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

Chapter 206 A Lie That Runs Through the Sky
The thirtieth day of the twelfth month of the third year of Zhongping.

On this day of bidding farewell to the old year and welcoming the new, Dong Zhuo sent a military report that Longxi had been pacified.

Vanguard generals Niu Fu and Guo Si have already marched out of Didao, preparing to take Jincheng to the north.

Liu Bei released Han Sui and allowed him to return to Jincheng, but in reality, he used Han Sui as a guide, and Li Jue's troops mixed in with Han Sui's army and went to Jincheng together.

Liu Bei's main force followed closely behind, adopting a posture of pursuing Han Sui.

Ma Teng voluntarily followed Liu Bei's troops, which can be considered as providing a guarantee for Han Sui.

Although the brothers all knew that Ma Teng was a gangster who colluded with the rebels, Guan Yu and Zhao Yun both showed goodwill towards Ma Teng because of his loyalty to Han Sui.

Dong Zhuo besieged Jincheng County, and Liu Bei's troops also pursued Han Sui to Yuzhong County.

Bian Zhang, who was stationed in Yuzhong County, sent troops to meet Han Sui, but Han Sui took the opportunity to capture the city gate and welcome Liu Bei's troops into the city.

Because Han Sui betrayed the city, Bian Zhang's troops were caught completely off guard, and with Li Jue also launching attacks from within, the city was thrown into chaos.

While Han Sui was trying to persuade Bian Zhang's troops to surrender, he also led Liu Bei's main force into the city, and Yuzhong County was captured in a single day.

Nearly ten thousand of Bian Zhang's troops surrendered, while thousands more were killed or wounded, rendering them unable to resist.

Bian Zhang led his remaining troops to flee Yuzhong and retreat to Jincheng County.

Han Sui and Li Jue pursued together and surrounded Bian Zhang's troops on a desolate hill in the suburbs.

At this time, Bian Zhang only had a few hundred remaining soldiers with him. Bian Zhang was already ill and had been injured in the city, so he was unable to move. Otherwise, he would not have been caught up so easily.

It was Han Sui who first surrounded Bian Zhang, but instead of continuing the attack, Han Sui withdrew his troops and stopped outside the desolate hill, saying that he was giving the credit to Li Jue.

Although Li Jue wanted credit, he was also somewhat puzzled: "Brother Han could have easily taken the head of the bandit chief, which would have been a great achievement that would have earned you the court's forgiveness. Why didn't you want it?"

“When Beigong Boyu rebelled, Bian Zhang protected my family. I, Han, am unwilling to take his head. Commandant Li, please…”

Han Sui seemed to still have some old feelings for Bian Zhang, at least he didn't want to kill him with his own hands.

Li Jue didn't think much of it and led his troops to besiege Bian Zhang.

By this time, few of Bian Zhang's troops remained by his side, but they were extremely determined to fight. Surrounded on a desolate hill with no way to retreat, they all fought desperately, resulting in heavy casualties for Li Jue's troops.

Li Jue then understood why Han Sui had given him the credit for killing Bian Zhang.

But this is not Han Sui's fault. Great achievements always come at a price. A warlord like Bian Zhang would inevitably have some loyal guards. In any case, Li Jue at least gained the great merit of beheading Bian Zhang, and he should even thank Han Sui.

Li Jue eventually took Bian Zhang's head, but also suffered considerable losses. More than half of his 1,200 elite troops were killed or wounded, forcing him to return to Yuzhong County to regroup.

While Li Jue besieged Bian Zhang, Liu Bei and Han Sui quickly led their troops to Jincheng County—they needed to get there before Bei Gong Boyu and the others knew that Han Sui had betrayed them, otherwise they would not be able to deceive them.

Liu Bei reunited with Dong Zhuo, and Han Sui once again tricked Jincheng into opening the gates.

However, this time Han Sui did not give credit to anyone.

When Han Sui opened the city gates to welcome Liu Bei and Dong Zhuo's army into the city, Bei Gong Boyu and Li Wenhou had already been beheaded by Han Sui.

On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the Lantern Festival, the rebellion of Beigong Boyu in Liangzhou was quelled—at least on the surface.

However, since Han Sui had tricked Jincheng and Yuzhong counties into surrendering, most of the rebels were recruited by Han Sui, and Han Sui's forces now numbered more than 20,000.

In fact, this was Han Sui's intention in not killing Bian Zhang.

