Three Kingdoms: Rebirth of Liu Bei, the Zhaolie

Liu Yu and Liu Gao exchanged a glance, each with their own thoughts.

Liu Bei also knew that his two cousins ​​had studied from a young age, and as they grew older, they had traveled to various places to do business, seen the world, and were wise, resourceful, and adept at strategy.

Liu Yu and Liu Gao also knew that Liu Bei at this time was no longer the ignorant young man he once was. He not only made friends with heroes everywhere, but also bravely seized Xu Wu Mountain Stronghold. He was both courageous and intelligent, and was fully worthy of the praise from his clan uncle Liu Yuanqi: "Our clan has such a son, he is no ordinary person."

As the saying goes, you can tell what a person will be like at three years old.

The wise men in the clan saw that Liu Bei would be extraordinary from a very young age.

And now, Liu Bei has indeed become well-known in the prefecture and county, becoming a rare hero among the young men of Zhuojun.

As scholars, Liu Yu and Liu Gao secretly longed to accomplish something great and leave their mark on history, so as not to have wasted their lives.

After each of them had weighed their options in their minds,

Each of them grasped one of Liu Bei's hands and said eagerly:

"Xuande, since you have been planning this for so long and have decided to risk your life to accomplish such a great undertaking, we, as your cousins, are willing to lend you our assistance."

Life is fleeting, like a white horse galloping past a crack in the wall. How can we waste it? It all depends on human effort.

"Very good."

Liu Bei was overjoyed.

He hadn't expected to persuade his two cousins ​​so quickly.

Liu Gao was even more impatient:

"Xuande, when do you plan to set off?"

So Liu Bei recounted the story of the financial assistance provided by Zhang Shiping and Su Shuang, two prominent merchants from Zhongshan:

"Once Zhang Fang of Zhongshan County delivers two thousand bolts of silk to Shiwulipu, and I buy some millet and other grains, I can set off for the border region."

"Zhang Fang will arrive in Zhuo County soon. My two cousins ​​should take advantage of these few days to pack properly."

Liu Yu and Liu Gao nodded.

After some secret planning.

The three of them quickly reached an agreement.

In the following days, while waiting for Zhang Fang...

Liu Bei, Qian Zhao, Guan Yu, and the other two then focused on instructing Xu Wushan and his twenty-eight strong men in archery and horsemanship.

For a moment, dust filled the football field behind Zuo Zi's house.

Fortunately, the Zuo family's house was located in a relatively remote area of ​​Shiwulipu, so it did not attract too many onlookers.

The Xianbei cavalry beyond the Great Wall were most skilled in archery and horsemanship.

They started riding horses when they were five or six years old.

Most Han Chinese did not have this opportunity, so they had to train hard.

a few days later.

Zhang Fang, a merchant from Zhongshan County, finally delivered two thousand bolts of silk to the Zuo Zi family.

He was Zhang Shiping's younger brother and also frequently traveled to Zhuojun, where he became very familiar with Zuo Zi.

The brothers Zhang Shiping and Zhang Fang look somewhat alike, both being rather plump and dressed in fine clothes. Even their manner of speaking and acting is somewhat similar.

Zhang Fang greatly admired Liu Bei's style.

In his daze, Liu Bei also treated him as if he were Zhang Shiping.

The two of them could talk about almost anything.

Therefore, Liu Bei quickly became friends with Zhang Fang.

After spending a day together.

Zhang Fangbian was deeply attracted by Liu Bei and insisted on going to the border region with him.

Liu Bei was naturally happy for him to go, as it would give him another advisor to consult with.

Liu Yu and Liu Gao went to the government office to complete all the formalities for their business trip to the border regions.

During this time, Zhang Fei and Wutulu also came to Zuo Zi's house.

Liu Bei naturally did not want the two of them to go to the borderlands, so he made an excuse. After all, Zhang Fei was only around twelve years old and could not travel far at the moment.

Everything is ready.

The day before setting off for the border region, Liu Bei ordered Dongye Ban, a butcher, to slaughter ten sheep. Two were boiled in water with salt to make mutton soup, while the rest were roasted over charcoal, providing a hearty meal for dozens of people.

The next morning, before dawn.

Everyone got up and prepared to set off.

This trip to the borderlands was led by Liu Bei, with his two cousins ​​Liu Yu and Liu Gao serving as assistants and guides. Zhang Fang, the younger brother of Zhang Shiping, a wealthy merchant from Zhongshan, was in charge of managing the goods.

Nine people followed him: Jian Yong, Qian Zhao, Guan Yu, Dongye Ban, Xinyuan Jian, Zuo Zi, Zhang Ba, Yang Feng, and the Five Deer King.

Xu Wushan's twenty-eight elite cavalrymen served as his guards.

Forty-one people formed a large caravan and set off from Shiwulipu, northeast of Zhuoxian County, heading north.

