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

Lu Zhi completely ignored him and waved to his personal guards behind him: "Drag him away."

The guards stepped forward, helped the distraught Guo Dian up, and turned to leave.

At this moment, Guo Dian felt immense regret!

He suddenly remembered that a few days ago, Liu Bei had come with a letter and addressed him politely as "Prefect Guo".

Back then, all he had to do was nod and share some of the credit, and now there were two people standing next to Lu Zhi receiving the reward!

No, it could even be him.

But he drove his men to the rear to transport supplies and even stole their plans!

It's too late to say anything now!

I should have cooperated with Liu Bei back then!

The person was being supported, but their legs were struggling against the dust and dirt on the ground.

"General! General! I know I was wrong! I know I was wrong! Please forgive me, give me a chance to correct my mistakes!"

Lu Zhi continued to ignore him.

Zhang Fei cursed inwardly, "Serves him right!"

Li Chang completely ignored him!

After dealing with Guo Dian, Lu Zhi looked at Liu Bei with a smile:

"Xuande, you have done an excellent job. In just a few months, you pacified Youzhou, captured Quyang, and killed Zhang Bao. You have not disappointed my expectations."

He then looked at Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Zhao Yun, praising them repeatedly: "Yun Chang, Yi De, and Zi Long are all tiger generals of our time. It is a great fortune for the Han Dynasty to have you assist Xuan De."

Finally, his gaze fell on Li Chang, and he nodded slightly: "Ming Daomou is so young, yet he possesses such strategic acumen; it is truly remarkable. With your assistance, Xuande is like a tiger with wings."

Li Chang quickly cupped his hands in greeting: "General Lu, you flatter me. I have only done my bit of work."

Lu Zhi smiled and instructed Liu Bei:

"Xuande, Quyang has been captured, and Guangzong is now an isolated city. I order you to lead your troops to guard the area between Guangzong and Quyang, and to be responsible for intercepting the Yellow Turbans' supply lines and blocking reinforcements. Act according to the situation."

You may act as you see fit in this battle; you do not need to report to me on every matter.

Upon hearing this, Liu Bei was initially delighted, but then his face fell: "Master, I do not wish to engage in guerrilla warfare. I only wish to stay by your side and join you in attacking Guangzong, so as to share your burdens."

Lu Zhi shook his head, gave Liu Bei a deep look, and said with a complicated expression, "Xuande, there are some things you don't understand now, but you will understand in the future."

Liu Bei's heart tightened. This was not the Lu Shi he knew.

Not the Lu Shi who slammed his fist on the table and cursed the eunuchs in class, not the Lu Shi who whipped his troops in the drill ground, not the Lu Shi who filled his letter with satisfaction after receiving the news of his victory!

The teacher standing before me seemed to be making his final arrangements!

He opened his mouth, wanting to ask, "Master, what exactly happened?"

But she saw rejection in Lu Zhi's eyes!

That was an unquestionable silence from an elder who had made up their mind.

He couldn't bring himself to ask.

Lu Zhi waved his hand, mounted his horse again, and rushed back to Guangzong to take charge of the overall situation.

He knew that by refusing Zuo Feng's bribe, he had offended the Ten Attendants. These eunuchs would not let it go, and sooner or later, trouble would break out in the Guangzong military camp. He couldn't let his most promising disciple, Liu Bei, be dragged into this turmoil!

This was also the last time he saw Liu Bei.

Lu Zhi turned around and looked at Liu Bei:

"I have already written letters of recommendation, and when the time is right, I will send them to Generals Huangfu Song and Zhu Jun. They are both loyal and virtuous officials. It will be much safer for you to serve under them than to stay by my side, and you will be able to realize your ambitions more effectively."

Liu Bei froze, looking up at Lu Zhi with shock and confusion in his eyes: "My mentor..."

"No need for further words." Lu Zhi, still on horseback, patted his shoulder and said resolutely:

"Remember, protect yourselves and safeguard this army. The future restoration of the Han Dynasty will depend on young people like you."

Having said that, he didn't linger, spurred his horse and rode away, ordering his personal guards, "Return to the Guangzong camp!"

The sound of horses' hooves rose. The guards turned and followed one by one, some holding torches whose flames flickered in the night wind. Lu Zhi's shadow stretched long, and he never looked back.

