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

Chapter 176 Repaying others with their own methods
Zou Jing was naturally unwilling to let others ruin his troops, so he stayed in Youzhou for the time being and separately received the Wuhuan cavalry recruited by Gong Qichou with Liu Bei.

Liu Bei went to Shanggu, and Zou Jing went to Youbeiping Wuzhong.

The cavalry conscripted from the Shanggu Wuhuan tribe are currently stationed in the Wuhuan tribes north of Xiheting, which are the same Wuhuan tribes that were previously settled by Qianzhao.

Qian Zhao is currently in charge there temporarily.

Qian Zhao was the person with the best relationship with the Wuhuan people of Shanggu, but he still had to go to great lengths to barely restrain the Wuhuan cavalry who were originally unwilling to be conscripted.

This wasn't because he had lost his official position, but because Gong Qichou had been conscripted on credit...

It was less a requisition and more a deception. They tricked the Wuhuan people into registering with the Protectorate of Wuhuan under the guise of hiring them, and then abandoned them.

Gong Qichou was merely going through the motions, or rather, he was doing it on purpose; he had no intention of contributing any money or supplies.

Liu Bei, holding the imperial seal and in charge of military affairs of the Wuhuan, was actually the temporary superior of Xianyu Fu, Wang Men, Xu Rong, and other Hu cavalry commanders—this was not an administrative hierarchy, but rather a project management logic.

Liu Bei is now the project manager, Gong Qichou is the business unit manager, Xianyu Fu and others are the department heads involved in the project, and the newly recruited Wuhuan cavalry are equivalent to a temporary outsourced team.

Business unit managers are not under the management of project managers; they are only required to cooperate with projects and allocate manpower for them. Otherwise, it would be dereliction of duty.

The responsibility for hiring outsourced personnel should naturally fall to the business unit manager, which means that all human resources and administrative costs must be borne by the business unit.

However, the outsourced teams do not work for the business unit; they only serve the project.

Meanwhile, the group company, which is the imperial court, did not provide separate funding for the project.

On the one hand, the imperial court was short of funds, and on the other hand, the emperor had no intention of providing support to Huangfu Song, the person in charge of this major project.

The project itself lacked funding, yet the business unit was required to outsource, increasing costs. This severely impacted the performance of the business unit manager, and the business unit didn't have that much budget either—so they could only delay paying salaries.

However, Gong Qichou did not contribute any money or grain, relying solely on deception, which constituted deliberately framing Liu Bei.

Fortunately, Qian Zhao arranged for Jian Yong to allocate grain from Xihe; otherwise, the 1,800 Wuhuan cavalry conscripted by the Shanggu Wuhuan tribe would surely have rebelled—the Wuhuan people hate being deceived the most.

In fact, most Hu people are like this. In their eyes, beating and killing people are minor issues, but deceiving people is a major issue.

After her father's death, Qian Zhao did not follow Liu Bei to work in Ji Province, but instead came to Xihe to study, which now seems to have turned out to be a good thing.

If it weren't for Qian Zhao, these deceived Wuhuan cavalrymen would have either fled or rebelled without receiving money and provisions. Liu Bei, as the commander-in-chief, would probably have been labeled a derelict or even treasonous rebel leader without even seeing his troops.

The takeover of the Wuhuan cavalry in Shanggu went relatively smoothly. Once the money and supplies arrived, the Wuhuan people were happy to follow Liu Bei in battle. However, they were unwilling to go too far from Shanggu—the Wuhuan people did indeed need to be wary of the Xianbei.

Zou Jing's mission to help Liu Bei take over another Wuhuan tribe in Youbeiping was not very successful.

Most of the Wuhuan cavalry stationed in Youbeiping Wuzhong were recruited from the Liaoxi Wuhuan, which is the tribe of Qiuliju.

Xianyu Fu was originally watching Wuzhong.

Upon learning that Liu Bei was about to take over the Wuhuan cavalry, Xianyu Fu was quite diligent, even allocating his own provisions to supply the Wuhuan cavalry.

