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

Chapter 155 Different Paths Can Still Lead to Collusion

The next day, Liu Bei met with Ju Shou again.

"Please have Chief Clerk Liu send someone to inform General Lu that tomorrow, I, Ju, and Shen Zhengnan of Wei Commandery will lead the people of Guangping to assist the court in suppressing the rebellion. Please send troops to meet us. To protect the elderly and weak from the Yellow Turbans' looting, I will have all the people in the city wear yellow turbans. Please do not misunderstand, General Lu."

Ju Shou remained indifferent, looking at Liu Bei as if he were nothing more than a beast of burden: "Furthermore... the Chief Clerk needs to procure provisions for General Lu, and I will take care of that on his behalf. But I also have something I would like to ask the Chief Clerk to do..."

However, this time he was more polite in his speech.

Liu Bei nodded: "What is it, Ju Biejia? Please speak freely."

"After Ju leads the people out of the city tomorrow, the grain stored by Guo Dian in Guangping will surely attract the Yellow Turban rebels from Ye County to attack the city. Ju intends to take advantage of their attack on the city to launch a surprise attack from behind."

Ju Shou nodded and said directly, "But I do not have enough troops, so I need to ask Chief Clerk Liu for help."

"Borrowing troops is easy; I can even lend myself to Governor Ju..."

Liu Bei grinned at Ju Shou: "But... I wonder if what you mean by attacking from the rear, Ju Shou, is it an attack on the Yellow Turbans or an attack on Guo Dian?"

Ju Shou looked at Liu Bei expressionlessly without saying a word.

"Oh, I asked the wrong question... It should be, if the Yellow Turban rebels collude with those inside to kill Prefect Guo, how should I protect the city's grain supplies?"

Liu Bei nodded and changed his question.

Ju Shou sighed softly and spoke the truth: "What does it matter if the Yellow Turbans seize the grain in the city... I can have every household in Guangping donate their stored grain to help General Lu. But if we want people to donate grain, we must first resolve the problem in Guangping..."

"As Liu Changshi said, Guo Dian and the grain supplies in the city will continue to attract the Yellow Turbans. If this problem is not eliminated, no family will dare to lead troops away from home to help General Lu fight the bandits, nor will they dare to donate their stored grain."

"Therefore, Ju has instructed Shen Zhengnan to prepare firewood and other supplies inside and outside Guangping City under the pretext of preparing supplies for the defense of the city... just in time to set the city ablaze after the Yellow Turban rebels have entered the city."

“This matter requires elite troops and strong generals, but my family has weak soldiers. Liu Changshi’s soldiers are well-organized and march silently, making them excellent soldiers for this dangerous task.”

Ju Shou's schemes are truly ruthless.

He wanted to trap the Yellow Turbans and Guo Dian inside the city and burn them all down.

Therefore, he instructed Shen Pei to prepare tinder both inside and outside the city. When it was necessary to defend the city, a large amount of firewood would indeed be prepared in advance, because it was difficult to replenish firewood when trapped inside the city. Without prior preparation, a large number of houses would have to be dismantled to obtain wood.

But this means that Ju Shou intends to launch a simultaneous attack from both inside and outside the city, quickly sealing off the city with fire to maximize the results of the battle.

In other words, most of the people who set fires in the city would not be able to return.

Therefore, Ju Shou asked me to borrow troops.

"Does Governor Ju intend for my comrades to enter the city and then be burned together inside?"

Liu Bei simply asked directly, "Why not just attack and kill Guo Dian, take the grain from General Lu, and then proceed with the pacification campaign... Whether it's the Yellow Turbans or the soldiers, they are all able-bodied men of our Han Dynasty..."

“Liu Changshi is benevolent and virtuous, truly worthy of being a disciple of Master Yue. I, Ju, respect him. But does Liu Changshi know the difference between minor benevolence and great benevolence?”

