Three Kingdoms: I am not Liu Bian

Chapter 165 Being able to serve as a dog for the Han is your greatest honor!

The actions of Dian Wei and Xu Chu, witnessed by several military officers and noblemen who happened to be hunting nearby, quickly spread throughout the entire Shanglin Garden.

But Dian Wei looked arrogant, his chest puffed out, and his thick arms swinging casually.

Xu Chu, on the other hand, grinned, revealing a set of big white teeth, and strode along. Judging from their posture, it seemed that they didn't care about the trouble they had caused at all.

We're here on orders to stir up trouble!

Intimidation through archery skills and the number of prey, and intimidation through such powerful acts as flying bricks, are both forms of intimidation, aren't they?

It's just that Lü Bu and Han Sheng went to Bingzhou and Yanzhou respectively, otherwise they would have shown you barbarians what a three-star arrow formation looks like!

However, Dian Wei and Xu Chu knew they had caused trouble, so they had to apologize properly. Therefore, they prepared to hunt some wild animals to please the Crown Prince.

Yes, if you make a mistake, the compensation should naturally be given to His Highness the Crown Prince, and an apology is no exception.

The civil and military officials who heard of Dian Wei and Xu Chu's heroic deeds were also amazed by their bravery.

After all, if we disregard their status as close advisors to the Crown Prince, Dian Wei and Xu Chu were nothing more than two physically strong but unknown individuals.

If they were to serve as bodyguards under generals like Huangfu Song and Dong Zhuo, Dian Wei and Xu Chu might have had many opportunities to lead the most elite personal guard battalion, acting as the snipers to break through enemy lines.

However, as the Crown Prince's personal guards, the two rarely had the opportunity to display their bravery. Only their comrades in the Northern Army and the Imperial Guards knew their abilities through a series of duels.

Today, Dian Wei single-handedly grabbed a sika deer and smashed it to pieces, a feat that truly amazed everyone with his strength. But the most astonishing feat was Xu Chu's incredible ability to stop two warhorses in mid-air.

In private, Dian Wei and Xu Chu had a contest. If it was a wrestling match, Dian Wei, with his more refined skills, could defeat Xu Chu; but if it was simply a contest of strength, Xu Chu was slightly better than Dian Wei.

However, the difference in arm strength between the two was very small; it was just that Xu Chu's performance was more visually impactful.

Of course, Dian Wei and Xu Chu's actions also led to their impeachment.

For example, Liu Tao, the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat!
Yesterday, the Crown Prince personally visited Liu Tao's residence to invite this member of the imperial clan, who was busy with government affairs, to participate in the spring hunt.

Riding horses, enjoying the breeze, appreciating the beautiful scenery, and writing poems are all good ways to relax and clear your mind occasionally. Otherwise, if Liu Tao stays cooped up in the Imperial Secretariat all day, he might fall ill again.

Although Liu Tao and Yuan Wei had some minor conflicts in the past due to their shared advocacy for the New Text School, this relative of the same clan has now become a trusted and important minister.

Liu Tao gladly accepted the Crown Prince's invitation to visit the Shanglin Garden. After riding his horse for a while, he returned to the Crown Prince's temporary camp. Under the umbrella, he would sometimes stand up and sometimes sit down, gazing into the distance and leisurely appreciating the beautiful scenery of the garden. Occasionally, he would shake his head and wield his brush, and as he was about to finish a magnificent "Ode to a Stroll in the Garden," he was in a very good mood.

But upon hearing of Dian Wei and Xu Chu's misdeeds, Liu Tao was immediately enraged.

In addition to being the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, Liu Tao also held the position of Imperial Censor. Regardless of which official position he held, he could not turn a blind eye to the actions of Dian Wei and Xu Chu!

Liu Tao slammed his hand on the table, splashing ink from the inkstone onto his robes and the bamboo slips on which he had written most of an essay, but he was completely oblivious. He stood up and roared, "You bastard! You really are a bastard!"

"Severe punishment! Must be severe punishment!"

Liu Tao paced back and forth in anger, muttering to himself, "Horses are so precious these days, how dare you abuse and kill warhorses!"

Yes, even the most furious Liu Tao impeached Xu Chu for the cruel killing of warhorses.

That damned soldier, daring to kill the imperial court's horse!

Eighteen fine horses!

The horses these Xiongnu were riding were not brought from the Southern Xiongnu royal court, but were fine steeds given to them by the Han Dynasty for transportation, and yet they were killed just like that!
With the rebellions in Liangzhou and Bingzhou, two horse-producing regions, a packhorse used for transporting supplies could fetch 30,000 coins!

An ordinary warhorse costs as much as 80,000 coins!
As the Celestial Empire, the warhorses gifted to these Southern Xiongnu nobles who had submitted to the empire and sought aid could not be ordinary horses. Although they could not be thoroughbreds, they were still fine steeds, with a market price of no less than 120,000 coins per horse!
The instant Liu Tao heard the news, even without using an abacus (to calculate using an early prototype of the abacus), a number instantly popped into his mind that made him curse as if he had regressed to his ancestral ways!
Damn it, a million dollars! You owe me a million dollars!
When Dian Wei and Xu Chu returned to camp, they were covered in blood and had not yet bathed or changed their clothes. They looked like two killing gods and ordered their personal guards to bring up all their spoils of the day.

