Chapter 228 Moral Kidnapping
In Wancheng, Liu Bei bids farewell to Kong Rong.

He really wanted to keep Kong Rong. If he had Kong Rong's help, Kong Rong's influence would be equivalent to at least 5,000 people when he fought Cao Cao at Wankou next year.

Unfortunately, Kong Rong was determined to leave. Liu Bei walked him ten miles out of the city, but Kong Rong looked the same and showed no emotion at all.

Liu Bei stopped and looked at the convoy that was gradually moving away.

As for Ma Chao, who was guarding the convoy, he never looked at Liu Bei straight in the eye from beginning to end, which made Guan Yu and Zhang Fei unhappy.

These people were able to restrain themselves and not fight, which was already giving enough face to Liu Bei and Kong Rong.

Especially Ma Chao, who kept talking about Zhao Yun's five thousand cavalry... In Ma Chao's opinion, these should be his five thousand cavalry.

If he had just kept his head down and stayed in Guanzhong at that time, how would Zhao Yun have had a chance?

Because of these five thousand cavalry, Ma Chao felt that Liu Bei was hateful and hypocritical.

As for staying in Jingzhou or Nanyang to serve, it was even more impossible, and Ma Chao had never considered it.

At least Black Bear was willing to spend money. He gave away five thousand cavalry prisoners just as he said so. If Zhao Yun could get such a high reward, why couldn't Ma Chao?
Even if you squeeze Liu Bei and his gang repeatedly, you still can't squeeze out 5,000 cavalry!

Liu Bei could not offer Ma Chao a satisfactory reward, and it was even more impossible for Liu Biao to trust him.

Ma Chao, who was eager to return home, suppressed his anger and didn't want to bother with Liu Bei and his gang. However, Zhang Fei was very curious these two days and kept asking Ma Chao questions.

Neither of them was a patient person, so the conflict immediately broke out.

Liu Bei gradually came to his senses as he watched the caravan go away. Seeing Zhang Fei leading the horse, he grabbed the saddle and climbed on.

Guan Yu and Zhang Fei also mounted their horses one after another. Guan Yu remained silent and was not serious about inviting or retaining Kong Rong.

Zhang Fei was extremely regretful and wished he could kill Ma Chao, dismantle the guard team, and prevent Kong Rong from leaving.

Seeing that Liu Bei was still reluctant to leave, Zhang Fei said, "Brother, doesn't Wen Jugong have a grudge against Cao Cao? Why is he fleeing from Xudu now and refusing to help you defeat Cao Cao?"

Seeing that Liu Bei did not respond and Guan Yu did not speak, Zhang Fei speculated: "Is he holding a grudge against Yuan Tan for taking Qingzhou from him?"

Liu Bei once recommended Kong Rong to be the governor of Qingzhou, but before he could take the position firmly, he was defeated and expelled by Yuan Tan.

Liu Bei shook his head: "It has nothing to do with Xiansi, what do you think, Yunchang?"

"Brother, I thought this matter had something to do with Wang Yun."

Guan Yu said, "This thing is not very pretty."

Zhang Fei nodded: "Yes, now that I think about it, Master Wang Zi was a bit stubborn back then."

However, Liu Bei understood Guan Yu's meaning, and he could more or less guess what Kong Rong was going to do.

Regarding the killing of Wang Yun's three clans, Guan Yu's position was that it was a good job, but it was a pity that he did not participate in it; Zhang Fei, on the other hand, felt very regretful and thought that Black Bear was too brutal.

When Liu Bei looked deep into his heart, he didn't know whether to praise or resist.

The impact of this matter was too great, and the three of them had not discussed it in depth.

Seeing that Guan Yu and Zhang Fei were talking nonsense, Liu Bei did not correct them, but said: "When Lord Wen Ju leaves, Hei Xiong and Cai Zhenji will get married as early as March next year. This wedding will surely attract many heroes."

Zhang Fei nodded. Even he wanted to see the new characters and calligraphy that Cai Yong improved before his death.

Guan Yu raised his hand and stroked his beard, saying in a serious tone: "Brother, Black Bear gave Zilong a generous reward. This is either because he wants something from someone, or he wants to gag you and tie your hands and feet. You must be careful and be on guard."

Five thousand cavalry captives. Since their founding, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei have never controlled an army of more than a thousand cavalry.

Even if he leads the troops alone, the troops assigned to him are mainly subordinates.

