RPAGF Chapter 105 Attendance
Chapter 105 Attendance
Outside Lingzhi City, the official road stretches straight south, and the sun, already setting in the west, paints the distant horizon a hazy yellow.
The Gongsun residence is located near the East Gate, just across the street. The servants who were greeting guests at the gate had been standing for most of the day, and their legs were aching.
A servant shaded his eyes with his hand, looking listlessly toward the end of the official road outside the east gate.
In that one glance, his hand suddenly froze in front of his forehead.
All that could be seen was a plume of smoke!
The smoke and dust were extremely faint, like someone had smeared a gray mark with their finger at the boundary between heaven and earth.
In just a few breaths, the gray stains thickened and spread outwards.
The ground began to shake, the tea in the teacup rippled, and the red silk hanging from the lintel began to sway gently.
"cavalry!"
"A large cavalry force is coming!" The servant's voice changed.
As everyone looked on, in just a moment, at the end of the official road, two riders broke through the dust.
The man on the left was about forty years old, with a stern face and a neatly trimmed short beard. The prefect's official robes fluttered in the wind.
The man on the right was a young man, tall and slender with arms that reached past his knees, and with a brow as clear and bright as a distant mountain.
Wearing the uniform of a captain, he showed no trace of a rough and uncouth warrior, but instead exuded a calm and composed demeanor.
He rode a sturdy green horse, its mane flying, but his back remained completely still, as if nailed to the horse's back.
It was Zhao Bao and Liu Bei.
Behind the two, four riders emerged slightly ahead.
The man on the right is tall and burly, with broad shoulders and a thick back. His battle robe is pressed tightly against his chest by the wind, outlining a rocky silhouette.
With dark skin, a short beard, and eyes like copper bells, he exuded an imposing and dignified aura—that was Cheng Pu.
The man on his left was thinner, but as strong as if cast in iron. His short beard stood on end, and his hawk-like eyes were half-closed, staring intently ahead. His right hand was on the hilt of his sword, and his knuckles were as thick as tree knots—it was Han Dang.
Beside Han Dang was a burly man with a spear across his horse's back. The spearhead gleamed coldly in the sunlight. His face was expressionless, yet he resembled a leopard lurking in the grass—this was Hou Cheng.
On the far right is a young general, riding a white horse and wielding a silver spear, full of vigor—it is Zhao Yun.
Following the four riders was a cavalry force of two hundred men.
Two hundred men rode in on horseback, their menacing aura like a north wind carrying sand that stung one's face.
The commotion in front of the Gongsun Mansion seemed to be choked by an invisible hand.
The guests, holding their teacups, had their hands suspended in mid-air, and the tea spilled from the rim of the cup onto the hem of their robes, completely unaware.
The powerful man, who was exchanging pleasantries, forgot to close his mouth halfway through his sentence.
Gongsun Zhao, who was welcoming guests, stepped out of the mansion gate. He stopped after stepping over the threshold with one foot, and held onto the door frame. His knuckles turned white without him realizing it.
Some guests who had seen the White Horse Cavalry in Youbeiping have been boasting about it at the banquet for the past two days.
When the White Horse Cavalry lined up, their uniform white horses surged like waves of snow, appearing from afar like a line of snow moving across the grassland—that's what you call elite.
As he stood under the eaves, the wine he hadn't yet swallowed suddenly tasted bitter.
The White Horse Cavalry was indeed a sight to behold, with its uniform white horses resembling a snow line from afar, a sight that would elicit cheers from anyone who saw it.
But the cavalry in front of them had horses of mixed colors and ordinary armor; none of it had been deliberately selected.
The White Horse Cavalry is like a knife displayed on a shelf, polished to a gleaming shine, making one unable to help but admire it.
This cavalry force was like a sword that had already been drawn and drunk blood.
The blade still had dark marks that couldn't be washed away; it wasn't shiny, but it was something people dared not look at for long, and looking at it sent chills down their spines.
The guest quietly put down his wine cup.
The sound of hooves suddenly ceased.
Two hundred riders reined in their horses in unison before the mansion gate, their front hooves rising high into the air, tracing an arc before landing heavily on the ground.
The sound of two hundred pairs of horses' hooves hitting the ground merged into a deep, resounding crash, causing the red lanterns on the mansion gate to shake violently and the red silk on the lintel to tremble. The sound of gongs and drums on the stage in the courtyard was swallowed up by this crash.
As the dust settled, the mounted soldiers remained motionless.
The horses snorted, their white breath turning into puffs of mist in the setting sun. No one whispered, and no horses stirred.
The young man in the lead dismounted, his boots making a crisp sound as they hit the bluestone ground.
The four generals behind him dismounted simultaneously, and then two hundred men landed at the same time, the sound of their boots blending into a neat, crisp roar, clean and efficient, without a single extraneous sound.
Gongsun Zhao then came to his senses. He released his grip on the door frame, his palms were sweaty.
Just as he was about to put on a smile and go to greet them, someone in the crowd suddenly exclaimed.
"It's Magistrate Liu!"
"It's Magistrate Liu, who cured the great plague!"
The sound wasn't loud, but it was like a pebble thrown into still water, rippling outwards in concentric circles.
"Lord Liu?"
"Liu, the Commandant of Liaoxi?"
"Could it be Liu Bei, the one who established military colonies to pacify the people and defend against the Xianbei in the north?"
A buzz of discussion arose, and the guests who had just been praising the White Horse Cavalry now wore a different expression—not fear, but fervor.
Local powerful figures from western Liaoning quickly stepped forward, cupped their hands in greeting, and repeatedly addressed him as "Commander Liu".
Those villagers who recognized Liu Bei's face knelt down, expressing their gratitude to Lord Liu for saving their entire village's lives.
Liu Bei was completely unpretentious. He first helped up the kneeling people, then exchanged pleasantries with the powerful figures who came forward. He was calm, composed, and at ease!
The momentary stiffness on Gongsun Zhao's face was quickly concealed.
He put on a smile again, strode forward, and bowed respectfully: "Prefect Zhao, Commandant Liu, your presence is an honor to the Gongsun family!"
Zhao Bao nodded slightly, and Liu Bei returned the greeting. His gaze swept over the guests and commoners who had gathered around, and a smile appeared on his lips.
The smile was understated, even a little shy, yet it warmed the hearts of those who came to greet him.
The crowd grew larger and larger, and the area in front of the mansion gate, which had been silent just moments before due to the menacing aura of the cavalry, was now like a pot of boiling water.
Gongsun Zhao had no choice but to raise his voice and have his servants part the crowd to lead Zhao Bao and Liu Bei's party into the mansion.
Even after they entered the mansion, the whispers behind them continued to follow them, surging in wave after wave.
"That's Liu Bei? He's even younger than the rumors say."
"What's there to be afraid of when you're young? His cavalry has crushed the skulls of the Xianbei people."
"I heard that he was cultivating land in western Liaoning, and he gave land and seeds to the refugees who came there, and they didn't have to pay taxes for two years."
"How can someone like him only be a captain..."
Under the eaves, the guests who had just been praising the White Horse Cavalry had now quietly changed their tune and started boasting about the prowess of Commander Liu of Liaoxi.
Zhao Bao also felt Liu Bei's prestige in Youzhou. Although the people in Yangle respected him before, they had seen it all before and did not have the same fervor as they do now.
Cheng Pu, Han Dang, and others were used to it, but Zhao Yun was quite surprised!