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

Chapter 201 Dong Zhuo's Request
“Yuan Gonglu, since you recognize the imperial banner, you should pay your respects... Does Yuan Changshui no longer regard the imperial court?”

Liu Bei looked at Yuan Shu and smiled: "I am a general holding the imperial insignia to supervise the army, yet you call me a thief... Yuan Gonglu, you have slandered the commander-in-chief, which violates the 'Chapter on Slander,' and this is the crime of slandering the emperor."

"Letting soldiers commit violence and forcibly abduct women is a violation of the military law of the Nine Chapters, and this is a crime of mutiny."

"Yuan Gonglu, do you know that both of these crimes deserve to be executed..."

Liu Bei wasn't exaggerating. If we were to go by the law, Yuan Shu's act of forcibly taking a woman from the people was enough to warrant execution and punishment for all involved.

However, everyone knows that the law cannot punish Yuan Shu.

Yuan Shu looked at the banners and insignia behind Liu Bei with a gloomy gaze, and gave a perfunctory bow: "I have not heard that the court has sent a general... I wonder why Commander Liu has come here? Is it to find fault with me?"

"The imperial court had already informed the Three Auxiliary Regions of my appointment to supervise the army a month ago, yet Yuan Changshui was completely unaware of it?"

Liu Bei looked at Yuan Shu and smiled slightly: "Then for the past month or so, it seems the Changshui Camp has been out of its defense zone... Leaving aside the crime of slandering the emperor and disrupting the army, Yuan Changshui received the imperial order but was not in his defense zone. This is the crime of desertion, disobeying orders, and failing to defend the territory... This crime is not only punishable by immediate execution, but also implicates others..."

“Yuan Gonglu, it’s not that I want to find fault with you, but you’ve been breaking the law in every way. If I were to execute you under military law, even Grand Commandant Zhang couldn’t save you.”

"As a new military supervisor, I should certainly execute a lawless general to establish my authority..."

When the emperor bestows a decree, he will issue an official document to the local authorities. Transportation between the Three Auxiliary Regions was not interrupted. While Liu Bei was still delayed in Hanoi, the various counties of the Three Auxiliary Regions and Zhang Wen's army must have already received the imperial notice.

The fact that Yuan Shu was unaware of this means that he was not in the army at all during this period, and was probably out gallivanting around every day.

Yuan Shu stared at Liu Bei for a while, then suddenly laughed: "...Hahaha...Commander Liu is trying to bluff me like this, so he must have something to use Yuan Gonglu for. Commander, you might as well speak frankly, why make every word seem so offensive?"

Liu Bei was somewhat surprised; Yuan Gonglu was far more shrewd than he had imagined.

“I do indeed have something to ask Yuan Changshui for help… Brother Yuan often conscripts laborers, do you know if there are any places around Huaili where there are no men, only women and children?”

Now that Yuan Shu had seen through his lie, Liu Bei stopped bluffing and looked at the women that Yuan Shu's men were holding.

Zhao Yun stepped forward, forced Yuan Shu's men back, and led the women behind Liu Bei.

Liu Bei had a larger force, and Guan Yu and Zhang Fei led their troops to watch out from the outside, so Yuan Shu's subordinates didn't dare to make any moves.

Upon seeing this, Yuan Shu smiled somewhat strangely: "So Commander Liu is also one of us... If you have this need, you should have said so earlier!"

Liu Bei thought to himself, "What kind of comrade are you?" He shook his head and said with a serious face, "Many of my comrades' wives and children have been kidnapped and taken to Huaili County. I was just afraid that Yuan Changshui would mistakenly conscript them as laborers..."

"Comrades-in-arms, wives and children?"

Upon hearing this, Yuan Shu laughed even harder: "That's quite a good pretext..."

"Yuan Gonglu! I'm not joking with you!"

Liu Bei's face hardened, and a murderous glint appeared in his eyes: "There aren't many people here... It would be easy for me to kill you all. If you continue to act recklessly, you will die in a riot for abducting women..."

Yuan Shu looked at Liu Bei and slowly put away his playful smile: "Were the General's comrades and relatives really captured and brought here?"

Seeing Liu Bei nod, Yuan Shu bowed and said, "I misspoke... but these women are all unmarried commoners from this area. I conscripted them only to find concubines for the soldiers in the army, and I was ordered by Grand Commandant Zhang to fill the maid camp. I wonder who kidnapped the relatives and friends of the commander-in-chief?"

