Second-hand time travel: Liu Bei, the big-eared bandit

Chapter 115 The storm is coming
The horizontal sword is also being gradually equipped.

With Liu Bei's bounty, the blacksmiths have forged equipment that is very close to the Tang Dynasty's horizontal sword. Although it is still slightly heavy, at least its toughness is up to standard—it did use the steel-wrapping method, but it was not mature and was a success by chance.

Even though the result wasn't the most satisfactory, Liu Bei still gave the blacksmith 100,000 coins, allowing him to continue improving the design to establish a standard.

If a standard is established and mass production is possible, then we'll give them a million dollars.

It's developing quite well in all aspects, but it's not easy to recruit manpower.

Liu Bei wanted to build this elite cavalry force because grain was becoming increasingly valuable, while recruiting people was becoming increasingly difficult.

After all, Liu Bei was building a private army, and ordinary people wouldn't enlist, no matter how much money they were offered—it was illegal…

It's even less likely for powerful families.

Without refugees to recruit, it would be difficult for Liu Bei to acquire troops, and part of the purpose of building hospitals was to recruit people.

However, it wasn't so easy to recruit people from the Taihang Mountains, since even the Taihang bandits had their rules. The elderly, women, children, and relatives could eat with Liu Bei, but if a bandit who had joined the group deserted and went to join someone else, he would be considered a traitor and would be expelled from the group for whatever reason.

Thieves are different from officials. To protect their gang, thieves cannot easily allow their members to move around. After the elderly, women, and children came to Xiheting, none of them returned to Taihang Mountain, in order to avoid breaking any taboos.

Xiheting was full of relatives of the Taihang bandits. It was taboo to hide it from others. Even if the young men and strong men in the Taihang Mountains envied the treatment of Liu Bei's troops, they could only watch helplessly and dared not come to join Liu Bei.

Liu Bei still only had six hundred soldiers under his command.

Two hundred armored cavalry, two hundred armored soldiers, and two hundred corporals—we need to leave room for promotions. The armored cavalry have three hundred sets of equipment, but the corporals only have two hundred for now.

The elite troops were indeed elite, but due to their small numbers, both Liu Bei and Duan Jiong were somewhat worried.

"Horses can protect horses' hooves and make them durable, while saddles and stirrups can help cavalrymen maintain their balance and charge with full force. Cavalry warfare will be very different from the past... It is good that Liu Lang is preparing elite troops, but if such things fall into the hands of the barbarians, it will be very detrimental to the Han Dynasty."

Duan Jiong's primary concern was whether the technology would be leaked.

“If we are afraid that the enemy will learn it and we will not use it, then there will be no good things to use in this world. You also said that cavalry warfare will be very different from now on. With this thing, the barbarians will not be familiar with the new cavalry warfare methods, and the gap between our Han people and the barbarians in horsemanship will be narrowed.”

Liu Bei wasn't too worried about this: "Besides... a few years ago, the Xianbei people obtained so much armor and weapons from our Han Dynasty, and they also took away a lot of siege equipment, but now the Xianbei people still can't make anything... They can't even forge iron nails, how can they learn from me?"

Duan Jiong thought about it and agreed: "With these saddles and stirrups, cavalry can also charge into battle fully equipped... Liu Lang, are you preparing such iron cavalry because you have a major battle to fight?"

Liu Bei nodded and replied, "Commander Zou has sent a letter. He has discussed with Governor Liu the possibility of launching a counterattack against the Duan Xianbei next year when they raid the border, hoping to force a peace through a war. To this end, he will join forces with Zhang Chun, Xianyu Fu, Xu Rong, and other cavalry commanders to go beyond the border. If they leave Youzhou... we're afraid next year will be very difficult."

The Duan tribe of Xianbei was a Xianbei tribe in northern Youzhou. Their relationship with the Han Dynasty was relatively relaxed, but it was still considered a hostile relationship.

Zou Jing planned to launch a counterattack beyond the Great Wall, and then send Liu Yu to appease him—it would be easier to appease him after a fight; if there was no fight, it would be impossible to appease him. A good cop and a bad cop would be effective.

At the same time, beating the Xianbei was also to better appease the various Wuhuan tribes, so that the Wuhuan people would not always be opportunists.

The strategy itself is fine; the problem lies in the fact that Zou Jing's troops, along with the Hu cavalry commanders from various tribes in Youzhou, will cross the border together, leaving Youzhou vulnerable.