After all, he had shared the spoils with Liu Bei, and his younger brother Tian Yu had also worked under Liu Bei. If someone else were to oversee the military affairs of the Wuhuan, Xianyu Fu would definitely not care.

Even so, the Wuhuan cavalry of Wuzhong still ran into trouble.

This problem stems from the pyramid scheme model created by Zhang Ju—the Qiuliju tribe was originally the core group of victims of pyramid schemes.

The grain and fodder for the Wuhuan people were painstakingly saved by Xianyu Fu and distributed to them, essentially a loan. But with the pyramid scheme, all of this grain and fodder was given to Zhang Ju...

These Wuhuan people were quite polite to Xianyu Fu, and even encouraged him to come and "make a fortune" together...

Xianyu Fu himself certainly didn't participate in the pyramid scheme. He originally wanted to stop it, but these Wuhuan people were too stubborn. Once they believed in this "get rich quick" business, there was no way to pull them back.

To avoid wasting his own grain, Xianyu Fu stopped supplying provisions to the Liaoxi Wuhuan and only opened the canteens of his retainers, allowing the Liaoxi Wuhuan to keep accounts for their food consumption, which was quite generous of him.

Once people get involved in pyramid schemes, their greed is ignited, and they find it hard to stay put.

As a result, when Zou Jing arrived in Wuzhong, Xianyu Fu had already started fighting with the Liaoxi Wuhuan. Xianyu Fu controlled his own troops tightly, and the Liaoxi Wuhuan could not develop their own forces through persuasion. They also could not get enough grain to pay the five dou of rice, so they tried to seize Xianyu Fu's grain.

Zou Jing had no choice but to work with Xianyu Fu to suppress the rebels. Of the 1,200 Liaoxi Wuhuan, 300 were killed and the rest fled.

Fortunately, the Wuhuan tribes were not very united. The killing of two or three hundred Wuhuan cavalry in Liaoxi would not affect the other tribes. Every year, hundreds of them would die in internal battles for pastures, so fighting and killing were quite normal.

But Qiuliju was naturally very unhappy. Upon hearing that his tribe had been 'lured and killed by the imperial court,' Qiuliju led six thousand cavalrymen out to demand an explanation.

Qiuliju's tribe had long lived in the area of ​​Lulongsai and Xuwushan, which was very close to Wuzhong, making it convenient for them to organize manpower.

After discussing it, Zou Jing and Xianyu Fu felt that the conflict might escalate further, and it would be best to try to resolve it peacefully.

So the two left Wuzhong and sent a message to Gong Qichou, asking him to handle the matter.

Gong Qichou was the Protector of the Wuhuan, and this matter should indeed have been his responsibility to resolve. However, after hearing about it, Gong Qichou did not react at all and remained stationed in Tuyin (Tangshan), the capital of Youbeiping Commandery, watching coldly along with Liu Zheng, the Prefect of Youbeiping.

Or rather, this can't be called indifferent observation—Gong Qichou had no control over the Wuhuan people to begin with; his mind was mainly on the mines in Youbeiping.

Subsequently, Qiu Liju occupied Wuzhong and began to send troops towards Guangyang.

When Liu Bei led the Wuhuan from Shanggu to the western camp of Ji County, Zou Jing and Xianyu Fu also returned to Ji County.

"Although we had no other choice, we have still killed Qiu Liju's men, and this matter is unlikely to end well..."

Xianyu Fu, acting as a subordinate, bowed to Liu Bei and said, "Commander, Zhang Chun has always been a grudge between us and you. Now he is likely to take the opportunity to cause trouble. What should we do now?"

"Zhang Ju spread the Mitian Rice Cult, which made most of the Qiuliju tribe under his control. The Wuhuan were originally semi-agricultural and semi-pastoral, and I think most of the grain supplies of the Liaoxi Wuhuan probably ended up in Zhang Ju's hands. They wanted to collect heads to deliver rice, but they had no food, so they could only come out to rob..."

Liu Bei sighed: "Qiu Liju's expedition this time is less about seeking justice and more about testing the court's attitude under the orders of Zhang Chun and Zhang Ju."

