The Three Kingdoms: Hindsight is 20/20, and the Three Revivals of the Han Dynasty

Chapter 112 The morale of the army in Zhuoxian is completely restored, and Liu Bei is sharpening his sword for Jixian (3rd update)
Without comparison, there is no harm; but once compared, everything is riddled with flaws.

Yuan Xi came from a prestigious family that had produced four generations of high-ranking officials, and he naturally possessed an air of nobility and arrogance.

The presence of learned scholars and the absence of commoners in the community is a common characteristic of prominent families, and Yuan Xi was no exception.

If Jiao Chu and Zhang Nan had come from prestigious families, Yuan Xi might have treated them differently.

However, Yuan Xi's thought on those of humble origins was: "I, a noble son of a family that has produced four generations of high-ranking officials, have already shown great favor by recruiting two people of humble origins to be generals. How dare I complain?"
Liu Bei, however, was different.

At his lowest point, Liu Bei had to make a living by weaving mats and selling shoes.

Therefore, Liu Bei understood the thoughts and aspirations of people of humble origins better than Yuan Xi, and he also knew better how to win people's hearts by treating the virtuous with respect.

Under Liu Bei's double gifts of "leading sheep and carrying wine" and "walking arm in arm with him," Jiao Chu and Zhang Nan were quickly won over by Liu Bei's respect for talent.

"It is our good fortune to have met General Zuo. We will go through fire and water for him if he ever asks us to do anything!"

Jiao Chu and Zhang Nan were loyal to Yuan Xi, but their loyalty was extremely limited, and the extent of their loyalty depended on the amount of favors Yuan Xi bestowed upon them.

It is clear.

Yuan Xi's kindness was insufficient, so much so that a simple act of "leading a sheep and carrying wine" and "walking arm in arm" from Liu Bei made Jiao Chu and Zhang Nan consider choosing a lord to serve.

Although Liu Bei was satisfied with Jiao Chu and Zhang Nan's attitude, he did not ask them to switch sides. Instead, he took drastic measures:

“I originally intended to invite Governor Yuan to accompany me to Ji County to punish the disloyal; however, Governor Yuan believed that Yan Rou was merely a minor governor of Guangyang, and that if he went in person, it would only embolden Yan Rou. Therefore, he appointed two generals to accompany me to Ji County. This battle is perilous, and a slight mistake could lead to death on the battlefield.”

"Although I have Governor Yuan's military tally, I am unwilling to force you two generals to go with me. I have come here today to ask for your thoughts. If you two generals are willing to go to Ji County with me, I will treat you equally and reward you according to your merits; if you two generals are unwilling, I will return the military tally to Governor Yuan."

Jiao Chu and Zhang Nan were both shocked, their understanding of Liu Bei was refreshed once again: with Yuan Xi's military tally in hand, he still had to ask for their opinions?
Moreover, Jiao Chu and Zhang Nan just said they were "willing to go through fire and water," anyone else would have just given the order!

Only sincerity can earn sincerity in return.

Liu Bei's series of attacks left Jiao Chu and Zhang Nan with no chance to resist.

"The general will go where he wishes!"

Jiao Chu and Zhang Nan shouted in unison without hesitation.

Compared to Yuan Xi's "weakness and incompetence," Jiao Chu and Zhang Nan were far more courageous.

After all, Jiao Chu and Zhang Nan were able to shout, "Liu Bei has soldiers, and so do you, my lord; Liu Bei has generals, and so do you, my lord. What is there to fear?" and "If you, my lord, are worried that Liu Bei will not submit, we two can help you establish your authority against Liu Bei first." They even put their words into action and prepared a show of force for Liu Bei.

Those who are confident in their martial prowess will become even more courageous after being impressed by someone even more valiant, as was the case with Jiao Chu and Zhang Nan.

In Jiao Chu and Zhang Nan's eyes, Liu Bei had presented the credit for suppressing the rebellious six commanderies to the table and then invited Jiao Chu and Zhang Nan to join him at the table to share the credit.

This is my godfather!

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call out to Liu Bei, "If you don't abandon me!"
Jiao Chu and Zhang Nan roared inwardly: What is Yan Rou? What is Wang Song? What are the Wuhuan? Our bows and spears are already itching for battle!

