Three Kingdoms: Rebirth of Liu Bei, the Zhaolie

"All resolved!?"

As everyone pondered, Wutulu was the first to speak, "Xuande means to kill them all?"

"That depends on how far things develop."

Liu Bei said calmly, "If we can find a way to sow discord between these retainers and Zhao Xiang, and get Zhao Xiang to drive them all away, and they disappear from the public eye and stop bothering us, then we won't have to kill them all."

Wutulu nodded and said:

"If these retainers are determined to kill us, then we have no choice but to kill them all quietly."

That's what I mean.

Liu Bei pondered, "Now, Wen Xuan, Wu Guang, and other retainers have all died in the dense forest, and a new steward has not yet arrived. Qingxi Manor is essentially leaderless. I wonder how many retainers they still have, and what they intend to do to us..."

Qian Zhao frowned slightly:

"In short, we are in the open, while they are in the shadows. Moreover, their power is greater than ours. While we are still relatively weak, patience and infiltration are the best strategies."

Geng Yong proposed:

"Xuande, how about I go to Qingxi Manor and sound them out?"

Liu Bei asked:

"Are there any people you know inside?"

"Um."

Geng Yong nodded. "I've been around Shiwulipu for years, so I know the area well and I also know some of the tenants, servants, and slaves from Qingxi Manor. Especially the cook from Qingxi Manor, who often goes to the market in Shiwulipu to buy ingredients. I'm most familiar with him."

"...They are all unrelated people."

Liu Bei pondered for a moment, then asked, "Do you know any of the retainers at Qingxi Manor?"

Geng Yong shook his head. "As for his retainers, I don't know a single one of them."

Liu Bei nodded silently, thought for a moment, and then looked at Wutulu.

Upon meeting Liu Bei's gaze, before Liu Bei could even ask, Wutulu hurriedly replied:

"I don't know any of the retainers of Qingxi Manor."

Liu Bei pondered for a moment, then said:

"I remember Wen Xuan mentioned this morning that one of the retainers of Qingxi Manor was originally a wandering swordsman, and a friend of one of Zhang Hun's close wandering swordsmen... Wutulu, find this person. Don't tell him anything yet, just bring him to me."

After listening to Liu Bei's words, Wutulu fell into deep thought.

He was trying hard to recall all the wandering knights who had had close relationships with Zhang Hun.

After frowning and thinking for a long time, he finally slapped his thigh:

"I remember now. There was a wandering swordsman named Zuo Zi who was very close to our lord. He was once sent to Baishi Mountain to contact Zhang Niujiao and the others. I think I heard him mention that he knew a retainer from Qingxi Manor..."

Liu Bei listened, nodded, and said:

"Left mustache... a mustache is the beard above the lip. Left mustache must be his nickname. I suppose he was someone who deliberately kept a mustache on his upper lip."

"That's true."

Wutulu said, "We don't know his real name either. Everyone calls him Left Beard. He himself also considers himself Left Beard. Apart from the mustache on his upper lip, there is no other mustache on his face. Therefore, the mustache on his upper lip stands out very much and is very impressive."

Liu Bei asked:

"Just how close are this wandering swordsman named Zuo Zi to Zhang Hun?"

Wutulu thought for a moment and said:

"Zuo Zi is a heavy drinker and lives in poverty. But he is a fairly righteous man. Our lord often helps him out. However, Zuo Zi is rather aloof and only talks to our lord. His relationship with us is distant and not very warm."

Liu Bei pondered:

"Zhang Hun must have had his reasons for sending the reclusive Zuo Zi to Baishi Mountain Stronghold. Perhaps Zuo Zi knows Zhang Niujiao and his group. This man may have some strange quirks and doesn't usually have close relationships with people. He probably only has a few close friends."

Wutulu nodded and said:

"That's true."

Liu Bei asked:

"Can you find him?"

"able."

Wutulu nodded and said, "Zuo Zi lives in a courtyard facing the street in Shiwulipu. However, he usually keeps the gate tightly closed. Behind his thatched hut, there is a large open space enclosed by a wall, where Zuo Zi often practices archery, crossbow, and horsemanship alone."

Liu Bei silently said:

"Zuo Zi is shutting himself away from visitors, completely absorbed in martial arts."

