Chương 160: Robbery, the Mo Dao Battalion and the Imperial Guard Battalion

On the other side of the car, Du Xiuniang felt much the same way.

She was the daughter of a minor official in Bingzhou. Her mother had died early, and her father had passed away last year. During her mourning period, a man named Qin Yilu took a liking to her and insisted on marrying her. When she refused, Qin Yilu used various means to coerce her, even threatening to burn down her house.

Just when she was at her wit's end, the Imperial Guards appeared. They said they were on the orders of the Marquis of Champion to pick up General Lü Bu's family. They happened to be passing by and, disapproving of Qin Yilu's behavior, intervened to save her.

Upon learning that she was alone, they asked her if she would like to go to Youzhou. She thought about it and realized that she had no relatives left in Bingzhou, and staying would only invite Qin Yilu's revenge. It would be better to go to Youzhou, where she might still have a way to survive.

Now, she arrived in Zhuo County and met the Marquis of Champion. This marquis was younger and gentler than she had imagined. The look in his eyes was devoid of the greed common in men, filled only with pure sympathy and concern.

"The Marquis is a good man..." Du Xiuniang lifted a corner of the carriage curtain and looked at the tall, straight back of the man riding a horse in front of her, feeling a warmth in her heart.

She knew that her new life had begun.

The carriage stopped in front of the Liu residence.

Cai Yan, Zhen Jiang, and others, accompanied by maids, were already waiting at the door. Seeing Liu Ce return and the carriage behind him, Zhen Jiang greeted him with a smile:

"My husband is back. These must be the two young ladies Lu Bing mentioned?"

Liu Ce nodded and smiled, "That's right. Please take good care of them and make sure they feel at ease staying in the manor."

Zhen Jiang replied gently, "Don't worry, my husband, I will."

The maids helped Zou Yu and Du Xiuniang out of the carriage. It was the first time the two had seen such a magnificent mansion, and they were both a little flustered.

Cai Yan stepped forward and warmly took Zou Yu's hand: "This must be Miss Zou? You must be tired from your journey. Please come with me into the mansion to rest."

Zhen Jiang then pulled Du Xiuniang aside, saying, "Sister Du, you look so pale. You must be tired from the journey. I've already had hot water and clean clothes prepared. Wash up first, and then have some hot food."

Zhang Ning, Ren Hongchang, and the other Zhen sisters also gathered around, offering their welcome in a flurry of chatter.

"Sister Zou, how old are you? I'm sixteen, should I call you sister?"

"Sister Du, your clothes are old. I have some newly made ones that you haven't worn yet. I'll get you two sets later."

"Are you two sisters hungry? There's chicken soup simmering in the kitchen, it's delicious!"

Surrounded by this group of enthusiastic women, Zou Yu and Du Xiuniang's initial tension and unease gradually dissipated, replaced by warmth and gratitude.

They followed the crowd into the Liu residence. Inside, the pavilions, terraces, rockeries, and flowing water were breathtakingly beautiful. But what reassured them even more were the genuine smiles of these women.

As they walked, Cai Yan introduced the various courtyards: "That's the study, where my husband often goes. That's the garden; it's beautiful when the flowers bloom in spring. Your courtyard is in the east wing; it's already been prepared. The two of you will have your own courtyard, isn't that wonderful?"

Zou Yu quickly replied, "Yes, yes, thank you, Madam..."

Cai Yan smiled and said, "Don't call me Madam, just call me Sister. There aren't that many rules in our household, let's just get along harmoniously."

The group arrived at the east wing and found two adjacent courtyards that had been prepared. Peach trees were planted in the courtyards and were in full bloom, their fragrance filling the air.

"You should wash up and rest first."

Zhen Jiang said, "I'll call you for dinner. By the way, my husband said he's hosting a family banquet tonight to welcome my two younger sisters."

Zou Yu and Du Xiuniang thanked them again.

After everyone left, the two sat in the new room, looking at the clean bed, brand-new bedding, and exquisite furniture, as if in a dream.

