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

Chapter 213 Establishing Authority and Intimidating High-Ranking Officials: Liu Bei and Yuan Xi Are Now of One Mind (4th Update)
Seeing that Xun Chen also agreed to attack Hedong first, Gao Gan no longer hesitated. He immediately appointed Guo Yuan as the general, Zhang Sheng as the deputy general, and Zhu Ao as the military advisor, leading 5,000 infantry and cavalry from Bingzhou as the vanguard to attack Hedong. At the same time, he also sent an order to Hu Chuquan, who came from Taiyuan, to go down the Fen River and join forces with Guo Yuan to attack the counties in Hedong.

Gao Gan, along with Xun Chen, Xia Zhao, and Deng Sheng, remained in Shangdang to await the arrival of Liu Bei and Yuan Xi's troops.

Another half month passed.

It wasn't until the end of September that Liu Bei and Yuan Xi finally arrived with 5,000 troops!

If Gao Rou hadn't sent a messenger beforehand, claiming that "the Grand General has already dispatched Generals Yan Liang and Wen Chou to assist the Left General, and my cousin must not be disrespectful," Gao Gan would have wanted to lead his troops to give Liu Bei a taste of his power.

"Having just arrived in Bingzhou, I am unfamiliar with the geography and have been delayed. Please forgive me, Governor Gao." Knowing he was late, Liu Bei apologized to Governor Gao the first thing he did upon meeting him.

In fact, if the army had marched at full speed, Liu Bei could have arrived in Shangdang ten days earlier.

However, firstly, Liu Bei did not want to exhaust his soldiers, and secondly, Liu Bei adopted Pang Tong's suggestion to secretly send Zhang Fei with men to draw up a map of the mountains and rivers of Bingzhou along the way.

After being trained by Zhuge Liang, Zhang Fei's map-drawing skills became increasingly proficient, as if he were born to be a surveyor.

If Liu Bei were to unify the country one day and then have Zhang Fei tasked with surveying and mapping the mountains and rivers of the various prefectures and counties, the "Commentary on the Waterways Classic" would probably have appeared much earlier.

Faced with Liu Bei's smiling apology, Gao Gan suppressed his displeasure and, after a brief exchange of pleasantries, mentioned Guo Yuan and Huchuquan's military movements, inquiring when Liu Bei would be heading to Hedong.

Upon hearing that Huchuquan had also marched south, Liu Bei's expression changed, his smile vanished, and his tone turned somber: "Governor Gao was ordered to raid Guanzhong for the sake of the state, so why did he order Huchuquan to lead the barbarian troops south?"

Gao Gan was already annoyed by Liu Bei's delayed arrival, and now that Liu Bei was questioning him, his face darkened: "Hu Chuquan is willing to help me attack Cao Cao, so why can't I give him my orders?"

Liu Bei's tone turned cold: "Governor Gao, are you unaware that I captured Huchuquan alive at Changshan? I released him so that he could stay in Bingzhou and behave himself, not so that he could go south and plunder my Han people! As the ancients said, those who follow the right path prosper, and those who go against it perish. Cao Cao, by holding the emperor hostage to command the disobedient, was already on the moral high ground. He also sent virtuous officials to Hedong and Hongnong to settle the people, suppress rebellions, and enforce the law strictly, which has won the hearts of many people. Yet you, as the governor of Bingzhou, do not think of showing kindness, but instead drive the barbarians south. Such behavior will surely disappoint the people of Hedong and Hongnong! The General ordered us to raid Guanzhong, not to go south and become bandits!"

After being repeatedly questioned by Liu Bei, Gao Gan could no longer contain himself and angrily rebuked him: "Liu Bei, how dare you be so disrespectful to me!"

"Disrespectful to you? Hmph!" Liu Bei frowned, his tone becoming even more somber: "I am the Left General and Marquis of Yicheng, personally appointed by the Emperor, with the power to establish my own government and govern. I also received a secret imperial edict to suppress the rebels. I am an official of the court, while you are merely a local governor. I am questioning you about why you led the barbarians south to become rebels. How is this disrespectful? You are holding onto your sword hilt; are you perhaps about to draw your sword against me?"

The words fell.

Behind Liu Bei, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Huang Zhong, Yan Liang, and Wen Chou stepped forward, all staring intently at Gao Gan with fierce eyes.

Being watched by the five fierce generals, a chill ran down the spine of the high-ranking official.

