The Three Kingdoms: The Oath of the Peach Garden, the Rise of the Han Dynasty

After entering and leaving the palace, Bi Lan was given a secret mission: to learn about the wilderness, grasslands, and outdoor activities from Li Chang.

Three days later, Bi Lan, accompanied by more than a hundred personal guards and pulling more than a dozen carts of luggage, reluctantly left Luoyang and headed towards Bingzhou.

When the news reached Yuan Wei's residence, the core figures of the aristocratic families looked at each other in bewilderment.

"Liu Bei actually requested to send a eunuch to supervise the army? Has he gone mad?"

"What exactly is this kid up to? Is he really loyal to the imperial court?"

"Didn't he have any ulterior motives?"

"Could he be the next Liu Yu?"

Yuan Wei, the contemporary leader of the aristocratic family, stroked his beard and, despite their differing stances, praised Liu Bei.

"By volunteering to be a military supervisor, he completely silenced everyone."

"What a shrewd Liu Bei! What a shrewd Li Chang!"

"That was a brilliant move!"

"It seems we underestimated them."

"Liu Bei is only in his early thirties, yet he has already grasped the essence of power!"

The heads of the families nodded in agreement. Apart from the core heirs they were grooming, some of them were still naively thinking it was a conflict between aristocratic families and eunuchs!

Meanwhile, elsewhere in Luoyang.

Young men from prominent families gathered.

When he heard that Liu Bei had taken the initiative to invite a eunuch to Bingzhou to supervise the army, he burst out laughing on the spot.

"Hahaha! I thought this Liu Bei was some kind of capable man, but he turns out to be just a cowardly fool!"

"He actually asked a eunuch to spy on him!"

"That's hilarious!"

"This kind of person will never amount to anything!"

"As a member of the Han imperial family, how dare he side with a eunuch!"

The group of scions of prominent families burst into laughter.

In their view, Liu Bei was crippling himself and courting death.

After dealing with this large group, Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu formed a smaller group.

The back garden.

A pond of withered lotus leaves, the autumn wind blew bleakly.

The pavilion, which was just a moment ago crowded with scions of noble families, now only has six people left.

Yuan Shao picked up his wine cup, without shaking it, and looked towards Bingzhou:

"Liu Bei is truly a hero of our time."

Two years ago, he was just a weaver of mats and a seller of shoes in Zhuojun, but now he has taken control of Bingzhou and become a governor of the region.

His act of voluntarily requesting to be the military supervisor, seemingly tying his own hands, actually completely blocked all avenues for criticism—a truly brilliant move.

Yuan Shu nodded in agreement, but his words were sharp:

"Not bad, he has some skill. Now we can befriend him."

Cao Cao, sitting to the side, remained silent, his fingers lightly tapping the table.

Hearing their words, he slowly raised his head, a glint of light flashing in his eyes:

"Benchu, Gonglu, you still underestimate Liu Bei."

"Actively requesting a eunuch to supervise the army is an act of forbearance."

"In order to stabilize Bingzhou and accumulate strength, he could endure what ordinary people could not."

He was willing to tarnish his own reputation and even bring eunuchs into Bingzhou. This forbearance and decisiveness were extraordinary.

"A hero is one who cherishes lofty ambitions, possesses brilliant strategies, has the capacity to encompass the universe, and the ambition to swallow the heavens and earth. Liu Bei truly deserves the title of hero."

Yuan Shao was slightly taken aback and looked at Cao Cao:

"Mengde, you overestimate him. He is just a fallen member of the imperial family, with no other famous generals under his command besides Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Zhao Yun, and only one strategist, Li Chang. His foundation is shallow, and he is unlikely to achieve great things."

Of course, the "great talent" he was referring to was at least at the level of a high-ranking official.

"Foundation?" Cao Cao shook his head and laughed. "Back then, Emperor Gaozu was just a village head in Sishui, yet he still managed to establish the Han Dynasty, which lasted for four hundred years."

"Liu Bei was known for his benevolence and could win the hearts of the people; he had Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Zhao Yun, who were capable of fighting against ten thousand men; and he had Li Chang, who was full of wisdom and resourcefulness. What was even more remarkable was that he was flexible and adaptable, and did not concern himself with trivial matters."

"Today he can ask a eunuch to supervise the army for the sake of Bingzhou; tomorrow he can do anything for the sake of the world."

The pavilion fell silent instantly; it was a sensitive topic concerning the Gaozu Emperor, and it was not easy to give a proper answer.

Yuan Shao stroked his beard, seemingly lost in thought.

Yuan Shu became more serious and began to consider whether he should go to Nanyang to become the governor.

Nanyang alone saved more than two million people, which is three or four times the number of people saved by the entire Bingzhou prefecture. This is far better than him!

Zhang Miao, Xu You, and He Yong are still just background figures.

The autumn wind swept up fallen leaves, which drifted down in front of the six people.

