Three Kingdoms: Mistakenly Becoming Liu Bei's Adoptive Father at the Start

The news that Liu Yu had ordered Gongsun Zan to capture Liu Bei quickly reached Liu Bei's camp in Zhuojun, causing an uproar.

"What? Gongsun Zan wants to attack us?" Zhang Fei jumped up. "Damn it! My brother thought he was someone important!"

Guan Yu said, "The visitors are not friendly. Gongsun Zan's troops are all elite cavalry from the border regions, and their fighting strength is far superior to that of bandits."

Liu Bei did not expect that the consequences of refusing Liu Yu would come so quickly and so fiercely.

He looked at Liu Liang, his voice hoarse: "Father... what... what should we do?"

Liu Liang's heart sank.

He anticipated that refusing Liu Yu would cause trouble, but he did not expect it to directly attract Gongsun Zan's army to attack him.

This trouble is a bit more than expected.

But since things have come to this, we have no choice but to face it.

Liu Liang composed himself and said, "Xuande, don't panic. This matter may not be as dangerous as it seems. Think about it carefully. Although Gongsun Zan is nominally under Liu Yu's jurisdiction, he commands the elite border cavalry of Youzhou and has never really listened to Liu Yu. The two have differing political views and many conflicts in dealing with the Hu people and in military strategies. This is common knowledge in Youzhou."

He paused for a moment, then continued, "If Liu Yu was truly determined to eliminate us, why didn't he send his own trusted generals? Why go through all this trouble and order Gongsun Zan, whom he might not even be able to command? This order, though seemingly harsh, is actually weak. It's more like a gesture by Liu Yu to save face. 'I have already ordered the attack; it is Gongsun Zan who failed to carry it out properly.' In this way, he can shift the blame, preserving his prestige without actually expending his strength to fight a battle he can't win."

Guan Yu said, "Are you saying, sir, that Liu Yu didn't truly intend to launch a military campaign? And that Gongsun Zan might not even obey orders?"

"Exactly." Liu Liang nodded. "Gongsun Zan is a smart man. He has no grudge against us, and even has a past friendship with Xuande. If he comes to fight us on behalf of Liu Yu, he will lose his own troops, but all the benefits will go to Liu Yu. If he is defeated, he will suffer heavy losses. Even if he wins, he will only be helping Liu Yu get rid of an 'unruly' subordinate. What benefit will that bring to Gongsun Zan's power in Youzhou? Gongsun Zan will not do such a losing deal."

Zhang Fei asked urgently, "What if Gongsun Zan is just going through the motions because he's under orders?"

Liu Liang said, "If we're just putting on a show, then we have even less to fear. If he's going to put on a show, then we'll put on a show too. So what we should be doing now is not frantically preparing for battle, but remaining calm and composed, as steady as Mount Tai."

Then he said to Liu Bei, "Xuande, you must immediately step forward to appease the officials and people of Zhuojun, and publicly declare that our loyalty to the Han Dynasty and our determination to protect the borders and the people have never changed. The reason we did not go to Jicheng before was to consolidate our defenses and prevent the Yellow Turbans from invading the south. We had no other intentions. We also guarantee that Zhuojun will not be attacked by any unfounded suspicions. Please let the people live their lives as usual and let the merchants do business as usual."

Liu Bei understood: "What my adoptive father means is that the calmer we remain and the more openly we show goodwill to the local authorities, the more unreasonable Liu Yu's order will seem. And Gongsun Zan's absence will give us the excuse that 'Liu Bei's troops are holding their ground and have shown no signs of rebellion, so it is not advisable to act rashly.'"

Liu Liang nodded: "That's right! We just need to do what we're supposed to do, strengthen the city's defenses, continue training our troops, and at the same time, vigorously promote the protection of the territory and the safety of the people. In time, this order will naturally be forgotten."

Liu Bei felt reassured and immediately acted as Liu Liang had suggested.

He then personally met with the magistrate of Zhuojun County and the local elders, speaking earnestly and expressing his true feelings.

