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

Chapter 91: On His Way to Yongzhou, Liu Bei Finds a Dian Wei (Seeking First Subscriptions and Monthly Tickets)
By the eighth day, the number of Xiyuan soldiers who had signed up had reached the expected two thousand.

Liu Bei selected 1,800 men and divided them into six battalions, with Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, Zhang Liao, Zhang Yang, and Chen Dao serving as the commanders of the six battalions. Each battalion had a full complement of 500 men and an actual complement of 300 men.

A supply battalion was also established, with a full complement of 500 men and an actual strength of 200 men, and a military commander was appointed, who was Cui Wu.

Military officials such as squad leaders, captains, military commanders, granary clerks, grain and fodder officials, warehouse assistants, medical officers, physicians, clerks, messengers, military assistants, scouts, engineers, and diviners were also reassigned, either promoted, transferred laterally, or appointed.

Adhering to the principle that quality is more important than quantity in military affairs, Liu Bei first concentrated and then redistributed the weapons, armor, and warhorses of the Xiyuan Army.

Originally, Liu Bei's lower army camp only had two hundred cavalrymen. After being reorganized, Liu Bei now had six hundred cavalrymen, and their weapons and armor were completely new.

Moreover, Liu Bei allocated an additional two thousand sets of armor and weapons to select brave warriors to supplement the various camps after arriving in Yongzhou.

Indeed, Liu Bei only took two thousand men with him.

Liu Bei's standard for soldiers was four thousand men.

At the same time, Liu Bei also took away a certain amount of money and grain, as well as five hundred supply wagons.

Xia Mou, Zhao Rong, and Feng Fang, feeling guilty, turned a blind eye to the matter and each offered their own reasons: these were all military supplies of the imperial court, and Liu Bei wanted to take them away to serve the border regions.

On the tenth day, which was the eighteenth day of the fourth month of the first year of Guangxi.

Liu Bei did not wait for Lu Zhi to arrive, but only received a letter from Lu Zhi.

The letter detailed Lu Zhi's ambition to assist the emperor in bringing peace and stability to the people, and expressed his hope that Liu Bei would eliminate bandits and bring peace to the people in Yongzhou, and not fail the emperor's kindness.

Although he had expected it, Liu Bei still felt a deep sense of regret.

"Enough. Everyone has their own ambitions, and we can't force them. Let's find a way out for Lu Shi after we meet Dong Zhuo." Liu Bei put the letter away and composed himself.

Lu Zhi's danger mainly came from Dong Zhuo, while Liu Bei wanted to use Dong Zhuo to achieve his goal of deposing Liu Bian and installing Liu Xie.

Compared to Liu Bian, who was sixteen, Liu Xie, who was nine, was also the most easily controlled by powerful ministers.

Liu Xie, who was controlled by powerful ministers, would be eager to gain the support of governors of other provinces. Regardless of whether Liu Xie trusted Liu Bei, Liu Bei would become Liu Xie's natural ally.

"Liu Bei is finally gone!"

Inside Luoyang, He Jin, Zhang Rang, and Yuan Wei all secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

All three factions had grudges against Liu Bei.

If Liu Bei had stayed in Luoyang, no one could have predicted how the situation would have developed.

After all, Liu Bei was carrying Liu Hong's secret edict!
If Liu Bei ever becomes displeased with the three factions of He Jin, Zhang Rang, and Yuan Kui, he could simply purge the court of corrupt officials and install a new ruler. Although these three factions have deep foundations, they would find it difficult to withstand Liu Bei's military might in Luoyang.

Now, Liu Bei has left as everyone wished.

Not only did they leave, but they also left behind six thousand Xiyuan soldiers!
He Jin and Yuan Wei immediately reached a consensus:

Cao Cao, Yuan Shao, and Chunyu Qiong returned to the Western Garden Army to continue serving as Commandant of the Army, Commandant of the Central Army, and Commandant of the Right Army, respectively.

He Jin's son, He Xian, was appointed as the Upper Army Commandant, while Pan Yin, who saved He Jin's life, was appointed as the Lower Army Commandant.

Xia Mou, Zhao Rong, and Feng Fang continued to serve as Left Colonel, Assistant Left Colonel, and Assistant Right Colonel because they supported Liu Bian.

