Three Kingdoms: I am not Liu Bian

Chapter 284 Is my army a tool for you to bestow favors?
The news of Zhu Jun's arrest spread like wildfire throughout Luoyang City in less than half an hour!
Although Zhu Jun was not as favored as the emperor's confidants such as Huangfu Song and Dong Zhuo, and was granted a residence outside the palace that was almost separated from the palace by only a palace wall, his residence was still located in the northern part of the Tianjie Street where officials gathered.

The term "Tianjie" was originally the name of a star official in the heavenly palace, referring to the two stars Pleiades and Xi.

In Luoyang City, Tianjie is the central main road leading from south to north to the palace city.

The north is considered superior to the south, and even the emperor is said to face south and turn his back to the north. The further north this celestial street runs from south to north, the closer it is to the palace, and the higher the rank of the officials residing there.

However, many nobles may spend their entire lives walking along the Heavenly Street and never be able to set foot in the northernmost part of it. Yet Zhu Jun, at the age of forty-three, owned a mansion in such a northern location. How could he not be full of pride and high spirits?
However, the very thing that brought them success also brought them failure.

While Zhu Jun, living here, was able to live alongside many powerful and influential people, make friends with scholars, and expand his network, he could not escape the public eye when he fell into trouble, and his disheveled state was fully exposed to others.

Some people gloated, some were worried that their "investment" had gone down the drain, but most were just there to watch the show.

In recent years, the persecution of the party has occurred frequently, and the Ten Attendants have "persecuted" the scholar-officials. It is not uncommon for "righteous people" to be captured and imprisoned on the streets. People have long been used to it and only speculate about Zhu Jun's crimes in private.

However, when they saw that the clubs held by the jailers who were seizing the Anxi General's Mansion were stained with dark red blood, those who wanted to go forward to inquire immediately fell silent and shrank back.

Guo Tu is a mad dog. Who knows if asking him a few questions will get him arrested as an accomplice?

However, many people were not surprised that Zhu Jun ended up like this.

I've given you a taste of your own medicine, and you've really dared to open a business for yourself. Do you really think that you can be easily fooled by the emperor's lenient nature?

Inside the Yuntai Pavilion, however, the atmosphere was completely different. The emperor seemed oblivious to the commotion in the city, still focused on leading his ministers in handling state affairs.

Suddenly, Liu Bian seemed to remember something. His hand holding the vermilion brush paused slightly, the tip hovering in mid-air. He looked up at Jia Xu on his right and asked, "Where is the General Who Guards the West at this moment?"

Jia Xu took out a map from the side of the table, skillfully traced the roads and waterways on the map for a moment, and then came to a conclusion, reporting: "The day before yesterday, I reported that Jia Zhenxi had arrived in Chengdu and sent the Ba people to scout out the route. At this moment, Jia Zhenxi should have already headed south."

The General Who Guards the West refers to Jia Cong, a veteran general of the imperial court who can be described as the court's "master of exotic cuisine".

When the Southern Xiongnu in Bingzhou rebelled, he replaced Zhou Shen, who had retreated in the face of battle, and was appointed General Who Crosses the Liao River in a time of crisis. He worked with Dong Zhuo and Lü Bu to quickly quell the rebellion.

No sooner had the fighting ended than they rushed to Jiaozhou to suppress the Jiaozhou barbarian rebellion.

However, when it comes to the rebellion of the Jiaozhou barbarians, Zhu Jun is also inextricably linked to it.

The rebellion had nothing to do with Zhu Jun himself; it was Zhu Jun's second son, Zhu Fu, who instigated it!
Yes, that's Zhu Fu, the one who got engaged to the eldest daughter of Sima Fang, the Commandant of the City Gates!

In the first year of Guanghe (178 AD), bandits rose up in Jiaozhou. The governor and prefects were weak and incompetent and could not stop them. Liang Long, a powerful figure in Jiaozhi, led more than 10,000 people and colluded with Kong Zhi, the prefect of Nanhai, to rebel. They attacked and destroyed counties and looted everywhere.

The court granted Zhu Jun the authority to act expediently. He recruited 2,000 soldiers from Kuaiji Commandery and mobilized 3,000 soldiers from Jiaozhou Commandery, totaling 5,000. They marched in two routes straight to Jiaozhi, where they killed Chen Shao, the rebellious governor of Cangwu. They then mobilized soldiers from the seven commanderies of Jiaozhou and pressed forward together, killing Liang Long and Kong Zhi, the rebellious governor of Nanhai. Tens of thousands surrendered. The court also granted him the title of Marquis of Duting, with a fief of 1,500 households (later reduced), and bestowed upon him 50 catties of gold.

