Chương 359: Liu Bei tosses and turns

Inside the medical tent, Hua Tuo and Zhang Zhongjing were treating Fang Yue and Wang Shuang's wounds.

As Hua Tuo stitched up Fang Yue's knife wound, he clicked his tongue in amazement and said:

"If that cut had gone in half an inch deeper, the arm would have been useless. The young man is lucky to be alive."

Zhang Zhongjing treated Wang Shuang's gunshot wound in the abdomen and nodded, saying:

"The shot went in quite deep, but it didn't hit any vital organs. He was lucky to survive."

Fang Yue and Wang Shuang were wincing in pain, but upon hearing this, they both grinned.

Fang Yue said, "I knew it! I'm tough!"

Wang Shuang said, "Me too! Those bastards want to kill me? No way!"

Liu Bei sat to one side, letting another physician treat the wound on his arm. Seeing his two brothers in this state, he felt both heartache and gratitude.

After Hua Tuo finished treating Fang Yue's wounds, he looked up at Liu Bei and said:

"Lieutenant Liu, your two brothers are healthy and lucky. With proper care, they'll recover in a month or two."

Liu Bei rose, bowed deeply, and said:

"Thank you so much, doctor! Thank you so much, doctor!"

Zhang Zhongjing waved his hand and said, "No need for formalities. The Prince of Yan has instructed that the best medicine be used, and we will naturally do our best."

Liu Bei nodded, a warm feeling welling up inside him.

The Prince of Yan... Regardless, he remembered this favor.

...

A few days later, Fang Yue and Wang Shuang's injuries stabilized.

Liu Bei went to the central command tent to see Liu Ce.

Liu Ce was discussing military affairs with Li Jing, Guo Jia, and others when he saw Liu Bei enter. He greeted him with a smile:

"Xuande has arrived? Sit down, sit down, don't be shy."

Liu Bei sat down, clasped his hands in thanks, and said, "Thank you, Your Highness, for saving my life!"

Liu Ce waved his hand and said, "Tell me first, what's the situation on the allied forces' side?"

Liu Bei recounted the internal situation of the allied forces in detail... Yuan Shao's incompetence, Yuan Shu's arrogance, the ulterior motives of the various warlords, Cao Cao's low profile, and Sun Jian's disappointment...

After listening, Liu Ce found that the report was almost identical to that of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and then he smiled and said:

"They're just a disorganized bunch. I knew it."

He stood up, walked to the map, pointed to the location of the sour jujube tree, and said:

"Since they're so divided, let's make them even more divided."

Guo Jia's eyes lit up and he said, "My lord means..."

Liu Ce laughed and said, "Send someone to Yuan Shu with a letter, saying that we are willing to talk to him alone. Then send a letter to Yuan Shao, saying that we actually think more highly of him. Then send a letter to Cao Cao, saying that we admire his talent. Let them guess, let them doubt each other."

Everyone laughed upon hearing this.

Li Jing nodded and said, "This plan is brilliant. They already distrust each other, and if we add fuel to the fire, they will burn themselves to death."

Liu Bei listened from the side, secretly admiring him.

The Prince of Yan may seem carefree and easygoing, but he is actually very calculating in every step he takes.

Following him is much more reliable than following those warlords who fight amongst themselves.

He stood up, clasped his hands in greeting again, and said:

"If Your Highness has any requests, Liu Bei will gladly die for you!"

Liu Ce looked at him and smiled:

"No rush. Focus on healing first. There will be plenty of opportunities later."

...

barracks.

In the dead of night, all was quiet.

Only the occasional footsteps of patrolling soldiers could be heard from outside the tent, their soft "tap tap tap" sounds echoing on the ground.

Inside Liu Bei's tent, an oil lamp flickered on and off. The flame crackled and popped, startling Liu Bei, who was sitting at his desk, back to his senses.

He then realized that he had been lying with his eyes closed for about half an hour.

Rubbing his eyes and sighing, Liu Bei stood up and paced back and forth inside the tent.

He tossed and turned for most of the night, unable to close his eyes.

