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

Humans are the most unpredictable people.

Even though Liu Liang believed he had a grasp on some of the historical trends, many events had recently occurred that exceeded his expectations.

First of all, the Imperial Seal of the State was something he meticulously planned to deliver to Cao Cao.

Cao Cao considered many possibilities before deciding what to do with the imperial seal.

Cao Cao kept it privately, presented it to the emperor, and even kept it for himself in hopes of winning the mandate of heaven. He never imagined that he would hand it over to Liu Bei.

Liu Liang's original plan was: The Imperial Seal of the State is the Mandate of Heaven. If Cao Cao saw this thing, wouldn't his ambition to become emperor be ignited?

What a brilliant plan! But Cao Cao didn't take the bait.

Not only did he not accept it, he also gave the imperial seal to Liu Bei.

Sent to Liu Bei...

Liu Liang stared at the rubbing and suddenly felt like a gambler who had been too clever for his own good, only to find that the person sitting opposite him was a dealer who didn't play by the rules.

The imperial seal in Cao Cao's hands was a potential source of trouble.

In Liu Bei's hands...

It might just stir up his ambition to become emperor.

Then, another unexpected person was Dong Zhuo.

Dong Zhuo, acting as the emperor's proxy, granted Liu Bei a legitimate marquisate.

When Liu Liang heard the news, his brows furrowed deeply.

He had considered that Dong Zhuo would try to win over Liu Bei, and that he would show him favors, but he never expected it to be in this way.

Instead of providing money or food, they gave her a prestigious but empty title.

An empty promise that could incite conflict among the feudal lords.

He thought he understood Dong Zhuo's lust for power.

But Dong Zhuo did something completely unexpected: he played a legitimate trick of sowing discord.

Then came the news of Dong Zhuo's withdrawal of troops.

Dong Zhuo left the emperor in Chang'an and led his troops back to Liangzhou.

Liu Liang stood in front of the map, staring at the two arrows pointing east and west, without making a move for a long time.

They abandoned the emperor like a burden and retreated to their stronghold in Liangzhou.

What kind of approach is this?

He had read the script of using the emperor to command the feudal lords.

He had never seen anyone discard the emperor like a worn-out shoe.

It seems that everyone in this world has their own set of accounts.

Dong Zhuo's tactic of "feigning indifference to lure the enemy into a trap" was ingenious and was likely the work of Li Ru.

After a busy day of troop preparations, Liu Liang returned to his tent when it was already completely dark.

The tent flap was lifted, revealing an oil lamp inside. The small flame illuminated a person's silhouette.

Tang Ji was squatting in the corner, stuffing several folded pieces of clothing into a wooden box.

Hearing footsteps, she turned around, stood up, and stood there with her hands hanging down.

"The master is back."

Liu Liang hummed in agreement, took off his outer robe, and casually draped it over the wooden frame.

Tang Ji walked over, picked up the robe, shook it, folded it again, and put it back in the box.

Liu Liang sat down on the bed and kicked off his boots.

Tang Ji came over again, picked up the two boots, and placed them side by side by the tent, with the toes pointing outwards.

Then he walked to the basin, washed his hands, picked up the earthenware pot, poured a bowl of water, and handed it to Liu Liang with both hands.

Liu Liang took it, drank a sip, and found the water was warm.

"Did you burn it?"

Tang Ji bowed and replied, "It was burned in the evening. Since you came back late, I reheated it."

Liu Liang sighed inwardly. These days, even drinking hot water is a luxury. He finished the bowl of water and handed it back to her.

Tang Ji took the bowl, wiped the water stains off the outside with a cloth, and put it back on the table.

She stood in the tent for a while, as if thinking about what else she hadn't done.

The charcoal brazier in the corner of the tent was almost out of flame, so she went over, squatted down, poked it with fire tongs, and added two more pieces of charcoal.

The flames slowly rose, making half of her face glow red.

Liu Liang leaned back on the bed, watching her back.

This is how the girl has been living these days.

I got up early to pack up the tent and waited for him to come back in the evening.

Boil water, fold clothes, add charcoal, and do other odd jobs.

He doesn't talk much. Once he's done, he shrinks into a corner, quiet and still, like a cat hiding under the eaves.

