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

Liu Yan originally intended to keep Liu Bei in Youzhou as a sharp weapon, but he did not expect Liu Bei to want to go south.

"Guangzong has General Lu leading the imperial army, with many soldiers and generals. They don't need your few thousand men," Liu Yan said in a deep voice. "Youzhou has just been pacified, and the people's hearts are not at peace. It is precisely because of the need for a valiant general like you, my nephew, to guard it."

"Uncle," Liu Bei looked up at Liu Yan, his resolve growing stronger, not only for the sake of his four brothers, but also for the people of the Han Dynasty who were suffering from the Yellow Turban Rebellion!

"From the very beginning of my uprising, I was determined to restore the Han Dynasty and save the people from suffering. Now that the country is in peril, how can I stand idly by? I hope my uncle will grant my request."

The two stared at each other for a long time, and the atmosphere gradually became heavy.

Liu Yan knew that Liu Bei's mind was made up, and forcing him to stay would be useless and would only create enmity.

Just then, a report came from outside the door: "Prefect Qi, a letter has arrived from Lu Zhonglang of Guangzong!"

Liu Yan took the letter, opened it, and his expression changed constantly.

In the letter, Lu Zhi first praised Liu Bei for his outstanding military achievements and effective military leadership.

He then explicitly requested to borrow Liu Bei's army to assist in the battle at Guangzong. The letter was sincere and also mentioned the teacher-student relationship between the two.

Liu Yan put down the letter, looked at Liu Bei, and remained silent for a long time.

It turns out they've already found a new job!

Finally, he sighed:

"Since General Lu has spoken, I cannot stop you. You may go if you wish."

"Thank you, Uncle!" Liu Bei was overjoyed and quickly bowed to express his gratitude.

Liu Yan waved his hand, his expression becoming increasingly complicated:

"We are of the same clan, and I naturally hope that you can achieve great things. Here's what I'll do: I'll allocate another five thousand shi of grain, three hundred sets of fine armor, and two hundred warhorses to help you. When you arrive in Guangzong, please give my regards to General Lu."

Since things have come to this, all we can do is use the resources of Youzhou to curry favor with our own people!

"Thank you for your generous gift, Uncle!" Liu Bei bowed again in gratitude.

He didn't know how much was actually in it, but this was the last favor Liu Yan would do for him.

Three days later, outside Zhuojun City.

The 8,000-strong army was assembled, with banners fluttering and military bearing impeccable.

Liu Yan, accompanied by officials from Youzhou, personally came to see him off.

"Nephew, take care on your journey!"

"Take care, Uncle!"

Liu Bei bowed in farewell, then mounted his horse and cracked his whip: "All troops, march! South to Guangzong!"

The massive army marched towards Jizhou.

Li Chang, riding on his horse, glanced back at the receding city of Zhuojun, then turned to look south.

Guangzong, Zhang Jiao, the main force of the Yellow Turbans.

The real chaos has only just begun.

And this team that came from Taoyuan is finally about to step onto the world stage.

Li Chang looked ahead at the backs of Liu Bei, Zhao Yun, and Xiahou Lan as they chatted.

This time, is the eldest brother's starting point almost catching up with Boss Cao's?

As if sensing something, Liu Bei turned his head and met Li Chang's gaze.

With a wave of his hand, he called out, "Fourth brother, come up here quickly! What do you think of my outfit?"

"Hahaha, not bad, not bad!" Li Chang rode up and exclaimed, "Ears that reach his shoulders, hands that reach his knees, a face like a god, handsome and elegant, with a dignified bearing, and luxurious clothes. The beauty and the clothes complement each other perfectly!"

Liu Bei was overjoyed to hear this, and a smile crept onto his face.

Then, Li Chang said something...

"If she were a bit better looking, she'd be just as good-looking as me!"

"Ha ha ha ha!"

Liu Bei's smile gradually shifted to Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Zhao Yun.

But Li Chang then pulled another surprise: "Brother, with the bearing of a dragon and phoenix, and the appearance of the sun and moon, you are approaching thirty. You will surely be able to save the world and bring peace to the people!"

Liu Bei's heart trembled. In Li Chang's eyes, he seemed to see a beautiful land and a peaceful and prosperous Han Dynasty!

He opened his mouth, but all his words ultimately boiled down to one sentence:

"Thank you for your kind words, Fourth Brother!"

……

The army marched south, enjoying the clear autumn weather. Their discipline was impeccable, and they did not harm the people in any way they passed.

