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

Chapter 208 Wenhe's Strategy
After Jia Xu was recommended for the civil service examination, he was originally a court official in Luoyang.

Because he was born in a remote area and usually kept a low profile, he had not been valued for ten years.

It wasn't until the Yellow Turban Rebellion that he was appointed as an advisor by the former Grand Commandant Deng Sheng, finally seeing an opportunity to rise in the ranks.

Deng Sheng was at odds with Ying Shao, the advisor appointed by Yang Ci, and appointed Jia Xu in order to replace Ying Shao.

Ying Shao was the one who argued with Zou Jing about whether to conscript Wuhuan cavalry or Xianbei cavalry. He was not a high-ranking official, but he was always the representative of the Guandong gentry... or rather, their mouthpiece.

Deng Sheng did not have a very close relationship with the Guandong gentry. He actually preferred to appoint people from Xizhou. Originally, Jia Xu could have become the representative of the Guanxi gentry, and his rise to prominence was just around the corner.

However, Jia Xu was rather unlucky.

It is said that opportunities are fleeting, but before Jia Xu could seize them, the opportunity was gone.

Jia Xu's mentor, Yan Zhong, also participated in the suppression of the Yellow Turban Rebellion alongside Huangfu Song and was awarded the official position of Magistrate of Xindu, Ji Province for his military achievements.

However, after the war, in order to sell official positions, Liu Hong ordered strict performance evaluations in various regions to dismiss those who had obtained official positions through military merit, and Yan Zhong was dismissed as a result.

(Note: According to the original history, Liu Bei was also dismissed at this time after becoming the magistrate of Anxi.)
Huangfu Song had just defeated the Yellow Turbans and became famous throughout the land. He was appointed Governor of Ji Province, the only governor at the time.

After being dismissed from his post as magistrate of Xindu, Yan Zhong went to Huangfu Song and said, "The most precious yet easiest thing to lose in the world is opportunity. Sages act in accordance with the times, and wise men seize opportunities. Now that you, General, have encountered a change of fortune, you must seize it quickly!"

Huangfu Song asked, "What do you mean?"

Yan Zhong said, “General, your military prowess is divine. Within a month, you have wiped out the bandits, swept through seven provinces, slaughtered thirty-six tribes, and annihilated the Yellow Turbans… Your prestige and virtue shake the dynasty and your fame spreads overseas. Even Tang and Wu could not have achieved such a feat. However… those whose achievements overshadow their rulers will inevitably face future troubles. General, you have established such merits, yet you serve a mediocre ruler. How can you expect to be safe?”

Huangfu Song then asked, "I serve the public day and night, and am loyal to the court. How could I be uneasy?"

Yan Zhong then said, "General, do you remember Grand Commandant Duan? He recovered Xizhou, but what became of him?"

"The current emperor's rewards and punishments are unclear. The court is wary of generals who have made military achievements and has little trust in people from the border regions. Those of us who have gained official positions through merit have all been dismissed... Although you have a high position now, how long can you maintain this rank? Sooner or later you will be dismissed by a single word over a trivial matter."

"One cannot remain under a mediocre ruler for long. General, you have already achieved merits that have not been rewarded. Not only will you attract the jealousy of petty people, but you will also be feared by the mediocre ruler. If you do not make plans as soon as possible... you may regret it too late."

This was an attempt to persuade Huangfu Song to seize power and rebel while he was at the height of his fame and glory.

But Huangfu Song disagreed, saying, "Extraordinary schemes and grand achievements are beyond our capabilities. The people have not forgotten their ruler, and Heaven will not protect us. To merely dream of unattainable feats will only hasten disaster. It is better to uphold our loyalty as subjects. Even if disaster strikes in the future, it will only result in exile and abandonment, at least we will have a good reputation and our names will be immortal. I dare not listen to your rebellious schemes."

At the time, Huangfu Song did not intend to kill Yan Zhong—although Yan Zhong advised him to rebel because he was resentful after losing his official position, he did have Huangfu Song's best interests at heart, and what he said was not without reason.

However, Yan Zhong failed to persuade Huangfu Song to rebel, and fearing that Huangfu Song would kill him, he fled Jizhou overnight.

With this escape, Huangfu Song had no choice but to issue a warrant for his arrest.

Yan Zhong was also lucky. Not long after he escaped from Jizhou, Huangfu Song was besieged by the Black Mountain Army, and Jizhou was thrown into chaos.

Yan Zhong was not caught, but the wanted notice remained in effect.

This directly impacted Jia Xu's future.

Yan Zhong was Jia Xu's recommender. Although Jia Xu was not considered Yan Zhong's accomplice, he was inevitably implicated. Unfortunately, Jia Xu was dismissed from his post as a junior aide to the Grand Commandant.

