Weavers of Mats and Vendors of Sandals

Upon hearing Luan Yi ask why he had been arrested, Lu Zhi spoke with indignation:

As it turned out, Lu Zhi had been leading troops in Jizhou in a standoff against Zhang Jiao’s massive army. Because the military situation remained unclear, the stalemate had dragged on without a decisive battle. Emperor Ling grew extremely dissatisfied with this and dispatched the eunuch Zuo Feng to the army to assess the situation. Zuo Feng was a crony of the Ten Attendants, holding power that rivaled the imperial court. Someone had advised Lu Zhi to bribe Zuo Feng with money, but Lu Zhi refused, declaring, "Our military provisions are already lacking; how could I have surplus wealth to flatter an imperial envoy?" Zuo Feng grew deeply resentful and reported to the Emperor that Lu Zhi was cowardly and refused to advance. Enraged, Emperor Ling had ordered that Lu Zhi be locked in a prisoner cart and escorted back to the capital to face judgment.

Learning the details, Luan Yi sighed repeatedly. "I never imagined that both you and I would fall victim to eunuchs!"

With righteous indignation, Lu Zhi said, "Until the eunuch faction is eradicated, the realm will know not a single day of peace!"

On the journey toward the capital, since Lu Zhi and Luan Yi were both military commanders, the topics they discussed naturally revolved around troop deployment, military formations, and strategic maneuvers.

After asking Luan Yi about his operational strategies in several previous campaigns, Lu Zhi offered high praise, yet he also pointed out numerous flaws in Luan Yi’s combat methods. For instance, in past battles, Luan Yi had relied excessively on large cavalry divisions. Naturally, during the suppression of the rebellion, the rebel forces had suffered from a lack of horses and possessed no large-scale cavalry corps, making them easy prey for Luan Yi. However, if they were to fight nomadic peoples such as the Qiang or the Xiongnu on the steppes, it would be a different story. The steppe iron cavalry were skilled in archery and horsemanship, whereas the Han cavalry were not adept at mounted shooting, leaving them vulnerable to crushing defeats. Therefore, when dealing with nomadic peoples, Luan Yi's current tactics were utterly unviable; only by flexibly applying infantry formation tactics could one overcome the enemy and secure victory.

Regarding defense against foreign invasions, Lu Zhi had long commanded troops in Youzhou and possessed a wealth of experience, imparting to Luan Yi many military doctrines and formations designed to counter cavalry. Luan Yi gained immensely from this, and his words of gratitude were endless.

Amidst their conversation, Luan Yi suddenly remembered that Lu Zhi was the teacher of Liu Bei. At the end of the previous year, when he went to Zhuo County in Youzhou to seek out Zhang Fei and Guan Yu, he had deliberately avoided Liu Bei, who was then weaving mats and selling sandals. Among the numerous overlords of the Three Kingdoms, the person he guarded against the most was not Cao Cao—who dominated the north with exceptional ability—but rather the very man weaving mats and selling sandals before him: Liu Xuande, the greatest schemer of the late Eastern Han dynasty.

History had proven that Liu Bei’s ambition was by no means small. This fellow, who suffered repeated defeats in the early stages of his enterprise, was like an undying cockroach, surviving through numerous twists and turns. He had successively surrendered to Cao Cao, Yuan Shao, Tao Qian, and Liu Biao, freeloading wherever he went. Yet, curiously enough, both Cao Cao and Yuan Shao had treated him with great generosity, which showed that this man truly possessed a degree of talent. However, even with such generous treatment, Liu Bei remained unsatisfied; he refused to work for others. Driven by the spirit that it is better to be the head of a chicken than the tail of a phoenix, he repeatedly rebelled and carved out his own domain.

Liu Bei’s capacity for survival was rivaled only by Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang. Against such a figure, Luan Yi naturally dared not summon him under his command. Should major chaos erupt in the future, and Liu Bei were to betray him and leave, the loss would undoubtedly be immense.