The court believed that although Zhu Jun had left office, his prestige remained, so in the fifth year of Guanghe (182 AD), he appointed his second son, Zhu Fu, as the governor of Cangwu.

Who would have thought that after Zhu Fu took office, he immediately put on a "circus show" for the people of Jiaozhou.

It's called a "circus" because what he did was so absurd that no human being could do it!
After Jia Cong took office as the governor of Jiaozhou, he was shocked to find that the root of the rebellions in various parts of Jiaozhou was actually Zhu Fu, the prefect of Cangwu.

Zhu Fu appointed his fellow townsmen from Kuaiji Commandery, Yu Bao and Liu Yan, as officials. They levied exorbitant taxes, oppressed the people, and forced them to pay taxes, to the point that catching a single yellow croaker would incur a tax equivalent to one bushel of rice. (Note 1)

Even more absurdly, Zhu Fu had a close friend named Mou Rong, a native of Guangxin, the capital of Cangwu Prefecture, who was a Buddhist scholar, or what later generations called a Buddhist scholar.

Jia Cong was completely baffled. Although the Buddhist sect had built the White Horse Temple in the Han Dynasty, it had very few believers. However, its doctrines ultimately encouraged people to do good in order to seek blessings in the next life.

But how could Zhu Fu both venerate Buddhism and oppress and harm the people in the countryside?

In order to spread his doctrines, Mou Rong did not mind associating with people like Zhu Fu, and was even regarded as a confidant by Zhu Fu. The two even slept side by side.

Then one day, Mou Rong said, "I have an idea!"
Mu Rong suggested to Zhu Fu that the reason why rebellions were rampant in Jiaozhou and the people feared power but did not appreciate virtue was because the poor mountains and bad waters produced unruly people.

It's impossible to turn barren mountains and bad waters into gold and silver mountains, so why not start with the people's minds, spread Buddhist scriptures, and have every household recite Buddhist scriptures and believe in Buddhism!

Zhu Fu was overjoyed upon hearing this, slapped the table in amazement, and believed that Mou Rong was the reincarnation of Marquis Liu, who could come up with such a brilliant plan. So he immediately ordered the magistrates of all counties in Cangwu Prefecture to force the people to convert to Buddhism.

Then the rebellion broke out!
The people of Jiaozhou had diverse beliefs, with traces of ancient Chu customs, including belief in witchcraft and ghosts, and a penchant for illicit worship.

In this situation, Zhu Fu demanded that the people of Cangwu County change their surnames to Futujiao, abandon the faith that had been passed down from generation to generation, and he forcibly implemented this through violent means.

The people, who were already filled with resentment because of Zhu Fu's exorbitant taxes, instantly erupted into a massive rebellion in various counties of Cangwu Prefecture!

That wasn't all. When other counties heard that Zhu Fu was forcing the people of Cangwu County to change their faith, they mistakenly thought it was an imperial decree and worried that they would be forced to change their faith sooner or later. As a result, the entire Jiaozhou was in turmoil and rebellions broke out frequently.

Jia Cong once served as the governor of Jiaozhou, which was once the most stable province in the Han Dynasty. Therefore, Jia Cong had long-standing relationships with local powerful families and the chieftains of the Jiaozhou barbarians. (Note 2)

Out of consideration for their past relationship and the benevolent policies Jia Cong had implemented in Jiaozhou, these people stopped their rebellion and told Jia Cong the truth.

At first, Jia Cong found it hard to believe, but with everyone agreeing, he had no choice but to waver in his trust in Zhu Fu. He immediately rushed back to Guangxin City, Cangwu County, the prefecture capital, arrested Zhu Fu, imprisoned him, and interrogated his subordinates and confidants.

When all the evidence was laid out before him, Jia Cong simply couldn't imagine where Zhu Fu got the audacity!

The scale of the rebellion far exceeded expectations, sweeping across almost half of Jiaozhou.

Even a skilled cook can't cook without rice; if he wanted to quell the rebellion purely by force, he would need reinforcements from Jingzhou and Yangzhou.