Because of Yan Zhong, Jia Xu was recommended for the civil service examination, but he also lost his future because of Yan Zhong. However, Jia Xu did not harbor any resentment. This was how the recommendation system worked in those days; once you were bound together, it was a lifelong relationship.

Just as Yan Zhong fled back to Liangzhou, Bei Gong Boyu launched a rebellion, which meant that Yan Zhong was not arrested despite being wanted, which can probably be considered good luck.

Bei Gong Boyu and Li Wenhou had long been oppressed by Ling Zheng. The Liangzhou rebellion was not instigated by Yan Zhong, but was indeed due to the deep-seated resentment of the Qiang people, coupled with the Yellow Turban Rebellion which had taken the lead.

However, the idea for Bian Zhang and Han Sui to kill Chen Yi, the prefect of Jincheng, was Yan Zhong's. Unlike Han Sui and others, Yan Zhong was already dissatisfied and was wanted by the court. The rebellion of Bei Gong Boyu actually served Yan Zhong's wishes.

This is one of the reasons why the Liangzhou rebels were able to grow so rapidly. Many military officers were already dissatisfied with the court. Although Beigong Boyu did coerce many famous scholars, many border generals also voluntarily joined the rebellion, which is why the Liangzhou rebels were so powerful.

The problem is that Beigong Boyu and Li Wenhou have been killed by Han Sui, and the Liangzhou rebellion has been quelled.

Furthermore, everyone witnessed Duan Jiong's return to his hometown in Jincheng—Duan Jiong's reputation in Liangzhou was equivalent to that of a god. To the Qiang people, this was as if the god of war had been resurrected. Regardless of whether Duan Jiong was alive or dead, the Qiang people would absolutely not dare to show their faces in the short term, in case Duan Jiong were to be resurrected again.
Without the Qiang people as a source of soldiers and the scapegoat they were used to, the people of Liangzhou naturally had to behave themselves and at least not openly raise the banner of rebellion again.

Yan Zhong is currently in a very awkward situation.

He has indeed betrayed the cause and is wanted by the authorities.

However, he was not the mastermind behind the rebellion and had always been an ally of Han Sui.

Now that the rebellion has been quelled, Liu Bei and Dong Zhuo had acted on their own initiative and had not conducted any reckoning. Han Sui had essentially abandoned the darkness and embraced the light, so naturally no one punished Yan Zhong.

According to Liu Bei and Dong Zhuo's military reports, Han Sui should have been credited with the greatest merit. If Han Sui were to be rewarded for his merits, then Yan Zhong could be exonerated—Yan Zhong had always acted alongside Han Sui and was also a meritorious official in pacifying Liangzhou. Any previous crimes could be redeemed through his merits.

Jia Xu was originally still running around in Luoyang—Yan Zhong had only made some rebellious remarks, but had not actually rebelled. Now he was considered to have done a good job in suppressing the rebellion, so this matter was originally easy to resolve.

However, the imperial court deliberately altered the military report, and Han Sui's achievements were erased...

To be honest, this was nothing to Han Sui or Liu Bei.

Although Han Sui did not receive any reward, at least he was not directly regarded as a traitor, which could be considered a form of whitewashing.

Anyway, Han Sui had changed his name; the court had previously issued a warrant for his arrest as Han Yue... Han Sui was more than happy that the court would ignore him, as long as they didn't bring up old grievances.

Liu Bei didn't care about whether he could receive rewards or not. His foundation was never based on official titles or ranks, and the court couldn't offer any substantial benefits anyway.

But Yan Zhong and Jia Xu, those two unlucky fellows, were different.

Since Han Sui will not receive any credit, Yan Zhong will certainly continue to be wanted by the court, and may even be regarded as the mastermind behind the Liangzhou rebellion—he had previously instigated Huangfu Song and had a criminal record.

Even if the imperial court doesn't intervene in the Liangzhou rebellion, the fact that the warrant for Huangfu Song's instigation of the rebellion is still in effect will affect the entire clan and their descendants.

Yan Zhong had been wanted by the imperial court for a long time and hadn't had time to change his name. Now it's definitely too late for him to change his name and surname.

Jia Xu is now nearing forty, having wasted half his life only to return to square one, and will most likely be implicated again...

Upon learning in Luoyang that the military reports from Liangzhou had been altered, Jia Xu immediately rode back to Jincheng to avoid being implicated and arrested.

Yan Zhong originally thought that there was no solution to this matter.

But when Jia Xu learned that Yan Zhong had seen Duan Jiong, who should have died in prison, he had a plan.

Jia Xu was not as superstitious as the Qiang people. He did not believe that Duan Jiong had come back from the dead, but rather that he wanted to use Duan Jiong's reputation to subdue the rebellious Qiang people again.

