Brother, stop curling up! You're curling up like the founder of the Han Dynasty!

Chapter 208 The New Great Teacher, Liu Bei's Name Resounds in Black Mountain (Seeking Subscriptions and Monthly Tickets)
As for whether Sima Fang and his son would actually help, Liu Bei didn't care.

If they help, the Sima clan will never amount to anything.

A member of the Sima clan who could not enter the center of power could only barely pass on his family name even after a lifetime of forbearance.

If they refuse to help, it's a good opportunity to drive the Sima clan to Liu Yu's command, and then wipe them all out in one fell swoop.

Upon arrival at the shooting dog.

Zhang Fei arrived three days before Liu Bei.

"Brother, you're too slow! I've been waiting for three days!"

Upon seeing Liu Bei, Zhang Fei became very excited and leaned closer to Zhuge Liang to examine him closely: "Brother, your student is truly handsome, just as handsome as I am."

Liu Bei nodded: "If you, Third Brother, were willing to shave off your beard, you would be quite handsome."

Zhang Fei took a step back: "How can I be without a beard? This is a magnificent beard! Without a magnificent beard, I wouldn't be handsome."

Zhuge Liang cupped his hands and praised, "Zhuge Liang of Langya greets Commandant Zhang. I have long heard of Commandant Zhang's bravery, which is comparable to that of ten thousand men. Seeing him today, I am even more impressed by the rumors. Although I am somewhat handsome, Commandant Zhang's handsomeness is accompanied by the spirit of a bear and a tiger, and the appearance of a hero. I am ashamed to admit that I am not as good as him."

Zhang Fei laughed loudly: "Brother, your disciple really knows how to praise people."

Feeling pleased with the compliments, Zhang Fei laughed throughout the journey and took good care of Zhuge Liang, telling him about things to be careful about in Shequan City. Beneath his seemingly rough exterior lay a delicate heart.

Upon arriving at the government office, Miao Shang, Xue Hong, Min Chun, and Geng Wu all stepped forward to pay their respects.

Although these four men were formerly Yuan Shao's civil and military officials, they have now surrendered to Liu Bei and have no way out. In particular, Min Chun and Geng Wu have become people on Yuan Shao's kill list.

Without Min Chun and Geng Wu, Liu Bei could have launched a surprise attack on Ye City, but he wouldn't have been able to plant his flag there to humiliate Yuan Shao, nor would he have caused Liu Yu to flee in panic.

After exchanging greetings.

Min Chun stepped forward, handed over a list, and reported, "Fortunately, I was able to find refuge thanks to the Imperial Uncle. During this time, I sent assassins to Black Mountain. All the leaders on the list have a grudge against Yuan Shao. If the Imperial Uncle is willing, you can offer them official positions, and they will be willing to act as your inside agents."

Liu Bei glanced approvingly at Min Chun. He was indeed a man who could be recruited by Han Fu as an official, appointed as the Minister of the Imperial Household by Liu Yu, and decisively open up Ye City. His talent and insight far surpassed those of ordinary people.

Even though Liu Bei didn't give a specific order, Min Chun guessed Liu Bei's thoughts and sent assassins into Black Mountain in advance.

"Very good!" Liu Bei was never stingy with those who were willing to do their best: "Report back to the leaders of the Black Mountain tribe that I will not mistreat anyone who is willing to be an inside agent. I have also brought the seals and documents. I entrust this matter to you."

He beckoned, and a soldier in white feathers brought over a large stack of documents and official seals.

Min Chun was overjoyed.

We went to great lengths to send assassins to Black Mountain, wasn't it all for this day?
"I will certainly live up to your trust, Imperial Uncle!" Min Chun excitedly took the documents and seal.

These were all anonymous documents and seals. Min Chun believed that whoever was to be appointed could simply have their name written on the document.

After Min Chun withdrew, Liu Bei said to Zhang Fei, Miao Shang, Xue Hong, and Geng Wu: "From now on, the new policies will be implemented in Hanoi. I want to see results within a month."

Liu Bei was not afraid of opposition from the powerful clans and wealthy families in Hanoi.

The more opposition there was, the happier Liu Bei became.

Why was Sima Yi able to completely destroy Cao Wei?

