Liu Bei: My younger brother is a deity.

Chapter 88 A Win-Win Situation

in the room.

Liu Quan smiled slightly as he saw the collapsing Xianbei people through the drone's view.

This time, he used a holographic projector to play a fantasy blockbuster produced in the early days of ancient China in the original timeline.

He specifically edited out the scenes of the demon army attacking the city.

In retrospect, the results are indeed quite good.

For the Xianbei soldiers at this moment, this was nothing short of a nightmare!

They pushed and shoved, trampling as they surged from both sides of the city wall toward the ramparts and toward the north gate.

The Xianbei general cut down two more people, but the fleeing tide could no longer be stopped.

He was also swept along and retreated down the city walls. He didn't know when he lost his sword, and he didn't know who knocked off his helmet.

Before leaving the city, he glanced back at the outside of the city. The monster army was getting closer, roaring towards the sky.

The murderous aura emanating from that ferocious face was terrifying.

The last shred of courage drained from his body.

"Run! Run! This is beyond our capabilities!"

The Xianbei garrison at Liucheng was completely routed.

Even the Xianbei soldiers who had never seen the monster army in person were infected by their comrades' fear.

They swarmed out of the north gate, leaving behind all the looted valuables and abducted Han women.

Some rode horses, some walked, all racing wildly northward.

At that moment, they had only one thought in their minds: the farther away from that city, the better; the farther away from those things, the better.

After waiting for half an incense stick's time, Liu Quan got up and said, "Let's go, the Xianbei people have all run away."

The group left the courtyard and found the streets deserted, without a single person in sight.

There were a few scattered corpses on the ground, all trampled to death by their own people, their bodies covered with messy footprints.

As Liu Quan walked, he muttered to himself: If I hadn't met A Bei when I first arrived, I might have gone and started something similar to the Taiping Cult, and I guarantee I would have been even more impressive than the Zhang brothers.

The group walked smoothly to the south gate without encountering any obstacles.

Before leaving the city, Liu Bei spotted a donkey cart parked by the roadside, casually pulled it over, and invited the three Zhao women to get on.

After Zhao's mother got into the carriage, her gaze towards Liu Bei showed even more satisfaction—this child was not only brave and fierce, but also meticulous.

After leaving the city, the three women looked at the empty wilderness outside the city and couldn't help but be surprised.

"Where are the reinforcements?" Zhao's mother looked around.

Liu Bei and Liu Quan exchanged a glance.

Following what A-Quan had taught him, Liu Bei said, "There were no reinforcements. We only invited a few people and made a big commotion. I didn't expect these Xianbei people to be so cowardly; they scared themselves away."

This statement has many flaws.

What kind of commotion can a few people make?

Could it terrify an entire city's elite Xianbei troops?

But the three daughters of the Zhao family—an old lady, a woman confined to her home, and an unmarried girl—knew nothing about the intricacies of military formations. Hearing him speak so casually, they believed him.

Zhao's mother also praised, "These two little heroes are truly both wise and brave."

…………

The standoff continues in Liaoxi County.

Outside the city, in the Xianbei camp, He Lian was gnawing on a lamb leg in his tent when his men rushed in, saying that news had come from Liucheng.

He Lian was stunned for a long time after hearing this, and then flew into a rage.

"Bullshit! What demon army? It's clearly just a bunch of useless idiots making excuses after their defeat, and such stupid excuses at that!"

After cursing for a while, the anger on He Lian's face gradually faded, and calm returned to his mind.

He remembered that his 10,000 troops were currently in the heart of Liaoxi Commandery.

When they arrived, they held Zhao Bao's family members as a protective charm, and the Han people, fearing the consequences, dared not make a move.

But now that the protective charm is gone, his 10,000 troops are like meat on a chopping board on Han territory.

"Send word to pack up the tents." He Lian lifted the tent flap and said to his personal guards outside, "Leave tonight, or we'll be locked up and beaten."

On the city wall, Zhao Bao received the message almost simultaneously; it was a chivalrous knight who was there to meet Liu Bei and Liu Quan who relayed the message back.

