Chapter 18

The live stream chat began to fill up.

"How tragic. In times of chaos, human life is the least valuable thing."

"No wonder there are so many Huang Jin soldiers; everyone is just trying to survive!"

"This Liu Bei is a bit too soft-hearted. Giving grain to starving refugees—what will they eat themselves?"

"Indeed, who talks about benevolence and morality in times of chaos!"

"When the time comes and the soldiers have no food, that Big-Eared Thief can just wait for his doom."

"Don't you all think this Liu Bei is actually not bad?"

"That Big-Eared Thief is just buying people's hearts!"

The internet was in an uproar, something Liu Bei was naturally unaware of.

Outside Guang Sect City,

camps were linked together, and banners were everywhere.

Lu Zhi had surrounded Guang Sect tightly, but the Huang Jin army inside were battle-hardened veterans, exceptionally stubborn.

Lu Zhi had been attacking for three months without breaking the city; though he appeared calm on the surface, he was deeply worried inside.

What he worried about was not Zhang Jiao inside Guang Sect City,

but Emperor Liu Hong in Luoyang.

If the siege dragged on and Lu Zhi refused to bribe the Ten Eunuchs, they would eventually replace him with some good-for-nothing commander, wasting all of Lu Zhi's hard work!

"Report! Another army is marching this way from twenty miles away, nearly ten thousand strong. The vanguard is a thousand cavalry, and their formation is orderly!"

Lu Zhi frowned.

"A thousand cavalry? Whose army is it?"

"The flag bears the character 'Liu'."

Lu Zhi guessed,

"Could it be one of the imperial clansmen?"

Not long after,

"General, scouts from that army report it is your student, Liu Bei, Liu Liu Xuande, leading brave soldiers from Zhuoxian."

Lu Zhi was even more surprised.

"Liu Liu Xuande? My student?"

Liu Bei had come to study under him at fifteen with Brother Gongsun Zan and a few other clansmen; thirteen years had passed since then.

Back then, he himself was the Administrator of Jiujiang.

Lu Zhi always had the ambition to stabilize the nation and save the people; he feared no power and did not curry favor with the Emperor or the Ten Eunuchs, making him a model of the era.

Lu Zhi did not particularly like Liu Bei's personality.

As a youth, Liu Bei loved dogs, horses, music, and fine clothes, spending his days wandering around with Brother Gongsun Zan and the others, truly learning very little.

If not for the sake of their shared hometown, Lu Zhi might have driven Brother Gongsun Zan and Liu Bei away!

"Everyone, follow me to the camp gate!"

At the camp gate,

Lu Zhi looked into the distance and nodded involuntarily.

Having campaigned for years, he could naturally see that the thousand-plus soldiers Liu Bei brought were quite elite, not some hastily assembled rabble.

Liu Bei led Guan Yu and Zhang Fei to the camp gate, dismounted, and bowed deeply with cupped hands.

"Student Liu Liu Xuande pays respects to Teacher."

Lu Zhi walked over and helped Liu Bei up.

"Liu Xuande, I haven't seen you in ten years. You have become more mature and handsome, while I have grown old."

Liu Bei cupped his hands.

"Teacher has exhausted your heart and mind over these years, fighting Zhang Jiao in bloody battles; you must take care of your health."

Lu Zhi felt a warmth in his heart.

"Good. Are those all soldiers from your Zhuoxian?"

Liu Bei nodded and then shook his head.

"I am currently a Commandant appointed by Inspector Liu of Youzhou, with three thousand soldiers in total. Those behind are starving refugees who followed us along the way."

"Refugees?"

Liu Bei explained,

"We crushed sixty thousand Huang Jin soldiers outside Qingzhou City and seized a batch of grain. On the road to Guang Sect, seeing so many starving people, I shared some grain with them."

"The refugees had nowhere to go, so they followed us to Guang Sect."

A look of appreciation appeared in Lu Zhi's eyes.

"Liu Xuande, I didn't expect you to have grown so much these years, learning to care for the people. Your teacher is very pleased!"

Liu Bei introduced,

"Teacher, these are my sworn brothers, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei. In Zhuoxian, they slew Cheng Cheng Yuanzhi and Deng Mao in a single stroke."

"Second Brother, Third Brother, come and pay respects to Teacher Lu."

Lu Zhi looked at the nine-foot-tall Guan Yu and the muscular Zhang Fei.

"True warriors indeed!"

Guan Yu and Zhang Fei cupped their hands.

Guan Yu remained with his eyes half-closed, as arrogant as ever.

Zhang Fei, however, couldn't figure it out: although Lu Zhi was over eight feet tall, his frame was thin—how did he become a famous general of the Great Han!

Everyone entered the tent.

Lu Zhi smiled.

"Liu Xuande, I am very happy you came to assist, but there is no fighting in Guang Sect recently. You can take your troops to assist Lord Huangfu Song; he is currently fighting a great battle against Zhang Bao and Zhang Zhang Liang in Quyang with Zhu Jun."

"Zhang Bao and Zhang Zhang Liang have many troops; you must act with caution."

Liu Bei actually had this idea in mind for a long time. Soon, Lu Zhi would be framed for "raising bandits to increase his own importance" by the minor eunuch Zuo Feng for not giving a bribe, and Liu Hong would strip him of everything and sentence him to life imprisonment!

The impression this teacher left on him could be summed up in one word: Upright!

When Liu Hong sold titles to make money, he submitted a memorial—Upright!

When the Ten Eunuchs corrupted the government, he not only refused to bribe them but submitted a memorial—Upright!

When Dong Zhuo wanted to depose the Emperor, he was still—Upright!

Liu Bei admired such a person of integrity, but he would not become one himself.

Dong Zhuo and Lu Zhi were two extremes; Dong Zhuo was defeated repeatedly, yet he was promoted repeatedly!

Everyone admired Lu Zhi, but most wanted to become Dong Zhuo!

Liu Bei smiled.

"Teacher, I came in a hurry and only prepared a small gift for you."

Lu Zhi frowned, becoming angry.

"Liu Xuande, how have you still become tainted by that sort of thing!"

Liu Bei didn't mind and signaled for Zhao Yun to place the gift on the table.

"Teacher, it is just some local specialties from my hometown of Zhuoxian. I thought that since you have been away from home for so many years, you must have not eaten them in a long time."

Lu Zhi opened it to see mooncakes and tribute rice from Zhuoxian.

He couldn't help but blush.

"Liu Xuande, your teacher was rash. Do not take offense."

Looking at these specialties, his eyes grew moist.

"I have indeed not been back for many years."

Liu Bei cupped his hands.

"Teacher, I have a request."

"Oh, what is it?"

PS: Thanks to the big boss for the tip! Seeking flowers and rating tickets!