The war of the three kingdoms lasted for forty-five years, and the Xianbei bandits invaded Youzhou, while Lü Bu kidnapped Wenhe.

  The Xianbei bandits disturbed the two states of You and Bing, causing much worry for the imperial court. Zhang Rang was overjoyed when he received Lü Bu's gift of gold and his memorial to the throne. He thought to himself: "Lü Bu is truly a noble person. Previously, the officials at court had disputed with him, but I benefited from it. Now that the two states of You and Bing are being harassed by the Xianbei bandits, Lü Bu has come seeking deployment orders, which will allow me to benefit again." Therefore, he guaranteed Xu Huang's safety, allowing Xu to return to Beidi first, and ensuring that Lü Bu's case would be settled without a hitch.

  Xu Huan left, Zhang Rang looked at Lü Bu's memorial and smiled to himself: Lü Bu is truly a military man, his memorial was written in a messy way, the characters were also crooked. If it were to be presented in court, wouldn't those officials laugh? I'd better take care of this for you, military man. And so he tore up Lü Bu's memorial and went into the palace to see the Emperor.

  The emperor has also been worried lately, not because of the Xianbei invasion, but because those ministers keep nagging about foreign troubles and internal unrest, wanting him to worry more about state affairs. Now that the Xianbei have invaded again, he doesn't know how many times he will be nagged in a day, so he simply stopped attending early court sessions.

  Now, Zhang Rang entered the palace to see the Emperor, and Emperor Liu Hong was drinking and having fun with the beauties of the harem. Seeing Zhang Rang arrive, he said to Zhang Rang: "Father, didn't you leave the palace and go home? Why have you come back, is there something going on?"

  Zhang Rang said: "Your Majesty, I have seen that you have been troubled by the Xianbei bandits on the border recently. I have seen it with my own eyes and worried about it in my heart. How can I rest assured at home? This is not possible. After I return home, I will think of a person who can alleviate your worries."

  Liu Hong listened and said, "It's still Father's worry for me, those ministers only know how to quarrel every day, not at all considering my feelings. Being an emperor is also tiring for me. Who does Father want to recommend to relieve my worries?"

  Zhang Rang poured Liu Hong a cup of wine and said: "Your Majesty remembers Lü Bu of the North, doesn't you?"

  Liu Hong said: "Hmmm. Was it not some days ago that there was a rebellion of the Xiongnu?"

  Zhang Rang said: "It is indeed this person. The old slave thinks that in the previous court discussion, many ministers thought that Lü Bu's pacification of the Xiongnu had merit and should be rewarded. The old slave now thinks so too. Lü Bu is brave and can subdue the barbarians. Now Yunzhong, Yumeng, and Daijun are all suffering from the raids of the Xianbei. Your Majesty, why not transfer Lü Bu to serve as the governor of Daijun, and have him block the Xianbei? The old slave thinks that with Lü Bu's bravery, he can control the northern barbarians. In this way, we can once again grant military authority to Lü Bu, and transfer the troops from Yunzhong and Yumeng to reward Lü Bu for his merit in pacifying the Xiongnu. This is a plan that can achieve multiple goals at once."

  Liu Hong also nodded in agreement. However, he said: "If we make Lü Bu the governor of Youzhou and Daijun, that's acceptable. But Yunzhong and Yumen are under the jurisdiction of Pingzhou. Yunzhong is tolerable, as Ding Yuan is weak in defending the border, and Yunzhong has almost become a deserted land, so giving Lü Bu an empty title wouldn't be a problem. However, if we also put the troops of Yumen under Lü Bu's command, I'm afraid the high-ranking officials at court will quarrel again."

  Zhang Rang said: "Your Majesty, Lü Bu now controls the two places of Beidi and Shuofang. If you only give him one county to govern, isn't that not rewarding but punishing? Why not also assign Yunzhong to be under the jurisdiction of Dai Prefecture? As for Yanmen... Governor Ding Yuan is lax in defending the border, and not counting his crimes is already an imperial favor. Drawing a small Yanmen has caused much trouble for the province of Bing. What do you gentlemen have to say about this?"

  Liu Hong thought for a moment and said: "Very well, let's discuss this matter at the early court session tomorrow."