Ju Shou shook his head slightly: "If the Yellow Turbans are not severely damaged by looting grain, they will continue to loot grain... If the Yellow Turbans are not made aware that their entire army might be burned if they enter the city, they will continue to attack. If we only use the methods of appeasement and leniency, the enemy will be pacified while the army is present, but will rise up again when the army leaves..."

“General Lu pacified Jiujiang and Lujiang in the past, and it was always like this… When he was here, the barbarians did not rebel; as soon as he left, they immediately rebelled again.”

"The rebels, begging for General Lu's food, seemed to have submitted to the pacification for a time... But General Lu cannot stay here for long. Once the imperial army retreats and the Yellow Turbans rise again, how will we, who have lived here for a long time, resist them?"

"If we only resort to conquest and slaughter, the rebels will fight to the death. But if we only show leniency and forgiveness, the rebels will not know fear..."

"Furthermore... if General Zhu was defeated by the Yellow Turbans in Yingchuan, and if we cannot quickly inflict a major defeat on the Yellow Turbans, all the rebels will think that the Yellow Turbans are stronger than the imperial court... This will inevitably lead to the rise of various rebels, and the prefectures and counties will not have a peaceful day for a long time. How many more people will die then?"

“Liu Changshi, murder and arson are not necessarily cruel, and saving people and pacifying them are not necessarily benevolent. Only by using both kindness and severity can we achieve long-term stability.”

Ju Shou spoke at length, which seemed to reflect his true thoughts.

Everyone has different views. Ju Shou's view is not wrong. He is not advocating indiscriminate killing, but rather focusing on how to quickly bring peace to the local area.

After all, Ju Shou was a local powerful clan and a traditional gentry—he regarded himself as the ruling class.

If Guangping had lost Guo Dian, the prefect who attracted hatred, and the city had been burned down, then the large groups of Yellow Turbans would naturally not have come.

By eliminating a large number of Yellow Turban rebels as a deterrent, demonstrating the attitude of eliminating bandits even at great cost, the local people will also behave themselves. With fewer people joining the bandits, the powerful clans of Guangping will be safe.

At the same time, this would also allow them to achieve great merit, such as eliminating a large number of Yellow Turban rebels.

However... wanting Guangping to be safe, he sent Liu Bei's men to do tasks that were sure to lead to their deaths. Ju Shou was trying to get something for nothing, and he didn't treat Liu Bei's men as human beings.

This is normal; most aristocratic families are like this. People who have privileges and monopolize knowledge usually do not regard the common people as their own.

Everyone has their own path.

"For long-term stability and security, we need not the benevolence or power of those in power, but the basic needs of the common people."

Liu Bei understood Ju Shou's thoughts, but he couldn't let his comrades die: "People need to eat, and if they can't eat, they have to steal... No amount of kindness or power is as effective as a full meal. Ju Shou and Guo Dian should be killed, and the city should be burned... but the grain cannot be burned."

Liu Bei knew very well that threats such as massacres or burning cities would not solve the Yellow Turban problem at all; they would only make the problem worse.

"Guo Dian has several thousand soldiers under his command and is also the prefect. Moreover, the grain in Guo Dian's hands is the grain tax of Julu County. With the emperor's edict to collect grain in advance, Guo Dian can refuse to supply the army with grain, and General Lu cannot accuse him of any crime."

Ju Shou sighed, “Alas… Chief Clerk Liu wants to preserve the grain, but Guo Dian will not hand over the grain, and the Yellow Turbans will surely attack… Moreover, Guo Dian is knowledgeable in military affairs, and usually resides in the city's military camp, treating the soldiers quite well. I, Ju Shou, would like to ask Chief Clerk, how can we both preserve the grain and kill Guo Dian?”

“Prefect Ju, since the goal is to get the people in the city to take their grain out, then the task of relocating the people will be entrusted to you. Zhang He will take you to see General Lu. As for things like killing, arson, protecting grain, and fighting, Prefect Ju, you may not be as good at them as I am. Just introduce me to Guo Dian, and I will handle it.”

