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

Chapter 203 The War Begins
Just like the Luoyang prison of that year, a great fire broke out in Huaili County in a short period of time.

In fact, even without Sun Jian's incident, Liu Bei and Duan Jiong would still have set fire to Huai Li.

Just like the Luoyang prison years ago, this fire was also intended to free the people trapped inside.

Today's Huaili is essentially a prison.

The people and troops trapped in Huaili were actually no different from the prisoners trapped in the imperial prison.

Why did the emperor appoint Liu Bei to oversee the Three Auxiliary Regions?

It was naturally used to balance the various factions, and incidentally, to check Liu Bei as well.

Because of the mutual surveillance among various parties, it was essentially the same as trapping Liu Bei, Dong Zhuo, and the armies of the powerful clans of Guandong in the Sanfu region. Huaili was, in fact, a cage.

With this cage in place, the emperor could both prevent the Liangzhou rebels from breaching Chang'an and free up his hands to stabilize the court and control the military power in Luoyang.

If we don't find a way out of this predicament, how long will we be stuck here?
Zhang Wen has been making excuses about not having enough military rations and has been staying here for more than half a year without moving.

Zhang Wen could stay a little longer, since he had become Grand Commandant by taking command of the army, and he had seen the benefits the emperor was giving him—this was the reward for the prison warden.

But Liu Bei and Dong Zhuo couldn't linger here, Yuan Shu wanted to return to Luoyang, and Sun Jian, Tao Qian, and others wanted to escape from prison...

Nobody wants to stay here.

Now, what Liu Bei needs to do is burn down this cage.

Sun Jian's little tricks couldn't actually affect the overall situation.

—The supervisory authority is most effective when internal unrest occurs, and the unrest must be neither too large nor too small…

……

"What happened?!"

Zhang Wen was awakened by the commotion in the county and quickly inquired with his guards.

"A fire has broken out in the city, for reasons unknown... Your Excellency, what should we do?"

The imperial guards didn't actually know what had happened. Zhang Wen's command tent was in the city center, while the maids' camp was in the west of the city. They could see the firelight, but they didn't know the specifics.

"Where is Sun Wentai? Has he sent any military intelligence?"

Zhang Wen quickly asked where Sun Jian, who was on patrol duty that night, was.

But the guards looked at each other and shook their heads.

Zhang Wen subconsciously called out "Demou" again, but then remembered that Cheng Pu had already resigned during the day.

Military clerks are required to answer questions at any time, and most of them also serve as the head of the guards. Their workdays are basically 007 (working 24/7), and they occasionally have to do side jobs for their bosses. It's understandable that they would resign if they were dissatisfied...

As the commotion grew louder, Zhang Wen panicked and quickly put on his clothes to go out of the camp to check the situation.

A fire suddenly breaking out in the commander's camp at night at the army's encampment would inevitably cause chaos.

However, since the vast majority of the troops were stationed outside the city, the chaos was not too great.

Moreover, Duan Jiong burned down the maids' camp, which was the most suitable starting point for the fire.

The Handmaids' Camp is large and has many buildings, including a laundry department where soldiers' old clothes are stored and dried. It is quick and easy to start a fire, and it is currently empty.

Setting fire here will not cause any innocent casualties, but it will create a great spectacle.

Since it was not a real military camp fire, and it occurred within the city, and did not cause any actual casualties, it was unlikely to escalate into an uncontrollable disaster such as a large-scale riot.

Of course, Zhang Wen's troops inside the city were indeed panicked when they saw the fire. Many of the troops were conscripted laborers and were poorly trained. There were small-scale infighting incidents in several barracks where people were hacking at each other with knives indiscriminately. In the chaos of the sudden night incident, they attacked anyone they saw, and this is how the untrained soldiers behaved.

Duan Jiong used to hold emergency nighttime drills to prepare soldiers for unforeseen circumstances and thus prevent such situations from occurring.

Fortunately, the troops stationed outside the city did not fall into chaos. Since they were not attacked or threatened, and only the city was on fire, the various camps outside the city only made a commotion for a while before regrouping and rushing to Huaili County to try to put out the fire.

This was primarily to save money and food supplies.

These days, whenever a fire breaks out in the city, the first thing firefighters do is rush to the granary.