Furthermore, Luan Yi felt that Liu Bei was overly hypocritical. The world all claimed that Liu Bei was benevolent and virtuous. But was Liu Bei truly benevolent? Would a truly benevolent person promise to return Jingzhou to Eastern Wu after the war, only to renege and refuse when the time for return arrived? From the perspective of economic philosophy, all human beings are self-interested; that is to say, people do everything with self-interest as their goal and driving force. Therefore, altruistic behaviors such as benevolence and virtue do not conform to broad values. The only explanation was that Liu Bei practiced benevolence and virtue solely to elevate his own reputation—he was acting. One had to admit that Liu Bei played his role exceptionally well, deceiving everyone, including Cao Cao, Yuan Shao, Sun Quan...

To prevent Liu Bei from becoming a stumbling block in the future, not only must he avoid any contact with Liu Bei, but he also had to set up obstacles to hinder Liu Bei’s future rise to power. For example, by recruiting Guan Yu and Zhang Fei under his banner ahead of Liu Bei, he effectively severed Liu Bei’s arms. Without Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, could Liu Bei ever become the Zhaolie Emperor who later dominated the region of Shu?

Curious about this, Luan Yi probed cautiously, asking Lu Zhi if he had a disciple named Liu Bei, styled Xuande.

"Oh? Does Ziqi also know the name Xuande?" Even Lu Zhi had to admit that Luan Yi was now a renowned scholar of great renown throughout the Han. His reputation among the younger generation even far surpassed that of the eminent scholar Lu Zhi himself. In an era of the Han dynasty that placed immense value on reputation, having his obscure disciple known to such a renowned scholar as Luan Yi was undoubtedly a glorious matter.

Luan Yi smiled and replied that he had heard others mention Liu Xuande as a man of benevolence and righteousness, which had aroused his curiosity. "I wonder where brother Xuande is currently holding a high post?"

"Alas, my disciple has a humble and gentle character, but unhappily, times are harsh and the ways to serve the country are closed to him!" Lu Zhi then began to narrate in detail. After the outbreak of the Yellow Turban Rebellion, Liu Bei had responded to the imperial call, organizing local braves to assist the government forces in subduing the rebels. Initially, he served under Liu Yan, the Governor of Youzhou, winning several modest battles, and was subsequently dispatched by Liu Yan to serve under Lu Zhi. At that time, Huangfusong and Zhu Jun were surrounded at Changshe, and the military situation was critical. Lu Zhi had thus allocated some troops to Liu Bei, ordering him to rush to Changshe to reinforce Huangfusong. However, by the time Liu Bei arrived at Changshe, the rebel forces of Bo Cai had already been utterly incinerated to ashes by Huangfusong, Zhu Jun, and Luan Yi, causing Liu Bei to make a wasted trip. Poor Liu Bei had wandered the North China Plain for a full circle without achieving a single merit!

"Ah!" Lu Zhi heaved a long sigh. "Such is the decree of Xuande's fate!"

Inwardly, Luan Yi was rejoicing secretly, though outwardly he feigned profound lamentation.

"Right! Half a month ago, on the road escorting us to the capital, I happened to see Liu Bei along with his two sworn brothers. It is only a pity we were rushing on our journey and I had no time to offer many instructions!"

"What?" Hearing this, Luan Yi blurted out in vernacular surprise. "Sworn brothers?" Guan Yu and Zhang Fei had both been pulled over to his side by now; how could two new sworn brothers suddenly pop up by Liu Bei's side?

"How now? Does Ziqi also recognize Xuande's two brothers?" Lu Zhi clearly misinterpreted his meaning.

"I do not recognize them!" Luan Yi glossed it over with a laugh. "I am merely curious as to what kind of sworn brothers a benevolent man like brother Xuande would have!"

Hearing Luan Yi praise Liu Bei’s benevolence, Lu Zhi chuckled proudly for a moment. "They are two fine fellows. The elder is slightly younger than Xuande, ranking second, surnamed Yu, given name Jin, style Wenze; the third is surnamed Xu, given name Huang, style Gongming. Both are battle-hardened warriors of the battlefield!"

It turned out to be them? Luan Yi trembled inwardly. The situation was in chaos; starting from this point, the trajectory of history had gradually deviated from the path he knew. How could this be? Without a doubt, it was related to his entry into this era, and to his recruiting Guan Yu and Zhang Fei ahead of Liu Bei. Yet Yu Jin was clearly a native of Tai'an; how had he ended up in Youzhou? And what about Xu Huang?