Liu Bei smiled and said, "In your eyes, the common people are common people, the scholars are scholars, and the bandits are bandits... But in my eyes, bandits are also common people, common people are also scholars, and scholars are also bandits! Everyone can be a Yellow Turban bandit... and so can I."

Ju Shou frowned as he looked at Liu Bei, then shook his head again: "Liu Changshi, your thoughts are the root of chaos in the world!"

“…Perhaps…” Liu Bei nodded in agreement: “But hasn’t the world already been in chaos for a long time?”

……

The following day, Guo Dian, citing Lu Zhi's demand for military supplies, ordered the residents of Guangping City to send grain to Guangzong.

All the men, women, and children in the city were driven out of their homes by Guo Dian's men and servants. Guo Dian did not distribute grain to the people, but instead told them to take their own grain to the outskirts of Guangzong City.

Those who could live in the city were not actually the true commoners, but rather merchants, self-cultivating farmers, slave families, and some officials' families.

The powerful clans didn't actually live inside the city; the wealthy and powerful families usually lived in fortified villages outside the city—not because fortified villages were safer, but because if they couldn't be in charge inside the city, they would be at the mercy of others...

Just like the residents of Guangping City now, if you are told to leave the city, you must leave, otherwise you will be regarded as a Yellow Turban spy.

Officials and gentry were not expelled, but commoners and gentry were treated differently. Not only were they not expelled, but people were also sent to each family to offer condolences and ask them to work together to overcome difficulties.

Guo Dian was harsh to the people, but he was not entirely without merit; otherwise, he would have been killed long ago.

He was very kind to the gentry and his soldiers, and could even be said to have been quite benevolent towards them. He often helped the families of officials and gentry, and had a good reputation among them. He was also always generous to his soldiers, giving them generous rewards and often eating and living with them, which indeed earned him the loyalty of his soldiers.

The common people in the city were naturally unwilling to leave their homes, much less send grain out of Guangzong City. They all ran around and cried, but under the coercion of Guo Dian's soldiers with their swords, they still had no choice but to leave the city.

Fortunately, Ju Shou, a prominent local figure, assisted them. Ju Shou was very famous in Ji Province, and even more so in Guangping. The people were able to follow Ju Shou to Guangzong.

Liu Bei's task of procuring grain was half completed. When Ju Shou met Lu Zhi, he told the people that they were helping Liu Bei transport grain, which was a way of giving Liu Bei face.

Actually, it's quite pleasant to work with a smart person like Ju Shou. Regardless of whether our ideas clash, at least he'll cooperate first.

After relocating the people, Liu Bei, through Ju Shou's recommendation, led troops to "support" Guo Dian.

The reason, of course, was that Liu Bei was persecuted by Lu Zhi, who forced him to donate grain and medicine and threatened him with fabricated charges. In order to avoid losing his family and property, he had no choice but to seek refuge with Prefect Guo.

Guo Dian was delighted that Liu Bei had come to join him, after all, the thousand elite troops under Liu Bei's command were clearly formidable fighters.

However, Guo Dian was indeed skilled in military strategy and very cautious. He did not allow Liu Bei's troops to enter the city, but only allowed Liu Bei to set up camp outside the city, forming a double-pronged attack with the Wei Commandery cavalry camp brought by Shen Pei on the left and right.

This wasn't due to complete distrust. Given that there was no shortage of manpower within the city, the fully armored elite troops should indeed be stationed outside. If they were trapped inside and unable to leave, their effectiveness would be wasted.

Guo Dian still allowed Liu Bei to bring a guard of about a hundred men into the city, with Zhang Fei as the guard captain.

Zhang Fei has now come of age, and his father has given him the courtesy name Yide.

— "Fei" means to rise high and advance, and "Yi De" is taken from the Yi hexagram in the Book of Changes, which means to cultivate oneself, benevolent to others, and have lofty virtues. It does not mean "wings".

Zhang Fei has indeed cultivated himself to a high level; he is not only polite to others but also highly respected by his soldiers.

After all, Zhang Yide is now considered both scholarly and martial. Although he's not very good at studying, he has a strong artistic temperament. If it weren't for his overly large and robust appearance, he might even be considered a refined and elegant scholar...

