People in the Three Kingdoms: Starting from Preaching

Chapter 181 Looking back
Outside Zhuo County, a group of three people rode their horses to the city gate. After returning to their hometown after many years, they all had mixed feelings, and soon the leader discovered something unusual here.

At the city gate in front of us, there is a team of city guards on duty inside and outside. Pedestrians entering have to undergo their strict inspection, which makes the city gate appear very congested, and there is a long queue of people and merchants' carriages waiting to enter.

That would be fine, but he also discovered that the city gates had undergone obvious renovations.

The walls in other places are made of rammed earth, except for the city gate, which is now replaced with bricks and stones. The gate opening is even smaller, and there is an urn-shaped area outside the city gate. It is the urn city that Xu Chen showed at the beginning, and now the officers and soldiers have really learned it.

"It seems that the pressure brought by the Yellow Turbans is far greater than we thought." The leader of the three got off his horse, and when he saw the scene in front of him, he couldn't help but sighed. Then he shook his head and led his horse to line up behind the team entering the city.

The two tall and strong men behind him also dismounted. The one with a red face and a beautiful beard seemed to remember something and frowned, saying, "We can only blame Gongsun Zan for his short-sightedness. If he had listened to my elder brother's advice and pursued the Yellow Turbans, how could things have turned out like this!"

Another dark-faced man also snorted: "Now it seems that Gongsun Zan is really useless. He can't even deal with a mere thief. If it were the three of us brothers, there would be no reason for the Yellow Turbans to be so arrogant today!"

The eldest brother shook his head upon hearing this and said, "Third brother, don't underestimate them. The Yellow Turbans in other places are indeed a mob, but the Yellow Turbans in Youzhou are definitely not easy to deal with. The leader Xu Chen is even more powerful. This time when you and I come back, we will inevitably fight with them. We must not underestimate the enemy."

The red-faced man also agreed: "Big brother is right, third brother should be careful."

Hearing the two people say this, the black-faced man could only agree in a muffled voice, but judging from the disapproval in his eyes, it was obvious that they did not really take these words seriously.

In his opinion, his three brothers were the best heroes in the world, and the Yellow Turbans were not worth taking seriously at all.

These three people were none other than the three brothers Liu, Guan and Zhang who had left Zhuo County. Originally, Liu Bei was very excited to take up the official position after getting it, and thought he could make some achievements. However, he was soon betrayed by the court's policies. People like him who were given official positions due to military merits would have their official positions revoked by the court.

In a rage, Liu Bei simply whipped the county inspector and then ran away with Guan and Zhang.

There were several twists and turns in his experience afterwards. Liu Bei sought official positions in Xia Mi and Gaotang successively, but he could not hold the position for long due to various reasons. It was not until today that he ran back in disgrace.

They also saw the current situation clearly. Dong Zhuo's bullying of the Liu family and disruption of the government had caused resentment throughout the country, and the trend of fighting against Dong Zhuo was intensifying.

It’s a pity that they can’t participate in this big show, otherwise it would be an opportunity for them to show their talents.

After all, this world is all about connections. With my current status, it's simply not enough to catch the attention of the world's heroes.

While others were busy fighting against Dong Zhuo, they could only return to Youzhou and go to their old acquaintance Gongsun Zan again.

This is the most important connection that Liu Bei has now. Right now, the Youzhou government is trembling under the threat of the Yellow Turbans, and it is a time when talented people are dwindling. I dare not say that he will be a guest of honor if he goes back, but at least he will be valued.

The Yellow Turbans' attack on the Youzhou government was not just about annexing territory. Their purge of the nobles and powerful also greatly weakened the government's talent support.

For example, Tian Chou, Tian Yu, Xian Yu Fu, and Xian Yu Yin, if they had not been killed or captured by the Yellow Turbans, they should have been capable assistants of the government today. But now, looking at the subordinates of Liu Yu and Gongsun Zan, they are just a few big cats and small cats, and there are no outstanding talents at all.

Liu Bei was a native of Zhuo County and had a considerable reputation, so it was not difficult for him to find a job here.

While waiting to enter the city, Zhang Fei was holding his horse and scratching his ears and cheeks, as if he had something to say and was in great pain. This attracted the attention of Liu Bei and Guan Yu.

"What's wrong with you, third brother?" Liu Bei asked with a smile.

Zhang Fei glanced at Liu Bei and said in a low voice, "I suddenly remembered something. If I tell you, you can't blame me, big brother."

Liu Bei chuckled and said, "Third brother, you can speak frankly. I will not be angry."

Zhang Fei said, "I remember when we left here, you said Gongsun Zan was not worth cooperating with. I agree with you. If he was a capable man, he wouldn't let the Yellow Turbans be so arrogant. If that's the case, why did you take us to join him? Isn't this going against your own words?"

Liu Bei was stunned for a moment. Of course he had said this. When he left, he was indeed resentful towards Gongsun Zan.

And until today, he has not changed his mind. He still feels that Gongsun Zan is incapable of accomplishing anything and cannot be associated with him.

