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

Chapter 197 Beaver Fighting
In his letter to Liu Bei, Duan Jiong mentioned only one thing.

His clanswoman, who was Zhang Sheng's wife, was detained in Xiling.

Zhang Sheng's wife, children, and elderly parents all lived in Huaili County, west of Chang'an, including some of the families of the underworld soldiers.

The Western Tombs (such as Maoling and Yangling) are located next to Huaili County.

At that time, Zhang Wen's six armies had all been defeated and retreated. The Qiang cavalry were originally taking advantage of the victory to launch a counterattack. The Liangzhou rebels had already surrounded Huaili and Meiyang again.

To rescue the clanswoman, Duan Jiong donned his former battle robes and appeared before the rebel camp, sword in hand.

In fact, Duan Jiong did not fight anyone, because he only had about ten close followers with him at the time.

But the Xianling Qiang have not forgotten the former military genius of Liangzhou, Grand Commandant Duan...

After seeing the living Duan Jiong... or rather, after seeing Duan Jiong, who was neither a ghost nor a human, tens of thousands of Qiang soldiers scattered overnight and ran far away, returning to their tribes and becoming honest and simple herdsmen again.

This isn't even called retreating three steps; this is literally fleeing at the mere sight of the enemy, without the slightest delay.

With the Qiang people fleeing, the main force of the rebel army was gone, and naturally they dared not attack cities and seize territory.

The fact that the imperial army was not completely crushed by the rebels after Zhang Wen's defeat can probably be attributed to three-tenths of the reason – Dong Zhuo had a considerable reputation in Liangzhou and a good relationship with the Qiang people, many of whom would give him face.

The remaining 97% were achieved entirely by Duan Jiong appearing alone in front of the rebel camp.

But, but.

Duan Jiong could inspire awe in the Qiang people, yet he failed to rescue the tribeswoman.

Because the imperial army remained stationed in Huaili and Meiyang without moving, Duan Jiong was unable to rescue people.

In fact, when Duan Jiong scared away the Qiang people, it was the perfect opportunity for the court to quell the rebellion in one fell swoop. However, Zhang Wen had already been defeated by a major setback and was too timid to send troops again.

In fact, both Dong Zhuo and Sun Jian saw the opportunity to fight.

But Dong Zhuo and Sun Jian were at odds... or rather, they were hostile to each other.

Previously, Dong Zhuo was the only one whose troops had escaped unscathed, so he naturally looked down on Zhang Wen and was also quite hostile to Zhang Wen's military advisor, Sun Jian—after all, it was Sun Jian who had first harmed Dong Zhuo.

The soldiers in the army also leaned more towards Dong Zhuo, after all, the 20,000 men who followed Dong Zhuo had not died, and Dong Zhuo was very generous to his subordinates, distributing all the rewards he received and the titles he was granted to his subordinates, which won him the hearts of the army.

However, Zhang Wen was the commander-in-chief of the army, and the army's food and pay were all in his hands... If Dong Zhuo wanted to send troops, he would at least need logistical support.

Sun Jian also knew that he should attack immediately, but he was only a military officer with a few hundred men under his command. He was worried that Dong Zhuo would harm him if he sent troops, so he did not dare to persuade Zhang Wen.

As a result, this great opportunity was missed for nothing.

Duan Jiong was so angry he almost had a stroke – the Qiang people had all run away, and the imperial army was turning a blind eye?
Are all these nearly 100,000 people here for tourism in Chang'an?

In Duan Jiong's view, if he had five thousand men, the Liangzhou rebels would have been quelled long ago.

However, Duan Jiong could not openly appear in front of the imperial army. Since the imperial army did not move, Duan Jiong really had no way to deal with it.

If Duan Jiong is exposed, Duan Wei and his family, who are currently serving as a figurehead general in Luoyang, will most likely lose their lives.

Most of the generals currently stationed in the Western Theater Command actually know Duan Jiong.

When Dong Zhuo first served as a county official, it was Duan Jiong who recommended him to the capital to become a Yulin Lang (a type of imperial guard). Of course, their relationship wasn't particularly close. It was Zhang Huan who truly got Dong Zhuo an official position.

Zhang Wen was also an acquaintance of Duan Jiong. When Duan Jiong was the Grand Commandant, Zhang Wen served as the Imperial Censor and they served in the same court.

Having too many acquaintances actually makes things more difficult for Duan Jiong...

Moreover, Duan Jiong was truly old; he was over seventy and had difficulty walking. He knew his days were numbered and only wanted to resolve this last entanglement.

So Duan Jiong wrote a letter to Liu Bei, but did not ask Liu Bei for help. He only hoped that Liu Bei would send Zhang Yan (Zhang Baiqi) and the underworld soldiers to Huaili, so that Zhang Sheng's old subordinates could rescue their comrades' families themselves—this was also the underworld soldiers' obsession.

