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

Chapter 164 Liu Bei's Power: This Was Not a Discussion, But a Notification (4th Update)
In the Prime Minister's Office.

Liu Bei summoned Tao Sheng, the chancellor of Changshan, and told him about the matter of persuading the prominent families of Changshan to donate gold and silk.

"This..." Tao Sheng looked troubled. "It's possible to negotiate benefits with the powerful families of Changshan, but to get them to give up their wealth and personal interests is probably as difficult as climbing to the sky."

Having served as prime minister in Changshan for several years, Tao Shengtai understood the nature of these powerful families: it was already rare enough that they did not plunder others' property on ordinary days, but now they were being asked to voluntarily hand over their property.
Liu Bei's tone turned cold: "Prime Minister Tao, I am not discussing this with you, nor with the powerful clans of Changshan. The four camps of Tu Ge and the Wuhuan of Yanmen will soon march south to Changshan. Either donate gold and silk and I will go and persuade Zhang Yan to deal with the Tu Ge and Wuhuan; or I will withdraw my troops immediately and the powerful clans of Changshan will lead their own troops to resist the combined forces of Zhang Yan, the Tu Ge, and the Wuhuan."

Tao Sheng's expression changed upon hearing this: "General Zuo! You must not withdraw your troops! If General Zuo leaves, let alone the counties, I will have no chance of defending even this Zhen Ding city!"

Liu Bei's eyes were sharp, and he showed no intention of backing down: "I only have 10,000 new soldiers under my command. The enemy outnumbers us. Without a clever strategy, how can we win? If the powerful families of Changshan are stingy with their wealth, what reason do I have to make my soldiers work so hard? Instead of wasting time with me here, Prime Minister Tao should quickly inform the powerful families of the counties of the terms."

After speaking, Liu Bei took out another document and handed it to Tao Sheng: "This is the 'Transfer Order.' I, Liu Xuande, have always valued keeping my word! I must ensure that the major clans that voluntarily donate sign and affix their seals, so as to prevent any villains from falsely accusing me of forcibly levying taxes in the future. This is the template; instruct the clerk to copy it."

Tao Sheng took the document with a puzzled look.

The text above reads:

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

The 20th day of the first month of the sixth year of Jian'an.

General Liu Shou, entrusted by the people of Changshan, wanted to hire Zhang Yan and other leaders of the Black Mountain tribes as his subordinates to fight against the Tu Ge, Wuhuan, Xianbei and other barbarian tribes.

The details of the entrusted goods received are as follows:
[Blank space]
Once the transaction is completed, the original owner may not claim the property again.

Recipient: General Liu Bei

Deliverer: [Blank space]
Witness: Changshan Xiang Taosheng

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Seeing the blank spaces in the goods details section and the delivery person section, and his own name clearly written in the supervisor section, Tao Sheng was taken aback again: "General Zuo, do I still need to sign and affix my seal in the supervisor section?"

Tao Sheng's hand trembled slightly as he held the document. Could this be signed and stamped so casually?

Liu Bei raised an eyebrow: "If Prime Minister Tao does not sign and affix his seal at the place of the supervisor, and a dispute arises in the future, wouldn't I truly be seen as someone who plunders and extorts? I can also swear that the proceeds will be used to hire Zhang Yan and other leaders of the Black Mountain to suppress the bandits, and not a single penny will go into my own pocket! All documents will be archived for future reference."

Tao Sheng gripped the document tightly, pondered for a long time, finally sighed inwardly, and asked again, "What if... Zhang Yan and the others are unwilling?"

"Unwilling?" Liu Bei stroked his beard, a cold smile playing on his lips. "If they follow my plan, they will be righteous soldiers protecting the borders and ensuring the safety of the people; if they refuse to obey orders, they will be nothing more than fierce bandits in the mountains. Since I have been entrusted with the wealth of a powerful clan, how can I sit idly by? At that time, the elite cavalry of Youzhou will surely flatten Black Mountain and wipe out Zhang Yan and the likes of the Tu Ge and Wuhuan!"

Tao Sheng's heart skipped a beat; he had already discerned the unspoken meaning: as long as the money arrived, Liu Bei could either repel the enemy, or use the money to appease Zhang Yan and force him to retreat, or mobilize the elite cavalry of Youzhou to wipe them out; if the powerful clans were stingy with their money, then...
Thinking of this, Tao Sheng said no more, saying, "I will immediately send General Zuo's message to the great families of Changshan through the counties."