  The court of Luoyang was again in dispute over a new appointment for Lü Bu.

  The Great Wall of the Han Dynasty, Wuyuan, Yunzhong, are all outside the South Pass of the Northern Frontier. By the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the imperial court had no power to govern, and almost all became Xianbei pastures. After Lv Bu, Shuofang was recovered, but Wuyuan and Yunzhong were still unable to stop the Xianbei raids. Wuyuan even became a Xianbei pasture, and most of Yunzhong was also occupied by Xianbei herdsmen.

  The court discussed and decided to put Yunzhong under the jurisdiction of Dai Prefecture, and appointed Lü Bu as the governor of Dai Prefecture. The ministers did not object, thinking that using Lü Bu's bravery to resist the Xianbei was a good thing. However, when it came to putting the Yumen army under Lü Bu's command as well, the ministers began to dispute again.

  Ta Wei Zhang Yi said: "Your Majesty, Yanmen is under the jurisdiction of Bingzhou. If it is assigned to Daizhou to command the army, there will be many trivial matters in between, and I am afraid that it will disrupt the law and order, which would not be beneficial to the military."

  Yuan Hong also said: "That's right. The governance of Yanmen is under the jurisdiction of Pingzhou, but military affairs are handed over to Youzhou, which is a chaotic policy and cannot be adopted."

  Zhang Liao said: "Your Majesty, although the ministers have their reasons, Ding Yuan, the governor of Bingzhou, is powerless to resist the Xianbei invasion. Now that the Xianbei are invading the border, Ding Yuan will only cry to Your Majesty and ask for money and grain. If we send Lü Bu to guard it now, Your Majesty can avoid many trivial matters..."

  Sikong Yuanfang said: "Zhang Rang, you are just a eunuch, how can you interfere with state affairs? When the court is discussing, don't speak too much."

  Zhang Rang heard that tone and immediately felt resentment towards the old man. He fell to his knees in front of Emperor Liu Hong and cried: "Your Majesty, I am only concerned about Your Majesty's well-being and have no intention of interfering with state affairs. I hope Your Majesty will understand."

  Liu Hong comforted: "Alright, alright, get up quickly. I haven't blamed you."

  The newly appointed Taifu, Ma Ruzong, said: "Your Majesty, Lü Bu's bravery is indeed not to be underestimated. Why not issue a temporary decree, when the Xianbei invade the border, Lü Bu can be summoned to assist the border troops of the neighboring counties, and when the Xianbei retreat, the power to command the border troops will be taken back from Lü Bu."

  The ministers thought that Ma Rong's words were also reasonable, so they agreed with him.

  Lü Bu was to be transferred to Youzhou and Daijun, but who would replace him as the governor of Beidi became another contentious issue among the ministers.

  Shi Lu Zhi memorialized: "Your Majesty, I recommend the Imperial Secretary, Huangfu Song, as the Governor of Beidi. Huangfu Song is the nephew of General Huangfu Gui and his father, Huangfu Jie, was once the Governor of Yamen. The Huangfu family has a tradition of producing men with both literary and military talents, who are fond of poetry and books, and skilled in archery and horsemanship. This man is well-versed in both literature and martial arts, and can replace Lü Bu as the Governor of Beidi and Shuofang."

  Ma Ruzhi also memorialized: "Lu Zhonglang's recommendation of him is excellent, and I also guarantee this person."

  The court officials also knew the name of Huangfu Song, so they discussed it together. In this way, the court decided to transfer Huangfu Song as the governor of Beidi. Lu Bu was transferred to Youzhou's Daijun as the governor of Daijun, and half of the abandoned land in Yunzhong was assigned to Daijun's jurisdiction. Lu Bu was granted a golden seal, which could be used to dispatch troops from the left and right border counties when the Xianbei invaded, and then returned when the Xianbei retreated. The edict and golden seal were then taken by the attendant to Beidi.

  Xu Huan returned to Beidi and told Lü Bu that Zhang Yan had accepted the bribe, saying that this matter would not be difficult to handle, and he could wait for orders in Beidi. Lü Bu knew that Zhang Yan had accepted the bribe, so he should be able to take care of things. What was left was how to discuss with his subordinates who wanted to follow him to Youzhou. So Lü Bu summoned the generals from Beidi and Shuofang, explaining his intention to go to Youzhou.