Sima Yi was good at lying low, and he remained in hiding until almost all three generations of Cao Wei had died, leaving only Cao Shuang in the end.

Liu Bei's greatest desire was for all ambitious people to join Liu Yu's ranks.

Otherwise, Liu Bei would not have kept Liu Yu's regime.

Only an independent regime can attract powerful families to attach themselves to it; otherwise, they will all lie low, and even if Liu Bei unifies the country in the future, he will face many troubles.

Liu Bei's actions in Hanoi were so significant that Yuan Shao didn't even need to send spies; people would come to him seeking help.

The person who arrived was Sima Lang, the eldest son of Sima Fang.

After being intimidated by Liu Bei, Sima Fang and Sima Lang discussed and decided to openly support Liu Bei's new policies while secretly siding with Yuan Shao.

To avoid angering Liu Bei and being purged, Sima Fang had Sima Lang bring several of his younger brothers to Ye City, ostensibly as sending them as hostages to demonstrate his support for Yuan Shao.

"Liu Bei is so arrogant to actually implement new policies right in front of me!"

Upon hearing Sima Lang's account, Yuan Shao felt his anger rise again from the depths of his heart.

In the past, when Liu Bei implemented his new policies and distanced himself from Yuan Shao, Yuan Shao only mocked him, laughing at Liu Bei for cutting himself off from the powerful clans and aristocratic families of the world.

Now that Liu Bei is implementing new policies, he is directly confronting Yuan Shao.

The situation was the same in Yanzhou and in Hanoi; it was as if they were directly telling Yuan Shao: "There are many inside agents here, come and attack me!"

If given the chance, Yuan Shao would definitely fight.

When Liu Bei was implementing his policies in Yanzhou, it coincided with a period of truce, leaving Yuan Shao powerless to act.

Now that Liu Bei was promoting his policies in Hanoi, Yuan Shao could no longer contain his anger. He immediately said to Sima Lang, "If you and your son are willing to help me succeed, I will certainly not treat you unfairly. I can appoint Sima Fang as the Prefect of Wei Commandery and you as the Magistrate of Ye City."

Sima Lang was stunned.

Are they the Prefect of Wei Commandery and the Magistrate of Ye City again?

Did Liu Bei and Yuan Shao secretly collude?

"What, you think it's too small?" Yuan Shao frowned.

They've already given them the positions of Prefect of Wei Commandery and Magistrate of Ye City, yet they still complain about the small positions. How can the Sima father and son be so clueless?

Seeing Yuan Shao's displeasure, Sima Lang quickly said, "General, you misunderstand. I'm just afraid that I am not knowledgeable enough to handle this task."

"It's alright. If I say you can do it, then you can do it." Yuan Shao's generous promise allowed Sima Lang to return to Hanoi to prepare.

After Sima Lang left, Feng Ji approached and said, "My lord, these Sima Fang and his son might be bait deliberately laid out by Liu Bei. This isn't the first time Liu Bei has done something like this."

While in Chang'an, he instigated a rebellion among powerful bandits in the Guanzhong Plain. While in Luoyang, he instigated a rebellion among powerful bandits under the governor of Henan.

Now, in Hanoi, the scene is similar again.

Feng Ji was immediately on high alert.

Yuan Shao said resentfully, "I know what Liu Bei is thinking, but if we don't fight, I won't be able to get over it."

Having dealt with Liu Bei for several years, Yuan Shao had witnessed Liu Bei's tried-and-true tactics and could naturally guess Liu Bei's thoughts.

Killing the rebellious powerful families on charges of "colluding with thieves" and then confiscating their money, grain, land, and houses was even easier than simply robbing them.

Even if you rob someone directly, you have to worry about your reputation. But confiscating the property of a traitor is a matter of course.

"We definitely have to fight, but we can't fight now. We have to make Liu Bei think we won't fight, and then launch a surprise attack." After thinking carefully for a while, Feng Ji offered a suggestion: "Many of the Black Mountain leaders are willing to submit to our lord. Why not take this opportunity to continue our campaign against the Black Mountain Yellow Turbans?"

