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

Chapter 188 General of the Household and Cavalry Captain

By late July, the grain harvest in Xihe had been completed.

Zhang Yan reorganized the various bandit armies, and from then on, there were no more Taihang bandits, only the Black Mountain Army.

After reorganization, tens of thousands of troops, under the banner of 'righteousness,' went in batches to Shanggu, Guangyang, Yuyang, Youbeiping and other places to support the border war.

There were some small-scale skirmishes during this period, but nothing major happened.

It wasn't that Zhang Yan was shirking his duties; in fact, Zhang Yan really wanted to gain more spoils. The main problem was that the army was too large, and the Xianbei people would run away as soon as they saw the large force.

Although the Black Mountain Army obtained many warhorses from Zhang Chun in Xihe, it was indeed difficult for them to catch up with the Xianbei.

Zhang Yan strolled around the Guangyang border, not collecting many heads, but the border defenses were quickly stabilized, and the Xianbei people did indeed all retreat.

Guan Yu had previously achieved considerable success in Ji County.

Ji County was the place where the Xianbei attacked most fiercely, and it was also the most important fortress in Youzhou. If Ji County were captured, the Xianbei would be able to advance deep into the heart of the Han Dynasty.

Therefore, the Xianbei people launched a pincer attack with tens of thousands of cavalry, trapping Guan Yu in Jixian City.

But Guan Yu was not so easy to deal with. The Xianbei people left more than two thousand corpses outside Ji County, but they had no way to deal with the county where Guan Yu was stationed.

However, Guan Yu had few soldiers, most of whom were infantry, so he could not pursue the Xianbei people and could only defend passively.

After Zhang Fei went to reinforce the city, he repelled the Xianbei people outside Ji County. Subsequently, he and Guan Yu respectively recovered Changping and Anci.

The two men held the key points in the north and east of Guangyang, and the vast majority of Xianbei people were confined to Yuyang County.

The Xianbei people had not gained any advantage to begin with, so after the tens of thousands of troops of the Black Mountain Army arrived in the northern frontier, the Xianbei quickly withdrew.

By early August, there was no longer any fighting in Guangyang.

However, the situation in Youbeiping was more complicated.

Previously, Zhang Chun forced Gong Qichou to commit suicide, and the Wuhuan (Wuyan tribe) of Youbeiping instigated a riot among the mine slaves, which tied up Xianyu Fu and Xu Rong. Wangmen also encountered an attack by Qiuliju in Shimen Gorge. All three Hu cavalry commanders were trapped in Youbeiping.

Wang Men was ambushed in Shimen Gorge with no way to retreat. He fought a fierce battle with Qiuliju and suffered heavy losses, with his Wuhuan cavalry scattering in all directions. Wang Men managed to escape with only a few dozen men to Feiru in western Liao, barely managing to save his life.

Liu Zheng, the governor of Youbeiping, originally led troops to support Wangmen and was stationed at Lulong Pass, but was defeated by Zhang Ju and Qiu Liju.

Liu Zheng retreated to the Rushui Copper Mine, where he died in battle at the smelter in late July. All the copper ingots stored at the smelter were looted by Qiu Liju, and most of the miners were also taken away.

After plundering the mining area, Zhang Ju and Qiu Liju went beyond the Great Wall to Bailang Mountain.

Xianyu Fu and Xu Rong were trapped in Wuzhong by tens of thousands of miners. When they tried to break out, they were intercepted by Wuyan and failed to break out. Afterwards, their troops ran out of food and had to slaughter their horses to hold on.

After the Black Mountain Army rushed to the border, the Xianbei retreated completely. Since the Lulong Pass and Shimen Gorge were no longer guarded, the Xianbei all went towards Youbeiping.

This put even more pressure on Xianyu Fu and Xu Rong in Wuzhong—tens of thousands of Xianbei cavalrymen were retreating from Yuyang to Lulong Pass, and most of them had to pass through Wuzhong.

The mining slaves who were besieging Wuzhong were killed by the retreating Xianbei people on their way, but Xianyu Fu and Xu Rong, who were short of soldiers and food, were also almost killed by the Xianbei people.

Fortunately, the Xianbei army was eager to retreat, which allowed the two of them to hold on.

When Liu Bei led his troops to Wuzhong to provide relief, they had almost no soldiers left.

Some fled, others died, leaving the two with less than two hundred men, all wounded and without a single horse.

All three Hu cavalry commanders were decimated, and all three thousand Wuhuan cavalry are now gone.