The world situation has quietly changed.

……

Meanwhile, in Hedong County, Anyi City.

The main hall of the prefect's mansion, which had been bustling at first, had become deserted.

Ding Yuan sat in the prefect's main seat, his face so ashen it could drip water.

Isn't he just trying to apply the development policies he learned in Taiyuan?

Why have these people suddenly changed?

Only three days after the proposal was made, not a single magistrate from the twelve counties under the jurisdiction of Hedong Prefecture came to pay his respects.

The government granary had less than three thousand bushels of grain left.

The treasury was completely empty, with only tens of thousands left!

This is a large prefecture with over 500,000 people! It's not even as big as Taiyuan, which has over 200,000 people!

He wanted to send people to check the household registration and measure the land, but the clerks in charge of the matter all took leave that day, and not a single one could be found.

He wanted to wipe out the bandits in the territory, but as soon as the army set out, the bandits got wind of it in advance and disappeared without a trace.

The methods that worked so well for him in Taiyuan Prefecture completely failed him when he arrived in Hedong.

Why is Hedong County different?

"My godfather, the head of the Wei, Yang and Liu families, all claimed to be ill and refused to see guests."

Lu Bu entered the hall, his face equally grim.

He was ordered to visit the major families in Hedong, but he couldn't even get through their gates.

Ding Yuan slammed his fist on the table and roared:

"Those powerful families in Taiyuan are begging me for favors and have to do whatever I say!"

"Hmph, once I've established myself, I'll see how I deal with them!"

Lu Bu lowered his head and remained silent.

He felt even more aggrieved than Ding Yuan.

Ding Yuan had promised him that once he arrived in Hedong, he would make him the Commandant of Hedong Commandery, in charge of all the troops in the commandery.

But the result?

He only got a sinecure as a clerk!

It would be better to stay in Bingzhou!

What chilled him even more was that Ding Yuan had also begun to doubt him.

Yesterday, Ding Yuan, under the pretext of "strengthening the defense of the prefectural government," took away one hundred of his personal guards, leaving him with only twenty!

They openly and secretly feared that he might contact his former subordinates in Bingzhou and coordinate an attack from within!

Is this reasonable? How can you doubt your own adopted son? Would your adopted son kill his adoptive father?

"Fengxian," Ding Yuan looked at him and asked tentatively, "Do you think Liu Bei might secretly contact the powerful families in Hedong to cause us trouble?"

Lu Bu suddenly raised his head and looked at Ding Yuan in disbelief:

"Godfather! How could you think like that? Don't you know what kind of person Lord Liu is?"

"I know?" Ding Yuan sneered. "I know all too well! How could he have risen from a humble weaver of mats and sandals to the position of Governor of Bingzhou? His methods must have been simple."

Besides, even if he couldn't, wouldn't his subordinate Li Chang know how?

"You seem quite absent-minded lately. Are you still reminiscing about Bingzhou?"

Lu Bu blurted out instinctively, "Father, how did you know?"

But as soon as he opened his mouth, he sensed something was wrong!

Damn it, I've been spending too much time with Zhang Fei, and I've become so blunt in my speech, I still haven't changed!

Ding Yuan: "!!!"

Fine, fine, you're not even bothering to pretend anymore?

"Oh! You really want to go back to Bingzhou!"

Ding Yuan gritted his teeth and glared angrily at Lü Bu.

Lu Bu was greatly alarmed and hurriedly explained, "I'm innocent, Godfather! I was just thinking that Hedong is constrained at every turn, and Bingzhou is much more convenient!"

"Hmph!" Ding Yuan turned his head away. "You can leave now. I need to rest."

Lu Bu's heart sank instantly.

He opened his mouth, wanting to explain, but found he couldn't say anything.

Yes, he does miss Bingzhou.

I miss the days in Bingzhou.

I miss drinking with Zhang Fei, whipping Xianbei prisoners together, and fighting side by side on the battlefield.

I fondly remember sparring with Guan Yu, Zhao Yun, and Huang Zhong, and the mutual respect we shared.

He cherishes the memory of Li Chang's recognition of him and the memory of Liu Bei's trust in him.

In Bingzhou, no one looked down on him because he was Ding Yuan's adopted son.

As long as he can fight and kill the barbarians, he will gain respect.

But in Hedong, he was nothing.

He was merely a powerless clerk, an outsider suspected by his adoptive father.

"I don't."

Lu Bu uttered three words and turned to leave.

If they had known Liu Bei would become the governor, they wouldn't have needed to leave, right? And their adoptive father wouldn't have changed, would he?

As Ding Yuan watched Lu Bu's departing figure, his eyes grew increasingly gloomy.

He clenched his fists, his suspicions growing ever deeper.

Since we've pledged allegiance to the powerful families, we must bind ourselves to them tightly!

He immediately wrote a letter to Luoyang.