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

(In view of the doubts of many readers, regarding Liu Yan's official title: 1. Here we mainly adopt the title of "Prefect of Youzhou" from Romance of the Three Kingdoms, but since Youzhou is not a prefecture, we changed it to the more powerful Governor of Youzhou according to the plot.)

2. Liu Yu becoming the governor of Youzhou and Liu Yan becoming the governor of Yizhou both occurred after the abolition of the governorship system and the establishment of governorships in 188 AD, according to official history.

After the four men worshipped Heaven and Earth and swore brotherhood, they began to discuss important matters.

"Brother, I have considerable wealth. I have just had my ancestral property sold, which should be enough to recruit at least three hundred local militia."

Zhang Fei patted his chest, exuding great pride.

"As the saying goes, 'An army marches on its stomach.' Are our supplies sufficient?" Li Changxian asked, showing off a bit.

"I have enough wealth to last for six months!" Zhang Fei said after a moment's thought.

Liu Bei and Guan Yu, on the other hand, were still stuck on the saying, "An army marches on its stomach." In an era when military strategy was firmly held by powerful families and generals, they had no opportunity to learn about it.

"Three hundred people is still too few. We need at least a thousand to get people's attention," Li Chang added.

"I... I have some family wealth..."

Zhang Fei felt that he didn't seem to have much wealth anymore.

"Three hundred men, six months' worth of provisions. But the four of us are nothing special, not worth paying attention to. Even if we succeed in suppressing the Yellow Turbans, how will we be rewarded? How can we serve our country?"

Li Chang walked to a peach tree, casually broke off a peach branch, and asked in return.

"hiss……"

These words made Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei think.

Liu Bei had connections with the upper echelons of society and was naturally aware of some of the darker aspects of their society. Guan Yu, in turn, committed murder and fled because of this.

Zhang Fei was rough but shrewd, and he never found an opportunity to improve. Before he could even get angry, his anger subsided.

Lacking in financial resources, and lacking status and position!

"Fourth brother, what are your thoughts?" Liu Bei asked.

Guan Yu and Zhang Fei also looked over expectantly.

Li Chang smiled, knowing his chance had come!

Holding a peach branch, he sketched the territory of the Han Dynasty on the ground.

The moment Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei saw that map, they couldn't take their eyes off it!

"This, this, this is the map of my Great Han?" Liu Bei said, trembling, and carefully lowered his body.

They looked at the map on the ground as if admiring a fine garment.

He had only seen this once before, from afar, with his teacher Lu Zhi. And it was just a map of Youzhou!

Guan Yu and Zhang Fei were even more surprised by Li Chang's generosity in showing them such a national map that could be passed down as a family heirloom.

Even close brothers rarely do that, right?

Zhang Fei, in particular, considered himself to have some wealth, but acquiring knowledge was an extremely difficult task!

It's true!

Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei secretly vowed to protect their fourth brother!

After Li Chang and the others finished their shock, he drew a rough outline of Youzhou and Zhuojun in the northeast.

"My three brothers, please look! This is Youzhou, and this is Zhuojun!"

"Oh! So this is Youzhou!"

"So Zhuojun is really this small!"

Li Chang then sketched out the locations of some of the Yellow Turban Rebellion's current positions, indicating that it had already swept across nearly half of the Han Dynasty.

"Hiss! My great Han Dynasty has actually encountered such chaos?" Liu Bei was shocked by the Yellow Turban Rebellion!

This looks like the country is about to perish.

Overwhelmed with sorrow, tears of patriotism and concern for the people welled up in their eyes once more. Guan Yu and Zhang Fei were also filled with grief, their heads bowed, lost in thought.

"Brothers, don't be anxious. As the saying goes, 'No destruction, no construction.' In our Han Dynasty today, aristocratic families control the channels of advancement, while it's difficult for those from humble backgrounds to find a place to use their talents. And then there are the eunuchs... well, let's not talk about those."

However, there is one crucial point: this is truly a time of crisis and survival! It is precisely the time for us to serve our country!

After Li Chang finished speaking, he took a peach wood branch and drew a line to Youzhou, and then drew another line southward from Youzhou.

"I have a plan that can make my elder brother serve the country!"

He gathered a thousand local militia, called himself three thousand soldiers, and left two months' worth of provisions. Thus, using his elder brother's status as a member of the Han imperial family, he temporarily sought refuge with Liu Yan, the governor of Youzhou.

At this time, he has no brave generals or elite troops, and he is worried about how to deal with the Yellow Turbans. If we surrender to him, he will definitely take us seriously! Then we can use his grain to support our troops.

After we resolve the Yellow Turban crisis in Youzhou for him, we will use his name to march south and suppress the Yellow Turbans. He will definitely not take all the credit for our work; on the contrary, he will even send us more troops and provisions.