It's not that I can't sleep, it's that I'm afraid to sleep.

As soon as he closed his eyes, all he could think about were the events of the past few days: the clash of swords in the allied camp, Yuan Shu's sinister gaze, Yuan Shao slamming his fist on the table as if to kill him, and the scene of his second and third brothers fighting desperately to protect him and break through the encirclement.

But the more this happened, the more uneasy Liu Bei felt.

The events of this period kept flashing through my mind like a revolving lantern: I was ordered by the Prince of Yan to go to the alliance meeting at Suanzao... The three brothers joined forces to kill Hua Xiong... I was framed by Yuan Shu as an inside agent, fought my way out of the encirclement, and returned to the Prince of Yan...

Liu Bei first thought of Liu Ce's military achievements.

Liu Ce, the legitimate younger brother of the late emperor and the current imperial uncle, quelled the Yellow Turban Rebellion before he was even twenty years old; he didn't just casually quell it.

Eight hundred Xuanjia Iron Cavalrymen defeated one hundred thousand Yellow Turbans—what does that even mean? That reputation was earned through real battles!

Back then, Liu Bei led a few hundred men in guerrilla warfare on the outskirts of the Yellow Turban Rebellion, and they were terrified. Yet, the Yellow Turbans directly confronted them head-on and still won.

And then what? Liu Ce led his troops to sweep across the grasslands, killing the three leaders of the Wuhuan tribes without hesitation, annihilating 80, 000 Xianbei cavalry without a second thought, and even cutting off the head of the King of Goguryeo and sending it to Luoyang.

The northern tribes, upon hearing the name "Liu Ce," were so frightened that they could barely keep their horses steady and ran faster than rabbits, obediently paying tribute and becoming vassals.

To seal the wolf's lair and dwell in the sacred mountains! To drink from the vast sea!

That's an honor that many military generals wouldn't even dare to dream of in their entire lives! And he accomplished it before he was even twenty.

Look at yourself again.

Liu Bei sighed, his heart aching as if it were soaked in vinegar.

He rubbed his face, muttering to himself:

"Look at myself... I've been carrying the title of a descendant of Prince Jing of Zhongshan for almost thirty years, fought countless battles, and shed a lot of blood. Apart from my two brothers, Fang Yue and Wang Shuang, I don't even have a proper place to settle down. A while ago, at the allied camp outside Hulao Pass, if it weren't for my second and third brothers risking their lives, I would have been a ghost under Yuan Shu's blade long ago..."

He felt increasingly embarrassed as he thought about it, and his face burned.

Compared to them, we're like a mudfish on the ground compared to a dragon in the sky—we're not even worthy of carrying their shoes!

He recalled the scene from Jizhou.

He had always heard people say that Liu Ce governed the north well, but he was still somewhat skeptical.

After all, which official doesn't boast these days? Nine out of ten talk a good game, but very few actually get things done.

But after Liu Ce took over Ji Province, Liu Bei saw it for himself and realized how truly capable he was.

He wasn't very familiar with Youzhou, but he was very familiar with Jizhou! He had served as the county magistrate of Anxi for several years and had traveled to all the counties in Jizhou.

What was Jizhou like before? After the Yellow Turban Rebellion, nine out of ten houses were empty, people were displaced, and the roads were littered with corpses of the starving.

But how long has Liu Ce been in charge?

In those villages, every family had surplus grain, children had access to education, and the shops along the roadside were bustling with activity. When the people mentioned Liu Ce, the Prince of Yan, they all gave him a thumbs up, calling him a living bodhisattva.

The fine salt they produce is as white as snow and has no bitterness; the fine wine they brew is mellow and intoxicating, one jar can be exchanged for ten jars of the past; the fine paper they make is thin and smooth, perfect for writing and drawing.

These people not only made a fortune, but also benefited ordinary people. There were almost no exorbitant taxes or levies, no, there were no exorbitant taxes or levies at all!

Thinking back to when I was a county magistrate, I couldn't even afford to pay the soldiers' salaries, let alone improve the lives of ordinary people.