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

Chapter 193 So-called Rebellion

As the saying goes, where there's a will, there's a way.

But that's just a common saying...

As we all know, proverbs are just sayings; listen to them but don't take them seriously.

There are plenty of ambitious people, but only a few actually succeed.

Just like Emperor Liu Hong, he was indeed working tirelessly day and night for the future of the country.

From working tirelessly in the Southern Palace to working tirelessly in the Western Garden, and then from working tirelessly in the Western Garden to working tirelessly in the Changqiu Palace, he certainly had ambition, but whether he would succeed or fail... it's hard to say.

What can truly be considered a great achievement is probably raising his two sons, a feat that far surpasses that of many previous emperors—before Liu Hong, there were very few emperors who could raise their sons to adulthood.

Therefore, Liu Hong at least achieved some success in increasing the population of the Han Dynasty...

Of course, as long as one is physically healthy and of normal sexual orientation, the desire to have children is generally achievable.

……

After Cao Cao returned to Pei County, he went out hunting every day. The number of animals he caught was uncertain, but he certainly caught a lot of women. In just three months, he took six concubines and held weddings on the first and fifteenth of every month...

Daily hard work certainly yielded results; in February of the third year of the Zhongping era, one of the concubines became pregnant.

The price he paid was that Madam Ding had a fight with him, and then took Cao Ang back to her parents' home...

……

After returning to Runan, Yuan Shao did not go hunting, but instead stayed at home every day to study diligently. Perhaps there were indeed beautiful women in the books, but as he read, he ended up with several beautiful concubines.

However, Yuan Shao's principal wife, Lady Liu, did not return to her parents' home, because while the other concubines' bellies remained empty, Lady Liu herself became pregnant again.

Because of her pregnancy, Lady Liu did not even return to Jizhou to attend her cousin's funeral—Lady Liu was the cousin of Liu Zheng, the governor of Youbeiping.

……

Yuan Shu was much more unrestrained in Nanyang. Without even making an excuse, he openly led his troops to seek out women everywhere, forcibly taking several beauties as concubines, and even successfully causing deaths—literally deaths.

In February of the third year of Zhongping (186 AD), the troops of Jiangxia County in Jingzhou, led by Zhao Ci, launched a mutiny, successively captured six cities, and besieged Nanyang.

Yuan Shu fled with his troops and the beauties he had just acquired, resulting in the Nanyang governor Qin Jie being killed by the rebels.

Zhao Ci launched his mutiny for a reason—Zhao Ci was serving as a soldier in Jiangxia, which made it inconvenient for him to bring his female relatives. His wife lived in Nanyang, and since there was no man in the house, she was forcibly taken by Yuan Shu…

But no one mentioned that this was Yuan Shu's fault. Zhao Ci was just an ordinary county soldier, not an official, so who cared...

Anyway, Zhao Ci became a traitor who plotted rebellion, and Qin Jie, that unlucky guy, could only blame his bad luck.

……

Liu Bei also caused a death in Xihe.

In February, Zuo Yuan was diagnosed with pregnancy.

This was naturally a joyous occasion, and Liu Bei distributed porridge everywhere in Ji County, Beixincheng, Juyong Pass, and other places with refugees, ensuring that everyone who came received food.

Even people from the Hu people can come and have a full meal.

Since Guan Yu had already brought back the first batch of copper coins from the Sunset Smelting Plant, Liu Bei mobilized his money-making power, continuously distributing money to various places to buy grain.

Regardless of the price, he'll buy as long as someone is willing to sell; he's incredibly generous.

Jian Yong, who was in charge of buying grain, was regarded as a god of wealth by the surrounding forces, which even gave rise to some scalpers who acted as middlemen.

Jian Yong told Liu Bei about this, but Liu Bei didn't care.

He's going to be a father soon, and like the other dad, he doesn't care about money, has never even touched it, and has no concept of it...

Since they were minting their own coins, of course they had no concept of inflation. Inflation was something the emperor had to consider; Liu Bei wasn't in a position to worry about it now.

But distributing porridge everywhere is not just for celebration, nor is it to win people's hearts; it is mainly for accumulating good deeds.

If a few meals can save the lives of refugees, then it is considered to have accumulated good karma for the unborn child.

