Three Kingdoms: Rebirth of Liu Bei, the Zhaolie

The idea of ​​assassinating the Xianbei Khan Tanshihuai had always been a secret thought buried deep in Liu Bei's heart, never spoken to anyone.

Now, he finally spoke to Jian Yong, Qian Zhao, Dongye Ban, Xin Yuan Jian, Zuo Zi, Zhang Ba, and Guan Yu.

He has a good eye for people; he had been observing these individuals for a long time and knew they were all trustworthy.

Although this was the first day he had met Guan Yu in this life, his trust in Guan Yu remained the same as in his previous life.

After hearing Liu Bei's plan, the group felt it was somewhat far-fetched.

It should be noted that the Xianbei Khan Tanshihuai was a great leader of the grasslands, whose illustrious reputation was once comparable to that of another great leader of the grasslands—the Xiongnu Chanyu Modu.

Legend has it that Tan Shihuai was an extraordinary person born from his mother's "hearing thunder and swallowing hail".

Historical records describe Tan Shihuai as "brave, strong, intelligent, and resourceful."

It is evident that he was not only brave and skilled in battle, but also very intelligent and strategic.

On the grasslands, courage and strength have been revered since ancient times.

The position of Chanyu or Khan, the ruler of the grasslands, has always been held by those with the strongest and most powerful armies.

Tan Shihuai rose to power through sheer bravery and strength, earning a renowned reputation. Consequently, many people and tribes from the surrounding area submitted to him.

Gradually, he began to build up his army.

As his power grew, tribal chiefs from the east and west of the grasslands all submitted to him.

In this way, Tanshihuai almost completely occupied all of the Xiongnu's original territory, becoming the most powerful Khan on the grassland.

His jurisdiction stretched over 14,000 li from east to west and over 7,000 li from south to north, encompassing southern and northern Mongolia, and extending as far north as the North Sea, which is today's Lake Baikal.

Historical records state that the Xianbei cavalry were "more skilled and swift than the Xiongnu," and "came like flying birds and left like a broken string."

The Xianbei cavalry were even more fierce and skilled in battle than the Xiongnu soldiers in history.

And this is Tan Shihuai's greatest asset.

As the new ruler of the grasslands, Tan Shihuai resisted the Dingling in the north, attacked the Fuyu in the east, attacked the Wusun in the west, and plundered the Eastern Han in the south. While causing unrest among his neighbors, his position as the powerful ruler of the grasslands became more and more secure.

It was because of Tan Shihuai's existence that the various Xianbei tribes on the grasslands ended their division, united under his command, and became a force that shook the world.

In order to win over Tan Shihuai, the Han Dynasty wanted to marry his princess to him and planned to send him some money every year, just to ask that he not send troops to attack the border counties.

However, Tan Shihuai rejected the Han Dynasty's proposal and was determined to fight against the Han Dynasty to the end.

This was quite unbelievable to the emperor and his ministers of the Han Dynasty.

Tan Shihuai was the greatest Khan in Xianbei history, but also the most dangerous enemy of the Han Dynasty.

Qian Zhao was well-versed in poetry and literature from a young age, and traveled to various places to study, so she also had some knowledge of the sandalwood tree.

After hearing Liu Bei's plan to assassinate Tan Shihuai, he pondered and said:

"Xuande's idea is excellent. Tanshihuai is indeed the Han Dynasty's greatest enemy at present. As long as he is assassinated, the Xianbei tribes will collapse without a fight and fall into a chaotic state of fighting among themselves again."

Guan Yu then said:

"The idea of ​​infiltrating deep into the Xianbei territory and assassinating their Khan is far too audacious. A meticulous plan must be devised before the assassination. Otherwise, even if successful, it will be a dead end with no return."

Liu Bei nodded:

"Of course. In my opinion, we should not only successfully assassinate Tan Shihuai, but also make a clean getaway and return to Youzhou. We can plan this carefully. — Killing Tan Shihuai will eliminate the greatest threat to our Han Dynasty. And we will have made an unparalleled contribution."

Higashino Ban Lingran said:

"Then let's do it! We're both in the prime of our lives, strong and healthy, let's venture into the Xianbei tribes. It would be best if we could kill Tan Shihuai, but even if we can't kill Tan Shihuai, killing a few of his subordinates would be good too."

"No."

Liu Bei said in a deep voice, "We must kill Tan Shihuai. Killing a few of his subordinates will not have a significant impact on the Xianbei. They will remain a united front. Only by killing Tan Shihuai can we shatter this united front."

