Emperor Zhaolie of the late Han Dynasty: Rising to power in Liaoxi

Chapter 36 The Twists and Turns of Han Dang

The first one mentioned was Han Dang.

Han Dangzheng was in his early twenties and was a well-known leader of chivalrous knights in Lingzhi County.

He was skilled in archery and horsemanship, and possessed extraordinary strength. He usually led a group of young brothers to hunt in the mountains and fish in the river.

He was known for his chivalry and willingness to help those in need.

However, he was regarded by the county officials as a "delinquent youth who did not do his job properly" and was ostracized everywhere.

When the messenger found Master Han, he was cleaning his bow and arrows, preparing to go out.

He took the letter and only glanced at the first words: "Liu Bei of Zhuojun, currently serving as a military officer in Liaoxi Commandery."

Before he could even read the main text, he heard his brothers shouting outside the door, telling him to go hunting in the Western Hills and corner a black bear that had injured someone.

Han Dang had no concept of what a prefectural clerk was, so he casually threw the letter on the table, grabbed his bow and arrows, and went out the door.

In my busyness, I completely forgot about the letter.

Spring arrived in the blink of an eye, and a major epidemic swept through Youzhou, including Lingzhi County.

People fell ill one after another, and the county officials were helpless. Even the shamans' rituals were of no use, and the whole county was filled with fear.

Just then, the epidemic prevention documents from Liaoxi Prefecture were delivered to Lingzhi County, following the order from the prefectural government.

The document details prescriptions for isolation, disinfection, and treatment of the epidemic, all of which were methods that Liu Bei had verified in Liaoxi.

The county magistrate of Lingzhi County, taking a desperate measure, implemented the measures according to the documents. In just half a month, the epidemic was actually stabilized, and the mild cases that were originally destined to die gradually recovered.

For a time, the entire Lingzhi County was filled with stories of how "Lord Liu of Liaoxi" had saved their lives.

That day, Han Dang was drinking with his brothers at a tavern when he overheard the people at the next table talking.

"We owe this all to Prefect Liu of Liaoxi!"

"If it weren't for his prescription, our whole family wouldn't have survived!"

"I've heard that this Prefect Liu is named Liu Bei, and he's a member of the Han imperial family!"

"Your information is outdated!"

"I've heard that he's Master Lu's disciple, and despite his young age, he's incredibly skilled!"

"Not only can he cure the epidemic, but he can also persuade the Yang family of Liaoxi to donate grain, repair border fortifications, and fight against the Xianbei. He is truly a rare and excellent official!"

"Liu Bei?"

Han Dang's wine bowl suddenly stopped, as if a thunderbolt had struck his mind.

Why does this name sound so familiar?

like……

It seems there's a letter written by this person at home?

He suddenly stood up and knocked over the table.

The brothers behind him exchanged bewildered glances and quickly asked, "Big brother, what's wrong?"

Han Dang asked incredulously, "Lord Liu's name is Liu Bei?"

"A military clerk in Liaoxi?"

"Yeah! What's wrong?"

The crowd was puzzled, wondering why he had such a strong reaction.

He further advised, "Brother, you mustn't address Magistrate Liu by his given name!"

Han Dang remained incredulous, oblivious to the strange looks from the other drinkers around him.

He exclaimed excitedly, "Haha, I have his letter..."

"Ha ha……"

"Brother, whose letter do you have?"

Han patted his chest proudly and said, "I have Liu..."

"I have a letter from Magistrate Liu!"

Everyone was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter.

"Haha, is this Magistrate Liu perhaps a relative of yours?"

"Yeah, are you drunk? Does this name sound familiar?"

Han Dang was extremely anxious and said, "It's true, don't you believe me? The day we were about to hunt the man-eating black bear, I received a letter!"

"I clearly remember that the person in the letter was named Liu Bei, courtesy name Xuande, and was a military officer named Yuan from Liaoxi Commandery!"

The surrounding drinkers still didn't believe it and cast disdainful glances at them.

The group of chivalrous brothers, seeing that Han Dang spoke with such conviction that it seemed he was not faking it, decided to speak.

Moreover, Han Dang was not one to boast, so he believed him to some extent.

Then one of the brothers asked, "So, why did Magistrate Liu write you a letter? What did it say?"

Han Dang stood frozen in place, not even having had time to read the rest, so how could he know what the letter said!

