Chapter 11: The Three Atmospheres of Liu Bei

  Liu Bei led Zhang He, Gao Leng and Pan Feng to meet Guan Yu, and asked with a fist: "May I ask if you are the Cloud Heaven brothers?"

  "Who are you? What brings you to me? Have we met before? Just get straight to the point, I'm very busy."

  Liu Bei heard this and immediately became enraged, then continued to clench his fist and said: "Humble subject Liu Bei has met with Young Master Yun Tian, I don't know when humble subject offended Young Master Yun Tian, yet you actually sent that big Han by your side to assassinate me! My family is poor and humble, and in these years, I have not done anything wrong, but I was mysteriously assassinated by the young master! This time, I came only to figure out the reason behind it, so as to correct it in the future. I hope the young master can tell me where my fault lies. Woe is me..."

  Liu Bei burst into loud sobs, Guan Yu gave him a glance and then said to Dian Wei: "Brother Dian, have someone block the front gate. Also, you protect our sister-in-law and my wife back to their rooms to rest."

  Dian Wei looked at the crying Liu Bei, about to get angry, but heard Guan Yu's words. He immediately bowed and clasped his fists, saying: "Yes sir! The mistress and madam are calling for you, I will escort you back to your room to rest. There are some bad people here, let's go in the opposite direction."

  "Ah!" Zhang Fei and the other two were about to get angry, but were stopped by Liu Bei. After sending off the two ladies with Tian Feng, Liu Bei bowed his fist and tearfully pleaded with Guan Yu: "I hope you can tell me where I went wrong. As the saying goes: 'Knowing one's mistakes and being able to change is a great virtue!'"

  Guan Zhen sat quietly, sipping his tea with a thoughtful expression. After Liu Bei finished speaking, Guan Zhen turned to Chen Dao and said: "Uncle, there are only four of us left here. If we engage in a one-on-one fight later, I'm afraid we'll be at a disadvantage. Go to the martial arts arena and summon a team of guards. I'll wait for you here, and as soon as you arrive, we'll take action."

  "Yes sir!" Chen Dao saluted Guan Chen with a fist and a bow, then led the order after brushing past Zhang He's shoulder.

  "You!" Zhang He was about to get angry again, but was pulled back by Liu Bei once more. Chen Dao looked at Zhang He with a faint smile before turning around and leaving.

  Liu Bei looked at the silent Guan Yu and said, "Guan Yun, I don't know what you really mean. I think you are also a person who has read the classics of sages, is this your way of treating guests?"

  Zhang Fei was about to get angry when he was pulled back by Guan Yu. Guan Yu smiled and said, "Brother, I think I just heard someone call my name? But the voice was too small! It's like a woman talking sweet nothings! Or maybe that person hasn't eaten for years, because I didn't hear a single word. Did you two brothers hear anything?"

  "No! My ears are so big, but I didn't hear a single word!" Zhang Fei shouted loudly.

  Guan Zhen heard this and subconsciously looked at Zhang Fei's ear: "Wow! That ear can only be considered ordinary in size, how can it be said to be so big!"

  "How dare you be so rude! My master has come to visit your young master, not to be insulted! If you dare to be rude again, I'll have my brother destroy this estate!" Pan Feng shouted.

  Guan Chen heard this and stood up saying: "Come on! Someone wants to destroy our estate, can't everyone catch these four people for me?"

  "Hold on!" Liu Bei shouted loudly, then cupped his fists and said loudly: "Young Master Yuntian! I came today only to pay my New Year's respects! Not for anything else. Since Young Master Yuntian doesn't want to see me, I'll leave now. I hope Young Master Yuntian calms down!"

  "How dare you! Hmph! You, Liu Bei, can actually say such things! And yet you claim to be well-read in the classics! When did the classics teach you to stir up trouble at someone else's home on New Year's Day? When did the classics teach you to have your servants address you as 'master'? When did the classics teach you to sneak a peek at other people's wives' behinds?"

  "You question me why I assassinated you? May I ask, which eye of yours saw me assassinate you? You also falsely accuse me of sending my subordinates to assassinate you! May I ask, as a commoner like myself, where would I get subordinates from? People like you who claim to be well-read in the classics but are disloyal and unrighteous, should be assassinated by all scholars under heaven!" Guan Yu shouted loudly, leaving no room for Liu Bei to speak.

