Three Kingdoms: Rebirth of Liu Bei, the Zhaolie

Liu Bei favored the somewhat scholarly Du Chang to replace the King of Wulu and take charge of Xuwu Mountain, leading more than a thousand refugees to cultivate wasteland, graze cattle and sheep, live a self-sufficient, secluded life like a secluded paradise.

Of these more than a thousand people, there were still three or four hundred strong and capable men.

When it's time to start a rebellion, you can also recruit troops from here.

However, he has not yet sought Du Chang's opinion.

He still needed to discuss this issue in detail with Du Chang in private.

Therefore, he could not disclose the specific candidate for the new leader of the mountain stronghold to the public.

When Du Chang saw Liu Bei glance at him, he knew that Liu Bei wanted him to be the leader of Xu Wushan's stronghold.

At this moment, someone in the crowd asked loudly:

"If you appoint a new leader to govern us, what will happen to King Wulu?"

Liu Bei, not wanting to reveal the details, said:

"I have my own plans. But rest assured, I will absolutely not kill him, nor will I take him to the county government. I will discuss it with King Wulu before making a decision."

After hearing Liu Bei's words, the crowd stopped arguing.

If Xuwu Mountain were a country or a city, it has now been conquered by Liu Bei and his men. It is understandable that Liu Bei wants to appoint his trusted confidants to manage the entire Xuwu Mountain stronghold.

Why could they, with over a thousand men, not defeat Liu Bei's nine men?

People understand the reasoning behind this.

Seeing that no one else was asking questions, Liu Bei then spoke loudly again:

"You may all return to your respective homes for now. Those who were originally responsible for guarding the five passes shall continue to perform their duties. In particular, the first pass at the foot of the mountain shall be closed immediately and guarded strictly, and no outsiders shall be allowed to enter."

In addition, all the able-bodied men, there should be three or four hundred of them; leave them where they are for now. I have something else to say to you.”

Upon hearing Liu Bei's words, two-thirds of the crowd immediately dispersed.

Everyone goes back to his home.

Everyone returned to their posts.

Only three or four hundred strong young bandits remained in the field.

At this moment, the five or six wandering knights who were familiar with Du Chang also came to stand beside him.

Du Chang introduced them to Liu Bei one by one.

Liu Bei greeted them with clasped hands and a polite bow.

The pleasantries had been exchanged.

Liu Bei then said to Du Chang:

"Brother Du, since we met, I haven't yet asked you what you do for a living?"

Du Chang laughed:

"The Nanshan Hotel at the foot of that mountain is owned by me. Currently, I make a living from this hotel."

"I see."

Liu Bei smiled and nodded, "Speaking of which, since you've managed to run the hotel so successfully, you must also be able to manage this Xuwu Mountain area very well."

"I'm afraid it's beyond my capabilities..."

Du Chang was humble and modest.

Liu Bei said:

"Brother Du, please don't be modest. I can tell at a glance that you are an educated and sensible person. Managing this small Xu Wushan with its three or four hundred households should not be a problem."

"Do you want to see them continue to be bandits and thieves?"

"Of course not."

Du Chang pondered for a moment.

Liu Bei continued to persuade him:

"Next, I will stay on Xuwu Mountain for a few more days to help you stabilize the situation and make a three-point agreement with everyone—murderers will be executed, those who injure or steal will be punished, and all harsh legal provisions will be abolished."

"Land was designated for cultivation as farmland. Forests were fenced off for grazing cattle and sheep."

"Build warehouses and stockpile grain."

"Select brave and skilled men to serve as instructors, teaching the strong and capable how to fight, attack, and defend their homes."

"Hiring scholars to establish private schools to teach young people, teenagers, and children to read and study."

"In a few years, the appearance of the counterfeit will definitely be completely transformed."

Du Chang became excited after hearing Liu Bei's words:

"Xuande, Xuande, you not only possess the demeanor of a great general, but also the magnanimity of a benevolent ruler. I truly admire you. In that case, Du Chang is willing to serve as the leader of the Xu Wushan stronghold, leading everyone to cultivate the land, study, and live independently, peacefully navigating this chaotic world."

