Three Kingdoms: Rebirth of Liu Bei, the Zhaolie

Gong Liangwu, an official under the Commandant of the Prefecture, and Yang Tai, the commander of the Iron Wall Fortress, directed their soldiers to collect the corpses of the bandits from White Stone Mountain and clean up the battlefield before hurriedly leaving the Wu Family Inn.

Before leaving, Fifth Guang, wearing a blue turban, stayed behind, walked to Liu Bei's side, and said:

"Though you are young, your swordsmanship is already quite mature. I am eager to make your acquaintance; I wonder if you would do me the honor?"

Liu Bei sensed a hint of malice lurking beneath Fifth Light's gentle gaze, sensing he wasn't a good person. He wanted to distance himself, but didn't want to offend him. At the same time, he wanted to investigate further to uncover the man's true nature. After a moment's thought, he pondered and said:

"A bosom friend afar brings a distant land near. I have always been willing to make friends with heroes from all corners of the world. I am deeply honored by your kind invitation, how could I refuse? However, your invitation to meet me is truly too much for me. I am humbled and humbled."

Fifth Light was overjoyed upon hearing this:

"What a wonderful poem, 'A bosom friend afar brings a distant land near.' Xuande's poem is truly extraordinary. I never imagined you were so skilled in both literature and martial arts, and so adept at both poetry and swordsmanship. It is truly an honor for me to befriend you."

Liu Bei was taken aback.

He casually uttered the famous line "Though separated by oceans and mountains, true friends are never far apart" from the poem "Farewell to Du Shaofu on His Journey to Shu Prefecture" by the great Tang Dynasty poet Wang Bo. It was just a casual remark, but it unexpectedly amazed Wu Guang, a man from the Eastern Han Dynasty.

Fifth Light was naturally completely unfamiliar with Wang Bo, and upon hearing his name, he must have been extremely amazed.

But Liu Bei, whose soul was that of a modern person, didn't think much of it.

At this time, Liu Bei and Wu Guang were fifteen years apart in age, making them seem like a pair of friends despite their age difference.

"Fifth Lord, you flatter me. I cannot accept such praise. Please do not compliment me like this again."

Liu Bei felt somewhat ashamed.

"You're welcome."

Fifth Guang smiled. "I'm too busy today to chat in detail. I'll definitely pay you a visit another day. Or, Xuande, you can come to my Qingxi Manor at Fifteen Mile Inn. I'll be waiting for you anytime. We can then enjoy drinks, laughter, and a friendly sparring match—that would be a delightful experience."

"Very good."

Liu Bei immediately nodded and said, "Fifth Lord, please take care. We'll meet again another day."

The two bowed to each other in farewell.

Watching the departing figure of Fifth Light, Liu Bei couldn't help but fall into deep thought.

His thoughts were interrupted by the voice of Liu Bao, a patrolman from the south:

"What is Xuande thinking?"

Liu Bei then came to his senses and hurriedly said:

"I'm thinking about Qingxi Manor. That's a vast expanse of fertile land, easily two or three hundred hectares. Just who is this Fifth Light?"

He frequently went to Shiwulipu to sell straw sandals and was familiar with the market. Naturally, he also knew that there was a huge and powerful landlord's manor near Shiwulipu—Qingxi Manor.

Fifth Light actually sent Liu Bei to Qingxi Manor to have a drink with him.

Could it be that the owner of Qingxi Manor is this Fifth Light?

Liu Bei's mind was filled with doubt.

At this moment, Cheng Xiao, a patrolman from the east, pondered and said:

"Xuande, as far as I know, Qingxi Manor was sold to a man named Zhao Xiang a year ago. This Fifth Light wants you to go to Qingxi Manor to find him; could he be a retainer of Zhao Xiang?"

Upon hearing Cheng Xiao's words, Liu Bei wholeheartedly agreed and nodded, "Judging from Wu Guang's demeanor, he does indeed seem to be a retainer of a wealthy family, or perhaps the head of the Qingxi Manor."

Liu Buyi suddenly said:

"Zhao Xiang is no simple man either..."

Liu Bei hurriedly asked:

"How so?"

Liu Buyi said in a deep voice:

"He is the cousin of Zhao Zhong, the current Palace Attendant. Just like my relationship with you."

Liu Bei listened, nodded silently, and said slowly:

"No wonder. It turns out it's the influence of the Ten Attendants of the Imperial Palace..."

At this time, in Luoyang, the capital of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the Ten Attendants and their clique of eunuchs controlled the government.

