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

"Thank you both very much!" Liu Bei was overjoyed and bowed deeply to the two men. "If we achieve great success in the future, we will never forget your kindness today!"

With the generous gifts from Su and Zhang, the four brothers' rebel army became much stronger.

They immediately summoned the best blacksmiths to forge four divine weapons from fine iron: Liu Bei's twin swords, Guan Yu's Green Dragon Crescent Blade, Zhang Fei's eighteen-foot spear, and Li Chang's Xuan Sword.

The remaining steel was used to forge spearheads, arrowheads, and other military equipment.

Thus, the 1,500 elite local militia were expanded by 500 new recruits. By recruiting and training new recruits, the army was strong and well-equipped, and was known as the 5,000-strong local militia!

Just as they were preparing to set off for Youzhou to seek refuge with Liu Yan, a black crow suddenly flew back from the north, emitting a mournful cry.

Li Chang looked up and saw dark clouds looming over the city on the northern horizon, with a thick, blood-red aura rolling towards Zhuojun.

The main force of the Yellow Turbans is finally almost here!

……

The Black Pine Forest was a great victory, and they also unexpectedly received a huge financial aid from Su Shuang and Zhang Shiping.

Liu Bei was overjoyed and ordered the slaughter of pigs and sheep to be held in the village for a grand celebration banquet, allowing all his brothers to eat their fill.

As the sun sets, wisps of smoke rise from the manor, carrying the aroma of meat for miles around.

Fifteen hundred local militiamen sat around the drill ground, each holding a large bowl of coarse grain rice, with glistening fat meat piled inside!

They ate with gusto, their mouths glistening with oil, their laughter echoing throughout. This was the first time in their lives they had been able to eat to their hearts' content.

Many people ate while wiping away tears, feeling that following these four people made their lives worthwhile!

Liu Bei, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Li Hongzhang sat in the main seats, looking at the lively scene below, all with gratified expressions.

Just then, a scholar dressed in unconventional attire slowly walked over.

He walked over to the group, unceremoniously took a bowl to drink and eat meat, and said, "Xuande, you guys aren't being honest! You didn't even wait for me to drink and eat!"

This was Jian Yong, a fellow townsman whom Liu Bei had met in his early years, who was known for his unconventional manners.

Hearing that Liu Bei was raising troops to fight the bandits, he came to help.

"Xuande, brothers." Jian Yong finished a few bites of food and drink, bowed slightly, and looked troubled. "Today, I helped count the casualties and register the merits, but I discovered a thorny problem."

Liu Bei quickly asked, "Xianhe, please speak freely."

"These local militiamen are mostly from farming families, and their names are chosen very casually," Jian Yong said with a wry smile.

"There are twenty-seven people named 'Da Niu' alone, thirty-three named 'Er Gou', and more than forty named 'Tie Zhu', not to mention countless others like Zhao, Qian, Sun, Li, Da Er, San, and Si!"

"Just now, when we tallied up the battle achievements, three people claimed to have killed bandits under the name 'Wang Daniu,' making it impossible to distinguish who was who. If we call out the wrong names when giving orders in future campaigns, it could cause a major disaster."

Upon hearing this, Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei were all taken aback. They had never considered such a trivial matter before, but now, upon reflection, it was indeed a major problem.

Zhang Fei scratched his head and said, "What's so difficult about that? We can just call him 'Big Ox' and 'Skinny Ox' from now on, right?"

Upon hearing this, Li Chang put down his wine bowl, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his eyes.

This is a golden opportunity to win over the troops!

He put down his chopsticks and slowly began to speak:

"Third Brother, this method is inappropriate. A name is a person's foundation. If even one's own name is called casually, who will be willing to risk their lives for the cause? I have a method that can completely solve this problem and make the brothers even more loyal."

"Fourth brother, speak quickly!" Liu Bei asked hurriedly.

"We'll use the leftover scraps of wood to make a small wooden plaque for each of the brothers," Li Chang said earnestly.

"The front of the wooden plaque was engraved with their names, hometowns, and the unit they belonged to, while the back was engraved with the four characters 'Taoyuan Righteous Army.' From now on, this wooden plaque would be their identification document; they would rely on it for meals, receiving rewards, recording merits, and being punished."

He paused, then his voice suddenly became more forceful, as if it struck straight to the heart:

"More importantly, if any brothers die on the battlefield in the future, we will retrieve their wooden plaques, build a shrine for martyrs, and enshrine all the wooden plaques there, with incense burning continuously throughout the year."

If a widow and her children are left behind, the army will be responsible for supporting the elderly and raising the children until the children reach adulthood!

As soon as he finished speaking, the entire room fell silent.

