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

Chapter 210 East-West Conflict
"I accept your order."

Liu Bei knew that the emperor's demand for Yue Yin as a hostage was bound to succeed.

After all, Liu Bei couldn't make decisions for his teacher.

The imperial edict appointing Yue Yin was written by the emperor himself in this grand hall and presented to Liu Bei in person.

The emperor appointed Yue Yin as an advisor.

This was a court official with a salary of 600 shi (a unit of grain), also subordinate to the Guanglu Xun (a high-ranking official in charge of imperial edicts). He had neither fixed military or political affairs nor fixed subordinates; he was an independent remonstrating official, a solitary minister in the literal sense.

Although the position of Grand Counselor was only worth 600 shi (a unit of grain), it had several extremely important powers.

It was their primary duty to advise and correct the emperor's decisions and actions.

It can comment on all government affairs and provide suggestions, and can participate in all matters such as military, political, personnel, law, etiquette and sacrifice, without any category restrictions.

It can supervise officials to report illegal activities. Although it does not have direct law enforcement power, it can impeach everyone.

Most importantly, it can restore the emperor's edicts.

Yes, if an official believed that the emperor's edict was unreasonable, the remonstrating official could refuse to carry it out; this was a power unique to the remonstrating official.

In contrast, the Grand Counselor had no military or political management power or law enforcement power; he was a truly noble and isolated official.

This position can also be regarded as the emperor's advisor and political teacher.

If it were a different position, even one of the Nine Ministers, Yue Yin would most likely disdain it.

The remonstrating official...

Le Yin has many opinions about the current court, but precisely because he has opinions, given his personality, he will definitely come to offer some advice.

Furthermore, if Liu Bei were to appoint someone himself as the imperial envoy, then regardless of whether Yue Yin was considering Liu Bei's interests or the interests of the world, he would have to reside in Luoyang.

Liu Hong had clearly considered things very thoroughly; during the time he transferred Liu Bei to the Three Auxiliary Regions, he probably did a lot of research.

In fact, Liu Hong did not make things difficult for Liu Bei; what he said and did was what an emperor should do.

Liu Bei was actually quite emotional. This Han emperor might be absurd, greedy, willful, and selfish, but he ultimately possessed the bearing of an emperor.

……

He Jin was not lying; no one was allowed to enter or leave Hangu Pass without a military order, which was indeed the emperor's will.

Not only was the Western Army not allowed to advance eastward, but the Eastern Army was also not allowed to advance westward.

In other words, before the emperor had prepared his troops, he did not want anyone to start a major war on their own—or rather, he did not want the 'Liangzhou Rebellion' to be quelled so quickly.

Since Liu Bei was going to lead his troops to pacify Qingzhou, the emperor no longer restrained Liu Bei's troops, and the order to pass through the pass was issued on the same day.

However, Liu Bei would have to wait for the messenger to deliver the military order to He Jin to pass through the pass, and then wait for Guan Yu and others to bring their troops. This round trip would mean Liu Bei would have to stay in Luoyang for at least ten days.

Two days later, Liu Bei received the seal of office as the governor of Qingzhou and participated in his first court assembly—a unique feature of the Han Dynasty, having served as an official for so long without ever having the opportunity to attend court assemblies…

At the court meeting, the emperor issued the suggestion that Liu Bei had just given him.

Because the world was in chaos and war was needed everywhere, the emperor decided to establish the Western Garden Commandant.

Those who can recruit soldiers and bring their own equipment to join the Western Garden Army can obtain the position of Colonel.

Directly contributing existing troops is also acceptable; the emperor will not mind...

Liu Hong did not limit the total number of the Xiyuan Army, but he clarified its status and the size of each battalion, and directly called it the "Emperor's Guard Army". The first battalion was the existing Xiyuan Army formed by Jian Shuo.

The Guards Army consisted of two battalions, each with a thousand men. Each battalion was headed by a captain with a salary of two thousand shi (a unit of grain), whose status and military power were above those of the five battalions of the Northern Army.