Fear was evident in Aragaki Ken's eyes, and he couldn't help but tremble slightly.

"I've heard that Tan Shihuai has nearly 100,000 cavalrymen under his command, each one brave and skilled in battle, moving like the wind, like ghosts. They practice riding and archery from a young age, and on the grasslands, they ride horses almost all the time, rarely walking. They have long since developed the ability to become one with their horses. We are Han Chinese, and we may not be as skilled in battle as they are."

Higashino kicked Aragaki Ken in the thigh and shouted:

"You're boosting the enemy's morale while diminishing your own. You're already backing down before the fight even starts."

Liu Bei explained:

"Since our mission is to assassinate Tan Shihuai, we must naturally gain his trust through certain means, infiltrate his inner circle, and then seize the opportunity to strike. Rather than having our group directly confront the 100,000 Xianbei cavalry."

"In the past, Marquis Yiyang, Fu Jiezi, under the guise of bestowing rewards, carried gold and brocade on a mission to the Kingdom of Loulan, where he killed the King of Loulan during a banquet. He also used many schemes in the process."

"Nothing ventured, nothing gained. This shows that only by venturing deep into the tiger's den can one strike with deadly precision."

Upon hearing this, Guan Yu said:

"Fu Jiezi killed the King of Loulan mainly because of the might of the Han Dynasty. At that time, the Han Dynasty was very powerful, and the surrounding barbarians were afraid of it. Only the Xiongnu dared to resist the Han Dynasty."

"The King of Loulan is no match for the current Xianbei Khan, Tanshihuai. The two are worlds apart. But the assassination strategy is correct. We must find a way to infiltrate Tanshihuai's royal tent."

Left Beard suggested:

"We could disguise ourselves as merchants, take a caravan of goods, and head to the location of Tan Shihuai's royal court. Under the guise of presenting treasures, we could assassinate him."

Qian Zhao pondered silently for a moment before saying:

"Like Jing Ke's assassination attempt on the King of Qin? That would require gaining Tan Shihuai's trust first. Besides, even if you killed Tan Shihuai, it would be difficult to escape his royal tent, let alone return to Youzhou."

Everyone started discussing freely, each offering their own opinions.

Finally, Liu Bei concluded:

"This matter cannot be rushed. We need to plan it carefully. In my opinion, the general strategy is to first infiltrate the Xianbei and then seize the opportunity to assassinate Tan Shihuai. Although our current plan is good, many changes are inevitable during its implementation."

Everyone agreed, believing that plans could not keep up with changes.

Just as they were sitting under the tree in the football field, discussing how to assassinate the Xianbei Khan Tanshihuai, they suddenly heard someone shouting loudly in the front yard:

"Is Brother Zuo home?"

Everyone's expression turned serious.

Zuo Zi listened intently and vaguely heard some familiar voices. He then addressed the crowd:

"The visitor must be a friend of mine. I'll go and greet him; please wait here for a moment."

So Zuo Zi got up and went to the front yard.

Not long after.

Zuo Zi led two burly men to the Cuju field.

Liu Bei, still sitting on the ground, looked up and saw the two burly men, around thirty years old, wearing dark blue turbans, fine short jackets and trousers, and leather boots on their feet, dressed like merchants from different regions.

Everyone stopped talking as Liu Bei stood up.

The man with the left mustache then said to Liu Bei:

"Xuande, these two are the horse traders from Zhongshan I mentioned to you, who travel between Zhuojun and Liaodong. This is Zhang Shiping, Brother Zhang. This is Su Shuang, Brother Su."

Then, turning to Zhang Shiping and Su Shuang, he said:

"This is the renowned young hero of Zhuo County, Liu Bei, Liu Xuande. The one who single-handedly killed several bandits from Baishi Mountain outside the east gate of Zhuo County was none other than this gentleman."

After Zuo Zi's introduction, Liu Bei, Zhang Shiping, and Su Shuang bowed and greeted each other.

They exchanged pleasantries and pleasantries.

Liu Bei understood immediately: Zhang Shiping and Su Shuang, these two wealthy merchants from Zhongshan in Jizhou, were the angel investors who had funded his fine horses and finances in his previous life.

He would definitely want to make good friends with them.

……

The two guests (Zhang Shiping and Su Shuang) were overjoyed and offered to give him fifty fine horses, as well as five hundred taels of gold and silver and one thousand catties of wrought iron for his tools.

—Luo Guanzhong, *Romance of the Three Kingdoms*