Everyone has things they must do in their hearts. Liu Bei still vividly remembers the scene of the underworld soldiers killing themselves for Zhang Sheng. Liu Bei greatly respects such camaraderie—no matter how many evils they have done, it cannot overshadow their shining qualities.

Merit cannot outweigh faults, nor can faults obscure righteousness. We cannot deny the camaraderie of Zhang Sheng and others just because they have committed serious breaches of principle. People cannot be judged solely by black and white.

Duan Jiong's last wish, and the obsession of the underworld soldiers, must certainly be fulfilled.

Although Duan Jiong did not ask Liu Bei for any extra help, Liu Bei still intended to lend a hand.

Just then, Zhao Yun was exiled to Liangzhou by Zhao Lin...

It just so happened that the imperial court ordered Liu Bei to 'reinforce' Zhang Wen—if Liu Bei went to reinforce, his base would be in Huaili.

……

At noon, the delivery room door remained closed.

It has been more than two hours.

Liu Bei could hear Zuo Yuan's cries of unbearable pain, and he could also hear Xiu Niang's constant encouragement and guidance.

Liu Bei's heart began to grow anxious.

He knew that from the moment the amniotic sac ruptured and contractions began until the baby was born, it usually took several hours to a day.

But those few hours were indeed very long, like several years had passed.

He didn't go in to disturb Zuo Yuan and Xiu Niang, but instead brought over Zuo Yuan's drum and gently patted it with his hand.

It's not a marching drum... but a soothing hand drum that plays the 'pulse sound,' which is the rhythm of a normal human heartbeat.

When he fought alone, Zuo Yuan beat the drum for him.

Now Zuo Yuan is fighting alone, and he is using this method to let Zuo Yuan know that her husband is behind her.

Bian Ji sat in front of the door, quite envious.

But she also knew that if she were the one giving birth inside, Liu Bei would do the same thing... but he probably wouldn't beat the drum, but would play the zither instead.

In fact, Liu Bei neither knew how to play the drum nor the zither, but he did know how to introspect.

The more you practice swordsmanship and saber techniques, the more familiar you become with your heartbeat and bodily functions, and you can always strike the right moment when your heart is pounding.

This is a kind of resonance, and also a method of practicing martial arts and maintaining health, which is very similar to the core of Duan Jiong's painting - many traditional martial arts are related to drums, which is not only based on military tradition, but also on the understanding of the human body.

Military strategy requires a calm and composed mind, and so does swordsmanship.

The resonance of drumbeats helps people determine the rhythm of their actions and gives them a clear awareness of their heart rate. If the rhythm is unstable, they should adjust themselves, and if their heart rate is too fast, they should stop and recharge.

This rhythm is applicable in many situations and is not limited to any particular object.

Apart from the soft drumbeats, no one spoke in the courtyard; everyone was actually a little nervous.

Zhang Fei paced back and forth, muttering to himself, "Brother, you have bestowed great virtue upon us. If Heaven is benevolent, then it should grant your descendants a long and peaceful life of good fortune... If it is not benevolent, then let a benevolent Heaven take charge..."

"who?!"

Just then, Bian Ji suddenly pointed to the courtyard wall.

Liu Bei turned to look at the spot Bian Ji was pointing to: "A-Xiang, what is it?"

"It seemed someone was spying on them, but then they suddenly disappeared."

Bian Ji continued to stare at the wall and spoke softly.

This courtyard is a three-section residence, and also the inner courtyard in the center of the manor. It has its own wall and forms a "回" shape with the rest of the manor.

At this time, the greenhouse was giving birth, and the yard was closed.

The inner courtyard was inhabited by female relatives, and only close friends and family members were allowed to enter. There were generally few guards inside the courtyard; the guards were all outside the walls.

Because of the special circumstances today, and because most of the brothers wanted to join in the fun, there were many guards outside the courtyard. Almost all five hundred guards were stationed outside the walls, and there were also many soldiers in other parts of the manor.

The courtyard wasn't very big, but with five hundred people guarding the area, there was a sentry every three steps.

But if someone is still spying on us under these circumstances, that's no small problem.

Zhang Fei looked back at the delivery room and took out the bone whistle from his pocket.

Jian Yong shook his head at Zhang Fei—we can't blow the whistle to warn them now. Whether it disturbs Zuo Yuan who is giving birth or causes panic among the medical staff, it could lead to serious problems.

Liu Bei had no doubt about Bian Ji's judgment. He handed the drum to Bian Ji, drew his sword, pointed to the side gate, and walked towards the main gate of the courtyard.

Zhang Fei ran towards the side door.

Jian Yong then consciously stood guard at the entrance of the delivery room.