The essence of this matter is actually selling official positions, but the money used to buy these positions is turned into soldiers, which becomes a reward for merit—and a merit that will be praised throughout the land. It can provide soldiers with food and support for tens of thousands of people, create tens of thousands of logistics jobs, enhance national strength, and reduce local banditry.

Moreover, this method can motivate many people to willingly contribute money to recruit soldiers. Although the amount of money spent is the same, it is a way to reward those who have contributed to the country and to obtain official positions based on their merits, which is much more respectable than buying an official position.

The emperor can save money and time on recruiting soldiers and procuring equipment, and the saved money and food can be used to support the army and reward and win over the various officers.

This army became the emperor's personal guard and was fed by the emperor. As long as the emperor himself didn't act recklessly, they could be trusted.

In fact, many things are like this: the essence remains the same, but as long as the method is slightly changed, bad governance can be turned into good governance.

As soon as this policy was introduced, disputes arose again in the court, and Liu Bei witnessed firsthand the spectacle of a brawl in the Han court.

This kind of courtroom bickering, or market-style political discussion, is probably a characteristic of the Han dynasty... Of course, people still valued etiquette these days, and they generally wouldn't fight in court.

The first to start arguing were Ying Shao, the advisor to the Grand Commandant, and Bao Hong, the cavalry captain.

Ying Shao firmly opposed the emperor's changes to the military system, arguing that unwarranted reforms and the creation of new armies would likely destabilize the capital region. Furthermore, he believed that the empire was already impoverished and the people were suffering; large-scale recruitment of soldiers would inevitably lead to increased taxes to fund the army. This would further devastate the surrounding counties and increase the number of rebel forces.

Bao Hong thought Ying Shao was talking nonsense, believing that the chaos in the country was due to the lack of troops in Luoyang. He thought that if the central government had a large army stationed there, the border areas would naturally not dare to rebel. He then immediately planned to donate his existing troops to the newly established garrison.

Actually, both of them are talking nonsense; it's purely a battle between the "pure stream" faction and the "eunuch" faction.

However, a new faction emerged and disrupted the situation. The current Colonel of the Archers, Ma Ridi, believed that the five battalions of the Northern Army could be directly incorporated into the Emperor's Guard and expanded—this would not be considered a reform, but rather support for the Emperor.

Ma Ridi was both a member of the Qingliu Party and a native of Xizhou; he was from Maoling, Fufeng.

Of course, Liu Bei could see that Ma Ridi's real intention was not to change the existing military power structure, but also to increase his military power.

Because the new Guards were organized with 2,000 men per battalion, while the Northern Army was organized with 800 men per battalion.

Of course, when actually sending troops, a large number of able-bodied men would be recruited as auxiliary soldiers. On the battlefield, a battalion of the Northern Army could have more than two thousand men—but those were temporary workers, and the actual number of soldiers was still only eight hundred.

Subsequently, Shi Sunrui and others, who were also from Fufeng, came forward to second and support Ma Ridi.

Officials in the Kwantung region overwhelmingly supported Ying Shao.

The current Grand Minister of Agriculture, Feng Fang (Cao Jie's son-in-law), and the former Grand Counselor and current Chamberlain, Xia Mou, support Bao Hong.

This situation quickly escalated into a three-way power struggle between the Kanto and Kansai factions and the eunuch faction (the emperor's faction).

I wonder if Liu Hong has recently been studying geometry and learned about the stability of triangles...

Anyway, after the argument escalated into a chaotic market, Liu Yan and Liu Yu, members of the imperial clan who were barely considered neutral, came out together to restore order and incidentally took sides.

Liu Yan said that the world is in chaos and war is needed everywhere. Since some people feel that the court does not have the money to build a new army and that increasing taxes may cause popular uprisings, then they should donate money to support the army...

Then, Liu Yan took the lead in donating money.