The twelve eunuchs—Zhang Rang, Zhao Zhong, Xia Yun, Guo Sheng, Sun Zhang, Bi Lan, Li Song, Duan Gui, Gao Wang, Zhang Gong, Han Kui, and Song Dian—were collectively known as the "Ten Attendants."

Among them, Zhang Rang and Zhao Zhong were the most favored and held immense power.

The Ten Attendants' power shrouded the sky of the Han Dynasty. Their fathers, brothers, relatives, and family members were scattered throughout the prefectures and counties, acting recklessly and tyrannically, even killing and seizing land, harming loyal officials, and poisoning the local area.

The people have long suffered under the influence of the Ten Attendants.

In particular, the upright scholars, led by Yuan Shao, hated the Ten Attendants to the bone and were determined to get rid of them as soon as possible.

Knowing this part of history, Liu Bei had no further doubts when he learned that Zhao Xiang, the owner of Qingxi Manor, was the cousin of Zhao Zhong, one of the Ten Attendants most favored by Emperor Ling.

Cheng Xiao then casually said:

"This is someone we can't afford to offend."

"yes."

Thinking of the Ten Attendants who wielded immense power, killing a person was as easy as crushing an ant, Liu Bei couldn't help but sigh heavily.

"Xuande, stop sighing."

Liu Bao, a border patrolman from the south, suddenly said, "Your swordsmanship is so superb that it has truly opened our eyes. However, this man named Wu Guang wants to befriend you. You must be careful and not fall into his trap. Wu Guang is allied with the eunuch faction, and I think he will definitely not have a good future."

Liu Bei hadn't expected that the seemingly careless Liu Bao would possess such insight; he was indeed shrewd despite his rough exterior. He quickly nodded and said:

"Thank you for your reminder, brother. I will keep it in mind. I know what I'm doing and will never be won over by the eunuch faction, much less be used by them."

In the Eastern Han Dynasty, everyone knew that the imperial relatives and eunuchs were constantly fighting and vying for power, with one side always prevailing over the other.

When the maternal relatives seize power, they will inevitably purge the eunuch faction.

When eunuchs rise to power, they inevitably suppress the maternal relatives of the emperor.

This process repeated itself endlessly.

In this turbulent world, many scholars, though in the imperial court, were often powerless to control their own destiny, caught in the fierce struggles between the emperor's relatives and eunuchs, and repeatedly became victims.

The two periods of persecution of the literati are clear examples of what happened to them.

"Xuande, your swordsmanship looks somewhat like swordsmanship to me..."

Cheng Xiao, a patrolman from the eastern border, suddenly said something out of the blue.

Liu Bei displayed his superb swordsmanship in front of Liang Wu, an official under the Commandant's Office, and Yang Tai, the commander of the Iron Wall Fortress, killing several bandits from White Stone Mountain. He won their favor and appreciation, and once again refreshed Cheng Xiao's understanding.

He knew that Liu Bei had finally made a name for himself this time. Perhaps one day he would be a guest of Liang Wu, an official under Liu Bei's command, or a confidant of Yang Tai, the commander of the Iron Wall Fortress. It could be said that Liu Bei's rise to prominence was just around the corner, and his future was bright, much brighter than his own as a mere border patrolman from Zhuo County.

For a moment, he felt a mixture of jealousy and envy towards Liu Bei, and his gaze towards Liu Bei no longer held any trace of contempt. In fact, a sense of awe even arose in his heart.

Liu Bei naturally noticed the change in Cheng Xiao's expression, and then said:

"The saber is like a fierce tiger, the sword is light and agile; one is hard, the other soft—this is the common view of sabers and swords among ordinary people. In fact, when wielding a saber, one can also be light and agile. When wielding a sword, one can also slash fiercely like a saber. The key lies in the user's state of mind. The so-called wonder of application lies in the mind."

"Xuande is right."

Cheng Xiao pondered for a moment, then said, "Actually, what I wanted to say was that the sword technique you used to kill the bare-chested giant Da Hu was somewhat similar to the sword technique Zhang Hun suffered when he died in Wild Boar Forest..."

Liu Bei was taken aback. "Is Cheng Youjiao still suspecting that I killed Zhang Hun?!"

……

(Within the estate of a powerful manor) Vast houses and towering buildings were constructed, with irrigation ditches and groves of bamboo and trees. Livestock grazed freely, and fish, shellfish, pears, and fruits thrived. Sandalwood, thorns, mulberry, and hemp grew in abundance, and the gates became a bustling marketplace. Weapons and equipment numbered in the millions. The scale of its construction was limitless, its ingenuity beyond description, making it as wealthy as a feudal lord.

—Li Daoyuan, Commentary on the Waterways Classic, Bi River