Facts have proved that Liu Bei's choice was correct.
Only by participating in this death game can he truly break through the ceiling of powerful landlords, enter the real upper echelons of Han society, and then obtain the series of power and status he has today.
From the age of fifteen to nineteen, four years have passed. I dare not speak of the entire Zhuo County, but in Zhuo County, Liu Xuande is already the number one player.
Even Gongsun Zan would generally not insist on his own views if he had disagreements with Liu Bei on practical issues, because Liu Bei was Lu Zhi's true disciple. In terms of future prospects, Liu Bei's weight had obviously exceeded Gongsun Zan.
Gongsun Zan is also a very ambitious person.
He is not content to just become a big shot at the county level. He also wants to go to Luoyang and stand on a higher stage and dance, so that the people of the Liaodong Gongsun clan who looked down on him at the beginning will be embarrassed and regretful, and then they will fall in front of him. Flattery.
He has a strong desire for this.
He wants to stand out!
He will twist his lips and smile evilly!
But he himself had no way to gain a foothold in Luoyang. He failed to become Lu Zhi's disciple, so he needed Liu Bei. He needed Liu Bei very much.
Therefore, after learning that Su Shuang's horses had been robbed, he did nothing because Liu Bei said that Liu Bei would handle the matter himself.
Gongsun Zan was envious of his former little brother who had now surpassed him in actual status, with a hint of jealousy.
But he also knew that he couldn't be jealous.
Some things, some choices, if you miss them, you miss them.
If he had been the one who stood at the door of Lu Zhi's mansion for three months without leaving, if he had been the one who begged Lu Zhi to go to Jiujiang County with him, if he had been the one who risked his life to save Lu Zhi and almost died because of three arrows in his body... …
Maybe everything will be completely different now.
But thinking about this now, what’s the point?
Gongsun Zan could only sigh, sigh deeply.
On the second day, Liu Bei organized all his troops and headed to Cheng Dazhi's village with hundreds of fully armed and loyal young warriors and three strong men, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Ji Jian.
Cheng Dazhi is Liu Bei's old rival and friend.
Liu Bei was famous in Zhuoxian when he was not yet prosperous. Later, Liu Bei became prosperous and gradually bullied Zhuoxian, eliminating many disobedient forces. Cheng Dazhi was also beaten by Liu Bei.
However, Cheng Dazhi was not dealt with because he got involved with several powerful families in Zhuo County and became a channel for them to operate illegal trade.
Considering the opinions of those families, Liu Bei did not take action against Cheng Dazhi.
However, Cheng Dazhi has been very polite and even respectful to Liu Bei for a long time, and he does not dare to harm Liu Bei's interests at all, so Liu Bei cannot take the initiative to provoke him.
But this time it was Cheng Dazhi who crossed the line. If he was ungrateful, Liu Bei would not let him go. If those wealthy families in Zhuo County really had objections to this, Liu Bei would not be afraid of them.
There are people above me, are there people above you too?
The outcome of the matter was actually not beyond Liu Bei's expectation.
Liu Bei brought hundreds of young men, fully armed, to Cheng Dazhi's village, showing off their muscles. As long as Cheng Dazhi was not blind, he would know Liu Bei's determination.
So Cheng Dazhi went down the mountain to greet Liu Bei with a smile on his face, and invited Liu Bei to talk to him in the village.
Liu Bei took Zhang Fei with him and asked Guan Yu and Ji Jian to lead the armed forces to stay at the foot of the mountain as a deterrent. He went up the mountain and entered Cheng Dazhi's village, and then saw a hundred fine horses that Cheng Dazhi had robbed.
"I didn't know before that you actually came forward in this matter. You don't actually have to come forward in person. You just need to send someone to tell me. I will naturally return these horses in full without any mistakes."
Cheng Dazhi was completely respectful in front of Liu Bei, and even felt a little humble. He was obviously very afraid of this local tyrant who dominated Zhuoxian County.
Liu Bei touched the mane of a good horse and glanced sideways at Cheng Dazhi.
"Tell me honestly, who asked you to do this? I think you should not do something that could easily offend me. It doesn't matter if you have three or five horses. Who can swallow a hundred horses at a time?" Do you have to take such a breath? You are looking for death."
Cheng Dazhi's expression froze and he smiled.
"Actually, I was not in the village when this incident happened. The people who stayed in the village were ignorant and acted on their own initiative. I have already dealt with this matter after I came back."
"How to deal with it?"
"Bring the people up."
Cheng Dazhi gave instructions to the people around him, and then a guy who was beaten black and blue and half dead was brought over and thrown in front of Liu Bei.
"Li Damu?"
Liu Bei knew this man. He was the second-in-command around Cheng Dazhi. He didn’t know his name, but because of his big eyes, people on the Zhuoxian road called him Li Damu.
Since Cheng Dazhi started working in this business, Li Damu has been by Cheng Dazhi's side and is Cheng Dazhi's indispensable right-hand man.
"Cheng Dazhi, do you think I'm easy to fool?"
Liu Bei sneered: "Li Damu, he is ignorant? If he is ignorant, wouldn't all the hundreds of people in your village be idiots?"
"this matter……"
Cheng Dazhi pursed his lips and lowered his head in silence for a while. Shao Qing raised his head again and said with a smile: "Actually, this matter is really not what I want. Li Damu made the decision without authorization. I can't keep this person. I leave it to you to deal with. If you want to kill or behead me, please do as you please."
Liu Bei looked at Cheng Dazhi for a while.
"It's not that he is ignorant, he should be disobedient. Cheng Dazhi, your mind is still clear, so I advise you not to get too close to the people of Taiping Road. Who has a future and who has no future? You Maybe you can’t tell the difference, but I can tell you clearly that Taiping Road has no future.”
Cheng Dazhi raised his head in shock and stared at Liu Bei in disbelief.
"you……"
"Taoist Taiping's idea is good. The big man is indeed seriously ill, but Zhang Jiao is not capable of being a doctor."
Liu Bei shook his head and said: "March and formation, fighting with troops, communication up and down, message transmission, setting up camp, logistics dispatch, talent placement, planning and execution... These are all professional and need to be learned. Zhang Jiao has not received such education, let alone Such experience.
Specialized things should be left to professionals. Confucius said it a long time ago. There are priorities in learning the Tao, and there are specialties in skills. If you don’t understand it yourself, and you don’t have the help of professional talents, you can only do it enthusiastically. If you rush forward, as long as someone stumbles you, you will be considered lucky if you don't fall to death. "
Cheng Dazhi swallowed.
"You know everything?"
"What do I know? I don't know anything. I only know that if you do this, it's still a cliffhanger."
Liu Bei reached out and patted Cheng Dazhi on the shoulder: "I will take Li Damu away. I can help you suppress this matter, but how to go in the future, Cheng Dazhi, you have to think carefully, think seriously, and don't do it. Make a decision that you regret.
You and I are the same people. It’s not easy to climb up from the bottom to where we are today. I know your hardships and you know mine. It’s precisely because of this that I don’t want to see you shattered into pieces. Do you understand? "