Wutuludao:

"It's not like he completely shuts himself off from visitors. There's a man named Zhangba who often goes to his house."

"Zhangba... What a strange name."

Liu Bei smiled and said, "This is probably just a nickname. 'Zhangba' is eighteen feet tall; there shouldn't be anyone that tall in the world."

Note that one foot in the Eastern Han Dynasty was approximately 23 centimeters today.

"Zhangba" means four meters high.

"indeed."

Wutulu said, "I have seen this man named Zhangba. He is at most nine feet tall (about 2 meters). But he is two feet taller than the average person's seven feet. To a short person like me, Zhangba is like a giant."

Liu Bei nodded:

"In other words, this guy named Zhangba is one of Zuozhi's few friends."

"The man with the left mustache is also over eight feet tall. He's not short either."

Wutulu thought for a moment and then said, "When Zuo Zi and Zhang Ba, the two eldest sons, stood together, they looked like a pair of celestial warriors standing in the clouds."

Upon hearing this, Liu Bei inexplicably thought of two characters from the novel *Water Margin*: Song Wan, nicknamed "Cloud-Piercing Vajra," and Du Qian, nicknamed "Touching the Sky."

"It seems that Zuo Zi and Zhang Ba are two reclusive 'masters'."

Liu Bei fell into deep thought.

"Only the eldest son can play together. I think that's why Sahige and Jōhachi were able to become friends."

As Wutulu spoke, he added, "Xuande, do you want me to bring Zuo Zi to Ruijinfang in Zhuoxian City?"

"No."

After some deliberation, Liu Bei changed his mind and said, "We will pay a visit in person."

"Alright."

Wutulu nodded.

Qian Zhao suggested:

"Let's ride over there. We happen to have four horses at my place."

"That's excellent."

Liu Bei nodded and said, "From Zhuo County to Shiwulipu, it's just a blink of an eye if you're riding a horse."

Qian Zhao then ordered his servants to bring out four horses from the backyard.

Apart from Wutulu and Zhang Fei sharing a horse, Liu Bei, Geng Yong, and Qian Zhao each rode a horse.

The five of them exited through the back gate and sped off towards Shiwulipu through the less crowded north gate of Zhuoxian.

Not long after.

Four fine horses galloped swiftly to Fifteen Mile Inn.

Wutulu found a small courtyard facing the street and pointed it out to the crowd:

"This is where Sahige lives."

He dismounted.

"I'll go knock on the door."

Everyone dismounted.

Liu Bei looked at the small courtyard facing the street and saw that the courtyard wall was built of stones and the black lacquered gate was tightly closed.

Looking around at the shops, they were sparse and not very lively.

After all, Zuo Zi's courtyard was located at the southernmost end of the Fifteen Mile Street, far from the bustling street center.

Soon, the black lacquered door opened.

A man with a thick beard on his upper lip and standing over eight feet tall came out. Seeing that it was Wutulu, he laughed and said:

"Wutulu, what brings you here?"

Liu Bei knew that this person's distinctive appearance must be the one Wutulu had mentioned, the one with the left mustache.

"Left Beard, I need to speak with you about something."

Wutulu pointed to Liu Bei and his group, "I brought a few friends with me. You don't mind, do you?"

Zuo Zi glanced at Liu Bei and the others, but didn't think much of it. "Come in, all of you."

So Liu Bei and the others led their horses into the small courtyard of Zuo Zi.

We walked past the five simple thatched huts.

Upon reaching the back of the house, they discovered a large open space spanning over ten acres. The area was surrounded by a two-person-high stone wall, with scattered trees planted along its edges. There was also a back door on the side, which was tightly shut.

Wutulu glanced around and clicked his tongue in amazement:

"Your backyard is really big."

The man with the left mustache laughed:

"This used to be a football field. It was abandoned later. You can leave your horses here."

After everyone tied up their horses, they followed Zuo Zi back into the thatched hut and took their seats.

After introductions, everyone finished.

Liu Bei got straight to the point:

"Left Beard, do you know that Zhang Hun was killed because of you!"

……

While they were stationed beyond the Great Wall, their soldiers lacked provisions and some were unable to even stand up, yet the cavalry still traversed the borders and played polo.

—From the Records of the Grand Historian, Biography of General Wei and General Huo Qubing