When the carcasses of two tigers, one bear, and two deer were placed in the center of the camp, many people left their seats to look around, craning their necks and standing on tiptoe, wanting to see what was going on.

Hunting tigers is a magnificent feat that demonstrates one's bravery in any era, and the fact that Dian Wei and Xu Chu hunted two deer, two tigers, and a bear together truly broadened everyone's horizons.

The group had not witnessed the previous deer hunt or horse handling, but the bear and tiger carcasses were indeed laid out before them, prompting many to exclaim, "Truly brave warriors!"

Dian Wei pouted, bowed to the Crown Prince, looking as if he wanted to say something but hesitated, unconsciously rubbing the hem of his clothes with his hands and shifting his feet restlessly.

Xu Chu stepped forward and recounted in detail the two men's captures and hunting experiences on behalf of Dian Wei, without mentioning anything about Yufuluo and Huchuquan.

"Hahaha, Junming, Zhongkang, you two have accomplished something truly remarkable, yet you didn't report it to me?" Liu Bian looked at the two with a half-smile, his words laced with mockery. Liu Bian tilted his head slightly, gently stroking his chin with one hand, looking at the two with a half-smile, his words full of teasing.

"Your Highness, it was clearly those barbarians who acted unreasonably, suddenly snatching the prey that we were about to shoot with our bows." Dian Wei kicked the two sika deer whose heads were mangled and bloody. "This was venison that I had carefully selected to present to the Crown Prince along with Zhongkang! How could we let these barbarians of the grasslands take it away!"

"Oh?"

Liu Bian was also slightly taken aback. He thought that Dian Wei had listened to him and deliberately competed with Yu Fuluo and the others, but he did not expect that it was to offer him the venison.

Liu Bian didn't doubt Dian Wei's words much. Dian Wei might have some ulterior motives occasionally, but he would never lie to him.

"Your Highness," Xu Chu interjected, noticing the Crown Prince's slight hesitation, "Yufuluo and his brother Huchuquan have repeatedly used their horse formations to steal others' prey in the Shanglin Garden." He continued, "Our Han people have always ruled that whoever shoots the prey first owns it. How can we allow these barbarians to act according to the rules of the grasslands while hunting in the Shanglin Garden? I am indignant and will absolutely not tolerate such audacity on our Han land!"

Dian Wei and Xu Chu, one for public affairs and the other for private ones, looked exactly like two children who had been wronged outside and came to their parents to complain. Then, glancing at Liu Tao's bloodshot eyes, as if he wanted to devour Xu Chu alive, Liu Bian's lips curled up slightly, and he couldn't help but smile.

"Minister of State, don't get too upset. This one million coins will be deducted from Dian Wei and Xu Chu's salaries, and the Crown Prince's Palace will advance the payment." Liu Bian comforted Liu Tao with a smile. He understood Liu Tao's anger over the loss of one million coins, as he didn't know the cost of living until he was in charge of the household.

He understood even better that although Liu Tao had fallen ill recently due to the national treasury expenditures and the army's expenses, he wouldn't really be so fixated on this one million coins and solely focused on fighting Dian Wei and Xu Chu to the death.

His remarks were merely to set the tone for the matter, indicating that even if someone was guilty, it would only be the crime of killing a horse, thus preventing anyone from escalating the issue to the point of allegedly damaging diplomatic relations between the two countries.

However, Liu Bian was quite satisfied with the attitude shown by the civil and military officials in the court regarding this matter. At least for now, no one with a morbid sense of right and wrong has come out to say that Dian Wei and Xu Chu have damaged the friendship between the two countries and must be severely punished.

Therefore, when Liu Bian finally gave Yu Fuluo and Hu Chuquan his so-called explanation, he said that he had punished Dian Wei and Xu Chu with a year's salary and that the two had already apologized.

They've already apologized, so why are you still holding onto this?

Yes, they apologized to me. What, you expect them to apologize to you?

At worst, I'll share some venison with you, and after you've eaten it, you can shut your mouth.

Hu Chuquan was still somewhat indignant and questioned the Han's reputation as a "land of etiquette," but he was ignored and instead cursed as a "barbarian" by the civil and military officials on both sides.

At least today, the subjects of the Great Han still have a very high sense of self-respect and pride in their national identity. Even if the people of our Heavenly Han Kingdom are in dire straits, they will still despise the barbarians.

What does it mean to be a land of etiquette? To obedient dogs and friendly nations, our great Han can be polite, but to barbarians, we just fight!

Some even suggested that the Han army should not go to rescue the Southern Xiongnu tribes who were still supporting Yufuluo, but instead simply wipe them out along with the rebels.

In short, it boils down to this: if you're not happy, then fight!
You two are really amazing for escaping Luoyang City!

Now, being able to serve as the Han's dog is your greatest honor!

(2972 words)
(End of this chapter)