As a result, most of the troops stationed in Luoyang were under the control of He Jin and Yuan Wei, who also jointly held the position of Minister of the Imperial Secretariat. For a time, they were awe-inspiring to all the officials.

Liu Bei was not concerned about the brief period of harmony in Luoyang's political situation.

Before the storm comes the calm.

What Liu Bei cared about more was how to maintain control of the narrative before the world descended into chaos.

a few days later.

Liu Bei arrived at Hangu Pass.

As he ascended the pass and looked down to the east, Liu Bei's heart surged with emotion, and he recited Li Bai's poem "Ancient Style": "The King of Qin swept across the six kingdoms, how majestic was his tiger-like gaze! He brandished his sword and parted the floating clouds, and all the feudal lords came to the west."

At this moment, in this scene, and in this mood, this poem, "Ancient Style," perfectly reflects Liu Bei's inner thoughts.

“Since leaving Luoyang, Brother’s mood has improved day by day. He’s been reciting poems every day, and he’s written more than thirty in total. How many poems has Brother been reading behind our backs?” Zhang Fei whispered to Guan Yu.

Guan Yu stroked his magnificent beard, his eyes filled with admiration for Liu Bei: "I've heard that when you were a student of Master Lu, you often received private lessons from him, which made many of your fellow students envious and jealous of you. You must have read over ten thousand books long ago."

Xu You, who was standing nearby, found it strange and leaned closer to ask, "Commander Guan, Commander Zhang, are you saying that all the poems and essays that Prefect Liu has recited along the way were read from books?"

Zhang Fei laughed and said, "Of course! My elder brother said a long time ago that he can't write poetry, he can only recite it. He read 'Three Hundred Ancient Poems,' 'Eight Hundred Yuefu Poems,' and other works such as 'Poetry Criticism,' 'Poetry Talks,' and 'Lyric Talks,' all of which he learned while studying under Master Lu."

Xu You was somewhat bewildered.

Three Hundred Poems in the Ancient Style?
Eight hundred lines of Yuefu poetry?
Poetry critique, poetry criticism, and lyric criticism?
Why have I never heard of this before?
Minister Lu was not known for his scholarship, nor was he famous for his poetry and prose.
Am I just ignorant?
Since most people in this era could not read many books, let alone Xu You, even if Cai Yong and Zheng Xuan came, they could not guarantee that Liu Bei had not read these books. They would most likely suspect that Lu Zhi had obtained a rare copy of the poems and essays and made Liu Bei memorize them.

Otherwise, no matter how skilled a person is, how could they possibly create thousands of poems and tens of thousands of prose pieces while simultaneously studying literature and practicing martial arts?
Even Zheng Xuan only dared to boast that he had annotated ten thousand volumes of books, not that he had written ten thousand volumes of books.

Listening to Zhang Fei's boasting behind his back, Liu Bei's smile widened. As long as he claimed to the outside world that he studied under Lu Zhi, he could sever most of the doubts.

Lu Zhi was a renowned Confucian scholar who left his mark throughout history. Emperor Taizong of Tang decreed that twenty-two sages and scholars from past dynasties be enshrined in the Temple of Confucius, and Lu Zhi was among them.

Few people dare to question its value.

Moreover, most of the poems and prose that Liu Bei recited were written after the Wei and Jin dynasties. One must either acknowledge that Lu Zhi had a unique copy or acknowledge that Liu Bei created them himself.

In comparison, acknowledging that Lu Zhi had a unique copy is more acceptable to people.

Just as Liu Bei was inspired to write poetry, Cui Wu, the military commander of the supply camp, came up the pass and reported, "My lord, there has been an accident with the grain carts."

Ok?
Liu Bei's smile vanished abruptly.

Supplies are of utmost importance for an army's march. To ensure the safety of supplies, Liu Bei specifically placed Zhang Liao and Zhang Yang in the rear, and also ordered Zhao Yun to lead cavalry to patrol the flanks.

With such caution, how could any petty thieves still try to rob the grain carts?

Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Xu You, who were behind them, also came forward upon hearing the news.