Many displaced villagers along the way heard of Liu Bei's benevolence and brought their families to join him. Some were properly resettled, while others were absorbed into the auxiliary troops.

The team quietly grew by several hundred people.

Meanwhile, outside Guangzong City, at the camp of Lu Zhi, the Northern General of the Imperial Court.

Inside the central command tent, Lu Zhi held a letter with ink still wet on it, a gratified smile on his face.

Seeing this, his adjutant Zong Yuan couldn't help but ask curiously, "General, what makes you so happy? Could it be that reinforcements are on their way from Luoyang?"

"Not so." Lu Zhi handed the letter to Zong Yuan, stroked his beard and smiled, "It's still my disciple Liu Bei, Liu Xuande."

As the official took the letter, his eyebrows furrowed even higher:

"Liu Bei actually managed to wipe out the Yellow Turban rebels in various counties of Youzhou with only a few thousand local militia? He killed thousands of rebel leaders and captured tens of thousands? This...this is simply too astonishing!"

"At first, I didn't believe it either." Lu Zhi sighed softly, recalling the once insignificant Liu Bei, and said with emotion.

"When he first sat down with me, he was fond of dogs, horses, music, and fine clothes, and I thought he was unlikely to achieve great things."

Unexpectedly, the Yellow Turban Rebellion broke out, and in just a few months, such remarkable military achievements were made.

Previously, when he sent me a series of letters announcing good news, I thought he was trying to use my connections to get a position. Now it seems I underestimated this disciple.

He paused, then said proudly:

"Xuande is a descendant of Prince Jing of Zhongshan. He is benevolent and virtuous, and with brave generals assisting him, he will surely become a pillar of our great Han Dynasty!"

Upon hearing this, all the generals inside the tent raised their eyebrows.

They had followed Lu Zhi in battle for a long time and knew that this general had extremely high standards and rarely praised others. Yet now he was praising Liu Bei, who was virtually unknown.

Some people were curious about Liu Bei, whom they had never met.

Some people cursed inwardly: "Damn it, what Liu Bei? Never heard of him! He can't possibly compare to our main force just because he's fighting some insignificant Yellow Turbans in Youzhou?"

"General, since Liu Bei is such a skilled warrior, why not summon him to Guangzong to assist in the battle?" Zong Yuan suggested.

"Our army has been besieging Guangzong for months, and Zhang Jiao is holding out to the bitter end. His Majesty has also issued repeated decrees urging us to advance. Our army is already short of troops. If we have the help of Liu Bei's several thousand elite troops, the fall of the city will be just around the corner."

Lu Zhi nodded: "Since Xuande was able to quell the Yellow Turban Rebellion in Youzhou, he must have extraordinary abilities. I have already written to Governor Liu to request that Liu Xuande's troops be transferred to Guangzong."

He wanted to increase his own fighting strength to cope with the pressure from Luoyang, and at the same time, he wanted to take the initiative to promote this ambitious disciple.

By this time, the walls around Guangzong City were already heavily fortified.

Lu Zhi led 30,000 imperial troops to surround Guangzong City.

They dug trenches several meters deep, built hundreds of siege ladders and battering rams, trapping Zhang Jiao's main force of over 100,000 Yellow Turbans in the city.

Zhang Jiao was deeply loved by the people and knew how to use the Taiping Dao talisman water to bewitch them. The morale of the defending troops in the city was high, and they held on to the death and refused to surrender.

In addition, Emperor Ling of Han, Liu Hong, listened to the slander of the Ten Attendants in Luoyang and issued a series of edicts urging Lu Zhi to fight a quick battle.

They even sent the eunuch Zuo Feng to supervise the army. Lu Zhi endured the pressure for several months and was finally forced to order a general offensive.

"Pass on my orders!" Lu Zhi said in a deep voice, "Order Guo Dian, the Prefect of Julu, to lead 10,000 troops north to attack Zhang Bao's forces in Quyang, cut off Zhang Jiao's retreat, and form a pincer movement from the north and south! Quyang must be captured within ten days!"

"This subordinate obeys!" Guo Dian bowed and accepted the order, a bitter smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

Quyang is defended by 50,000 Yellow Turban troops led by Zhang Bao. The city is well-fortified and has ample supplies. It is simply a pipe dream for him to take down the city in ten days with only 10,000 troops!

But military orders are absolute, and Guo Dian dared not disobey. He had no choice but to bite the bullet and lead his army north to attack Quyang.

……

Several days later, Liu Bei's army arrived at a point thirty li north of Quyang.

"Report—!"