Three Kingdoms: Rebirth of Liu Bei, the Zhaolie

Inside the thatched hut.

Yang Feng hid in Zuo Zi's bedroom.

Yang Feng appeared very nervous when Liu Bei and his entourage entered.

His gaze swept across everyone's faces one by one, and only relaxed after he was sure there were no outsiders present.

Liu Bei sensed that he might have done something wrong, so he sat down next to him and asked:

"How's it going?"

"It went very smoothly."

Yang Feng answered very decisively.

Hearing this, Liu Bei breathed a sigh of relief. "Tell us the details."

"it is good."

Yang Feng glanced at everyone before leisurely saying, "After I secretly returned to Qingxi Manor with the dog's head, dagger, and threatening letter that you all prepared, I hid them in my bedroom..."

Geng Yong asked:

"No one has asked about your package along the way, has anyone?"

Yang Fengdao:

"Some people asked me about it. I just told them that it was a new quilt I bought from a general store in Shiwulipu. They didn't look into it further."

That evening, the six of us gathered again to discuss what was to come. —Since the deaths of Wen Xuan and Fifth Guang, the entire Qingxi Manor had temporarily been under the control of the six of us.

Among these six people, I am the strongest in martial arts, so all five of them said a lot about relying on me to protect the manor.

I just went along with them. I asked the chef for a lot of wine, and we chatted happily while eating meat and drinking wine from large bowls.

One of the retainers planned to go to the prefectural governor's office in the name of the family head, Lord Zhao, to visit the governor, Cui Lin, and try to persuade him to use the power of the prefectural government to arrest everyone.

Upon hearing this, I knew the situation was urgent, so I kept urging them to drink. Everyone got completely drunk and, with the help of servants, finally returned to their respective bedrooms.

Late that night, I placed the dog's head in their blankets, beside their legs. Then I put the threatening letter on the headboard and stuck it in with a dagger.

In this way, when they wake up the next day, the first thing they see when they open their eyes is a sharp dagger. If they move their legs slightly, they will feel the stickiness of dog blood, and then they will find a dog's head.

The next morning, before I was fully awake, I heard someone knocking on my door.

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When I opened the door, I saw that all five of their retainers looked panicked, their eyes filled with fear.

So I let them into my bedroom.

Of course, they also saw the dagger, dog head, and threatening letter in my bedroom.

Although these five retainers were all skilled, none of them were martial artists. Therefore, they were all very timid and had no idea what had happened or who they had offended.

I told them directly that the threatening letter was not sent by people from the manor, but by bandits from Baishi Mountain in Jizhou.

They were terrified when they heard this, fearing that they would be beheaded before the imperial army arrived to suppress the bandits.

At the same time, they were amazed that the bandits from Baishi Mountain had managed to infiltrate the heavily guarded Qingxi Manor undetected. They also told me to strengthen my defenses.

I told them directly that the people in Qingxi Manor were extremely diverse, and among the guests, followers, servants, slaves, and tenants, there were likely people bribed by Baishishan.

Moreover, some of the bandits in Baishi Mountain were even capable of scaling walls and rooftops, possessing extraordinary martial arts skills.

The reason the bandits of Baishi Mountain didn't kill us is because we weren't the ringleaders like Wen Xuan and Wu Guang. We were merely accomplices.

After explaining the pros and cons to them, I advised them to do as the threatening letter suggested: leave Zhuojun and Youji prefectures as soon as possible, find a place where no one knows them, and live a quiet life.

Otherwise, if the bandits from Baishi Mountain come again, they really will cut off their heads.

Everyone was already frightened and agreed with what they heard, but then they thought about where they would get food and clothing if they left Qingxi Manor.

So I took the opportunity to suggest that we steal the silk and money from the treasury before leaving Qingxi Manor, so that we could use it as travel expenses and food and clothing for our escape to various places.

Everyone felt that survival was the most important thing, and they didn't care about appearances anymore. They just wanted to leave Zhuojun as soon as possible and seek refuge elsewhere. Before they were driven to desperation, they all agreed to loot the manor's treasury.