The three of them were united as brothers, and as the eldest brother, so did the other two of course. But since they felt that Gongsun Zan was not worthy of being a partner in conspiracy, they wanted to run to Gongsun Zan and join him, which of course made Zhang Fei feel uncomfortable.

Guan Yu shook his head secretly, only complaining in his heart that Zhang Fei was ignorant. In this situation, mentioning this matter would embarrass his elder brother. However, Zhang Fei was so straightforward that he could not hold back at all.

If we talk about discomfort, the arrogant Guan Yu was also uncomfortable about this, but he understood Liu Bei's current difficulties better. His career had failed repeatedly, and if he didn't know how to adapt, he might really remain silent for the rest of his life.

No matter how much he looked down on Gongsun Zan, he was the only one Liu Bei could establish a relationship with now.

Guan Yu may look like a rough man, but he is actually a thoughtful person. Naturally, he would not deliberately embarrass Liu Bei at this juncture. However, Zhang Fei could not hold it back and told him everything.

However, Liu Bei just smiled and didn't pay much attention to it: "Third brother, you think too much. When did my elder brother say that he would join Gongsun Zan? Now that Liu Yu is the governor of the state, he has no one to use. Isn't this a good place for you and me to go?"

After these words were spoken, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei were both stunned. This was something they had not expected.

Their first reaction was to think of Gongsun Zan. After all, personal connections were the most realistic things these days. The eldest brother had a close relationship with Gongsun Zan, but had no friendship with Liu Yu, so he would never think of thinking of Liu Yu.

But on second thought, Liu Yu was indeed short of people now, and even if they had no friendship, as long as Gongsun Zan said a few words, he might be taken seriously.

"That's great. Liu Yu is a man of high moral character and benevolence. He is no less than my eldest brother. If I could work under him, it would be better than working under Gongsun Zan." Guan Yu stroked his beard, nodded, and said with a smile.

Even Zhang Fei recognized Liu Yu's reputation and laughed, "Very good, very good. As long as he is not a loser like Gongsun Zan, I can accept him."

As the three of them were talking, they entered the city. Once they entered, they discovered that Zhuo County had not only looked drastically different on the outside, but it was even more exaggerated on the inside.

Inside the city gate, several layers of brick walls were built to cover the entire city gate. That is to say, now the city gate not only has an outer city wall, but also an inner city wall inside. With three layers inside and three layers outside, the city gate has been completely turned into a fortress.

The enemy had to break through the gate five or six times in a row before they could be considered to have truly knocked down the gate and entered the city.

However, the area between the two doors is narrow. If the enemy enters it, the defenders above can use countless means to launch intensive attacks on them from their high ground. Just sprinkling gold juice down is enough to inflict damage on the enemy.

Liu Bei was secretly shocked. The fact that the city defense had to go through so much trouble could only mean that the Yellow Turbans were very good at breaking down cities.

"After I came back, I heard the common people and merchants talking on the road. They all said that the leader of the Yellow Turbans had a lightning spell, and he only needed to perform a ritual to attract lightning to blast open the city gate. I originally thought that this was the absurd talk of a fool, but now looking at the situation, maybe there is some truth to it." Liu Bei was greatly surprised and immediately thought of what he had heard before.

Guan Yu said: "The story of the lightning strike may not be true, but it is true that the Yellow Turbans have a unique method to break through the gate, otherwise the city gate would not be in this state today."

Liu Bei nodded: "Xu Chen is really unfathomable. Judging from his deeds, it is easy to think that he is some kind of monster who was born as a reincarnation of a demon star."

Zhang Fei was not convinced: "He just knows some unorthodox methods, don't be fooled by him, brother. If there is a chance in the future, I will knock off his dog head and see if he can still play tricks."

Upon hearing this, Liu Bei and Guan Yu smiled at each other.

Guan Yu said, "Third brother, what you said may make sense. A traitor like Dong Zhuo will also face the punishment of the whole world. I am afraid that he will be defeated by the allied forces soon. Even if Xu Chen is evil, can he compare with Dong Zhuo? If he really makes a big fuss, he will not have a good end."

"Second brother and third brother are right. Perhaps I am really worrying too much." Liu Bei replied with a smile, then led the horse and walked forward.

But when he turned around, his smile was instantly replaced by worry.

For some reason, compared to Dong Zhuo, he always felt that the Yellow Turbans were the real threat to the world.

There was no origin or reason for this feeling. After all, no matter how powerful the Yellow Turbans were now, they could not be more dangerous than Dong Zhuo. Otherwise, people all over the world might turn their guns on Xu first.

Liu Bei didn't know what this feeling was, so he could only helplessly not think about it.

After the three returned to Zhuo County, they rested for two days and then went to find Gongsun Zan together. Gongsun Zan was very happy to see the three of them, but when he heard that the three of them came back to join Liu Yu, he became disappointed and felt a little unhappy.

But no matter what, he and Liu Bei had a good personal relationship, and it was not easy for him to turn against him. In the end, he did this favor, led them to the governor's office, and then introduced them to Liu Yu.

(End of this chapter)