It wasn't necessarily about saving money and food supplies—looting them was also an option, since rescuing them at this time would indeed be the right thing to do...

Zhang Wen kept claiming that there was a shortage of money and food, so much so that the army did not move for half a year.

But once the fire broke out, all the troops rushed into the city to fight it...

Whether the money and provisions are sufficient is quite obvious.

The grain depot did not catch fire, but the vault next to it did, although the fire was small.

This wasn't done by Liu Bei, it was done by Sun Jian...

Moreover, Sun Jian's troops were putting out a fire.

The specific method was to move the money from the vault onto large carts and then transport it out of the city—a very professional firefighting method, which was also used in some places 1,800 years later.

This treasury was the tax warehouse of Huaili County, not far from the South Gate.

Sun Jian was leading his troops to speed up at the South Gate when he suddenly turned around and saw Zu Mao rushing out of the darkness.

What are you doing here?

Upon seeing Zu Mao, Sun Jian was greatly surprised: "He escaped from Liu Bei's clutches?"

Sun Jian probably thought that Zu Mao's skills had improved, that he was able to escape from more than a hundred armored soldiers...

Zu Mao shook his head: "Cough... Governor Liu let me leave..."

"Let you go?...Oh no!"

Sun Jian looked up to the west and saw a fire breaking out there. He quickly called to Cheng Pu, "Demou, hurry up and go! Forget about the money in the treasury!"

Cheng Pu was busy supervising the transport of copper coins, and every now and then he would rekindle the fire in the treasury to prevent it from going out.

Hearing Sun Jian call him, he ran over holding a torch: "We've only transported a little over half..."

"If we stay any longer, we'll die trying to spend these... Let's get out of the city..."

Sun Jian was quite alert; he immediately gathered his troops and quickly left the city.

However, just as the troops were halfway out of the city, Liu Bei's voice came from inside the city: "Military Advisor Sun is indeed loyal to his duty. You can be seen everywhere... You are a model for soldiers!"

Meanwhile, voices could be heard from outside the city: "Is Sun Wentai transporting money in the middle of the night to steal?"

The voices outside the city came from Dong Zhuo.

In fact, Dong Zhuo at this time was very similar to Liu Bei.

Liu Bei was recommended by Zou Jing and Liu Yu, while Dong Zhuo was promoted by Zhang Huan and Yuan Wei. Both of them were border military leaders who were promoted to both military and court positions.

Liu Bei was known for his benevolence, righteousness, and chivalry in Youzhou, which won him popular support.

Dong Zhuo was also known as a righteous hero in Liangzhou and was deeply loved by the army.

Both men had 5,000 elite troops and many capable generals under their command.

Liu Bei had connections with the Black Mountain Army and the White Wave Bandits.

Dong Zhuo had connections with the Xianling Qiang and Liangzhou bandits...

However, Liu Bei knew that the emperor actually preferred to win over Dong Zhuo.

Because Dong Zhuo's surname was not Liu.

For the current emperor, military leaders like himself and Dong Zhuo are actually considered as resources to be wasted.

They were sent outside to put out fires. If they succeeded, they were rewarded and then moved to the next fire scene.

If it's used up, then replace it with another consumable...

This is why Liu Bei, like Dong Zhuo, was always unwilling to engage in direct combat with others.

Liu Bei's foundation was in Zhuojun, Xihe, and Lulong Pass... Youzhou was the source of Liu Bei's strength.

The same applies to Dong Zhuo. Dong Zhuo's base was in Longxi, Liangzhou (at this time, Yongzhou had not yet been established, and the Three Auxiliary Regions were under the jurisdiction of the Sili Commandery).

Therefore, Liu Bei would do everything in his power to protect Youzhou.

Dong Zhuo would also go all out to reclaim Liangzhou.

—Now is the time for Dong Zhuo to unleash his full power.

Two officers under Dong Zhuo, Niu Fu and Guo Si, led their troops to block the city gate.

Sun Jian glanced outside the city, then looked back at Liu Bei who was slowly approaching, before turning to stare at Zu Mao: "Zu Mao...you betrayed me?!"

"I...elder brother, how could I do such a thing?!" Zu Mao's face was full of grievance.

But Sun Jian ignored him and walked up to Liu Bei instead: "Commander Liu, you came looking for your comrades and relatives, I wonder if you have found them?"