Du Xiuniang whispered, "Sister Zou, are we... really safe?"

Zou Yu grasped her hand and nodded vigorously, saying, "Yes, we're safe now. The Marquis is a good man, and these sisters are good men too. We... have a home now."

The two looked at each other and smiled, their eyes glistening with tears.

In the front hall, Liu Ce listened to Cai Yan and Zhen Jiang report on the resettlement situation and nodded in satisfaction.

"I trust you to handle things."

He smiled and said, "By the way, for the family dinner tonight, cook some good dishes to help the two young ladies calm their nerves."

Zhen Jiang smiled and said, "I've already given the orders. My husband must be tired from reviewing the troops today, so go and rest for a while."

Liu Ce was indeed tired. He nodded and walked towards his own courtyard.

As I walked, I thought: Zou Yu, Du Xiuniang... Both of them were tragic figures in history.

As for Jia Xu… Liu Ce couldn't help but laugh when he thought of Jia Xu's "I really will thank you" expression.

"Wenhe, Wenhe, now you can't run away, can you?"

He muttered to himself, "Stay put in Youzhou and give me advice. When the world is in chaos, you'll have your chance to shine."

Back in his room, Liu Ce lay down on the couch and let out a long sigh of relief.

A few days later, at the drill ground in Zhuo County, Zhuo Prefecture.

When Liu Ce rode his horse leisurely to the training ground, the 39, 000 soldiers of the 13th Battalion were practicing enthusiastically.

Guan Yu's Loyal and Brave Battalion was practicing formation changes, their shouts of "Hey! Hah!" echoing through the air; Zhang Fei's Breaking Formation was practicing charges, kicking up clouds of dust; Zhao Yun's Elite Battalion was practicing mobile encirclements, their formations flowing like clouds and water...

Liu Ce watched from the viewing platform for a while, nodded in satisfaction, and then ordered the drums to be beaten to gather the generals.

"Dong dong dong—" As soon as the drums sounded, the generals of each camp knew that their lord had arrived and hurriedly rode over.

Before long, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, Lü Bu, Yuwen Chengdu, Gao Shun, Huang Zhong, Yu Jin, Zhang He, Yan Liang, Wen Chou, Luo Cheng, along with Cheng Yaojin and Dian Wei, all stood below the stage.

"My lord!" The generals clasped their hands in salute.

Liu Ce waved his hand, a smile on his face that said, "I'm going to take advantage of you, but you'll still have to thank me."

"Generals, you've done a good job training the troops."

Liu Ce first praised them, then changed the subject, "However, I think we are still missing two special forces units."

The generals exchanged glances, their hearts pounding – their lord's expression couldn't be good.

Sure enough, Liu Ce continued, "First, the Mo Dao Battalion. Each of your respective battalions should select several hundred tall and strong soldiers and hand them over to Cheng Yaojin to form the battalion."

Upon hearing this, Cheng Yaojin grinned from ear to ear: "Hehe, thank you very much, my lord!"

The other generals turned green with rage.

Hundreds of people! And they were all carefully selected, tall guys! What's the difference between this and cutting off a piece of flesh?

But Liu Ce wasn't finished: "Second, the personal guard battalion. Select several dozen of the most elite soldiers from each battalion and assign them to Dian Wei."

Dian Wei scratched his head sheepishly: "My lord, I... I can lead troops now?"

"Of course!"

Liu Ce patted him on the shoulder, "You're my personal guard commander, how can you not lead troops?"

Looking at the bitter faces of everyone, Liu Ce was secretly delighted, but he maintained a serious expression: "What, you're unwilling? This is for the sake of the bigger picture. The Mo Dao Battalion needs tall, strong soldiers to be effective, and the Imperial Guard Battalion needs the most elite soldiers to protect my safety. You wouldn't be unwilling to even make this small sacrifice, would you?"

The generals: "..." Now that things have come to this point, how can we say we're unwilling?