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

After he got up, everyone came forward to congratulate him.

Zhao Yun and Xiahou Lan stood in the crowd, their eyes filled with excitement and anticipation.

They were originally from the countryside, and in the chaos of the world they only sought to protect themselves. They never thought that one day they would receive a formal reward from the imperial court, let alone follow a benevolent and wise ruler, in which case they might even be ennobled and appointed as generals in the future!

"I never thought that I, Xiahou Lan, would one day see His Majesty issue an edict!" Xiahou Lan murmured to himself.

Zhao Yun gripped his gleaming silver spear tightly, his gaze growing ever more resolute.

He had made up his mind about someone, and even without these things, he would follow Liu Bei to the end!

Only Zhang Fei sidled up to Liu Bei, pursing his lips and muttering, "What a pathetic reward! After so many victories, only a hundred taels of gold? That emperor is so stingy! It's not even a fraction of what we got from the capture of Yuyang!"

The voice wasn't loud, but it was overheard by the eunuch delivering the imperial decree.

The eunuch's smile froze for a moment, and he became clearly displeased.

Seeing this, Li Jian subtly pulled Zhang Fei aside, then stepped forward and quietly slipped a heavy cloth bag into the eunuch's hand.

"Angel, you have had a long journey. This is just a small gift, nothing more. I hope you will accept it."

The cloth bag contained fifty taels of gold, its heavy weight instantly catching the eunuch's eye.

As long as it's genuine, he can tell the amount just by taking it. He can tell what it is just by touching it and hearing the sound!

This is the professionalism of the eunuchs in the capital!

He quietly tucked the cloth bag into his coat, and suddenly went deaf and lost his memory.

What did you just hear? No! I didn't hear anything!

The smile on his face immediately became incredibly genuine, and he took Li Chang's hand and whispered:

"Military Advisor Li is so sensible! To be honest, in this day and age, many people who have made meritorious contributions still have to pool their money to send to the palace in order to get an official position."

"You are members of the imperial clan, and His Majesty already favors you. Furthermore, Governor Liu repeatedly submitted memorials praising you, which is why you were exempted from paying the price for official positions and directly appointed as colonels. You even received rewards from His Majesty—this is an immense favor!"

"His Majesty remembers your kindness! Keep up the good work, your future is limitless!"

"Thank you for your guidance, Eunuch." Li Chang smiled and cupped his hands. "I hope you will put in a good word for me before His Majesty in the future."

"Of course! Of course!" Huangmen nodded repeatedly, exchanged a few more pleasantries, and then left with his entourage, completely satisfied.

As soon as Huang left, Zhang Fei flew into a rage.

"Fourth brother! Why are you sending him gold! Our money was earned with our lives, why should we give it to these eunuchs!"

Zhang Fei glared, his roar shaking the tent. "He's just delivering an imperial edict! What's so special about that!"

Guan Yu frowned and said in a deep voice, "Fourth brother, this is inappropriate. Eunuchs are seizing power and wreaking havoc on the court. How can we associate with them?"

Liu Bei looked at Li Chang with a puzzled expression. Although he understood the rules of officialdom, he disdained bribing eunuchs.

Li Chang sighed, looking at the three of them with utmost seriousness:

"Eldest brother, second brother, third brother. I know you look down on these eunuchs and think this money is a waste, a bribe?"

But this is the Han Dynasty as it is today!

"We won the battle in Youzhou, and Governor Liu Yan was able to report our achievements. But no one in the palace spoke up for us. No matter how great our achievements were, they could be suppressed!"

Today, these fifty taels of gold are not for a kind word from Huangmen, nor for the future of our brothers!

What I'm buying is that when my brothers achieve merit in the future, they will receive real rewards and honors, and their rewards will not be withheld by others.

What we're buying is the future; we can truly do practical things for the people of the Han Dynasty!

Guan Yu, always arrogant, scoffed at the direction the eunuch had left, saying disdainfully, "You can't follow their path!"

Li Chang laughed, a laugh tinged with sadness and melancholy:

"It's just a hollow reputation. Are we really going to give up everything for such a hollow reputation? Let those corrupt officials continue to harm the people after we've worked so hard to quell the Yellow Turban Rebellion, and then another Yellow Turban Rebellion will break out."

All we need to know is what we have genuinely done for the people, and we don't care about what others say or how they suffer!

I know clearly that the paths between people cannot be replicated.

