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

Li Chang stood up and said:

"The two generals are too kind; I have only done my humble best."

He was still a little pale when he said this, but he was in much better spirits than he had been a few days ago.

This made Huangfu Song and Zhu Jun feel guilty!

What a good man! He went to such great lengths for us!

Huangfu Song clapped his hands and laughed:

"Mingdao, there's no need for such modesty. Without you, we might still be locked in a life-or-death struggle with Zhang Jiao! Although you are a member of the Daoist sect, you possess the talent of a great general. If you aspire to achieve great deeds, I would like to recommend you to the court for the position of military commander."

Li Chang waved his hand: "As a junior cultivator, my ambition lies in the mountains and forests, not in the imperial court. This time I have come down the mountain simply to follow the natural course of events, and I dare not seek credit."

Besides, my abilities are limited. I can assist Brother Liu, but I am far from capable of handling things on my own.

Now that things have come to this, how could we possibly abandon Liu Bei!

Guan Yu and Zhang Fei simultaneously picked up their bowls, concealing the barely suppressed smiles on their faces.

Huangfu Song did not press the matter further, and then looked at Liu Bei: "Xuande, you have many fierce generals and strategists under your command, which is truly a blessing for our Han Dynasty."

Liu Bei rose and humbly said, "I have merely been dutifully fulfilling my duty and doing my best for the country."

Zhang Fei muttered under his breath, "My fourth brother is worth ten strategists, how did he become 'like rain'? Rain is nowhere near as effective as my fourth brother!"

Guan Yu nudged him with his elbow without making a sound.

Zhang Fei immediately shut up, buried his face in the bowl, and gulped down more than half of the wine.

Huangfu Song, ignoring Zhang Fei's mutterings, continued:

"I have already prepared the battle report, and I will send it to Luoyang by fast horse tomorrow. All your achievements have been recorded, and you will certainly be rewarded handsomely this time."

Especially Xuande, whose achievements in suppressing the rebellion in Youzhou, beheading Zhang Bao at Quyang, and winning several battles on the outskirts of Guangzong are outstanding. Once His Majesty reads the battle reports, his promotion is just around the corner!

Upon hearing this, the generals all congratulated Liu Bei. Liu Bei returned their greetings one by one, his face always bearing a humble smile, showing no trace of arrogance.

After the banquet, everyone returned to their respective tents.

Guan Yu and Zhang Fei arrived at the tent entrance. Zhang Fei glanced back at the direction of the central command tent and suddenly whispered:

"Will the reward that General Huangfu mentioned truly come?"

"certainly!"

At this moment, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Zhao Yun saw Liu Bei walking alone towards the west of the city from afar. They exchanged glances and followed him.

Outside Guangzong City, there is a newly established cemetery.

Thousands of new graves stood silently in the twilight, the remains of soldiers who died beneath the walls of Guangzong City, unclaimed and unable to return home in death.

Liu Bei walked to the grave, stopped, lifted his robe, and knelt down.

The battle is over, but there are some things he hasn't let go of.

Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Zhao Yun arrived shortly afterward and stood silently behind him.

"This kneeling is for my great Han Dynasty," Liu Bei said to himself as he gazed at the grave before him.

"You all died for the Han Dynasty, yet I couldn't even give you proper coffins. I, Liu Bei, am powerless and can only send you here."

He slowly got up, took out a ceramic wine jar from his pocket, and uncorked it.

The wine was poured onto the ground in front of the grave, the brown liquid seeping into the soil and leaving deep marks.

"This jar is a tribute from my revered teacher to all of you. My teacher is currently imprisoned and cannot come to deliver it in person, but as long as I, Liu Bei, am here, my teacher's sentiments will remain."

After pouring out the last drop of wine, he gently placed the earthenware jar in front of the grave and took three steps back.

He bowed deeply, then raised his head:

"I, Liu Bei, swear to Heaven that one day, I will bring peace to the world. On that day, I will return to this place to comfort your spirits in heaven."

