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

Chapter 162 The Last Chance for Survivors
Lu Zhi had previously fought a battle with Zhang Liang, forcing Zhang Liang to retreat to the walls of Guangzong City.

But Zhang Liang was originally there to support Guangzong. In fact, there was no real winner or loser in this battle. Zhang Liang suffered greater losses, and Lu Zhi's original besieging direction was missing a piece, which was the direction of Jieqiao where Zhang Liang set up camp.

At present, Lu Zhi is dispatching troops to try to surround the city again. There is no further fighting between the two sides. Zhang Liang has also sent people to guard the boundary bridge, but has not crossed the bridge to invade Ganling.

The bridge deck is nearly three zhang wide and spans more than forty zhang. Moreover, it is a stone bridge, which is a rare and large-scale project in those days.

In fact, once they reached the middle of the bridge, they were already within range of the archers on the other side. There were indeed two rows of archers positioned on the left and right sides of the bridge, but no one shot an arrow even after Liu Bei led Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and others all the way to the bridgehead.

This wasn't because the Yellow Turbans were giving Liu Bei face, but because Zhang Liang's troops were quite different from the Yellow Turbans under Zhang Jiao and Zhang Bao that Liu Bei had met before.

Zhang Liang's troops were a genuine army; apart from wearing yellow turbans, they looked no different from the county soldiers.

They will not act without orders.

Liu Bei brought only about twenty men, so the other side didn't make a move at all.

The young Yellow Turban officer guarding the bridge looked very young. When he saw Liu Bei crossing the bridge, he gestured for the archers to raise their bows and aim at Liu Bei and his men.

Two rows of barricades were also installed at the bridgehead, and behind the barricades was a team of spearmen.

He seems very wary.

"Liu Xuande of Zhuojun has come to see the Great Teacher. Please lead the way, brothers."

Liu Bei politely bowed to the junior officer.

"Didn't we tell you yesterday? This road is blocked! Officials are always lying. We don't believe your nonsense. Turn back!"

It seems that the person who sent Liu Yu's envoy back yesterday was this junior officer.

“I am going to Guangzong City alone to see the Great Teacher, without any weapons. Brother, please take me to see the Heavenly Physician. You cannot make the decision.”

Liu Bei gestured for Guan Yu and Zhang Fei to step back, then dismounted alone, untied his sword, and walked to the front of the barricade, where he stared at the junior officer across the barricade.

He still used the name Taiping Dao, without mentioning the Yellow Turbans or the General of the People at all.

"You... wait here."

The junior officer was taken aback, probably not expecting such a fearless officer. He didn't take Liu Bei with him, but instead had his soldiers keep an eye on Liu Bei while he ran to the nearby camp.

Before long, a group of people came out of the camp and arrived at the bridgehead carrying the banner of "General Ren Gong".

"I am Zhang Liang, Zhang Zishun. I know the name of Lord Xuande. Have you come here to lobby on behalf of the court?"

Zhang Liang's eyebrows and eyes are very similar to Zhang Jiao's, only he lacks some of the depth and has more of the bravery.

Although his men were all fully armored, Zhang Liang was not wearing armor, but rather a scholar's robe. Even so, he still gave the impression of a fierce general—much like Zhang Fei when he wore scholar's robes.

These three brothers seem a bit out of place.

Zhang Jiao was a true Daoist, but he looked more like a Confucian scholar.

Zhang Bao is a real doctor, but he looks more like a Taoist priest.

Zhang Liang was indeed a scholar, but he was also more like a fierce general.

“Brother Zishun, I only came to visit you because I heard that the Great Teacher was ill.”

Liu Bei remained standing at the bridgehead, gesturing towards the barricades in front of him: "It's inconvenient to talk from so far away, how about we get closer?"

"Is Lord Xuande not afraid of damaging his reputation?"