The troops from Qianzhao's side will also march beyond the Great Wall, leaving Xiheting without its shield and support, and it will almost certainly face a fierce attack from the Xianbei. "Zou Jing wants to attack the Duan tribe? That's not a good choice. If it were me... I would attack the Tuoba tribe..."

Duan Jiong expressed his skepticism about Zou Jing's plan: "The Tuoba tribe is entrenched in Shanggu, Daijun, Yunzhong, and other places. They are closer and weaker. If we can seize their base in one battle, we can force them to surrender to the Han Dynasty. This would be far more effective than pacifying the Duan tribe..."

"First, we must subdue the weakest tribe, then drive it north to attack the Duan tribe, and then have the Duan tribe and the Tuoba tribe attack Tanshihuai together... From weak to strong, we must not let the Xianbei people catch their breath. Only by driving the enemy to control the enemy can we keep Tanshihuai running around... Moreover, Zou Jing can also rise step by step."

This was Duan Jiong's strategy for dealing with the Qiang people in Liangzhou. Although it cost a lot of money and grain, it was indeed effective.

Moreover, the greater the victories and the larger the battles, the more attention they receive from the imperial court...

Liu Bei shook his head and smiled bitterly: "Actually, I think so too... but Commander Zou and Governor Liu are not here to destroy the Xianbei, nor do they have the authority to wage a war of annihilation. They are here to remove the festering sore on their backs."

"Commander Zou's own forces are limited, and he cannot wipe out a single force on his own. His authority is also not as free as it was back then. A counterattack on Duan's forces would be beneficial to Governor Liu, Zhang Chun, Xianyu Fu, Xu Rong, and others. He could use this to gain the support of the three Hu cavalry commanders..."

“Attacking the Tuoba tribe would not benefit the other families, as they would not send troops... But not attacking is also not an option; at least we need to make a show of force. If we do not retaliate, not only will the Xianbei raids on the borders become more rampant, but the underlying problems will also remain unresolved.”

"The attack on the Xianbei is to make those powerful families or corrupt officials hiding behind them take action against them... If they get some leverage, Liu Bo'an's status as governor will be of the greatest use, as they want to eliminate internal troubles."

Liu Bei could understand the predicament of Zou Jing and Liu Yu. These two men bore heavy responsibilities, and if they didn't want to be impeached, they had to produce some tangible results. Otherwise, even if the emperor wasn't in a hurry, those powerful families who had long been plotting to seize Youzhou would inevitably make their move.

If they are hampered from behind while fighting outwards, Liu Yu and Zou Jing can lead three Hu cavalry commanders to turn around and eliminate the traitors—this can be considered entrapment, but it allows them to use wartime military law to remove officials from the interior.

"Sigh...this big man...he's always been like this."

Duan Jiong sighed and shook his head: "If we're going to fight the Hu people, we have to kill them, otherwise the Xianbei will definitely intensify their chaos in Youzhou... And since Zhao Lang's troops are going to march beyond the Great Wall, the Shanggu Wuhuan in the north will most likely retreat temporarily, which will put Xiheting in danger..."

"Yes, that's why Governor Zou informed me about this matter more than half a year in advance, so that I could prepare in advance."

Liu Bei was also helpless: "Although the families of the Taihang bandits are here, they will surely protect Xihe Pavilion, but it is precisely because the families of the Taihang bandits are here that I am very worried."

It is indeed worrying that everything here is built on the temporary balance that Liu Bei achieved by getting something for nothing.

The families of the Taihang bandits are in Xiheting. They also need Liu Bei to protect their families and make them law-abiding citizens, so they will naturally regard Liu Bei as an ally.

But what if the Taihang bandits' families suffered heavy casualties at Xiheting?
……

Sometimes, the more you worry about something, the more likely it is to happen.

Moreover, things often turn out differently than we predicted...

Summer, June of the fifth year of Guanghe (182 AD).

Zou Jing had not yet launched an attack on the Xianbei, the Hu people had not yet invaded the border, and the Taihang bandits had not yet come down from the mountain... Everything was operating normally, except that Qian Zhao's troops were conscripted to assemble in Ji County.

But precisely during this time that should have been peaceful, a large-scale riot broke out in Zhuojun!
(End of this chapter)