To show their sincerity, Jiao Chu and Zhang Nan summoned their trusted confidants from the camp to pay their respects to Liu Bei. Liu Bei treated them all to wine and offered them kind words of encouragement.

After the soldiers in the camp slaughtered sheep, warmed wine, and cooked a meal, Liu Bei, along with Jiao Chu, Zhang Nan, and others, went to the various tents to comfort the soldiers.

The fact that the Left General, the Marquis of Yicheng, and the Prefect of Zhuojun personally visited the various tents to offer their condolences was something the soldiers in the camp never dared to dream of!
And of all things to do, I ran into one today!

Some soldiers who had fallen due to fright were not only personally helped up by Liu Bei, but he also kindly wiped the dirt off their faces. In less than half a day...

The army's morale completely turned to Liu Bei.

Jiao Chu, Zhang Nan, and others who followed Liu Bei and witnessed the process were both shocked and impressed.

"I have always been puzzled as to why tens of thousands of people from Xuzhou would rather endure the hardships of a long journey to follow General Zuo north to Zhuo County. Now that I have seen him, I realize that General Zuo is a truly benevolent and righteous man!"

"Yes. Every time Governor Yuan comes to the military camp, he is surrounded by armored soldiers, as if he is afraid that we will harm him. He doesn't even have the honor of personally comforting the soldiers in each tent."

"If it were Governor Yuan who came today, that soldier who fell down in fright would be lucky not to get a beating, let alone be helped up and had his face wiped by General Zuo himself. Good heavens, why wasn't it me who fell down just now?"

"."

Liu Bei employed an elite force system, with only 800 White Feather Soldiers, 500 swordsmen under Guan Yu, and 1,000 cavalrymen acquired from Yuan Shao as regular units.

The rest were small, scattered cavalry units, such as Zhao Yun's thirty elite cavalry and Zhang Fei's eighteen elite cavalry, which together did not exceed two hundred men.

When Zhuge Liang assigned military duties to Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, and Huang Zhong, he dispatched 500 White Feather Soldiers, 500 Swordsmen, and 600 Cavalrymen, leaving Liu Bei with fewer than 800 infantry and cavalrymen in Zhuo County.

With only this number of infantry and cavalry as the main force of the central army, it is too few.

With the addition of the two battalions of soldiers from Jiao Chu and Zhang Nan, the main force of the central army gained power.

Even though the soldiers in these two battalions were not considered elite, they were still able to cheer and encourage the troops.

The next day.

Liu Bei left Yuan Chen and Xiahou Bo with one hundred White Feather Soldiers and one hundred cavalry to protect the families of civil and military officials and soldiers and to deal with any unforeseen circumstances. He also left Xu Shu, Chen Zhen, Cao Xuan, and the Mi brothers to handle the affairs of Zhuo County. Afterwards, he led Zhuge Liang, Pang Tong, Jian Yong, Sun Qian, Chen Dao, Xin Zhe, Jiao Chu, Zhang Nan, and other civil and military officials with more than two thousand infantry and cavalry to leave Zhuo County and head straight for Ji County.

At Yuan Xi's behest, Han Heng, the Prefect of Youzhou, also ordered all officials and military officers to fully cooperate with Liu Bei in his campaign against the six commanderies, which greatly reduced Liu Bei's pressure on supplies and labor.

Although Yuan Xi was fooled by Liu Bei, if Yuan Xi had been sensible enough to recognize who the real king was, given Liu Bei's character, Yuan Xi could have lived a wealthy life in the future, which would have been better than being schemed against by Cao Cao and losing his entire clan.

It is already late August.

At most two months later, Cao Cao and Yuan Shao will decide the victor at Guandu.

Liu Bei, too, had to quell the rebellion of the six commanderies before Cao Cao and Yuan Shao could settle their score.

Only in this way could Liu Bei gain a foothold in Youzhou.

Outside Ji County.

Zhang Fei's vanguard of 500 White Feather Soldiers has arrived.

Although Zhang Fei was usually quite reckless and prone to making foolish mistakes, he was still trustworthy when it came to officially commanding troops.

In addition, Zhuge Liang used a lottery to suppress Zhang Fei's violent temper, causing Zhang Fei to suppress his contempt for Yan Rou and refrain from recklessly attacking Ji County. Instead, Zhang Fei set up camp ten miles outside Ji County.

　Please vote with your monthly tickets! There will be two more chapters today.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)