Zhang Liang glanced at Zhang Fei, Guan Yu, and the others in the middle of the bridge, then stared at Liu Bei and asked, "Now that the imperial army is determined to exterminate us, Lord Xuande, are you not afraid of being punished for coming here alone?"

"You can't accuse me, so what crime could I possibly be charged with? Besides, if I can bring back the Prince of Ganling, I'll have rendered a service..."

Liu Bei shook his head, forcefully moved the barricade aside a crack, and stepped towards Zhang Liang.

The Yellow Turban warriors behind Zhang Liang stirred slightly, but Zhang Liang waved them away and stepped forward himself, saying, "Lord Xuande is indeed as the Great Teacher of Virtue said... If all officials in this world were like Lord Xuande, how could the world be in such a state..."

Liu Bei nodded: "Heaven, earth, and man are all unjust, I know that. In fact, it is not the emperor's intention to exterminate them all, and the Great Teacher should understand that."

"The Great Teacher did say that the emperor is the emperor and the court is the court... but for us, there is no difference."

Zhang Liang said in a low voice.

Indeed, there is no difference. The emperor can only issue edicts to the army to quell the rebellion, but he cannot control the army's specific behavior. The reason why edicts are still effective today is because Liu Hong did not give the three generals a completely appropriate title to lead the army.

Lu Zhi should have led the five schools of the Northern Army, but he actually led the troops of the Three Auxiliary Commanderies; Huangfu Song, the Left General of the Central Army, should have led the Three Rivers Cavalry, but he led the five schools of the Northern Army; Zhu Jun should have led the troops of the Three Auxiliary Commanderies, but he led the Three Rivers Cavalry.

This is similar to the misalignment of the three Zhang brothers.

Liu Hong deliberately arranged things this way to ensure that the army and its generals were mutually restrained, and it seems to have had some effect. At least now all three units can be mobilized, but that's about it.

"General Lu has no intention of killing you all at this moment. If you leave now, you still have a chance."

Liu Bei turned to look at Zhang Liang: "I am now the Commandant of Ganling. As long as the King of Ganling can be released and allowed to live as a citizen of Ganling, I can protect the people of Ganling and distribute land to settle them."

"Just like the West River? I understand Lord Xuande's good intentions, but this requires a decision from the Great Master."

Zhang Liang also turned to look at Liu Bei: "Moreover... I'm afraid none of my disciples are willing to leave our great and virtuous teacher."

“Take me to see the Great Teacher, for now more people can live here, and the Great Teacher also has this intention.”

Liu Bei knew that the Yellow Turbans did not trust the imperial court, but only Zhang Jiao. He believed that even Zhang Jiao himself would find it difficult to persuade them to leave Zhang Jiao and go elsewhere.

"The Great Teacher is no longer able to receive guests..."

A hint of bitterness appeared on Zhang Liang's face.

Is she very ill?

Liu Bei frowned: "Then take me there quickly."

“Lord Xuande, I cannot take you with me… I will report Lord Xuande’s intentions to the Great Master myself.”

Zhang Liang looked at Liu Bei hesitantly, then at Zhang Fei and the others on the bridge, and then back at the Yellow Turban followers behind him.

Liu Bei sighed, took off his helmet, and pulled a piece of yellow cloth from his pocket. In front of Zhang Liang, he tied it to his headband: "Take me with you. My old friend is seriously ill, and I must see him one last time."

The last time Liu Bei met Zhang Jiao, Zhang Jiao covered his face with a veil. Liu Bei felt that Zhang Jiao's features were familiar, but he was unable to see his face.

But Liu Bei knew where he had seen him before.

It was at Shiliting in Zhuoxian County... not the traditional Chinese medicine doctor he was doing business with, but an unnamed Taoist priest cooking at Shiliting.

At that time, Liu Bei always relied on the Taoist priest at Shili Pavilion to make his food. The Taoist priest never spoke and didn't seem to have anything special about him, but Liu Bei took dry food from him many times when he had the executioners distribute millet cakes to the refugees.