Although Liu Bei didn't believe in ghosts and gods, he himself had transmigrated, and even transmigrated as a second-hand one. If he still didn't believe in some metaphysics, then he would be mentally unstable.

In addition to distributing porridge, Liu Bei also funded Xiu Niang and others to conduct large-scale free medical consultations in Xihe, especially for infectious diseases such as cold-related epidemics.

He wanted to ensure there were no sources of infection around his home, and also to accumulate some good karma.

In addition, the entire manor was completely redecorated inside and out... flooring was laid, greenhouses were built, flowers and plants were planted, dust was removed, and defenses were increased...

They even specially sent two jars of wine to Zhang Fei as betrothal gifts, and brought Zhang Fei's pet raccoon into their home to prevent rats from invading.

That cat wasn't a domesticated cat like those in later generations, but a rather wild tabby. It wasn't exactly docile, and even Liu Bei couldn't pet it. However, this cat was particularly affectionate towards Zuo Yuan.

Liu Bei and Zhang Fei have been frequently away on military campaigns for the past two years. Although Zhang Fei has family members at home, the cat has basically been raised by Zuo Yuan. This cat is a street urchin who runs to Liu Bei's house every day to freeload. Although it is said to be Zhang Fei's cat, it is actually most familiar with Zuo Yuan, and even Zhang Fei himself has almost been forgotten by the cat.

The clinic's rules were also implemented at home: anyone with even a little dirt on their clothes or hands was not allowed to enter.

Anything with sharp edges or thorns must be ground down before use.

Even the corners of the tables in his home were rounded off by Liu Bei himself.

All the stools in the house were replaced with genuine leather sofas made by carpenters and leatherworkers personally brought by Liu Bei, which can be considered as setting a fashion trend.

Liu Bei also covered the carriage wheels with shock-absorbing "tires"—made of leather, wrapped in two layers, which was extremely extravagant.

Unfortunately, springs can't be made yet. Using layers of refined steel for shock absorption is certainly an option, but that's even more extravagant than wrapping wheels. These days, steel is much more expensive than copper coins of the same weight...

Zuo Yuan's work was also forcibly reassigned to other people by Liu Bei: Bian Ji was in charge of personnel and finance, Bian Bing was in charge of intelligence, and Chen Feng was in charge of documents.

The affairs of the household retainers were directly handed over to Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, Zhang He was also given additional military duties, and Qian Zhao replaced Zuo Yuan to assist Yue Yin in handling the affairs of the military farms.

After that, Liu Bei stopped interfering in affairs and spent his days taking walks with Zuo Yuan in Xihe, searching for all kinds of vegetables and fruits. He also made Zhang Fei take on his old job again—working as a cook.

Zuo Yuan felt that Liu Bei might be a little obsessed, and that this was unfair to Zhang Fei.

However, Liu Bei insisted that Zhang Fei ensure the safety of the kitchen. Zhang Fei himself didn't care, since he was the head of the mess hall in the army and was already used to it.

Zhang Fei was actually quite happy. Ever since Zuo Yuan became pregnant, the food at Liu Bei's house had improved to a level that even the emperor might not be able to match. Not only was there meat at every meal, but there were also many expensive fruits...

Jian Yong, Guan Yu, Zhang He, and others often came to "visit," but in reality, they were just there to freeload meals.

They all thought the eldest brother should have more children so they could freeload at his house every day...

Only Zuo Yuan felt very uncomfortable. She was used to being busy, and suddenly having free time made her feel uneasy all over.

She could practice swordsmanship, and Liu Bei was happy for her to exercise, but he replaced the sword with a wooden one that had been polished to a smooth finish, which made her lose interest.

Riding a horse was absolutely out of the question. Not only would Liu Bei forbid it, but even the stablemen at the manor dared not let Zuo Yuan touch the horses.

Zuo Yuan wanted to find something to do, but Liu Bei wouldn't let her do most things. In the end, she could only use Liu Bei's words to fight back: "If my husband wants to accumulate virtue for the children, then I should personally go and relieve the starving people. If I don't go out and do things, how can this virtue be accumulated on me?"