Liu, Guan, Zhang, and Jian suddenly stood up, their eyes filled with shock and emotion as they looked at Li Chang.

They were only thinking about recruiting soldiers and making achievements, and never thought about considering these grassroots militiamen so much.

Liu Bei, who prided himself on benevolence, was even criticizing himself for being a hypocrite, yet he couldn't even think of these things!

Guan Yu felt guilty that he hadn't thought of these things for his lowly soldiers.

This isn't just about solving the problem of names; it's about giving these local militia members, who could die at any moment, a hope for survival and a dignity in death!

Zhang Fei wanted to say something, but seeing the expressions on his elder brothers' faces, he swallowed his words.

Liu Bei's voice trembled with excitement as he stepped forward and grasped Li Chang's hand tightly.

"Fourth Brother! This isn't just military discipline; it's benevolent governance! If everyone in the world could be as compassionate towards the people as you are, how could the Han Dynasty not prosper!"

Guan Yu stroked his long beard, his eyes filled with admiration: "Fourth Brother's actions are more powerful than a thousand armies. To have your assistance is truly our good fortune, and even more so the good fortune of all the people under heaven!"

That night, Liu Bei was so excited he couldn't sleep. He took Li Chang's hand and said, "Fourth brother, tonight we brothers will sleep side by side and have a good talk about our future plans!"

Li Chang withdrew his hand without hesitation, looking disgusted. He was not the style of Shu Han!

"Brother, don't give me that. You know I'm not used to sleeping in the same bed with a man."

Liu Bei and Guan Yu exchanged a glance, both looking regretful: "What a pity, I wanted to have a long talk with my fourth brother all night."

Zhang Fei laughed heartily, "I knew our fourth brother was different from us!"

……

The next morning, several tables were set up on the drill ground.

Liu Bei, Guan Yu, Li Chang, and Jian Yong sat side by side, with a pile of sharpened wooden plaques and writing implements in front of them.

Two thousand local militiamen stood neatly in the audience, craning their necks and looking on with anticipation.

"Brothers!" Liu Bei stood on the earthen platform, his voice booming, "From this day forward, every brother in our Peach Garden Army will have his own name and his own identity! We will not forget the brothers who died in battle; we will take care of the families who remain!"

As soon as he finished speaking, thunderous cheers erupted from the audience.

The naming ceremony officially began.

Jian Yong was in charge of registering the place of origin, Guan Yu was in charge of carving the characters, Liu Bei personally handed the wooden plaques to each of his brothers, and Li Chang was in charge of naming those who did not have proper names.

He didn't choose those fancy names; instead, he chose simple, easy-to-remember names with down-to-earth meanings: Wang Yong, Li Zhong, Zhao Qiang, Chen An... Each name was engraved on a wooden plaque and also etched into the hearts of every villager.

"Next, Wang Er..."

"From now on, you have your own name, Wang Shuang!"

"Next up, Li Er!"

"Hmm?" Li Chang looked up and saw that it wasn't the handsome Li Er. Thinking of something amusing, he said, "From now on, you'll be called Li Xuanwu! I hope you'll excel at both defending and attacking cities!"

"Next up, Zhu Si!"

"Hmm? Zhu Si? From now on, your name will be Zhu Jianwen!"

Soon, it was Wang Daniu's turn.

He rubbed his hands together and walked somewhat awkwardly to the front of the stage, keeping his head down and avoiding eye contact.

Li Chang looked up at him, smiled, and asked, "Oh, it's Da Niu. How's the left and right sides going now?"

Wang Daniu suddenly raised his head, his face filled with shock and emotion.

He never expected that among more than two thousand people, the strategist would still remember him, a fool who couldn't even tell left from right!

His face flushed with excitement, and he shouted, "Reporting to the strategist! I've figured it out! I can tell exactly what it's like!"

After saying that, he shouted out the commands himself and did a set of left and right turns.

After doing all that, he proudly patted his chest and said, "I even killed a bandit in the Black Pine Forest!"

A burst of laughter erupted from the audience, and someone shouted, "You just ran fast and picked up someone who was slow to escape!"

Wang Daniu's face turned even redder, and he scratched his head, chuckling to himself.

Li Chang didn't laugh. He stood up, patted Wang Daniu on the shoulder, and said loudly to the whole audience:

"To bravely charge forward and kill the enemy is commendable! From a farmer who couldn't even distinguish left from right to a warrior capable of fighting bandits, that's the greatest progress!"

The entire room fell silent instantly, and everyone stared at Li Chang.

"Da Niu, I'll give you a new name," Li Chang said, picking up a pen and writing two characters on the wooden sign.