This was indeed an old friend; Liu Bei had eaten meals prepared by Zhang Jiao many times at Shili Pavilion.

Zhang Liang didn't want to take Liu Bei to see Zhang Jiao, but seeing that Liu Bei had already donned the yellow turban, he had no choice but to take Liu Bei into Guangzong City.

Zhang Jiao remained alone in a room, where Zhang Bao was also present.

Apart from Zhang Bao and Zhang Liang, no one else can bring anyone into this room.

Zhang Jiao was already on his deathbed.

His already gaunt face was now deeply sunken, and he lay on the bed unable to get up.

Only his eyes remained bright, as if they had separated from his body and retained their vitality.

"Is this kind person here to see me off?"

Upon meeting Liu Bei, Zhang Jiao offered his greetings.

The sound is very faint.

“Celestial Master, I have come to save lives. Please, Celestial Master, order the relocation of those who should not have been martyred to Ganling, so that they may live in peace.”

Knowing that Zhang Jiao couldn't say much, Liu Bei got straight to the point: "If anyone doesn't trust me, they may enter the Taihang Mountains. But this matter needs to be expedited, as General Lu will soon besiege the city again. This is the last chance for our lives to survive."

“…Alright.” Zhang Jiao didn’t waste any words and nodded slightly: “Please help me, kind sir, to get General Lu to release the disciples of my sect that he has captured. Zishun will send the Prince of Ganling back.”

"Does the Celestial Master have anything else to say?"

Liu Bei agreed, as this was exactly what he had in mind; all that was needed was to directly exchange prisoners for prisoners and uphold the principle of equality for all.

"Haha... Though I am about to die, my path has been completed, and there is no need for further words."

Zhang Jiao leaned back on the couch, turned his head, looked at Liu Bei, and smiled gently: "The time for good has come; virtuous man, go forth and follow the right path..."

Liu Bei nodded, then shook his head, but ultimately said nothing more. He removed his yellow turban and left Guangzong for Lu Zhi's place.

……

When Lu Zhi heard Liu Bei say that he wanted to exchange prisoners for the King of Ganling, he readily handed over the prisoners, as it was inconvenient to bring prisoners with you when besieging a city.

The prisoner exchange went smoothly, and the Prince of Ganling was quickly delivered to Liu Yu. Liu Yu did not linger at all and personally took the Prince of Ganling, Liu Zhong, to Luoyang.

Liu Yu's trip to Luoyang was not merely to escort the Prince of Ganling; he was there to handle another matter that he had discussed with Liu Bei.

Everyone has their strengths, but only someone like Liu Yu, who is adept at manipulating 'fame', could understand Liu Bei's thoughts.

In the current situation, only the rules established by the prestigious families themselves can be used to break them down.

Prestigious families rely on the reputation of loyalty, filial piety, integrity, and righteousness. If they lose their reputation, they are nothing more than slightly larger nouveau riche families.

There's an inviolable red line when it comes to reputation—it cannot be used to usurp the throne.

Otherwise, the prestigious family would no longer be a prestigious family, but rather like Wang Mang.

Wang Mang's usurpation of the Han dynasty was only 150 years ago.

Wang Mang, back then, came from a prestigious family that controlled the entire country.

Before he usurped the throne and replaced the Han dynasty, Wang Mang's reputation far surpassed that of the Yuan family, and he was hailed as a sage—indeed, a saint.

The four Grand Tutors, Grand Preceptors, Grand Protectors, and Junior Tutors were all Wang Mang's protégés, holding positions above the Three Dukes. Apart from sacrifices and bestowing titles, all matters in the empire were decided by Wang Mang, and this was known as the Four Grand Tutors' decision-making power.

However, Wang Mang usurped the throne.

In order to usurp the throne, Wang Mang deposed all 32 princely families and 181 marquis families of the Liu clan.

After usurping the throne and becoming emperor, the original logic of aristocratic families had to be changed to the logic of imperial succession. Therefore, Wang Mang had to start reforms to try to solve the problem of land annexation by aristocratic families and to leave a legacy for generations.