This was both to consolidate military power and to make amends for past mistakes.

If Yan Zhong could bring the Xianling Qiang back to the embrace of the Han Dynasty, how could such a great achievement be considered treason?
Even if the court is unjust, even if we don't get any credit, at least we can make the court not dare to hold a grudge, even if it's like Zhang Yan of Black Mountain making the court acknowledge it.

Han Sui was actually willing to help, but he had just killed Beigong Boyu and Li Wenhou, making him an enemy in the eyes of the Qiang people, which made things difficult.

Therefore, Jia Xu came to Duan Jiong for help—for Duan Jiong, this matter was quite simple; all he needed to do was show his face.

But now that Duan Jiong is dead and cannot be brought back to life, we can only turn to Liu Bei for help. "This is exactly what I seek... If we can subdue the Xianling Qiang, the court will surely reconsider the matter of Liangzhou. The court has not yet recognized General Liu's merits, and General Liu can use this matter to persuade the court to change its decision."

Jia Xu actually had a slight misunderstanding. He thought Liu Bei was Duan Jiong's successor—anyone would think that Liu Bei sent Duan Jiong back to his hometown and dared to quell the rebellion in Liangzhou on his own.

But Liu Bei really wasn't familiar with the Qiang people...

“I am not Lord Duan, and I do not have the ability to command the Qiang people… Moreover, Brother Wenhe, since Liu Bei was not mentioned in the court’s report on merits, then I am disliked by the court. At present, my situation is no better than your master’s.”

Liu Bei had just learned about the court's situation from Jia Xu, and he immediately understood that the emperor was wary of him.

"Then this matter must be changed... Since we cannot quickly subdue the Qiang people, we should let them rebel again!"

Jia Xu seemed to have figured it out long ago, and immediately came up with a new plan: "Didn't Zhang Wen lie and say that Liangzhou had already been pacified? Then let Liangzhou no longer be pacified... This matter can also be reversed."

"Wenhe wants to incite the Qiang people to rebel?"

Liu Bei hesitated: "Liangzhou has been in turmoil for a long time and is already in ruins. If another major upheaval breaks out, how will the people of Liangzhou survive?"

Upon hearing this, Jia Xu stared at Liu Bei for a long time, then bowed and said, "General Liu is benevolent and virtuous, I admire him! But, does the general know what the people of Liangzhou desire?"

"...I'd like to hear more details."

Liu Bei also wanted to hear the opinions of the wise men of his time.

"It's fair."

Jia Xu sighed: "General, the world is in chaos now, but whether it is the rebellion of the Qiang and Di, the Yellow Turbans, or the various southern barbarians, it all stems from injustice."

"The Yellow Turban Rebellion used Heaven, Earth, and Man as its banner. The previous rebellion of Beigong Boyu was also caused by the injustice of the officials. Although the Qiang people left in fear of Lord Duan, their worries have not been eliminated, and they will rebel again sooner or later..."

"Since chaos is bound to break out sooner or later, we might as well create chaos now, so that the court can see the consequences of this injustice!"

"General, you are benevolent and have a strong army. You can restrain the Qiang people and keep them in order to maintain order amidst chaos... You have already done this in Hanoi, so why not do it again?"

Jia Xu's words were quite straightforward: he wanted Liu Bei to threaten the imperial court once again.

"But the Qiang people won't obey my orders. How can I keep them from descending into chaos? Besides, even if the Qiang rebel, the court will only take it seriously if they re-enter the Three Auxiliary Regions... But if we really let Xizhou descend into chaos again, I'm afraid Wenhe himself wouldn't want that, would he?"

Liu Bei shook his head and said, "Wenhe, is there still half a strategy you haven't explained? Why don't you finish it all at once?"

"Haha... Just as the general said, I, Jia, also do not want my hometown to really fall into chaos."

Jia Xu smiled and nodded to Liu Bei, saying, "General, you and Dong Zhongying pacified Liangzhou, and the generals of the Three Auxiliary Regions also worked together. However, apart from Dong Zhongying and a few others, those generals of the Three Auxiliary Regions who participated in suppressing the rebellion did not receive any credit. On the contrary, the generals of Guandong who were defeated before received the credit... Do you think they are convinced?"

"You want me to gather all the generals who quelled the rebellion and make them all say the same thing? There's no need for the Qiang people at all... All we need is for all the military generals in Liangzhou and the Three Auxiliary Regions to say that the rebellion in Xizhou has been revived?"

Liu Bei understood; no wonder Jia Xu had come to find him.

At present, only Liu Bei can do this, because Liu Bei is still the military supervisor of the Three Auxiliary Regions and can legitimately summon the generals of the Three Auxiliary Regions.

