The reason for the bye was that Liu Hong specifically instructed them to do so. Luck is also a part of strength, and this is not a casual saying.
Just like Li Guang and Huo Qubing during the reign of Emperor Wu of Han.
In his first battle, Huo Qubing led 800 cavalry on a raid of hundreds of miles, killing 2,000 Xiongnu people in one fell swoop, including the Xiongnu prime minister, the grandfather of the Xiongnu Chanyu, and other high-ranking Xiongnu officials. As a result, he was ennobled after the battle.
The victory in this battle was certainly inseparable from the bravery of Huo Qubing and his soldiers, but luck also played a significant role. They did not encounter the Xiongnu army on either their journey, and instead, as if by precise targeting, they crashed directly into the Xiongnu's stronghold.
In contrast, Li Guang, during the Han-Xiongnu War in the northern desert, while Wei Qing and Huo Qubing had already finished their battles, was still wandering around the grasslands, getting lost, and committing suicide out of shame. He never received a title before his death, truly a matter of fate.
Many classic battles in later generations, upon careful examination, reveal that in addition to the generals' mastery of tactics and strategies, the influence of good fortune was also indispensable.
That's why this situation occurs.
Huang Zhong, who was the chief examiner, only glanced at Liu Bei and the young man beside him before paying no further attention.
Soon, after less than an hour of competition, twenty young men, including Liu Bei, were successfully selected.
Everyone split into two teams, each carrying a short bow and arrows, and went to the target.
"Each person has ten chances to shoot an arrow. Those who hit the most arrows will stay, and those who hit the fewest will be eliminated."
After Huang Zhong explained the rules for the second round of assessments and announced the start of the assessments, he sat aside and watched the competition.
Liu Bei arrived at a marked point twenty paces from the target, took an arrow, nocked it on the bowstring, squinted, and stared intently at the bullseye of the target.
Liu Bei concentrated and held his breath, then released the bowstring. With a "whoosh," the arrow hit the bullseye.
However, Liu Bei was not happy. This was only the first arrow. He then calmly took out a second arrow, nocked it again, and hit the bullseye once more.
Huang Zhong, watching Liu Bei from afar, observed that although Liu Bei's movements were slow, his lower body was stable and his arms were powerful. He drew and opened the bow with a certain degree of skill, clearly showing that Liu Bei had a certain talent and foundation.
Liu Bei quickly fired all ten arrows, hitting the bullseye every time. Afterward, Liu Bei left the area and went to rest.
Before long, the results were handed over to Huang Zhong. To everyone's surprise, thirteen people had hit the bullseye with all ten arrows. Huang Zhong was truly astonished by the skill of these young men.
"Move the target forty paces away!"
Although Huang Zhong really wanted to take all these people with him, it was obviously impossible, so he had no choice but to increase the difficulty of the assessment.
In the second assessment, Liu Bei hit the bullseye with six arrows, and the other four arrows were not far from the bullseye, which was a pretty good result.
Soon, five boys, including Liu Bei, were selected. Liu Bei's performance was not as good as the others, ranking only fourth. However, Liu Bei was satisfied. As long as he could enter the Imperial Guard, he would have a chance. Even at a young age, he understood that being a general required more than just archery skills and martial prowess.
After bidding farewell to his uncle, Liu Bei followed Huang Zhong and several Imperial Guardsmen to Luoyang.
At this time, after fierce competition, many young men from various prefectures and counties of the Han Dynasty stood out, such as Hua Xiong from Xiliang, Yan Liang and Wen Chou from Jizhou, and Dian Wei from Chenliu.
Meanwhile, Zhang Rang, after a long and arduous journey, finally arrived at Fuchun, the last stop in Jiangdong.
He had been away from Luoyang for over a month and needed to finish the assessment as soon as possible to return to the emperor's side. Otherwise, if Zhao Zhong beat him to it, he feared he would be neglected by the emperor.
Outside Fuchun City, a group of small and medium-sized landowners and heads of aristocratic families came to greet them.
They were located in Jiangdong, far from Luoyang, the political center. Although they held a high position here, they were far inferior to the powerful families in the Sili region in terms of family background and political influence. Few of their sons were able to rise to high positions.
That's why they attach great importance to this assessment, hoping that their sons can enter the Imperial Guard and gain the emperor's favor.
Soon, Zhang Rang's carriage appeared before everyone, and everyone quickly stepped forward to greet him.
Seeing the crowd swarming towards him, Zhang Rang frowned slightly. He didn't have much time to chat with these bumpkins; he just wanted to finish the assessment as soon as possible and then return to the capital to report back.
"My name is Fuchun, Zhang..."
"I am..."
"exist..."
"Okay...okay..."
Zhang Rang impatiently interrupted everyone's self-introductions, then looked at them and said, "We are here on orders to select outstanding young men to join His Majesty's Imperial Guard. The matter is urgent, so you should all go back and prepare yourselves. Bring your own children to the assessment tomorrow, and don't waste time here."
Zhang Rang then ignored the crowd and headed straight for the county office in Fuchun City.
The crowd was left standing there, looking at each other in bewilderment. Weren't these eunuchs supposed to love this kind of thing? Why is this guy different from what they've heard?
Helpless, everyone had no choice but to return home, but some people still headed into the city, hoping to clear the way.
Inside the county office, the magistrate of Fuchun County personally ordered a sumptuous feast to be prepared for Zhang Rang.
Upon seeing the food served, Zhang Rang's expression changed, and he rebuked the magistrate, "The emperor is frugal, eating only a bowl of millet and two simple dishes every day. Yet you, magistrate, are serving us this today. Are you trying to harm my family?"
The magistrate of Fuchun County was slightly taken aback, unsure whether the eunuch was faking it or genuinely frugal. He could only force a smile and say, "Please don't be offended, Attendant Zhang. We are well aware of the Emperor's frugality, and we ourselves would never dare to be extravagant!"
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