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

Chapter 285 Liu Bei Deploys Defenses of Three Counties, Yuan Shao Retreats to the Coast of the East China Sea (2 Updates)
Inside Huguan City, charcoal fires crackled.

Pang Tong and Xu Shu stood by, while Yan Liang and Wen Chou held their breath and lowered their heads.

Liu Bei sat alone at his desk, his fingertips tracing the letter from Yuan Shao that Yan Liang had brought back. The ink on the silk was still damp, and every word showed sincerity.

My dear brother Xuande:
In the past, I proudly declared, "I will hold the Yellow River in the south, block the Yan and Dai tribes in the north, and unite the Rong and Di tribes to contend for the world in the south." Unfortunately, after I destroyed Gongsun Zan, I became arrogant and unruly, possessing only the imposing presence of a tiger, yet I discarded wise men like weeds, which led to my defeat at the Battle of Guandu, making Cao Cao laugh at me.

Now, with my frail body, I can hardly support the precarious situation in Hebei, and my three sons are unlikely to amount to much. Cao Cao once said to me, "Use the wisdom and strength of the world, govern it with the Way, and nothing is impossible." I have only recently come to understand the truth of this.

Tian Feng is upright and decisive, Qian Zhao is wise and resourceful, Tao Sheng is loyal and reliable, and Yan Liang and Wen Chou are both tiger generals of their time. Now I recommend all of you to Xuande, hoping to help you in your great cause, and I hope you will treat us well.

I have a young son, Yuan Mai, who is innocent and vulnerable. I beg you, brother, to protect him. Xian Si and Xian Fu have ambitions to contend for power; let them accept their fate, Xuande need not worry. If Xian Yi is content with his lot, he can be entrusted with a post in a prefecture or county; if he harbors rebellious intentions, then you may deal with him as you see fit.

After reading Yuan Shao's letter, Liu Bei couldn't help but sigh, "General, you have spoken so frankly and sincerely. Your kindness and righteousness are profound. I am ashamed and do not deserve such treatment."

Whether it was Tian Feng, a renowned scholar from Hebei who had been invited by Yuan Shao with generous gifts, or Qian Zhao, Liu Bei's sworn brother, or Tao Sheng, who had saved Yuan Shao's family and helped Zhuge Liang thwart Yuan Shang's conspiracy, or Yan Liang and Wen Chou, Yuan Shao's most trusted generals, these five men were all outstanding talents of their time, and now they had all been recommended to Liu Bei by Yuan Shao!

By having Yuan Shao personally write a letter of recommendation, he could both preserve the reputations of the five men and help them plan for their future.

Compared to the fact that three generations of the Cao family did not trust Zhang He, the eldest brother who led the surrender, Liu Bei could confidently appoint people like Tian Feng.

Most importantly, Yuan Shao's letter of recommendation was also sending a signal to the scholars, protégés, and former officials in Hebei:
Yuan Shao genuinely wanted to step down and hand over power to Liu Bei. Those who wanted to serve Liu Bei should hurry up and join him. The earlier they joined, the more valued they would be, and they wouldn't have to worry about being suspected by Liu Bei.

If Liu Bei were to directly seize Yuan Shao's territory, he would inevitably be criticized and his virtue and benevolence would be damaged.

If Yuan Shao offered it as a gift, it would be similar to how Liu Yang, the King of Zhending, supported Liu Xiu in the past. This would not damage Liu Bei's virtue and benevolence, and it would also spread the good name of Liu Bei and Yuan Shao working together to restore the Han Dynasty.

Xu Shu accepted the letter from Liu Bei, unfolded it, read it carefully, and solemnly bowed: "Congratulations, my lord, on acquiring another worthy talent! Tian Feng's integrity rivals that of Ji An, Qian Zhao's strategy is no less than Chen Ping's, Tao Sheng is well-versed in the affairs of Hebei, and Generals Yan and Wen are the bravest in the entire army. Entrusting them to Yuan Mai further demonstrates the General's deep trust in them."

After a brief pause, Xu Shu continued, "As for Young Master Xi, we can follow Shi Yuan's previous strategy and have him temporarily serve as the governor of Bingzhou to observe his intentions and then see how he performs."

Pang Tong's eyes gleamed, and he also cupped his hands in congratulations: "This is Heaven's help for Your Majesty's great cause! Your Majesty's benevolence and integrity are known throughout the world, and now you have received a personal recommendation from the General. Once this letter is sent out, the heroes of Hebei will flock here, and it will surely become a prairie fire!"

Liu Bei nodded, suppressing his joy, and turned his gentle gaze to Yan Liang and Wen Chou: "Generals, you are already aware of what the Grand General said in his letter. From now on, are you willing to follow me to restore the Han Dynasty and jointly punish the traitors?"

Yan Liang took a deep breath, clasped his hands in a fist and said in a deep voice, "General Zuo's kindness is too much for me to refuse! I am willing to serve you to the death!"

