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

Chapter 157 A Loyal Minister's Manifesto
There are many kinds of loyalty in this world, and many kinds of loyal subjects.

Some are loyal to their country, some to their class, some to their family, some to their lord, and some to themselves.

There's no right or wrong in it.

However, some people are greedy and always want to have all the loyalty.

Lu Zhi was a key minister of the state, a protégé of the emperor, a model scholar, and the head of the newly rising Lu clan.

Moreover... Lu Zhi's teacher was the Confucian scholar Ma Rong, and Ma Rong's son-in-law was Yuan Wei—Lu Zhi and Yuan Wei could be considered to be from the same school.

Guo Dian was special not only because he was the governor of Julu, but also because he was a protégé of Yuan Wei. Guo Dian's first official position was as an assistant to the Minister of Works, recruited by Yuan Wei.

Lu Zhi wanted to be loyal to both the country and the emperor, but he also did not want to betray his class or jeopardize his family's prosperity.

After all, the Lu family is about to become a wealthy and powerful family...

But this Han dynasty doesn't have an environment where everyone wants to be loyal to everything.

Just as Liu Bei said, one must either help the emperor out of his predicament or become a vassal of a powerful family; whoever stands in the middle will be everyone's enemy.

Lu Zhi looked at Liu Bei for a long time without speaking, his eyes filled with anger and a hint of regret.

But in the end, that anger and regret turned into a long sigh: "Alas... Xuande, why did you insist on delivering Guo Dian alive to Zhang Jiao?"

"The day before yesterday, someone told me about the general... saying that the general single-handedly quelled the rebellion in Jiujiang, and then single-handedly quelled the rebellion in Lujiang, making him a model for all scholars. However, the barbarians did not rebel while the general was alive; as soon as the general left, the barbarians immediately rebelled again."

"Bei defended the general, saying that the rebels only wanted a bite to eat, and if the local officials could leave them a bit of food to survive, then naturally there would be no rebellion."

"But the problem is... everyone knows they didn't leave any for themselves..."

"Why did the Yellow Turbans manage to bring about an uprising across the land? Was it solely the fault of the emperor and the eunuchs? Powerful and wealthy families harmed the people and ruined their homes, impersonated Yellow Turbans to kill and plunder, controlled the grain transport, and coerced the emperor... General, you must know all of this."

"But why does no one in the world discuss the crimes of the powerful and influential, but instead say that the emperor is incompetent and foolish, that the eunuchs are bringing disaster to the country and the people, and that the rebels are full of wolfish ambitions?"

"When the emperor makes a mistake, he is condemned in history books; when a eunuch breaks the law, he is punished by all officials; when a commoner commits a crime, he is surrounded and suppressed by a large army... But the crimes of powerful families go unpunished, and they will be regarded as loyal ministers and generals for generations to come."

"But it seems everyone in the world has gotten used to it... and thinks it should be this way!"

"Should it really be like this?"

"This is simply because public opinion is in the hands of the powerful, the pen is in the hands of the powerful, and the right to interpret loyalty, filial piety, and righteousness is also in the hands of the powerful... The emperor cannot speak, the eunuchs cannot speak, and all the people under heaven cannot speak! Only the aristocratic families controlled by the powerful can speak..."

“Zhang Jiao, Zhang Bao, and Zhang Liang each occupy a city and have gathered an army of 100,000, but they left Guo Dian and Guangping unattended. Do you think they couldn’t kill Guo Dian? They simply didn’t want to!”

"Because no one will listen to the Yellow Turban rebels' explanations... If the Yellow Turbans kill Guo Dian, it will only be a case of rebels killing an official, which is an even more serious crime."

"Zhang Jiao wanted the court to exchange Guo Dian for the Prince of Anping... He wanted the world to know that even commoners could trade with kings and officials, and that powerful families were nothing more than commodities to be bought and sold! Moreover, those commodities were given voluntarily by the court, not stolen!"

"Zhang Jiao wanted to cure the world's ailments... and Guo Dian was the medicinal ingredient that Zhang Jiao asked the general for!"

“If Guo Dian confesses to the crime of harming the people, he can relieve the emperor’s predicament, resolve the grievances of the people, and save the life of Prince Anping… Moreover, if he voluntarily joins the rebels to save Prince Anping, the general will not be accused of overstepping his bounds.”

