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

The next day, as darkness fell, Li Chang passed by the military camp and saw that the lights were still on inside, so he peeked out.

Xiahou Lan was sitting alone at the desk, flipping through account books with his left hand and using an abacus with his right, his eyes bruised and dark.

Next to it was a pot of tea that had gone cold and half a dried biscuit that hadn't been eaten.

Li Chang was stunned for a moment, feeling a strange sense of déjà vu about the scene.

"Brother Xiahou?" he called out tentatively.

Xiahou Lan looked up abruptly and, seeing it was Li Chang, quickly stood up and saluted: "Strategist!"

"Why aren't you resting so late?"

"The grain supplies for the third battalion need to be shipped out tomorrow, and I need to check the numbers in advance," Xiahou Lan said earnestly, with a hint of pride.

"Mr. Jane has entrusted me with so many important matters; I cannot afford to make any mistakes."

"...How much work did he give you?"

"Not many." Xiahou Lan counted on her fingers, "Military discipline inspection, rewards and punishments for the vanguard battalion, review of food and fodder allocation, records of ordnance repairs, preliminary verification of each battalion's merits, drafting of military laws, handling of the Yellow Turban rebels..."

Li Chang couldn't listen anymore.

"You did all this by yourself?"

"Thank you for your trust, my lord, strategist, and Mr. Jian."

Look, he even said thank you!

Li Chang fell silent.

People these days are really... adorable!

Thinking back to the days when Jian Yong chased and scolded him, and then thinking about how Jian Yong had now dumped all these tasks on Xiahou Lan, he suddenly felt a deep sympathy for this young man.

But then he thought: Isn't this the "great talent" he's been looking for all along? Jian Yong is free, and so am I—perfect!

The pang of conscience only lasted a short while before it was over!

Li Chang patted Xiahou Lan on the shoulder, his expression serious and sincere:

"Brother Xiahou, Mr. Jian is right. This is trust; we have high expectations for you!"

Although I haven't put you in command of troops, you are the third most important figure among our scholars! Do your best, and your future is limitless!

Xiahou Lan's eyes reddened again, and she nodded emphatically: "Rest assured, strategist! Lan will not fail your trust!"

Li Chang turned and left, feeling guilty.

Stepping out of the tent, I looked up at the moon in the sky.

Oh dear, it's so late, time to go to sleep and take good care of your health!

A short while later.

Xiahou Lan also came out and looked at the moon in the sky.

Oh dear, it's so late! Keep up the good work! Do your military duties well!

Early the next morning.

The sound of hooves echoed across the drill ground as dozens of warhorses galloped in formation in the morning light.

Zhao Yun was officially appointed as the commander of the cavalry garrison, responsible for training Liu Bei's first formal cavalry unit.

They combined the cavalry from the scouts with the old brothers from Zhen Ding, and selected those who could ride horses from the main force of three thousand, making a total of one hundred and twenty men.

"Cavalry is different from infantry," Zhao Yun said loudly to the more than one hundred new cavalrymen, riding on his horse and based on his own thoughts.

"Infantry emphasizes disciplined formations and synchronized movements. Cavalry emphasizes speed, agility, and teamwork!"

He spurred his horse to a trot, his gleaming silver spear pointing towards a corner of the training ground:

"First, archery on horseback! Second, flanking maneuvers! Third, pursuit and charging into enemy lines! The foundation is the same—horse control!"

"A horse is not a donkey!" Zhao Yun dismounted and patted a glossy white horse.

"From today onwards, your horses are your brothers. Clean the stables, brush their coats, and feed them every day. The horses will eat before you do. Understand?"

"Understood!" More than a hundred people responded in unison, their voices varying in pitch.

Zhao Yun wasn't in a hurry. He followed the basic training manual given to him by Li Chang, first selecting a few of the best horsemen to be squad leaders, and then letting them each lead their own men.

One hundred and twenty men, divided into twelve squads, with ten men in each squad. They started training from the most basic horse control.

First practice jogging, then practice accelerating, and finally practice maintaining formation on horseback.

The whole process is ten times more tiring than infantry training.

In less than a morning, five people had already fallen off their horses.

"Get up! Go again!" Zhao Yun rode over. He was not old, but he had an imposing aura that made people afraid to look him in the eye.

The cavalryman gritted his teeth, flipped over, and climbed back onto his horse.

