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

Chapter 7 Did Zhuge Liang actually know that Liu Bei existed in the world?

After Liu Bei invited Xu Shu to be his honored guest, he held Xu Shu in extremely high regard.

They traveled together in the same carriage, sat together at the same table, and exchanged greetings day and night.

Upon learning that Xu Shu had a widowed mother in Xiangyang, Liu Bei immediately dispatched trusted followers with money, silk, and letters to Jingzhou to provide for her needs.

The letter explicitly states his identity as "a descendant of Prince Jing of Zhongshan, Marquis of Yicheng, General of the Left, and Governor of Yuzhou," aiming to tell Xu's mother: Your son is following me to accomplish great things and leave a lasting mark on history.

This moved Xu Shu, who already held Liu Bei in high regard, even more.

The news that Liu Bei had invited a "commoner" to be an honored guest also reached the ears of Che Zhou, the governor of Xuzhou.

At first, Che Zhou also suspected that Liu Bei was secretly raising assassins under the guise of studying gardens, and feared that Liu Bei would threaten his position in Xuzhou.

After learning about Xu Shu's background, Che Zhou felt contempt for Liu Bei: "Xu Shu is just a lowly, uncouth man. How foolish it is for Liu Bei to treat him as an honored guest!"

Especially after learning that Xu Shu's strategy for Liu Bei was to have vagrants in various counties register their households, Che Zhou's contempt intensified, concluding that Xu Shu was nothing more than a pretentious and pedantic scholar seeking to please the crowd.

however.

Che Zhou's disdain was exactly what Liu Bei had hoped for.

For Liu Bei, acquiring money and provisions was a long process that required extensive accumulation, making it the most difficult task; conversely, appeasing the wandering households and getting them to register their households willingly was the simplest thing to do.

In these chaotic times, probably no one knows better than Liu Bei how to appease the wandering people.

Back then, Liu Bei was betrayed by Lü Bu, and seven or eight out of ten of his soldiers were killed.

As a result, after Liu Bei bowed to Lü Bu and temporarily settled in Xiaopei, the scattered troops actually took the initiative to run to Xiaopei to rely on Liu Bei. This frightened Lü Bu so much that he no longer cared about the fate of his troops and hurriedly drove Liu Bei out of Xiaopei.

This is Liu Bei's reputation!

And this is indeed the case.

When the people of the various counties heard that Liu Bei was in charge, they flocked to register their households, as if they were afraid that if they registered too late, they would miss their chance.

"Liu Bei has been gone from Xiapi for more than half a year, yet he still enjoys such prestige?" Upon hearing the report from his subordinate officials, Che Zhou felt a chill run down his spine.

When Liu Bei, the Left General, arrived in Xiapi, he was already a powerful figure who could not be easily offended. Now, this powerful figure was winning over the hearts of the people in Xiapi, directly threatening Che Zhou's position in Xiapi.

Although Che Zhou was the governor of Xuzhou, he could only actually control Xiapi.

Chen Deng, the governor of Guangling, didn't regard Che Zhou as a governor at all. Chang Xi of Donghai was just thankful that he didn't rob Che Zhou. Zang Ba of Langya even formed his own faction. Pengcheng was slaughtered by Cao Cao several times and there were basically no people left.

Only Xiapi allowed Che Zhou to barely maintain the dignity of being a governor.

But if Liu Bei were to infiltrate Xiapi, then Che Zhou, the governor, would be nothing.

Che Zhou dared not confront Liu Bei directly, nor did he dare to obstruct Liu Bei's efforts to win over the people.

First of all, Liu Bei was a Left General from Xudu, which meant he was one rank higher than his superior.

Secondly, Che Zhou agreed to allow itinerant households to voluntarily register their household registration.

Now that the travelers have voluntarily registered, Che Zhou is unhappy, so how could Liu Bei possibly give Che Zhou a pleasant look?
Liu Bei was simply used to reasoning, but that doesn't mean he was only good at reasoning.

Even Zhu Ling, whose abilities were second only to the "Five Good Generals," dared not be "unreasonable" to Liu Bei, let alone Che Zhou.
After careful consideration, Che Zhou chose to secretly send a message to Cao Cao.

The gist of the letter is: Liu Bei is winning over the hearts of the people in Xiapi.

Just as Liu Bei had in mind, Che Zhou was a seasoned and cunning man.

The secret letter only stated the fact that "Liu Bei was winning over the hearts of the people in Xiapi," and did not even mention the speculation that "there was a secret plot."