Yuan Shu actually apologized for this?

Liu Bei couldn't help but think more highly of Yuan Shu.

What Yuan Shu said was probably true. Liu Bei also saw those women, but they were of average appearance and probably not good enough to catch Yuan Shu's eye.

However, if he encountered someone exceptionally beautiful, even if he was already married, Yuan Shu would certainly not let her go...

The so-called concubine and maid camp was actually a business.

Meritorious subordinates can be rewarded with concubines, while generals who have not made any contributions can spend money to seek pleasure in the "Handmaid Camp".

The garrisoning of large armies has always been a business. Not only can they demand money, grain, and military pay from the imperial court, but they can also plunder counties or force wealthy households to pay military expenses. Even if there is nothing left to plunder, they can still make money off the soldiers.

This is the real reason why Zhang Wen stationed more than 40,000 troops in the same place.

Moreover, the army not only had a "handmaid camp," but also casinos and pharmacies.

Each casino camp has one, and upon entry, a "camp inspection fee" must be paid. This fee naturally ends up in the hands of the captain, who then presents it to the commander-in-chief, thus eliminating any oversight or patrol.

As for the pharmacy, it sells painkillers such as cold food powder, aconite, and wolfsbane wine.

Hanshi San is actually Wushi San. After taking it, people will feel hot all over and will not feel pain or fatigue. It is actually a hallucinogen.

Aconite is a mixture of Aconitum carmichaelii and cannabis. It is much more potent than Wushi San (a traditional Chinese medicine formula). Small doses can cause hallucinations, while large doses can be fatal.

Wolfsbane wine is actually henbane, also known as Datura stramonium. It is a potent hallucinogen; a small dose can relieve pain, while a large dose can cause madness.

—The army does indeed need a lot of painkillers, and the imperial pharmacy will supply them in large quantities. These drugs are indeed very effective in relieving pain, but their actual use is mostly not for medical purposes.

Of course, Liu Bei did not intend to crack down on prostitution, gambling, and drugs in the army; he only wanted to rescue Duan Jiong's clanswoman and the families of the underworld soldiers.

"It was the work of former General of the Cavalry, Dong Zhong. Dong Zhong has already been convicted and died in prison. No one knows where he has placed the kidnapped people, so we can only search slowly. However, most of the people in this area have already joined the army, making it difficult to question them in the short term..."

Liu Bei nodded and asked, "This matter concerns the righteous act of rescuing comrades and relatives. Brother Yuan is known for his chivalry and has led the Tiger Warriors... He also frequently conscripts laborers. He must be quite familiar with the 'laborers' in the army and the local survivors. I wonder if you could help me find out about this matter?"

"The people Dong Chong kidnapped? Kidnapped by his elite troops?"

Yuan Shu understood why Liu Bei had approached him and nodded: "Since it's to find relatives for the commander-in-chief's comrades, I should certainly do my part. I'll go back and investigate now..."

“Yuan Gonglu is indeed chivalrous and righteous… Let’s stop the maid’s camp business. It’s easy to tarnish the reputation of our family’s four generations of high-ranking officials.”

Liu Bei offered a word of advice: "Besides, now that I've come here, there won't be a maidservant camp left in the army for more than a few days. A major battle is about to break out in the west, so Brother Yuan should make preparations as soon as possible."

"Is a great battle about to break out? Does Commander Liu have news from Liangzhou?"

Yuan Shu was somewhat puzzled.

"No, but now that I'm here, a great battle is inevitable. Only after quelling the rebellion can I go home... I don't want to stay here forever. Brother Yuan, do you intend to stay in this godforsaken place forever?"

Liu Bei waved to Guan Yu and Zhang Fei to relieve the siege and withdraw their troops, then bowed and took his leave.

Yuan Shu watched Liu Bei leave, his eyes filled with surprise and uncertainty.

……

Inside Huaili City, the Grand Commandant was in charge of the main camp.

"Did Liu Bei really say that?"

Zhang Wen looked at Tao Qian with unease: "Is he going to Liangzhou to cause trouble?!"

“This was said by Yuan Gonglu, so it should be true.”

