Wait, please don't call me Emperor Zhaolie

Chapter 177 I’m beating you

When they arrived at Pengcheng County, Liu Bei immediately ordered Man Chong to imprison several members of the Liu clan and torture them severely, causing everyone to tremble with fear. An old man with white hair and beard from the clan said with trembling hands, "Why is Lord Xuande doing this? We don't know what crime we have committed."

Liu Bei smiled and said soothingly, "Don't worry, clan leader. I have received reports that many clans are plotting to cause trouble. Except for these people, everyone else is safe."

The remaining Liu clan leaders looked at each other, thinking that Lord Xuande did not really seem to intend to put everyone in jail, and only took away the clan leaders and patriarchs who were usually arrogant and domineering.

Maybe it is true that someone has reported it as Lord Xuande said. Now Lord Xuande is at the mercy of others. No matter how many clan members and followers we have, they are still dozens of miles away.

Who would have thought that those who came to greet Envoy Liu would not be able to return, and were all taken to the inn in the city for settlement.

Those Liu family leaders turned pale in an instant and kept crying out for injustice, but Liu Bei turned a blind eye and continued chatting and laughing with the officials and nobles in Pengcheng.

Seeing the strong man leading the Qingzhou army draw his sword and glance at them with a fierce look, those who were still resisting instantly became obedient.

They all consoled themselves by saying, "After all, I am the head of the clan. There is no need to bother with a crude warrior."

Going to jail doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll die, but resisting on the spot will definitely lead to death.

More than ten people didn't dare to move and allowed the soldiers to tie them up with ropes and quickly take them away.

Seeing this, the three elders and the powerful families could not help but pray that no one from their clans was involved, otherwise the consequences would be difficult to predict.

It seems that Lord Xuande will not show mercy just because they are both relatives of the Han royal family.

But it makes sense. Since the time of Emperor Xiaojing, every Liu family member in power has taken measures to deal with their own family members. The Enfeoffment Order is still being distributed today...

“It’s hard to be a Liu!”

Many people looked at each other with tacit understanding and couldn't help sighing.

The powerful man who was imprisoned was very stubborn, but he could not withstand Man Chong's even harsher torture. He could not last more than two hours, and all the conspiracies were revealed like beans.

I have to say it, it hurts too much.

They were used to a life of luxury and as relatives of the Han royal family, they had never been to prison. They thought that the envoy was just trying to scare them and had no concrete evidence. Given their status, they would at least be questioned for a few more days before being tortured, right?
Unexpectedly, as soon as Fang arrived at the county prison, he was tied up and tortured by the jailer, and his movements were very skillful.

No wonder Zhou Bo and Han Anguo both lamented the high cost of jailers. If it were the case, who wouldn’t fawn on these jailers when they saw them?

One clan leader was beaten so hard that he could not bear it any longer. He shouted angrily with a bruised face and nose: "Zhang Ping, do you know who I am?"

One of the jailers stopped and sneered, "You are the descendant of the Marquis of Dong'anting in Anshang Township, how could I not know that?"

"Then how dare you do this to me? Lord Xuande did not mention torture, but you dared to be so bold in private. Do you think Liu is easy to bully?"

The clan leader who was beaten the hardest couldn't help but blush and speak.

Seeing that he was the youngest among the dozen or so people, these scumbags actually sent three of them to surround and beat him. Others were tortured by two people, but why did it take three jailers to beat him?

After listening to the story, Zhang Ping respectfully bowed to his superiors, and then cursed: "You have occupied other people's land, and outsiders don't know about it. Don't we villagers know about it?"

"Half a year ago, your clan beat two maids to death for no reason. If it weren't for the protection of the then county prime minister Xue Li, how could you have been safe?"

"The court has long had a law that human beings are the most precious in the nature of heaven and earth, and those who kill slaves shall not be pardoned. If you dare to scream again today, I will make you suffer the pain of skinning you."

"How dare you, boy?!"

Zhang Ping grinned and said, "You can give it a try and see if I dare."

He picked up the special whip quite skillfully and whipped it with a loud bang.

At this time, the people around him couldn't bear it anymore, and took the initiative to explain the collusion between the various families in detail, just to get a quick death.

