Chapter 310

She moved backward, and Liu Bei’s breathing suddenly hitched; Zhang Zhang Chunhua was also a girl who strove for progress!

Liu Bei looked at Ding Yuan Shang below the hall and thought to himself,

“He really is good-looking; no wonder Ding Yuan Shao loves this youngest son more.”

“Ding Yuan Shang, your father attacked us without cause, causing great suffering to the people. What do you have to say for yourself!”

Ding Yuan Shang was depressed; how had he been captured?

“Lord Liu Xuande, I have nothing to say. The winner is king and the loser is the bandit; I am at your mercy.”

Liu Bei was somewhat surprised; this Ding Yuan Shang had some courage.

He laughed loudly, walked over, and helped Ding Yuan Shang untie his bonds,

“My nephew is a man of great filial piety, taking the initiative to help Brother Benchu cover the retreat. I saw it all, and I admire it very much.”

Ding Yuan Shang was overjoyed; did Liu Bei not want to kill him?

He cupped his hands and said,

“Lord Liu Xuande, you flatter me. I was just doing what a son should do.”

Liu Bei patted Ding Yuan Shang on the shoulder,

“Good, Brother Benchu has a worthy successor. Yunchang, release Ding Yuan Shang’s guards and let them escort their young master back to Ye City.”

“Understood!”

Ding Yuan Shang cupped his hands,

“Thank you, Lord Liu Xuande, for your great kindness.”

Zhang Fei was anxious,

“Big Brother, this Ding Yuan Shang is Ding Yuan Shao’s most beloved son; perhaps Ding Yuan Shao would be willing to trade Ye City for him.”

Liu Bei’s mouth twitched; this third brother really dared to think. [0 ......]

Ding Yuan Shang was numb and even wanted to say thank you to Zhang Fei, thinking to himself,

“This is thinking too highly of me; thank you, Zhang Fei!”

Liu Bei waved his hand,

“I stand upright and walk tall; how could I do such a threatening thing? Nephew, rest assured, I will definitely let you go back.”

Liu Bei thought for a moment,

“Nephew, take those thirty thousand routed soldiers and fifty thousand laborers back with you too. They are the pillars of their families and should return home.”

Ding Yuan Shang cried,

“Lord Liu Xuande, you are too benevolent and righteous!”

Liu Bei accompanied Ding Yuan Shang back to the prisoner camp,

And said to the captives,

“Everyone, this was a war between Ding Yuan Shao, Cao Cao, and me. You were innocently implicated, and it is time for you to go home.”

The routed soldiers and laborers were in a state of panic, never expecting Lord Liu Xuande to be so benevolent and righteous.

They knelt down one after another, deeply moved,

“Lord Liu Xuande is benevolent and righteous; we are eternally grateful!”

Liu Bei also gave them five days of rations, enough for them to return home.

Eighty thousand people and Ding Yuan Shang headed back to Hebei in a grand procession.

Zhang Fei looked at the dense crowd in the distance,

“Big Brother is confused. We worked so hard to capture people before; why are we letting them all go back now?”

Liu Bei laughed,

“I’m not only letting them go back to Hebei, but I will also send the laborers I captured before back to Hebei.”

Zhang Fei: “??”

He was truly confused.

Pang Tong cupped his hands,

“My lord is benevolent and righteous. The might of this great victory and the name of your benevolence will surely return to their homeland with the people of Hebei and spread throughout all of Hebei.”

Xun You also sighed with emotion,

“In the future, when my lord enters Hebei, these people will likely line the roads to welcome you.”

Zhang Fei scratched his head,

“So that’s what Big Brother was considering.”

“But what about Ding Yuan Shang? He won't welcome Big Brother into Ye City!”

Liu Bei laughed,

“Ding Yuan Shao loves his youngest son, Ding Yuan Shang, and made him the Inspector of Jizhou, while his eldest son, Ding Yuan Tan, is only the Inspector of Qingzhou. Clearly, he intends to make Ding Yuan Shang his heir. I’m letting him go back just so he can fight with Ding Yuan Tan.”

Zhang Fei’s eyes lit up,

“When they’ve fought enough, we can go over and take over Hebei!”

The livestream chat also had many more comments,

“My Brother Bei is too treacherous!”

“Letting Ding Yuan Shang go back to fight for the inheritance, then reaping the benefits himself!”

“Not only that, he can't kill those captives, and feeding them wastes too much grain; it’s better to let them go!”

“The big-eared thief is too devious!”

Liu Bei led Zhang Zhang Chunhua and her party to inspect the main cities of Henei Commandery, after which he led his troops back to the previous allied camp.

Over two hundred thousand people were still being held there, including both Cao and Ding Yuan soldiers and laborers.

Everyone’s emotions were relatively stable; after all, Liu Bei had no record of killing captives or slaughtering cities—on the contrary, he was exceptionally benevolent and righteous!

A few days later, Zhao Yun arrived with twenty thousand Western Xianbei and Wuhuan women, as well as over a million head of cattle and sheep!

Liu Bei went twenty miles out of the camp to welcome him.

Zhao Yun was still very young.

He dismounted and knelt on one knee,

“Your subordinate greets my lord!”

Liu Bei helped him up, gripped Zhao Yun’s hand tightly, and laughed.

“Zhao Zilong, we haven't seen each other for nearly two years, and you’ve become even more heroic.”

Zhao Yun sighed with emotion,

“My lord has become even more heroic and youthful; your subordinate is envious...”

“Haha!”

Liu Bei laughed loudly,

“Come, Zhao Zilong, follow me into the camp. We must drink to our heart’s content today!”

At the banquet,

Liu Bei raised his cup,

“Everyone, our army’s ability to defeat the combined attack of the three Guandong lords this time is all thanks to the full efforts of all you soldiers. I toast everyone a cup.”

“Thank you, my lord!”

Liu Bei looked at Zhao Yun again,

“Having Zhao Zilong garrison Yanmen has brought stability to our northern borders and allowed us to defend against the enemy with peace of mind. I toast you a cup.”

Zhao Yun’s eyes turned red,

“My lord showed me grace in recognizing my talent and entrusted me with heavy responsibilities. It would not be too much for me to pledge my life to repay you.”

Zhang Fei also sighed with emotion,

“Ten years ago, I was still selling pork in Zhuo Commandery. Who would have thought that after following Big Brother, I would now be a great general commanding tens of thousands of troops.”

The others were also filled with emotion.

Liu Bei laughed,

“Without you, I wouldn't have my current achievements. Come, we must all drink well tonight.”

Everyone toasted and drank heavily.

Zhang Fei asked while tipsy,