"If Zhang Jiao had Guo Dian write a proclamation denouncing the rebels, given Guo Dian's status as the Prefect of Julu and a follower of the Yuan family, the people of the world would see it, hear it, and think about it... and some people would be able to hear the voice of the common people."

"Only by handing Guo Dian over to Zhang Jiao will the more intelligent powerful clans have any sense of awe, treat the common people as human beings, and leave them a meal to survive..."

"Only when the common people still have food to eat after the general leaves can the Yellow Turban Rebellion be considered quelled."

Liu Bei spoke at length, then pulled out a silk scroll bearing Guo Dian's seal: "This is Guo Dian's memorial offering himself in exchange for the title of King Anping. Whether you are loyal to the country or loyal to your reputation, General, please decide for yourself..."

Lu Zhi gritted his teeth, his eyes dimming slightly: "No one will believe that he voluntarily exchanged himself for Prince Anping..."

"It seems that in the general's eyes, only scholars are considered human... but the common people are willing to believe, the emperor is willing to believe, and even the eunuchs are willing to believe!"

"General, I might as well speak frankly. If we don't do this, it won't be long before countless people submit memorials impeaching you for failing to advance when facing the enemy, for making deals with bandits, for harboring bandits to enhance your own power, and for plotting rebellion... All the crimes that I was accused of in Youzhou will fall on your head!"

Liu Bei shook his head and said, "If you, General, do not exonerate the Emperor, then the Emperor will only punish you and make you suffer! Tens of thousands of soldiers under your command, as well as people like me who have helped you, will all suffer because of this! I have said all I have to say, General, please do as you see fit."

After saying this, Liu Bei turned to leave.

"Wait a moment."

Lu Zhi called out to Liu Bei from behind: "Since you have brought back Guo Dian, then you shall take it to Guangzong to trade with Zhang Jiao."

"Please forgive me for not being able to obey, but my master has ordered me not to use people as valuables. Besides, Guo Dian doesn't need anyone to escort him; he will go to Guangzong on his own! Only by going to Guangzong can he survive and even protect his family! If there are any other tasks, please give me your instructions, General."

Liu Bei turned his head and cupped his hands in a gesture of respect, refusing to accept the order.

Lu Zhi remained silent for a while inside the tent, then sighed, "In that case, you should send Prince Anping back to Luoyang."

"General, if I were to escort Prince Anping to the capital, he would surely die before he could cross the Yellow River... Does the General really want me to escort him?"

Liu Bei asked bluntly.

"Liu Xuande! You traitor... Enough!"

Lu Zhi finally couldn't hold back his anger and said through gritted teeth, "Go away, we have different paths and cannot work together... I have reported your merits, you go back to your Xihe... and guard Zhuojun well!"

"Be prepared to receive the order."

Liu Bei cupped his hands in greeting, turned and left the tent without looking back.

It was Liu Bei's deliberate act to have Lu Zhi drive him away. Lu Zhi first had Liu Bei trade with Zhang Jiao, and then had Liu Bei send the Prince of Anping to the capital. In fact, all of this was to get Liu Bei on the same side as him.

But Liu Bei didn't want to get on this ship.

He said what needed to be said and did what needed to be done. Liu Bei had done right by him and by himself.

In fact, as long as Prince Anping entered the capital alive, the commander-in-chief of the campaign against the Yellow Turbans would definitely be replaced. Staying here would only make him cannon fodder, and it would be better to be relieved of his duties.

……

……

Not long after, Liu Xu, the Prince of Anping, was sent to Luoyang.

Along with him came Guo Dian, the Prefect of Julu, who volunteered to enter Guangzong to exchange for the dying memorial of the Prince of Anping.

Your humble servant Guo Dian, risking death, kowtows and submits this memorial:

With my limited abilities, I have been entrusted with the extraordinary favor of Your Majesty to govern Julu. I should be responsible for spreading Your Majesty's teachings and bringing peace and prosperity to the people.

However, I am greedy and immoral, unable to uphold my integrity, and have abused my power with harsh policies and tyrannical laws, causing widespread resentment among the people. Furthermore, due to my cowardice and inappropriate actions, the Prince of Anping was imprisoned in Guangzong.