Finally, we headed south to join our elder brother's army, Zigan Gong! With our previous merits and reputation, we are sure to have a place in this great battle!

In the future, we may be able to obtain a prefecture, where we can all realize our ambitions!

After a series of grand promises, coupled with some practical details, Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei were so excited that they couldn't wait to go and kill dozens of Yellow Turbans.

It turns out that my fourth brother is such a talented person!

Looking at the map and combining it with what Li Chang had just said, the three of them became clear-headed, and their lives became more and more hopeful!

The three of them squatted on the ground, staring at the map.

Even if I think of some unreasonable parts, I fill in the gaps in my mind.

"Wait a minute, even if we have a thousand men, how can we possibly defeat the Yellow Turbans of Youzhou, whom even the county troops struggle to defeat?" Liu Bei suddenly realized a problem.

"All three of my elder brothers are exceptionally brave and strong. I once observed the celestial phenomena at night and found that my second and third brothers were born generals, each possessing the ability to fight ten thousand men! My eldest brother is even more than a general!"

The mere Yellow Turbans are nothing but a pile of mud and broken tiles in front of my second and third brothers; they would crumble at the slightest touch.

"Haha, of course!"

Guan Yu stroked his long beard, looking very confident.

Zhang Fei also had the same expression as me.

In this arrangement, Liu Bei was responsible for building relationships and connections, Guan Yu was responsible for providing the manpower, Zhang Fei provided the funds, and Li Chang was responsible for planning.

It was a makeshift troupe formed by the four sworn brothers of the Peach Garden Oath!

In today's terms, it's like four bored guys getting together for drinks, and suddenly, Liu Bei comes up with a brilliant idea.

Liu Bei: "Ah, I have an idea! Let's recruit soldiers and go to war!"

Guan Zhang Li: "Great idea!"

Liu Bei: "I have connections and influence!"

Guan Yu: "I possess martial arts skills!"

Zhang Fei: "I have funds!"

Li Chang: "I'll make the plans!"

……

Several days later, Zhang Fei sold his property and recruited a thousand local militia. Liu Bei also led his fellow villagers and former wandering knights to join the ranks.

On the simple drill ground, more than a thousand people stood crookedly, some carrying hoes, some shirtless, and some squatting on the ground.

Although they were all strong, at first glance they looked more like a crowd at a market and had nothing to do with the word "army"!

After recruiting local militia, Guan Yu practiced martial arts daily, teaching them fighting and slashing techniques.

He stood at the front of the group, holding a wooden sword, his every move swift and thunderous.

"hack!"

With a loud shout, the front row of villagers all brandished their knives, their movements uneven.

Guan Yu frowned and walked up to a man who was a few beats slower in swinging his sword: "You, step forward and strike ten more times."

The man was trembling with fear, but did as he was told. By the seventh strike, his arm was shaking.

Zhang Fei laughed heartily, grabbed a wooden spear, and personally demonstrated spear thrusting techniques.

The wooden spear in his hands moved like a dragon emerging from the sea, wielding with fierce power, leaving the villagers dumbfounded and filled with admiration for the two men's unparalleled bravery.

But when it comes to actually lining up and obeying orders, problems arise.

"Line up!!" Guan Yu roared.

The crowd moved, swaying like headless flies, then returned to their respective positions, crooked and unsteady.

These farmers and migrants were unruly and had no manners whatsoever.

The brain is willing to obey Guan Yu and Zhang Fei's orders, but the body is not obedient and cannot even understand the commands!

What is "left flank"? What is "right flank"? Which one is left and which one is right?

What does the sound of gongs and drums mean?

Which team am I on? Who is the team leader again?

Almost everyone looked completely bewildered.

Guan Yu shouted several more times, but to little avail. His wooden sword pierced the ground, sinking three feet deep, yet it couldn't break the formation's discipline.

Zhang Fei grew even more agitated, grabbing a villager who had stood in the wrong line and yelling, "I've said it three times, stand this way! Where are your ears?"

The village militiaman was so frightened that his legs went weak, and he stammered, "I...I can't tell left from right..."

Zhang Fei was taken aback, released his grip, and didn't know where to vent his anger.

He considered himself invincible, but these people couldn't even tell left from right.

How am I supposed to carry this? I really want to whip it a few times!

Although Guan Yu and Zhang Fei were the bravest warriors in the army, they were still young and had never disciplined such undisciplined local militia.

Despite their boundless enthusiasm, they were at a loss for what to do. The two exchanged a glance, both with furrowed brows.

But they are confident that they can come up with a solution in just a few days at most!

Looking at the chaotic army, Liu Bei couldn't help but feel worried.

Wouldn't such a local militia be easily destroyed if they encountered the Yellow Turban rebels?

Just then, Li Chang stepped forward. "Brother, I have another plan!"