Liu Yan and Liu Yu had previously helped the emperor mint new coins. Although the court did not receive much revenue from it, the two were still quite wealthy. They donated all the money they had made from minting the coins to the court as military pay.

The "pure stream" faction fell silent instantly.

Unwilling to raise taxes, unwilling to let the people suffer—what lofty reasons… But when it comes to asking them to donate money, they immediately fall silent.

Meanwhile, the generals of Guanzhong said that although their families were not wealthy, they had some able-bodied men and were willing to donate men to the Emperor's guard. The people of Xizhou had a completely different attitude from the people of Guandong in order to gain a voice in the court and military power in Luoyang.

Thus, the emperor's decree was successfully promulgated, and Bao Hong, Ma Ridi, Feng Fang, Xia Mou, and others directly broke away from the Northern Army and transformed into newly established captains of the Emperor's Guard.

The specific names for each battalion and captain have not yet been set, but this matter has been decided.

The conflict between Kanto and Kansai intensified as a result. If nothing unexpected happened, Kanto would send representatives to recruit soldiers to serve as military officers in Xiyuan, in order to prevent the Kansai people from becoming too powerful. The aristocratic families split into two factions, East and West, forming a tripartite balance with the eunuch faction. It seemed that Liu Hong could stand tall again.

At the same time, taking advantage of the East-West dispute, Liu Hong brought up Zhang Wen's false report of military intelligence again.

Because of the resurgence of the Qiang and Di tribes in Liangzhou, Zhang Wen failed to quell the rebellion but instead falsely claimed that the rebels had been pacified, which was a mistake in the military operation. As a result, he was dismissed from his post as Grand Commandant and stripped of all his power.

Officials in Guandong who had been credited with 'suppressing the rebellion' were also demoted, but Dong Zhuo's position as former general was retained.

……

Five days later, news arrived from Xizhou at the second court assembly that Liu Bei attended.

The newly appointed Prefect of Jingzhao, Gai Xun, sent an envoy to report that Han Sui, Yan Zhong, Jia Xu, and others were leading a volunteer army to quell the Qiang rebellion and had blocked the Qiang people in the mountains. The important areas of Sanfu and Tianshui and other counties had not been attacked.

This was, of course, a follow-up action by Jia Xu. An act must be performed completely, and Director Jia's script was very comprehensive.

Liu Bei mobilized the generals of Xizhou to compete for military merit, causing the people of Xizhou to form factions.

Han Sui found a group of bandits to pretend that the Qiang people were rebelling, and then he and Yan Zhong quelled the rebellion, thus putting an end to this lie—these bandits were actually Ma Teng's men, all of whom were local gangsters, and indeed most of them were Qiang people.

Han Sui and Yan Zhong did indeed send troops, but their purpose was actually to beat up Li Jue.

Li Jue's judgment was correct; Han Sui did indeed want to take the opportunity to kill him.

So Li Jue fled in a flash, heading to Mei County, south of Meiyang, to guard Dong Zhuo's family. Li Jue was quite clever; Han Sui, of course, wouldn't clash with Dong Zhuo and immediately withdrew his troops.

Li Jue not only escaped a calamity, but also established a good relationship with Dong Zhuo's younger brother, Dong Min.

Taking advantage of the unity of Xizhou against Guandong, Yan Zhong whitewashed his identity. At this time, no one would inform on him, otherwise it would be detrimental to the common interests of Xizhou.

At the same time, the newly appointed officials of Xizhou, such as Gai Xun and Di Bi, needed someone to take the lead in organizing the righteous army to quell the rebellion and set an example so that they could truly pacify Liangzhou. Since both of them were from Xizhou, they certainly did not want the court to send a large army to completely destroy Guanzhong again.

Yan Zhong has redeemed himself, and his previous crimes have been wiped clean.

Han Sui was recommended for the position of Protector of the Qiang, but the court failed to reach a decision after discussions (arguments), just like Liu Bei's official position at the time. This matter was unlikely to be resolved in less than two or three months.

