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

Chapter 183 Insider
June of the second year of Zhongping.

Guangping.

"...Now that you are about to die, you still don't realize it? Liu Bei has already identified you as the mastermind behind the assassination attempt. If you don't join forces with me, you can only wait to die here!"

Zhang Chun was very impolite to Gong Qichou.

"Join forces? Join forces to cause trouble? Zhang Chun, it was clearly you who plotted to assassinate Liu Bei. Do you think I don't know? I am virtuous and incompetent, and would never dare to do such a treasonous thing!"

Gong Qichou glared angrily at Zhang Chun and refused to cooperate.

"Then you shall die here..."

Zhang Chun directly ordered his men to threaten him with swords and axes: "Gong Qichou, you are indeed without virtue or talent. All I wanted was your seal of office as Protector of the Wuhuan... Since you are unwilling to walk with me, then serve the Han Dynasty loyally!"

"Zhang Chun! How dare you..."

Gong Qichou was greatly alarmed and retreated repeatedly.

“Kill him…use his seal to write a letter to Xianyu Fu’s camp, so that Xianyu Fu can come and take over the mines…”

Zhang Chun gave instructions to his subordinate, Wang Zheng.

……

Two days later, Xianyu Fu received a letter from Gong Qichou.

The letter stated that he was offering the Guangping Mine as a gift and asked Xianyu Fu to help him defend the assassination attempt on Liu Bei.

Xianyu Fu did not go to Guangping, but replied that he could not resolve the matter and that Gongqi Chou should go to Xihe to explain himself.

Shortly thereafter, a riot broke out at the Guangping mine, and tens of thousands of miners fled to Wuzhong.

Xianyu Fu originally intended to send troops to pacify and appease them, but his troops were all Wuhuan cavalry. The miners were even more terrified of the Wuhuan cavalry and became even more uncontrollable.

After forcibly arresting and questioning several miners, Xianyu Fu learned that the riot in Guangping was caused by the Wuhuan people killing people everywhere in the mining area, and the miners had been constantly pursued by cavalry after fleeing the mining area.

No wonder they rioted when they saw the Wuhuan cavalry.

These miners also said that Gong Qichou died at the hands of the Hu people.

Xianyu Fu thought of the letter he had received earlier and understood that it was probably meant to stall him, otherwise these miners wouldn't all be heading to Wuzhong.

But even if he understood, there was nothing he could do. Xianyu Fu could ignore the life or death of Gong Qichou, but he could not ignore the riot of tens of thousands of miners.

These miners have no food or clothing, and if left unattended, they will have no choice but to resort to plunder to survive.

At this time, many Hu slaves who had submitted to Liu Bei settled in Youbeiping. If these miners continued to roam and plunder, the unrest would become increasingly serious.

Xianyu Fu had no choice but to first allocate some military rations to appease the miners and then send messages to various places to inform them of the matter.

But he did not ask anyone for help—since he knew that the enemy was trying to hold him back, he certainly could not ask his allies to come, lest they all be held back as well.

However, Wang Men and Xu Rong, who were already in Youbeiping, spontaneously provided support.

Wang Men was settling the surrendered Hu slaves in the Lulong Pass area. Knowing that Wuzhong had little grain reserves and worried that Xianyu Fu might be trapped, he ordered the surrendered Hu people to drive some sheep to Wuzhong—this was the fastest way to transport grain in the absence of roads.

Xu Rong then organized a team from Tuyin to provide support to Wuzhong.

Wang Men meant well, but he had no experience in dealing with riots—the miners were already angry and hungry, and there was probably someone instigating them. When they saw the Hu people's sheep, they immediately started looting and even killed several Hu people.

Those Hu people who were killed were actually registered as Han Chinese, and they had come to deliver food as aid, yet they died unjustly at the hands of a group of starving miners.

Xianyu Fu had no choice but to send troops to suppress the rebellion. Xu Rong arrived at this time and temporarily drove back the miners.