  "You! You!......" Liu Bei was so angry that he could only say this word, and a tear rolled out from the corner of his eye.

  "Look at you, smiling and saying I'm doing something? Do you want your subordinates to kill me? You're a big man, always crying and whining, what's wrong with you? Are you trying to make me sympathize with you or pretend to be weak in front of your subordinates?"

  "Ah!...... I'll kill you!" Gao Lan could no longer hold back and rushed towards Guan Chen, but was blocked by the guards brought by Chen Dao. Chen Dao even stepped forward to fight with Gao Lan.

  "Look back!" Liu Bei shouted angrily, and then he bowed his fist to Guan Yu loudly: "It's really my fault that I came to your door on the first day of the new year! I apologize here! Goodbye!"

  Liu Bei bowed to Guan Yu and then left with the three people behind him. However, when they arrived at the gate, they were blocked by Dian Wei and his many guards.

  "Get out through the back door! The front gate of my house is not open to you!" Tian Wei shouted loudly.

  Liu Bei heard this and did not get angry, but instead made a fist to Zhang Fei and the three of them followed him with a huff.

  After Liu Bei left, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Jian Yong and Chen Dao gathered together again. Guan Yu spoke first: "Four brothers, what do you think of this Liu Bei?"

  Guan Yu stroked his beard and said, "This man is not to be underestimated! If he had given in today, there would have been a fierce battle! But Liu Bei managed to hold back. It can be seen that this person's endurance far surpasses that of ordinary people, and he has the makings of a hero!"

  Zhang Fei also nodded and said: "What the lord says is not wrong, this person will be our powerful enemy in the future! Moreover, today's hatred has already been established, and I'm afraid it won't end well later!"

  Dian Wei shouted loudly: "What's there to be afraid of? With a woman's attitude, how can Master be so carefree? Scold him until he's covered in blood! It feels great! The main thing is that I'm worried about this person. Now, I'll go with Chen and bring people to kill him, to eliminate future troubles! As for the three people behind him, I really don't put them in my eyes, whether they can do it or not depends on Master's one word."

  Guan Yu sighed and said, "Big Brother Guan, we missed the first chance to assassinate Liu Bei. From now on, let's not mention assassination again. If he achieves something in the future, we'll meet him on the battlefield and kill him openly and fairly. Otherwise, if things don't go well and Liu Bei spreads the word, it will damage our brothers' reputation."

  "Our lord's words are extremely right! Uncle Shi wholeheartedly agrees! A great man should indeed come in a straightforward and upright manner, could it be that we are still afraid of Liu Bei?" Chen Dao said with his fists clasped.

  Guan Chen smiled and nodded, "Alright, let's put Liu Bei's matter aside for now! Since everyone is gathered here, how do you brothers think we should choose the place where we will start our uprising?"

  "Jizhou!" Zhang Fei exclaimed loudly, "I think Jizhou is better, with many people and abundant grain, we can recruit soldiers and horses. The governor Han Fu is incompetent, it will be easy for us to succeed."

  Dian Wei shook his head and said: "The success rate of the uprising in Jizhou is indeed high, but Jizhou is a place of four battles, which is not conducive to defense after the uprising, nor is it conducive to development. It's not the best place for an uprising. I think choosing a more remote state would be better, such as Yizhou, Jiaozhou, Liangzhou, and our current location, Youzhou. Among these states, Liangzhou has strong troops and cannot be taken, Jiaozhou requires a navy, which is not our strong suit, so that leaves only Yizhou and Youzhou. I think either of these two states would work."

  Guan Yu heard this and praised, "Dian Wei's analysis is very reasonable, but brother Dian has overlooked one fact. Yi Province has many mountains, which is not conducive to the movement of cavalry, nor is it beneficial for obtaining horses. In the future, when we conquer the world, cavalry will be a sharp and unmatched weapon. Therefore, I agree that we should start in Youzhou."

  Guan Chen heard the words and looked at Chen Dao, who shook his head without speaking. Guan Chen smiled and said: "I know Uncle Zhi's concerns, let's listen to my opinion before discussing further."