Reflecting on this, Luan Yi suddenly thought of the butterfly effect. Yes... exactly! After his appearance, he had done quite a few things. Some matters seemed insignificant, yet they unintentionally influenced others, thereby triggering a chain reaction that altered the destinies of even more people.

To a certain extent, this indicated that the future situation of the Han dynasty would diverge vastly from Luan Yi’s past knowledge. At the very least, Cao Cao’s camp would lack two fierce generals in the future.

Luan Yi could not help frowning. For a long time, the future had been a part of his memory, but now reality told him that the future in his memory had been distorted by his own hands. A distorted future far exceeded his control, leaving him somewhat disoriented, flustered, and feeling empty inside, as he had always relied on the history of his past life to guide his actions. However, he quickly came to terms with it: wasn't his greatest wish in this lifetime to change history? If he lacked even a shred of pioneering spirit, what qualification did he have to change history?

At this thought, his chest naturally straightened once more.

Regardless of whether it was Liu Bei, Cao Cao, or the likes of Sun Quan... "I, Luan Yi, hereby swear before the Holy Mother! Anyone who dares to prevent me from planting the red cross banner across the globe is a stumbling block on my path forward, and I shall eradicate them by every possible means, at all costs... at all... costs!"

With Lu Zhi as a companion for conversation, the dreary journey grew interesting, and Luan Yi even felt that time passed much faster. The towering city walls of Luoyang appeared at the edge of the horizon in the blink of an eye.

From a distance, the area outside Wangjing Gate was bustling with activity, packed three layers deep with over a hundred people. A servant standing at the front, having caught sight of Lu Zhi and Luan Yi in the prisoner carts from an elevated vantage point, shouted "They're here!" and sprinted back toward the city gate to report to his master.

Lu Zhi and Luan Yi exchanged glances. Gazing into the distance, one could faintly discern that beneath the city walls stood civil and military officials of various ranks from the court. Among them were friends Luan Yi had made when he traveled to the capital to study in his youth, elders such as Cai Yong and Wang Yun, and Yuan Feng and Yuan Wei were conspicuously present as well, alongside some of Lu Zhi’s former disciples.

Seeing so many people come to visit, a deep sense of warmth and gratification welled up within the two men.

The carts gradually approached the gate. Wang Yun’s tall stature stood out among the crowd like a crane in a flock of chickens. Cai Yong had grown somewhat fatter than in previous years; it appeared that his share of the book sales profits was not bad at all, having at least improved the old man's diet.

Listening to the rumbling wheels of the prisoner carts, the crowd watched as Luan Yi arrived with the vehicle. Upon seeing Luan Yi’s dust-covered face and disheveled hair, the red-rimmed eye sockets could no longer hold back gushing warm tears.

"Ziqi!" "Lord Luan!" Two tender cries rang out from the ranks, and two women, possessing who-knows-what strength, pushed aside the crowd blocking their path and surged forward. Luan Yi focused his gaze, and who could they be if not Cai Yan and Diaochan?

The two women took long strides forward to check on him, only to be intercepted halfway by the escorting government soldiers. Dozens of imperial guards simultaneously aimed their spears at the two women and shouted angrily, "Step back!"

The sharp blades startled the women, who gasped, "Ah..."

"Audacious!" Wang Yun stepped out of the ranks and shouted angrily, "Impudent! How dare you threaten my daughter? Do you have a death wish?"

Seeing that Wang Yun was exceptionally attired and wore an official cap, indicating he was a high-ranking court official, the guards dared not act rashly. However, bound by superior orders, they did not back down either, thrusting their long spears forward to prevent Cai Yan and Diaochan from drawing near to visit Luan Yi.

Yu Du walked to the front of the formation and bowed respectfully to Wang Yun, "This humble servant Yu Du pays respects to Imperial Censor Wang."

Compared to Wang Yun's calmness, Cai Yong, who had repeatedly suffered persecution from the Ten Attendants, felt his anger flare the moment he saw a eunuch. "Hmph... Eunuch thief, quickly order your men to step back. We have words to speak with Ziqi!"

"This..." Yu Du wore a troubled expression. "It hardly seems appropriate to converse at a time like this!"