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

Chapter 211 The farther Liu Bei traveled, the more people he gathered from all directions (2nd update)
If Yuan Shao could hear Yan Liang's true feelings, he would probably be so angry he'd vomit blood.

Is I suspicious of Liu Bei?

Even if I am suspicious of Liu Bei, what does that have to do with petty people spreading rumors?
Yuan Shao was completely unaware that a lord who was outwardly lenient but inwardly suspicious would cause a crisis of trust among his civil and military officials.

If the opponent is also suspicious and distrustful, this crisis of trust will at most discourage the soldiers under their command; if the opponent is benevolent on the surface but righteous on the inside, this crisis of trust will subtly lead the soldiers under their command to side with the opponent.

It's not fair to blame Yan Liang for being disloyal to Yuan Shao; rather, Yan Liang believed that Yuan Shao's suspicion of Liu Bei must be due to Yuan Shao listening to slanderous words and stirring up trouble.

And this villain, Yan Liang subconsciously locked onto his target: Xu You!
Guo Tu and Xin Ping followed Yuan Tan, Shen Pei and Feng Ji were helping Yuan Shang, and only Xu You stayed by Yuan Shao's side.

Aside from Xu You, Yan Liang couldn't guess that anyone else would spread rumors. It couldn't be that Yuan Shao himself was suspicious of Liu Bei, could it?

Yan Liang still held a biased view of Yuan Shao's apparent magnanimity.

After silently cursing Xu You a few times, Yan Liang did not defend Liu Bei, but instead pretended to agree with Yuan Shao.

After leaving Yuan Shao's mansion, Yan Liang went directly to Liu Bei to express his dissatisfaction with Xu You: "Xu Ziyuan has once again slandered me in front of the General, and even ordered Wen Chou and me to monitor the Left General. This scoundrel is truly hateful."

Liu Bei's lips twitched slightly as he reassured Yan Liang, "These petty villains are not worth General Yan's anger. As long as we achieve merit by raiding Guanzhong this time, no one will dare to underestimate General Yan."

Under Liu Bei's reassurance, Yan Liang calmed his dissatisfaction with Xu You caused by Yuan Shao's suspicion of Liu Bei, and said, "I will go to Zhengding first to select two thousand elite infantry and cavalry for the Left General."

Liu Bei nodded and said, "When selecting soldiers, remember this: if both father and son are in the army, the father should go home; if both brothers are in the army, the elder brother should go home; if an only son has no brothers, he should go home to care for them."

Yan Liang said solemnly, "General Zuo is benevolent and kind; this humble general is in awe of you."

Watching Yan Liang's departing figure, Xu Shu and Pang Tong, who were standing beside Liu Bei, both had strange expressions.

"General, this Yan Liang..." Pang Tong said halfway through, his words carrying a hidden meaning.

Liu Bei chuckled: "General Yan is a man of strong character. I treat him with sincerity, and he will naturally reciprocate."

Pang Tong and Xu Shu exchanged a glance, both secretly marveling: to make Yuan Shao's general so impressed, the general is truly a hero.

After Su Shuang and Zhang Shiping returned, Liu Bei gathered his troops and headed to Zhen Ding City.

Originally, Liu Bei could have gone directly to Huguan, but Pang Tong suggested that Liu Bei first visit Gao Rou, the Chancellor of Changshan, to learn about the core civil and military officials and the geography of Bingzhou.

The maps provided by Zhuge Liang mostly covered the area west of Guanzhong, while those east of Guanzhong were extremely brief, requiring Pang Tong and Xu Shu to study and refine them on their own.

Furthermore, Gao Rou was invited by Zhuge Liang from Bingzhou through Yuan Xi to serve as the Left General's clerk. Liu Bei, as the Left General, should have gone to meet Gao Rou, this great sage who was favored and valued by Zhuge Liang.

After meeting Gao Rou and chatting with her, Liu Bei's appreciation for her was evident.

If it weren't for the urgent need to march, Liu Bei would have preferred to stay in Zhen Ding City and have a long talk with Gao Rou, sharing drinks and pleasantries. At Pang Tong's reminder, Liu Bei brought up serious matters, seeking Gao Rou's advice on the core civil and military affairs of Bing Province, as well as its geography and landscape.