Moreover, Zhang Fei did not have the bad habits of those famous scholars. He was a man of his word, and he neither gambled nor used drugs, nor did he cause trouble. He spent his days at home creating art.

Of course, in Zhang Fei's own opinion, his greatest skill was killing and arson.

Upon entering the city, Liu Bei immediately reported the new military intelligence to Guo Dian—Zhang Liang of Ye County was advancing towards Guangping.

This is not false intelligence. The Yellow Turbans in Ye County were originally fighting against the Wei Commandery troops, but they have now defeated the Wei Commandery army. In fact, Zhang Liang has incorporated the Wei Commandery troops into his own forces. This intelligence was obtained by Zuo Yuan.

County soldiers are also human beings, and it is very difficult for county soldiers in the interior to obtain military ranks. Without military ranks, their families still have to pay taxes... As a result, most county soldiers surrendered to the Yellow Turbans on the eve of battle.

In fact, the situation was similar in various regions where the Yellow Turban rebels were stationed. Each region had its own garrison to suppress them, but probably half of the garrison troops in Henan and Hebei surrendered to the Yellow Turbans on the eve of battle. Nobody is a fool. Officials can't just give people a few coins and expect them to fight for them. But right now, money can't buy food at all. On the contrary, surrendering to the Yellow Turbans means you can actually get food.

Those Yellow Turban warriors with strong combat capabilities were actually selected from the county soldiers.

Of course, recruiting too many people has also led to a huge consumption of grain on Zhang Liang's side. At present, most of the grain in Ye County is almost exhausted, and Zhang Liang needs to find another place to obtain grain.

A large number of people from Guangping were carrying grain to Guangzong, and this could not be kept secret. Moreover, Zhang Liang had gained a fighting force and also wanted to open up Guangping to rescue Guangzong.

Guo Dian then quickly asked Liu Bei and Shen Pei to assist in arranging the city's defenses.

Zhang Fei then exchanged experiences with Shen Pei.

Shen Pei was clearly not very good at setting fires, and the supplies he arranged were in an inappropriate position in Zhang Fei's eyes.

The firewood was piled up in the city market, so it couldn't be moved in time. The firewood had to be piled up near the base of the wall and the ladder leading up the city wall. It would be best to pour some oil on it beforehand so that it would be easy to ignite when needed.

Furthermore, the military outposts within the city must always have a large amount of charcoal burning, day and night, since battles could break out at any time, and they must be prepared at all times. They must also use the firelight to closely monitor the area and prevent spies from getting close.

Tung oil and sulfur should not be stored in warehouses. Flammable materials are difficult to access when defending a city. They should be placed near the city gates and outposts to avoid exposure to sunlight and to allow for quick sealing of the city gates when necessary.

Without civilians in the city, transporting supplies would be very troublesome, so it would be more reasonable to place the supplies where the soldiers were the most numerous.

In this way, as long as someone attacks the city, the soldiers can quickly obtain supplies without having to run back and forth.

The ladders leading to the city wall, the military outposts inside the city, and the city gates are all located in the same place, which is also the most crucial place when defending the city.

Shen Pei listened attentively, nodding repeatedly and praising the professionalism.

Shen Zhengnan was indeed a straightforward person who often got angry over a few words, but he still respected professionals. He immediately asked Guo Dian to rearrange the city's supplies according to Zhang Fei's suggestion.

Guo Dian was quite impressed with the arrangement. It seemed to be in line with the plan for long-term city defense, which could improve combat efficiency. Moreover, since the place was guarded by Guo Dian's own men, there was no chance of any problems.

However... perhaps due to the poor management of charcoal fires by Guo Dian's troops, the city gate outpost unfortunately caught fire that very night.

Zhang Fei was indeed a professional at murder and arson. No one noticed his whereabouts this time when he set the fire—it would be surprising if the fire didn't catch fire when all the ignition points were set up by the arsonist.

(End of this chapter)