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

Chapter 123 Disciples Seeking Righteousness
After escorting the prisoners back to Xihe Pavilion, Liu Bei began to clean up the mess.

Half of the fields inside the pavilion were destroyed, and there were far fewer people, but other than that, everything else was maintained fairly well.

The residents here were no ordinary people; they were used to life and death. Moreover, Zuo Yuan and Duan Jiong had done a decent job, and those who had lost their land received compensation. No one dared to utter a single complaint.

Looking at the scorched earth to the west, everyone fell silent.

Zuo Yuan and Bian Ji were both in a somber mood. Zuo Yuan felt that he hadn't done a good job in intelligence work, while Bian Ji was saddened that Liu Lang's family business had been reduced by half.

"Why bother? Do you all remember what this place looked like two years ago?"

Liu Bei said calmly, "This place was originally a desolate wasteland. It was through your concerted efforts that this place became a home for tens of thousands of people within two years. Now, we are only missing some farmland. Natural disasters and man-made calamities are common occurrences. What is there to worry about?"

"Brother, what you say is well said."

Guan Yu and Zhang Fei nodded together.

"First, arrange a funeral for our comrade-in-arms, then work together to rebuild the land. Send someone to inform the Taihang Mountains... the houses and land still belong to them, but they must give me an explanation."

Liu Bei's face remained expressionless, and he did not deliver any impassioned speech, but seeing him calmly give instructions, the heaviness in everyone's hearts seemed to dissipate quickly.

……

The funeral for Jiuchi was held in conjunction with that of the troops who died in battle.

The funeral was attended by many people, including all the henchmen and all the major bandits of the Taihang Mountains.

This wasn't because Liu Bei had a lot of influence, but because the Taihang bandits all knew that if they didn't give Liu Bei an explanation, it was really hard to predict what this big-eared bandit would do.

Liu Bei once pursued Su Shuang's murderer for thousands of miles, burned down Wangdu City, and wiped out the Liu family of Wangdu in Zhongshan in one fell swoop. He even severed ties with the Liu family of Zhuo County because of this. The Taihang bandits knew all about these things.

Now that Jiuchi has died because of the traitors in the Taihang Mountains, and died a loyal and brave death, if all the people involved are not handed over, the Taihang bandits are really worried that Liu Bei might set fire to the mountains. In their eyes, Liu Bei is a ruthless and vicious person who will never let go of any enemy. No matter where he hides, he is not safe.

Moreover, Liu Bei defeated tens of thousands of bandits with two hundred armored cavalry and captured more than half of them; Ji Mingjun also defeated three thousand bandits with two hundred infantrymen... This was all accomplished when Zou Jing's troops were not present and Liu Bei was isolated and without support.

Clearly, the fighting strength of Liu Bei's troops could not be measured by numbers, and the bandits of Taihang Mountain were somewhat afraid of them.

Therefore, the Taihang bandits brought with them the heads of Li Yizi and all of Li Damu's men.

Zhang Ba also personally escorted back a thief with very big eyes—this was Li Damu, who had been captured by Zhang Niujiao.

In order to capture Li Damu alive, Zhang Niujiao also fought a battle with another group of people from Heishan and took over two mountain strongholds in the process.

This is the explanation given to Liu Bei by the Taihang bandits. Li Damu is a relative of Li Yizi and is the reason why Li Yizi was able to infiltrate the Taihang Mountains. Although he did not participate in the attack on Xiheting, he did have collusion with the Yuan family.

Zhang Niujiao interrogated Li Damu again in front of Liu Bei. Li Damu confessed that he had received instructions from Yuan Shao to try to coerce the families of the Taihang bandits and seize the northern Taihang Mountains.

As for how Yuan Shao learned that there were Taihang bandit families in Xihe Pavilion, Li Damu really didn't know.

This must have been the work of Cao Cao and Xiahou Dun. Xiahou Dun may seem impulsive and reckless, but he is actually a capable administrator. Given their proximity, it's not surprising that he was able to investigate Xiheting.

Since Xihe Pavilion could no longer be hidden, Liu Bei simply stopped hiding it. In any case, all the documents were clearly prepared, and this place was a legitimate location.