This is all my fault, and I deserve to die ten thousand times over! I should have gone to the Court of Justice myself and lay down to await execution.

But when the ruler is in distress, the minister is disgraced; when the ruler is disgraced, the minister dies. Prince Anping is Your Majesty's closest relative; how can he be allowed to remain in the hands of traitors for long?

Though I am foolish and ignorant, I am willing to offer my sinful body to enter Guangzong and exchange for the King's return to the country. If the rebels betray me and punish me with swords and axes, that is the punishment I should bear. If Heaven blesses the Han Dynasty and the King of Anping is spared, then even if this sinful subject is spared, I will have served my purpose, and my death will have been worthwhile.

I am aware of my grave sins, but I only hope that Your Majesty's benevolence and virtue will take pity on my humble sincerity and grant me permission to submit this memorial and take my leave.

Your humble servant, Dian, wept as I wrote this memorial, filled with trepidation and fear.

……

Guo Dian placed all the blame for the oppressive policies on himself, thus taking the blame for the emperor.

All the officials in the court praised Guo Dian as a model of loyalty and righteousness, and suggested that the emperor send this last letter to the Imperial Academy and order the students to copy it and spread the edict throughout the country.

Guo Dian's fame soared overnight, as if he had not replaced Prince Anping, but had single-handedly quelled the Yellow Turban Rebellion.

The following day, Liu Hong issued an edict to confine the Prince of Anping to his quarters, because the Prince of Anping had caused the sacrifice of loyal ministers and generals, which was a loss for the Han Dynasty.

In truth, Liu Hong was both pleased and angry.

What's pleasing is that Lu Zhi was surprisingly sensible this time...

What's infuriating is that Lu Zhi actually brought Prince Anping back unharmed... Couldn't something have happened on the way? Couldn't he have gotten sick? Is Lu Zhi just a little sensible or does he only have so much sense?

However, just a few days later, another proclamation, also written by Guo Dian, was sent to Luoyang by fast horse.

……

Guo Dian, former Prefect of Julu and now a disciple of Huangtian, risks his life to declare to all loyal and righteous men of the world:

Dian Zeng was promoted by the emperor to govern a prefecture and county. He was always worried and fearful, lest he fail to repay the emperor's kindness.

However, the powerful and arrogant officials were domineering and forced the emperor to fight against the emperor. They used grain to coerce the people and used the people to command the emperor, which led to widespread suffering and war.

These powerful clans outwardly claim to be upright officials, but inwardly harbor the hearts of wolves and tigers. They deceive heaven and earth above and oppress the common people below. They control the channels of speech and corrupt the court. They gain fame through their evaluations and frame loyal officials through slander. They also secretly raise assassins to overstep the bounds of propriety, form cliques for private gain, and engage in petty and despicable acts. In reality, they are thieves who steal fame.

Those who exploit and plunder prefectures and counties, seize farmland, and cause people to be displaced, starving, and freezing on the roads, are also tyrants who oppress the people.

They also cut off the grain transport, coerced the court, causing the emperor to suffer from hunger and the officials to be impoverished. They are truly traitors who deceive Heaven!

Such actions are treason against the Han!
I urge all loyal and righteous men of the land to purge the court of corrupt officials and punish the traitors!
All citizens of the Han Dynasty should raise the banner of righteousness together, destroy the powerful and influential to pacify the world, and bring peace to the common people to repay the emperor!
If Heaven blesses the Han Dynasty and we achieve this goal, I will have no regrets even if I die a martyr's death; if things do not go well, I am willing to die for my country to awaken the world!

May Heaven and humanity bear witness!

……

Upon seeing this proclamation, Liu Hong was so delighted that he ate three extra bowls of rice on the spot!
This is no rebellious manifesto; it's a loyal letter to the emperor, vindicating him!
Although it doesn't explicitly mention the Yuan family, every word in the proclamation refers to them.

Guo Dian was indeed a talented man, and his promotion from prefect to disciple of Huangtian was remarkably swift.

In an instant, Guo Dian became a witness and spokesperson for the Yellow Turban Rebellion's campaign to purge the court of corrupt officials and punish powerful figures, all in the name of a loyal subject.

The court officials fell silent in an instant from praising Guo Dian, yet they didn't know how to refute him... He was a loyal minister just moments ago, and now he's a traitor, while the students of the Imperial Academy are still copying his suicide note...

