Three Kingdoms: Rebirth of Liu Bei, the Zhaolie

It is like enemies meeting, their eyes blazing with hatred.

Liu Jing said angrily:

"Zhang Qian, your son was not killed by Liu Bei."

It turned out that the old man with the leopard-like head and piercing eyes was Zhang Hun's father, Zhang Qian, the clan head of the Zhang family in Zhuo County.

The Zhang family of Zhuo County lived in Taohuawu, Xiaoti Township, about ten miles southwest of the county seat. This was several dozen miles away from Lousangli, Renyi Township, where the Liu family of Zhuo County lived.

The members of the two clans knew each other, but they harbored resentment towards each other due to past clan feuds.

Upon hearing Liu Jing speak, Zhang Qian finally noticed the members of the Zhang family from Zhuo County behind Cheng Xiao, and he was immediately furious.

"Now, everyone in the county says that Liu Bei killed Zhang Hun, and you're still trying to deny it?!"

Liu Jing was furious:

"Don't make baseless accusations without evidence. I believe Xuande wouldn't do such a thing."

Zhang Qian was also very annoyed and shouted at Cheng Xiao:

"Cheng Youjiao, you tell me, was it Liu Bei who did it?"

As he spoke, several capable and strong members of the Zhang clan from Zhuo County standing behind him were also filled with anger and stood up, glaring angrily at Liu Jing and the others.

At this moment, Cheng Xiao had completely dismissed the suspicion that Liu Bei was the murderer, so he pondered for a moment and said:

"Uncle Zhang, there is currently no evidence to suggest that Liu Bei is the murderer."

Zhang Qian observed Cheng Xiao's demeanor and noticed that he had come with members of the Liu clan from Zhuo County. He suspected that Cheng Xiao had been bribed and was therefore speaking in Liu Bei's favor. Zhang Qian was very dissatisfied with Cheng Xiao, but he couldn't show it, as offending too many people would be detrimental to him.

So Zhang Qian glared angrily at Cheng Xiao and said:

"There's no evidence... let's all look for it together."

One sentence enraged Liu Jing again.

"Zhang Qian, what do you mean? Are you convinced that Liu Bei is the murderer? The county magistrate hasn't even questioned him yet! You dare to make such a rash judgment here without any evidence?! In that case, wouldn't the real murderer who killed your son go unpunished? Do you harbor such great hostility towards our Liu clan?"

"What do you mean I made a rash decision!?"

Zhang Qian was also extremely dissatisfied, "There are witness testimonies. They saw Liu Bei enter the Wild Boar Forest east of the city with their own eyes... My son was killed at that time."

Liu Jing angrily said:

"Liu Bei did enter the Wild Boar Forest, but who actually saw him kill Zhang Hun?"

Zhang Qian was furious:

"Who else could it be but him?!"

"This is absolutely outrageous!"

Liu Jing was so angry that he trembled all over.

At this moment, Liu Bei caught a glimpse of two more people walking down the street, heading straight for the tavern.

The two men were dressed similarly to Cheng Xiao, the patrolman from the east, and were followed by several officers and soldiers.

Liu Bei knew that the visitor must also be a patrolman from Zhuo County.

After the two arrived at the tavern, they bowed to Cheng Xiaowei.

"Cheng Youjiao".

Cheng Xiao quickly returned the greeting:

"Zhang Youjiao, Mao Youjiao. What brings you here too?"

Humanitarianism as known as Mao Youjiao:

"Such a big thing has happened in the county. The county magistrate asked me to come and discuss it. After all, I am the border patrol officer in the northern part of Zhuo County. The bustling Fifteen Mile Inn is under my jurisdiction."

"That's true."

Cheng Xiao nodded.

At this moment, Liu Bao whispered in Liu Bei's ear:

"The northern outpost Mao Wei came from the Mao family of Zhuo County. The other is the western outpost Zhang Jun, from the Zhang family of Taohuawu, Zhuo County."

Liu Bei nodded slightly upon hearing this.

There are a total of six outposts in Zhuoxian County, and four of them have already arrived.

These vagrants all came from powerful local families in Zhuoxian County.

In local administrative institutions below the prefecture and county level, the Eastern Han court always used these powerful families' sons to patrol and arrest criminals in the countryside to maintain local security.

The heads of powerful families, as well as virtuous and respected members of the clan, were appointed as township-level officials such as "Sanlao," "Sefu," and "Youzhi," as well as village officials such as "Lizheng" and "Tiandian."

In this way, the government and the people worked together to achieve long-term stability and prosperity for the empire.