Anyway, Liu Bei was neither a village head nor a big landowner. The land here belonged to each household. In the entire Xiheting area, only the clinic and the 'thatched hut' belonged to Liu Bei. Most of the land had been sold off.

Liu Bei also took this opportunity to tell Zuo Zi and others to send troops down the mountain to protect Xihe Pavilion and to increase manpower to maintain long-term contact. If such a thing were to happen again, there might not be another Jiu Chi to report the news in time.

The matter was thus resolved, and both sides should continue to cooperate, as this is ultimately beneficial for everyone.

Jiu Chi was buried on the westernmost side of Xihe Pavilion, which is where he died.

After being buried nine feet deep, the young Chen Feng knelt before Liu Bei.

"My father asked Feng to tell the young master that he has done his best..."

Chen Feng knelt upright, his voice, which had just changed, hoarse and raspy: "I beg you, my lord, to lend me a blade." Liu Bei looked at the young man, knowing what he wanted to do, and took off the ceremonial sword from his body.

Chen Feng drew his sword, cut his hand, smeared the blood on his forehead, then walked towards Li Damu and plunged the sword into Li Damu's heart.

The child was only twelve years old and his strength was obviously insufficient. He failed to stab the blade too deeply with his first strike, so he slammed his body against the hilt of the knife, pushing the blade in two inches further.

Only after confirming Li Damu's death did Chen Feng use all his strength to draw his sword, wipe the blade clean with his own clothes, sheath it again, and present it to Liu Bei with both hands.

"From now on, this sword will be your personal sword. You will first join my guard and become my personal attendant."

Seeing that the young man had the courage to kill his enemy, Liu Bei nodded: "From now on, you can live at my house."

Raising the sons of loyal and brave comrades was both Liu Bei's promise and his duty.

“My lord, Feng Yao should observe mourning for his father and should build a hut to live in.”

Chen Feng shook his head: "I do not ask for your favor, my lord, but only for you to teach me. My father often spoke of righteousness, and I wish to fulfill the unfulfilled duty of my father."

After saying this, he bowed to Liu Bei in a gesture of loyalty.

He clearly knew what Liu Bei meant by letting him stay at his home, but he planned to build a hut to observe mourning and to consider himself a retainer and disciple.

This twelve-year-old child looks quite stubborn.

"Ambitious!"

Liu Bei praised him, saying, "Chen Feng, from now on, you will be my first disciple. You do not need to build a hut. I am also observing mourning for my father. Entering my home is also a way for you to observe mourning for your father."

This child is bold and self-reliant; he is indeed a talent worth nurturing.

They are also trustworthy guards.

"I hereby express my gratitude to my revered teacher."

Chen Feng kowtowed to the ground and performed the apprenticeship ceremony once again.

……

From that day on, Liu Bei had his first disciple.

Chen Feng was usually a quiet and reserved person who was aloof and did not like to get along with others.

This may be because he has had hearing problems since childhood.

This hearing impairment is congenital and not too serious. It doesn't affect daily communication, but it makes it difficult to hear distant sounds, meaning it's not sensitive to subtle vibrations.

He was exactly the opposite of his father, Jiu Chi—Jiu Chi was a man with excellent hearing.

But every loss has its gain. This congenital hearing impairment has also made Chen Feng less susceptible to noise and chaos, and he has been quite focused since childhood.

Of course, this focus might be a bit too much, to the point that the child is so straightforward and stubborn that once he's made up his mind, it's hard to change it.

He wanted to learn righteousness, which was clearly inherited from his daily teachings.

However, young people have a clear sense of right and wrong, and they easily categorize people as good or bad, labeling them with stereotypes, which makes them lose their naivety.

Stubborn children like Chen Feng are more likely to regard morality as fixed rules—but if they do, then they lose their sense of righteousness.

Therefore, Liu Bei did not rush to teach him, but instead had him work for Bian Ji first, and let Bian Ji teach him to read and write.

Bian Bing was taught by Bian Ji. He is both worldly-wise and righteous, but he lacks courage and spirit. He and Chen Feng should encourage each other.

(End of this chapter)