A gentle breeze blew, and the white banner on the grave fluttered softly. No one spoke, and no ghosts spoke either.

Behind him, Zhang Fei rubbed the corner of his eye hard with the back of his hand.

This brute hadn't lost his temper since the siege began, and when he was killing people, he shouted more fiercely than anyone else, but now he turned his head away, refusing to let anyone see his face.

Zhao Yun gripped his spear tighter, Guan Yu's long beard fluttered slightly in the wind, and his phoenix eyes were half-closed.

The four stood between the new graves, remaining silent for a long time.

After a long while, Guan Yu broke the silence first:

"Brother, now that this battle is over, won't the people be able to live in peace for a few days?"

Liu Bei did not answer immediately.

He looked toward Guangzong City, where the yellow flags on the city walls had long been removed and replaced by the red flags of the Han army.

Zhang Fei pressed further, "Now that the Yellow Turban rebels are defeated, will we have any more battles to fight?"

"The Yellow Turbans should be pacified now," Liu Bei nodded slowly, guessing. "As for fighting, perhaps there are still battles between the border tribes?"

Zhang Fei grinned and breathed a sigh of relief.

Guan Yu's usually half-closed phoenix eyes opened slightly:

"In the Julu and Changshan areas, the main force of the Yellow Turbans has been wiped out, and the scattered bandits are no longer a threat. The people can now return to their hometowns to farm."

Zhang Fei suddenly thought:

"We brothers fought for more than half a year, from Zhuojun to Yuyang, from Yuyang to Guangyang, from Guangyang to Changshan, and then we moved to Quyang and Guangzong."

Which battle wasn't fought with our lives on the line? We killed Cheng Yuanzhi and Deng Mao, slaughtered Zhang Bao and Zhang Liang, and even that old scoundrel Zhang Jiao was fought to death by our fourth brother!

"Yes," Zhao Yun replied softly.

Guan Yu stroked his long beard:

"Back then, I killed powerful figures and fled into the martial world because I couldn't stand seeing them oppress the common people. Now that I've quelled the Yellow Turban Rebellion, I only hope that after this battle, the world can truly enjoy a few years of peace."

"Yes, it will happen, it definitely will." Liu Bei finally smiled.

He didn't say much, just gazed at the wisps of smoke rising in the distance.

Those were the surviving residents outside the city cooking over a fire.

The smoke was thin and faint, and could be blown away by the wind at any moment, but it still rose above the ruins.

Liu Bei stared at the wisp of smoke as if he were looking at something very precious.

It is the smoke from cooking fires, and it is also the hope of the people. This hope is very fragile and can be scattered by a gust of wind.

Liu Bei was determined to protect this glimmer of hope.

At this moment, Li Chang stood on the top of Guangzong City, gazing at the distant, rolling mountains.

It was as if one could see the Yellow Turbans' fortune dissipating, replaced by Liu Bei's rising fortune.

If Liu Bei was once a dragon that divided the world into three, then he is now a real dragon that has the potential to become a reality!

The Yellow Turban Rebellion has been successfully completed.

There was also the chaos caused by Dong Zhuo, and the struggle for power among warlords...

What should we do next? Which position should we fight for?

North? East? West? South?

Bingzhou? Jizhou? Xuzhou? Qingzhou? Yangzhou? Jingzhou?

Li Chang fell into deep thought. Each piece of territory had its own advantages and disadvantages. Which one should he fight for?

I don't know how long I've been thinking about it.

"What is Fourth Brother thinking about?"

Li Chang turned around, unaware that Liu Bei had already walked up behind him.

He smiled and said, "I'm thinking about where to go next."

Liu Bei walked to the edge of the battlements and stood beside him, gazing into the distance: "No matter where we go, we brothers will go together."

Li Chang was silent for a moment, then smiled and said, "That's true."