The revival of the Han Dynasty must start with Dong Zhuo

Chapter 195: The Three Great Men Are Still Here
Just when Liu Bei's tent was in chaos, a soldier outside suddenly reported: "Kong Beihai is here!"

A slightly pot-bellied scholar in a long robe walked in. The staff around him did not dare to play around like they did in front of Liu Bei, and they all saluted towards Kong Rong.

"What Kong Beihai? He is just a desperate man."

Kong Rong spoke in a kind tone, but since he was a descendant of Confucius and had a great reputation, everyone respected him and did not dare to be rude to him.

Liu Bei also stepped forward to greet him: "Greetings, Brother Wen Ju."

Kong Rong sat down and asked: "Is there any news from the court?"

"Of course there is. Brother Wen Ju is here just in time. We can watch it together."

Liu Bei took out the emperor's letter and respectfully spread it out on the table.

"From the Emperor's uncle—"

"I have heard about the deeds of the emperor's uncle and Kong Beihai. The emperor's uncle and Kong Beihai are alone in Qingzhou. Even if I want to rescue them, I am powerless. In fact, I have always been worried about the emperor's uncle's situation, fearing that he would be harmed by the Han thieves. Today, I heard that the emperor's uncle arrived in Jingzhou safely, and I am very happy."

"But Jingzhou is too far away from me. I want to see my uncle as much as a galloping horse. I wish I could cross the mountains and seas to meet my uncle in a moment. So please set off immediately and arrive in Chang'an as soon as possible. I will definitely treat you with courtesy."

"..."

A silence.

Not to mention Liu Bei's subordinates.

Even Kong Rong had a hint of hesitation in his eyes——

"Xuan De, do you know His Majesty?"

Liu Bei hurriedly denied: "Of course not! I don't know why Your Majesty is so...kind to me?"

Just looking at the content of the letter, who would have thought that this was the first letter between two people who had never met before?
Kong Rong: "Really?"

Liu Bei: "Really not! At most, the teacher may have mentioned my name in front of the emperor before."

To this day, Liu Bei himself doesn't quite believe this reason, let alone Kong Rong.

Just based on a few comments from others, the emperor was so kind to Liu Bei. I dare to ask if Lu Zhi was praising Liu Bei as a saint?

But after thinking about it, Kong Rong felt relieved and didn't think about it too much.

"Finally, I have a place to stay."

Liu Xie and Kong Rong looked at each other and smiled.

"It is great that the court is willing to accept us."

They fled all the way from Qingzhou to Jingzhou, and only they themselves knew the hardships they experienced along the way.

In fact, when Liu Bei and Kong Rong were defeated by Yuan Shao and Cao Cao at the beginning, they still had several thousand soldiers.

But when those soldiers learned that they were going to be exiled to other places, they quietly "disappeared" from the army.

This resulted in only a thousand soldiers left out of the original several thousand when they arrived in Jingzhou.

On the way, Yuan Shao and Cao Cao kept sending people to persuade Liu Bei and Kong Rong to surrender, and promised them high positions and generous salaries.

As long as they agreed to Yuan Shao and Cao Cao and served the pseudo-dynasty in Hebei, Liu Bei and Kong Rong would be able to escape the fate of fleeing in an instant, return to their homeland and enjoy themselves in peace.

But the two of them always responded with unwillingness.

"The emperor is still here! The imperial court is still here! The Han Dynasty is still here! How can we go and serve this false dynasty?"

How could a descendant of the Han Dynasty and a descendant of Confucius easily surrender to the enemy?

But after arriving in Jingzhou after going through untold hardships, they both began to worry again.

"What if the court is unwilling to accept us?"

But with this letter from the emperor, their concerns were completely dispelled.

"In this case, we should follow the emperor's orders and enter the pass as soon as possible!"

Too late and things will change.

Especially Liu Bei and Kong Rong, they could feel that Jingzhou was not welcoming to them, so naturally they wanted to get out as soon as possible.

When leaving, Liu Bei seemed to have a premonition and looked back at Xinye, the small town where he was temporarily staying.

Although it was no different from the cities he had visited before, Liu Bei still felt that his life might be about to take a turn at this moment.

Stayed for a long time.

It was not until Guan Yu and Zhang Fei rode over to urge him that Liu Bei gently changed direction and walked on the smooth road leading to Chang'an.

They headed north, entered Nanyang, stayed in Wancheng, passed through Wuguan, and revealed their identities. The group officially entered the Guanzhong area.

As soon as they entered Guanzhong, Liu Bei and others immediately noticed something different.

The cities are still the same cities, the people are still the same people, but I always feel that there is something different.

In order to resolve his doubts, Liu Bei specifically consulted the officials at the post station and asked for details about Guanzhong.

"This is a bag of pearls I brought from Qingzhou. You can take it with confidence."

Liu Bei had risen from the bottom of society, and had a good grasp of the ways of the world. He was also a man of high character, without the airs of a 2,000-stone official, and soon became acquainted with an official at the post station, and they began to call each other brothers.

The official at the post station had a dark complexion and spoke with a Guanzhong accent. He was also careless and did not regard Liu Bei as an outsider at all. He complained loudly to Liu Bei:

"Isn't it the recent assessment system and new laws that the court has come up with?"