Bian Zhang's invasion of Xiling was indeed a death sentence, but he was highly respected in Jincheng, and most of his troops had benefited from his kindness. Han Sui spared Bian Zhang's life in order to win over the remaining troops.

But Liu Bei couldn't control this matter. He was from Youzhou, and his troops were all from Hebei. The Liangzhou rebels would never have surrendered to him in the first place.

These days, people have a strong sense of local identity, and coupled with language barriers, they generally won't seek refuge with outsiders.

Language has always been a major issue; what the people of Youzhou said sounded like a foreign language to the people of Liangzhou.

Liu Bei had encountered many different dialects, but even he needed a translator to speak with the locals of Liangzhou; otherwise, they simply couldn't communicate.

At this time, the official language was the ancient language of the Central Plains, which had been popularized and promoted since the Qin and Han dynasties. Today, most of the provinces in the Central Plains, including the capital region, the three auxiliary provinces, Yanzhou, Yuzhou, Jizhou, and Qingzhou, can speak the official language.

However, the six provinces of You, Liang, Bing, Yang, Jiao, and Yi, which are the outer borders of the Han Dynasty, are all areas severely affected by dialects.

Dialects vary greatly from place to place; even neighboring counties may speak completely different languages—many county boundaries are defined by language.

The eunuchs in the palace were all from the Central Plains region. After all, serving in the palace required timely responses; missing a word or two could mean losing your life.

People from border areas are easily looked down upon, and language differences are a major reason for this.

Dong Zhuo, being a local, could easily recruit rebels, but fearing he couldn't afford to support them, he didn't dare recruit too many, only incorporating two thousand elite soldiers.

Liu Bei didn't actually gain any substantial benefits; he only gained the reputation of having devised a strategy to quell the Liangzhou rebellion.

Seeing that Han Sui's forces were too strong, Dong Zhuo was very uneasy and asked Liu Bei, "If we leave this place, I'm afraid Han Sui will rebel again and be difficult to control. Why don't we have him hand over some hostages?"

Liu Bei countered Dong Zhuo, "If we use hostages to coerce him, it will only make him see us as enemies. Besides... if coercion with hostages were effective, why didn't Beigong Boyu use them?"

Dong Zhuo thought about it and agreed, but he was still worried: "There must be a way to restrain them..."

“Brother Zhongying, there’s no need to worry. As long as we report our achievements to Luoyang, the court will naturally restrain him… You know what kind of state the court is in these days.”

Liu Bei did not want to provoke Han Sui at this time. Although Han Sui had incorporated many rebel troops, he had always been very cooperative. Liu Bei certainly did not need to push him to the opposite side.

Dong Zhuo thought Liu Bei was right; rather than offending Han Sui himself, it would be better to let the court consider the matter.

However, to avoid another incident in his hometown of Longxi, Dong Zhuo planned to move his family to Mei County, near Meiyang.

Liu Bei did not travel with Dong Zhuo because he had other business to attend to.

He was going to Guzang County, Wuwei Prefecture.

The purpose was twofold: first, to send Duan Jiong back to his hometown; and second, to find out if Zuo Yuan still had any relatives alive.

Although he did not want to provoke Han Sui, Liu Bei still restrained Liangzhou in another way—not by restraining Han Sui, but by restraining Liangzhou itself.

Before Liu Bei left Jincheng, Dong Zhuo had already returned to his hometown and moved away. Han Sui led the powerful families of Jincheng to see Liu Bei off.

Liu Bei then had Duan Jiong's clanswoman help him appear briefly—just outside the city, helping Duan Jiong onto the carriage.

At this time, Duan Jiong's health was very poor. He was almost unable to walk and was often drowsy and unable to see clearly. He could only speak softly when he was awake.

Even so, Duan Taiwei's image still intimidated everyone.

The scholars and officials of Jincheng who came to see him off all saw the 'deceased' Grand Commandant Duan board Liu Bei's carriage...

Duan Jiong was once an idol of all Liangzhou people and a nightmare in the hearts of all Qiang people. Almost every Liangzhou local over the age of thirty knows Duan Jiong.

No one dared to utter a sound until Liu Bei's carriage had gone far away. Only then did Han Sui ask the person next to him, "Just now... was that Lord Duan?"

Cheng Gongying was young and had never met Duan Jiong in person, but she knew of Duan Jiong's reputation: "Wasn't it said that he had already passed away?"

