Chapter Thirty-Three: All Good Things

“Good morning, eldest brother,” said Guan Yu, seated in the courtyard, reading a bamboo scroll by the clear light that filtered through the clouds.

“You’re still no match for my talented younger brother in both civil and martial arts,” Liu Bei replied with a laugh, patting Guan Yu’s shoulder. Then he added, “Is Yide still asleep? I haven’t seen him yet.”

“Yide rose even earlier than I did. I’m not sure where he’s off to now.”

“Hmm… Could it be that he went out for a drink at dawn? With his restless nature, if he’s not practicing martial arts, he’s drinking. And Jade Boy hasn’t even come of age yet; let’s hope Yide doesn’t lead him astray with wine. Guan, come with me—let’s go look for him.”

With that, the two of them set out down the steps and began searching through the guest rooms and the outer courtyard.

Finding Zhang Yu would be no easy task, but tracking down Zhang Fei was the simplest thing in the world—just head toward the loudest commotion. Before long, they found themselves outside a row of side rooms, from which Zhang Fei’s thunderous laughter rang out. They stepped forward, knocked, and on receiving permission, entered.

The first thing that struck them inside this training room was its sheer size: three or four rooms had been joined together, ample enough even for riding a horse around. Scattered everywhere were peculiar objects that made Liu Bei and Guan Yu pause in astonishment.

“Eldest brother, second brother—ha! Forgive old Zhang for getting so caught up in play that I forgot you both. Come, come,” Zhang Fei called, leaping down from a horizontal bar, “try these contraptions my nephew Jade Boy’s been tinkering with. They’re great fun!”

“Oh?” Liu Bei stepped forward, intrigued, while Guan Yu, by habit, narrowed his eyes and stroked his beard as he sized up these foreign items.

“Uncle, this is—” Zhang Yu began to explain, only to be interrupted by Zhang Fei. “Hey! You’ve already shown off to old Zhang. This time, let me do the honors!”

“All right, all right…” Zhang Yu smiled and stepped aside, moving over to Han Long, who stood in the corner with a cold iron sword in hand. In a low voice, he said, “In a moment, you should ask those two powerhouses—the red-faced and the black-faced one—for pointers. My uncle’s swordplay can guide you too. These are the Three Heroes who battled Lu Bu at Hulao Pass!”

What Zhang Yu hadn’t considered was that, at a certain level, martial artists develop keen senses. Even though he had lowered his voice, Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei could all hear him clearly—especially with Zhang Fei’s booming voice making it impossible for anyone else to dominate the conversation.

“This is called a dumbbell. Only this big one is worth trying; the rest are just children’s toys.” Watching Zhang Fei brandish the heaviest of the lot—a dumbbell weighing at least a hundred pounds—with little effort, Zhang Yu could only shrug. Given the legendary strength of Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, it was hardly surprising, since their weapons weighed dozens of pounds apiece.

Zhang Fei then tossed the dumbbell, as large as a pillow, to Guan Yu, who caught it in one hand and tested its heft before gently placing it on the floor.

“This is called a horizontal bar. When you’re tired from training, you can relax on it without letting your strength diminish. Eldest brother, why not give it a try?”

Curious, Liu Bei leapt lightly onto the bar, following Zhang Fei’s demonstration. His pull-ups were a bit rough but executed with ease. After a while, he began doing them one-handed, leaving Zhang Yu wide-eyed.

“My uncle’s strength is hardly lacking. After all, he fought the Yellow Turbans from the very start and spent decades on the battlefield before becoming emperor. He’s no mere scholar, no matter how refined he appears. If he were weak, Lu Bu would have finished him off at Hulao Pass.”

“You don’t need to try the wheel—I just broke one,” Zhang Fei said, glancing at a busted ab roller on the floor before picking up a jump rope. “But this—this is the most fun! I’d heard of skipping rope before, but I never imagined there were so many ways to play. Jade Boy, show everyone how it’s done!”

Smiling, Zhang Yu took the rope and, under the watchful eyes of the three brothers, began to jump. As a man from the modern era, he had nothing to fear. The rope hissed through the air as he danced lightly within its loops—double-unders, triple-steps, flower patterns—captivating the three men with his skill.

If Guan Yu and Zhang Fei were merely impressed, Liu Bei’s mind was already at work. He picked up a second rope and copied the movements. Skipping was simple and easy to learn; before long, Liu Bei was jumping with ease, feeling the tightening in his legs and the pleasant fatigue in his body. An idea began to take shape.

Next came the agility ladder. Despite his burly frame, Zhang Fei moved nimbly, his feet tapping quickly through the narrow spaces until he reached the end. Liu Bei and Guan Yu also stepped up to try.

While Zhang Fei played for fun, Guan Yu found inspiration, and Liu Bei’s thoughts solidified into a plan.

Just what were his two brothers capable of? Save for the monstrous Lu Bu, they were surely the strongest warriors in the land. If even they found these devices both entertaining and effective, then what if they were produced in quantity and used for both training and recreation during drills… Could this yield a pleasant surprise?

Current military drills focused mostly on weapons—saber, spear, sword, halberd, archery, and formations. As for systematic physical conditioning, it was lacking. Imagine daily five-kilometer runs with weighted sandbags: if that could really be instilled, it would forge a formidable army, at least guaranteeing robust physical fitness and the ability for forced marches. In ancient times, many soldiers were pitifully weak, often going hungry, lacking strength, waving flags and shouting at the rear, and fleeing at the first sign of trouble. This was why ancient armies rarely had high casualty rates; they’d collapse before it came to that. If an elite force could be trained by modern methods, it wouldn’t be surprising if they could face ten foes each.

Having made up his mind, Liu Bei looked at his nephew with growing affection. If he realized that Zhang Yu could offer advice on military training as well, he would surely treasure him even more.

As the saying goes, a handsome appearance is half the battle. And this was his own nephew, bound by blood. So young, already famous for his talent in Hebei, and now displaying such cleverness and innovation—surely he could bring even greater value. Liu Bei’s desire to recruit him grew ever stronger.

His reverie was interrupted by Zhang Fei: “Eldest brother, second brother, I almost forgot. This is Jade Boy’s little guard. Guess how old he is!”

Prompted, Liu Bei and Guan Yu finally took notice of the boy who had been sitting quietly in the training room. Such treatment was surely reserved for someone important to Zhang Yu.

“Han Long, retainer to the young master, greets Lord Xuande, Lord Guan, Lord Yi De!” Han Long said, neither humble nor brash.

Guan Yu, keen-eyed as ever, was the first to sense something unusual. “This child is a rare talent.”

“Oh?” When Guan Yu praised someone, it was no small matter. Liu Bei was about to ask more, but Zhang Fei couldn’t hold back: “More than just a talent—he’s only ten, yet already ten times as capable as I was at that age!”

“That’s too much!” The praise startled both Zhang Yu and Han Long—Han Long knew he didn’t deserve such acclaim, while Zhang Yu feared Liu Bei might try to poach him.

Sure enough, Liu Bei’s eyes flashed with interest, his gaze drifting to the sword in Han Long’s hand.

“Might I have a look at that sword?” he asked.

“The young master has always said, ‘A sword must never leave one’s side, even unto death. It is my very life.’ Therefore, Han Long cannot agree. I ask Lord Xuande’s understanding.”

“Well said!” Liu Bei praised, drawing his double-edged sword. “Very well! Let’s see what you’re capable of—the one both Guan and Yi De have praised so highly.”

“Heh, you all play for a while. I’ll be right back!” Zhang Yu called out as he stepped away.