"Lord Cui, who dares to rob the grain?" Guan Yu narrowed his phoenix eyes, his eyes filled with murderous intent.

Cui Wu shook his head repeatedly and said, "It's not that someone robbed the grain, but there was a vicious man among the laborers transporting the grain. He was extremely ugly and it's said that he steals food at every meal. Today, he even ate all the food meant for ten people. When more than a dozen brothers from the supply battalion went to investigate, they clashed with that vicious man and were all injured by him. Commander Zhang said that he was no match for him either and told me to report to the magistrate immediately."

Since both Zhang Yang and Zhang Liao were Sima and were from Bingzhou, in order to distinguish them, Zhang Yang was called "Big Zhang Sima" and Zhang Liao was called "Little Zhang Sima".

Upon hearing that even Zhang Liao was no match for them, everyone was astonished.

Zhang Liao's martial prowess was second only to Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Zhao Yun in Liu Bei's army. After a civilian injured more than a dozen Xiyuan soldiers, Zhang Liao still thought he was no match for them.

"It was I who neglected the brave warrior."

Surprised, Liu Bei was also delighted.

To encounter top-notch warriors simply by recruiting a group of laborers to transport grain—that's luck enough to gamble.

"Second brother, third brother, come with me quickly to take a look."

Liu Bei strode down Hangu Pass and spurred his horse straight towards the supply wagons. Xu You, unable to contain his curiosity, also rode behind him.

Not long after.

Liu Bei arrived at the scene of the incident.

They happened to witness Zhang Liao being tackled and thrown to the ground by an extremely burly and fierce-looking thug.

"Pah! You brute, how much force did you use to hit me?" Zhang Liao spat out the dirt in his mouth and rubbed his sore arm.

"If you're not even 70% successful, I'll beat you to death." The thug uttered these harsh and hurtful words in a deep, gruff voice.

Zhang Liao felt a tightness in his throat, wanting to vomit but unable to, feeling extremely suffocated.

"Can you know weapons?"

Zhang Liao, who had been fighting against the Hu people at Yanmen Pass for many years, was clearly not a good-tempered man and was instantly enraged by the thug.

Seeing Zhang Liao take out his crescent halberd, the thug's eyes lit up: "So you can use a halberd too. This halberd of yours is not bad. If you are willing to give it to me, I will only use half my strength later, so you won't lose too badly."

So annoying!

Everyone says that reading can cultivate one's character, but Zhang Liao felt that he had wasted a year of his studies!
Give him a weapon!

Zhang Liao roared, and one of the soldiers from the Western Garden threw a ring-pommel sword at the thug.

"This knife is too light. I'll use 70% of my strength instead," the thug said with some disdain.

As soon as he finished speaking, two long swords were thrown at the thug, and Liu Bei's laughter rang out: "Do you know how to use a sword?"

Just as the thug was about to step forward to take the sword, he suddenly realized something was wrong. He looked up, quickly threw down his ring-pommel sword, and bowed, saying, "Greetings, Magistrate Liu."

"Why did you stop fighting?" Liu Bei asked, slightly surprised.

I was hoping to have this thug fight Zhang Liao with his sword, but to my surprise, the thug bowed directly to me.

"Please forgive me, Magistrate Liu. I am so hungry, and I am too embarrassed to steal food from my fellow travelers every day. That is why I caused such a commotion today. I only ask to see you, Magistrate Liu." The thug lowered his head.

That answer surprised me.

Liu Bei couldn't help but laugh and ask, "What brings you to see me?"

The thug stammered and remained silent for a long time.

"It's all gone."

Seeing that the villain had something difficult to say, Liu Bei waved his hand, signaling the soldiers and laborers who were watching to disperse.

"Can we talk now?"

Seeing the crowd disperse, the thug weakly said, "On my way here, I encountered a fierce tiger. While chasing it across the stream, I accidentally lost the summons document sent by Magistrate Liu."

What?
Chasing a tiger across a stream?

And the conscription document that I sent with my own people?

Liu Bei looked at the burly man in surprise and asked, "Are you Dian Wei from Chenliu?"

Dian Wei nodded in shame and recounted the details.