Tao Qian spoke up, "It can't be called causing trouble... If the Liangzhou rebellion cannot be quelled, then our prolonged battles without success are also a sin. The court's intention in sending Liu Bei to supervise the army with imperial authority is probably this." "Regardless of Liu Bei's reasons for coming, now that the Qiang people have retreated, we should be advancing into Liangzhou... However, Dong Zhuo's disobedience to military orders has resulted in two separate command structures, making it difficult to maintain unity. Your Excellency should lure and kill Dong Zhuo to establish military prestige, and then drive his troops to Jincheng quickly to achieve complete victory."

Sun Jian's view was more radical, and he still didn't forget to cause trouble for Dong Zhuo.

After all, they had already offended Dong Zhuo before. If they didn't kill Dong Zhuo, they would definitely be retaliated against by Dong Zhuo in the future.

At this time, Dong Zhuo was in Meiyang and indeed disobeyed Zhang Wen's orders. It is not unfair to say that Dong Zhuo disobeyed military orders.

But Zhang Wen clearly didn't have the guts to lure Dong Zhuo to his death, so he looked at Tao Qian and asked, "What is Yuan Gonglu doing right now?"

"We are currently helping Liu Bei investigate the families of his troops. Yuan Gonglu asked me to request an order from the Supreme Commander, saying that it would be best to conduct a full-scale investigation, as many generals may have already conscripted the families of Liu Bei's troops..."

Tao Qian shook his head: "Liu Bei is looking for relatives for his comrades, so we really have to give him some face... I heard that his children have been kidnapped. If we don't accept this request, I'm afraid Liu Bei will really cause trouble in Liangzhou."

"Then order the entire army to conduct a thorough investigation..."

Zhang Wen thought for a moment and nodded in agreement.

"Lord Zhang, this is unacceptable!"

Sun Jian objected: "If we order a full-scale investigation based on Liu Bei's words, wouldn't that be helping Liu Bei establish his authority? Moreover, many of the generals have conscripted laborers, and their families and servants may already be living among them. If we investigate and return them all, in just a few days, Liu Bei's name may surpass Zhang Gong's..."

“Wentai, when Liu Bei said a great battle was about to break out, he wasn’t referring to the rebels, but to himself… His children have just been kidnapped. If we prevent him from finding his troops and their families, what will he and his troops do?”

Tao Qian shook his head at Sun Jian: "This matter cannot be stopped, and most of the soldiers in the army will sympathize with Liu Bei..."

Sun Jian shook his head slightly and whispered to Zhang Wen, "Lord Zhang, Liu Bei is only the supervising envoy. If he establishes his authority, how will you conduct yourself?"

Zhang Wen remained silent.

Sun Jian brought up the old issue again: "Why not use Liu Bei's matter as a pretext to investigate Dong Zhuo's army first... When investigating Dong Zhuo's army, claim that Liu Bei, as the supervising officer, is forcibly enforcing military law, demand an investigation into Dong Zhuo's illegal activities, and order him to return all the laborers and women. Dong Zhuo has conscripted quite a few laborers and women; if we force their return, it will surely put Dong Zhuo and Liu Bei at odds..."

Zhang Wen asked in bewilderment, "What if Dong Zhuo really sends everyone back to Huaili? Wouldn't that just make him side with Liu Bei?"

Sun Jian shook his head: "If Dong Zhuo is truly without selfish motives, then he will not harm you, Lord Zhang... If Dong Zhuo commits any illegal acts, you can deal with him according to military law together with Liu Bei... If Liu Bei is slightly unjust, you can kill him together with Dong Zhuo. Either way, it will be beneficial."

Tao Qian sighed: "This is just a matter of disciplining the troops. It can be done honestly and fairly. Why go to such lengths... If we can win over Liu Bei, why make him our enemy?"

Sun Jian glanced at Tao Qian: "Helping Liu Bei investigate Dong Zhuo is also a way of winning Liu Bei over..."

"In that case, issue a military order to Dong Zhuo, saying that Liu Bei, holding the imperial insignia, is supervising the army and orders him to return all the conscripted laborers and maids..."

Zhang Wen nodded in agreement with Sun Jian's suggestion.

Tao Qian shook his head and smiled, then said sarcastically, "You, sir, are a Grand Commandant, yet you act so pettily, and you still think you can win the hearts of the army? The hearts of the army are won by working for their comrades like Liu Bei did, not by scheming."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Wen flew into a rage: "Tao Gongzu! Do you no longer want to be an official?"

