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

Pei Yuanshao said, "I dare not say that they are all elites, but they are all somewhat proficient in archery, horsemanship, swordsmanship, and spears. When we were in the army, we fought against the Xianbei, Xiongnu, and Qiang people. We have seen blood and killed people. We are not comparable to those local militia who have never been on the battlefield."

A glint of light flashed in Guan Yu's eyes: "Could you demonstrate?"

"Why not!"

Pei Yuanshao stepped forward first and borrowed a wood-chopping knife from a villager.

The machete was just an ordinary tool for chopping wood, with a blunt blade, but in his hands, it seemed to come alive.

With a sudden shift in his footing, he pounced like a tiger, his woodcutter's knife flashing through the air with a cold light, executing a three-part combo of straight slash, horizontal slash, and diagonal sweep. Though he had no real enemy, his killing intent was palpable.

In the final move, he sheathed his sword and turned around, his breathing undisturbed.

"Excellent!" Zhang Fei shouted, "This slashing technique is the swordsmanship of the border troops!"

Then, Pei Yuanshao took out his homemade bamboo bow, nocked an arrow without arrowheads, and pointed it at a dead tree a hundred paces away.

The bowstring twanged, and the arrow flew out, striking the tree trunk squarely.

Though there is no arrowhead, the description is incredibly insightful!

"The crossbowman is practicing his bow, his aim is quite good." Guan Yu stroked his beard and nodded.

That wasn't all. Pei Yuanshao then used readily available materials, such as tree branches and vines, to demonstrate a set of spear techniques, demonstrating proper advance and retreat, and combining offense and defense.

Liu Bei was deeply moved and couldn't help but grab Liu Liang's hand: "Father! Father is truly a divine strategist! You knew that this city harbored hidden dragons and crouching tigers! If it weren't for Father's guidance, I would have almost missed these battle-hardened elites!"

Liu Liang's lips twitched, and he forced a smile, saying, "This... is truly the will of Heaven, the will of Heaven..."

His heart was already filled with a mixture of joys and sorrows.

According to his plan, he should recruit a group of honest and simple farmers and train them for three to five months before they could barely be formed into an army.

Now, to make matters worse, 547 veterans who have seen blood have arrived. Their fighting strength is probably even stronger than that of the Imperial Tiger Guard.

They also acquired a great general, Pei Yuanshao, ahead of time.

How is this an obstacle to Liu Bei?

This was practically a huge gift to Liu Bei.

Pei Yuanshao then said, "Lord Liu, we fled here to avoid disaster, originally only to preserve our lives. But recently, we heard that you two are relatives of the Han imperial family and have the ambition to restore order. We discussed that if there were a real opportunity, it would be better to rejoin the army than to live a life of hardship in this desolate mountain. Today, seeing you, we are indeed enlightened rulers! If you do not despise us, we are willing to lead 547 veterans from Qing Shi Ao, along with the able-bodied men from the village, a total of 1,063 men, to serve under your command!"

"One thousand and sixty-three people!" Liu Bei's voice trembled with excitement.

Pei Yuanshao said, "Although we are scattered in different places, we keep in touch regularly. As long as Lord Liu gives the order, we will be able to gather within three days!"

Zhang Fei was filled with fervor: "Good men! They're all good men! Brother, I, Old Zhang, want all these brothers!"

Guan Yu was also moved, stroking his beard and nodding: "Having gone through great calamities, your will has not been broken, but rather strengthened. You are indeed a promising talent. Sir... you were able to foresee such loyal and brave men 'hidden after the calamity,' I admire you greatly. My previous doubts were truly shallow."

Liu Liang felt his legs go weak, but he had to force himself to remain calm: "Yun Chang, you flatter me. I... just stumbled upon this by accident."

"Father, why be so modest!" Liu Bei grasped Liu Liang's hand tightly, tears welling in his eyes. "If it weren't for your insistence on coming to the west of the city to recruit soldiers, how could I have obtained such elite troops? This is a gift from heaven, Father, to help me!"

What followed was completely beyond Liu Liang's control.

