Chapter 73 You don't doubt that your godfather is a god, do you?

Outside Luoyang, the line of refugees stretched for seven or eight miles in a snake-like formation.

Ever since Liu Bei raised the banner of "distributing porridge," people have been flocking to the area from all directions every day.

Some fled from Chang'an, some came from various counties in Guandong to escape disaster, and some were originally hiding in the nearby mountains.

They were all emaciated and pale, with the numbness in their eyes that was typical of the dying. But when they saw the big cauldron at the city gate, a spark of life suddenly ignited in them.

The porridge in the pot wasn't very thick, but you could see your reflection in every bowl.

But even with such thin porridge, two bowls a day, they managed to pull those who were on the verge of death back from the brink of death.

What puzzled Liu Bei even more was that wealthy families around Luoyang, having somehow heard the news, began to move their entire families into Luoyang, bringing their carriages and belongings.

At first, Liu Bei thought they were coming to take advantage of his misfortune, so he sent Guan Yu to ask them.

As a result, the wealthy households all knelt on the ground. The old rich man at the head of the group said tremblingly, "We have all heard of Lord Liu's benevolent reputation in the countryside. Dong Zhuo has returned from Chang'an. The warlords are either dead or have fled. We have nowhere to go. We only beg Lord Liu to take us in and give us a way to survive."

Liu Bei looked at those people; some were dressed in silk, some wore jade ornaments, and several were carrying wooden boxes, which he assumed contained land deeds and house deeds.

They knelt on the ground, no different from the other refugees, all begging for a way to survive.

Liu Bei helped the man up and instructed Guan Yu to register him and settle him by household.

These wealthy households brought not only people with them when they came to the city, but also grain.

More than a dozen large households pooled their resources and managed to raise more than 5,000 shi of grain.

Although it wasn't enough to feed everyone, combined with Liu Bei's existing grain reserves, it could last for another two months.

Just as Liu Bei was pleased with this, a soldier came to report that a batch of earthenware jars in the granary had begun to mold.

Liu Bei quickly went to check.

Upon opening the warehouse door, a musty smell wafted out.

The surface of dozens of pottery jars was covered with green mold, but fortunately they were tightly sealed and the grain inside had not spoiled.

Liu Bei sighed, "Fortunately, my adoptive father had the foresight to have us divide the grain into individual containers and seal them. Otherwise, if this whole granary had gone moldy, we would have been in deep trouble."

Everyone nodded, looking at the rows of pottery jars, and suddenly remembered the scene when Mr. Zishan taught them how to make these.

Zhang Fei squatted to the side, staring blankly at the pottery jars. Suddenly, he spoke up, "Brother, do you think Father really fainted from hunger at the entrance of Peach Garden, or was it a fake faint?"

Liu Bei was taken aback: "Yide, what do you mean by that?"

Zhang Fei scratched his head: "I was just thinking wildly. You know, someone like my adoptive father, who could predict everything from Hulao Pass to Hangu Pass to Chang'an, how could he not have predicted that he would faint from hunger? I think that fainting was probably intentional."

Liu Bei remained silent.

Zhang Fei continued, "Think about it, if he hadn't fainted, how would he have entered our door? If he hadn't entered our door, how would he have produced that family genealogy? If he hadn't produced the genealogy, how would we know he was our elder brother's adoptive father? If we didn't know he was our adoptive father, how could we believe what he said afterward?"

Liu Bei looked at him.

Zhang Fei got more and more excited as he spoke: "My godfather planned everything step by step. First he fainted, then he woke up, then he asked about books, then he talked about studying abroad, then about the Yellow Turbans, then about the imperial clan, one link after another. I doubted him at the time, but now I think, my brain was no match for my godfather's."

Guan Yu, who was wiping his Green Dragon Crescent Blade, looked up when he heard this and said, "Third Brother's words make some sense. I did have some doubts when the gentleman took out the family genealogy that day. Later, he answered fluently and explained the Dou Xian case and the northward migration of Yongyuan clearly, which dispelled my doubts. Now that I think about it, he was probably prepared in advance."

Liu Bei shook his head: "Yun Chang, Yi De, you think too highly of our adoptive father. No matter how capable he is, he couldn't possibly have predicted that I would recognize him as my adoptive father. That was my father's dying wish; how could he have known beforehand?"

Zhang Fei scratched his head even harder: "Then...was that arranged by God?"

Guan Yu said, "I've heard that there are people in this world who only take one or two steps when doing things, but every step they take is in the right place. When they look back after they've done it, it's like they've made a brilliant move. Perhaps you, sir, are such a person."

Liu Bei looked at the pottery jars and recalled the pickled vegetables, horseshoes, and stirrups that his adoptive father had taught him for military campaigns.

Each and every one of them, which seemed insignificant at the time, now appears to have been crucial in the long run.

"If my adoptive father hadn't fainted from hunger at the entrance of Peach Garden that day..." Liu Bei murmured.

Zhang Fei chimed in, "We don't even know which corrupt official we're working for right now. We might still be weaving straw sandals in Zhuojun."

Guan Yu said, "It's more likely they've already been killed by the Yellow Turban rebels."

The three remained silent.

Sun Qian walked over from the other end of the granary, heard the last few sentences, and laughed, "What are you three talking about? It sounds so heavy."

On the day Sun Qian came to join him, Liu Bei was inspecting the people's conditions in the west of Luoyang.

Sun Qian then went to the camp gate himself, handed over his visiting card, and said that he was an old friend from Langya and requested to see Magistrate Liu.

After Liu Bei returned to his tent and saw the visiting card, he immediately summoned the guest.

Sun Qian entered the tent, neither humble nor arrogant, and spoke earnestly.

His words ranged from the general trend of the world to the current situation in Luoyang, and were well-organized and to the point.

Upon hearing this, Liu Bei knew that this man possessed excellent strategies and was capable of great use.

They didn't put on any airs at the moment and simply kept him under their command to assist with affairs.

Liu Bei explained the situation.

After listening, Sun Qian stroked his beard and laughed, "I've been thinking about what Yide said about Mr. Zishan entering the Peach Garden that day. Every step he took seemed casual, yet every move was crucial. When recruiting soldiers in Zhuojun, he said to go to the west of the city, and ended up with five hundred veterans. When suppressing bandits, he said to besiege the stronghold and attack the reinforcements, and ended up annihilating them in one battle. When the Yellow Turbans attacked, he said to divide his forces to defeat the enemy, and ended up beheading Cheng Yuanzhi. When the inspector was killed, he said to establish himself on the spot, and ended up being promoted to county magistrate by the court. Such a person is either ridiculously lucky or every step he takes is perfectly calculated. I, Sun Qian, have traveled the world for over ten years and have never seen anyone like him."

Liu Bei gazed at the setting sun with a deep look in his eyes and said softly, "I often wonder, who exactly is my adoptive father? He says he is a descendant of Prince Jing of Zhongshan, but I always feel that he knows far more than any member of the imperial clan. He says he has traveled all over the world, but I always feel that the places he has been are not limited to Yingchuan, Xiangyang, and Jiangdong."

Zhang Fei's eyes widened: "Brother, you don't suspect that our godfather is a deity, do you?"

After he finished speaking, everyone was stunned for a moment, and then burst into laughter.

Liu Bei said, "Whether my adoptive father is a god or not, he saved us brothers, saved over 100,000 people in Luoyang, and helped us build such a large foundation. That... is enough!"