Because all the Wuhuan tribes participated in Zhang Chun's rebellion, after the Black Mountain army arrived at the border, all the Wuhuan tribes except for the Shanggu Wuhuan fled.

There's nowhere left to recruit Wuhuan cavalry.

The Wuhuan tribe of Shanggu had already deployed more than a thousand soldiers, and all of them had now died in battle alongside the three Hu cavalry commanders. If they were to recruit more cavalry from the Wuhuan tribe of Shanggu, they would truly refuse.

The Wuhuan people who had previously attached themselves to Liu Bei through pyramid schemes were also unwilling to join the army—why would they go to war when they could cultivate land and make money?
However, Liu Bei's official position was "Supervisor of Wuhuan Military Affairs," and his specific task was to organize three thousand Wuhuan cavalry to support the war in Liangzhou—it seemed that this task would not be completed in the short term.

After convening his generals for discussion, Liu Bei sent more than two thousand Xianbei heads and a slightly modified battle report to Luoyang.

……

Luoyang.

Chongde Hall.

This is the inner palace of the Southern Palace, where the emperor handled confidential government affairs.

At the beginning of the year, the Nangong Palace was destroyed by fire. The Quefei Hall was completely burned down, and all the official documents that the emperor kept in the Quefei Hall were burned to ashes. Many private appointments, charges, and evidence were also burned away.

Fortunately, Chongde Hall was still usable, otherwise Liu Hong would have had nowhere to conduct his official business.

It can only be said that the fires in the palace always have eyes, and they always only burn the emperor's territory.

"...Zhang Ju overstepped his bounds, falsely claiming to be the emperor, and used witchcraft to bewitch the Donghu; Zhang Chun proclaimed himself a general, instigated the Wuhuan to rebel, and colluded with the Xianbei to invade You and Bing."

"Zhang Chun's rebel army, together with Qiu Liju and other Wuhuan tribes, numbered over 100,000, and there were also more than 50,000 Xianbei Hu bandits. The Taihang bandit Zuo Zi also led 50,000 mountain bandits to take advantage of the situation and cause chaos... The total number of bandits reached 200,000."

“The Protector of Wuhuan, Gong Zuanchou, and the Prefect of Youbeiping, Liu Zheng, were both killed by Ju and Chun. The three commanderies of Yuyang, Youbeiping, and Liaoxi all fell into the hands of the rebels.”

"With few soldiers and generals, he sent a messenger to lure Zhang Chun and Zuo Zi into a fight, leaving them both dead in Zhuo County, west of the river."

"The Hu cavalry commanders Xianyu Fu and Xu Rong held their ground until the very end, leading two thousand cavalry against twenty thousand enemy soldiers in a desperate battle. When Liu Bei led reinforcements, the enemy had already exhausted their arrows and food supplies, and almost the entire army had been wiped out, with only a hundred or so survivors, yet they still shouted to kill the enemy..."

"Wang Men held Lulong Pass, repelling ten thousand Xianbei cavalry with only a small force, and held out for over a month. Qiu Liju launched a surprise attack from the rear, and Wang Men was attacked from both sides. After several days of bloody fighting, he was seriously wounded, and his troops were almost all killed or wounded. When the enemy counterattacked and recaptured Lulong Pass, the bricks and stones inside and outside the city were all red, and the blood in Shimen Gorge could be used to float oars..."

"Wen Shu, the governor of Zhuojun, led his army to aid Juyong and fought a bloody battle with the Xianbei for ten months. Countless people were killed or wounded, but not a single Donghu raider was allowed to enter the area south of Juyong."

"Military Commander Guan Yu led a lone force of over ten thousand enemy soldiers to defend Ji County. Military Officer Zhang Fei took the lead and killed thirteen Xianbei centurions in battle, beheading over two thousand in one fight. The Xianbei were terrified and never dared to re-enter Guangyang. Unfortunately, Guangyang had few soldiers and lacked warhorses and fine steeds, so it was unable to pursue the enemy to the north."

"Youzhou is in ruins, and the enemy outnumbers us... Fortunately, Zhang Yan of the Black Mountain Righteous Army came to our aid with all his might, which greatly boosted the morale of the soldiers and civilians. Everyone was determined to fight to the death, and the Xianbei were so afraid that they all retreated. Zhang Chun and Qiuli fled to Bailang Mountain, while Zhang Ju joined the Xianbei and hid in Liaodong. Zuo Zi was captured alive by Zhang Yan and has been presented as a prisoner to the capital."

