

The second part is due to the circumstances. Whether it was during Dong Zhuo's time, when he was ostracized by the people of Liangzhou, or after the assassination of Dong Zhuo, when he was neglected by the literati, or after leaving Chang'an, when he was disliked and hostile by various warlords, Zhang Liao could not leave Lü Bu even if he wanted to. He could only stay in the Bingzhou group and stick together with Lü Bu for warmth.

No other warlord had ever been as kind and approachable as Liu Bei, not to mention that Liu Bei held Zhang Liao in high regard.

If Yuan Shu and Yuan Shao had been even half as friendly and courteous as Liu Bei was at that time, Zhang Liao would most likely have parted ways with Lü Bu without even having to give up a single prefecture.

It wasn't until he met Liu Bei that Zhang Liao realized how fortunate he was to have such a relationship with a ruler.

"Wen Yuan, please rise quickly."

Liu Bei was also exceptionally skilled. He was not the crybaby portrayed in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. He was one of the two greatest swordsmen of the Three Kingdoms period. Only Liu Bei and Ma Chao's swordsmanship has been passed down to later generations, which speaks volumes about his abilities.

With a quick pull of his horse, Liu Bei landed on the ground and hurriedly helped Zhang Liao, who was kneeling in submission, to his feet.

"Wen Yuan, why bother?"

Liu Bei grasped Zhang Liao's hand and said with emotion, "It is truly my good fortune to have Wen Yuan (Zhang Liao) assist me."

Although Liu Bei didn't understand Zhang Liao as well as Liu Feng did, his own judgment was quite remarkable, not to mention that Zhang Liao could easily win Guan Yu's favor.

How could Liu Bei not know how picky his second brother was and how arrogant he was?
Based on this alone, Zhang Liao was no ordinary person.

Liu Feng, who was standing to the side, was also very pleased, as Zhang Liao's worth was not to be underestimated.

He was practically the only general from Cao Wei to be enshrined in the Temple of Martial Arts.

He was proficient in both mounted and infantry combat, and while his naval warfare skills weren't as extraordinary as Guan Yu's, they were at least above average. However, as a military man from outside the Cao Wei clan, he never served as a major general in a war zone, truly a waste of Zhang Liao's talents.

“Wen Yuan, you were previously a Lieutenant General under General Fenwei.”

After thinking for a moment, Liu Bei confirmed, "In that case, I will appoint you as a General of the Household, is that alright? In addition, I will give you three thousand men so that you can form your own army."

Two thousand men form a colonel, two colonels form an army, and the commander of the army is a lieutenant general.

In fact, many of Liu Bei's military commanders were temporarily replaced by colonels, or by state ministers and prefects like Chen Deng and Zang Ba. The only true general was Cao Bao, who has now transitioned from military to political service and left the army to become the state minister of Xiapi.

At this moment, Zhang Liao's high emotional intelligence kicked in again. He politely declined, saying, "I am grateful for your kindness and can serve you. I am content with that. How could I care about military rank? Besides, my brothers Yunchang and Yide are only captains. How could I dare to be appointed as a lieutenant general? I humbly request that you rescind your order."

(End of this chapter)