Bian Ji kept her eyes fixed on the wall, and then gently began to tap the drumbeats in the same rhythm as before.

Liu Bei suddenly opened the courtyard gate, saw nothing unusual, and beckoned to the person outside to come closer: "Have you seen anyone climb over the wall and come in?"

"No, what happened?"

The soldiers outside were clearly confused.

Liu Bei peeked out and saw that there were many guards outside. If someone were to climb over the wall, it would be difficult to avoid them. Zhang Fei ran a few steps to the side door, but then suddenly turned back and thrust his knife at a brick wall.

But the 'brick wall' suddenly flew up and transformed into a black shadow at incredible speed.

This isn't a wall that's come to life; it's a person who's good at hiding!

He held up a brocade with a brick pattern drawn on it, concealing his figure as he stood motionless in the corner. This method of concealment was very difficult to detect unless one was careful.

Fortunately, it was Zhang Fei. Others probably wouldn't have noticed it at first glance—Zhang Fei himself was a skilled painter, and he subconsciously sensed that something was wrong with this thing.

Seeing that he had been discovered, the man threw the brocade at Zhang Fei and then rushed towards the delivery room at an astonishing speed!
Upon seeing this, Liu Bei rushed over, but he was already twenty paces away from the man. Seeing that he could not catch up, Liu Bei gritted his teeth and threw out the horizontal sword in his hand.

The sword flew and struck, but only tripped the man to the ground. The man rolled over, got up, and started running away again.

Zhang Fei hurriedly pulled off his cloak, not expecting the man to be so fast. He raised his hand and threw his sword, which flew dozens of steps with a whooshing sound, but it was not fatal, only leaving a bloody gash on the man's back.

"You scoundrel, how dare you..."

Jian Yong rushed out from the door and lunged at the man, but missed.

The man was incredibly agile; with a single leap, he was more than four feet off the ground, hanging onto the roof beam. Then, he raised his waist and legs upwards, climbing onto the roof beam under the eaves like an acrobat.

Next to the roof beams under the eaves is the ventilation window of the greenhouse. Production is currently underway inside, and the ventilation window is open!
The group was terrified and quickly surrounded the enemy.

Jian Yong was short and didn't have any long weapons, so he really couldn't do anything about the person on the roof beam.

Just then, lightning flashed in the distance, but no thunder was heard.

All that could be heard from inside the delivery room was a loud cry.

Cheers erupted in the delivery room, along with shouts from Xiuniang: "Keep going, keep pushing, there's one more!"

The man had obviously heard it too, and he climbed a few steps while clinging to the roof beam, clearly trying to rush in through the ventilation window.

Just then, another dark figure rushed along the eaves at an astonishing speed, jumped onto the adjacent wall, then jumped back down to the eaves, and with a push off a pillar, leaped onto the roof beam.

Then, with a fierce roar, the dark figure lunged at the thief's neck!

That was Zhang Fei's raccoon dog, or rather, it belonged to Zuo Yuan.

This creature is at least four feet long and is adept at scaling walls and rooftops; the main beam under the eaves has always been its territory...

At that moment, lightning flashed across the sky again. As the raccoon pounced on the thief, it seemed to have a pair of electric eyes reflected in the lightning, which was terrifying.

Just then, the sound of crying "waa" came from inside the house again.

Cheers erupted in the delivery room.

The thief also cried out and fell off the roof beam.

The raccoon was torn apart and thrown aside by its wave of the hand.

But in order to pull the raccoon off his neck, the man paid an extremely heavy price—his neck was torn to shreds, and his face was scratched with several bloody grooves.

However, a raccoon dog is not a tiger. Although it looks bad, the injuries are not deep and are unlikely to be fatal.

Liu Bei and Zhang Fei arrived at the same time, and together with Jian Yong, the three of them leaped forward almost simultaneously.

Liu Bei grabbed the man's neck, Zhang Fei grabbed his legs, and Jian Yong held one of his hands...

Moreover, Jian Yong was clearly not skilled in martial arts and used too much force, breaking the man's elbow joint with a distinct 'crack' sound.

The raccoon climbed up from the base of the wall, growled, looked around, and probably felt no threat, then tiptoed to the door and sat down to lick its paws.

Lightning flashed across the sky again, and a gust of wind blew by.

Xiu Niang opened the door, her voice weary: "Congratulations, my lord, on the arrival of twins, a boy and a girl, both mother and children are safe... Oh dear, what happened?!"

Liu Bei sensed that the thief had stopped struggling. Looking down, he saw that the man was almost dead—he had used too much force and estimated that he was about to strangle the thief to death. He quickly loosened his grip and said, "Xiu Niang, you've worked hard... You might have to work harder to bring this bastard back to life."

A light drizzle began to fall.