Liu Bei kept watching. Only when the flickering light disappeared at the end of the official road did he realize that his clenched hands had turned white.

That night, the Quyang County government office was brightly lit.

The members of Liu Bei's group gathered for their first formal meeting since entering Ji Province.

Liu Bei sat in the main seat, his brows furrowed, and sighed softly, "I still can't understand why my mentor, who values ​​me so much, refuses to let me stay by his side. Could it be that I've done something wrong and displeased him?"

Guan Yu stroked his long beard: "Lu Zhonglang's actions have their own reasons. Perhaps the battle at Guangzong is too dangerous, and he doesn't want us to be involved?"

"I think so too!" Zhang Fei nodded repeatedly. "He must be afraid that we can't deal with that evil Taoist Zhang Jiao, so he had us block the reinforcements from the outside for the sake of peace."

Zhao Yun echoed, "General Lu is a man of great foresight; there must be a reason for this arrangement."

Everyone chimed in with their own opinions, unable to fathom Lu Zhi's true intentions.

Only Li Chang sat to one side, silent.

He knew all too well the fate of Lu Zhi in history: because he refused Zuo Feng's demand for a bribe, he was framed by eunuchs and imprisoned, almost losing his life. Later, it was only after Huangfu Song quelled the Yellow Turban Rebellion that he was able to be reinstated.

Lu Zhi had long foreseen his fate, which is why he deliberately kept his distance from Liu Bei, fearing that he would implicate this newly formed force. By recommending Liu Bei to Huangfu Song and Zhu Jun, he was paving the way for Liu Bei's future and finding him a reliable ally!

Liu Bei noticed his silence and a sudden unease welled up in his heart.

The fourth brother is always quick to answer questions, so why is he so quiet today? Could it be that he has guessed something even worse?

"Fourth brother," Liu Bei's voice was somewhat hoarse, "Do you... know something?"

Li Chang raised his head and met Liu Bei's gaze. He hesitated for a moment.

"Brother," Li Chang said slowly, breaking the silence in the tent, "I think I roughly understand Lu Zhonglang's intentions."

Everyone turned to look at him.

Li Chang explained:

"The root of the problem lies with the eunuchs in Luoyang. Master Lu is an upright man, and he must have refused the eunuchs' demands for bribes, thus thoroughly offending the Ten Attendants. He knew that he would be framed by the eunuchs sooner or later, which is why he did not want to get too close to us, fearing that it would bring disaster upon us."

"He made us stationed outside and gave us full autonomy because he was afraid that if something happened to him, our troops would be implicated and purged."

Their recommendation of us to Generals Huangfu Song and Zhu Jun was also a way to find us new support, allowing us to gain merit in the Yellow Turban Rebellion!

"Master Lu is using his own future to protect all of us."

After he finished speaking, there was no sound from inside the tent.

Liu Bei suddenly looked up, gazing towards Luoyang, his chest surging with grief, indignation, and resentment.

He clenched his fists tightly:

"My revered teacher dedicated his life to the country, personally leading troops into battle and defeating hundreds of thousands of Yellow Turban rebels. In the end, he suffered this injustice simply for refusing to bow to eunuchs!"

His words, sharp and unyielding in the still night, were like iron:

"To have my teacher taken away is like taking away my father. To have my teacher harmed, I will surely avenge him!"

He raised his head, his eyes filled with fire, not tears.

"I, Liu Bei, hereby swear that one day I will sweep away the treacherous officials and restore order to the court! I will never allow my beloved teacher, such a loyal minister, to suffer even the slightest injustice again!"

The candlelight flickered in the wind, making Liu Bei's face appear even more resolute!

Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, Li Chang, Jian Yong, Xiahou Lan, and others all rose and bowed.

"We are willing to follow our elder brother/lord and fulfill this oath together!"

Outside the window, the night was as dark as ink.

Li Chang straightened up, looked at Liu Bei's back, and then looked out the window towards Guangzong.

There was something he couldn't say. He had long been prepared for Zuo Feng's matter, but there was something that was good for Lu Zhi and the Han Dynasty, but not necessarily for Liu Bei!

For the sake of Liu Bei and the future of Liu Bei's Han Dynasty, we have no choice but to temporarily sacrifice Lu Zhi!