It turns out that when Liu Bei sent someone to recruit Dian Wei last year, Dian Wei was suspicious because he did not recognize Liu Bei's name. It was not until Liu Bei went to Runan to quell the rebellion and his reputation soared that Dian Wei decided to go to Luoyang to find out what was going on.

Disturbed from his sleep by a fierce tiger, Dian Wei, enraged, grabbed his sword and halberd and began to smash the tiger wildly. Startled, the tiger was so frightened by Dian Wei that it jumped into the ravine and fled.

When he came to his senses, Dian Wei's documents were nowhere to be found.

Because he lacked official documents, Dian Wei was unable to enter Luoyang City and could only look for opportunities outside the city. As time went on, Dian Wei ran out of money.

Unwilling to give up, Dian Wei sold his sword and halberd and continued to wait for an opportunity outside the city. Just then, Liu Bei was about to enter Yongzhou as governor and was sending people outside Luoyang to recruit laborers who could drive chariots.

Dian Wei was then able to join.

Having lost his documents and sold his weapons, Dian Wei felt ashamed to face Liu Bei and planned to wait until he arrived in Yongzhou before seeking an opportunity to join the army.

However, Dian Wei had a huge appetite, and the food allocated to the laborers was not enough for him. Every day, Dian Wei would steal food from his fellow laborers, and after a while, he felt embarrassed.

Left with no other option, Dian Wei could only try to attract Liu Bei's attention by making a commotion.

"I see!" Liu Bei's tone turned slightly stern. "Originally, I recruited you as a Sima, but you lost the documents, which, according to military law, is a capital offense. However, considering that you had a reason for the incident and were still willing to come to me after losing the documents, I demoted you to a clerk in the central army, to await orders before the tent. Are you satisfied with that?"

“A scribe?” Dian Wei’s eyes widened. “But I can’t read or write.”

Liu Bei laughed: "If you can read and write, then this is not a punishment. If you are unwilling, I will have the grain official distribute more grain until you transport the grain carts into Chang'an, after which you can leave on your own."

Leave?

I came here with great difficulty, and even sold my sword and halberd. How can I leave?

Isn't he just a clerk?

At worst, I'll be demoted to a lowly servant.

Dian Wei hurriedly replied, "I am willing to be a clerk."

Behind.

Zhang Fei leaned closer to Guan Yu and whispered, "Second brother, eldest brother is lying to us again. What 'central army clerk'? There's no such position in the army."

Guan Yu glared at Zhang Fei and lightly scolded, "You talk too much. Didn't you see how much our elder brother treated Dian Wei like he'd struck gold? If you interfere with our elder brother's favor towards the brave warriors, you'll be in big trouble."

Zhang Fei suddenly felt a little jealous: "Second brother, have you noticed that ever since eldest brother got Chen Dao, he rarely asks us to protect him? Now that he has Dian Wei, he probably won't take us with him even more."

"Oh? How about I tell you, brother, that you don't want to lead troops anymore and would like to become a subordinate officer of the central army, and teach Dian Wei to read and write?" Guan Yu stroked his beautiful beard.

Zhang Fei's expression changed, and he chuckled awkwardly, "Second Brother, I was just teasing you!"

Wouldn't it be better if I used that time to practice my spear techniques?

Going to teach Dian Wei to read and write? Are you crazy, Second Brother, or am I?

Just as Zhang Fei was muttering to himself, Liu Bei suddenly turned around and called out, "Third brother, you will be in charge of teaching the scribes to read and write."

"Huh? Big brother? I, I, I..." Zhang Fei was so shocked he couldn't speak. Big brother, don't listen to your second brother's nonsense!
Liu Bei waved his hand and said, "It's settled then! You're allowed to drink."

"Really?" Zhang Fei was speechless for a moment, then patted his chest and assured him, "Don't worry, brother, I guarantee I'll complete the mission."

Teaching one person is teaching, teaching a group is teaching. As long as there's wine, I can handle ten or a hundred Dian Weis, let alone one!
Xu You, who followed, also showed a hint of joy in his eyes.

The more brave warriors who join Liu Bei, the brighter their future will be if they follow him.

Given Liu Shijun's prestige and his style of employing people, more talented and virtuous individuals will surely join him in the future.

I, Xu You, also need to work hard!
(End of this chapter)