Appointing Liu Bei and the other two as his students not only gave them a chance to learn military knowledge, but also provided Zhang Huan with some entertainment.
It was, without a doubt, a win-win situation.
Seeing that Zhang Huan agreed, Liu Bei, Xiahou Dun, and Xiahou Yuan immediately knelt down and bowed deeply to him.
“Teacher!”
“Ah, wait, not so fast,” Zhang Huan quickly raised his hand to stop them.
As the three looked at him in confusion, he raised his brows and said, “I’m only going to try teaching you for a few days to see how talented you are. If your aptitude turns out to be lacking, I won’t take you as my disciples. I have no intention of letting you tarnish my reputation.”
Mengde smiled confidently at his words.
“Don’t worry, Grandpa. I personally selected all three of them. They definitely won’t damage your name.”
Liu Bei, Xiahou Dun, and Xiahou Yuan exchanged glances, then said in unison, “We will not disappoint you, Grand Commandant!”
***
As it turned out, if these three were able to rise above the chaos of the late Han warlord era, then naturally, their talent in commanding troops wasn’t lacking.
Liu Bei’s early struggles as a military leader were mainly due to his lack of proper training.
In the Eastern Han, while the classics of various philosophical schools were relatively accessible for study, there was one notable exception: military texts.
As the saying goes: “War is a matter of vital importance to the state, the province of life or death, the road to survival or ruin. It must be thoroughly studied.”
Since the military was a vital instrument for maintaining control, successive emperors strictly forbade the free distribution of military strategy texts.
Otherwise, if a local rebellion broke out and its leader had studied several such texts, how could the emperor possibly suppress the uprising with ease?
And it wasn’t just the emperors who were cautious—nobles and powerful families were equally reluctant to allow military books to circulate freely.
Compared to other kinds of texts, military writings were seen as uniquely dangerous.
A commoner who read many books without connections still had little chance of becoming an official.
But it was a different story for those who studied military strategy.
A person might not have the background to become an official, but they could always enlist as a soldier, couldn’t they? A regular soldier posed no threat—but a soldier well-versed in military strategy could climb the ranks based on merit.
If too many such men rose through the military, they would eventually flood the bureaucracy, challenging the power of the established elite.
In the end, the noble families would be forced to watch helplessly as these fierce commoners contended with them for control.
Historically, Liu Bei himself rose to the rank of county commandant through military merit.
At that time, he was fresh out of the metaphorical tutorial zone—capable enough to handle small bands of Yellow Turbans, but easily routed when facing seasoned warlords like Cao Cao or large-scale rebel armies numbering in the tens of thousands.
After suffering repeated defeats, Liu Bei eventually gained experience.
By the time of the Hanzhong Campaign, he had grown into a true strategist.
He decisively defeated Xiahou Yuan and later held his own against Cao Cao’s reinforcements.
So it’s fair to say that Liu Bei was not lacking in military talent.
***
After evaluating the three for a few days, Zhang Huan smiled as he spoke to Mengde, who had come to visit him again.
“These three you brought me aren’t bad. Xiahou Yuan can command ten thousand soldiers. Liu Bei can handle fifty thousand. Xiahou Dun’s talent lies less in field command, but he’s excellent at managing logistics and supply lines. I’ll take all three of them as my students!”
Mengde gave a subtle smile upon hearing this.
Liu Bei, Xiahou Dun, and Xiahou Yuan were overjoyed.
They rushed forward and knelt respectfully before Zhang Huan.
“Greetings, Teacher!”
“Mm…”
This time, Zhang Huan nodded and accepted the three of them calling him “Teacher.”
***
For the next stretch of time, Liu Bei lived a rather fulfilling life.
At around six or seven in the morning, he would arrive at the Cao household to train in martial arts alongside the two brothers, Xiahou Dun and Xiahou Yuan.
After having lunch at the Cao residence, the three of them would head to the home of Grand Commandant Zhang Huan to study military strategy.
Around five or six in the evening, Liu Bei would return to the Goushan Academy on the outskirts of Luoyang to study Confucian classics with his teacher, Lu Zhi, until nine at night—only then would he go to bed and rest.
During this period, Lu Zhi eventually found out that his student had somehow formed a connection with the current Grand Commandant.
He couldn’t help but shake his head and sigh.
“Comparing people just makes you want to die, and comparing goods makes you want to throw yours away…”
If only he had Liu Bei’s skill in—ahem—social networking, would he still be stuck as a mere Governor at nearly forty years old? He would’ve reached one of the Nine Ministers positions long ago!
That said, although Lu Zhi was admittedly envious of Liu Bei’s talent for building connections, he quickly reined in his emotions.
Liu Bei’s gift was his own, after all.
As his teacher, Lu Zhi believed his role was to remind Liu Bei not to associate with corrupt or immoral individuals, but rather to learn from those who were truly capable and virtuous.
“I will remember your teachings,” Liu Bei said sincerely, bowing his head slightly in respect.
***
Incidentally, during his evening studies at Goushan Academy, Liu Bei was surprised to discover that Lu Zhi also knew military strategy.
Seeing the look of astonishment on Liu Bei’s face, Lu Zhi couldn’t help but blow his beard and glare.
“You blockhead! Haven’t you ever asked around? Who do you think quelled last year’s rebellion in Jiujiang Commandery down south? Your teacher, me, of course! Isn’t it obvious that I know military strategy?”
Liu Bei scratched his head awkwardly and chuckled. “I see… Then, Teacher, between you and Grand Commandant Zhang, who’s better at commanding troops?”
“Why would you poke at the one thing I don’t want to talk about?!”
“Understood!” Liu Bei quickly nodded.
At the same time, he inwardly concluded that his teacher’s military command ability was probably not as strong as Zhang Huan’s.
After all, Zhang Huan had experience leading troops in major campaigns against the Qiang tribes in the northwest and the Xianbei in the north.
In contrast, Lu Zhi had only put down a rebellion of the Shanyue tribes in the south. Though the Qiang, Xianbei, and Shanyue were all considered “barbarians” by the Han court, even among barbarians there were differences in strength. The Qiang and Xianbei clearly had much stronger fighting power than the Shanyue.
‘Looks like I didn’t make a mistake choosing Grand Commandant Zhang as my military teacher,’ Liu Bei thought to himself, now even more confident in his decision.
If Lu Zhi had been more skilled than Zhang Huan in military affairs, it would’ve made no sense to ignore his own teacher and go seek instruction from someone of lesser ability.
That said, the fact that Lu Zhi also understood military theory turned out to be a bonus for Liu Bei.
Whenever he encountered something he didn’t understand during his lessons with Zhang Huan in the afternoon, he could bring the question back with him and ask Lu Zhi in the evening.
While Lu Zhi’s ability to command troops might not compare to Zhang Huan’s, he was more than capable when it came to answering Liu Bei’s questions.
***
In the blink of an eye, a year passed.
During this time, Yuan Shu also held his capping ceremony.
Before a large gathering of guests, he was formally given the courtesy name that had long been prepared for him—Gonglu.
Both Liu Bei and Mengde attended the ceremony.
Soon after, under the Yuan family’s arrangements, Yuan Shu was immediately recommended as a Xiaolian—a “Filial and Incorrupt” candidate—and entered the palace to serve as a court official.
Less than half a year later, he was appointed as the magistrate of a major county in the provinces.
At this rate, it wouldn’t take long before he was reassigned to serve in the capital again.
His meteoric rise made Liu Bei so envious it nearly tore his soul from his body.