Liu Bei: My younger brother is a deity.

Chapter 89 Are there really demons?

At that time, Liu Bei was still a naive young man and did not understand the implied meaning in Prefect Zhao's words.

Liu Quan, however, sensed something amiss.

Zhao Bao inquired about his and A Bei's family background, teachers, and ages in such detail that it was probably not just casual conversation, but rather a way of choosing a son-in-law.

On second thought, it makes sense.

Although A Bei's family background is not as good as Zhao's, his willingness to risk his life to save people is an immense act of kindness.

Although Zhao Rong was not humiliated after this ordeal, she was captured by the Xianbei people for several days, which ultimately damaged her reputation. It would be difficult for her to marry into a high-ranking family, and even families of equal status might not be willing to marry her.

Then we'll have to look downwards.

Liu Quan then gave Liu Bei a wink.

Liu Bei was recounting how A Quan bravely stormed the Xianbei royal court, burned down Danhan Mountain, and built a mound of skulls and erected a wooden stele...

Completely oblivious to Liu Quan's gaze, he became more and more enthusiastic as he spoke, praising his "brother" as if he were a god descended from heaven.

Having no other choice, Liu Quan could only follow Liu Bei's example and praise "my brother" in return.

"Abei is a true hero. That night, when the Xianbei surrounded the house, Abei stood guard at the door alone, killing several people. Even with a knife in his shoulder, he did not retreat an inch. Such courage is rare to find in the whole world."

Liu Bei waved his hand repeatedly, saying, "Ah Quan, you flatter me."

Zhao Bao, holding his wine cup, listened with great interest, finding it amusing to watch the two brothers praising each other.

This kind of brotherly affection and respect is also very much in line with the values ​​of the literati today.

…………

At the foot of Tanhan Mountain.

The mound of corpses has been demolished, and the bodies and heads have been moved and buried.

But I don't know if it's psychological.

All the Xianbei tribes felt that the royal court seemed to have lost its former sacredness.

It's like... like a goddess who has been defiled by mortals.

It's all those damned Han Chinese's fault.

Liu Bei, Liu Quan, Guan Yu, Lü Bu...

These names have become synonymous with nightmares on the grasslands.

But Tan Shihuai wants to get rid of this nightmare.

He didn't even have time to rest his exhausted troops before sending his son and his army south to Youzhou.

It would be best if we could catch or kill a few of the little brats whose names were on the wooden signs.

Even if it doesn't work out, we'll still turn Han territory upside down.

But to his utter surprise, that fool Helian ignored the advantage of the steppe cavalry's swift movement and insisted on confronting the Han city.

Has he forgotten how the people of the grasslands fight?

Or is it because he just experienced a great victory and got carried away?

So they suffered a series of defeats, a crushing defeat.

almost annihilated.

What infuriated Tan Shihuai even more was that this spendthrift son had come up with an utterly absurd excuse for himself.

"Say it again, what was it that attacked Liucheng?"

"Demon...demon, Mohe (father), I'm telling the truth!"

He knelt on the ground, trembling, and said:

"I had already captured the family of the Liaoxi governor, intending to use them to force the Han people to abandon their defenses and let us into Youzhou. Who knew that the Han people would summon a demon army from somewhere, launch a midnight attack on Liucheng, and rescue the people—that's why the army collapsed!"

"Bullshit!" Tan Shihuai kicked him to the ground.

He rolled over and got up again, continuing to shout, "Mo He, I'm not lying to you, it really is a demon, really! Ask those who escaped from Liucheng, they all saw it!"

With a gloomy face, Tan Shihuai ordered his men to bring up the several Xianbei chieftains who had escaped from Liucheng.

The chieftains knelt down as soon as they entered the tent, trembling all over. When they recounted their experiences that night, their voices trembled as they spoke one after another.

Even the few guards of Tan Shihuai inside the tent were terrified.

The details given by the several people were largely the same, vividly describing the appearance, size, and terrifying aura of the "demon".

Tan Shihuai then sent his personal guards to inquire with the ordinary soldiers below, and they returned with the same report.

He sat in the tent without saying a word for a long time.

So many people are telling the same story, even that idiot could never do that.

Could it be... that there really are demons?

Do not!impossible!

Tan Shihuai shook his head abruptly, his hesitant gaze hardening once more.

It must be a trick by the Han people.

Most of those things are fake, designed to scare people by taking advantage of the limited visibility at night.

These idiots fell for it!

If the Han people could truly summon an army of demons, why didn't they do so during the previous great battle?

It must be fake.

He found a much more reasonable explanation than "demon," which put his mind at ease.

However, after this defeat, the remaining strength accumulated from their great victory was also depleted, and all the tribes in the clan were exhausted. It seemed that there would be no chance to launch another attack on Han territory this year.

Tan Shihuai began to have another headache.

How should the tribesmen get through the winter?

The cattle and sheep left by the various tribes in the royal court were partially robbed by the Han people, and those that were not robbed were either killed or driven away.

Even though the army managed to recover some supplies after turning back, the remaining supplies were not enough for the various units to survive the winter, even with the grain and fodder captured from the Han Chinese.

We still have to fight for it.

The Han people are still strong and difficult to plunder, so...

He turned his attention to Japan.

…………

Time flies, and it's October now.

A cold moon in late autumn.

The north wind, carrying a chill, howled in from beyond the Great Wall.

The Wuhuan people of Youzhou have finally been appeased by Liu Yu.

This Prefect Liu is indeed quite capable.

He first publicized the story of the Liu brothers burning down Tanhan Mountain, exaggerating the martial prowess of the Han people, which frightened the Wuhuan people.

Then, Liu Bei was recruited as a military officer and sent to travel around with Liu Quan and his men, showing off their weapons to the Wuhuan people.

Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Han Dang, Yan Liang, and others swaggered around, defeating one Wuhuan tribe warrior after another, displaying their martial prowess.

At the same time, Liu Yu sent people to deliver grain to the Wuhuan tribe and tried to appease them with kind words.

A combination of persuasion and pressure, using both carrots and sticks.

In addition, Zhao Bao had just annihilated a Xianbei army in western Liaoning. The Wuhuan people weighed their options and decided it was better to keep quiet, so they gradually settled down.

But things weren't so easy in Bingzhou.

The Xiongnu were causing more and more trouble, and Pei Ye, the governor of Bingzhou, was so anxious that he developed blisters on his lips.

Pei Ye was born into the Pei clan of Hedong, a prestigious family. Who in the Central Plains wouldn't give him some face?

However, when facing the Xiongnu, being born into a prestigious family was not so effective.

On the grasslands, strength reigns supreme; it's about who has the most powerful weapon, not who has the most famous reputation.

Seeing that Liu Yu's approach next door was quite effective, Pei Ye decided to follow suit.

He promoted Lü Bu, Zhang Xun, and others who had participated in the burning of Tanhan Mountain to official positions and sent them to lead people to travel among the various Xiongnu tribes.

Lu Bu finally had a stage to showcase his skills.

This hero from Wuyuan was truly skilled in horsemanship and archery.

He led his men back and forth among the Xiongnu tribes, and whenever they encountered someone who disagreed, they would have a contest on the spot. With the sound of the bowstring, he could hit a target from a hundred paces away, leaving the Xiongnu people dumbfounded.

After several such encounters, Lü Bu's reputation spread among the Xiongnu tribes.

When the Xiongnu people mentioned the name "Lü Bufeng," they felt both awe and admiration.