Following the advice of his two cousins, Liu Yu and Liu Gao, Liu Bei decided to head north from Zhuojun to Juyong Pass in Shanggu Commandery. After passing through the pass, he would travel west along the river valley, enter Dai Commandery in northern Bingzhou from Youzhou, then cross the border, and travel west through Canhepo, finally reaching his destination—Guyang County in Wuyuan Commandery of Bingzhou, located in the northern part of the Hetao region and on the southern slope of the Gaoque Mountains of Yinshan.

The river was called "Yushui" in the pre-Qin period, "Sanggan River" after the Sui and Tang dynasties, "Wuding River" from the Yuan and Ming dynasties onwards, and "Yongding River" in the Qing dynasty, a name it retains to this day.

Guyang County was established during the Western Han Dynasty, but it was abandoned by the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty. The area was mostly occupied by the Xianbei people.

As the residence of the Tuoba tribe of the Xianbei in the west, the Guyang area was a land of abundant water and grass located in the southern part of Gaoque Mountain (now Wula Mountain) and the northwestern foot of Tanhan Mountain (now Daqing Mountain) in the Yinshan Mountains.

This area belongs to Wuyuan Commandery of Bingzhou in the Han Dynasty.

It was originally the homeland of the Xiongnu.

After the Xiongnu left, the Xianbei people filled the void, occupied the grasslands, and grazed cattle and sheep.

The Han people mostly lived in the counties under the jurisdiction of Wuyuan Commandery.

Note that at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Wuyuan Commandery, located on the southern slope of Yinshan Mountain, had approximately nine counties under its jurisdiction, which, from west to east, were Xi'an Yang County, Heyin County, Wudu County, Manbai County, Chengyi County, Yiliang County, Wuyuan County, Linwo County, and Jiuyuan County.

Jiuyuan County was the seat of Wuyuan Commandery. It was also the hometown of Lü Bu, a famous general of the Eastern Han Dynasty known as the "Flying General".

At this time, Lü Bu was around twenty years old, about five years older than Liu Bei.

The total population of the nine counties in Wuyuan Prefecture was more than 4,600 households, totaling 23,000 people.

Most of these 20,000 people live in the county town, and even if they farm, their fields are mostly around the town.

The Han Dynasty established Eastern Commandery and Western Commandery in Wuyuan Commandery to guard against the Xiongnu and Xianbei.

The Eastern Commandery was located in Shimenzhang, in the area of ​​the abandoned Guyang County.

The seat of the Western Commandery was located in Tianpizhang, Chengyi County.

Wuyuan Commandery was located on the northern frontier of the Eastern Han Empire. It inherited the old system of the Western Han Dynasty, and its military facilities were mainly defensive fortified villages, fortifications, and beacon towers.

The Eastern and Western Commandant each led several thousand soldiers to garrison fortified villages, beacon towers, and fortified passes. Their subordinate officials included fort commanders, beacon tower chiefs, fortified pass commanders, and guards.

A narrow valley called Kundulun River Valley (known as Guyang Road in the Eastern Han Dynasty) runs north-south through the Yin Mountains and is the dividing line between Gaoque Mountain and Tanhan Mountain.

This valley was also one of the main channels through which northern nomadic peoples such as the Xiongnu and Xianbei attacked Han territory.

The southern end of the Kundulun River Valley is located in the northwestern suburbs of Baotou City, Inner Mongolia today. A stone gate was built here, which was the seat of the Eastern Commandery of Wuyuan Prefecture.

—A zhang is a fortified city built at a strategic location on the border to provide shelter.

Leaving the Kundulun River Valley to the north, one can enter the northern desert region. That is the territory of the northern nomadic peoples.

The Yinshan Mountains serve as a dividing line between nomadic and agricultural peoples.

However, by the late Eastern Han Dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period, the Qiantao and Houtao plains on the southern slope of the Yinshan Mountains, as well as the Hetao region, known as the "Henan Land" south of the Yellow River, were all occupied by the Xianbei people and became their pastures.

Thinking of this, Liu Bei felt quite uneasy.

After traveling north for several days, they arrived at Juyong Pass in Shanggu County.

During the Han Dynasty, a commander was stationed at Juyong Pass, known as the "Juyong Pass Commandant," who led more than a thousand garrison troops to guard the pass, inspect people entering and leaving, verify goods, and collect customs duties.

When Liu Bei and his party arrived at Juyong Pass, they stopped and waited for the gatekeeper to inspect their belongings before passing through.

……

"Ju" means "to reside"; "yongtu" refers to laborers. This is because when Qin unified the six kingdoms and defended against the Xiongnu in the north, it mobilized convicts, soldiers, and laborers from across the land to gather here and build a city wall with stones. Later generations followed this practice, and it became known as the formidable Juyong Pass.

—Book of the Ji Han Dynasty