However, this incident undoubtedly exacerbated the conflict, and the miners' riot is unlikely to be resolved in a short period of time.

At this very moment, large numbers of Xianbei people began to invade in several routes.

Wang Men held the Lulong Pass, leading his troops to block the Xianbei people at Shimen and quickly relaying the alarm.

Upon receiving the news, the troops originally stationed in Zhuojun and Guangyang rushed to the border and took over key locations in Guangyang.

Wen Shu led the county troops to Juyong Pass, Guan Yu led his army to Ji County and sealed off Changping City Pass, while Zhang Nan guarded Anci.

The main force of the Xianbei people appears to have been confined to the Yanshan area.

But Zhang Ju suddenly opened up the northern pass of Yuyang, leading the Xianbei army south along the Lu River, plundering the counties of Yuyang and Yongnu along the way—he really gave Yuyang to the Xianbei!

The delivery was very thorough...

The Zhang family's ancestral home in Yuyang County was also plundered by the Xianbei, which provided the Xianbei with ample military provisions, eliminating the need for looting along the way and allowing them to move at an extremely fast pace!

Subsequently, the Xianbei army quickly passed through Yuyang County and appeared in the southeast of Ji County, defeating Zhang Nan, who was stationed in Anci, and besieging Ji County.

At the same time, Changping was also attacked by the Xianbei army.

The Xianbei army suddenly appeared behind him, and Guan Yu was surrounded in Ji County, caught in a pincer attack.

Liu Zheng, the prefect of Youbeiping, also led more than a thousand men to reinforce Wangmen, but Lulong Pass was now free of enemies.

When Wang Men learned that the Xianbei army was marching south from Yuyang, he ordered Liu Zheng to garrison Lulong Pass while he led his troops back to reinforce the area. However, he was attacked by Qiu Liju in Shimen Gorge.

Xianyu Fu and Xu Rong also planned to abandon Wuzhong, give up the miners, and return to Guangyang, but at this time they were intercepted by the Wuyan tribe of the Youbeiping Wuhuan—the same Wuyan tribe that had previously killed the miners and caused the riots.

Guan Yu was trapped in Ji County, and the three Hu cavalry commanders were all intercepted in Youbeiping and unable to return to provide reinforcements. Of the three commandery troops in Zhuojun, two had already gone to Juyong, and Zhangnan had been defeated by the Xianbei.

Zhang Fei led his cavalry from Xihe to Jixian to provide reinforcements. This was Liu Bei's personal guard and reserve force of new recruits, and also the last troops under Liu Bei's command.

There are no troops available to be mobilized in Guangyang, Zhuojun, Youbeiping and other places.

Just then, Zhang Chun led four thousand cavalrymen to the banks of the Juma River.

These are all of Zhang Chun's current cavalry.

Originally, Zhang Chun was capable of organizing tens of thousands of troops. The Zhang family had been operating in the Hu region for many years, and in the past two years, their involvement in the Mitian Sect had attracted many Hu people to join them, giving them a large number of horses.

But ever since Liu Bei started his pyramid scheme, most of Zhang's slaves and servants have run away, and Zhang Chun, who didn't run away, no longer dared to trust them...

The army was reduced to only clansmen and retainers—there were still nearly 10,000 horses, but only 4,000 men were still usable, and the cattle and sheep had all been stolen.

That's why Zhang Chun is in such a hurry.

The current situation seems to be much as Zhang Chun predicted—Liu Bei is seriously injured and unable to attend to state affairs, his troops are all tied up in Guangyang and Youbeiping, Zhuojun is without troops, and Xihe is empty...

But, but.

When Zhang Chun led his army into Xihe, the situation he encountered was quite different from what he had imagined.

He did not see any elderly, weak, women, or children in Xihe.

As soon as Zhang Chun rushed into the Xihe residential area and reached the vicinity of Liu Bei's large manor, he saw countless Taihang bandits wielding weapons emerge from the houses in Xihe and quickly form an encirclement...