Behind Gao Gan, Xia Zhao and Deng Sheng, who were completely bewildered, were utterly terrified: how could General Zuo, who had just been apologizing to the magistrate with a gentle smile, suddenly be questioning the magistrate with a fierce expression?
"Misunderstanding! It's all a misunderstanding!" Xun Chen, who was also stunned, quickly came between Gao Gan and Liu Bei to persuade them, and explained to Liu Bei, "It's not that Hu Chuquan went south to become a bandit, but that Hu Chuquan is willing to obey the orders of the Great General from now on!"

However, Liu Bei's sharp gaze did not soften because of Xun Chen's words; on the contrary, it became even more intense, and his tone was filled with unquestionable authority: "Immediately order Hu Chuquan to send back his troops and bring himself to me bound!" "Ah? This?" Xun Chen was immediately at a loss, and said with difficulty, "General Zuo, please allow me to explain. Hu Chuquan was summoned by Governor Gao. General Zuo does not wish to rely on his power, and Governor Gao is willing to send someone to have him send back his troops. But to bring himself to see General Zuo bound, is that going too far?"

Liu Bei raised an eyebrow: "If I can capture him once, I can capture him ten times. If he is unwilling to come to me bound, I will personally lead my troops to capture him!"

The forceful words immediately left Xun Chen speechless.

Xun Chen didn't understand why Liu Bei was so serious about Huchuquan's southward march to Hedong.

Behind Liu Bei, Xu Shu and Pang Tong wore smiles on their faces.

The reason why Liu Bei was so serious about the matter of Huchuquan was that before entering Shangdang, Pang Tong reminded Liu Bei that "a large army with unclear division of responsibilities, arrogant generals and inconsistent orders are the way to defeat." He advised Liu Bei to find an opportunity to establish his authority after entering Shangdang.

Xu Shu also agreed with Pang Tong's opinion: only by establishing authority and intimidating high-ranking officials, and gaining the decision-making power over military operations, can we achieve Zhuge Liang's strategic plan in Yong, Liang and Yi while simultaneously harassing Guanzhong.

As for how to establish authority, he would wait until he met Gao Gan and then act accordingly. Unexpectedly, Gao Gan gave Liu Bei an opportunity to establish authority as soon as they met.

As long as Liu Bei focuses on the matter of Hu Chuquan going south to Hedong, he will be in the right: I am kind-hearted and just released Hu Chuquan back to keep him in line. But a few months later, Hu Chuquan went south to Hedong to become a bandit. This is a slap in my face!

what?
Was Huchuquan summoned by high-ranking officials?

In terms of rank, General Liu Bei, who had the imperial edict, was an official of the court, while Gao Gan was just a local governor. Why do you, Hu Chuquan, listen to the local governor only and not the General Liu Bei? What is your intention?

Huchuquan didn't listen to Liu Bei, so Liu Bei, for the sake of the Left General's reputation, would definitely have to attack Huchuquan first; if Huchuquan listened to Liu Bei, it would be a slap in the face to Gao Gan: I told you to go and attack Hedong, and you surrender and beg for forgiveness with just one word from Liu Bei? Where would I, the Governor of Bingzhou, put my face?
"Liu Bei! Don't push your luck! I am the General's nephew! Are you trying to make an enemy of the General by treating me like this?" Gao Gan glared angrily. If he hadn't been watched by the five fierce generals, he would have drawn his sword to ask if it was worth it.

Since the powerful dare not come forward, Gao Gan can only use Yuan Shao's name to pressure Liu Bei.

Liu Bei smiled but did not answer.

Yuan Xi, however, rode forward and stared coldly at Gao Gan: "Governor Gao, are you going to disrespect the Left General just because you are the General's nephew? If so, I am the General's son, can I also presume to disrespect you?"

Gao Gan was even more furious when he saw that Yuan Xi was also speaking up for Liu Bei: "Yuan Xianyi, don't forget that a few months ago when you came to borrow people, it was I who sent Wenhui to Changshan to help you? Are you trying to be ungrateful?"

"Governor Gao! Please watch your words." Yuan Xi's tone was even colder: "I am the son of the Grand General. I need to borrow someone from you for the sake of the greater good, and I have to go to great lengths to beg you. Do you think this is a favor to me? You are merely the Grand General's nephew, yet you are so arrogant. Do you also want to compete for the heir?"

　Update 4 is here!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)