Liu Bei understood Sun Jian's meaning, but did not answer. Instead, he looked at the money warehouse next to him, where several small fires had started: "Military Advisor Sun, are you here to put out the fire? Do you know who started it?"

"Was Sun at fault for entering the city to fight the fire?"

Sun Jian immediately seized the opportunity to back down.

"Of course you're right, you deserve credit for putting out the fire..."

Liu Bei nodded and pointed to Dong Zhuo, who was entering the city: "However, now that I'm here, and General Dong is here too... we need to find someone to blame for this, right? Otherwise, if Military Advisor Sun just leaves like this, there will be no one to explain for him..."

"...This was done by this person..."

Sun Jian looked around and then shoved Zu Mao over.

Zu Mao stumbled from the push, turned around and stared blankly at Sun Jian, his eyes filled with disbelief: "...Elder brother?"

"what……"

When Dong Zhuo entered the city, he happened to see Sun Jian pushing Zu Mao toward Liu Bei, and he said with a mocking expression, "Sun Wentai is truly a righteous man. Isn't this what it means to put righteousness before family ties?"

Sun Jian's face turned ashen, and he remained silent, leading the remaining troops out of the city.

Dong Zhuo hesitated for a moment before looking at Liu Bei.

Liu Bei shook his head: "Let him go, so he won't get in the way."

Dong Zhuo waved his hand, and Niu Fu opened the city gate to let Sun Jian out.

"Open the granaries... to save money and grain!"

Seeing Sun Jian leave, Dong Zhuo waved his hand and gave the order, then stepped forward and took the torch from Liu Bei, rekindling the almost extinguished fire in the money warehouse.

This approach is exactly the same as Sun Jian's.

Zu Mao remained frozen in place, like a statue.

Liu Bei stepped forward, put his arm around Zu Mao's neck, and patted him on the back: "Do you want me to beat up that Sun Wentai for you?"

Dong Zhuo, who was standing nearby, overheard this and turned around with a chuckle: "Count me in. This isn't the first or second time that traitor Sun has tried to harm me..."

Zu Mao clenched his fists, and tears finally welled up in his eyes.

……

Just as Dong Zhuo's troops were "rescuing money and grain," Zhang Wen finally arrived with his men.

Other troops outside the city also attempted to enter, but were all stopped by Niu Fu, who claimed that nothing had happened inside the city, only that there had been an accidental fire.

The same was true near the West Gate. Guan Yu was stationed outside the West Gate. When he saw the maids' camp on fire, he raised Liu Bei's banner and ordered the city gates to be opened so he could enter the city.

The banner of the Left General of the Central Army was still effective, and the supervising troops had to be called to open the city gates first, leading other troops into the city to put out the fire.

Troops from the north also entered the city, led by Zou Jing, the commander of the Northern Army.

At this time, the supervisory authority could restrain other troops, and Zou Jing and Guan Yu went to the maids' camp.

Seeing Dong Zhuo working as a porter in the granary, Zhang Wen became enraged: "Dong Zhongying! What are you doing? Are you plotting a rebellion?!"

"When Dong was passing by, he saw a fire breaking out in the city and noticed that the city gates were not closed, so he immediately came to help save the grain..."

Dong Zhuo spoke slowly and deliberately: "Zhang Gong has often said that the army is short of food. If I, Dong, do not come to the rescue, and all the 'remaining' food is burned, wouldn't the army be trapped and die here?"

"you!"

Zhang Wen gritted his teeth: "You entered the city and set fire to it, and you still dare to distort the truth..."

"The arsonist wasn't Dong... With Governor Liu here as proof, it seems more likely that it was Zhang Gong's men who set the fire. Has anyone under Zhang Gong gone missing? Hahaha..."

Dong Zhuo shook his head and laughed.

As they were talking, Zou Jing and the others arrived at the scene.

Dong Zhuo did not order his men to stop, so Guo Si and the others continued to move the grain without stopping.

The scene appeared extremely eerie...

The granary was not on fire at all. Dong Zhuo's troops were moving grain, but no one present told him to stop.

"Grand Commandant Zhang, you said the army is short of food, but now it seems... the grain stored in the granary is enough for the army for at least six months. Is this considered a food shortage?"

Liu Bei stepped forward and asked Zhang Wen, "And the maidservant camp... why did the maidservant camp catch fire? Grand Commandant Zhang, I demand an explanation."

