Three Kingdoms: Rebirth of Liu Bei, the Zhaolie

Upon hearing Liu Bei's words, Zuo Zi was also quite astonished:

"Why does Xuande say that?"

Liu Bei said in a deep voice:

"Did you tell the retainers of Qingxi Manor about Zhang Hun's contact with Zhang Niujiao, the leader of Baishi Mountain Stronghold? It was because of this information that Wen Xuan decided to kill Zhang Hun."

Upon hearing this, Zuo Zi's face immediately turned red.

He had to admit:

"Yes... but that was a slip of the tongue after drinking. I thought that person would keep it a secret. What? Did he tell Wen Xuan about it?"

Liu Bei nodded silently.

Left Beard sighed:

"It's my fault for choosing friends poorly."

Seeing the regretful expression on Zuo Zi's face, Liu Bei said:

"Now, Zhang Hun is dead, and Zhang Niujiao of Baishi Mountain Stronghold has killed Wen Xuan, Wu Guang, and others, avenging Zhang Hun. However, the retainers of Qingxi Manor still won't let us go..."

"Wen Xuan is dead!?"

Left Beard asked in surprise.

He stayed inside and didn't come out, unaware of what was happening outside.

So Wutulu briefly recounted to him the events surrounding Wen Xuan's murder, concluding with:

"Right now, the new steward of Qingxi Manor hasn't arrived yet, and the remaining retainers are still clinging to us. We have no idea what they want."

Left Beard sighed:

"It was my fault for choosing friends carelessly, inadvertently revealing Zhang Hun's secret. You could say I'm the one who killed him. Now that Zhang Hun is dead, what can I do to help him?"

Liu Bei pointed at Zhang Fei and said:

"Zhang Fei was Zhang Hun's most beloved cousin, whom he treated like a brother. Now, the retainers of Qingxi Manor want to target the Zhang clan of Zhuo County, falsely accusing the entire Zhang clan of Taohuawu of being traitors. If this escalates, the Zhang clan of Zhuo County risks being wiped out!"

Upon hearing this, Zuo Zi felt a sense of panic. "What do you need me to do?"

Liu Bei stared at him and said in a deep voice:

"Invite that retainer from Qingxi Manor with whom you have a close relationship to meet us. We'll talk to him."

Zuo Zi hesitated for a moment, then asked:

"You're going to kill him?"

"No."

Liu Bei said in a deep voice, "We must win him over."

Upon hearing this, Zuo Zi immediately understood Liu Bei's meaning and replied:

"Alright. You can rest at my house for a while. I'll have Zhangba go to Qingxi Manor and invite my friend out."

As he spoke, he stood up abruptly, strode out of the thatched hut, and went straight out the door.

Looking at the towering figure of Zuo Zi, who stood eight feet tall, Liu Bei couldn't help but say:

"The one with the left mustache is eight feet tall, and the one with eight feet is nine feet tall. If they were on the battlefield, they would be fierce soldiers capable of taking on ten men at once. Wutulu, what does this one called Zhangba do?"

"I heard he's a blacksmith from a nearby blacksmith shop," Wutulu said.

Upon hearing this, Liu Bei was even more delighted:

"If one has been forging iron for many years, one must have great strength! I imagine his whole body must be bulging with muscles. A strong man as tall as an iron tower, nine feet tall, whose arms have been forging iron for many years, if he were to wield swords, spears, and halberds, dozens of people would not be able to get close to him."

He thought to himself: If I could subdue this giant Zhangba, who is over two meters tall, it would be perfect to have him as my personal guard when I conquer the world in the future.

Wutulu said, "It seems that Xuande admires Zhangba. You two will meet later."

Liu Bei nodded. "That would be perfect."

About half an hour passed.

Liu Bei then saw three people walk in through the courtyard gate.

The one leading the group was Zuo Zi.

Behind Zuo Zi was a man who was half a head shorter than him, wearing a gray cloth robe, with a slightly dark face, and holding a long sword.

Liu Bei knew that this man was Zuo Zi's friend and a retainer of Qingxi Manor.

The third person was tall and imposing, with sharp eyes. He was dressed in coarse cloth and had to bend over to enter. He was a full head taller than Zuo Zizhi.

Liu Bei found the man quite impressive and knew that he was the giant Zhang Ba, who was nine feet tall.

Zuo Zi led the two into the thatched hut.

The retainer from Qingxi Manor was startled upon seeing Liu Bei. "Liu Bei!"

He hurriedly drew his sword.

Zuo Zi quickly stopped him, "Brother Yang, don't worry, with me here, I will definitely protect you."

Liu Bei stood up and bowed respectfully.