In the military, the atmosphere is relaxed on the outside but tense on the inside, with normal drills.

Seeing Liu Bei's group so calm, the people of Zhuojun gradually calmed down as well.

Sure enough, a month passed and there was still no movement from Gongsun Zan's side.

It is said that Gongsun Zan delayed the matter by citing reasons such as "the mobilization of troops takes time and the need to guard against the Xianbei's unrest".

Seeing that Liu Bei was firmly established in Zhuojun and had not made any "rebellious" moves, but instead governed the area in an orderly manner, and that his own order was not being carried out, Liu Yu decided not to bring up the matter again, as forcibly pursuing the matter would only make him seem unreasonable.

A seemingly imminent crisis was thus resolved quietly and without fanfare.

Actually, on the other hand...

When Liu Liang gave his analysis that "Gongsun Zan will not come," he appeared calm on the surface, but in reality, he was not confident at all.

He couldn't tell fortunes, so how would he know if Liu Yu would suddenly go mad, or if Gongsun Zan would actually lead his troops to attack in order to show his loyalty?

The most unpredictable thing in this world is the human heart; any talk of perfect strategy is utter nonsense.

Sometimes you guess right, it's purely by luck.

He kept Liu Bei calm and collected, while he secretly planned several escape routes, even figuring out how to sneak out of the city and which direction to run in case it fell.

It wasn't that he was disloyal; he simply didn't intend to die with Liu Bei.

Circumstances are beyond our control; survival comes first.

But to his surprise, he actually guessed right this time.

Gongsun Zan did not come, and Liu Yu did not pursue the matter further.

Guan Yu and Zhang Fei admired Liu Liang even more, and Liu Bei looked at his adoptive father with eyes full of trust.

Even the magistrate of Zhuojun County personally came to the camp with a batch of money and provisions for the troops, and said to Liu Bei and Liu Liang: "Lord Liu, Mr. Liu, there was a slight misunderstanding between the prefecture and the government recently, which worried me. Now it seems that you two have handled things well and won the hearts of the people, ensuring the peace of Zhuojun. I admire you very much. This is just a small token of my support."

Liu Liang outwardly accepted it calmly, but inwardly he found it difficult to remain calm.

He increasingly felt that his role as an "insider" was rather strange, as if no matter which way he exerted his efforts, he would inexplicably end up paving the way for Liu Bei.

It feels like you intended to dig a hole for someone to fall into, but after one shovelful, a spring suddenly appeared at the bottom, turning it into a well, and the people around you even praised you for finding the water so accurately.

Liu Liang could only suppress his puzzlement.

At least we've gotten through this hurdle, and our reputation has increased again.

[Reward for suggestions: Improved horseshoe design with anti-slip texture]

[Implementation Path: Forge U-shaped iron rings from wrought iron, drill holes along the edges, and secure them to the horseshoes with copper nails. Engrave interlocking anti-slip patterns on the surface of the iron rings (suitable for muddy and mountainous terrain). The iron smelting technology (steel-making method) of the Three Kingdoms period is fully capable of supporting this, and raw materials can be obtained from various ironworks.]

[Military Value: Warhorse lifespan is extended by more than 3 times, significantly improving the long-distance raiding capability of cavalry (e.g., Cao Cao's Tiger and Leopard Cavalry could achieve a continuous 3-day forced march), and mountain and wetland warfare are no longer limited.]

The Three Kingdoms period already had warhorses, but no horseshoes. After long-distance raids, the horseshoes would easily wear out and crack, causing the cavalry to lose their mobility.

If you combine the previously awarded [Horseshoe Bath Recipe] and [Stirrup and Saddle Bridge Design] with the [Horseshoe and Anti-slip Texture Design] obtained this time, you will have a complete set of cavalry equipment improvement materials.

This combination can greatly help improve the combat effectiveness of cavalry by addressing various aspects such as horse maintenance, rider stability, and riding protection.