"Very good."

Liu Bei was overjoyed to have finally persuaded Du Chang. "Since that's the case, it's settled then. From now on, whenever you encounter any difficulties, just send someone to Zhuojun to find me."

He glanced again at the few wandering knights who followed Du Chang and continued:

"Brother Du, I see that these wandering knights who are friendly with you are all brave and strong men. Why not let them stay in the stronghold as your trusted confidants? What do you think?"

Upon hearing this, Du Chang looked at the five or six wandering knights.

Seek their opinion with your eyes.

The wandering knights immediately said excitedly:

"We are willing to follow Brother Du and work together to govern the mountain stronghold well."

Liu Bei was overjoyed, nodded, and said:

"You may all move your relatives into Xuwu Mountain. But all newcomers must not mistreat these people, and all matters must be handled fairly, justly, and openly. Make everyone willing to submit."

"That's only natural."

Du Chang nodded.

The reason Liu Bei arranged for these wandering knights to be Du Chang's confidants was because he was afraid that after the eight of them went down the mountain, Du Chang would be alone on Xu Wu Mountain and unable to command respect, which would lead to internal strife.

In order to keep the more than 1,000 people in the mountain stronghold under his command, Du Chang had to build his own solid base and monitor their thoughts and movements at all times to prevent them from launching a "rebellion".

Therefore, Liu Bei also ordered Du Chang and several wandering knights to move his relatives and other family members into Xu Wu Mountain.

Then, if fair and just laws are implemented, and farmers and herders are allowed to live their own lives, so that these more than a thousand people will not go hungry, they will naturally live peacefully.

This is similar to conquering a city and then implementing benevolent policies to stabilize the people's hearts. It's the same principle.

Immediately afterwards, Liu Bei thought that he would soon be heading to the western Xianbei beyond the Great Wall to infiltrate their territory, and he also lacked some manpower to assist him.

He was unwilling to use the retainers from the Liu clan in Zhuo County.

Seeing the three or four hundred strong men standing in front of the pass, he thought of selecting a few dozen of them to follow him to the borderlands.

He had already captured the entire Xuwu Mountain. These people were his prisoners.

Moreover, by selecting a few dozen people to follow him and leaving their families on Xuwu Mountain, they could act as hostages to each other, thus deterring them from causing trouble.

For these dozens of people who followed Liu Bei, their families were held hostage by Du Chang on Xuwu Mountain.

For their families, the dozens of people Liu Bei took away were also hostages.

This creates a system of checks and balances.

As the saying goes, "The landscape of a place shapes its people."

In the martial arts world, there's a saying: "First courage, second strength, third skill."

Their willingness to become bandits must have stemmed from courage, but they followed the wrong leader. If someone had been able to guide them, their future would undoubtedly have been very different.

Having thought of this, Liu Bei loudly addressed the three or four hundred strong men below the stone steps:

"The best gold comes from the bottom of the Jinsha River, and the best jade comes from the Kunlun Mountains. This is what is meant by 'Gold is born in the beautiful waters, and jade comes from the Kunlun Mountains.'"

"While you are not the most powerful bandits in the world, you are still courageous and spirited men who live as mountain bandits on Mount Xuwu."

"You've just misplaced your courage and fighting spirit."

"Since you are young, full of vigor, brave, and adventurous, why not come with me and explore the world together?"

"Recently, I have a caravan that is going to the border to do business with the Xianbei people. I would like to select a few dozen people from your three or four hundred men to serve as guards."

"If you are willing to follow me, I will certainly not treat you unfairly. And your families will remain in Xuwu Mountain, and Du Chang will not let them go hungry."

"Is there anyone among you willing to come with me on a trip to the borderlands?"

……

This law was designed to restrain acts of killing, theft, and litigation, with the most serious offenses punishable by death, and the next most serious offenses punishable by imprisonment, comprising more than twenty articles.

—From the Biography of Tian Chou in the Records of the Three Kingdoms