Everyone knew that what Liu Bei wanted to explain was the women in the maid camp.

"...Why should I explain myself to you?"

Zhang Wen's face darkened: "You have committed treason..."

"Grand Commandant Zhang, you lied about military supplies to extort money and grain from the imperial court, delayed your advance when encountering the enemy, and committed murder and arson to cover up your misdeeds... These are what constitute treason. We were just trying to put out the fire, and even though you are a Grand Commandant, you cannot distort the truth..."

Liu Bei shook his head and smiled: "Did such a thing ever happen when Grand Commandant Duan was in command? The current Grand Commandant..."

Zhang Wen gritted his teeth and pointed at Liu Bei, about to say something, when he saw an old soldier behind Liu Bei look up at him.

"This……"

Zhang Wen froze on the spot, his eyes wide open, his mouth agape but unable to utter a word.

The old soldier smiled at Zhang Wen, then lowered his head again.

Zhang Wen trembled all over and collapsed to the ground, convulsing.

Stroke?
"Zhang Gong seems to have gone hysterical... Why haven't we taken him away yet? Leaving him here will affect the morale of the troops."

Liu Bei was genuinely surprised that Duan Jiong's mere glance could have such an effect; he hadn't even used many of his backup plans yet...

They quickly ordered Zhang Wen's guards to carry him away.

To be honest, Liu Bei still had a bit of a modern mindset. He didn't expect this to be so terrifying. These days, if someone who is supposed to be "dead" appears in front of you and smiles at you, you're considered to have a gifted sphincter. It's perfectly normal for someone like Zhang Wen to be so scared that he has a seizure. Some people even die of fright.

By this time, many people had arrived, including captains from various departments and local troops. Upon seeing Zhang Wen's appearance, they all fell silent and shook their heads.

Most people probably thought that Zhang Wen was too cowardly to face two powerful generals and was deliberately faking a stroke.

Liu Bei's original intention was also to make Zhang Wen lose his authority and take the opportunity to establish some prestige in the army.

The supervisor's authority alone is not enough to mobilize a large army for battle. Although it's not a good tactic to step on one and pull the other, stepping on Zhang Wen is certainly a way to establish authority.

Now that Zhang Wen is cooperating so well, Liu Bei doesn't need to kick him a few more times.

"Gentlemen, the army is not short of provisions! It's just that Grand Commandant Zhang lacks the courage! Do you all have the will to recover Liangzhou and achieve great deeds? Do you have the intention to quickly punish the traitor and return home as soon as possible?"

Liu Bei immediately began to mobilize: "If you are willing, then lead your troops here to transport grain together and move this granary to Meiyang."

"I, along with Zou Zhonghou, will serve as military supervisors and will also oversee the grain supply in Meiyang to prevent unfairness... All of you who lead troops may take grain! Before the rebellion is quelled, military rations will not be used to support idlers! Are you all willing to unite and fight together?"

Liu Bei didn't make any earth-shattering slogans. He simply stated that he and Zou Jing would supervise the grain supply together, and that anyone willing to fight could take the grain—and those who took the grain would have to fight together.

"war!"

Dong Zhuo readily cooperated by raising his fist and shouting.

"war!!"

Zou Jing and others also began to cooperate.

"war!!!"

In fact, all the generals present hoped to quickly quell the rebels and leave this godforsaken place... They had been here longer than Liu Bei, having been here for over a year.

Military rations should not be used to support idle personnel. With the cooperation of most units, the supply depot was moved to Meiyang, and the command center was also moved to Meiyang.

After Zhang Wen regained consciousness, Dong Zhuo had already led an army of 50,000 to Longxi, leaving only Zhang Wen's main force in Huaili.

At this time, the imperial edict also reached Huaili—Yuan Shu had returned to Luoyang, and Liu Bei was now doing things in two ways at the same time.

Sun Jian kept his word; he did indeed send the relatives of the ghost soldier to Liu Bei's camp. Now their whereabouts are unknown; it is said that they went east.

Liu Bei did not characterize Sun Jian as a traitor or arsonist, but rather described him as someone who fled in fear of battle.

Zu Mao was not punished, because there was no need to find anyone responsible for arson; apart from Zhang Wen, no one cared.

(End of this chapter)