The Three Great Han Dynasties: Awaken Liu Bei with a scolding; you weave mats and sell sandals.

Liu Zongran drew back the longbow behind him and held it to his chest. The bowstring suddenly tightened into a crescent shape, and the arrow was nocked on the string. With a crisp "thud," the arrow struck the person hiding in the shadows.

"How dare they launch a sneak attack on my Liu family's caravan! They have no sense of mortality."

In the blink of an eye, a major battle was about to break out.

After the practice of drinking several cups of tea.

"Brothers, the wind's blowing hard, let's get out of here! Everyone, retreat now!"

Seeing that Liu Zongran and his followers were powerful, the bandits fought several rounds, and many of their brothers were killed or wounded. Their faces turned pale and they looked panicked. They hurriedly rushed into the mountains behind them.

Liu Zongran wasn't going to tolerate them. He drew his horse into a crescent shape, and "whoosh, whoosh, whoosh" sounds accompanied the air-cutting noise.

Those around him followed suit.

In the blink of an eye, several arrows fell, easily reaping all the remaining people.

If we don't establish our authority today, there will only be more bandits robbing caravans in the future. If this continues day after day, the Liu family's business will be completely ruined.

"Zilong, what are you waiting for? Make your move!"

Liu Zongran looked at Zhao Yun and saw that the bandits behind him had only fainted and had not killed any of them. He frowned.

As Zhao Yun hesitated, a slight noise suddenly came from the bushes beside him.

Liu Zongran's gaze sharpened, and he immediately drew another arrow, aiming it in that direction, ready to shoot.

But then, a child appeared from the bushes, who looked to be about five or six years old.

The child was terrified by the horrific scene before him and instinctively backed away, only to fall to the ground again.

Just then, the sound of an arrow piercing the air came. Zhao Yun's pupils contracted sharply, and he thrust his silver spear upwards, precisely blocking the arrow without injuring anyone.

Such a scene was tantamount to slapping Liu Zongran in the face in public.

"Zhao Zilong, what do you intend to do?"

Liu Zongran's face was ashen, veins bulged on his forehead, and his fists were clenched tightly.

If they hadn't known that Zhao Zilong was one of their own, they probably would have already aimed their arrows at him again.

"Zhao Zilong, open your eyes and take a good look. This child is with these bandits. Are you going to be soft-hearted today?"

"But...but..."

Zhao Zilong was speechless for a long time, but the other righteous men around him had already silently surrounded the child. Even if they didn't kill him for the time being, they would never let him leave.

These followers were all elders of the Liu family, who had traveled all over the country over the years and had seen all kinds of storms. This scene was not surprising to them.

So everyone tried to persuade him gently: "Zilong, what are you standing there for? Quickly apologize to the general and say that you didn't mean it."

"General, Zilong has just lost his mind for a moment. Please don't take it to heart."

"Zilong, hurry!"

The group of loyal followers genuinely liked Zhao Yun's personality, and at this moment they did their best to smooth things over.

Zhao Zilong may indeed be valued by the Liu family, but in the hearts of the many loyal followers, he is ultimately no match for a true member of the Liu family, let alone Liu Zongran in front of him.

That's Liu Gong's own nephew.

The fact that they could go this far at this moment shows that the genuine friendship between everyone and Zhao Yun is absolutely true.

"General, but he... he's just a child."

After hesitating for a moment, Zhao Yun finally said those words.

But Liu Zongran remained unmoved after hearing this, and even sneered, "Zhao Zilong, you have nothing to say?"

"Once a bandit, always a bandit. Look at this child, with those hateful eyes and jealous looks. If you let him go today..."

He will definitely come back for revenge someday.

"The hatred for his father's murder is boundless. Are we supposed to wait until he grows up and turns against his brothers? Even if I, Liu Zongran, am willing to let him go today, Zhao Zilong, ask the men around you. Are they willing?"

"There's no such thing as a thousand days to catch a thief, but a thousand days to guard against one. Zhao Zilong, are you sure you want to do this?"

Liu Zongran's words were filled with frustration and disappointment at Liu's lack of ambition.

Zhao Zilong before him was indeed exceptionally talented and outstanding; even Liu Zongran had to admit that he was inferior in skill.

When he left the Liu family manor earlier.

He had already discussed with his uncle Liu Hong that he would probably have to hand over the position of the garrison commander, the leader of the many righteous followers, to Zhao Yun sooner or later.

This is for the good of the Liu family.

It doesn't matter what Liu Zongran does.

But now, the other party is behaving like this. The young man is too naive. How can we completely trust him and entrust the lives of so many old brothers to him?

Liu Zongran was greatly disappointed.

"Take this child with you, Zilong. I hope you won't regret it later."

Seeing that the two sides were still deadlocked, Liu Zongran chose to back down.

He put away his bow and arrows and ordered the group of followers around him, "Keep an eye on him and don't let him run around."

All Zhao Yun could do was keep the child by his side with a blank expression, nothing more.

Seeing that he wasn't foolish enough to let the child go, his brothers chose to remain silent for the time being.

However, the atmosphere of the caravan became extremely awkward on the rest of the journey, and the cheerful and harmonious atmosphere of the first half of the trip was gone.

This is a common flaw among idealists; you can't say they're wrong, but you certainly can't say they're completely right either.

……

At this time, Liu Hong was unaware of the turmoil that had occurred within the caravan.

After finishing his business at the manor, he returned to his residence in Zhuojun.

As soon as they arrived at the gate of the mansion, they saw a person dressed in plain clothes with long sleeves blocking their way.

Liu Hong sized up the man and found him to be neither a strong and powerful individual, but rather someone with the air of a civil official. Although he appeared to possess martial arts skills, he was no match for Liu Hong.

Moreover, this happened in front of his Liu family mansion. Even enemy soldiers would never do such a foolish thing.

"And who are you?"

Liu Hong frowned and asked.

But the next moment, with a "thump," the man in the long robe knelt down on the spot, his fearful and trembling appearance was not an act: "Please forgive me, Inspector."

"This humble official is deeply guilty and has committed grave errors. I beg the Inspector to forgive me this time."

The other party's sudden and generous gesture left Liu Hong somewhat stunned.

He continued to press, frowning, "What exactly happened? Why aren't you seeking out the Prefect, but instead coming to this Inspector? If you don't explain yourself clearly, how can I help you?"

Seeing that Liu Hong seemed unaware of the situation, the man became even more apprehensive. However, under Liu Hong's gaze, he tremblingly recounted the whole story: "I hope you will forgive me, sir."

"It's all my fault. I really didn't know that Madam Xu was your concubine. If I had known earlier, I wouldn't have dared to send a matchmaker to propose marriage, even if I had ten lives."

"Please forgive me, sir."