Liu Bei had nothing to say, so he took Zhang Fei's food troupe and accompanied Zuo Yuan to distribute porridge in the Beixincheng area, while also recruiting refugees. Beixincheng was relatively close to Xihe, so it was relatively safe, and the entire route was on official roads, making it easier to travel.

There are many refugees from the south in the Beixincheng area, some from Jizhou, some from Henan and other places, and some even from as far away as Nanyang. Nanyang has been plagued by war for the past two years, and every time a governor comes, he dies. It is a truly dangerous place.

When Zuo Yuan arrived in Beixin City in March, Liu Bei was practically crawling with her, covering only twenty li a day, and even then, they were traveling by oxcart...

Although she was only four and a half months pregnant, she was already quite showing – Zuo Yuan's belly appeared larger than that of other pregnant women in the same month, leading Liu Bei to suspect that she might be carrying twins.

These days, giving away money and food everywhere to accumulate good deeds can indeed bring rewards.

When a pregnant woman personally distributes porridge to starving people, the effect is even more pronounced—most of the refugees come to thank Zuo Yuan and pray for their children.

In fact, Zuo Yuan just couldn't help wanting to do something herself, but the refugees didn't want her to work hard and most of them would advise her not to be busy.

When there is porridge to eat, most people still have basic morality.

Soon after, another group of young people arrived in Beixin City and quickly began helping to maintain order among the refugees. They also came to pay their respects to Zuo Yuan. Seeing that they were a group of young men, Zuo Yuan assumed they were wandering knights from somewhere and asked them a few questions.

Then, he brought the two young men to Liu Bei and said, "My lord, the Zhao family of Changshan wants to move to Youzhou, saying they want your protection."

“Zhao Lin of Changshan, this is my younger brother Yun.”

Two young men bowed to Liu Bei.

Liu Bei had never heard of Zhao Lin, the man in his twenties who was speaking earlier. He simply returned the greeting with a bow, but his eyes were fixed on Zhao Yun, a man of seventeen or eighteen years old who was standing behind him without saying a word.

He looked me up and down several times.

Liu Bei felt that this was probably due to the effects of accumulating good deeds in secret...

This Zhao Zilong of Changshan is not the kind of pale-faced young man, but a burly warrior who is eight feet tall (about 1.85 meters), with muscle outlines visible from his broad shoulders and neck—he even looks a little chubby.

His face is indeed handsome, but it should be described as 'heroic and dashing', and his jawline is also quite wide.

He did indeed have striking eyebrows and bright eyes, but overall he seemed rather shy and simple-minded, standing silently behind his brother.

If no one had introduced him, Liu Bei would never have guessed that this was Zhao Yun.

Both brothers were burly and robust, and judging from their physiques, the Zhao family must have been quite wealthy in the past.

However, the Zhao family wanted to move from Changshan to Youzhou, which was an inter-provincial relocation. No matter how wealthy they were, it was not allowed, and even if someone recommended them, it would be difficult.

If one cannot find a powerful person to rely on in their new destination, they will be considered a "rogue"—that is, an unstable group without land or a fixed residence, and thus ineligible for official positions.

This matter truly requires Liu Bei's protection; Liu Bei's words still carry considerable weight in Youzhou.

But after asking around, Liu Bei realized that the Zhao family did not need such protection.

Zhao Lin is the eldest brother of the younger generation of the Changshan Zhen Ding North branch. Zhao Fu, who shot and killed Zhang Niujiao, is from another branch of the Zhao family in Zhen Ding South, near Shiyi. Zhao Lin and Zhao Yun are not actually related to Zhao Fu. The two branches of the Zhao family separated seventy or eighty years ago, and now more than three generations have passed.

This is roughly equivalent to the relationship between the Liu family of Zhongshan and the Liu family of Zhuoxian, or the relationship between the Zhang family of Yuyang and the Zhang family of Zhuoxian...

Zhao Lin actually had a strong connection with Liu Bei, because after the Yellow Turban Rebellion was quelled at the end of the previous year, Zhao Lin was appointed as the county magistrate of Anxi for his meritorious service in suppressing the Yellow Turban Rebellion in Changshan, but he was dismissed after only one month in office.

The reason Zhao Lin was dismissed from his post was that the Zhao family of Zhending was considered a traitor...