Liang Xing's hands trembled, and his voice trembled as well: "Or...perhaps he has been resurrected?"

Zhang Heng, who was standing next to him, swallowed hard and nodded vigorously: "That is Master Duan, there is no mistake."

Zhang Heng spoke with absolute certainty because he was from Guzang in Wuwei, and was a fellow townsman of Duan Jiong.

"No wonder...no wonder..."

Han Sui murmured, "I never imagined that Lord Duan was still alive... Gentlemen, don't provoke Liu Bei, and don't reveal Lord Duan's whereabouts..."

After watching Liu Bei leave, Han Sui went to Yu County.

When they arrived in Yu County, Li Jue's troops were looting and killing people on a large scale... Li Jue tried to recruit Bian Zhang's remaining troops, but was refused, and no one in Yu County was willing to supply Li Jue with food and military supplies.

At the same time, Li Jue was also nearly assassinated by Bian Zhang's remaining troops.

All of this was because he took Bian Zhang's head... Han Sui's decision not to kill Bian Zhang was not solely out of loyalty.

Unable to obtain troops and supplies, and also facing hostility from the people of Yu County, Li Jue, in a fit of resentment, led his army to plunder, just as he had done after conquering cities before.

Han Sui advised Li Jue to leave immediately, but Li Jue did not listen.

Therefore, Han Sui led his army to drive Li Jue out of Jincheng County.

Because he had just seen Duan Jiong, Han Sui did not dare to kill Li Jue or his subordinates. He only forced them to leave because of his superior numbers, but this feud was now established.

……

At the end of the first month, Liu Bei and Zhang Fei sent Duan Jiong back to his hometown of Guzang.

Duan Jiong did not return to his clan's residence, but instead moved into a dilapidated thatched hut outside Guzang City.

The thatched hut had long been abandoned, and the surrounding area was overgrown with weeds.

But this place holds special significance for Duan Jiong—it is his former residence and the place where he was born.

As soon as he got home, Duan Jiong collapsed completely.

The old man's health had long since deteriorated; he was only clinging to the last breath of returning to his hometown. Once he arrived, that breath dissipated.

Duan Jiong did not leave any special last words, because he had no worries before he died. On the night he returned to his old residence, he passed away peacefully in his sleep.

For people of this era, living to over seventy, dying peacefully in their hometown, and returning to their birthplace...

There was nothing to grieve over in such a death. Even Zhang Fei, who was closest to Duan Jiong, showed no sadness, only envy.

Perhaps the only regret is that Duan Jiong could not be buried in his ancestral land.

After all, he had already been "burnt to ashes," and the Duan family had built a cenotaph for him seven years ago.

If Duan Jiong's body were sent to the Duan family at this time, it would likely terrify people and could even cause the death of Duan Wei in Luoyang.

Unable to notify relatives and friends, he could only be buried on the spot, allowing Duan Jiong to be born and die in this humble dwelling, which could be considered a fulfilling life.

The funeral was simple. The Duan family member who presided over the ceremony was a relative of Duan Jiong, who had just been rescued from Huaili, and was Zhang Sheng's widow.

Duan is only twenty-five years old this year, but the seven years of hardship she endured while being detained in Huaili have made her look fifty-two. Her child has also died young.

Even so, Duan is considered lucky, at least she is still alive.

She was also the only member of the Duan family present.

Zhang Fei personally carved a stele for Duan Jiong. The stele did not have his name written on it, but only "Grand Commandant of the Han Dynasty, Marquis of Xinfeng". The back was engraved with his life achievements: General Who Destroyed the Qiang in the Han Dynasty, guarded the border for twelve years, pacified the Eastern and Western Qiang, killed 61,000 Qiang, and his achievements were outstanding.

After Duan Jiong was buried, more than thirty relatives of the Duan family and the underworld soldiers stayed here to guard the tomb, and they will also settle down here again.

Liu Bei left them some food and then went to Guzang County to find Zuo Yuan's relatives.

Shortly after Liu Bei left, Duan and others were moving grain and building thatched huts behind the house when a thin, middle-aged scholar passed by Duan Jiong's former residence.

Seeing smoke rising from afar, and a new grave outside the house, the scholar was puzzled and went forward to take a look.

Upon seeing the tombstone, the scholar knelt down as if he had seen a ghost, and performed the kowtow as a junior.