"But the bandit leaders Ju and Chun are still alive, and we are worried that they may rise again. We are also worried that the northern border is undefended. We earnestly request that new troops be recruited in Youzhou and that provisions and pay be allocated to fill the gaps in the border troops. We also request that you have pity on the soldiers and civilians of Youzhou who have suffered from the calamities of war and grant exemption from taxes for Youzhou this year."

"I was ordered to oversee the affairs of the Wuhuan, but now the Wuhuan have rebelled. The border is of great importance and the fate of the nation rests on our shoulders. I request that we provide relief to the people and strengthen the army before taking over the Wuhuan."

“Zhang Yan has rendered great service to the country by leading the Black Mountain rebels. He is a model of loyalty and righteousness in suppressing the rebellion. I request that he be appointed as a general to pacify the mountains of Hebei.”

"On the fifth day of the eighth month of the second year of Zhongping, Liu Bei, the military commander of Wuhuan and the commander of the capital, respectfully submitted a memorial."

Liu Hong was listening to Zhang Rang read the military report sent back by Liu Bei.

The military report was mostly accurate, and it included the names of various military officers and Wen Shu, among others.

He merely spoke a few kind words to the few Hu cavalry commanders who had suffered heavy losses, and exaggerated the number of rebel troops...

If Liu Bei hadn't been involved in pyramid schemes, Zhang Ju, Zhang Chun, and Qiu Liju could indeed have raised over 100,000 people, but that number includes the elderly, women, and children... Zhang Chun, Zhang Ju, and the Wuhuan cavalry, combined, only amounted to 15,000, and they were indeed all cavalry.

The Xianbei people numbered about 15,000, and the number besieging Guan Yu was indeed close to 10,000. Guan Yu and Zhang Fei's battle achievements were not exaggerated; the thirteen centurions they killed were real, but they were not killed in one battle. It took several battles to achieve this result.

Zuo Zi organized 30,000 men, but in reality, after Zhang Yan killed Zuo Zi, the others wisely surrendered. The so-called 50,000 Taihang bandits included 20,000 old, weak, women and children from Xihe.

Battle reports are all like this.

Liu Bei had already given a very honest report.

"The same is true of Liangzhou, and the same is true of Youzhou... After Zhang Jiao's rebellion, how many wolves and wolves have shown their ambitions..."

Liu Hong sighed softly, "Grandpa, what do you think should be done about this?"

"I believe we should quickly pacify Zhang Yan of Heishan, otherwise he may be won over by others..."

Zhang Rang bowed and replied.

"I'm not asking Zhang Yan... I'm saying, with rebellions everywhere... what should we do?"

Liu Hong sighed again: "Of course we should appease Zhang Yan of Heishan. With this battle report, there will be no more obstacles in the court. But what about Liangzhou? What about Yizhou? The Xianling Qiang rebellion is still difficult to win, and the barbarians of Ba Commandery have rebelled again... These barbarians have never been quiet..."

"Your Majesty, this is how the Hu people are... If a country has no internal troubles, it will have no external troubles; if it has internal troubles, it will surely have external troubles... If the country is at peace, it can resist external threats."

Zhang Rang was indeed cultured; his words were quite philosophical.

"Yes, we need to settle things internally first..."

After thinking for a while, Liu Hong nodded and said, "Go and discuss the matter of recruiting Heishan... and recall Liu Yu as well."

……

In mid-August, Zhang Rang went to Shexian County with the emperor's edict.

The fact that the emperor was willing to send out the highest-ranking eunuch in the palace to offer amnesty shows that he truly valued the Black Mountain region.

Zhang Rang was very efficient, but he didn't know how many horses had died on the way.

The emperor accepted Liu Bei's battle report and labeled Zhang Chun, Zhang Ju, and Zuo Zi, the bandit leader from Taihang, as traitors.

The battle between the Taihang bandits and Zhang Chun in Xihe was characterized as Liu Bei "plotting to incite infighting among the rebels," while Zhang Yan "pacified the Taihang bandits and captured their leader, Zuo Zi."

With this conclusion reached, the merits of pacifying the Taihang Mountains and repelling the Xianbei were used to recruit the Black Mountain Army. There were no opposing voices in the court, which is why Zhang Rang arrived so quickly.

The emperor granted Zhang Yan the title of "General Who Pacifies the Difficulties," allowing him to establish his own government and manage military and political affairs in the mountainous region north of the Yellow River. He was also authorized to recommend candidates for official positions to the court annually and to send clerks to Luoyang to report on his work.

This is essentially treating the Taihang Mountains as a large prefecture, or even a state.

Moreover, Zhang Yan's authority extends to both military and political matters.