The news spread quickly.

Not only in Qing Shi Ao, but also in the surrounding villages, retired soldiers who had been hiding have come out one after another.

There were retired captains from the Northern Army in Luoyang, cavalrymen who had deserted from their posts in the border towns of Liangzhou, and even two soldiers who had served in the Imperial Guard.

By sunset, 837 demobilized soldiers had signed up to join the army, bringing the total number of able-bodied men in the village to over 2,000!

What frustrated Liu Liang even more was that these veterans were not only formidable fighters, but also carried some military equipment.

Although most of them were broken swords and spears, old bows and crossbows, they could be used after a little repair.

One of the veterans, a former armorer, even patted his chest and guaranteed that as long as there was iron or wood, he could lead a team to repair and forge weapons.

Liu Bei was overjoyed and immediately announced: all those who joined the army would receive three days' rations. Demobilized soldiers would receive provisional pay according to their original rank. They would be rewarded later for their meritorious service.

These words stirred up a great deal of emotion among the crowd.

That night, Liu Bei set up a simple camp at Qing Shi Ao and discussed follow-up matters with Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Liu Bei, Jian Qishan, and others.

Under the oil lamp,

Liu Bei's face flushed, unable to hide his excitement: "Within three to five days, we've gained two thousand soldiers, half of whom are veterans of countless battles! This is truly divine assistance! Today's achievement is primarily due to my adoptive father!"

Liu Liang felt bitter, but he had no choice but to agree, saying, "This is due to the benevolence of Xuande, which has won the hearts of the soldiers. I dare not take credit for it."

"Hey, Godfather, why be so modest!" Zhang Fei said casually. "If you hadn't insisted on coming to the west of the city, we might still be haggling with those rich folks in the south! How could we have gotten such a great deal!"

Jian Yong also said, "Indeed. The western part of the city is remote, and the government does not patrol frequently, so these deserters and demobilized soldiers gather here. If they went to the more prosperous areas in the south and east of the city, they would probably have been discovered by the county government long ago and either recruited or driven away."

Guan Yu pondered, "However, there's something strange about this matter. Why did these soldiers choose this particular time to pledge their allegiance? And why are they so certain that Lord Xuande is a wise ruler?"

Pei Yuanshao, who had been appointed a colonel by Liu Bei, was waiting outside the tent when he entered and reported: "General Guan, you are unaware of this. In fact, a month ago, rumors began to circulate among the common people that a member of the Han imperial family in Zhuojun wanted to raise an army to support the state. Some even said that this member of the imperial family was a direct descendant of Prince Jing of Zhongshan, named Liu Liang. We were initially skeptical, until a few days ago, when a merchant returning from Zhuojun said that he personally saw a gentleman in his thirties faint outside the Zhang residence in Taolin, and was rescued by Liu Xuande. After checking the family genealogy, he was indeed a relative of the imperial family... Only then did we believe him to some extent."

Liu Liang became increasingly alarmed as he listened.

That day, he "fainted from hunger" at the entrance of Zhang's house and was seen by passersby.

And the information is so detailed?

In these chaotic times, news travels way too fast!

Liu Bei exclaimed with emotion, "This is due to my adoptive father's benevolence, which has moved Heaven and Earth, thus giving us this opportunity today!"

Zhang Fei slammed his fist on the table and said, "Forget about any stroke of luck! We've recruited the soldiers! Sir, what's next? These men are all veterans, but they come from different prefectures and different units, with different commands and tactics. We need to train them together, right?"

Liu Liang was now in a difficult position and had no choice but to grit his teeth and continue playing the role of "wise and far-sighted godfather".

After a moment's thought, he said, "This is easy. Yide will be in charge of setting up the camp, Yunchang will be in charge of selecting and training soldiers, Xianhe will deal with the government, Xuande will oversee the overall situation, and I will be in charge of formulating the training regulations and advising on military matters."

Zhang Fei patted his chest and declared, "Leave the camp to me! I guarantee it'll be up and running within three days!"

Guan Yu asked, "How does the training method you described differ from ordinary military training?"