Next, we lured the warehouse manager into the bedroom, knocked him unconscious with a wooden stick, tied him up tightly with rope, and took the key.

Upon arriving at the silk storehouse, they unlocked the copper lock and divided the hundreds of bolts of silk equally, with each person receiving several dozen bolts. Then, they also divided the jewelry, jade, money, and other valuables within.

Everyone received enough money to ensure they would have enough to eat and wear for the next few years.

Immediately afterwards, we disguised ourselves and each rode a fine horse from the Qingxi Manor stables, quickly descending Fuluogang and going our separate ways.

I rode my horse westward and hid in a valley for two or three hours. After all five of my retainers had gone far away, I secretly returned to Fifteen Mile Inn and took a side path to Zuo Zi's house.

That's about it for now.

Liu Bei and the others nodded silently upon hearing this.

"You've done all this to help us avoid potential danger. Thank you."

Liu Bei bowed to Yang Feng in greeting.

Yang Feng sighed and said:

"Zuo Zi is my close friend, and Zhang Hun is also Zuo Zi's friend. How could Zuo Zi just stand by and watch the Zhang clan of Zhuo County suffer a great calamity after Zhang Hun's death? Naturally, I will not put Zuo Zi in a difficult position."

Liu Bei nodded, then said worriedly:

"You stole from the Qingxi Manor's treasury; you'll be wanted by the authorities soon..."

Yang Feng said in a deep voice:

"The reason I suggested that the other five retainers loot the silk treasury of Qingxi Manor was to completely sever all ties between the six of us and Qingxi Manor."

"Having committed such an act of embezzlement, none of us six retainers will ever appear before Zhao Xiang, the owner of Qingxi Manor, again. Naturally, we will no longer spread rumors."

"That was indeed a brilliant plan. You executed it very well."

Liu Bei nodded in approval.

Yang Feng continued:

"I know you don't want to kill anyone. By taking advantage of the five retainers' fear and panic, we can commit this robbery. Even if they recover, it will be too late for them to regret it. In this way, you can all rest assured."

"What are your plans next?" Liu Bei asked.

Yang Feng said leisurely:

"Though the world is vast, I don't know where to go..."

Liu Bei pondered for a moment, then said:

"Here's what we'll do: you can hide in Zuo Zi's house for now. You can stay temporarily in the bedroom on the west side. Everyone in Shiwulipu knows that Zuo Zi stays indoors all day. If you hide here, you'll be in the dark, and most people won't suspect that you're still in Shiwulipu."

Geng Yong said worriedly:

"What if the news leaks?"

Liu Bei thought for a moment and then said directly:

"If all else fails, then we can just send Brother Yang to Baishi Mountain Stronghold. Zuo Zi is also a close friend of Zhang Niujiao, the chief of Baishi Mountain Stronghold."

Qian Zhao suddenly said:

"It won't be long before the government troops attack Baishi Mountain Stronghold. It's probably not safe there either."

Liu Bei smiled faintly:

"Baishi Mountain Stronghold is built deep in the mountains and valleys, and the government troops cannot take it down in a short time. If it is delayed for several years, the military expenditure will be enormous. The court will certainly not be willing to bear it. Moreover, the Xianbei often invade the border, and the court will prioritize mobilizing troops from the prefectures and counties to attack the Xianbei, which is a major threat. Baishi Mountain Stronghold is still safe for the time being."

After listening to Liu Bei's words, everyone agreed wholeheartedly.

Therefore, Yang Feng decided to hide in Zuo Zi's house for the time being.

After driving away the retainers of Qingxi Manor, Liu Bei was temporarily free from imminent danger. Thus, he could freely practice martial arts with the young men in the Cuju (ancient Chinese football) field of Zuo Zi's house.

He also invited the butcher Higashino Ban and the vegetable vendor Shinjuku Ken, and got to know Qian Zhao, Zhang Fei, Wutulu, Zuo Zi, Zhang Ba, and others.

By this time, Liu Bei's White Feather Society had already begun to take shape.

……

To subdue the enemy without fighting is the highest form of skill.

—Sun Tzu's Art of War, Chapter 1: Planning an Attack