"Nice to meet you. It seems you recognize me. You must have seen me at Qingxi Manor. But there were many guests then, and I don't quite remember you."

Zuo Zimang introduced:

"Xuande, this is my good friend Yang Feng. He was originally from Guangyang County in the north. He is also good at archery and horsemanship. He is currently at Qingxi Manor, helping to train the troops. He is a kind of instructor."

"Please sit down."

Liu Bei waved his hand.

Yang Feng glanced at everyone with some concern, and finally sat down after being pulled by Zuo Zi.

"This warrior is Zhangba. I wonder what his real name is?"

Liu Bei looked at the eighteen-foot-long object and asked.

The man, Zhang Ba, possessed a rugged and imposing air, yet his gaze was gentle. He said:

"My original surname was Li. My parents were both tenant farmers. They named me Hu'er when I was little, but everyone called me Zhangba (meaning 'eight-foot spear'). They said I looked like a long spear. Nobody calls me Li Hu anymore."

Liu Bei muttered to himself:

"Zhangba... Li Hu... I heard you're a blacksmith?"

"Yes."

Zhang Ba nodded.

Liu Bei laughed and said:

"I will be making some weapons in the future, and I will go to your blacksmith shop then."

"it is good."

When Zhang Ba spoke, he didn't seem to have any ulterior motives; he was rather simple and honest.

After exchanging a few pleasantries with Zhang Ba, Liu Bei turned to Yang Feng, a retainer of Qingxi Manor, and said in a deep voice:

"You were once a good friend of Zuo Zi, but you did something that betrayed your friend."

Yang Feng said in astonishment:

"What did I do that I feel I should have done to offend my friends?"

Liu Bei said coldly:

"You told Wen Xuan of Qingxi Manor the secret Zuo Zi told you. It was because of your words that Wen Xuan decided to kill Zhang Hun. Aren't you putting Zuo Zi in an unjust position?"

Yang Feng's face darkened, and she frowned, saying:

"I have always trained the troops of Qingxi Manor, and I also lead them to escort goods. Zuo Zi is worried about my safety and told me that Zhang Hun has contacted the bandits of Baishi Mountain, intending to rob the goods of the Qingxi Manor caravan, and that I must be careful."

Liu Bei then learned the truth and thought to himself: So that's how it is...

Yang Feng continued:

"Upon learning this news, I feared I would die at the hands of the bandits of White Stone Mountain. So, I hurriedly informed the steward, Wen Xuan, and asked him to find a way to handle the matter properly. I just didn't expect him to be so murderous..."

At this moment, Zuo Zi also said:

"Yang Feng did this in an attempt to save his own life. He never expected that it would indirectly lead to Zhang Hun's death... Alas."

Liu Bei understood the situation and said:

"It's impossible to have everything in this world. You warned Yang Feng to be careful because you were thinking of your friend, but you never expected Wen Xuan to be so ruthless."

Yang Feng also sighed:

"I never imagined things would turn out this way. Now, Zhang Hun is dead, and Wen Xuan and Fifth Light are dead too..."

"But the retainers of Qingxi Manor still have no intention of letting go of Zhang Hun's clan, nor do they intend to let us go!" Liu Bei said in a deep voice, his eyes fixed on Yang Feng.

Yang Feng sighed helplessly, "That's because they suspect you of colluding with the bandits of Baishi Mountain to plot the murder of Wen Xuan."

Liu Bei asked:

"How many retainers does Qingxi Manor still have?"

"Including me, there are six left."

"What exactly are you thinking? What are your plans to do against us next?"

"We, the six retainers, are not of one mind. The other two and I think we should wait for the new steward to arrive and let him have full authority to handle the matter. The other three retainers, on the other hand, are thinking of finding concrete evidence that you colluded with the bandits of White Stone Mountain, putting you to death, and avenging Wen Xuan."

Upon hearing Yang Feng's words, Liu Bei couldn't help but snort coldly:

"They really do want to kill us!"

"However," Yang Feng continued, "you don't need to worry too much. Those three retainers don't have that ability. They also know very few people in Zhuojun. They are mainly thinking of relying on the new steward sent by the patriarch, Lord Zhao, to take revenge on you."

Liu Bei said coldly:

"In other words, they will do everything in their power to instigate the new steward to deal with us..."

Yang Feng nodded and said:

"That's probably how it will be."

Liu Bei stared intently at Yang Feng, pondering for a moment, "Could you please do us a favor?"

"What are you busy with?" Yang Feng asked.

……

In the art of war, the best strategy is to attack the mind, the second best is to attack the city. Psychological warfare is superior to physical warfare.

—From Pei Songzhi's commentary on the Biography of Ma Su in the Records of the Three Kingdoms, Shu Shu.