...Liu Bei was no longer at the Xihe Medical Clinic. He, Jian Yong, Zuo Yuan, and others were all in Zhuo County, and Yue Yin and the others had also been transferred there.

Zuo Yuan's spies have already brought news that Zhang Chun has led his troops into Xihe.

The three hundred armored cavalry guards were still by Liu Bei's side, each with two horses, but Zhang Fei was indeed not there.

Zhang Fei really did go to Ji County to support Guan Yu, but he didn't bring his guards; instead, he brought the reserve force from Xihe, consisting of the remaining Yellow Turban troops who had just completed their basic training.

Liu Bei deliberately spread the news that he was seriously injured and went to great lengths to "investigate the assassin's accomplices," making such a big fuss in order to make people believe that he was seriously injured and to lure Zhang Chun to Xihe to kill him in one fell swoop.

The main reason Liu Bei didn't personally ambush Zhang Chun at Xihe was that he really didn't have many troops left. Rather than overstepping his bounds and commanding the Taihang bandits, it was better to hide outside and intercept Zhang Chun.

Liu Bei truly did not expect that Zhang Ju would be willing to cede his hometown of Yuyang County to the Xianbei for plunder.

This collaborator was so thorough—which ironically made it impossible for anyone to accuse the Zhang family of colluding with the Xianbei, since the Zhang family had been plundered.

Moreover, Zhang Chun and Zhang Ju's organizational abilities truly exceeded Liu Bei's expectations.

The fact that Zhang Ju and Zhang Chun were able to hold back Liu Bei and his allies involved such a complicated troop arrangement and the coordination of so many foreign troops, yet they managed to arrange everything so appropriately at the same time.

To be honest, the Zhang brothers' ability to mobilize such a large army was admirable; Liu Bei felt that he probably couldn't have done it himself.

No wonder these two brothers were able to occupy most of Youzhou within two years in the original history.

Sending Zhang Fei to support Guan Yu was a last-minute arrangement made out of necessity, as Liu Bei could not allow the Xianbei to launch a large-scale invasion.

Liu Bei went to Zhuo County because Zhuo County had no soldiers left to use, and Zhang Fei took away the last troops from Xihe.

However, Xihe didn't need any troops in the first place...

The Taihang bandits are currently unable to fight from a distance, so sending them to conquer Yuyang or resist the Xianbei is definitely not feasible. However, if they are sent to Xihe to protect their families and food supplies, then of course they can be mobilized with full force.

Zuo Zi brought a full 30,000 men to Xihe—all the able-bodied men that could be mobilized in the northern Taihang Mountains at the moment. They were also there to help with the harvesting and transportation of grain, as the grain in Xihe would soon be ripe.

The ambush organized by Zuo Zi and Zhang Ba in Xihe was quite large in scale...

This cannot be called an ambush; this is called an encirclement and annihilation.

Zhang Chun's cavalry had already charged into the Xihe residential area. The houses in Xihe were built very densely, and with a large number of warhorses in the area, they would lose the space for mounted archery and maneuvering, and would have to fight on foot.

Now that Zhang Chun is surrounded, he'll be lucky to escape. Liu Bei just needs to lead his elite guards outside to intercept him.

Liu Bei led 300 armored cavalrymen to Zhuo County, while Qian Zhao led 300 light cavalrymen to the Wuhuan tribe north of the Xihe River.

If Zhang Chun had not been surrounded and killed at Xihe, he would have been intercepted no matter whether he tried to break out to the east or north. In addition, with the Taihang bandits pursuing him, they would not have been able to let him escape back to Yuyang.

At the same time, this also prevents any stragglers from suddenly attacking the vulnerable Zhuoxian County.

"My lord, news has come from Zuo Zi: Zhang Chun has abandoned most of his troops and is breaking out to the south!"

Zuo Yuan received another urgent report.

"South? Towards Zhongshan?"

Liu Bei was somewhat surprised. Zhang Chunzhen really knew how to choose; there really wasn't any extra person arranged to intercept him in the south.

