Chapter 18: Am I Hearing Things?-Liu Bei, eu sou um viajante do tempo(Inverno de novembro)

As the war in Jiangxia drew to a close, Zhao Shaojie and his companions arrived in Linxiang. After making inquiries, they confirmed that Huang Zhong was not there.

"What a pity!" Zhao Shaojie felt frustrated; it seemed he would have to make a trip to You County after all.

Ma Su, who did not hold Huang Zhong in high regard, could not help but remark upon seeing Zhao Shaojie’s disappointment: "Huang Hansheng is merely an old soldier; what capabilities could he possibly have? You clearly do not know the true heroes of our Jing Province. Let me recommend a few to you!"

Zhao Shaojie blinked, asking with interest, "Who?"

"Liao Li, Liu Ba, Jiang Wan, Liu Min..." Ma Su reeled off a long list of names as if reciting a menu.

Upon hearing them, Zhao Shaojie’s face fell. What a sorry bunch of dregs! Liao Li was useless apart from his sharp tongue and would be the first to flee at the sight of battle. Liu Ba was loyal to Cao Cao at heart and would never have served Liu Bei if he hadn't been backed into a corner. Only Jiang Wan was remotely presentable. As for Liu Min, he was likely a nobody; the name didn't even ring a bell from his days playing Three Kingdoms strategy games.

"Jiang Wan is decent; let's send someone to find him!" Zhao Shaojie said, considering he was one of the four chancellors of Shu Han.

Ma Su widened his eyes, seemingly unable to comprehend Zhao Shaojie's choice, and blurted out, "You have eyes but fail to see! Men like Liao Gongyuan and Liu Zichu are true heroes; Jiang Wan is nothing but a junior!"

"What do you know?" Zhao Shaojie retorted, immediately ordering his men to track down Jiang Wan to see if he could be recruited.

Ma Su roared in fury, "Zhao Shaojie, I will never stand on the same side as you!"

...

Some time later, Zhao Shaojie finally met the Huang Zhong he had been longing for.

When Liu Pan heard the purpose of their visit, his expression darkened slightly. "I will not stop you from invading Jiaozhi, but why must you demand Huang Hansheng? You must understand, Hansheng is a general under Governor Liu Biao. This is highly inappropriate!"

Mi Fang and the others turned to look at Zhao Shaojie. They did not think much of Huang Zhong, especially given his advanced age and his subordinate position to the young Liu Pan. Consequently, no one else dared to speak up.

Zhao Shaojie chuckled and said, "General Liu, there is no such division between 'Governor Liu' and 'Prefect Liu'—the two sides are family."

Liu Pan scoffed, ignoring him.

Zhao Shaojie was irritated but forced himself to remain patient. After a moment, he added, "I know what you are worried about, General. Is it not the fear that Prefect Liu might launch a sneak attack on Governor Liu and seize Jing Province? I can guarantee you right now that he would never do such a thing. If he were to launch such an attack, may he meet a miserable death!"

The moment these words were spoken, everyone was stunned. It was unheard of for a subordinate to swear an oath in the name of his lord! Mi Fang and the others stared at Zhao Shaojie in disbelief, as did Liu Pan.

Yet, Zhao Shaojie maintained a solemn expression, speaking with conviction: "Prefect Liu’s only desire now is to help Governor Liu guard the northern gateway and prevent the Cao rebels from moving south. Our mission to Jiaozhi is merely to seek a place to settle. Surely, General, you are aware that in Xiangyang, the eldest and second sons of Governor Liu are locked in a struggle for succession. If the eldest son, Liu Qi, succeeds as the Governor of Jing, Prefect Liu can continue to help guard the north. But if Liu Cong succeeds, Prefect Liu will certainly be unable to remain there."

"For all these years, Prefect Liu has worked diligently to guard the northern frontier for Governor Liu. Even if he lacks great merit, he has certainly suffered for the cause. Now, looking toward the future, we only seek a foothold—and when we ask for your assistance, you offer only excuses! Is this how Jing Province repays Prefect Liu?"