The chief official in charge of the execution sneered, "You spread rumors about the envoy and wanted to rebel. If you confessed earlier, you could have avoided a beating. Wouldn't it be better to go early? You had to be beaten until the pain penetrated your bones before you would feel at ease." "Don't you think that the prisoners are stubborn and refuse to confess? What's the point of having torture instruments in the county prison? They are only used to deal with people like you who don't repent even when death is imminent."

The official couldn't help but shake his head. He had been dominating for so long that he had no idea what was going on in prison.

When conclusive evidence was delivered to Liu Bei, he immediately ordered Liu He and Dian Wei to lead 300 armored soldiers to attack Beixiang and Anshang Township directly, and capture all five Liu families. Anyone who dared to resist with weapons would be killed without mercy!

"Envoy, Liao is also willing to go with Lord Liu and Lord Dian to capture the thief."

Seeing Dian Wei and Liu He accept the order, Zhang Liao quickly stepped forward and bowed to receive the order.

He followed the envoy here with the intention of suppressing the rebellion and making meritorious contributions. Now that he has the chance, how could he not go?

"Okay, since Wenyuan wants to go with us, let's go together. It's noon now. If we don't use the right strategy, we won't be able to defeat the five powerful families before dark."

"I asked you to learn how to defeat the enemy in Sun Wu's military tactics earlier. Now let's see if you have really learned it."

Liu Bei clapped his hands and laughed.

The wealthy families near Pengcheng only had manors and had not had time to build forts, let alone lead elite cavalry there.

Even if the five powerful families have five or six thousand troops, they cannot mobilize them if they are suddenly attacked. Besides, how strong can the unarmored soldiers be?

After the three men led their troops away, Liu Bei asked Lu Su to write an official document and send it to the pavilions in the surrounding counties and prefectures, ordering the patrol officers, pavilion chiefs, and pavilion soldiers to guard the important roads.

Anyone passing by without a talisman or passing through the area will be tied up and tortured first.

In the Han Dynasty, there was a pavilion every ten miles and a post station every five miles, all of which were set up on major traffic routes. The pavilion chiefs and pavilion soldiers were responsible for arresting thieves and other suspicious people. In Qing and Yan states, the pavilion chiefs and pavilion soldiers had long been replaced by retired soldiers.

Although Liu Bei's power was slowly penetrating into the countryside of Xuzhou, he had already gradually replaced the post offices in Donghai and Pengcheng with auxiliary soldiers.

It would be fine if the defeated soldiers of the five powerful families of the Liu family hid in the mountains from then on, but if they came out they would be captured sooner or later.

If the counties are flesh and blood, then the pavilions are like nerve endings. If one wants to control Xuzhou well, one must start from the lowest level of petty officials and pry open the roots of the wealthy and powerful families and the gentry.

……

"Open the door!"

"I am a guest invited by your clan leader. If you don't open the door, we will leave. You will bear all the blame from Liu Jun. You must bow your head and apologize in front of me."

Outside the Liu family manor in Anshang Township, twenty or thirty people came, wrapped in wide robes with big sleeves, and kept shouting.

Liu's followers shouted back from inside the manor: "Where are you from, and what credentials do you have?"

Through the cracks in the wall, you can see dozens of people a hundred steps away. Although they have swords hanging on their waists, they are indeed quite brave.

It was unclear whether what they said was true or false, and the clan leader had not returned from going to welcome Liu Xuande.

"I am Zhang Yuan, a knight-errant from Bingzhou. I fled to Peidi, Yuzhou, because of Dong Zhuo's rebellion. I heard that the Liu family of Pengcheng was making friends with guests, so I came to serve. On the way, I met Mr. Liu. Seeing that we were exhausted, he asked us to rest at the manor first. He followed after paying respects to the noble man."

Zhang Liao spoke in the authentic Bingzhou Yanmen County dialect.

The Liu family members seemed to understand what was said, but they should not have let them in. However, when they saw them leave, they were afraid of being held responsible.

If we count carefully, there are less than 20 or 30 people. What will happen even if we let them in?

The middle-aged man who had the decision-making power in the manor thought for a moment, and decisively said to the people beside him: "Open the door and let them in. Unload the horses and blades first, and wait for the clan leader to come back."

(End of this chapter)