The main point is this: if Cao Cao suspects Liu Bei, Liu Bei deserves to die; if Cao Cao doesn't suspect Liu Bei, Liu Bei can live. Regardless of Cao Cao's suspicions, Che Zhou was always loyal and dutiful, and therefore innocent. Liu Bei was unaware that Che Zhou was secretly sending messages to Cao Cao.

Or, to put it another way: as long as Che Zhou openly provides financial and material support to help Liu Bei appease the wandering households, Liu Bei will turn a blind eye.

With Xu Shu's assistance, Liu Bei's retinue grew from over a hundred men to three hundred.

Three hundred men may be few, but quality is more important than quantity in warfare.

With proper deployment, great things can be accomplished.

With his retainers secured, Liu Bei felt more confident and thus conceived the idea of ​​issuing a proclamation seeking talented individuals.

The difference between issuing a public notice to seek talent and seeking talent in a school garden is that the former is done openly, while the latter is done covertly.

"General, why issue a proclamation when you seek talent? I have a friend whose surname is Zhuge, given name Liang, courtesy name Kongming. He is from Yangdu, Langya, born in the fourth year of Guanghe, and has an irreconcilable hatred for Cao Cao." Xu Shu did not forget his promise to Zhuge Liang, and seeing that the time was ripe, he recommended him to Liu Bei.

Upon hearing that Zhuge Liang was from Langya, Liu Bei immediately felt a sense of kinship.

"I wonder how this person's talent and learning compare to Yuanzhi's?" Despite his camaraderie, Liu Bei sought out talented individuals for the sake of a great cause, not for empty fame like Liu Biao.

Talent and learning are of paramount importance!

Xu Shu laughed and said, "How dare I compare myself to Kongming? I am like the light of a firefly, while Kongming is as bright as the moon!"

The words fell.

Liu Bei was startled and sat up abruptly.

Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, who were standing on either side, also looked astonished.

After spending many days together, Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei all recognized Xu Shu's talent and thought he was a rare wise man of their time.

Unexpectedly, Xu Shu compared himself to the "light of a firefly" and praised Zhuge Liang as the "brightness of the moon"!

What surprised the three even more was that Zhuge Liang was born in the fourth year of the Guanghe era, not yet twenty years old!
Zhang Fei, being outspoken, asked, "Cao Cao has Xun Yu, known as the 'King's Advisor,' and Guo Jia, known as the 'Genius.' How does Kongming's talent compare to theirs?"

Xu Shu's tone hardened: "Although Xun Yu and Guo Jia are both highly talented, they are far inferior to Kongming. Kongming often compares himself to Guan Zhong and Yue Yi, possessing both literary and military talents; however, in my opinion, Kongming's talent is comparable to Jiang Ziya, who brought prosperity to the Zhou Dynasty for eight hundred years, and Zhang Liang, who brought prosperity to the Han Dynasty for four hundred years!"

Liu Bei and his two companions were even more astonished.

Whether it was Guan Zhong and Yue Yi or Jiang Shang and Zhang Liang, they were all legendary figures who have left their mark on history.

How could a boy not even twenty years old be compared to these four?
If Liu Bei and the other two had not known Xu Shu for many days, and had not witnessed Xu Shu's talent and knew his character, they would have suspected that Xu Shu was still drunk.

See this.

Xu Shu then said, “General Zuo, you may not know this. I was originally in Xiangyang seeking refuge and studying when Kongming came to me and said, ‘There is a wise ruler in the north; you may go with me to serve him.’”

"When Kongming first mentioned the Left General, I didn't dare to believe it because the Left General was still under Cao Cao's command; but Kongming believed that 'the Left General is virtuous and trustworthy, and there is no one but the Left General who can restore the Han Dynasty!'"

Liu Bei was both surprised and delighted: "So Zhuge Kongming knew that Liu Bei existed in this world!"

Guan Yu and Zhang Fei exchanged a glance, then swallowed back the doubts that were on the tip of their tongues.

I thought Zhuge Liang was a wild and eccentric man, but I never expected that he was actually a big fan of Liu Bei.

The phrase "The one who can restore the Han Dynasty is none other than General Zuo" is both beautiful and pleasing to the ear!
All of a sudden.

Both Guan Yu and Zhang Fei developed a liking for Zhuge Liang.

Whether Zhuge Liang possessed the talents of Guan Zhong, Yue Yi, Jiang Shang, and Zhang Liang is still uncertain, but just considering Zhuge Liang's high regard for Liu Bei, it is enough to make Guan Yu and Zhang Fei look at him differently!
　Please add this to your favorites, follow this story, vote for it, donate, and leave a comment.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)