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

Chapter 167 The wealthy gentry's money and silk arrived, and Liu Bei arrived with Huang Zhong (2nd update)
"Prime Minister Tao," Zhuge Liang said, gently waving his feather fan with a calm smile that contrasted sharply with Tao Sheng's anxiety, "Since the Left General is not in the city, I'm afraid I can't help you either."

Tao Sheng was extremely anxious and pleaded through gritted teeth, "If Military Advisor Zhuge is willing to help me, I am willing to give up all my wealth!"

Money is valuable, but life is more precious. Tao Sheng didn't want to die before he had spent all his money.

However, even though Tao Sheng was willing to give away all his wealth, Zhuge Liang did not agree. Instead, he politely declined, saying, "Prime Minister Tao, you are mistaken. How could I be a greedy person who would take advantage of a crisis? Rest assured, even if Zhen Ding is in dire straits, I will ensure your safety."

Having received Zhuge Liang's promise, Tao Sheng felt somewhat relieved.

As they were talking...

A minor official carried in a box of bamboo slips and reported to Tao Sheng: "The people outside the mansion have already signed and stamped the handover order. Please have Prime Minister Tao verify it."

Looking at the box full of bamboo slips, Tao Sheng was stunned: "With the fire already raging, how can I care about this?"
Wait for the delivery order?
Tao Sheng suddenly woke up with a start and hurriedly took out the top delivery order, which read:
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 26th 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:
1. 2,500 shi of millet and 1,000 shi of wheat.

2. Three hundred bolts of cloth and fifty bolts of brocade.

3. Eighty taels of gold and silver, and fifty thousand copper coins.

Fourth, fifty jars of wine and one thousand catties of dried meat.

Once the transaction is completed, the original owner may not claim the property again.

Recipient: General Liu Bei

Delivered by: Zhang Chao, Zhen Ding

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.

"Zhang Chao? The old miser who just rubs a piece of dried meat around the edge of the pot and calls it a treat for the farmhands, is actually being so generous today?" Tao Sheng was taken aback.

Look down again.

Another "generous" closing order.

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 26th 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:
1. Three thousand shi of millet and eight hundred shi of sorghum.

200 bolts of silk and 400 bolts of hemp cloth.

3. One hundred taels of gold and silver, and seventy thousand copper coins.

IV. Thirty oxen, two hundred sheep, and thirty bushels of salt.

Once the transaction is completed, the original owner may not claim the property again.

Recipient: General Liu Bei

Delivered by: Chu Ying, Zhen Ding

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.

"That old bastard Chu Ying actually went all out?" Tao Sheng was even more astonished.

Although Changshan has thirteen counties, the most powerful clans are almost all gathered in Zhengding. Even those who are not in Zhengding will send influential members of their families to be stationed in Zhengding City.

After all, Zhen Ding was the capital of Changshan State, and the political center was often also the economic center. Previously, no matter what Tao Sheng said, the powerful clans such as Zhang Chao and Chu Ying had only given perfunctory replies. But today, these people have become generous and lavish!
soon.

Tao Sheng felt relieved again.

The richer you are, the more afraid you are of dying.

Zhang Chao, Chu Ying, and the others didn't realize they were wrong; they were simply afraid.

Tao Sheng quickly inspected the documents, his face lighting up with delight. He turned to Zhuge Liang and said, "Strategist Zhuge, those stingy fellows have all signed the order! What do you think..."

Zhuge Liang remained calm and ordered the junior officials to take out the handover orders one by one and review and register them.

Tao Sheng couldn't help but feel anxious: "Military Advisor Zhuge!"

With a slight press of his feather fan, Zhuge Liang signaled for silence. He calmly signed the order on behalf of Liu Bei and affixed the seal of the Left General. At the same time, he had a minor official register and summarize the information, completely ignoring the commotion outside the city.

Half an hour later, another box of documents was carried in.

Tao Sheng glanced at it and was even more astonished: "Zhang Chao actually ordered twenty oxen and three hundred sheep as compensation?! This old miser really went all out!"