"Everyone has been trembling with fear recently, and has been studying the new laws desperately, fearing that they will be fired." "And the officials of the Censorate are really cruel! The newly appointed Chief Censor is so ruthless when it comes to arresting people! If they hear any rumors, they will go straight to find evidence of a crime, and then the soldiers will come to arrest the person! It can be said to be swift and resolute! Do you think we can still live like this?"

After listening to the official's words, Liu Bei finally understood why he had noticed something strange.

Because the officials in Guanzhong are so well-behaved!

There is no unscrupulous robbery, and there is no exploitation of the common people under false pretenses.

Such scenes have almost disappeared outside Guanzhong!
Although Liu Bei had already heard that these officials were just keeping a low profile because they were afraid of being targeted by the imperial court, it was still enough to shock Liu Bei.

"The current imperial court can actually suppress the noble families? Can it suppress the officials?"

You have to know that outside of Guandong, it is normal for bureaucrats to exploit the people.

Even Liu Bei himself had encountered such injustice, so he gave up his official position in anger and whipped the inspector...

Liu Bei originally thought that the behavior of the aristocratic bureaucrats was ingrained in their bones, but he never expected that the imperial court would suppress them with an absolutely tough attitude!

For a moment, Liu Bei's eyes suddenly filled with tears.

The official's continued chattering also allowed Liu Bei to learn more about what was happening in Guanzhong.

For example, the severe drought we experienced in the past two years.

Liu Bei also came from a poor family and knew that when faced with a natural disaster of this magnitude, everyone would have no choice but to leave their homes.

However, the imperial court implemented various policies and opened up several trade routes in exchange for food, which brought the people back from the brink of death.

Not only that, the imperial court also distributed land to soldiers, took the initiative to provide relief to the people, and now is clarifying administration and educating clans.

Especially the imperial examination system, which made Liu Bei feel sad.

It is very difficult for the lower-class people of the Han Dynasty to rush forward!

For example, Liu Bei himself.

Although Liu Bei was a relative of the Han Dynasty, he knew that he could stand out because he had Lu Zhi as his teacher and met Gongsun Zan as his classmate.

If it weren't for the identity of "Lu Zhi's disciple", Liu Bei would have died in battle or starved to death in the wilderness long ago.

But how difficult is it to have a great scholar as your teacher?

If Liu Deran's father Liu Yuanqi, a fellow clan member, had not often supported Liu Bei, how could Liu Bei, with his family background, have been able to afford such a heavy burden?
But now, as long as the people in Guanzhong join the government soldiers, there will be scholars to teach them to read, and they can become officials through the imperial examination system... Such a gap is simply a world of difference!
Liu Bei finally couldn't hold back and burst into tears.

The people around him hurriedly asked, but heard Liu Bei say: "Now there is continuous war in Guandong. Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu, although both are prestigious scholars, are only concerned with fighting for power and profit, and do not care about the lives of the people."

"When I think about how the people in Guanzhong have such protection from the imperial court, while the people in Guandong are still living in dire straits, I can't help but feel sad!"

Kong Rong was also beside him at this moment, explaining: "Xuan De is kind and compassionate, and cannot bear to see the people suffer. Today, he saw that the people in Guanzhong can live and work in peace and enjoy the virtue of the emperor, while the people in Guandong can only be destroyed by the Han thieves, so he lost his temper."

At the same time, Kong Rong also sighed: "Xuan De, no matter what, it is right to come to Guanzhong this time!"

Liu Bei was able to understand what Kong Rong meant.

Now the world has undergone tremendous changes and the people are living in misery. Even a man with a strong mind like Liu Bei would inevitably feel confused and not know where to go.

The road is winding and he cannot finish it.

He can't see a bright future.

Liu Bei spent the first half of his life just going with the flow, not knowing what he was going to do or what he could do.

Even in the name of "supporting the Han Dynasty", Liu Bei was still in fear, not knowing what the "Han Dynasty" he was talking about looked like.

But today, Liu Bei found out.

Although the Han Dynasty has undergone tremendous changes, it is still there!

And the living man is exactly the man Liu Bei longed for!
The previous anxiety and confusion were suddenly swept away at this moment!

In the thick fog, Liu Bei suddenly saw a bright red flag leading the way ahead!

The big man is still here!

The flag is still there!

The road, the light, and nature are still there!
Liu Bei had only one thought in his mind at this moment -

“Let more and more people see the flag of the Han Dynasty again!”

Liu Bei wanted to prove to the scholars and people of Guandong that the Han Dynasty in his mind was never a mirage, but a real person in this world!

Guan Yu and Zhang Fei were the ones who could best understand Liu Bei's thoughts.

In addition, like Liu Bei, they also came from humble backgrounds and had no one to rely on. They were most aware of the bitterness and difficulties along the way.

Now that they see that the great man in their minds is still alive, how can they not shed tears?
"Big brother."

"Second brother, third brother."

The three of them had red and swollen eyes, and their voices were choked.

Liu Bei wiped away his tears with the back of his hand, hooked his arms around the necks of the two men and strangled them heavily.

"The big man is still here!"

"We finally found it!"

(End of this chapter)