  Bu Shang, Gao Song, Zang Ba, Cao Xing, Wei Xu and Cheng Lian were all brought by Lü Bu from the north, so they naturally wanted to follow him to Youzhou. Yang Feng knew that Lü Bu was formidable and also worried that after Lü Bu left, the new governor of Beidi would not be able to protect his Jiulüzhai with Lü Bu's divine martial arts, so he too wanted to follow Lü Bu to Daijun. Xu Huang naturally followed suit as well. The others were originally officials and generals of Beidi who could not follow, only Hao Meng was willing to abandon his position as a Duwei to follow Lü Bu to Youzhou. The soldiers from Beidi could not be taken away, so they could only bring the Imperial Guards with them, therefore those who wanted to leave all joined Lü Bu's Imperial Guards.

  Lü Bu then incorporated the willing leaders and their guards into his own guard army, preparing to head to You Province together. Many common people in Beidi and Shuofang had benefited from Lü Bu's land reclamation and agricultural projects, with Lü Bu taking only one-tenth of the produce, which was an extremely low tax rate by current standards. Many common people were grateful and knew that they would have to abandon their homes if Lü Bu were transferred to You Province, so they decided to follow him to You Province.

  The common people want to follow whoever is victorious, and even Lü Bu cannot stop them. Now Lü Bu realizes that these common people are so simple-minded; he has only done what he should have done, yet he has received such a great reward. This makes Lü Bu more willing to fight for their protection.

  Lü Bu was about to leave, but Jia Xu had no intention of leaving Beidi. Lü Bu knew that Jia Xu was not an ordinary person and roughly understood what role he would play in the future for the great Han. At this time, Lü Bu had already harbored murderous intentions in his heart. If Jia Xu followed him, it would be fine. If he didn't want to go, then before leaving, he would become an assassin again. For Lü Bu to kill Jia Xu now was as easy as turning over his hand.

  Then Lü Bu invited Jia Xu to the government office, set up a wine banquet, and the two drank together. After drinking halfway, Lü Bu asked Jia Xu: "Sir, you have unpredictable talent. Now I have submitted a memorial to the imperial court, wanting to go to Youzhou to block the Xianbei. I think it won't be long before the imperial court issues an edict. I want to ask you to go with me. Don't know if you are willing to follow me, come up with strategies, kill the northern slaves, and bring peace to the country?"

  Jia Xu couldn't see through Lü Bu's mind, but he didn't want to leave Beidi. However, Jia Xu knew that Lü Bu was violent and feared that Lü Bu would kill him. After all, the words Lü Bu had spoken to him at the beginning were still fresh in his memory.

  Jia Xu had wanted to refuse, but didn't know what to say. He took a sip of wine and stole a glance at Lü Bu. Lü Bu also sensed Jia Xu's reluctance and his murderous aura suddenly became apparent. Jia Xu glanced at Lü Bu again and saw that his eyes initially showed a hint of desire, then turned cold, and finally revealed a fierce killing intent. Feeling terrified in his heart, he thought to himself: It seems he has made up his mind about me. If I don't follow him, my life won't be guaranteed. This man is just as he said - he regards talented people as precious swords, cherishing them when using them, but destroying those who refuse to serve him. Lü Bu indeed treats me well. Those who do not serve him will surely be destroyed. If I don't follow him... Ah! I guess I have no choice. He let out a sigh and said: "Ah, sir has already made up his mind about Jia Xu. How could Xu dare disobey sir's good intentions? From today on, Xu acknowledges you as my lord, and in the future, I hope my lord will take care of me, just don't let others snatch me away."

  Lü Bu burst out laughing and stood up, taking a package from under the table to present it to Wen Hui: "Haha... Wen Hui is too serious! If I am Bo Le, then Wen Hui is a thousand-mile horse. Just now, I was being difficult with Wen Hui. Come, come, come. This package of gold and jewels is my gift to apologize to Wen Hui."

  Jia Yu took over the package and sighed bitterly: "This must be the master's money for buying me."

  Lü Bu burst into another fit of laughter, and Jia Xu also laughed. The two men repeatedly toasted each other, with Lü Bu frequently seeking advice from Jia Xu, who spoke without reserve.