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

Chapter 146 It’s not easy for anyone

Having troops at your disposal is a double-edged sword.

A person who commands troops will attract the attention of various powerful figures and will not be easily killed.

But soldiers and horses can also be like fat meat, attracting the attention of various powerful figures and leaving them in a predicament with no choice.

Jiang Quyi found himself in this predicament.

He was the military commander of the eastern part of Guangyang County, and had over a thousand soldiers under his command.

After Guo Xun arrived in Guangyang, he forced Liu Wei to transfer him to the Yuyang direction to guard against Zhang Chun in the Changping area.

After Liu Wei was killed, Jiang Quyi planned to surrender to Guo Xun—a perfectly normal choice, given that Guo Xun was the governor of Youzhou and Liu Wei was nominally killed by the Yellow Turban rebels.

However, the Gongsun clan took advantage of the chaos to cause trouble. Taking advantage of the fact that Qu Yi had been transferred away from Anci and the eastern defense zone of Guangyang was without troops, they took the opportunity to plunder Anci County.

This is not surprising. The Gongsun family has always been like this, and Zhang Chun is almost the same... Most of the powerful families in the border regions have some Hu (non-Han) habits.

Anci County is close to Yuyang Yongnu County, but it is actually quite far from Liaoxi, where the Gongsun clan lived.

These days, powerful families are like this: they generally don't rob people in their own county. They have to be good people in the county and at least spread a reputation for filial piety and brotherly love.

They'll plunder in other people's territory; a rabbit won't eat the grass near its burrow.

The Gongsun family kidnapped Qu Yi's family members, using this to blackmail him into occupying Anci County and Changping.

In fact, Qu Yi was originally stationed in Changping, and Gongsun Shi was obviously trying to make him an inside agent.

But the only troops that could come from the Changping direction are Zhang Chun's troops.

The Gongsun family is located in Liaoxi, separated from Guangyang by the two prefectures of Youbeiping and Yuyang. If Zhang Chun does not allow the Gongsun family to cross the border, then the Gongsun family will not be able to come to Guangyang to cause trouble.

In other words, the Gongsun family was cooperating with Zhang Chun.

Jiang Quyi was certainly aware of this, but with his family kidnapped, he had no choice but to return to Anci Camp with half of his men.

But as soon as he returned to Anci Camp, he received an ultimatum from Liu Bei summoning powerful clans and learned that Guo Xun had died in Ji County.

This made Jiang Quyi extremely worried about being purged.

Because Liu Bei was Liu Wei's chief secretary.

Moreover, according to military strategist Qu Yi, who was familiar with the situation in Guangyang, Liu Bei had a very good relationship with Liu Yu, Zou Jing, Liu Wei and others. After all, Liu Bei's official position was a tailor-made one.

Jiang Quyi knew that Liu Wei must have died at the hands of Guo Xun, and now Guo Xun had also died in Ji County, with the same manner of death and explanation as Liu Wei... so it must have been Liu Bei who did it.

Liu Bei was the Chief Clerk of Guangyang. Unlike others, regardless of whether Qu Yi, the military commander, was dead or alive, Liu Bei was able to recruit the Guangyang troops under his command and could use them with more confidence.

To avoid being killed, Jiang Quyi naturally dared not easily surrender to Liu Bei again—this was also the main reason why Liu Bei rushed to Anci. He had to communicate with him face to face in person; otherwise, no one could dispel Jiang Quyi's concerns.

Jiang Quyi actually represented all the military leaders in Guangyang.

Liu Bei rushed over with the intention of recruiting Qu Yi into his service. This would not only greatly increase his strength but also serve as a gesture to other Guangyang County troops and powerful clans, thus allaying their concerns and encouraging them to submit quickly.

But Liu Bei did not expect that Qu Yi's family would be controlled by the Gongsun family.

Look at the situation that Jiang Quyi is facing...

He was once Liu Wei's subordinate, but Liu Wei is dead;

He switched allegiance to Guo Xun, who was a protégé of Yuan Wei. It was originally a good way out, but now Guo Xun is also dead.