"However, this campaign against the Yellow Turbans of Black Mountain requires a step-by-step approach. We should first use a small force to attack them. If Liu Bei sends troops, we should ambush him with our main force. If Liu Bei does not send troops, we should secretly deploy our main force to gradually erode the Yellow Turbans of Black Mountain."

"Once we have nibbled away at the Black Mountain Yellow Turbans, it will be much easier to attack Liu Bei."

Although Yuan Shao really wanted to go directly to Hanoi to fight Liu Bei, he also knew that Feng Ji's suggestion was the right thing to do. He said angrily, "Let Liu Bei go for now. When I find an opportunity, I will make him regret being my enemy!"

Both Liu Bei and Yuan Shao chose to win over the leaders of the Yellow Turban Rebellion in Heishan to create an opportunity to attack each other.

However, news has been quietly circulating within Montenegro recently.

"Have you heard? Imperial Uncle Liu Bei has inherited the Great Teacher's 'Taiping Jing' (Scripture of Great Peace)."

"Really? Liu Bei's surname is Liu, which has nothing to do with the Yellow Heaven."

"This has nothing to do with whether we are surnamed Liu or not. Whoever can keep us from going hungry is the greatest teacher. Do you think the talisman water you drank back then was just water? It was rice soup with talismans added to it, which could fill our stomachs."

"Now that you mention it, it makes sense. I've heard that the Yellow Turbans in Runan aren't going hungry anymore."

"If we stay in the Black Mountain, we'll only go hungry. If only we could all follow Liu Bei."

"But Liu Bei doesn't want us either?"

"As long as we proclaim Liu Bei as a great and wise teacher, he will definitely want us."

"."

Black Mountain Army, Zhang Yanzhai.

Xu Shu gathered the information and frowned, saying, "Commander Zhang, you didn't spread the news fast enough. We need to make the Imperial Uncle's name known throughout Black Mountain. The more people who support the Imperial Uncle, the more future the Yellow Turbans of Black Mountain will have."

Zhang Yan sat down helplessly: "Minister Xu, it's hard to believe that a new Grand Master of Virtue has suddenly appeared. My messengers have already spread the news very quickly. If the Imperial Uncle's surname is Zhang, it will definitely spread even faster."

"So that's why you changed Chu Yan to Zhang Yan?" Xu Shu frowned even more. "What I wanted was for the Imperial Uncle to be famous throughout Black Mountain, not for him to actually become a great teacher. I should have known better than to believe your nonsense and just promote the Imperial Uncle's benevolence and righteousness."

Zhang Yan jumped up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on: "Minister Xu, how can this be called nonsense? The Black Mountain Yellow Turbans don't even know who the Imperial Uncle is or what benefits he will bring them. What's the use of talking about benevolence and righteousness? But as soon as they hear about the Great Teacher of Virtue, they know they can get a full meal. Why can't the Imperial Uncle have the surname Zhang?"

"Oh, right. Doesn't the Imperial Uncle have a sworn brother named Zhang Fei? How about I change the slogan and say that the Great Teacher of Virtue is Zhang Fei?"

Xu Shu covered his forehead and sighed.

Zhang Yan continued, "Simply saying that the Great Teacher of Virtue is Zhang Fei is definitely not enough, but the Great Teacher of Virtue is a disciple of the Immortal of Nanhua. This Immortal of Nanhua certainly has more than one disciple, so I'll add that the Imperial Uncle is the Immortal of Nanhua's eldest disciple, and that will definitely work!"

"Don't underestimate me. This time, I'll definitely make the Imperial Uncle famous throughout Black Mountain. Men, listen to me. From now on, when you go out, tell everyone that the Great Teacher of Virtue has been reincarnated as Zhang Fei, and that the Great Teacher of Virtue has a senior brother, Liu Bei. Do you all understand?"

Although Zhang Yan's words sounded outrageous, they had a surprisingly good effect.

In no time, the news that "the Great Teacher has been reincarnated as Zhang Fei and is following his senior brother Liu Bei to save Black Mountain" spread rapidly in Black Mountain.

Upon receiving the news, Min Chun hurriedly went to find Liu Bei.

Upon hearing the rumors about Black Mountain, Zhang Fei's eyes widened instantly: "Wait, how did I become the reincarnation of Zhang Jiao? Just because Zhang Jiao's surname is Zhang, and mine is also Zhang? Am I not myself anymore?"

