Three Kingdoms: Rebirth of Liu Bei, the Zhaolie

In the blink of an eye.

The white horse then galloped to the gate of Lousangli.

"Brother Xuande, I'm late."

The passenger on the white horse was Qian Zhao.

He was still dressed as he had been the day before, but he came alone, without any servants.

"Zijing, you've come at the perfect time."

Liu Bei then introduced Zhang Fei and Wutulu to Qian Zhao.

The four of them chatted happily and were all very pleased.

Inside the inner gate, Geng Yong led Liu Azi toward where Liu Bei was standing.

Liu Azi shouted loudly from afar:

"Brother, it's time for breakfast. Mother is still waiting for us."

"Okay, I understand, Azi."

Liu Bei then asked Qian Zhao, Zhang Fei, and Wutulu, "None of you have had breakfast yet, have you?"

"no."

The three people spoke in unison.

"It's still early morning, around 5 a.m., and there's still half an hour until 7 a.m. Why don't I take a few of you to a tavern or restaurant in Shiwulipu?"

Liu Bei pondered for a moment and said, "My home is simple and the food is coarse; it is truly unfit to entertain guests."

Zhang Fei immediately said:

"Alright. Then let's go to the tavern in Fifteen Mile Shop to eat."

Qian Zhao had no objection.

So Liu Bei sent his younger sister Liu Azi back to take care of their mother, while he, along with Geng Yong, Qian Zhao, Zhang Fei, and Wutulu Jing, left Dashulou Sangli and headed towards Wild Wolf Ridge, not far to the north.

Although it is called "Wild Wolf Ridge", it is actually just a small hill, without any complicated peaks or valleys.

Because wild wolves used to roam there, the villagers called it "Wild Wolf Ridge".

Fifteen minutes later.

The group then arrived at Wild Wolf Ridge.

It was early morning.

On Wolf Ridge, at a crossroads, two people stood glaring at each other.

One of them had a long, thin face, almond-shaped eyes, wore a short jacket, cloth trousers, a black cloak, a felt hat, leather boots, and carried a sword on a leather belt.

The other man had a round face, a stubble beard, slightly slanted eyes with a sharp and piercing gaze. He wore a short-sleeved shirt, a cloth trousers, a brown cloak, straw sandals, and an iron sword at his waist.

These outfits were the popular attire of wandering knights-errant in the late Han Dynasty.

Therefore, Liu Bei, who had been frequenting the Fifteen Mile Shop for many years, was already used to it. He only needed to glance at them to know that the two were wandering knights-errant.

Suddenly, the two men drew their swords almost simultaneously, leaped up, and thrust their swords straight at each other's vital organs.

The two people's movements were almost identical.

This isn't a swordsmanship contest; it's a fight to the death!

Liu Bei was taken aback by their fighting style and his eyes widened.

Just as Liu Bei and the others were on edge.

The two swordsmen suddenly changed their tactics midway through their attack, switching from offense to defense.

The two swords clashed!

It made a crisp "ding" sound.

Immediately afterwards, the two switched from defense to offense at the same time, swiftly slashing diagonally towards each other's throats.

The two swords clashed once more.

Another crisp sound.

Immediately afterwards, they each stirred their longswords.

The two sides kept changing their sword techniques.

For a moment, one could see that the two wandering swordsmen were surrounded by flashing sword light, exuding a chilling killing intent that was dazzling to the eye.

Qian Zhao, who was standing to the side, was stunned.

As a martial artist, Liu Bei had long recognized the exceptional swordsmanship of these two wandering swordsmen. He thought to himself, "The country is in dire need of capable men. For some unknown reason, these two are fighting here. What a pity if one of them is killed! Wouldn't it be better if I could befriend them and have them work for me, channeling their lifelong swordsmanship for good?" But to befriend them, he first needed to demonstrate his own swordsmanship and impress them…

He couldn't help but feel a sense of appreciation and cherishment for talent.

Liu Bei did not carry any weapons when he left Lousangli, so he said to Qian Zhao:

"Zijing, may I borrow your longsword?"

"it is good."

Qian Zhao held the white horse by the hand with his left hand and handed the long sword hanging from his waist to Liu Bei with his right hand.

Liu Bei immediately drew his sword, strode forward, and struck angrily, hitting the longswords of the two wandering knights.

This powerful sword strike was incredibly forceful.

In an instant, he deflected both longswords.

Simple moves, yet incredibly powerful!

The two swordsmen, caught in the midst of a fierce battle, were both taken aback. They looked at Liu Bei in astonishment and almost simultaneously shouted:

Who are you?

Liu Bei said in a deep voice:

"This is Wild Wolf Ridge in the territory of Dashulou Sangli. I am a villager here, and you two should not fight without permission, as it is an eyesore. If you do not heed my advice, I will have no choice but to use my sword."

