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

Liu Bei was eventually persuaded, and the next day he prepared to set off with Jian Yong.

"Xianhe, is everything packed?"

The next second, he was stunned.

Jian Yong carried a bundle on his back, his hands were empty, and his face was full of smiles.

There was not a trace of the haggardness caused by being tormented by official documents!

His face was flushed, and he looked radiant!

"It's all packed! It's been packed for ages!"

Jian Yong patted his chest, almost bursting into tears on the spot:

"My lord! I can finally leave this governor's mansion! You have no idea how I've been these past few months!"

I get up before dawn every day to review official documents and don't get to sleep until the wee hours of the morning. I don't even have time for a drink! If I keep working like this, I'll lose my life!

As he spoke, he turned around and shoved the stacks of official documents piled up like a small mountain into the hands of Cheng Li and Zhang Ji, who were staring in disbelief behind him.

"Mr. Zhongde, and my virtuous brother Derong!"

Jian Yong grasped their hands with utmost sincerity!

"From this day forward, I entrust all of this to you two! With your abilities, this small matter is nothing to you! My lord and I are away on a mission to Bingzhou and Yanmen; this prefecture is entirely in your hands!"

Cheng Li and Zhang Ji exchanged a glance.

They just arrived in Yanmen yesterday, and they're officially taking office today?

I thought it would take at least a year and a half, starting from the most basic odd jobs, gradually building up my seniority and becoming familiar with the processes, before I could get involved in core government affairs.

To everyone's surprise, Jian Yong dumped all the work on the two newcomers!

Moreover, not a single person around them showed any dissatisfaction! There was no atmosphere of resentment that their power had been divided!

Their faces all wore the same expression: they wanted to laugh but didn't!

What a harmonious environment and colleagues!

Le Lichang nodded, showing no objection.

Even Liu Bei only said one thing: "Mr. Zhongde, Mr. Derong, I'm sorry to trouble you with the county."

"Don't worry, General!"

Cheng Li was the first to react and quickly cupped his hands in greeting.

He was over forty years old and had served as a county magistrate in Dongjun County, Yanzhou for more than ten years. He had had enough of his superiors' attitudes and the cutthroat competition in officialdom.

No one has ever trusted him so completely, entrusting him with the core administrative affairs of an entire prefecture!

A scholar will die for one who understands him!

Cheng Li clenched his fists and vowed in his heart that even if it cost him his life, he would manage the affairs of Yanmen in an orderly manner and never let the general and Prefect Li down!

Zhang Ji, his face flushed with excitement, replied, "Your subordinate will certainly not fail in your mission!"

Previously, he was just a minor official in a county! He had no status, no family background, and no reputation!

It actually soared into the sky!

We should have come before the Xianbei even started fighting! Why should we?!

I've wasted several months, I must make up for it by staying up all night!

Seeing that the two readily agreed, Jian Yong felt relieved.

It's been over a year, and Mingdao has finally met his quota of talent! He's no longer needed to fill the numbers!

He mounted his horse and waved to Liu Bei, "My lord, let's hurry! If we don't go soon, we won't reach Jinyang before dark!"

Liu Bei: ? ? ?

Full of question marks, is it in such a hurry?

He shook his head and smiled, then mounted his horse.

The two men spurred their horses and, with dozens of personal guards, sped away.

Cheng Li took a deep breath, turned to look at the pile of official documents, and said, "De Rong, let's begin."

"good!"

The two men each picked up a stack of official documents, walked to the desk, sat down, and began writing.

Xun Chen and Yue Yin nodded secretly in approval at that enthusiasm. It seemed they would finally no longer have to be treated like slaves.

Meanwhile, the various camps at Yanmen...

The bright red flag fluttered in the wind. In addition to the characters "Han" and "Liu", the flag was also embroidered with four large characters: "Loyalty and Courage Unparalleled".

At the entrance of each camp hung a huge banner, written in thick black ink:

"Born a man of General Liu, will die a ghost of General Liu!"

"Following the general means we'll have food to eat; we'll drive out the Xianbei and protect our homeland!"

"Kill the barbarians, achieve military merit, and bring honor to your family and ancestors!"

Some soldiers couldn't even write their own names, yet they could recognize "Liu Bei" and "Loyalty" on the banner word for word!

Repeat it from time to time:

"General!!"

"loyalty!!"

In addition, there was the military salute that Li Chang devised during the late-night rebellion of Han.

Everyone stand with their right leg straight, heels together, and right arm raised straight up at a 45° angle!

Swing your arm out from your left chest, fully extended, fingers together, palm facing down!

Shouting:

"Revive Han!!"

At the same time, each village began to appoint a missionary, who was personally selected and trained by Xiahou Lan.

They don't need to fight on the front lines; they mainly do three things:

First, every morning we would gather for a training session, recounting Liu Bei's benevolent deeds, the brutality of the Xianbei people, and why we were fighting! To protect our parents, wives, and children, to repay General Liu's kindness, and for the sake of the Han Dynasty!

Second, teach soldiers to read. Three characters a day, starting with "Liu," "Han," and "Zhong"!

Third, the missionary was concerned with the soldiers' lives. If anyone had family difficulties, was sick, or had a conflict with their comrades, the missionary would mediate and resolve the issue. At the same time, they would supervise military discipline and strictly prohibit soldiers from oppressing civilians!

"Brothers!"

A missionary stood on an earthen platform and shouted to the hundreds of soldiers below:

"Why were we able to drive away the Xianbei? It wasn't because we were better fighters than the Xianbei, it was because we had General Liu!"

General Liu led the charge, always at the forefront, shielding us from swords and arrows! General Liu distributed land to us, ensuring our families had enough to eat!

Without General Liu, we wouldn't have the good life we ​​have today! Our lives were given to us by General Liu! From now on, anyone who dares to betray General Liu will be our enemy!

"We swear to serve General Liu to the death!"

"We swear to serve General Liu to the death!"

The soldiers raised their weapons and roared in unison!

A new recruit, who had just been recruited from among the refugees and was still homesick, had tears welling up in his eyes when he heard this!

He thought of his parents who had starved to death, and his sister who had been taken away by the Xianbei people!

It was Liu Bei's army that saved him, gave him food, armor, and the opportunity to take revenge!

He gripped his spear tightly and swore in his heart: I will serve General Liu for the rest of my life. Wherever General Liu sends me, I will go; even if I die, I will never retreat!

Xiahou Lan rode his horse to inspect the various camps.

When Li Chang first assigned him this task, he was worried that he wouldn't be able to do it well. Now it seems that the results are even better than expected.

With this system of evangelism, the Yanmen Army was no longer just an army, but an army with faith. Such an army would never betray, and would never crumble!

The same applies to ordinary people.

Each township was assigned a propaganda officer, who was either a specially trained minor official or a literate wounded soldier.

Every day, he would tell stories to the people, about how Liu Bei defeated the Xianbei, and how Prefect Li implemented new policies to ensure that everyone had enough to eat.

They also taught the people to read, starting with the three characters "Liu", "Han", and "Zhong"!

Every household had the same slogan painted on their walls with whitewash.

Even a three-year-old child would shout in a childish voice, "General Liu, fight the barbarians!"

The entire Yanmen region, from top to bottom, from the army to the common people, was united as one. They were as solid as iron, impenetrable to any force.

Now, Liu Bei has truly won over Yanmen, who are loyal to him!

In a sense, it was thanks to the Xianbei's frequent southward migrations that almost all the powerful clans fled!