"So... Xuande means that we have to fight this battle?"

Zou Jing hesitated: "I'm afraid it will be difficult to fight... Zhang Ju has spread his teachings extensively beyond the Great Wall, and has followers among various Xianbei tribes, and even the mixed Hu tribes of Liaodong. If Zhang Ju and his companion support Qiuliju..."

"The Xianbei and Wuhuan are all bullies who prey on the weak and fear the strong. We must be firm in our stance, otherwise they will think that the Han Dynasty is weak and launch a large-scale invasion to plunder grain, which would be even more troublesome."

Liu Bei nodded and said, "This battle must be fought, but we can't solve the problem entirely by fighting... Zhang Ju can use the Mitian Sect, which spreads from person to person, to bewitch people's hearts, and we can do the same..."

"This……"

Zou Jing and Xianyu Fu exchanged a glance, then both looked at Liu Bei: "What should we do?"

……

Liu Bei knew that he was facing a very difficult situation.

He received an imperial edict to lead three thousand Wuhuan cavalry to support the war effort in Liangzhou.

However, of the three thousand Wuhuan cavalry, only eighteen thousand have been received so far, and these Wuhuan are basically unable to leave Youzhou.

In other words, this edict could not actually be fulfilled.

At the same time, the emperor satisfied the demands of Huangfu Song and the court officials. The recruitment of Wuhuan cavalry was the suggestion of Ying Shao, a famous scholar from Runan, which was also the idea of ​​Yuan Wei.

But if he fails to accomplish this task, all the criticism and attacks will be directed at him first, and will have nothing to do with the emperor.

Failure to comply with the imperial edict would result in accusations of disobeying the emperor and deceiving him, and the punishment for such accusations would depend on the emperor's discretion.

This is probably the result Liu Hong wanted.

They had their own troops, but they were difficult to control, so the emperor wanted to find a pretext to use against them.

If he were to be convicted, the emperor would surely bail him out and then hope that he would take the fall for him and confront the Guandong gentry head-on.

But the problem is—why should I be the one to suffer this punishment?
If I lose power, not only will Ji Province be in chaos, but You Province will also be in chaos...

Besides, Liu Bei had no desire to be someone's henchman. The current emperor was no good leader; being his lackey was worse than being a thief.

Then the imperial edict must be carried out in a way that leaves no room for argument, but it cannot be done in the conventional way.

The best approach would be to send the three Hu cavalry commanders—Xianyu Fu, Wang Men, and Xu Rong—each with their own troops to Liangzhou to achieve merit, but this would have to wait until Huangfu Song was removed from office. The three commanders' troops were also Wuhuan cavalry, and they were eager to go to Liangzhou to gain military achievements.

Liu Bei, on the other hand, stayed in Youzhou to oversee the Hu people, and did not go to Liangzhou to cause trouble.

In this way, the emperor's edict was fulfilled, Liu Bei would not be punished or lose his official position, the safety of his hometown in Youzhou could be guaranteed, and the efforts in Jizhou would not be in vain.

But now, Zhang Ju's pyramid scheme has caused the Wuhuan people to rebel and steal grain.

If we want to stabilize Youzhou, we must first resolve this issue; otherwise, not only will the three Hu cavalry commanders be unable to leave, but Liu Bei himself will also be in great danger.

After all, Liu Bei had almost driven Zhang Chun to the brink of despair before, so if Zhang Chun were to launch a major rebellion, Liu Bei would inevitably be the first target.

Although Zhang Ju's system will eventually collapse, it is very powerful at present, and can be used to coerce a large number of Hu people to his command.

But, but.

Even Liu Bei knew how to run a pyramid scheme...

How to do it?
Of course, you should use pyramid schemes to fight pyramid schemes.

Zhang Ju could get the Wuhuan and even Xianbei people to recruit others, so Liu Bei could certainly get the Youzhou people and Taihang bandits to recruit others...