Moreover, Liu Bei and Dong Zhuo originally awarded credit to the generals of Xizhou, but the imperial court did not, and the credit was stolen by the defeated people of Guandong.

"The resurgence of the rebellion in Xizhou is beneficial to all the generals in Xizhou. With your abilities, General, you should be able to easily persuade the other generals. After all, it is the Qiang people who have rebelled, and it has nothing to do with you. Moreover, the Qiang people have 'rebelled' just after you returned to the Three Auxiliary Regions. Without your mighty power, the Qiang people could not have been quelled..."

Jia Xu nodded and finished speaking: "If the Western Regions are thrown into chaos again, Zhang Wen will surely be punished. If the court is just, General Liu can join forces with my master, Han Wenyue, and others to pacify Liangzhou again... If the court is still unjust, at least it will not dare to harm anyone... especially not you, General."

"Wenhe's plan... is it truly devised for your master's sake?"

Liu Bei looked at Jia Xu with great interest: "What does Wenhe want?"

"Jia naturally desires a peaceful end... General Liu was able to ensure that Lord Duan lived to a ripe old age and died peacefully, and perhaps Jia can also have such a destiny."

Jia Xu spoke frankly: "I have wasted half my life, desiring neither glory nor wealth, but only peace and stability. Now that the court is in such a state, chaos is inevitable... I only wish to do good for others. If you, General, gain power, please lend me a hand."

"Hahaha... If I were to invite Wenhe to join the military as an advisor, would Wenhe be willing?"

Liu Bei greatly admired Jia Xu, a man who could speak clearly and concisely.

"Unwilling..."

Jia Xu smiled and cupped his hands: "But if General were to one day take charge of a prefecture or county, Jia Wenhe would surely give his whole fortune to serve him. I'm just afraid that General might one day find me too old."

"Well... Wenhe can go home and pack his bags. I think it won't be long before I'll be in charge of the prefectures and counties."

Liu Bei suddenly laughed and said, "Wenhe's plan will enable many people to govern prefectures and counties..."

Jia Xu was taken aback for a moment, then sighed in realization, "Yes... I really hadn't thought of it as a political maneuver... That's true!"

"Then... does Wenhe's statement still stand?"

Liu Bei immediately stood up, bowed deeply, and said, "I, Liu, wish to appoint Mr. Wenhe as my prime minister!"

"My lord."

Jia Xu bowed in return, addressing the governor directly as "Shijun"—a title used for a prefect or governor.

……

Jia Xu's idea seemed simple and easy to implement, but it also seemed to have many loopholes—it was a large-scale false report of military intelligence, involving the commanders of various counties in the Three Auxiliary Regions, so it was obviously easy to be exposed.

But in reality, whether or not it's exposed is completely unimportant...

Just like when the imperial court falsified military reports, everyone knew those reports were fake, but the falsification itself was not important—what mattered was the attitude expressed.

All we need to do is have all the counties in the Three Auxiliary Regions say that the Qiang people of Xizhou have rebelled again. After all, everyone knows that if the court doesn't acknowledge it, then this matter can immediately become a reality.

The officials of Liangzhou and the counties of Sanfu were not stupid. If they did not cooperate at this time, they would likely die at the hands of the 'rebels' that very night. Liu Bei would not do such a thing, but Yan Zhong, who had no way out, would definitely do it, and Han Sui would also help Yan Zhong do it.

Even the usually upright and upright new governor of Tianshui, Fu Xie, reported it accordingly. It wasn't out of respect for Liu Bei, but because he knew it wasn't a lie. Liangzhou had never truly been pacified, and the "rebellion in Liangzhou" was actually the truth.

At the end of February, Liu Bei led his troops back to Meiyang.

In March, countless military reports reached the imperial court, with Liangzhou and the surrounding counties reporting that "the Qiang and Di tribes have rebelled again."

Li Jue, who had just been promoted to the position of Commandant of the Expeditionary Army, even claimed that the Qiang rebel army numbered nearly 100,000 and was too powerful to fight, and requested to withdraw his troops to Chang'an. He was currently out of troops and had a grudge against Han Sui, so he was worried that Han Sui would take the opportunity to attack him.

The court and the public were in uproar. Liu Hong, who had been claiming to be ill, immediately resumed court assemblies and promptly imprisoned Zhang Wen for "deceiving the court by falsely reporting military intelligence."

Since the army had just been recalled, the court was unable to organize a punitive force again in the short term. Therefore, it appointed Di Bi as the governor of Liangzhou and Gai Xun, who had previously forced Bian Zhang to retreat in Tianshui, as the governor of Jingzhao to manage the three prefectures. The two were then tasked with recruiting soldiers to quell the rebellion.

Shortly thereafter, Liu Bei received an imperial edict summoning him to Luoyang for an audience.

(End of this chapter)