Wen Chou chimed in, his voice booming like thunder: "I am as grateful as General Zuo for his kindness! I only ask that if Young Master Yuan Mai were to encounter danger in the future, we two be allowed to protect him and repay the General's past kindness!"

Liu Bei nodded with delight, his tone solemn as a mountain: "I am deeply grateful for the noble character of both generals. Now that Yuan Mai has entered Zhuo County, he has become one of my trusted brothers. I will certainly treat him as my own son and nephew, and will not fail the trust placed in me by the General. Heaven and earth can bear witness to this, and I will never betray you!"

The warm mist rising from the charcoal fire transformed the atmosphere inside the tent from one of sighs to one of solemnity.

Liu Bei suddenly stood up, his hand on his sword, his gaze sweeping over the crowd with intense intensity: "With such great kindness from the General, how can I sit here idly? I should go to Lu Nu in person to thank the General."

On that day, Liu Bei summoned his civil and military officials to make arrangements, and gave particular instructions to Zhao Yun, who was left to guard Shangdang.

Subsequently, Liu Bei, along with civil and military officials including Pang Tong, Xu Shu, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Huang Zhong, as well as 5,000 infantry and cavalry brought from You and Ji, set off for Lu Nu. Upon reaching Changshan State, Liu Bei made further deployments.

To ensure that the "dismissal of troops and pacification of the people" strategy was not interfered with by foreign enemies, Liu Bei ordered Guan Yu, Yan Liang, and Wen Chou to lead two thousand Changshan soldiers to stay and garrison the area.

With fierce generals like Guan Yu, along with the eight thousand Changshan soldiers led by Changshan Chancellor Gao Rou and his civil and military officials, the defense and agricultural settlements in this area were guaranteed to be foolproof.

At the same time, Liu Bei also allowed Zhang Yan and his troops, who had returned from Yanmen, to stay in Changshan, so that Zhang Yan and his group could reunite with their relatives and friends who were farming in Changshan.

Zhang Yan performed exceptionally well in Bingzhou. He not only obeyed orders but also successfully rescued a large number of Han Chinese who had been captured. He has proven his loyalty and ability to Liu Bei and is fully qualified to serve as General Who Pacifies the North.

After arriving in Zhongshan, Liu Bei made further arrangements:
Zhang Fei was dispatched to lead a thousand infantry and cavalry from Youzhou to garrison Lunu, commanding the troops of Zhongshan counties; Qian Zhao and Tao Sheng continued to hold their original positions.

Furthermore, Pang Tong was also left in Lu Nu, and given the power to oversee the military affairs of Zhongshan, Changshan, and Shangdang.

Liu Bei knew that the key to development through a defensive strategy was to leave behind key civil and military officials and deploy heavy troops in these three strategic locations.

With this, the entire defense system was completed: Zhao Yun guarded Shangdang, Guan Yu guarded Changshan, Zhang Fei guarded Zhongshan, Pang Tong was in charge of military affairs in the three areas, and numerous civil and military officials served in the area.

After completing this series of meticulous arrangements and ensuring the stability of the counties, Liu Bei finally set off to meet Yuan Shao.

It was early spring, and the snow outside the city had not yet melted.

The remaining snow covers the steps, and the plum branches in the courtyard are covered with frost.

When Liu Bei was admitted to the hospital, Yuan Shao was sitting in a stone pavilion, wearing a fur coat. Half of the "Strategies of the Warring States" had slipped from his lap, and his gaze was fixed on the fish struggling to break through the ice in the pond.

Upon seeing Liu Bei arrive, Yuan Shao pointed to the empty wine vessel on the table and laughed, "Xuande, you've come at just the right time. Please join your foolish brother for a few cups of wine."

Liu Bei took his seat as instructed, and poured wine, saying, "Brother Benchu, you certainly have a refined taste."

Yuan Shao laughed and said, "Now that I don't have to worry about anything, I'm free from worries. I spend my days watching fish, drinking wine, flipping through a couple of pages of an old book, and occasionally having a couple of drinks to soothe my mind."

Neither Liu Bei nor Yuan Shao addressed each other by their official titles, but simply as brothers by their courtesy names. They also did not discuss state affairs or the world, but only talked about romance and nature.

A few days later, Yuan Shao bid farewell to Liu Bei and, along with Lady Liu and several beautiful concubines, went to his old residence on the coast of the East China Sea in Bohai Commandery to live in seclusion.

This former powerful figure in Hebei, after experiencing a series of setbacks and insights in his life, finally let go of his obsessions and stopped interfering in Hebei affairs.

As for Yuan Shang and Yuan Tan, as Yuan Shao said in his letter to Liu Bei, the two are fighting each other, each accepting their fate, and Liu Bei does not need to worry about them.

　Chapter 2 is here! Please vote with your monthly tickets. Sister Yuan is temporarily leaving the stage.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)