"Your Excellency might as well demote me to a lowly post in the borderlands, rather than waste my time here!"

Tao Qian snorted and turned to leave.

Sun Jian watched Tao Qian walk out of the camp, then suddenly seemed to remember something, frowned, but said nothing more.

……

In fact, Sun Jian's suggestion was destined to fail. Liu Bei did not stay in Huaili at all, but stationed his troops in Meiyang.

When Zhang Wen's military order reached Dong Zhuo's army, Liu Bei was drinking with Dong Zhuo.

"Grand Commandant Zhang actually used Xuande's name to investigate me... Ha, he's trying to kill us both..."

Dong Zhuo handed Zhang Wen's military order to Liu Bei with a mocking smile.

"So, how does General Dong intend to respond?"

Liu Bei smiled and said, "I do need to find the families of my retainers."

"Of course, I, Dong, am duty-bound to do this. However, since Grand Commandant Zhang is plotting against us, why don't we teach him a lesson?"

Dong Zhuo pointed to the west: "Zhang Wen has neither courage nor military strategy. If he does not resign, the rebels cannot be quelled, and the army will only waste money and supplies here... I have not been home for a year."

"Is it just about returning home?"

Liu Bei laughed: "General Dong, are you unwilling to be inferior to Zhang Wen?"

"Why do you say such things, Xuande...? Zhang Wen is the Grand Commandant, second only to the Emperor. How could I, Dong, dare to harbor any resentment?"

Dong Zhuo waved his hand repeatedly: "The soldiers are all homesick, but Zhang Wen has no intention of pacifying Liangzhou. My hometown is in Longyou, which has been occupied by the rebels... I want to lead the army into battle, but Zhang Wen is withholding the grain and supplies, so I am unable to recover my hometown. It is truly hateful."

"General Dong wants to quell the rebellion, and I will certainly assist you... Do you have any plans?"

Liu Bei nodded and asked.

"He wanted to investigate Dong... Dong did indeed commit illegal acts, but all of them were ordered by Zhang Wen, and they are all true..."

Dong Zhuo said in a low voice, "It all depends on whether Xuande is willing to report Zhang Wen's crimes to the court."

“I know about the forced recruitment of maids, gambling, and the sale of wolf poison, but these alone are probably not enough to get Zhang Wen removed from his post.”

Liu Bei shook his head: "The emperor shouldn't care about these things..."

"What about falsely reporting military intelligence, killing innocent people, and claiming credit for others' deeds, thus inciting rebellion?"

Dong Zhuo sneered: "Zhang Wen reported to the court that the Qiang people had retreated, and claimed that he lacked military supplies, requesting the court to allocate funds and provisions... In reality, after the previous defeat, Longxi, Anding and other counties were plundered by Zhang Wen's defeated army, and even the entire counties rebelled. He dared not advance into Liangzhou again, not because he lacked military supplies, but because the entire population of Longyou had rebelled, and he dared not go there again!"

"...Dong also conscripted laborers on his orders, and those laborers can all testify to this."

"General Dong is quite audacious...aren't you afraid of being punished for this?"

Liu Bei looked at Dong Zhuo with a hint of admiration.

To be able to use one's own crimes and evidence to target Zhang Wen, that takes real audacity.

"Although Dong received his military orders, he did not plunder the people of his hometown... It is precisely because of this that Dong is short of military rations."

Dong Zhuo looked at Liu Bei very seriously: "If Zhang Wen is dismissed, even if I, Dong, am guilty, at least until the court appoints a new commander-in-chief, Xuande can exercise the power of supervising the army and jointly command the army with Zou Zhonghou of the Northern Army... As long as the money and food are sufficient, it will not be difficult for me to atone for my crimes and make meritorious contributions... I only want to quickly pacify Liangzhou and recover my hometown."

Liu Bei stood up and cupped his hands in greeting: "In that case, I, Liu, will do my best."

In fact, Liu Bei knew that Dong Zhuo would not be punished for this... The court needed someone to pacify Liangzhou, and Dong Zhuo was an army that the emperor had worked hard to win over.

Moreover, Dong Zhuo had a good relationship with the Yi Cong of Huangzhong and the Qiang people, and he was indeed able to quell the rebellion in Liangzhou.

(End of this chapter)