"I... I hadn't even finished reading it when you all called me away!"

"Hahaha……"

Another burst of laughter erupted from the surroundings!

The wandering knights glared angrily, but the drinkers remained unmoved.

This is because they are all fellow villagers, and everyone knows that Han Dang and his group of wandering knights are not the kind of people who bully others by relying on their power.

Someone suggested, "Since there are letters, why not find them and take a look?"

"Don't let this really interfere with Magistrate Liu's business!"

Han Dang slapped his forehead. Oh yes! There's still a letter!

Han Dang rushed home, and his fellow wandering knights, wanting to see what was happening, followed him.

Han Dang was stopped by his mother as soon as he entered the door.

Seeing his impetuous manner, Han's mother was immediately enraged and started scolding him, pointing her finger at his nose.

"You good-for-nothing! All you do is go out and fool around! You're a good-for-nothing!"

"The kid next door has already gotten a job in the county, and all you do is run around aimlessly with your gang!"

Han Dang didn't care about being scolded and rushed into his room.

He rummaged through the table and the wooden box.

Finally, under a pile of bows and arrows and animal hides, he found the letter that he had forgotten for months.

He unfolded the letter with trembling hands, read it word by word, and froze on the spot.

In the letter, Liu Bei described his actions in Liaoxi, the current situation in Liaoxi, and his ambition to defend the land, protect the people, and safeguard the border region.

He further stated that he had heard of a chivalrous man named Han Dang in Lingzhi, who was exceptionally skilled in archery and horsemanship, and possessed extraordinary courage and strength.

We are willing to treat him with sincerity, give him a stage to realize his ambitions, protect the people of the border region, and jointly resist the Xianbei cavalry.

At the end of the letter, it was written: "The borderlands are bitterly cold, but they are the best place to temper heroes."

"With such extraordinary skills, how can we allow Lord Yi to be confined to the countryside and have his life buried in obscurity?"

Han's mother came over to take a look and was also stunned.

She was both surprised and delighted, then pointed at his forehead and scolded, "You little rascal! You've left such an important letter here for half a year!"

"This person, a dignified prefectural clerk and a member of the Han imperial family, personally wrote a letter to summon you, and you treated it like a piece of waste paper!"

The brothers who came along also gathered around to read the letter, and they were all dumbfounded.

They lost all interest in joking and exclaimed excitedly, "Lord Yi! It's true!"

"It's a letter from Magistrate Liu, the one who saved our entire county! He's actually taken a liking to you all along!"

"Lord Yi, we'll go with you!"

"Prefect Liu is a good and capable official. Following him is much better than us being wandering knights in the county, constantly suffering mistreatment!"

"Yes! Let's go and join Lord Liu!"

"Following him to fight the Xianbei and protect the people, our skills have not been in vain!"

Han Dang held the letter, his hands trembling slightly.

Despite his exceptional archery and horsemanship skills, he faced constant ostracism in Lingzhi County and was regarded as a good-for-nothing hoodlum.

No one ever respected him, let alone called him a "hero" or was willing to give him a chance to realize his ambitions.

But Liu Bei, far away in Liaoxi, knew his name and his abilities, and even wrote a letter to recruit him.

Not to mention, this Prefect Liu was also the benefactor who saved the lives of all the people in the county.

Han Dang took a deep breath, suddenly looked up, and bowed deeply to his mother: "Mother, your son is going to Liaoxi to serve under Magistrate Liu."

"My son's skills shouldn't be wasted in the countryside; he must go out and protect the people, guard the frontier, and make a name for himself!"

Han's mother looked at him, her eyes reddening, and patted his shoulder: "Go! Mother won't stop you!"

"Follow Magistrate Liu, do your job well, don't cause any more trouble, and don't let him down!"

Early the next morning, Han Dang led more than a hundred trusted young knights from the county, prepared plenty of dry rations, and rode their horses towards Yangle City in western Liaoning.

Just outside the city, they encountered Qiao Xuan's governor's carriage and waited in the woods, where they happened to meet Liu Bei, who was seeing Qiao Xuan off.

After hearing Han Dang's story, Liu Bei couldn't help but burst into laughter, patting him on the shoulder and saying, "Lord Yi, it's truly the will of Heaven!"

"If it weren't for this pandemic, I'm afraid I would have been waiting for you for a long, long time!"

"With your arrival, I, Liu Bei, am truly blessed!"