This turned the platform he had created to benefit powerful clans into one that now suppressed them—much like some internet platforms that, after dominating the market, began to oppress the merchants who joined the platform, forcing the merchants to pass on their losses to the users…

Therefore, the Liu clan had to rebel, and the powerful clans of the land also had to rebel. The common people were indirectly driven to the brink of extinction, so they had no choice but to join in the rebellion—the Green Forest and the Red Eyebrows were actually a combination of Han imperial relatives and powerful clans.

The whole world turned against Wang Mang, and as a result, from his usurpation to the extermination of his clan, it only took a few short years.

Wang Mang's head is still a member of the Han Dynasty imperial family.

With this precedent, if a prestigious family shows any sign of usurpation, its reputation for loyalty, filial piety, integrity, and righteousness will be shattered.

The same applies in modern times. No matter how good one's reputation or how strong one's power was in the past, if one is involved in treason or selling out one's country, one will lose most of one's appeal.

The proverb Liu Yu said, "The one who will replace the Han will be high-ranking," was not originally a proverb.

These were originally said by Emperor Wu of Han, but the punctuation is not like this... The original text is: "The Han dynasty will face six or seven calamities, and according to the law, it should receive the mandate again. Who among the imperial family and descendants should be the one to receive this mandate? The one who will lead the Han dynasty for six or seven generations or even dozens of generations is Gao, the one who will be the one to receive the mandate again."

Emperor Wu of Han, Liu Che, was the fifth emperor of the Han Dynasty. He meant that the sixth and seventh emperors after him would inevitably encounter difficulties, but at that time there would naturally be outstanding descendants who would be appointed to lead the country out of danger and turn the tide.

"Tu Gao" is a descriptive phrase, referring to outstanding talents who emerge from the middle of a major road.

The word "代" does not mean "to replace," but rather refers to a generation.

However, when Wang Mang usurped the throne, he altered the meaning of Emperor Wu's words and used them as a proverb, saying: "The Han Dynasty will face six or seven (thirteen) calamities, and the one who will replace the Han Dynasty will be Dangtu Gao."

This is a typical practice of prestigious families, which is to misinterpret words and take things out of context. They misinterpreted Emperor Wu of Han's words as six plus seven equals thirteen, saying that after thirteen emperors, the Han Dynasty should be replaced—at that time, the Western Han Dynasty did indeed have thirteen emperors.

Gao Jun's talent is certainly judged by his reputation, and in terms of reputation, no one is higher than Wang Mang, after all, Wang Mang is called a sage.

After Wang Mang usurped the Han throne, Emperor Guangwu (Liu Xiu) used this phrase as a proverb when he rebelled against Wang Mang. However, Emperor Guangwu used the original words of Emperor Wu of Han, which stated that there would be outstanding members of the Han imperial family who could turn the tide. In this case, 'Tu Gao' essentially represents Liu Xiu.

"The one who replaces the Han dynasty is Dangtu Gao," which is actually a normal worldly law. Emperor Wu of Han was a wise man who knew that dynasties could not last forever. He just hoped that his descendants would be more successful.

The problem is that Wang Mang used this saying as a proverb, and he successfully usurped the throne.

Emperor Guangwu used this saying as a motto, and his restoration of the Han dynasty was successful...

With two successful examples preceding it, this proverb was no longer just superstition as modern people perceive it; it truly became a symbol of destiny.

If we're talking about the current 'Tu Gao', then of course it's the Yuan family.

(Note: When Cao Pi accepted the abdication, he used the exact same proverb as Wang Mang, without changing a single word. By the time of Emperor Xian, the Eastern Han Dynasty had indeed had thirteen emperors.)
……

In fact, what Liu Bei and Liu Yu spread was not a rumor.

Indeed, conjoined twins with two heads were born in the capital, and their birth caused a sensation throughout Luoyang.

