Three Kingdoms: Rebirth of Liu Bei, the Zhaolie

Seeing that Cheng Youjiao was so straightforward, Liu Buyi knew that Liu Bei would be safe, and was overjoyed.

"Cheng Youjiao, please!"

Then he shouted loudly to the officers and soldiers who were following Cheng Youjiao:

"Fellow officers, let's go have some drinks!"

Several officers and soldiers were also very happy to hear this.

Cheng Youjiao glanced at Liu Bei, who was still bound by ropes, and said to the officers and soldiers:

"Quickly untie Xuande! ... Perhaps he just happened to be passing through Wild Boar Forest. We may have misunderstood him."

He no longer addressed him by his given name "Liu Bei," but instead used the more affectionate term "Xuande."

An officer immediately untied Liu Bei.

Liu Bei rubbed his arm. "Thank you, Cheng Youjiao! I will keep my word and do everything I can to help you find the murderer of Zhang Hun! Fifteen Mile Shop is where I do my straw sandal business, so I know the area quite well."

"Very good."

Cheng You nodded approvingly and said with a smile, "Heroes emerge from among the young! It is our duty to apprehend criminals, and it would be wonderful if you were willing to assist. — I'm thirsty and hungry, let's go! Let's go for lunch."

The group walked together and headed east towards Zhuoxian County.

Liu Buyi led the horse and followed.

Not long ago.

The group chatted and laughed all the way to a hotel outside the east gate of Zhuoxian County.

High on the watchtower, the wine flag fluttered in the wind.

The sign above the entrance reads "Wu Family Hotel".

The waiter came over to greet everyone, taking the reins from Liu Buyi as he did so. "Sir, please come in."

The hotel lobby is quite spacious.

There were seventeen or eighteen straw mats in a row.

There were five or six guests sitting sparsely.

The more private rooms are located against the walls, separated from the main hall by colorful screens at the entrance.

Liu Buyi chose a room on the north side by the window and sat down.

A painted screen blocked the view of visitors from outside the shop from looking into the room.

The room was quite spacious, with two straw mats laid on the floor and a bronze incense burner in the corner, from which the aroma of thatch constantly wafted out.

Standing in the pavilion, looking out the window, all I could see was a pond.

A cool breeze blows from time to time.

"My father will be here shortly. Please, officers, take a seat here."

Liu Buyi gestured for the officers and soldiers to sit at another table.

Seating arrangements are complete.

Everyone took their seats.

During the Eastern Han Dynasty, a separate dining system was adopted, and most people would kneel and sit with a long table in front of them, on which pottery bowls, plates, trays, ear cups and other items were placed.

During the banquet, Liu Bei and his cousin Liu Buyi kept him company and chatted.

Cheng Youjiao was already hungry. Seeing the situation, he knew that besides Liu Buyi's father, Liu Jing, there were others who had been invited. Therefore, he asked:

"Who else did Brother Buyi invite?"

Liu Buyi hurriedly said:

"He is also my cousin, Liu Bao."

Cheng Youjiao nodded and said:

"This Liu Bao you mentioned, could he be the border guard in the southern part of Zhuo County?"

"Exactly."

Liu Buyi nodded.

Upon hearing this, Liu Bei felt even more confident of victory.

He usually kept in close contact with Liu Buyi, and also knew that there was a cousin in the clan named Liu Bao who served as the patrol officer in the southern part of Zhuo County, but they did not usually have any contact.

Taking advantage of today's opportunity, he can get to know Liu Bao better.

As the group was talking, they heard a commotion at the shop entrance:

"Shopkeeper, has my cousin Liu Buyi arrived?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Buyi, who was seated, quickly stood up and went to greet him.

Turn around the screen and face the shop entrance:

"Ah Leopard, over here."

"it is good."

Liu Bei, who was kneeling at the table, also hurriedly got up to greet him.

Following behind Liu Buyi were two burly men. The man in front was dressed similarly to Cheng Youjiao, wearing a black turban, a short green robe, a jingling pouch, and a ring-pommel sword at his waist.

Liu Bei recognized him; he was Liu Bao, a patrolman in the southern part of Zhuo County.

Liu Bao had a thin, long face, three tufts of beard, and bright, piercing eyes. He was tall and strong, clearly a powerful and robust man, and around thirty years old.

Following behind Liu Bao was a rather thin man, dressed in a black robe with a turban, his face weathered and worn, as if he had been particularly busy and stressed lately. He looked to be no more than twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old.

Liu Bei immediately recognized the man as Liu Ping, who was serving as the head of Lousang Pavilion.

During the Han Dynasty, there was a post station every five li, a pavilion every ten li, and a relay station (also called a messenger station) every thirty li. The relay station used horses, while the relay station used carts. The person in charge of managing the pavilions and post stations was called the "pavilion chief".

The duties of the pavilion chief were numerous. They not only had to patrol the jurisdiction, maintain public order, and apprehend thieves, but also inspect travelers, receive superiors, deliver important documents and military intelligence, and manage the storage of supplies. In a sense, they combined the dual functions of a modern police station and a post station.

Its direct superior is the County Chief Clerk, but it is under the command of the County Commandant, and is also under the command of the Commandant of the Prefecture above the County Commandant.

Naturally, Liu Ping, the head of Lousang Pavilion, was also a member of the Liu clan in Lousang Village, Renyi Township, Zhuo County.

"Greetings, my two cousins!"