The long-faced swordsman stared intently at Liu Bei:

"You're a swordsman too?"

Liu Bei then said:

"I practiced for a while."

The long-faced swordsman snorted and immediately said coldly:

"If you defeat the sword in my hand, I will obey your every command."

"it is good."

Liu Bei replied without hesitation, "Then let's begin."

The long-faced swordsman immediately said to the other swordsman:

"Brother Wang, let's put our business aside for now. Let me have a word with him."

"Brother Sun, please."

Upon seeing this, the round-faced swordsman immediately stepped aside, making room for him.

The long-faced swordsman then focused all his attention on dealing with Liu Bei.

The two stood silently for a moment.

They were all cultivating their own sword intent.

Suddenly, a glint of light flashed in the eyes of the long-faced swordsman, and he thrust his sword straight at Liu Bei's throat.

It came with tremendous force, its sword energy condensing into a powerful aura!

Liu Bei seemed to have anticipated the attack. He calmly drew his sword and swept it across the ground. At the same time, he quickly and stealthily stepped forward with his right foot, getting close to the enemy's side. He then flipped his wrist and slashed the man's neck.

The man was caught completely off guard, and Liu Bei held a sword to his neck, so he didn't dare to move at all.

Liu Bei's sword-washing technique, while sweeping away the opponent's weapon, dissipating their force, and breaking their defense, allows him to launch a counterattack. The moves must be smooth and continuous, which is known as "parrying and washing combo" in swordsmanship.

Sword techniques may seem simple, but to use them in actual combat, every moment must be seized with utmost precision. The slightest mistake will result in a counterattack and death.

Mastering the timing and intensity requires years of training to achieve the ability to anticipate the sword's movement and develop an unconscious, instinctive reaction.

The more skilled the swordsman, the simpler and more unadorned their techniques.

"Let's compete again!"

The long-faced swordsman was not convinced.

Liu Bei withdrew his longsword and said calmly:

"You're already dead. How can we compete again?"

Indeed, in a life-or-death battle, if Liu Bei hadn't held back, his sword strike just now would have killed him long ago.

Upon hearing this, the long-faced swordsman blushed slightly.

He stood there, frozen in place, silent for a long while.

Another round-faced ranger said in a deep voice:

"I'm still alive. I'll fight you."

Liu Bei smiled faintly and said:

"Bring it on."

The round-faced swordsman had already witnessed Liu Bei's swordsmanship, and upon hearing this, he immediately focused his attention to prepare.

He changed his sword moves several times, not daring to attack rashly.

Cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

When facing a master, one often feels immense pressure and becomes panicked in the face of their imposing aura.

Liu Bei had already noticed that the round-faced swordsman was intimidated by his imposing aura. During the pause in the swordsman's change of moves, Liu Bei suddenly took a forward step with his right foot and thrust out his sword.

The round-faced swordsman was completely unprepared for Liu Bei's attack from a distance of more than ten feet. When he tried to raise his sword to block, the tip of the sword had already grazed his right side.

This was naturally Liu Bei deliberately letting him off the hook; otherwise, he would have pierced his body with a single sword strike long ago.

It should be noted that Liu Bei's arms hung down to his knees and his arm span was extremely long. His thrust was also a result of his physical advantage, launching a surprise attack from an unexpected distance. The timing, the intensity, and the force were all perfectly controlled.

"I lost."

The round-faced ranger immediately admitted defeat.

Liu Bei gracefully sheathed his sword.

"Can you two stop now?"

"certainly."

The round-faced swordsman nodded. "Your swordsmanship is superb, and I admire you greatly. — I am Wang Dang, from Lunu County, Zhongshan Commandery, Ji Province."

Liu Bei then said:

"As I said, I am a villager from here. My surname is Liu, my given name is Bei, and my courtesy name is Xuande. And this gentleman is?"

The long-faced swordsman could only say:

"My name is Sun Qing, a native of Changzi County, Shangdang Commandery, Bingzhou."

"Sun Qing, Wang Dang..."

Upon hearing these two names, Liu Bei immediately thought of the Black Mountain Army, which had roamed the Taihang Mountains in history. Sun Qing and Wang Dangke were both junior commanders of the Black Mountain Army.

When Gongsun Zan was besieged by Yuan Shao's army in Yijing, he sent his son to contact the Black Mountain Army for help.

At its peak, the Black Mountain Army boasted a force of over one million men, hidden in various valleys and mountains of the Taihang Mountains, making it a formidable military force.

However, they were later forced by circumstances to surrender to Cao Cao.

Since he had the good fortune to meet Sun Qing and Wang Dang, the future commanders of the Black Mountain Army, Liu Bei naturally wanted to make good friends with them.

……

When the emperor resided in Lousang, he enjoyed making friends with chivalrous heroes, and young men from all directions vied to join him.

—From the Annals of Emperor Zhaolie in the Book of the Later Han Dynasty