Unlike these five thousand cavalry prisoners, after reorganization, they were like a group of troops.

The reward was too generous, and it had already morally blackmailed Liu Bei's side.

Liu Bei also knew this, but the help Black Bear gave him was something that his good brother Liu Biao could never compare to.

If the black bear had not stirred up trouble in Jingzhou, Liu Biao would not have easily handed over the post of prefect of Nanyang County to Liu Bei.

Even so, Liu Biao took the initiative to separate out a Nanxiang County.

Zhang Fei disagreed. He said that they were given 5,000 captured Wuhuan knights. After careful selection, he could probably only keep a thousand or so knights in the end.

Zhang Fei understood cavalry warfare and also understood the Wuhuan people.

If you don't take countermeasures, the Wuhuan people will most likely mutiny and flee; they may even rob you before fleeing.

Therefore, after repeated selection, no more than a thousand people were left as soldiers.

The safest option is to send the remaining Wuhuan people to the mines to open mines.

After training in this way for a period of time, about a thousand people will be selected to serve as infantry.

Selecting 2,000 infantry and cavalry from 5,000 people is the limit, and the strength of the Wuhuan people cannot be increased any further.

Guan Yu noticed the change in Zhang Fei's expression and said to the silent Liu Bei: "Ma Chao's words are provocative. From this, we can know how the people of Guanlong view this matter. Brother, if you are looked down upon by the heroes of the world because of this, it will be too late to regret it."

Liu Bei nodded and was about to speak, and at the same time lightly kicked the horse's belly, but Guan Yu reached out and grabbed the reins of Liu Bei's mount.

The horse slowed down, and Liu Bei looked at Guan Yu: "Yunchang, are you going to repay the black bear's favor?"

"Yes, I heard that many of the rich and powerful people in Hedong were implicated and are moving to Guanzhong."

Guan Yu said in a low voice: "I feel uneasy that Black Bear treats Zilong so well. If I can't return home now, I'm afraid I won't have another chance in the future."

Zhang Fei squinted at Guan Yu, and Liu Bei nodded: "Yes, the chances are slim."

Among the more than 300 soldiers Zhao Yun brought to Guanzhong, more than 100 of them were homesick when they retreated south.

These people volunteered the year before and followed Liu Bei to Jingzhou. They had no wealth and no family, so it was normal for them to miss their hometown and their families, and it was not easy for Zhao Yun to stop them.

The hundred or so people took the horses allocated to them and returned home together.

It is possible that he will not come back, or he may encourage his fellow villagers to surrender together, or more likely he will surrender to Black Bear.

Seeing that Guan Yu looked like he was under great mental pressure, Liu Bei comforted him by saying, "Black Bear is alone and wants to use fame and fortune to restrain me. Since Yunchang feels that this person has bad intentions, then return the favor if you can." "Yes, I'll go then."

Guan Yu dismounted from his horse and kowtowed to Liu Bei.

Liu Bei also quickly dismounted to support Guan Yu, and advised: "Yun Chang, you don't have to wrong yourself when you go to Guanzhong. If you can repay this favor, then repay it. If you can't, why not retreat from the battlefield in the future?"

"Yes, I understand."

Guan Yu said with a forced smile: "I will go back to my hometown and take a look. I will definitely be back before March next year."

Then he looked at Zhang Fei who had also dismounted, "After I leave, Yide should drink less. Cao Mengde regards brother as his greatest enemy, so be more careful."

"Yes, don't worry, brother."

Zhang Fei grabbed the hand that Guan Yu extended to him, and his expression became heavy.

Seeing that Guan Yu only brought a dozen personal knights and didn't even pack their luggage, Zhang Fei opened his mouth to persuade him again.

Zhang Fei tried to hold back his anger, while Liu Bei could not help but sigh: "Not to mention Yunchang, even I want to go to Guanzhong and conquer the Hu people with Black Bear. Unfortunately, this person has wrong ambitions and is not a fellow traveler."

Hearing this, Zhang Fei also sighed: "Second brother must have made up his mind at the last minute."

Thinking about the current situation in Jingzhou, Zhang Fei couldn't help cursing, "In the end, I shouldn't have helped Liu Biao. Both father and son are not good people."

Liu Bei remained silent. The struggle between Liu Biao and his son would weaken Liu Bei, no matter whose opinion it was.

Liu Qi recommended Yuan Tan to be the governor of Jiaozhou, which would directly weaken the offensive next year.