Liu Bei hurriedly bowed and greeted Liu Bao and Liu Ping.

"Xuande, don't be afraid. We're here."

Liu Bao smiled at Liu Bei and offered words of comfort.

Clearly, they also knew about Liu Bei's sudden arrest.

Cheng Youjiao also stood up and bowed.

Everyone bowed with their hands clasped in greeting before taking their seats.

"Isn't this a case of 'the flood washing away the Dragon King's temple, and family members not recognizing each other'? So, Xuande is Brother Liu's cousin!"

Cheng Youjiao pretended to be confused, displaying a seasoned demeanor while smiling broadly at Liu Bao.

Liu Bao also laughed and said, "Brother Cheng, my cousin here has been honest and upright since childhood. Today, when I heard from everyone that he killed someone in the Wild Boar Forest, I was also shocked. I thought to myself, this kid has been silent for three years, but now he has made a name for himself. Hahaha."

Liu Bei was a little embarrassed by what he said.

Everyone in the room laughed.

Liu Bei naturally knew that his cousin Liu Bao was a bold and forthright person, and he didn't take his jokes to heart.

At this moment, seeing that influential members of his family had come forward to support him, he felt both moved and encouraged.

His family, consisting of orphans and a widow, was protected by the Liu clan of Zhuo County, which is why no one dared to bully them.

As a border patrolman in the southern part of Zhuo County, Liu Bao was well-known throughout the county, which to some extent deterred those audacious and reckless individuals from easily provoking the Liu family members of Zhuo County.

The atmosphere of conversation gradually became more lively.

From their conversation, Liu Bei also learned that Cheng Youjiao's name was Cheng Xiao, and that he had served in the army in Wuyuan County, on the border of the Han Dynasty, when he was young, and had participated in the war of the Han army to fight against the Xianbei people.

Naturally, Cheng Xiao was only in charge of logistics at the time, but he was also injured, with his left leg being broken when a military vehicle ran over him.

However, I did get to witness firsthand the fierce battle between the elite Han border troops and the Xianbei people.

After retiring due to injury, Cheng Xiao returned to his hometown and, with the help of his brother-in-law, who was a county official, was appointed as the patrol officer of the eastern part of Zhuo County.

The County Clerk was the core assistant official to the Magistrate of Zhuo County. He was in charge of the evaluation, appointment and dismissal of all officials in the county. He was highly regarded and had great power, so he was the focus of attention throughout the county.

It was precisely because of his brother-in-law's protection that Cheng Xiao dared to enforce the law without fear of powerful figures.

However, he wasn't the kind of person who was rigid and inflexible; he was quite flexible in his actions. He knew when to take a step forward and when to take a step back.

The Liu and Zhang families of Zhuoxian County were both prominent and powerful clans in the county, with complex relationships and immense influence.

Cheng Xiao is not one to be easily offended.

But this time, the one who died in the Wild Boar Forest east of the city was Zhang Hun, a young prodigy from the Zhang family of Zhuo County. He had no choice but to enforce the law strictly and decided not to favor any of them, but to handle the matter impartially.

He had initially believed Liu Bei to be a prime suspect, but after a brief conversation, he was quickly won over by the young Liu Bei, and all his doubts vanished.

As the people in the pavilion were chatting, Liu Bei suddenly heard a series of noisy footsteps coming from the hotel entrance.

Immediately afterwards, someone shouted loudly:

"Listen up, everyone in the hotel, stay where you are! Do not move! Anyone who dares to wander around will be punished with a beating! Be careful, swords and spears have no eyes."

Liu Buyi, Liu Bao, Liu Ping, Cheng Xiao, and the others at the table were initially taken aback, then looked at each other and exchanged glances.

Upon hearing the words "military baton," Liu Bei knew that it must be officers from the military camp who had come to Wu's inn. —And the local armies of the Han Empire stationed in Zhuojun were always under the command of the Commandant's Office, whose headquarters were located in Fangcheng County.

He just didn't understand why people weren't allowed to move around.

Liu Bao, a border patrolman from the south, spoke in a low voice:

"Cheng Youjiao, it seems like someone from the Commandant's Office has arrived."

"Well……"

Cheng Xiao, the eastern patrol officer, nodded and muttered, "Could it be that the people from the Commandant's Office have some business here...? They haven't received any orders from their superiors..."

Liu Ping, the head of Lousangting Pavilion, also asked in surprise, "Yes."

Liu Bei remained calm, knowing that they were unaware of the raid on the Wu family's inn at the Zhuojun Commandery.

With a loud clang!

The painted screen blocking the entrance to the pavilion was pushed to the ground.

The view of the hotel lobby then came into view.

Liu Bei glanced over and saw that the lobby and entrance were filled with more than a dozen soldiers holding crossbows and carrying ring-pommel swords, standing ready to strike at any moment.

Outside the gate, there were hundreds of halberd and shield soldiers, who had completely surrounded the Wu Family Inn.

Seeing this, none of the hotel guests dared to make any rash moves.

……

Commandant of the Commandery, a Qin dynasty official, was in charge of assisting the governor in managing military affairs and soldiers, with a rank equivalent to 2,000 shi (a unit of grain measure). There was also an assistant commander, both with a rank of 600 shi. In the second year of Emperor Jing's reign, the title was changed to Commandant of the Capital.

—From the "Table of Officials and Ministers" in the Book of the Shu Han Dynasty