Indeed, there are exotic flowers and plants in Runan, including not only flowers and trees shaped like dragons, snakes, birds, and beasts, but also trees shaped like two dragons entwined around an elephant. Moreover, these exotic flowers and plants appear in Ruyang County—of course, anyone who goes to a flower and tree market will know that these things are all man-made…

Conjoined twins are a normal phenomenon, but if someone deliberately spreads or promotes it, it becomes very suggestive.

Yuan Wei is the current Minister of Works and the current head of the Yuan family clan.

The former Minister of Works, Yuan Feng, was Yuan Kui's older brother. He died a few years ago, and his eldest son, Yuan Ji, inherited the title of Marquis of Xuanwen and is currently serving as the Grand Master of the Palace.

Meanwhile, Yuan Shu, the second son of the legitimate wife, is also in Luoyang, where he has once again been appointed as the Colonel of the Vanguard and concurrently held the position of Tiger-like General (not a General of the Household).

Like the previous generation of the Yuan family, Yuan Ji and Yuan Shu were both civil and military officials, their fathers holding the title of Three Dukes and their sons holding the title of Nine Ministers.

Those conjoined twins with one head resembled the brothers Yuan Wei and Yuan Feng, or the brothers Yuan Ji and Yuan Shu, sharing the same body of the Yuan family.

Needless to say, the exotic flowers and rare herbs were something that Wang Mang had created. In fact, it was exactly the same thing that Liu Bei had his underworld soldiers create.

Zuo Yuan's intelligence network can currently only extend to Ji Province, but he has long ago arranged for underworld soldiers to gather information in the counties surrounding the capital and the surrounding areas.

Zhang Baiqi, currently known as 'White Rider,' has been traveling and managing the underworld soldiers in various counties of Henan.

These underworld soldiers were actually still Duan Jiong's troops, not directly under Liu Bei's command. However, Zhang Baiqi always obeyed Liu Bei's orders, and Duan Jiong never assigned them any tasks.

Spreading proverbs and visions is actually quite easy for the underworld soldiers—this job doesn't require interacting with other people. They usually operate in groups of two or three, and all they need to do is chat casually in crowded places.

Loudly plotting is always the best way to spread rumors. Every time you go to a new place, you deliberately chat with someone. As long as the content of the chat is interesting enough, it will soon spread automatically.

These days, information is scarce, and even a small anecdote can become a topic of conversation.

Moreover, proverbs and visions are what people love to boast about. Two-headed living babies, flowers, trees and shrubs growing into the shapes of dragons, snakes and clouds—even modern people would boast about these for a long time.

The key point is that these are all facts, not rumors.

If nothing unexpected happens, these strange tales will change many people's attitudes toward the Yuan family. If this prestigious family, which has produced four generations of high-ranking officials, does not want to be seen as a second generation of Wang Mang, then it must exercise self-restraint and at least show some semblance of 'loyalty to the emperor'.

The ability to change the big picture with small things is not something only the Yuan family can do.

Liu Bei's work continued, relocating some of the Yellow Turban elders and weak to Ganling, a time-consuming and laborious task.

Moreover, just as Zhang Liang said, most of the Yellow Turbans were actually unwilling to leave Zhang Jiao, even when Zhang Jiao personally ordered them to.

Some want to be martyred, some want to die, some want to resist resolutely, and some want to vent their anger—all of these are understandable.

Liu Bei did not insist, but simply opened the boundary bridge to receive the people sent over by Zhang Liang and Zhang Bao.

Ganling is too close to Guangzong, so countless people have fled there. Many powerful families have also temporarily moved to avoid disaster. The entire western part of Ganling, along the Qinghe River, is essentially unclaimed land, more than enough to settle the Yellow Turbans.

Liu Bei even burned the original land deeds in the Ganling government office and ordered the powerful families in the eastern region to "provide military provisions to fight the Yellow Turbans".

(End of this chapter)