From afar, Zhang Fei squatted by the training ground, watching the spectacle. He had a blade of grass dangling from his mouth, and, observing Zhao Yun's meticulous demeanor, he shook his head and said:

"This kid is really something, he's got the makings of a general."

Guan Yu stood beside him, his gaze fixed on the stumbling new cavalrymen: "Yide, how long do you think it will take for these men to be ready for battle?"

Zhang Fei thought for a moment: "It'll take at least two or three months, right?"

"One month."

The two turned their heads at the same time to look at Li Chang, who had appeared out of nowhere.

"Guangzong can't wait much longer." Li Chang looked at the warhorses galloping on the training ground and the white-robed figure. "In a month, these cavalrymen must have basic combat capabilities."

Guan Yu frowned: "Is there enough time?"

Li Chang did not answer, but only looked at the white-robed figure in the distance who was helping the fallen cavalrymen up again and again.

"With Zilong here, we should be able to make it in time. At least... most of those hundred men can ride horses and can easily charge into battle."

……

On the other side, the vanguard camp was located.

Zhang Fei's whip hung at the entrance of the camp, untouched for several days.

It wasn't that the Vanguard Battalion had become more obedient; it was that Xiahou Lan had arrived.

He took a booklet and asked the platoon leaders of each platoon to report on the training situation, mistakes, and meritorious deeds of each ten-day period, and he wrote them down clearly.

Then they nailed a wooden board to the entrance of the vanguard camp, and pasted a wooden board on it with everyone's name and merits and demerits written on it.

The points deducted, the points added, and how many points are left to leave the vanguard camp are all clearly written down.

Those ruffians initially looked down on Jian Yong's refined and scholarly ways, but when they saw their names written on the board and their every move being recorded, they began to feel insecure.

It was also discovered that meritorious service really does earn points, and points can really lead to being transferred out of the vanguard battalion.

This isn't just empty promises!

My restless heart, which had been under intense pressure, seemed to be calmed down.

The commotion at the vanguard camp subsided quietly.

After reading it, Zhang Fei sighed for a long time, and then said something that left Xiahou Lan speechless:

"Impressive. It works better than my whip."

Xiahou Lan: "...Thank you for your praise, General Xie."

……

Over the next ten days or so, the army split into three routes and swept through the remnants of the Yellow Turbans in Changshan County and the Yellow Turban rebels in other counties.

With the raven scouting ahead and the three fierce generals Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Zhao Yun charging forward, the scattered Yellow Turbans were utterly no match for them and surrendered at the mere sight of them.

A few days later.

A fast horse galloped from Zhuojun, bringing tremendous news.

The imperial decree has arrived!

The news spread, and the entire army was in an uproar.

Liu Bei immediately ordered people to set up an incense table outside the central army tent, straighten his clothes, and personally led his generals to kneel and receive him from the north.

The young eunuch (the formal title for a young eunuch in the late Han Dynasty) carrying the imperial edict stepped forward slowly, unrolled it, and loudly read aloud the edict issued by Emperor Ling of Han:

Imperial edict issued to Liu Bei, the Prefect of Youzhou

Imperial Edict:

Liu Bei, a descendant of the Prince of Zhongshan and the Commander of a separate branch of the Youzhou army, is a member of the Han imperial family and is born with loyalty and righteousness. Recently, the Yellow Turban Rebellion has been launched, ravaging the people and causing unrest throughout the land, leaving the imperial army no time to respond.

He recruited soldiers to quell the rebellion, fought in Yuyang, Guangyang, Changshan and other counties, destroyed enemy strongholds, killed generals and pacified the people, comforted the displaced and burdened, maintained strict military discipline, and made outstanding contributions, truly deserving to be called a good minister of the imperial family.

In recognition of his meritorious service, he is hereby appointed as Colonel of the Vanquishing Army, and awarded with fifty catties of gold and one hundred bolts of brocade. Each of his meritorious officers and marquises will be awarded with fifty thousand coins and ten bolts of silk. All officers and soldiers under his command who have served in battle will be subject to promotion or demotion based on their military merits, and will be granted their own rewards and honors, in order to demonstrate their bravery and valor.

"They must quickly organize the army, quell the remaining bandits in You and Ji, assist the royal family, pacify the borders, and not disobey my orders!"

After the imperial edict was read aloud, Liu Bei prostrated himself on the ground with both hands and kowtowed respectfully.

"Your subject Liu Bei bows his head in gratitude and will humbly obey Your Majesty's decree!"