Three Kingdoms: Rebirth of Liu Bei, the Zhaolie

Liu Bei looked at the Five Deer King, who was sitting cross-legged, and said coldly:

"Wu Lu, you seem pretty resentful..."

"snort."

King Wulu angrily retorted, "This was a sneak attack! Of course I won't accept this!"

Upon hearing this, Qian Zhao immediately said in a deep voice:

"This is war! You can use any method you can think of to win a war. A surprise attack is just one of the most common tactics."

"The victor is king, the loser is villain; what else is there for me to say?"

The King of Wulu was furious.

Liu Bei replied:

"Wu Lu, if you have anything to say, just say it."

"snort."

King Wulu shook his head helplessly. "We had just crossed the border and hadn't even said a word when you shot several of our brothers dead. I thought you were all heroes of the martial world, and I wanted to catch up with you."

Liu Bei said coldly:

"You've brought over a hundred heavily armed bandits to reminisce with us? We only have nine men. If we don't strike first and dampen your arrogance, won't you become even more rampant?"

The King of Wulu was utterly perplexed:

"Who are you gentlemen from? Have I, the King of Five Deer, ever offended you?"

Liu Bei immediately said in a deep voice:

"Don't you know what you've been up to all these years? Haven't you offended enough people? You've robbed plenty of local tyrants and passing merchants, haven't you? We were sent by one of them."

Before the matter was fully resolved, he did not reveal the identities of Zhang Shiping and Su Shuang, the wealthy businessmen from Zhongshan who were supporting him.

"If you put it that way..."

King Wulu pondered for a moment, then said, "Then we have no choice but to accept our defeat! Today, since I, King Wulu, have fallen into your hands, you may kill me or torture me as you please! I won't even flinch."

Liu Bei said coldly:

"Don't try to act tough here. I know that this Xu Wu Mountain is full of homeless people who have lost their land. It was you, this bandit, who coerced them into becoming mountain bandits. You are the culprit!"

"I refuse to accept this!"

"King Wulu said stiffly, his neck stiff.

"You're still not convinced!?"

Liu Bei asked, "What is it that you are dissatisfied with?"

King Wulu immediately said:

"Choosing to establish a stronghold on Mount Xuwu and become mountain bandits was a decision made collectively by more than a thousand of us."

"I was just the leader they elected. In reality, I was just like them, a refugee. I was forced into this path of no return."

"I am also a pitiful person. My parents and brothers and sisters all starved to death on the road to exile. I almost starved to death too, but they saved me and made me their leader."

Liu Bei said coldly:

"King Wulu, if you continue with your cunning and flattery, I will surely kill you without mercy!"

Seeing that the Five Deer King was feigning pitifulness and recounting his tragic life in an attempt to gain sympathy, he couldn't help but think of those cunning mountain bandits who, when begging for mercy, said, "I have an eighty-year-old mother above me and a six or seven-year-old child below me."

Feeling deceived, I couldn't help but feel angry.

King Wulu, however, stubbornly insisted:

"You can go and ask the more than one thousand people on Xuwu Mountain. They're the ones who rescued me. Ask them carefully and see if I'm lying."

Seeing that his words were forceful and that there was no trace of pretense in his eyes, Liu Bei said:

"Xin Yuanjian, find a few honest and kind old men. I want to ask them myself."

"it is good."

Aragaki Ken accepted the order and left.

Not long ago.

They brought back three or four honest-looking bandits, both men and women.

So Liu Bei asked them about the situation of the Five Deer King.

After some questioning, they were able to confirm that King Wulu had not deceived them.

After Liu Bei finished asking his questions, Xin Yuanjian continued:

"Xuande, all the bandits have gathered below the fifth pass. In addition, Brother Du's five or six wandering knights have also captured a few bandits who were trying to escape from the mountainside."

"Okay. Let's all go out and take a look."

Liu Bei and his entourage immediately walked out of the mountain stronghold's main hall.

Dongye Ban followed closely behind Wulu Dawang, escorting him out.

Liu Bei walked out of the fifth checkpoint and stood at the foot of the high steps, looking down at the dark mass of people below, men and women, numbering over a thousand.

"Gentlemen, you all know what you've been doing these past few years, and we know what you've been doing too. You've offended too many people, so someone hired us to deal with you."

"Now you see. The mountain stronghold you thought was impregnable was easily taken down by us with just nine men. If you are not satisfied, we will not give you another chance."

"I have learned that you are all desperate refugees who fled to Xuwu Mountain with your families, just to survive."

"However, now that you are all our prisoners, I can spare your lives, but you must agree to one condition!"

Someone in the crowd shouted:

"Just tell us what you want us to do."

Liu Bei said in a deep voice:

"The condition is that I forbid you from engaging in robbery again. This habit is very bad. Think about it, how are you any different from those Xianbei people from beyond the Great Wall, constantly plundering and killing?"

Silence fell over the crowd.

Half an hour passed.

Someone just now boldly said:

"How can we, a thousand-plus people, survive without looting and pillaging?"

"That's a good question!"

Liu Bei had been waiting for them to ask this question. He glanced at everyone and continued in a deep voice, "When I went up Mount Xuwu, I found that the mountain was very large, more than forty li long from east to west and more than twenty li long from north to south. It had valleys, streams, steep peaks, and flat land."

"These flat lands can be fully cultivated into farmland. Cattle and sheep can also be grazed in the mountains and forests. You only have a little over a thousand people now, which is two or three hundred households. But I think this Xuwu Mountain is enough to support five or six thousand households."

He said this because he thought of a hermit named Tian Chou from the late Han Dynasty, who once built a fortified village on Mount Xuwu, sheltering five or six thousand households in the chaos of the world, who made a living by farming and studying in the mountains.

This hermit named Tian Chou was a contemporary of Liu Bei. However, at that time, Tian Chou was only four or five years old, still a toddler.

Liu Bei was more than ten years older than Tian Chou.

The thousand-plus people fell silent once again after hearing Liu Bei's words.

Years of hard work are certainly not as quick as plundering.

Some lazy people are certainly unwilling to work hard.

So Liu Bei continued:

"If you all wish to continue making a living by plundering, this is not a long-term solution. Not only will the government send troops to besiege Xu Wushan, but local strongmen also have their own troops and could attack the stronghold at any time."

"Look, your stronghold has been breached by the nine of us."

"I will naturally not carry out a large-scale massacre against you. But they will certainly kill off the strong and capable bandits among you one by one."

"Therefore, in my opinion, it would be better to close the door in this mountain stronghold and live a secluded life for a while, supporting ourselves. Anyway, the emperor is far away, and no county officials can enter these five passes to collect various taxes from you. When the world is at peace, you can go out again."

Upon hearing Liu Bei's words, a commotion arose among the crowd.

They were clearly arguing in hushed tones.

A while later.

Just now, someone boldly said:

"If we agree to all your conditions, will you release King Wulu?"

Liu Bei immediately said:

"Of course I can release him. However, I will appoint a new leader for you to lead you in farming and studying in Xuwu Mountain."

As he spoke, he glanced at Du Chang.

……

Chou led his clan to seek refuge in Wuzhong Mountain (Xu Wushan), defending against Lulong in the north and guarding key points in the south. They lived a quiet and secluded life, cultivating the land for food. The people followed him and shared in his livelihood.

—Records of the Three Kingdoms, Book of Wei