The whole thing started because of Zhao Fu; Zhao Lin was actually implicated.

Zhao Fu was killed by Zhang Yan. This matter originally had nothing to do with the Zhao Lin and Zhao Yun families, but after Zhang Yan accepted the imperial pardon, both Zhao families were forced into a desperate situation.

But this wasn't forced by Zhang Yan. Zhang Yan didn't target the Zhao family, nor did he stage any grand return to Zhen Ding to show off his power. He sought revenge for Zhang Niujiao in order to take over the Black Mountain Army, and he didn't intend to exterminate them.

What truly drove the two Zhao families to the brink of extinction in Changshan were the officials of Jizhou.

—It is really hard to judge right and wrong in this world. Zhao Fu initially resisted Zhang Niujiao as a member of the Jizhou righteous army, which can be considered as fighting bravely for the court and Jizhou. However, after his death, he was regarded as a traitor by the Jizhou officials.

The first person to call Zhao Fu a traitor was Huangfu Song, who had escaped from Zhang Niujiao's clutches.

When Huangfu Song withdrew from Ji Province, he betrayed Zhao Fu, resulting in the near-total loss of Zhao Fu's clan's soldiers.

If the Zhao family is betrayed, then the Zhao family must be considered traitors; otherwise, what will happen to Huangfu Song's reputation?
At the same time, both eunuchs like Zhang Rang and Zhao Zhong, and court officials, are trying to win over Zhang Yan.

Now that Zhang Yan is a general of the imperial court, the Zhao family, who have a grudge against Zhang Yan, can only be considered traitors. In order to win over Zhang Yan, all parties naturally have to show their "stance".

Officials from Jizhou, or those whose families reside in Jizhou, are the ones who most need to win over Zhang Yan.

Therefore, Situ Cui Lie, Jizhou Governor Wang Fen, Zhong Changshi Zhang Rang, Zhao Zhong (whose family was in Anping), and others all called the Zhao family of Zhending a traitor.

However, these people were not familiar with the situation in Changshan. Since both Zhao families lived in Zhending, they were regarded as one family and were all called "Zhending traitors".

These officials, of course, could not directly send troops to Changshan, but they could use bureaucratic methods to persecute it.

Even if Zhang Yan isn't won over, she should at least receive some goodwill for taking the initiative to help her deal with her enemies.
But Zhang Yan did not accept this so-called goodwill.

Zhang Yan himself was from Zhen Ding, and he understood perfectly well that the two Zhao families were completely unrelated. Zhang Yan wasn't stupid; he didn't want to make another unnecessary enemy...

Moreover, Zhang Yan was well aware that whether it was the imperial court's offer of amnesty or the officials' attempts to curry favor, it all ultimately depended on the fact that he had troops in his hands.

Zhang Yan was well aware that these officials were using persuasive words while secretly trying to win over the generals of various mountain strongholds in Black Mountain.

Therefore, Zhang Yan stayed in Heishan to discipline his subordinates, farming, smelting iron, governing the army, and training soldiers, and never returned to Changshan.

Zhang Baiqi became Zhang Yan's confidant because he was completely unyielding to any attempts to win him over—he was an undercover agent, so of course he wouldn't be swayed by other officials...

Zhao Lin's family was made to live in dire straits by Wang Fen, the governor of Jizhou. The elders of the clan advised Zhao Lin to lead the able-bodied young men to move out of Changshan to avoid further trouble, which was considered as the family splitting up again.

The older generation stayed in Changshan, while the younger generation all went out to find other places to settle down and preserve the Zhao family line.

In fact, many families were harmed in this way, and Zhang Niujiao became a bandit for the same reason.

Zhao Lin had no intention of becoming a thief, since the Zhao family split up precisely because they didn't want to be thieves.

Zhao Lin originally planned to take the young men to the northern frontier to find a place to live in seclusion. After arriving in Beixin City, he saw Liu Bei providing relief and resettlement for refugees, and he also saw that Zuo Yuan was pregnant but still doing good deeds. Zhao Lin felt that Liu Bei's family were all kind and benevolent people, so he wanted to try to ask Liu Bei for help.

