Chapter 19: Zhao Yun and Tian Yu Are Leaving (Please Keep Reading!)

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Nearly all the generals in Liu Bei’s camp advocated taking direct control of Xu Province.

In their eyes, refusing such a vast province would mean letting a golden opportunity slip away for nothing.

As for the formidable enemies they might face in the future, that was precisely their chance to win glory by cutting down enemy commanders.

Chen Qun, however, along with many of the civil officials, took a much longer view.

Compared with external threats, Chen Qun had yet to mention Xu Province’s internal troubles.

Those were the matters that truly deserved concern.

Before one could repel external enemies, one first had to secure the home front. Xu Province’s fields lay barren and its economy was in decline.

Reviving production would require money and grain, land, seeds, and labor.

These were not problems that could be solved with money alone.

The local great clans of Xu Province wielded immense influence. If Liu Bei wished to govern the province well, he would first have to manage his relationship with them.

On one side, Chen Qun pressed forcefully for abandoning Xu Province; on the other, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei believed the opportunity could not be missed.

The two sides remained locked in dispute.

Li Yi, meanwhile, was in no hurry to enter the debate. At present, compared with the question of who should control Xu Province, there was actually another grave matter—one that no one present had realized.

It even concerned Old Liu’s future.

Liu Bei was about to lose two exceptionally important talents.

And both men were currently serving under him: Zhao Yun and Tian Yu.

Ever since they had left Xiaopei for Xu Province, the two had remained silent. Though neither man was ordinarily talkative, their quietness now was unnaturally strange.

They seemed almost entirely detached from the proceedings, as though their minds and souls were elsewhere.

Confronted with the crucial question of whether Xu Province should be accepted, they behaved like outsiders, wholly indifferent.

Liu Bei possessed an extraordinary ability to judge people, but he had been so occupied with the affairs of Xu Province these past few days that he failed to notice anything amiss with the two men.

Only Li Yi understood how deeply Zhao Yun and Tian Yu were suffering.

And before long, they would be leaving Liu Bei.

To understand the whole matter, one had to turn the clock back three years.

That year, Liu Bei, then magistrate of Gaotang County, went to seek refuge with his old friend Gongsun Zan.

It was also the height of Gongsun Zan’s career.

Personally leading twenty thousand infantry and cavalry, he routed the Yellow Turban forces, beheaded thirty thousand men, captured seventy thousand, and seized countless weapons and supplies. His fame resounded throughout You Province.

At that time, Tian Yu, filled with the ambition to serve his country, also journeyed from his hometown to join Gongsun Zan.

Gongsun Zan appointed Liu Bei as commander of a separate division, while Tian Yu, believing himself too young and still in need of experience, placed himself under Liu Bei’s command.

Liu Bei treated Tian Yu with great care and affection.

That same year, Liu Bei was again appointed magistrate of Pingyuan County, helping to threaten Yuan Shao.

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Throughout this period, Tian Yu remained at Liu Bei’s side.

He stayed with him until Cao Cao attacked Xu Province and Liu Bei came to Tao Qian’s aid.

Gongsun Zan also gave Liu Bei a contingent of mixed Hu cavalry composed of Xianbei and Wuhuan tribesmen.

The officer responsible for training and commanding this cavalry was Zhao Yun.

In other words, both Zhao Yun and Tian Yu were serving in Liu Bei’s army at that time.

Tao Qian intended for Liu Bei to garrison Xiaopei and help him resist Cao Cao.

The terms he offered were generous. So long as Liu Bei agreed to remain, Tao Qian would recommend him to the throne as Inspector of Yu Province and provide him with four thousand elite soldiers from Danyang.

But staying would amount to breaking with Gongsun Zan and changing allegiance.

Liu Bei and Gongsun Zan were as close as brothers. By all rights, Liu Bei should not have abandoned him.

In the end, three principal reasons led Liu Bei to decide to stay.

First, Tao Qian could rapidly expand his strength, giving him the capital to establish himself in a chaotic age and elevating him into the upper ranks of officialdom.

That prospect held enormous appeal for Liu Bei.

It also showed that Liu Bei truly possessed great ambition. He was certainly not the sort of seemingly benevolent yet faintly affected figure portrayed in popular romances.