Liu Bei listened with great interest: "The person who made up this story is quite clever. I've actually become the eldest disciple of the Immortal of Nanhua. Third brother, you've become an immortal's disciple, shouldn't you be happy?"

"Pah! Pah! Pah!" Zhang Fei said disdainfully, "If he had just said I was a disciple of an immortal, I would have accepted it. But why am I the reincarnation of Zhang Jiao? I am Zhang Fei, my surname is Zhang and my given name is Fei, not Zhang Jiao!"

"Captain Zhang, why get so agitated? Wasn't I also Guo Youzhi, the Celestial Master of the Five Pecks of Rice Sect before?" Xu You clapped his hands and laughed: "It's just an alias, what's wrong with that? If Captain Zhang acknowledges this alias, he can use the identity of the Great Teacher of Virtue to persuade the Yellow Turbans of Black Mountain to surrender."

"Why bother with an alias when you can subdue the enemy without fighting? It's a pity that I wasn't the reincarnation of the Great Teacher of Virtue, otherwise I would definitely go to Black Mountain and show off my divine power in front of the Yellow Turbans. Just thinking about it makes me feel refreshed."

Zhang Fei was stunned: "What Military Advisor Xu said makes a lot of sense. It seems that using the pseudonym 'Great Teacher of Virtue' is not bad."

Min Chun excitedly said, "Uncle, your name is now renowned throughout Black Mountain. Now is the time to call upon the Yellow Turbans of Black Mountain to act as our inside agents. Why don't we send orders to the Yellow Turbans of Black Mountain to attack Ye City?"

"Why send the Black Mountain Yellow Turbans to attack Ye City?" Liu Bei rested his chin on his hand, a smile playing on his lips. "The new policies in Hanoi have been in effect for over a month, and Yuan Shao hasn't sent any troops yet. It's obvious that Yuan Shao is using the Black Mountain Yellow Turbans as bait."

"It's true what they say, once bitten, twice shy. Yuan Shao is afraid I'll launch another surprise attack on Ye City, so he's keeping an eye on me. Since Yuan Shao wants me to attack Ye City so badly, I'd be letting him down if I didn't."

“In another month, the grain in Jizhou will be ripe. As the eldest brother of the Great Teacher of Virtue, I should also send enough grain to the Yellow Turbans of Black Mountain.”

"Send a message to Yu Du and other leaders: in thirty days, they will be responsible for seizing grain, and I will be responsible for attacking Yuan Shao."

Min Chun was taken aback: "But the Imperial Uncle only brought two thousand troops. Isn't it too risky to send such a small force to attack Ye City? The Black Mountain Yellow Turbans are numerous and powerful. Sending them to attack Ye City would be enough to tie down most of Yuan Shao's troops. When the Imperial Uncle attacks Ye City, he will surely make Liu Yu flee in panic again."

Liu Bei chuckled and said, "The strength of an army lies not in its size, but in its deployment. Twenty thousand soldiers have their own tactics, and two thousand soldiers have theirs. Although the Black Mountain Yellow Turbans are numerous and powerful, they are just a group of refugees fleeing famine. How can they possibly contend with Yuan Shao?"

"These professional matters should be left to professionals. Refugees fleeing famine should go and harvest the ripe grain. Fighting is the specialty of the Lingyan Army."

Zhang Fei also said, "Min Changshi, don't worry about how to fight. My elder brother has brought the White Feather Army this time. The terrain of Jizhou is flat, which is perfect for the White Feather Army to charge into battle."

Turning to Liu Bei, he excitedly said, "Brother, how about I take command of your White Feather Army this time? Uncle Zhi has to protect you and can't go into battle. With me leading the charge, even if Yuan Shao comes, I'll capture him alive."

Liu Bei had already intended to have Zhang Fei command the White Feather Army when he transferred Zhang Fei from Hedong to Hanoi. So he laughed and said, "Since you're so interested, how can I refuse? However, Yuan Shao has a Vanguard Battalion that is skilled in using strong bows and crossbows. You should familiarize yourself with the White Feather Army's anti-bow and crossbow tactics. If you encounter them, you should destroy Yuan Shao's Vanguard Battalion."

(End of this chapter)