Gao Rou hesitated for a moment, then said tactfully, “My elder brother is a man of extraordinary character and lofty ambitions. He also values ​​scholars highly and has a far-reaching reputation, attracting many scholars from all directions to join him. However, he is upright and cautious in his conduct, and he places great importance on family background. Although you, General, rose from humble beginnings, you now possess the qualities of a hero, which I deeply admire. I am willing to write a letter for you and send it to Shangdang first. If my elder brother sees this letter, he will surely welcome you with open arms.”

Gao Rou's words sound sophisticated, but they actually mean the same thing: Gao Gan comes from a prestigious family and has a high opinion of himself. He looks down on Liu Bei, who comes from humble origins. If Liu Bei wants to get along with Gao Gan, Gao Rou needs to write a letter of introduction for him. Then Gao Gan will welcome Liu Bei out of respect for Gao Rou.

Liu Bei understood Gao Rou's tactful meaning, so he didn't point it out and bowed to thank him, saying, "In that case, I'll have to trouble you, Prime Minister Gao."

Gao Rou continued, "Under my elder brother's command, the current Chief Administrator is Xun Chen from Yingchuan, the Commanders are Xia Zhao and Deng Sheng from Bingzhou, and Zhang Sheng from Henan. Zhang Sheng was once the leader of the Black Mountain bandits, and because he liked to ride a white horse, he was known as Zhang the White Rider. After Zhang Yan surrendered, Zhang Sheng also joined my elder brother. In addition, Guo Yuan, Zhong Yao's nephew, serves as a Junior Attendant under my elder brother, and the rest are as follows..."

Gao Rou knew the key civil and military officials of Bingzhou like the back of his hand, and he did not hide it from Liu Bei.

Liu Bei nodded slightly, while Xin Zhe, who was accompanying him, wrote down the names and positions of the officials that Gao Rou had mentioned.

When the topic turned to geography, Gao Rou showed a hint of apology and shook her head slightly: "The official business I handled in Shangdang was mostly paperwork such as criminal cases and finances. I did not conduct a detailed investigation of the geography. After General Zuo arrives in Shangdang, you can consult my elder brother in person; I will also mention this matter to my elder brother in this letter later, and ask him to pay attention to it."

Obtaining the core information on the civil and military officials of Bingzhou was already beyond expectations, so Liu Bei naturally wouldn't blame him: "Minister Gao's assistance is of utmost importance, and I am extremely grateful."

After bidding farewell to Gao Rou, Liu Bei spent half a day in the area where the farmers of Heishan were engaged in farming.

After being away for several months, when I stepped into the fields where the Heishan tuntian people lived again, the scene before my eyes was completely different.

The migrants, once emaciated and listless, now work in an orderly fashion among the fields; the newly reclaimed fields stretch out in neat rows, and simple yet sturdy thatched huts are scattered about, with wisps of smoke rising in the distance; in the fields, strong men carrying farm tools and white-haired elders can be seen dredging ditches together, while several soldiers are instructing villagers on how to build earthen embankments for irrigation; children chase and play on the embankments, and women sit around weaving straw mats, a scene of peaceful vitality.

These 100,000 people from Black Mountain who submitted to the Kingdom of Changshan finally took root in the land.

Liu Bei stood gazing for a long time, then said to Xu Shu and Pang Tong beside him with emotion, "In the past, Zhang Yan led his troops to defend Black Mountain because the world was in chaos and the people had nowhere to rely on. They were not born bandits, but were forced by the chaos of the times!"

Pointing to a strong ox in the field, Liu Bei added, "Only when people are well-fed and clothed can they know propriety and righteousness. With land to cultivate, food and shelter to rely on, children to play, the elderly to be cared for, children to learn poetry and books, and adults to understand laws and regulations, this is how ordinary people should live."

As he spoke, Liu Bei recalled his own turbulent life and how he had also suffered the hardships of separation and chaos, and a wave of emotion welled up in his eyes.

Xu Shu and Pang Tong were both awed.

Xu Shu, in particular, thought of his years of wandering and his elderly mother left behind in Jingzhou: If the world can be at peace, why should we leave our homes?

I stood there for a long time.

Liu Bei composed himself, called to Xu Shu and Pang Tong, and said in a bold tone, "Let's go, it's time for us to go to Bingzhou! This time, we must achieve the strategist's plan in Yong, Liang and Yi."

　Update 2 is here!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)