After this speech, a look of hesitation appeared on Liu Pan’s face. As Zhao Shaojie had said, Liu Bei had always supported Liu Qi and had a poor relationship with Liu Cong and the powerful Cai and Kuai families. If Liu Cong were to inherit the position, Liu Bei would surely face disaster. Furthermore, Liu Bei had indeed been at the forefront of the resistance against Cao Cao for years, even fighting in the Battle of Bowang Slope.

Seeing that Liu Pan was moved, Zhao Shaojie pressed on: "General, the world is in chaos. Of the Liu clan, only the Governor of Yi, the Governor of Jing, and the Prefect of Yu remain. But the Prefect is under the thumb of Cao Cao. If he could be settled in Jiaozhi, there would be three Han princes in the world. Is this not something the Founding Emperor would have wished to see?"

Liu Pan finally sighed and nodded. "If that is the case, it would be a good thing. My troops in Jing Province are tied down by Sun Quan and Cao Cao, unable to act freely. Wu Ju and Lai Gong were supposed to work together to take Jiaozhi for Governor Liu, but they do nothing but squabble. Sigh..."

"Very well, I will lend you Huang Hansheng."

Hearing Liu Pan’s agreement, Zhao Shaojie was overjoyed; at last, he had secured a reliable man. Reflecting on his team—the three turncoats Mi Fang, Shi Ren, and Hao Pu, and the two arrogant ones, Wei Yan and Ma Su—he felt the burden of leadership. Xu Shu was fine with strategy, and Yuan Lin was passable. Now, with Huang Zhong joining, the army finally looked like a formidable force.

...

"Greetings, General Huang!" Zhao Shaojie showed great respect to Huang Hansheng. To have achieved such feats at his age was truly a case of late-blooming greatness.

Huang Zhong hurriedly replied, "Colonel Zhao, you need not be so formal. I am but an old soldier; what capabilities do I have?"

"The old general is still vigorous and strong; you will surely build great achievements in the future. As for the matters of war, I must rely heavily on you, old general," Zhao Shaojie said with utmost politeness.

Mi Fang and the others felt uncomfortable. Usually, Zhao Shaojie was dismissive of everyone, so why did he hold this old man in such high regard? Regardless, Zhao Shaojie had clearly changed his loyalties, traveling alongside Huang Zhong for the rest of the journey. This infuriated several others, especially the two arrogant ones, Wei Yan and Ma Su, who were eager to see just how "capable" this Huang Zhong really was.

...

Some time later, Zhao Shaojie’s party left the borders of Jing Province and entered Jiaozhi, where they encountered a group of people. A scholar and a general stood on either side of the road, looking as though they would explode if they touched.

"May I ask if you are General Mi Fang, under the command of Prefect Liu?"

Both sides spoke at once. Mi Fang was bewildered and quickly replied, "I am Mi Fang. May I ask if you are the Administrator of Cangwu, Wu Ju, and the Inspector of Jiaozhi, Lai Gong?"

"That is correct! It is I!"

Wu Ju and Lai Gong stepped forward, and with perfect synchronization, each grabbed one of Mi Fang’s arms.

"Please, General Mi, come with me to my camp!"

Mi Fang looked at the two men, unable to laugh or cry. Just as he was about to speak, Zhao Shaojie couldn't help but tease, "Is this an auditory hallucination? Why do I keep hearing the same sentence repeating over and over in my ears?"

Wu Ju and Lai Gong immediately glared at Zhao Shaojie.

"Presumptuous!"

Both men barked the reprimand simultaneously.

Zhao Shaojie laughed even harder. Seeing that Wu Ju and Lai Gong had released Mi Fang to focus their ire on him, Xu Shu stepped in, saying, "Administrator Wu, Inspector Lai, this is Colonel Zhao Hao, known as Shaojie, a subordinate of our lord. He came from the north, surviving nine deaths to deliver intelligence on Cao Cao. Though he may be unconventional, he is a man of rare loyalty and righteousness."