However, repeatedly requesting reinforcements from the Luoyang court would be too time-consuming, and it was even questionable whether he himself would live to receive the court's permission and the reinforcements from the two prefectures. Therefore, Jia Cong assessed the situation and made a decision: he bound Zhu Fu and Mou Rong tightly, summoned the powerful local magnates and barbarian chieftains who had participated in the rebellion, and personally beheaded the two men in public. He then announced that the court had never asked the people of Jiaozhou to change their faith, and that all the exorbitant taxes previously levied by Zhu Fu would be refunded. He also stated that as long as the rebels immediately laid down their weapons and returned to their hometowns, the court would not hold them accountable for their past actions.

Remembering Jia Cong's benevolent rule in Jiaozhou and his authority, most of the rebels believed him, laid down their weapons, and returned home. Jia Cong also kept his promise and did not pursue anyone.

However, Jia Cong showed no mercy to the few who still wanted to take advantage of the chaos. He personally led the troops of the prefectures and kingdoms to annihilate them with swift and decisive measures, and did not accept any prisoners, but buried them all alive!

With a combination of carrot and stick tactics, the situation in Jiaozhou finally stabilized.

However, the arbitrary killing of Zhu Fu, the prefect of Cangwu County appointed by the court with a salary of two thousand shi (a unit of grain), ultimately exceeded the authority granted to Jia Cong by his authority.

Jiaozhou was far from the Central Plains, and a round trip would take about half a year if there was bad weather.

Therefore, every governor of Jiaozhou had the power to act as an imperial envoy, but the prefects of counties with a salary of two thousand shi were not within his jurisdiction to execute.

Even if Zhu Fu's crimes were investigated and Jia Cong had the authority to act as an imperial envoy, at most he could only imprison Zhu Fu and escort him back to the capital for the court to make a judgment.

Jia Cong believed it was necessary for him to return to Luoyang to meet the emperor and personally explain the reasons.

In a time of urgency, we acted expediently and achieved excellent results, which is naturally a good thing. However, if we did not report it in time, we would inevitably be falsely accused of intending to seize Jiaozhou and establish our own independent state.

Moreover, Zhu Fu was the second son of Zhu Jun, the governor of Liangzhou. Both in terms of sentiment and reason, Jia Cong believed that he should personally return to Luoyang to explain the situation to the emperor. This was the most appropriate course of action.

Jia Cong brought five hundred guards with him on this trip.

There were many barbarian tribes in Jiaozhou and Jingnan. Although most of them submitted, they still frequently robbed merchants and killed officials.

He traveled upstream on the Li River by boat, passed through the Ling Canal and entered the Xiang River, arriving in Lingling County on the twenty-first day.

Fortunately, in the past two years, the imperial court has strictly ordered local prefects not to build new canals, but at least to repair the old ones.

Therefore, the originally blocked Lingqu Canal was dredged. Otherwise, if one were to travel by land over Mengzhu Ridge, it would take at least half a month longer to reach Lingling County.

Next, Jia Cong traveled north along the Xiang River through Changsha County, crossed Dongting Lake, and traversed Yunmeng Marsh, arriving at Huarong County in Nan Commandery on the forty-third day.

Jia Cong happened to meet Guo Yong, the governor of Nanjun, who was inspecting the progress of the Yunmengze water conservancy project. He was warmly received and his guards were replenished with supplies.

During the meal, Jia Cong couldn't help but pour out his grievances to Guo Yong, listing Zhu Fu's misdeeds and presenting some evidence for Guo Yong to examine.

Guo Yong comforted him, saying that the emperor was an unparalleled wise ruler and would never wrong a meritorious official like him.

Just then, the imperial envoy sent to Jiaozhou to summon Jia Cong back to the capital also passed through Huarong on his way south, and unexpectedly encountered Jia Cong.

An angel conveyed the Emperor's latest decree, ordering Jia Cong not to return to the capital, but to go directly to Chengdu to prepare for the conquest of the southern regions!
As for the evidence in the Zhu Fu case and the reasons for the urgency of the matter, this angel relayed it to the emperor on his behalf.

At that time, Liu Bian summoned Jia Cong because he thought Zhu Jun was not steady enough and wanted to use this experienced general to assist him.

Unexpectedly, Jia Cong arrived in Chengdu on the third day after Zhu Jun was imprisoned.

Liu Bian did not yet know Jia Cong's specific itinerary, but he knew Jia Cong's decisive nature and that he would not delay like Zhu Jun.