Rain is rare during the Mid-Autumn Festival, and thunderstorms are even rarer.

Even rarer than that is the assassin who appeared out of nowhere... Perhaps that's not an assassin, because assassins don't usually do this; it's more like the work of a thief.

But the man was unconscious, and Xiu Niang would have to keep busy for a while longer.

……

Everything I've ever done has indeed paid off.

If Liu Bei hadn't made his brothers write a plan to squander money, Guan Yu wouldn't have gone to see Xiu Niang so quickly.

If Guan Yu hadn't gone to Yunzhong in time, Xiu Niang might have become Qin Yi's wife.

If Zuo Yuan hadn't had Xiu Niang kill Qin Yi, and if Liu Bei hadn't built the Xihe Medical Clinic, Zuo Yuan's child probably wouldn't have survived.

In the grand scheme of things, everything is connected.

Perhaps this is fate.

The level of medical skills at the end of the Han Dynasty was actually quite high, although there were also many superstitious methods.

However, these superstitious methods are rarely seen at Xihe Medical Clinic.

Because Xiu Niang was a very pragmatic person—she did believe in the Yellow Heaven and had indeed made grand vows, but she didn't believe in ghosts or gods at all... She didn't even believe in the Five Elements theory.

She only believes in destiny, which is not the 'fate' that has been passed down since the Ming and Qing dynasties, but a life theory from the Book of Changes and the Yellow Emperor's Inner Classic.

The core idea of ​​this kind of numerology is that all the energy that heals a person comes from the body itself, and the role of medicine is to stimulate the body's energy, rather than to directly treat the disease.

Or, to put it another way, anything that can stimulate the body's potential and accelerate healing is medicine—including incantations.

The essence, energy, and spirit mentioned in the Yellow Emperor's Inner Classic, if we were to use other terms, would be matter, energy, and consciousness. This is an extremely advanced theory.

However, many people throughout history have failed to understand it, either nitpicking the words or engaging in superstition, resulting in many people treating the Book of Changes as a fortune-telling book and the Yellow Emperor's Inner Classic as metaphysics.

Zhang Zhongjing's theory is similar, believing that drugs are mainly used to stimulate the body's self-healing mechanism and immune ability, which is why decoctions can be used to treat typhoid fever—it is not that the drugs kill the virus, but that the drugs specifically stimulate the body's immunity, and the body itself resists the virus.

People thousands of years ago certainly didn't know what viruses were, but starting from the Yellow Emperor's Inner Classic, skilled physicians had already realized that medicine could not directly "eliminate epidemics," and that "eliminating epidemics" relied on the body's own "essence, energy, and spirit."

This is precisely why acupuncture and massage exist, which directly stimulate the human nervous system to enhance immune function or secrete hormones without the use of drugs.

If one can maintain their energy and spirit at their peak, they can resist the vast majority of diseases. This is what Bian Que meant when he said, "A good doctor does not cure people."

This requires maintaining a balance among all the body's mechanisms, ensuring that neither is lacking nor redundant. This is why there is the health preservation philosophy of Yin-Yang harmony, which is not feudal superstition but a theory developed from the study of life.

Xiu Niang was very skilled at using massage and other methods to speed up recovery, and she was also very good at acupuncture.

Moreover, even Zhang Zhongjing might not have been as professional in obstetrics as Xiuniang is today.

Because Xiu Niang herself had given birth...

Xiuniang is certainly not a miracle doctor, but she has one thing that most people don't have—a strong sense of conviction.

She has very clear ideals and pursuits.

From the very beginning, she was determined to become a doctor; this ambition was so clear and unambiguous that it was almost akin to the Tao.

A person who dedicates their entire life to one thing and devotes themselves wholeheartedly to it is bound to achieve great things.

She had endured hardship and faced doubt, and she knew that the Xihe Medical Clinic was the only place in the entire Han Dynasty where she could realize her ideals.

Her current job is related to whether Xihe can have an heir—she is willing to give everything for it.

In addition, Xihe Medical Clinic is neither short of money nor manpower.

Zuo Yuan's twin delivery was bound to be anything but smooth, but Xiuniang had considered almost every possible scenario.

Having twins makes vaginal delivery extremely difficult, with complications such as umbilical cord entanglement, placental compression, unfavorable fetal position, intrauterine bleeding, and prolonged labor leading to exhaustion.

These problems exist in twins as well.

If someone else were to deliver the baby, every problem could have serious consequences.

But Xiuniang was well-prepared, providing meticulous care for Zuo Yuan for nearly three hours without interruption, including massage and acupuncture, which helped him pull through the ordeal.

Liu Bei became the father of two children, the first of whom was a daughter.

The two children haven't been officially named yet, but they have nicknames.

My older sister's nickname is Ali.

My younger brother is named Adou.

(End of this chapter)