Liu Bei didn't have any titles like Celestial Master or religious leader, but he did have the authority of the imperial court. The emperor had granted Liu Bei the imperial seal to oversee the Wuhuan people—which was actually much more effective than any title like "Son of Heaven."

After all, this is an official pyramid scheme... a state-owned enterprise.

It sounds very reliable.

Liu Bei's specific methods were actually somewhat similar to Zhang Ju's, but what Liu Bei wanted was not rice, but cattle, sheep and horses.

Whether commoners or slaves, anyone who could bring in two oxen, ten sheep, or a horse as a gift could be promoted one rank in the military and become a "Gongshi" (the highest rank in the Han Dynasty, which freed the holder from all slavery and made them a son of a good family. They could hold official positions like scholars, but military service was still mandatory).

—You don't even have to donate yourself, you just have to let others do it.

If three Gongshi are developed, one can be promoted to 'Shangzao' (the second rank of nobility, which is already considered 'Shi', and usually can only be promoted through military merit).

Developing three superior skills would elevate one to the rank of 'Zan Niao,' granting them the right to ride in a carriage and thus qualifying them as nobles.

Developing three hairpins (a type of hairpin) makes one a "non-servant," exempt from all service obligations, thus truly qualifying as a noble.

At the same time, after offering cattle, sheep, and horses, profits were also distributed, with each level receiving a share.

Moreover, and most importantly, Liu Bei distributed profits without using money or rice.

Liu Bei distributed land!
If you donate a portion of cattle, sheep, or horses, you will receive a portion of land, ranging from 2 to 4 mu (approximately 0.33 acres) in size, with 4 mu (approximately 0.33 acres) of mountainous land and 2 mu (approximately 0.33 acres) of adjacent flat land.

If a subordinate offers cattle, sheep, or horses, both the person offering the horses and the person offering them will receive a share of the land, and the superior will also receive a share.

It's essentially like selling land for cattle, sheep, and horses.

If your subordinates are helpful and recruit many people, your land holdings will grow rapidly even without doing anything, and you will also receive a corresponding military rank.

Having a military rank meant being a law-abiding citizen, and if one could rise to the rank of "Bu Geng," it was equivalent to being a powerful local magnate, exempt from corvée labor, which basically guaranteed that one's property would not be seized by the powerful.

Of course, grain tax cannot be waived.

There are currently four ranks of nobility, but the fifth rank actually benefits the most.

The highest level, the fifth rank, is not Liu Bei.

Liu Bei himself didn't need to distribute land—he only needed to collect taxes, not distribute land...

The highest level, the fifth level, consists of the actual leaders of each 'business team,' such as Zuo Zi, Xianyu Fu, Wang Men, Xu Rong, and Liu Bei's subordinates like Zuo Yuan and Jian Yong. Since the people who initially went out to develop their downlines were their subordinates, they could naturally obtain the profits generated by their subordinates.

The benefits of the fifth level are of course the highest, and it is almost equivalent to reaping the rewards without effort. However, with the highest benefits come corresponding obligations—the obligation to obey Liu Bei's command and to never allow people to be enslaved. If one wants to farm, one can only hire tenants.

It was no longer 'cooperation' but 'obedience,' which meant complete devotion to Liu Bei's cause.

In fact, this system can be infinitely tiered. The reason it is only set at four levels is because the 'Bu Geng' and above are 'Dai Fu' – Liu Bei only granted genuine titles, and he did not have the authority to grant the title of Dai Fu to others at the moment.

Furthermore, the Xihe Medical Clinic provides free medical care to those with military ranks, a benefit that has always been in place.

At the same time, if a person with a military rank had his land seized or plundered, Liu Bei would send troops to help him take it back—this was also a normal benefit.

If someone wants to join the army, that's fine too. As long as they meet the training standards, they can receive the benefits of a full-fledged sergeant.

Gongshi can directly become a regular soldier; Shangzao can become a squad leader; Zanniao can become a tunzhang if he is literate, and a shizhang if he is illiterate; Bugeng can become a bairen dui sui liu, which corresponds exactly to the military ranks.

Moreover, this is completely reasonable and legal, because it is considered raising funds for the military.