Upon seeing Zhang Jun, the western guerrilla, arrive, Zhang Qian, the patriarch of the Zhang family in Zhuo County, couldn't help but feel his courage grow stronger:

"Zhang Jun, you've come at the right time. You are the patrol officer of Zhuo County. You must quickly apprehend Liu Bei, the murderer of your cousin, and avenge him."

"Uncle, don't worry, if the murderer is really Liu Bei, I will definitely not let him go."

Zhang Jun, a traveler from the west, spoke in a hard voice.

Liu Bei stood calmly in the crowd.

These people were not familiar with Liu Bei, so they did not recognize him from the crowd at first.

Seeing the tense atmosphere between the two families of Zhuo County, seemingly on the verge of a brawl in the tavern, Cheng Xiao, being very cautious, quickly stood between the two groups and tried to mediate:

"My lords, please calm down and wait patiently for an hour. Once the county magistrate takes the court, everything will be decided fairly. Right now, even if you two argue until the sky falls, there will be no result. Listen to me, stop arguing. You are both prominent figures in Zhuo County; don't let the neighbors laugh at you."

"snort!"

Zhang Qian gave a heavy snort, turned around, and sat down again.

Liu Jing also did not want to sit in the same tavern as Zhang Qian and the others:

"Let's go."

Liu Jing, Liu Yuanqi, Liu Buyi, Liu Bao, Liu Ping, and several others then turned and walked out of the tavern.

Liu Bei and Geng Yong could only accompany him.

on the street.

A simply dressed servant in blue approached and asked Liu Jing and the others:

"Are you all heroes of the Liu clan of Zhuo County?"

Liu Jing was still angry, and upon hearing this, he asked warily:

Who are you?

The servant in blue hurriedly smiled and said:

"I am nothing to boast about. It is just that my young master greatly admires Young Master Liu of Lousang, and therefore, he specially sent me to invite him."

Upon hearing the words "Young Master Liu admires" and "Young Master Liu of Lousang," Liu Buyi, Liu Bao, and Liu Ping, who were present, all thought that the person was being referred to, and couldn't help but straighten their backs slightly, feeling quite pleased with themselves.

Liu Jing asked:

"Who is your young master? And which Young Master Liu do you admire?"

The servant in blue hurriedly and respectfully replied:

"My young master is from Guanjin County, Anping Commandery, Jizhou. He comes from the Qian family of Anping. His surname is Qian, his given name is Zhao, and his courtesy name is Zijing. My young master admires your esteemed ancestor, Liu Xuande, the young master of your clan."

Upon hearing this, a hint of disappointment appeared in the eyes of Liu Buyi, Liu Bao, and Liu Ping.

Liu Bei was not surprised by this.

In his previous life, Qian Zhao was Liu Bei's sworn brother.

In this life, Liu Bei never imagined that the two of them would meet in this way—Qian Zhao actually sent her personal servant to invite him.

"Anping Qian Shi..."

Liu Jing pondered for a moment, then glanced at Liu Yuanqi beside him.

Liu Yuanqi nodded and said:

"There is indeed such a family in Guanjin County. I heard that they have a good reputation in the area and are a large family known for their chivalry."

Liu Jing said silently:

"I seem to have heard of the deeds of the Qian family members from Anping as well."

Then he turned to the servant in blue and asked:

Where is your young master?

The servant in blue pointed in the distance:

"It's in the silk shop just ahead. Please follow me."

Liu Jing glanced at Liu Yuanqi.

Liu Yuanqi nodded.

Liu Jing just said to the servant in blue:

"You may lead the way."

"Yes."

The young servant in blue led a group of people toward a silk shop not far ahead.

I walked several dozen steps.

They gradually arrived at the silk shop.

Liu Bei looked up and saw the sign above with three simple, ancient characters in clerical script: "Ruijinfang".

"Young Master, Young Master Liu and the others have arrived."

The young servant in blue called out softly into the Ruijinfang silk shop.

A handsome young man, dressed in a small crown and embroidered robe, walked briskly out of the shop with a tall and upright figure, a resolute face, and a joyful expression.

"Gentlemen, this is my young master," said the servant in blue.

The newcomer was none other than the young Qian Zhao, who was about fifteen or sixteen years old at the time, similar in age to Liu Bei.

Liu Bei stared intently at Qian Zhao, his thoughts racing.

……

Qian Zhao's prestige spread far and wide; his reputation for governing the border regions was second only to Tian Yu, and the people still remember him fondly.

—Chen Shou, *Records of the Three Kingdoms, Book of Wei, Biography of Qian Zhao*