Being coerced by Gongsun and Zhang Chun is tantamount to plotting rebellion, but if he were to actually obey Gongsun's demands, Liu Bei would certainly not let him off the hook...

If I were to join Liu Bei again, my family would be doomed once more.

Having soldiers does not guarantee safety. Jiang Quyi himself did not intend to oppose anyone. It was only because he had soldiers that his entire family and himself were put in danger, and one of them was bound to die.

Why didn't Zong Yuan personally take command of the troops?

Why are most people from wealthy and powerful families unwilling to personally command troops?

It wasn't because they were ignorant of military affairs, but because their families had been in power for many years and had seen too much. They knew that personally commanding troops could easily lead to a situation like that of General Quyi.

Guan Yu's sudden arrival at Anci Camp gave Jiang Quyi a way to escape—he changed his name and surname, causing Jiang Quyi, the military commander, to "die" at Guan Yu's hands, and then transformed into Jiang Yiqu to lead his troops away.

This is the only viable option.

The fact that Jiang Yiqu left in such a hurry, and that he was heading south, meant that Zhang Chun from the north and the Gongsun family from the east would arrive soon.

"Bian Bing, ride back to Xihe at full speed and have Zhang He lead armored cavalry to Ji County as reinforcements."

“Burn this camp... Yun Chang will lead his troops back to Ji County, and in the name of General Zong, he will take over the troops of various powerful clans, defend Ji County, and have Zhang Fei stationed at the western camp of Ji County to meet me.”

"If Yunchang sees Xianyu Fu, do everything you can to keep him here and make him wait for my return."

"I'm going to Changping to see Zhang Chun..."

Liu Bei made arrangements as he walked.

Guan Yu was greatly alarmed: "Brother, with only these troops, how can you possibly reach Changping?"

"I'm not bringing any troops; I'm just going to buy time... A few skilled warriors on horseback will suffice. Does anyone here speak the Wuhuan language?"

Liu Bei turned to look at his troops.

“…I will.” Shi Ren raised his hand hesitantly.

……

Changping.

Changping was designated as a county, but it was actually a fortified town with few residents, mainly used for military defense.

At this time, Changping had been occupied by the Wuhuan people, and many Wuhuan people inside and outside the city were looting property and taking young and strong people to the north.

They didn't carry out any massacres; the Wuhuan people weren't as ruthless as the Xianbei people.

Most of the county soldiers have been taken into custody, and it seems that the losses were not significant. Obviously, the county soldiers here did not fight with the Wuhuan people. There were only a few corpses outside the city, and it is likely that only a few brave men put up a resistance.

"Gongsun once plotted to seize Boyang Gong's wealth and is often untrustworthy. Why would Boyang Gong still cooperate with them?"

Qiuliju, the leader of the Wuhuan people in western Liaoning, walked side by side with Zhang Chun inside the city.

"The Chanyu was once humiliated by Su Puyan, but isn't he cooperating with him now? Su Puyan of Liaodong has only a thousand or so households, yet he calls himself the King of Qiao, arrogant and conceited. The Chanyu's strength far surpasses his, and he is also his elder, so why not swallow him up?"

Zhang Chun seems to have a good relationship with Qiu Liju; they can talk about anything.

“Although I am of Su Puyan’s generation, I am not of the same blood as him. If I were to annex him, I would likely be hated by his people, and I would also have to face the Liaodong Xianbei and the various Hu tribes of the vassal states alone… It is naturally more worthwhile to cooperate with him.”

Qiuliju no longer looked like a Hu person at all. His clothes and speech were no different from those of Han people.

"My relationship with the Gongsun family is now the same... If I do not cooperate with them, I will have to face the court and the powerful families in the south alone."

Zhang Chun said to Qiu Liju, "Moreover, it was not the Gongsun family who sent people to plunder our property. Those thieves were friends of Gongsun Zan... and were instructed by Xu You, a retainer of the Yuan family."

"A scheme to sow discord?"

Qiu Liju nodded to indicate that he understood.