If Liu Biao did this, Liu Bei could still understand it because Liu Biao was that kind of person.

As a result, Liu Qi took action first and broke one of Liu Bei's thighs.

As for Liu Biao, he will certainly neither support nor oppose next year. If he can replenish some military equipment and food, he will have fulfilled his obligations as a good brother.

Liu Qi and Yuan Tan reached an alliance. How much of this was driven by Black Bear?

Cao Cao's main force was not damaged at all this year, and Yuan Tan, who had traveled to Jingzhou, was arranged to go to Jiaozhou... Liu Bei was depressed, and the strategically conscious Guan Yu also noticed the signs.

That was why Guan Yu wanted to go to Guanzhong. Returning home was just a stopover. He wanted to take a look at the black bear's true colors and then conquer the various Hu generals to settle the favors he owed to them.

Zhao Yun's worth was too low. The main reason for his sudden increase in worth now was the 5,000 captured Wuhuan cavalrymen.

Guan Yu was a marquis conferred by the imperial court and had the merit of killing Yan Liang, so his status was very high.

If you stay there for a while, even if you don't do anything, you can offset many favors.

It might be a good idea to go to Guanzhong to avoid the limelight. Before this, Liu Biao had been sending people to win over Guan Yu.

After the example of Zhao Yun's secondment, Liu Biao became even more impatient.

It was just that Black Bear paid Zhao Yun too much, and Liu Biao and his sons were fighting among themselves, so things had quieted down for a while.

Liu Bei remained silent. The more Zhang Fei thought about it, the more uncomfortable he felt. He was also from a nearby county. How could he be calm when faced with the 100,000 beheadings caused by the black bear?

These past two days, he had been asking Ma Chao questions all over again just to satisfy his urge, but he ended up offending Ma Chao for no reason.

Now Guan Yu didn't even take his luggage with him and set off on a journey without any preparation. The more Zhang Fei thought about it, the more he felt regretful.

As far as the conquest of the various Hu tribes is concerned, it was absolutely politically correct for the military men in the border counties.

This is also the reason why many people still supported Gongsun Zan even after he killed Liu Yu.

Seeing Liu Bei on his horse, Zhang Fei also mounted his horse and rode closer to him, asking unwillingly, "Big brother, are you going to kill the Hu people?"

"Yide, you misunderstood. Yunchang went there to repay Black Bear's favor."

Liu Bei explained, and seeing Zhang Fei's downcast face, he raised his hand and patted Zhang Fei's shoulder to comfort him: "Zilong will probably be back tomorrow, I will allow you to drink as much as you want."

It was indeed very satisfying to get Zhao Yun, who was a moderate drinker, drunk.

Zhang Fei nodded and muttered in a low voice: "I'm afraid that if my second brother goes, he will owe more favors."

Liu Bei reined in his horse and glared at Zhang Fei.

Zhang Fei immediately glared and asked confidently: "Brother, if Black Bear gave me 10,000 prisoners this time, would you take them or not?"

Liu Bei was speechless and frowned: "How can I afford to support 10,000 prisoners?"

"Yes, the black bears have just settled in Guanzhong, and he can't afford to keep them. He can't just kill them all."

Zhang Fei continued to talk to himself: "Big brother, you also know my second brother. I am not the type to kill surrendered people. It was the Xiongnu or the Qiang who surrendered. Black Bear could kill surrendered people, but I am sure I would not have the heart to do so."

As Liu Bei listened, his face grew darker.

He wanted to send Zhang Fei on horseback to chase them, but he felt it would be bad to break his promise to Guan Yu.

What if Zhang Fei is right?

Ten thousand captives were transported to Nanyang and reorganized into three thousand elite troops, which was enough to offset Yuan Tan.

For Black Bear, stuffing 10,000 prisoners into Nanyang was no different from executing them.

These captives stayed in Guanzhong, which was too close to their hometown, so it was difficult for them to stop thinking about rebellion or escape.

It’s a different story if you go to Nanyang, as the way home is too long and is blocked by Guanzhong.

You let these Qiang and Hu captives go, and they dare not return home.

But would Black Bear deliberately increase the reward like he did to Zhao Yun?

Liu Bei kept this matter to himself, whipped his horse, and galloped towards Wancheng.

Zhang Fei also waved his whip and did not forget to look back, always feeling that he also had a chance to go to Guanzhong.

It doesn’t matter how many barbarians you kill; the most important thing is to get a few good war horses.

(End of this chapter)