The final two reasons were what truly drove Liu Bei to leave Gongsun Zan.

The first was that Gongsun Zan, acting out of a personal grudge, had executed Grand Marshal Liu Yu.

Liu Yu had treated the common people with kindness. As a member of the imperial clan, he enjoyed immense prestige at court and was a loyal, honorable elder.

Yet Gongsun Zan had not spared even his wife, children, and other family members. The deed cost him the people’s confidence.

Though Liu Bei said nothing aloud, he must surely have been bitterly disappointed in him.

The last reason lay in Gongsun Zan’s character. He was arrogant and willful, refusing to heed advice or remonstrance.

As a result, his advisers and generals gradually drifted away from him, their loyalty and unity dissolving.

Moreover, Gongsun Zan lacked the ability to govern his army and had repeatedly allowed his troops to plunder the populace.

Liu Bei had already sensed that Gongsun Zan would never accomplish anything of consequence and that his defeat and downfall were likely not far off. Thus, he took the opportunity to transfer his allegiance to Tao Qian.

For old retainers such as Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Jian Yong, Liu Bei’s change of allegiance was of no consequence. They recognized only Liu Bei.

Whether he followed Gongsun Zan, Tao Qian, or even Cao Cao made no difference to them.

But two men alone found themselves in an exceedingly awkward position.

Those two were Zhao Yun and Tian Yu.

Tian Yu had deep ties with Gongsun Zan. In his youth, he had abandoned his home and taken up arms precisely to follow him.

His stay in Liu Bei’s army had been solely for the sake of gaining experience.

Zhao Yun, meanwhile, had originally been Gongsun Zan’s subordinate. His only task had been to help Liu Bei train the cavalry.

Now Liu Bei was about to take control of Xu Province. This meant that he would formally break away from Gongsun Zan and become a warlord in his own right.

One could well imagine the anguish these two men must have felt at that moment.

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After years spent together through every day and night, they recognized Liu Bei’s character and could not bear to leave him.

But if they stayed, they would have to shoulder the condemnation of betraying their lord.

After a period of inner struggle, the two men ultimately decided to leave.

The excuses they gave were much the same.

Tian Yu said that his aged mother needed his support.

Zhao Yun said that his elder brother had died and that he needed to return home to mourn.

Liu Bei of course knew that these were merely excuses. Once they left, they would never return.

Otherwise, why would he have wept bitterly when bidding them farewell, clasping their hands and saying reluctantly:

“I only regret that I cannot achieve great things together with you.”

His words made it clear that Liu Bei knew the two men intended to leave and never come back.

Zhao Yun and Tian Yu had helped Liu Bei resist Cao Cao’s forces in Xu Province; they had done everything within their power.

Now Liu Bei had achieved fame and success and was about to become Inspector of Xu Province.

Zhao Yun and Tian Yu were indeed gentlemen of noble character. They had shared hardship with Liu Bei, yet because they did not wish to bear the stigma of betraying their lord, they were unwilling to share in his prosperity.

“Generals, if I may.”

Taking advantage of the momentary uproar among the others, Li Yi quietly approached Zhao Yun and Tian Yu.

Both men were startled, surprised that Li Yi had come to seek them out.

Even so, they courteously bowed to him.

“Greetings, sir.”

“Please, there is no need for such ceremony. You two came here for the sake of righteousness and fought to repel Cao Cao’s forces. You are truly gentlemen of noble character, and I hold you in the highest regard.”

His words offered Zhao Yun and Tian Yu a measure of comfort.

They now knew that their efforts in Xu Province over the past two years had not been in vain.

The two men thanked him, but they still seemed somewhat distracted.

Li Yi said solemnly, “It was through your courage and ferocity on the battlefield that Cao Cao’s army was driven back.”

“Now that our lord is about to become Inspector of Xu Province, I would like to invite you both to share wine and conversation with me. Would that be agreeable?”

Zhao Yun and Tian Yu exchanged a glance. They thought it might be for the best. Before leaving, they ought at least to make a graceful farewell.

They clasped their hands and replied gratefully:

“Then we shall defer to your wishes.”

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