Liu Bei: My younger brother is a deity.

Chapter 92 Boy Camp

Mi Zhu was a talkative and emotionally intelligent person, which was quite similar to Liu Bei.

Throughout the journey, he kept talking to Guan Yu.

Given Guan Yu's personality, he wouldn't have wanted to pay him any attention.

Unfortunately, the other party was just too enthusiastic and spoke very nicely.

Oh well, after all, they are old acquaintances of Xuande and Yuangu.

"I have a younger brother named Mi Fang, who greatly admires heroes and valiant men. If he knew that I would meet someone like Brother Guan on this trip, he would probably be so upset that he wouldn't be able to eat."

Guan Yu remained expressionless, only humming in response, but inwardly he was quite pleased with himself.

Mi Zhu wasn't annoyed. This shrewd man had already realized that the red-faced man was actually a little embarrassed, and found him to be quite interesting. He continued chattering away.

Mi An was in the carriage behind, the curtain slightly lifted, his gaze fixed on Guan Yu.

The more he looked at him, the more astonished he became. This man's physique was exceptionally strong, a rarity in the world. If he were to go to the battlefield, he would surely be a fierce general.

Yet such a figure was willing to serve Liu Bei as his master; the Liu brothers were indeed not to be underestimated.

Mi An lowered the curtain, leaned against the carriage wall, closed his eyes to rest, but his mind was racing with calculations.

He had witnessed Liu Quan's exceptional archery skills; hitting a target from a hundred paces away was a piece of cake for him. Zhang Fei, that young man, was also incredibly strong and brave.

And that red-faced Guan Yu from earlier...

In addition, Liu Bei himself, although he appears kind and steady, is no ordinary person who could possibly win over these people.

As a family of merchants, the Mi family's caravan has traveled all over the country over the years and has a clearer understanding of the situation of this great empire than even the noble families and the royal family.

This once mighty empire is now fundamentally rotten.

The world will be in chaos sooner or later.

This is why he bets everywhere.

He sought powerful backers and allies; whenever he saw a potential powerhouse, he would offer them a helping hand.

Now it seems that the Liu brothers...

Mi An opened his eyes, his gaze deep and heavy.

Perhaps it's wise to place a bet in advance.

When the carriage arrived at the entrance of Lousang Village, before it had even come to a complete stop, Mi Zhu heard a series of orderly shouts.

He peered out and saw fifty or sixty boys in a square formation on an open space at the east end of the village. They were all wearing trousers with their legs tied up and were punching and kicking in response to commands.

Liu Quan held a bamboo stick in his hand, wandered around the line with his hands behind his back, and if he saw anyone slacking off, he would lash them out with the bamboo stick. The lashes weren't hard, but they were sure to hurt.

"Lift your head up, chest out, and head high! Don't hunch your neck. Legs! Are you kicking or stretching?"

The child who was being whipped bared his teeth and quickly raised his leg a little higher.

Liu Bei stood on the sidelines, his hands tucked into his sleeves, watching with a smile.

There were a few other people standing nearby. Mi Zhu glanced at them and recognized Zhang Fei. The others were unfamiliar faces, but each of them had an extraordinary bearing and was clearly not an ordinary person.

"Who are these children...?" Mi Zhu asked curiously.

Guan Yu explained, "Young Master Mi, these children come from two different backgrounds."

"We were also Xianbei prisoners. When we went on the northern expedition, the imperial army was defeated by the Xianbei in three routes, but we, under the leadership of Xuande and Yuangu, bypassed Tanhan Mountain, broke through the Xianbei royal court, and captured thousands of Xianbei women and children."

"After returning, the brothers who participated in the war received some, but there was still quite a lot left."

"The remaining women, as well as the weak and young children, were all sent to various workshops to work or as apprentices. The workshops were short-handed and needed them."

"As for these—" He raised his chin, pointing to the children practicing horse stance, "they are the cleverest and strongest ones from that batch, the ones who seem to have some potential. Yuan Gu said it would be a waste to leave them around, so we might as well train them and maybe they could amount to something. That's how we set up this 'Boy Camp'."

"There's one more thing," Guan Yu continued, "the local orphans of Youzhou. After this battle, so many people died, and there were orphans and widows everywhere. Liu Quan had people select the healthy and bright ones and bring them back to raise and train with these Xianbei children."

Mi Zhu was secretly amazed and turned to look at Liu Quan.

The boy was squatting in front of a seven or eight-year-old child, poking his knees with a bamboo stick and teaching him how to exert force.

Mi An stepped down from the carriage, thinking to himself, "These children have been raised by the Liu family since they were little. When they grow up, they will be the most loyal servants and retainers. Could it be that the Liu brothers also foresaw that the world is about to descend into chaos?"

Liu Bei had already noticed that Guan Yu had brought men with him.

He had a good memory and recognized Mi An and his son Mi Zhu at a glance, and immediately greeted them with a smile.

Guan Yu stepped forward and recounted how he encountered the Mi family father and son.

Liu Bei's face darkened, and he sighed, "Alas, ever since the battle at the beginning of autumn, when the imperial army was defeated by the Xianbei in three routes, Youzhou has been in turmoil. Bandits have risen up everywhere, including the Wuhuan, the Xiongnu, and the Han people."

He shook his head. "I don't know what the court is thinking. So many Han Chinese men died on the grasslands, yet the court doesn't offer any compensation. Instead, they're increasing taxes on the three prefectures of You, Bing, and Liang, claiming it's to repay debts to the Wuhuan and Xiongnu people?!"

"What a huge joke!"

"The debt was incurred by the imperial court; why should the common people have to repay it?"

"This has angered both heaven and man, and many decent young men have turned to thievery!"

Liu Bei's tone clearly showed resentment.

In the two months since he took office as a sergeant, he has been busy suppressing bandits everywhere.

Some bandits don't deserve sympathy; they should be killed. But some...

Liu Bei could only lament their misfortune and be angry that they had joined the bandits.

Guan Yu also harbored resentment towards the court and was about to echo it when he suddenly remembered that the Mi family father and son were still nearby. So he reminded them, "Xuande, be careful what you say."

Liu Bei laughed heartily and strode towards Mi An and Mi Zhu, saying with a sigh, "The Mi family father and son are gentlemen, Yun Chang need not worry."

A single sentence brought comfort to Mi An and Mi Zhu.

Upon approaching, Liu Bei took the initiative to bow, saying, "Mian Weng and Brother Zizhong have come from afar. I, Liu Bei, extend my greetings."

Mi An hurriedly stepped forward and helped Liu Bei up, saying, "My father and I are not worthy of such courtesy from Lord Liu."

Liu Bei said cheerfully, "What's with all this talk about seniority? Mi Weng is an elder, and Brother Zizhong is a friend I acknowledge. I don't need to be so formal."

Mi Zhu was overjoyed upon hearing this. It turns out that Young Master Liu still remembers me, and that Young Master Liu has already regarded me as a friend!

Liu Bei was thinking, "A-Quan once said that the Mi family is richer than a country and that we should befriend them. I was just worried that I didn't have the chance, but I didn't expect them to come to me on their own."

After exchanging pleasantries with the Mi family, Liu Bei praised Mi Zhu highly for his helpfulness, making Mi Zhu somewhat embarrassed.

He hurriedly said, "I only acted because of your words. It is all thanks to Brother Xuande."

Liu Bei laughed and said, "I was just speaking casually. Brother Zizhong was able to put it into practice, which shows that you have a chivalrous heart and are a hero."

Liu Bei gave a thumbs-up.

Mi Zhu finally couldn't help but burst into laughter.