He froze for a moment, then slapped his hand on the edge of the stack, muttering, "It's done...it's really done..."

The officials behind him looked at each other, wondering what the prefect was talking about.

Zhao Bao turned around, the gloom on his face vanished, and even the bags under his eyes that had appeared from staying up late for days seemed to have lightened a bit.

He glanced at the Xianbei camp outside the city, which was beginning to move, and sneered, "Trying to run?"

These days, Zhao Bao had been accumulating a lot of anxiety and anger, and now he needed to vent it out.

They lost again.

Defeated.

The 10,000 soldiers were almost completely wiped out, and only a hundred or so men were left to flee back to the grasslands in a sorry state.

When Liu Bei and Liu Quan returned to the county town in their donkey cart, Zhao Bao's enthusiasm was almost palpable.

He didn't go to see his mother, wife, and daughters first, but strode towards Liu Bei and Liu Quan, grasping their hands in each of theirs, and said in a trembling voice, "My two virtuous men, I cannot thank you enough! Zhao Bao owes you a tremendous favor, and I will surely repay it!"

If it weren't for the help of these two people, Zhao Bao felt he would have been in a dilemma. Now, the dilemma has turned into a win-win situation—his family was saved, and he even gained merit.

After exchanging pleasantries with Liu Bei and Liu Quan, Zhao Bao approached the donkey cart and knelt down respectfully. "Mother, it is all my fault for being negligent, which led you into danger. Please punish me."

At this moment, Zhao's mother sat upright on the donkey cart, while Zhao Bao's wife and daughter sat behind her.

Although the old man looked exhausted, he had regained some of his composure.

She looked down at her son kneeling before the carriage, remained silent for a moment, and then slowly said, "Ziwen, get up. The Xianbei invasion was not your fault; but as a general defending the land, your failure to properly assess the enemy, leading to the loss of your family to the enemy, was ultimately your negligence."

Zhao Bao lay prostrate on the ground, his forehead pressed against the yellow earth.

Mother Zhao sighed softly, her voice softening: "Fortunately, the two brave men from the Liu family came to our rescue, otherwise, how could the Zhao family have any face left? Just remember this kindness."

He paused, then said, "Get up. Don't let your benefactor laugh at you. From now on, guard your city well and don't let the people under your jurisdiction fall into such a state again. That will be doing right by the court and the Zhao family."

Zhao Bao then got up and helped his mother, wife, and children down from the carriage.

This exchange was expected and a standard procedure for aristocratic families in this era.

Zhao Bao had to publicly demonstrate his filial piety, rather than comforting his family behind closed doors, otherwise he would be impeached and lose his official position.

Both the Eastern and Western Han dynasties governed the country based on filial piety, and therefore placed great importance on the word "filial piety".

But it is precisely because of this emphasis that an exaggerated, theatrical performance style has emerged, and "filial piety" has become something to be performed for others to see.

It's just that some people "perform" voluntarily, while others are forced to "perform".

After settling his mother, wife, and daughters, Zhao Bao returned to the main hall to speak with Liu Bei and Liu Quan.

He first inquired about the rescue process. He could naturally tell that the so-called "scaring away the Xianbei people" was a bit suspicious, but he didn't ask any further questions.

He then inquired about their family background, teachers, and ages, asking more and more detailed questions.

"Yuan Gu is actually the prospective son-in-law of Lord Cai Bojie?" Zhao Bao was filled with respect and cupped his hands, saying, "Yuan Gu has actually won Lord Cai's favor. I am truly ashamed! Lord Cai is a renowned scholar of the world, unparalleled in literature, calligraphy, and classical studies. I have always admired him. Yuan Gu must be exceptionally talented to have caught Lord Cai's eye."

Liu Bei, standing nearby, also praised A Quan, saying, "My brother has convinced Kong Wenju several times in Luoyang, and his poems are widely circulated. By the way, my brother's calligraphy is also superb."

Seeing Liu Bei, who had turned into a brother-bragging maniac, Liu Quan felt somewhat helpless. Couldn't this older brother see through the other person's intentions?