The other bandit leaders who volunteered for the battle were also given appointments such as Commandant of the Pass or Military Governor of the Agricultural Settlement.

The so-called Guanduwei were actually just mountain peaks, and the Tuntian Sima were actually just valleys...

In name, they were considered generals of the imperial court, but were under the command of Zhang Yan; in reality, Zhang Yan had the final say, since the emperor did not provide them with money or provisions, only official titles and ranks.

This was all planned from the beginning, and it was no different from Liu Bei's design.

However, the emperor did not assign Liu Bei to be in charge of the amnesty, and the person who delivered the edict to Liu Bei was not Zhang Rang, but an ordinary court envoy.

……

At the end of August, Liu Bei received an imperial edict, the contents of which were:
“Imperial edict: The Book of Changes has the teaching that ‘one should be wary of those who dwell in virtue,’ and the Zuo Zhuan has the teaching that ‘one should strive to eliminate all disease.’”

"I have heard that there are traitors who falsely claim to be the emperor and have usurped the title of general, causing the Wuhuan and Xianbei to raid the borders repeatedly, and the people of You and Bing have suffered greatly as a result. I am deeply saddened by this."

"Commander Liu Bei is well-versed in military affairs and his authority extends to You and Yan. He is hereby promoted to Cavalry Commandant to oversee the suppression of rebellions and the execution of traitors. All commanderies and passes below the rank of Commandant will be under his command."

"The border regions are of paramount importance, and the fate of the nation rests upon them. I hereby issue an order to clearly inform the troops and strictly enforce the watchtowers. Anyone who beheads Ju, Chun, or any Xianbei chieftain shall be granted the title of Marquis within the Pass. This order shall be proclaimed far and wide, so that all may know my will."

The imperial edict reassigned Liu Bei to the position of Cavalry Commandant, removing him from his military command of the Wuhuan and his post as Commandant of Ganling.

However, although the edict stated that "all officials below the rank of commandery governor are subject to his command," it did not actually appoint Liu Bei as commander-in-chief. Instead, it instructed him to find a way to kill the rebels Zhang Ju, Zhang Chun, and Qiu Liju.

In other words, Liu Bei's imperial tally will be revoked, and the emperor has no authority to recruit new troops to restore the border defense forces.

The post of supervising the Wuhuan was temporary. Now that the Wuhuan have joined Zhang Ju and Zhang Chun in their rebellion, it is normal to take this post back.

However, the transfer from Ganling Commandant to Cavalry Commandant was only a lateral move.

The rank of Cavalry Commandant is the same as that of Commandant of a Prefecture, both being equivalent to a salary of 2,000 shi (a unit of grain).

Moreover, the title of Cavalry Commandant is just a nice name, with the title of "Emperor's Personal Guard," but in reality, their authority is not as great as that of the Commandant of the Prefecture...

They had no fixed jurisdiction, could not recruit soldiers directly, had no administrative power, and had no right to wage war; they could only act according to imperial orders.

This merely transferred Liu Bei's organization from the local to the central government, without any real benefit—the Cavalry Commandant belonged to the central military system and was subordinate to the Grand Master of Ceremonies.

The emperor was probably expressing his trust in Liu Bei, but also trying to force Liu Bei to take sides.

But for Liu Bei, this meant distrust.

This is essentially equivalent to a boss telling an employee, "I trust you," but actually installing surveillance cameras in all four corners of the office...

If you truly trust Liu Bei and genuinely want him to guard Youzhou and completely eliminate the rebels like Zhang Ju, Zhang Chun, and Qiu Liju, then you should let Liu Bei take control of the military affairs in Youzhou.

Or even being demoted and appointed as the governor of Youzhou would be fine, otherwise he would have no real power and how could he quell the rebellion?

Besides, Liu Bei was originally supposed to be promoted.

His merit in defeating the Xianbei alone was enough to warrant a promotion to captain.

After all, the war in Youzhou was led by Liu Bei. Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, who had been blocking the Xianbei from entering the heartland of the Han Dynasty, were both Liu Bei's subordinates. Zhang Yan was also brought by Liu Bei to reinforce Youzhou.

In other words, Liu Hong completely disregarded the battle achievements mentioned in Liu Bei's battle report—no one's battle achievements were mentioned.

When Liu Bei received the imperial edict, he remained calm, but everyone else found it hard to believe.

Zhang Yan, a true traitor, was promoted to general, while Liu Bei, an official who actually got things done, was demoted...

Is this Han emperor courting death?

(End of this chapter)