As Liu Bei initially stated, this was not a consultation with them, but an unquestionable notification: either pay them money and obey, or defend themselves against the invaders.

Before long, a fleet of fast horses galloped out from Zhengding and sped towards the counties of Changshan.

Zhang Yan's "100,000" bandits were already a fearsome force; now, with the addition of the Tu Ge and Wuhuan, the plight of the people of Changshan is like adding insult to injury, especially for the wealthy clans, who will inevitably become prime targets for plunder. The poor, after all, have hardly any money!
Meanwhile, in the Black Mountain military camp.

Fu Yun hurriedly returned and truthfully reported the conditions proposed by Liu Bei.

"The weak are left to cultivate the land as hostages, while the strong are forced to fight against the Tu Ge, Wuhuan, Xianbei and other tribes. What does Liu Bei take us for? Fu Yun, is this the benevolent person you speak of?" Da Mu stared with his big eyes, his tone full of dissatisfaction.

Lei Gong, Bai Que, Wu Lu and other leaders also looked puzzled. Why would Fu Yun agree to such unequal conditions?

Fu Yun first calmed Da Mu's emotions, then said, "If the weak are not left as hostages, how can General Zuo believe that we are truly surrendering? If the strong do not go to fight the barbarians, they will surely be forcibly conscripted by Yuan Shao and sent south to fight Cao Cao. In the Battle of Guandu, Yuan Shao lost more than half of his 100,000 infantry and cavalry. If we follow him south, how will we survive? The Tu Ge and Yanmen Wuhuan tribes have repeatedly plundered our Black Mountain people. In the past, we were hesitant to take revenge, but now that General Zuo is protecting the people who are farming, we can fight them without restraint! Moreover, General Zuo has promised to appoint Commander Zhang as General Who Pacifies the North and Marquis of Anguo. This is the honor of being ennobled and appointed as a general! Most importantly, if we leave the weak women and children who are farming, their descendants will have the hope of studying and becoming officials! Think of those children who were born in Black Mountain and grew up in darkness. How can they be thieves for life?"

Fu Yun spoke calmly, yet every word carried immense weight. Upon hearing this, the crowd was momentarily speechless, unsure how to refute him.

a long time.

Da Mu snorted coldly: "At worst, I'll just go back to Black Mountain. Why should I put up with this humiliation?"

Fuyun shook his head and sighed, "Damu, do you really think everything will be fine once you hide in Black Mountain? General Zuo is willing to talk now not only because he cares about the people and soldiers of Black Mountain and doesn't want to commit more bloodshed, but also because he only has 10,000 new soldiers in Changshan. If General Zuo were to transfer the elite troops who pacified the six counties of Youzhou to Changshan..."

His gaze swept over the crowd, and Fu Yun raised his voice: "Do you all think it's necessary for General Zuo to bargain with us? General Zuo isn't incapable of annihilating us, he simply doesn't want to go to the trouble of mobilizing his forces. But if we are foolish enough to provoke him..."

Fu Yun's voice turned low again: "By then, how many of the more than 100,000 soldiers and civilians in Black Mountain will still be alive?"

Da Mu's expression changed drastically.

A few words from Fu Yun were like a bucket of cold water poured over my head!
Everyone was suddenly shocked to realize that Liu Bei not only had new recruits, but also elite troops from Youzhou!

The reason why Liu Bei negotiated with the Black Mountain leaders in such a "polite" manner was not because he was afraid, but because he did not want to use a sledgehammer to crack a nut!
"Commander..."

Seeing that no one else objected, Fuyun turned her gaze to Zhang Yan, who had remained silent.

Ultimately, the decision will depend on Zhang Yan's attitude.

Zhang Yan's gaze was now passing over mountains and rivers, looking towards the direction of Zhen Ding City—where Zhang Yan's hometown, Chu Family Village, was located.

"Fleeting Clouds," Zhang Yan didn't make a direct decision, but instead asked, "How has General Zuo treated you...?"

Fu Yun paused for a moment, his expression suddenly turning strange. After hesitating for a long time, he stammered, "Well, I don't know how to describe it. I was personally greeted by General Zuo in his carriage, and then we rode into the city together in the same carriage."

As soon as he finished speaking, Lei Gong and the others stared at Fu Yun in astonishment.

Even Zhang Yan, who never showed her emotions, couldn't help but turn around in astonishment: "What did you say?"

　Chapter 4 is here! Please vote with your monthly tickets!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)