I walk my own path in life, and no matter how fierce the storms along the way, making my steps difficult, no matter how many thorns prick me and leave me covered in wounds, I will still laugh foolishly and savor the experience!

"Third brother, you think the emperor is stingy, but do you know how many people have won battles but haven't even received this little reward? Instead, they've been accused of crimes."

We have no background, no foundation, so we have no choice but to bow our heads first.

When we have enough strength in the future, we will naturally no longer need to depend on anyone's whims, and we will be able to change this world!

If you are dissatisfied with this, then work hard to accumulate strength and change it!

hum!

The tent was completely silent.

Zhang Fei opened his mouth, wanting to refute, but didn't know what to say.

He knew Li Chang was right, but he just couldn't swallow his anger.

Guan Yu remained silent, his fingers gripping the hilt of his Green Dragon Crescent Blade.

He hated evil all his life, but he also understood that in chaotic times, loyalty and bravery alone would not get you far.

Liu Bei looked at the soldiers training outside the tent, then at his brothers beside him, and after a long while, he slowly spoke:

"Fourth brother is right. I was too old-fashioned. For the sake of our brothers and the people, what does this little grievance matter?"

"From now on, you can handle these kinds of things as you see fit."

Seeing that Liu Bei had already said that, Zhang Fei could only mutter:

"Alright, alright, I'll listen to my eldest brother and fourth brother. But next time you give money to those eunuchs, don't let me see it!"

Li Chang smiled and nodded: "Okay, I promise I won't let Third Brother see it."

He looked at his three elder brothers. There were still conspiracy theories about powerful families and the emperor's eunuchs that he hadn't mentioned, but now he didn't need to shatter their worldview.

Whether reality is a conspiracy theory or not, you have to observe for yourself. You can't just blindly believe what you saw in a past life.

The matter was dropped, but it allowed Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei to experience for the first time the darkness and helplessness of the officialdom at the end of the Han Dynasty.

Over the next two months, Liu Bei's army marched south with unstoppable momentum.

Every time the Yellow Turbans were wiped out in a prefecture, Li Chang would immediately write two reports of victory: one to Liu Yan in Zhuojun, attributing most of the credit to Liu Yan's "strategic planning".

Another document, written by Liu Bei himself, was sent to Lu Zhi's army in Guangzong, detailing the battle achievements and revealing his desire to join his mentor and fight against the main force of the Yellow Turbans.

Liu Yan was overjoyed upon receiving the news of victory. He wrote almost the entire report, adding a few more details about his own contributions, and sent it to Luoyang by fast horse.

In just two months, the Luoyang Imperial Palace received several reports of victory from Liu Yan.

Emperor Ling of Han, Liu Hong, went from initial joy to becoming somewhat numb, but he still firmly remembered the names "Liu Yan" and "Liu Bei".

Privately, he said to Zhang Rang, "Liu Yan is indeed capable, and Liu Bei is also a promising talent. Once Youzhou is pacified, we should transfer Liu Yan back to Luoyang and appoint him as the Minister of the Imperial Clan."

However, at this time, the main force of the Yellow Turbans was still ravaging Ji Province, and the battle in Guangzong was critical, so the transfer order had to be temporarily suspended.

Upon hearing the news of the pacification of Youzhou, Liu Yan immediately sent someone to summon Liu Bei back to Zhuojun.

Inside the governor's mansion, Liu Yan looked at Liu Bei with a broad smile: "My nephew, you are indeed a hero of the imperial clan! In just a few months, you have pacified the entire Youzhou region! I have already submitted a memorial to His Majesty, requesting commendation for you!"

"I owe all my success to my uncle's support; I dare not take credit for it." Liu Bei bowed deeply.

Liu Yan nodded, then changed the subject: "Now that Youzhou is pacified, why don't you stay here and help me guard the region? I recommend you for the position of Western Commandant of Zhuojun, what do you say?"

Liu Bei's heart skipped a beat, then he shook his head:

"Thank you for your kind intentions, Uncle. However, the main force of the Yellow Turbans is still causing trouble in Ji Province, and the people of the world are still suffering. As a member of the Han imperial family, how can I accept a corner of the country?"

My esteemed teacher, Lu Zhi, is currently locked in a stalemate with Zhang Jiao's main force at Guangzong. I long to go to Guangzong to assist my teacher and jointly punish the traitor to the state.

The smile on Liu Yan's face instantly faded.

You, Liu Bei, are a member of the Han imperial family, so why shouldn't I, Liu Yan, be?