Looking at Chu Ying and the others, they also increased their wealth to varying degrees, as if they were afraid that Zhuge Liang would find it too little and refuse to send troops to defend the city.

Upon hearing this, Zhuge Liang merely smiled calmly and continued reviewing the records, as if he had anticipated everyone's reaction.

It wasn't until noon that Zhuge Liang sent men to distribute the handover order back to the people outside the mansion, announcing: "If the rebel army outside the city cannot be driven back, the Left General will not take a single penny!"

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief and left one after another.

Zhuge Liang's handover order was very clever. He only asked everyone to sign the contract, without immediately taking the money, and promised "not to take a single penny if the rebels are not defeated", thus firmly occupying the moral high ground.

As for whether anyone wanted to back out after the rebels were driven away?

Zhuge Liang was overjoyed: someone had deceived and humiliated General Zuo, so confiscating his property wasn't too much to ask, was it?
With the handover order in hand, Zhuge Liang no longer hesitated: "Order General Guan to take over the city's defenses and raise the banner!"

Once the military order was issued, 10,000 new soldiers in the city, under Guan Yu's command, quickly took over the entire city.

Guan Yu guarded the west gate, Yan Liang guarded the south gate, Wen Chou guarded the east gate, and Tao Sheng led the troops of Zhen Ding to guard the north gate.

In an instant, banners bearing the names "General Liu of the Left" and "Guan Yu" were raised high atop the city walls—both to reassure the people and deter the rebel army, and to send a signal to Liu Bei, who was lying in ambush outside the city!
At this time, in the direction of Zhongshan, a cavalry force of two thousand men was hiding in the mountains.

The leader was none other than Liu Bei.

Besides Jiao Chu and Zhang Nan, who had followed Yuan Xi to Zhongshan from the beginning, Liu Bei also had General Huang Zhong, who came from Dai Commandery!

Upon learning that Gongsun Xu had led the Tu Ge and Wuhuan tribes south, Zhuge Liang immediately dispatched a fast horse to summon Huang Zhong to the south to join them. This is why Liu Bei quietly left the city.

Zhuge Liang was always cautious in his military strategy and would not entrust the outcome of a battle entirely to the Black Mountain Army's word of "surrender".

If it were only Zhang Yan and his men, the 10,000 new soldiers from Ye City would be enough to deal with them; but now that the Tu Ge and Wuhuan have been added, it is natural that elite cavalry must be conscripted from Dai County.

The reasons for ordering Zhang Yan to postpone his surrender were twofold: firstly, the money and silk from the powerful clans of Changshan had not yet arrived; and secondly, Zhuge Liang needed to use force to deter Zhang Yan and his followers, so that these unruly bandits would not dare to harbor any thoughts of rebellion in the future.

Zhuge Liang's plan for the Black Mountain campaign, which he devised based on his experience in pacifying the south, focused more on post-war recovery; however, before the battle, it was necessary to demonstrate military might to deter those who dared to disobey.

The rumor that Wuzhong City defeated 30,000 out of 3,000 is just a rumor. If Zhang Yan and the others cannot witness it with their own eyes, they will always harbor a sense of wishful thinking.

"Report!" A scout rushed in to report: "General, the banners at the four gates of Zhen Ding have been raised!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Bei clapped his hands and laughed: "The strategist's signal has arrived, gentlemen, it's time for us to go into battle and achieve merit!"

"We are willing to fight for General Zuo!" Jiao Chu and Zhang Nan shouted, their voices echoing through the valley, unable to contain their excitement.

I thought that following Yuan Xi to Zhongshan would mean missing the great battle to pacify Heishan, but I never expected to be able to fight alongside Liu Bei.

How could we possibly miss such an opportunity?
Huang Zhong on the right tightened the reins, his eyes gleaming: "Zilong took down five enemies from the Sinan Tower, Yunchang took the head of Tadun from ten thousand troops, and Yide killed the enemy general with three shouts. All three have made a name for themselves, but my name is still unknown. Today, it is time for me, Huang Hansheng of Nanyang, to make a name for myself here!"

　Update 2 is here!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)