Hao You once used Tang Zhou to accuse Zhang Jiao, saying that Tang Zhou was Zhang Jiao's disciple.

Zhang Jiao then countered with the help of true noblemen, turning the rebellion into a purge of corrupt officials.

Zhang Jiao never intended to rebel against the emperor; he rebelled against Heaven itself.

This heaven is, in fact, the embodiment of all injustice.

Powerful clans seize land and control public opinion, using their privileges to silence and enslave the people, obscuring the truth from all sides. This is an injustice of Heaven. Therefore, Zhang Jiao proclaimed himself General of Heaven, wanting to change the Heavenly Way to one where all people are equal.

Floods and droughts are frequent, plagues are rampant, disasters are everywhere, and people are suffering. This is the injustice of the land. Zhang Bao is indeed a skilled physician. He calls himself the Earth God General and heals the sick and saves people in order to seek justice for the land.

The officials were cruel and oppressive, the government was harsh and cruel, and there were constant wars and banditry. Powerful families became thieves, and ordinary people could hardly survive. This was the injustice of the people. Zhang Liang called himself General of the People and led the Yellow Turban army to seek justice for the people.

Seeking justice for heaven, earth, and humanity was the true justification for the Yellow Turban Rebellion. However, too few of the Yellow Turbans were literate, making it difficult to spread public opinion. Furthermore, Zhang Jiao's intentions were not easily understood by the average person.

Scholars like Guo Dian found it difficult to understand Zhang Jiao's intentions, so they wrote it as "purging the emperor's inner circle," but this was still closer to the truth than rebellion and more understandable.

The declaration to purge the court of corrupt officials meant that this was not a rebellion, but a struggle.

Guo Dian was a disciple of Yuan Wei and a loyal minister certified by the court officials. The words of a loyal minister are naturally more credible.

It is well known that the Yellow Turban Rebellion originated in Julu. Guo Dian, as the governor of Julu, believed that the people were forced to rebel by the government. However, he was not killed after joining the Yellow Turbans, and the Yellow Turbans even released the vassal kings. This makes it even more believable.

This is the first time someone has accused the upright officials of causing chaos in the world, which has left them, who have always controlled public opinion, somewhat at a loss—this battle of public opinion is very disadvantageous to them.

Guo Dian was Yuan Wei's protégé. Unless Yuan Wei was brought down, this struggle would be a loss regardless of who won or lost.

This proclamation to purge the emperor's inner circle of corrupt officials was copied by many people and displayed on the city walls of various counties. People in the surrounding counties also wrote it on their walls, and most of them were not written by the Yellow Turbans.

The scholars of the world are not all controlled by powerful families; there are also learned people from humble backgrounds, but in the past, no one had the right to speak out.

"Someone understands my heart!"

Liu Hong patted his bloated belly and burped: "A decree should be issued to commend him... and he should be granted a marquisate!"

"Your Majesty, three days ago Your Majesty sent Zuo Feng to reprimand Minister Lu, and now it seems he will be arriving in Ji Province soon..."

Zhang Rang offered a reminder.

"I'm not talking about Lu Zigan."

Liu Hong paused for a moment, then shook his head: "This proclamation was issued by Zhang Jiao..."

"Your Majesty, Zhang Jiao is a thief, how can he be praised?"

Zhang Rang would like to offer this reminder.

"I want to commend Guo Dian, to praise his loyalty to the country in sacrificing himself for the king... I want to grant him a marquisate, to make him... the Marquis of Ruyang!"

Liu Hong clenched his fist: "Send Guo Dian's family to Ruyang and have He Jin send someone to do it. You all must not show yourselves."

Ruyang County is located in Runan—this is the hometown of Yuan Wei and the ancestral home of the Yuan clan of Runan.

"This...is His Majesty warning Minister Yuan, or the General?"

Zhang Rang was a little confused.

"I just want to see what Yuan Wei will do... to see if he will kill his disciple's family or admit to being a traitor..."

Liu Hong leaned back on the soft footstool with a sense of satisfaction and closed his eyes: "Go and find out who forced Guo Dian into this situation. Lu Zhi wouldn't do this, and Zhang Jiao probably wouldn't do this either. Someone must have been behind this..."

(End of this chapter)