She seems to really see herself as a maid.

Liu Liang suddenly spoke up: "You don't need to wait this late every day and work so hard."

Tang Ji turned her head, and the firelight flickered on her face.

"I belong to you, sir. If I don't wait for you, who will I wait for?"

My people?

Liu Liang coughed twice but didn't say anything.

Tang Ji lowered her head again and continued to stir the charcoal fire.

The flames crackled, and her shadow flickered on the tent.

After a long while, Liu Liang lay down and pulled the blanket up to his chin.

"You should go to bed early too."

Tang Ji gave a soft "hmm," stood up, and blew out the oil lamp on the table.

Only the flickering fire in the charcoal brazier remained inside the tent.

Liu Liang closed his eyes and heard rustling sounds coming from the corner; it was Tang Ji taking off her clothes.

Nothing happened that night, and the next morning...

Liu Liang stepped out of the tent and looked at the bustling figures in the direction of the central command tent. Suddenly, a name flashed through his mind.

Diao Chan.

Having traveled through time for so long, I almost forgot about the most beautiful woman in the Three Kingdoms period.

Liu Liang walked quickly back to the tent, spread out a piece of plain silk, and picked up a pen to write a letter to Liu Bei.

The letter was short: Xuande, your adoptive father still has unfinished business and cannot return for the time being. You must hold Luoyang, pacify the people, and if any of the warlords from Guandong come, simply shut the gates and refuse to let them in. Remember this well, remember this well.

After finishing writing, he summoned a personal guard and ordered him to send it to Luoyang immediately.

Then he turned and left the tent to find Zhao Yun.

Zhao Yun was by the wall, cleaning weapons with several junior officers.

Liu Liang stepped forward and said, "Zilong, come with me to Chang'an."

Zhao Yun didn't ask why, only asking, "How many men are you bringing?"

Liu Liang said, "Take all five hundred of our elite cavalry with us."

Zhao Yun clasped his hands in a fist salute and said, "Yes."

He had only taken a few steps when Liu Liang called out to him again: "Zilong, take this blueprint. It's a signal flare I improved after visiting some old craftsmen recently."

"A signal flare?" Zhao Yun took the blueprints and glanced at them.

Liu Liang said, "Find some craftsmen and have it made within three to five days for us to use on the road."

Zhao Yun nodded, put away the blueprints, and then went down the gate wall with the few junior officers.

What Liu Liang gave to Zhao Yun was a new reward from the "Man of Heaven" after Liu Bei unexpectedly received the Imperial Seal of the State from Cao Cao.

[Reward for submitting suggestions: Colored smoke flares]

[Solution to the problem: The beacon fires of the Three Kingdoms period could only convey the simple message of "enemy invasion," without distinguishing the number or type of enemy troops.]

[Implementation Path: Utilize the rudimentary form of gunpowder already existing in the Three Kingdoms period (using saltpeter, sulfur, and charcoal for alchemy), and add different metal powders: copper powder (blue smoke), iron powder (yellow smoke), and cinnabar (red smoke). Place the mixture into a ceramic jar, light the fuse, and toss it into the air. Different color combinations represent different commands (e.g., "red + blue = cavalry charge," "yellow smoke = full retreat")]

[Military Value: Battlefield communication efficiency is increased more than tenfold, eliminating the need for relay horses and reducing the risk of interception by the enemy. During sieges, reinforcements outside the city and defenders inside can coordinate their operations using smoke grenades.]

Four days later,

With the signal flare successfully made, Zhao Yun took stock of his troops and, under the cover of night, followed Liu Liang out of Hangu Pass through a side gate.

On the way, Zhao Yun finally asked, "Brother, what brings you to Chang'an?"

Liu Liang swayed on his horse for a moment, thinking about how to answer.

"Go find someone, a woman."

Zhao Yun paused for a moment, then didn't ask any more questions.

Heading west, we traveled by day and rested by night.

Along the way, everywhere you looked, there were refugees fleeing from their homes, as well as a few scattered defeated soldiers.

Dong Zhuo retreated in haste, leaving villages and towns along the way completely looted, with nine out of ten houses empty.