In fact, Zhao Lin had heard about Liu Bei's time in Ji Province and knew that Liu Bei might have connections with the Black Mountain Army. But precisely because of this, Liu Bei was the most likely person to protect the Zhao family. Only those who were truly on good terms with Zhang Yan could protect the Zhao family, and only officials who did not need to curry favor with Zhang Yan would not persecute the Zhao family.

After all, Zhao Lin and Zhang Yan really had no grudge against each other.

"I have also heard about Commandant Liu's killing of the Hu people. I have also led my clansmen to kill bandits and fight against outlaws. I am willing to follow Commandant Liu in battle. I only ask that Commandant Liu protect my clansmen and prevent us from becoming outlaws."

Zhao Lin didn't ask for much; he just wanted Liu Bei to ensure that the Zhao family members wouldn't become thieves.

Their best option now is indeed to join Liu Bei's army.

The rank of Cavalry Commandant was not high, but he was a member of the Central Army. No matter if it was a eunuch, another official, or a powerful family, they could not regard the Central Army as a rebel.

It's acceptable to consider it as Liu Bei "recruiting" the Zhao clan.

"Since you were once the Commandant of Anxi, then we are destined to meet... You should know that I was also once the Commandant of Anxi."

Liu Bei proactively offered higher terms: "Since we are destined to meet, I will do my utmost to protect the Zhao family's reputation..."

"Commander Liu is a kind and benevolent man; I, Zhao, will repay his kindness with my humble servant's kindness!"

Zhao Lin was overjoyed and quickly bowed in greeting.

"Don't thank me yet... My wife is pregnant and I can't leave. You'll have to do the legwork yourself. I'll just tell you what to do."

Liu Bei waved his hand: "I'll take you to see Zhang Yan first. You must do this and that..."

……

Soon after, Zhang Yan appointed Zhao Lin as a clerk and sent him to Luoyang to report on the affairs of his jurisdiction.

The young people of the Zhao family were divided into two groups. One group, about three hundred people, was incorporated into Liu Yu's troops and was taken to Luoyang by Zhao Lin.
Another group, led by Zhao Yun, numbered about two hundred men and joined Liu Bei's ranks. Zhao Yun himself became part of Liu Bei's personal guard.

After Zhao Lin arrived in Luoyang, he first met with Liu Yu, and then Liu Yu took him to the imperial court.

At the grand court assembly on the first and fifteenth of each month, Zhao Lin accused Wang Fen, the governor of Ji Province, of persecuting the imperial army and generals, saying that "some ill-intentioned conspirators" deliberately portrayed the emperor's personal guards as rebels in an attempt to sow discord between Liu Yu, the Grand Master of Ceremonies, and Zhang Yan, the General of the Pacification Army.

Liu Yu was not as polite as Zhao Lin. He directly cursed them in court, saying that Zhang Yan and Zhao Lin were both members of the Emperor's personal guard under the Guanglu Xun, and that Huangfu Song was deliberately sowing discord, which was tantamount to deceiving the Emperor and should be executed!

Liu Yu was originally a commander without any troops, but now that Zhao Lin has come from afar to join him, he is naturally determined to protect the Zhao family no matter what.

Huangfu Song had just been dismissed from his post and demoted, and was not well-liked, so it was not easy for him to defend himself. Liu Yu had not wronged him, but deliberately portrayed the incident as deceiving the emperor in order to make the emperor take it seriously.

Liu Yu did not mention the names of Zhang Rang, Cui Lie, and others. His purpose was only to save people, not to engage in factional strife, so he only targeted Huangfu Song.

As expected, few people in the court were willing to speak up for Huangfu Song. Only Lu Zhi defended Huangfu Song, saying, "Huangfu Yizhen has a reputation for integrity; it must be a misunderstanding..."

But before Lu Zhi could finish speaking, he was interrupted by Liu Yan, the Imperial Clan Minister: "Does a good reputation guarantee trustworthiness? Wang Mang also had a good reputation before he usurped the throne! A misunderstanding? It seems that you gentlemen often make such misunderstandings, don't you? No wonder there are rebels everywhere in this world... If such misunderstandings are not dealt with, when will the rebellions in this world be quelled?"

Yes, bureaucrats can just utter a few words and label someone a traitor. No wonder there are traitors everywhere in the world!
(End of this chapter)