Those who contribute military resources should be granted titles or official positions. Liu Bei, holding the imperial seal and commanding the military affairs of the Wuhuan, could indeed legally grant military ranks below the rank of Daifu to those who 'contribute military resources'—moreover, in the past, officials actually distributed the military resources they raised... there was no difference.

It's just that no one uses the logic of pyramid schemes to raise military funds.

An official pyramid scheme certified by the imperial court, and it directly distributes land—that's far more appealing than dividing a plot of land into plots of rice…

As for farmland, there is land everywhere in Xihe, Ganling, Guangyang, Shanggu... Liu Bei has taken away so many powerful clans, now he is only afraid that no one will farm it, not that there will be not enough land.

Many fields in Shanggu and Guangyang are indeed close to the border and the Taihang Mountains, which is somewhat dangerous.

But if one obtains a military rank, the army will protect these fields. Besides, some of the Wuhuan people who are friendly to the Han, as well as the bandits from the Taihang Mountains, can also participate in this matter. What they actually want is land near the border.

This model is backed by the current imperial court, and of course it cannot be implemented for a long time, but that doesn't matter, as long as it can be maintained until Zhang Ju's side collapses first.

The Han people didn't have that many cattle, sheep, and horses, so how could they participate?

Of course, it's to deceive the Hu people... or even rob them.

But deception is definitely more profitable than robbery, because this thing works on the logic of a pyramid scheme: bring the Hu people to Liu Bei's side, and the people here will help deceive them...

Who are the people who are most likely to profit, most likely to deceive the Hu people, and most willing to participate in this matter?
Of course, it was Zhang Ju and Zhang Chun's men... especially those lowly retainers and servants.

Besides these, there were Han Chinese in the territories of the Hu people in various parts of Youzhou, as well as criminals from the Taihang Mountains.

People of high status look down on these four ranks of nobility, but ordinary soldiers, commoners, lowly servants, and criminals certainly do. Not only do they admire them, but they will fight to the death for them—even if they risk their lives on the battlefield, they may not be able to obtain them.

Anyone is fine, the more the merrier.

In order to quickly spread this pyramid scheme logic, Liu Bei also summoned the people of Xihe, the three Hu cavalry commanders, and the bandits of Taihang Mountain to hold a large-scale marketing meeting.

Zuo Yuan was in charge of distribution and dissemination, while Jian Yong was in charge of logistics management. This pyramid scheme, which was almost unsolvable for the people of the Han Dynasty, began to spread rapidly throughout Youzhou through Zuo Yuan's intelligence network.

Zou Jing was almost dumbfounded. When he served as the Protector of the Wuhuan, he had also supervised the army with the imperial insignia, but he never expected that the insignia could be used in this way...

The Han Dynasty court may have been a chessboard for powerful families, but for the Hu people, commoners, and criminals, it was an irreplaceable legitimate platform.

Although there are rebels everywhere nowadays, most of them still regard the Han Dynasty as the legitimate dynasty. Beigong Boyu also rebelled under the banner of "purging the court of corrupt officials and eliminating eunuchs".

The first to respond to Liu Bei were the three Hu cavalry commanders.

After all, they were close to the Hu people, making it the easiest for them to obtain cattle, sheep, and horses.

Xianyu Fu was naturally the first to support it, but the one with the best "performance" was not Xianyu Fu, but Wang Men.

Just as Qiu Liju arrived in Changping with 6,000 cavalry to demand an explanation, Wang Men brought the families of many of Qiu Liju's cavalrymen to Liu Bei.

The Wuhuan people of Liaoxi would indeed fight alongside their chieftains, but their families would much rather receive military titles from the Han Dynasty. Their reason for going to war was ultimately to be able to farm and live a good life in the Han people's fertile lands; they couldn't steal land by robbing...

Moreover, they don't need to provide their own cattle, sheep, and horses; they can have others provide them, for example, by tricking or stealing cattle and horses from other tribes, or...

Stealing the cattle and horses from Zhang Chun's men would also be acceptable.

(End of this chapter)