"They are trying to create chaos in Youzhou... If there is no food in Guangyang and Zhuojun, then the entire Youzhou will be controlled by the south. Not only will I and the Gongsun family be subject to their control, but even you, the Chanyu, will be forced to obey the powerful local lords..."

"The Xianbei are to the north, and the powerful clans to the south. We live in the middle, surrounded by enemies on all sides..."

Zhang Chun said this with a hint of gritted teeth: "The world has been in chaos for the past two years, and they have failed. But Zou Jing and Liu Yu have withdrawn their defenses, leaving Yuyang isolated in the north... This is also a way of holding us hostage with grain!"

Qiu Liju nodded slowly: "Boyang Gong has had a tough time too."

Zhang Chun has indeed had a tough time these past two years. After the Guangyang defense line contracted, Yuyang became the outermost border fortress.

Although Yuyang had the advantage of salt and iron, it was extremely short of food.

Previously, Zhang Chun, as the commander of the Hu cavalry, led the Wuhuan people of Yuyang and could allocate military supplies and rations from Guangyang and Quanzhou in southern Yuyang every year.

However, the emperor dismissed all the Hu cavalry commanders on the grounds of losing territory, which meant that the court was no longer concerned about Zhang Chun.

Last year we were lucky; the Xianbei people were in internal strife and didn't invade our borders.

But what about the future?

The world is short of food, and there is no way to replenish supplies to Yuyang. If this continues, the Zhang Chun family will continue to be cannon fodder on the front line and will gradually become weaker and weaker—the Gongsun family is in a similar situation.

Therefore, with the Yellow Turban Rebellion raging and the border regions completely unprotected, Zhang Chun had no choice but to think of other solutions.

"The court previously appointed me as a cavalry commander, and it was only right that I lead troops to guard the border; at the very least, I would receive some money and provisions from the court. But now, the court has unjustly convicted me and dismissed me from my post! Humph..."

Zhang Chun grinned and shook his head: "If the court won't let me eat my fill, I'll have to find my own food. There are many powerful clans in Guangyang and Zhuojun. We should break into their fortified villages, take their money and grain, and then take their people to work the land, lest the Yellow Turban rebels get there first..."

Zhang Chun didn't intend to rebel directly, but rather wanted to send more people to Yuyang to become serfs.

He didn't bring any Han soldiers, only letting the Wuhuan people of Qiuliju do this, also to avoid being seen as a rebel—with insufficient supplies, they couldn't directly rebel.

"But if Gongsun Ji doesn't come to Guangyang, but instead reports to Duke Boyang..."

Qiu Liju seemed to distrust the Gongsun family.

“Gongsun Ji doesn’t have the guts… He served as Liu Yu’s aide, yet he hesitated and couldn’t bear to part with the Gongsun family business. This man himself is not clean, so how can he report me?”

Zhang Chun squinted and said, "I'm only worried about Xianyu Fu... that boy's whereabouts are uncertain, and we don't know where he's gone."

"Xianyu Fu is just a child, what is there to fear?"

Qiu Liju didn't quite understand.

Zhang Chun sighed: "It's not that he's frightening, but that he's hateful! This brat has only led the army in the northern border of Yuyang for two years, yet he has caused the Yuyang tribe to abandon me... I have a deep grudge against him, and only he dares to attack me."

"Then... what about Liu Bei, the Chief Clerk of Guangyang? Right now, this man is issuing military orders to coerce everyone to go to Ji County. Aren't you worried about this man, Lord Boyang?"

Qiu Liju asked again.

"What use is it for him to issue military orders and gather troops from various families? Those rabble can only be used to bolster courage. Even if he manages to gather some men, he will just be another Guo Xun... This man is quite good at business and land reclamation, but he may not be good at military strategy. Why should we worry?"

Zhang Chun shook her head, indicating that there was absolutely no need to worry.

"Report! Someone outside the city claims to be Liu Xuande, the Prefect of Guangyang!"

Just as they were talking about Liu Bei, a Wuhuan soldier under Qiu Liju came to report.

(End of this chapter)