The scholar then went to the back of the house and found Duan cooking: "The graves outside the house... could they be the tomb of Lord Duan?"

Who is this honored guest?

Duan knew he couldn't reveal Duan Jiong's name casually, so he asked a question in return.

"I am Jia Wenhe... I once used the name of Lord Duan to save my life, and Lord Duan was kind to me. I thought Lord Duan was long dead, but I heard in Jincheng that Lord Duan had been resurrected, and now I see this new grave..."

Jia Wenhe was silent for a moment: "May I ask... who escorted Lord Duan back to his hometown?"

……

Meanwhile, Dong Zhuo had returned to Meiyang with his army and, together with Zou Jing, led Han Sui back to Luoyang to report their achievements.

Dong Zhuo originally intended to give the credit to Liu Bei, but Liu Bei refused, and the credit for suppressing the rebellion was given to Han Sui.

In reality, the credit should indeed go to Han Sui, as this was both a reward and a gesture of appeasement.

After all, without Han Sui, this battle would not have ended at such a small cost, and both Beigong Boyu and Li Wenhou were killed by Han Sui himself.

But in any case, Liu Bei and Dong Zhuo's contributions cannot be ignored.

Logically speaking, Han Sui and Liu Bei should have been ennobled for their merits, Li Jue should at least have been promoted to General of the Household, and Dong Zhuo should have been granted additional official titles and increased fiefdoms.

All the generals deserve credit for this, even those who were part of the flanking support units should be promoted.

but……

The Han Dynasty court has never followed conventional rules.

—Yuan Shu returned and reported Zhang Wen. Although the court immediately recalled Zhang Wen, Zhang Wen's case is still ongoing to this day…

Yes, the battle in Liangzhou is over, but the imperial court is still arguing about Zhang Wen's case.

After returning to Luoyang, Zhang Wen made an extremely bizarre move—he insisted that Liangzhou had been pacified after his previous six-pronged attack, and that the sudden return of all the Qiang people to their hometowns was irrefutable proof. He claimed that Liu Bei, Tao Qian, Sun Jian, and others were stirring up trouble, insisting that Liangzhou was not yet pacified and demanding a large-scale military campaign...

This argument is obviously absurd, but some people are actually willing to believe it.

Anyway, Cui Lie, Yuan Ji, and other high-ranking officials all believed it.

Fu Xie, a court official, berated Zhang Wen in court, saying that the matter was a distortion of the truth. He was then appointed as the governor of Tianshui by the court and rose through the ranks very quickly.

Then... no one in the court objected, since no one wanted to be promoted to Liangzhou.

Subsequently, the emperor fell ill and was unable to attend court for a month.

When Dong Zhuo and Zou Jing returned to Luoyang to report their achievements, the court was in a strange and peculiar state... They had won a battle, but they were unable to report their achievements in court because no court assembly had been held.

After the battle report was delivered to the Ministry of Personnel, the Ministry of Works, and the Ministry of War, it was published in each ministry within just two days—but the names and dates on the report had all been changed!
The battle that took place in the first month of the fourth year of the Zhongping era was changed to the third year of the Zhongping era.

Liu Bei's name did not appear in the battle report, nor did Han Sui's...

The battle report only included those who had suffered a major defeat in the six-pronged attack last year, including Dong Zhuo.

But this was exactly the result everyone who went into battle wanted—their defeat was changed into a resounding victory.

In other words, Liangzhou was actually "pacified" as early as last year!
The official notice issued by the government declared that someone had deliberately altered the battle report, leading to a misjudgment by the court. Fortunately, the matter has been investigated and corrected.

These documents praising Zhang Wen's achievements, along with the heads of Bei Gong Boyu and others, became evidence of Zhang Wen's pacification of Liangzhou...

Han Sui had no opportunity to recount his experiences in court, and the court did not grant him any official titles or ranks, completely ignoring him.

Dong Zhuo was indeed promoted to General of the Vanguard for his merits, but he was immediately transferred to Hedong and remained as the Governor of Hedong—clearly, this was to prevent Dong Zhuo from staying in Luoyang and telling the truth.

Li Jue was promoted to Colonel of the Vanquishing Army, but remained stationed in Fufeng and was still unable to return to Luoyang.

The entire army was recalled, and most of them were rewarded, but Liu Bei and Han Sui acted as if they had not participated in the battle at all, or as if they did not exist at all... without mentioning them at all.

(End of this chapter)