Therefore, on the second day after Zhu Jun was arrested, the emperor immediately decided to replace Zhu Jun with Jia Cong as the commander-in-chief of the southern expedition.

Jia Cong defended against the Xiongnu, Xianbei, and Wuhuan in the north and pacified the barbarians of Jiaozhou in the south. He made outstanding military achievements and served successively as the governor of Jizhou, the governor of Jiaozhou, and the general who crossed the Liao River, all with a salary of two thousand shi.

Liu Bian, mindful of his hard work and great achievements, having fought in the north and south for many years and traveled thousands of miles without ever complaining, specially appointed him as General Who Guards the West, with a salary of two thousand shi (a unit of grain).
The merits of suppressing the rebellion in Jiaozhou and the evidence of Zhu Fu's crimes have already been presented by the envoy.

Liu Bian not only did not hold Jia Cong accountable for his hasty execution of Zhu Fu, the governor of Cangwu, but also recorded his merits in suppressing the rebellion in Jiaozhou and rewarded him for his achievements. Based on his original fief of 1,300 households, he was promoted to Marquis of Weixiang with a fief of 2,000 households!

Wei Township is located in Dongjun, within Baima County on the south bank of the Yellow River. Jia Cong was from Dongjun, so this title of Township Marquis was of great significance to him.

Moreover, this is the third marquisate with a fief of two thousand households to be granted by the emperor, following General Huangfu Song's two thousand households as Marquis of Ruixiang and General Dong Zhuo's two thousand households as Marquis of Taixiang!

Meanwhile, in order to ensure that Jia Cong's campaign in the south would not be hindered, the emperor temporarily lent Jia Cong a "Hanxing Sword". However, if anyone disobeys orders and delays military operations, then even against Zhao Ang, the governor of Yizhou, Jia Cong can use this "Hanxing Sword" to execute him first and report later!
Moreover, the emperor promised Jia Cong that although this power, which far exceeded that of the imperial axe, was only a one-time grant, if Jia Cong performed exceptionally well in the campaign to pacify the southern regions, he would become the first high-ranking official in the court to be bestowed with the "Hanxing Sword"!

Jia Cong was naturally deeply grateful for the emperor's favor and trust, and he also showed great enthusiasm for his work, giving full play to his initiative and actively teaching his soldiers how to fight in the mountains and forests, drawing on his experience from fighting in the mountains and forests of Jiaozhou.

Zhu Jun, who was indulging in banquets and marriage alliances with powerful families and was imprisoned in the Court of Justice, was completely unaware of all this, including the news of his son Zhu Fu's death.

But it was precisely Zhu Fu's numerous misdeeds in Jiaozhou that strengthened the emperor's determination to punish Zhu Jun.

The final reason that prompted Liu Bian to make a swift and decisive move against Zhu Jun was that he had taken in a large number of spoiled young men from powerful and wealthy families, intending to place them in the army after he went south to Yizhou to gain prestige!
Helping powerful families to get involved in the military touched Liu Bian's sore spot!

Regardless of whether Zhu Jun was merely using personal connections to enhance someone's prestige or whether powerful families were intent on infiltrating the military, the emperor's patience with Zhu Jun had reached its limit.

Are my troops merely tools for you to bestow favors and benefits upon me?
(4035 words)
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Note 1: From *Records of the Three Kingdoms*, Volume 53, Book of Wu, Chapter 8, Biographies of Zhang, Yan, Cheng, Kan, and Xue: "Furthermore, the former governor of Kuaiji, Zhu Fu, appointed many of his fellow villagers, such as Yu Bao and Liu Yan, as local officials. They oppressed the people, forcibly levying taxes on them. For example, they charged one bushel of rice for every yellow croaker. The people resented and rebelled, and mountain bandits emerged, attacking prefectures and counties. Fu fled to the sea, wandering and perishing."

Note 2: "Book of the Later Han Dynasty, Volume 8, Annals of Emperor Ling": People in the alleys sang: "Father Jia came late, which made me return first; now that we see peace and tranquility, the officials dare not rebel." After serving for three years, he was the best among the thirteen prefectures and was summoned to be appointed as a consultant.

To be honest, it's hard to imagine that during the Later Han Dynasty, Jiaozhou, a place that seemed to lack a sense of ritual if it didn't have someone rebel every year, could actually become the most stable of the thirteen provinces of the Han Dynasty under Jia Cong's rule. It's too surreal.

(End of this chapter)