Yuyang is located northeast of Xihe. Logically, if Zhang Chun wanted to break through, he should have headed east or north.

The Taihang Mountains are to the west, so Zhang Chun naturally wouldn't go west.

If you go south, after crossing the Juma River, there is a rocky river valley formed when the ancient Lai River (that was the name of the Juma River before it changed course) changed its course.

The valley, having been repeatedly altered over several miles, has completely dried up and is now flat, so passage is not a problem.

But the valley is full of pebbles and rocky beaches, making it difficult to move quickly—horses have a hard time running on such rocky terrain.

On the contrary, people from the Taihang Mountains would be very fast chasers in this environment, since the Taihang bandits were very familiar with that place.

In addition, there was nowhere to hide in that valley, and one could see for miles. The reason why the Gulai River kept changing its course was because that area was too peaceful.

If you continue south, you will reach the Qin Ancient Road and the canyon on the eastern foothills of the Taihang Mountains. That is the boundary between Zhuojun and Zhongshan. You have to go around Beixincheng to get to Zhongshan. However, Beixincheng is now guarded by people from the Taihang Mountains.

If Zhang Chun were to break out to the south, he would inevitably have to pass through a rocky beach. He wouldn't be able to ride a horse at full speed, and he would be easily spotted. This was clearly not a good option for a quick escape.

Why would he run south?

Liu Bei shook his head and said to Jian Yong, "I will go to Qiu County to intercept them. Xianhe, hold Zhuo County and don't let anyone steal the city."

If Zhang Chunzhen could escape the rocky beach of the Laishui River Valley, she might be able to travel east along the Qin Ancient Road to Qiu County.

There used to be a Qin Dynasty road on the south bank of the ancient Laishui River. This road was an extension of the Feihu Road and used to lead all the way to Yuyang and Quanzhou.

However, this Qin imperial road has long been abandoned. The reason for its abandonment is that the road was cut off near Qiu County – it was cut off by the Juma River after the Lai River was diverted.

Liu Bei led his armored cavalry swiftly towards Qiu County, then crossed the river and pursued them westward along the Qin imperial road.

Soon, a group of Taihang bandits were seen riding eastward along the imperial road, but Liu Bei did not recognize the leader.

Where is Zhang Chun?

Liu Bei was shocked: "How could so many of you fail to keep an eye on him?"

"He didn't go to Qiu County?"

The leader of the Taihang bandits was also surprised: "I saw him break out to the south. He abandoned most of his warhorses and troops on the rocky beach. We were blocked for a while, but after defeating the enemy, we lost track of Zhang Chun... If we don't go east, there's no way to go south!"

Liu Bei frowned: "I've come all the way from Qiu County and haven't seen a single person! Where is Zuo Zi?"

"The leader was collecting spoils of war on the rocky beach... We rode after him."

The Taihang chieftain turned and looked around: "But I wonder where Zhang Chun has gone..."

"Since we can't find him, let's launch a massive manhunt... I'm offering a reward of ten million. Brothers, you must kill Zhang Chun. Whoever takes Zhang Chun's head, I will recommend him for an official position... or even a marquisate!"

Liu Bei stopped searching for Zhang Chun and instead put a bounty on the leader of the Taihang Mountains.

But at this moment...

The leader of the Taihang Mountains suddenly launched an attack on Liu Bei!
The spear pierced Liu Bei's chest, accompanied by a sharp whistling sound.

The attack was sudden. Although Liu Bei was somewhat wary of this unfamiliar bandit leader from Taihang, he really didn't expect the other party to attack him so openly. He only had time to instinctively dodge to the side.

This sideways movement did indeed allow the spear tip to pierce the breastplate, but the spear tip slid off and grazed Liu Bei's chest at an angle, leaving a wound.

The armored cavalry reacted quickly, swarming forward, while the Taihang leader, having missed his attack, immediately turned his horse and retreated.

"Don't chase!"

Liu Bei had already realized that this was a trap...

Besides the assassin from last time, there's another mole in the Taihang Mountains!
(End of this chapter)