This was the last bit of help Jia Xu offered to his teacher.

After that, Jia Xu moved his entire family away from Liangzhou and became a retainer of Liu Bei, the new governor of Qingzhou. Jia Xu was indeed a man of his word; he said he would move his entire family to serve Liu Bei, and he did.

……

At the end of February in the fourth year of Zhongping (187 AD).

North of Luoyang, Liu Bei was heading towards Xiaopingjin Pass.

Xiaopingjin is a ferry crossing adjacent to Mengjin, and together with Mengjin, they form the northern gateway to Luoyang.

This was the agreed meeting point between Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and others. Apart from the Imperial Guards, other large forces were not allowed to approach Luoyang County.

Taking charge of Qingzhou was clearly a long-term task, so Liu Bei first needed to meet with his troops and assign them tasks.

Liu Bei wanted to cross the river back to Youzhou to bring his family to Qingzhou to take up their posts. He also wanted to serve as an envoy to deliver an imperial edict to Yue Yin and to take care of the affairs of Youzhou so that Tian Yu and Xianyu Fu would not become orphans in Lulong Pass.

There were many rebels in Qingzhou, so Guan Yu had to lead a part of his army to Qingzhou to scout ahead and prepare for Liu Bei's advance.

Zhang He, who is currently stationed in Hanoi, also has to go to Ganling. Together with Bai Yao, he will lead the troops from Ganling into the plains from the direction of Jizhou to support Guan Yu. The rebels in Qingzhou call themselves the Yellow Turbans, so they have to use the Yellow Turbans to quell the Yellow Turbans.

Guan Yu is currently leading his troops towards Xiaopingjin.

If nothing unexpected happens, Liu Bei will be able to rejoin the main force that night.

But accidents often happen in situations where 'no accidents' are expected.

The distance from Luoyang to Xiaopingjin is less than fifty li, and this is the official road at the foot of the imperial city, so in theory this route should be relatively safe.

However, when Liu Bei arrived at the post station thirty miles north of Luoyang City and was resting and eating, he was suddenly attacked by a group of masked bandits!

The leader, his head and face covered, looked like a bank robber. He held a large knife and didn't say a word, only using hand gestures to direct the two or three hundred men who quickly surrounded the post station.

It looks like they've been waiting here for a while.

Robbing people from inns or taverns was actually quite common these days, and it was indeed quite common around Luoyang—that's what my predecessor, Brother Lang, did when he was robbing people in the Goushi area.

But highway robbery usually targets caravans...

Liu Bei is using the banner of Left General of the Central Army!

Even if the bandits couldn't read, they could at least see that Liu Bei was surrounded by hundreds of strong guards carrying military equipment, and there were also two hundred horses, with armor on the backs of the nags...

It was precisely because he was carrying a general's flag, had hundreds of strong and capable men by his side, and was near Luoyang, that Liu Bei truly did not expect that mountain bandits would dare to rob his army.

This meant that when the attack first struck, Liu Bei was indeed unprepared; none of his troops were wearing armor, and most of them were eating.

The bandits who dared to attack the army were certainly not ordinary mountain bandits; they were actually wearing armor! Although it was all leather armor, this was not equipment that mountain bandits would have.

Moreover, the group moved extremely swiftly and appeared to be well-trained, clearly having been an elite force.

Although it was completely unexpected, Liu Bei still had good habits; even on such a short march, he still sent out sentries to stand guard.

Zhao Yun and Zu Mao immediately issued a warning.

Zhao Yun volunteered to serve as the most arduous sentry because he had a criminal record.

Zu Mao was a new recruit in the guard and, according to regulations, he was required to serve as a sentry.

The two sides then clashed. Zhao Yun stabbed the fastest bandit with his spear and quickly retreated to Liu Bei's side.

Zu Mao stood there, stunned.

But... none of those bandits attacked Zu Mao.

Liu Bei immediately realized what was happening and roared, "Sun Wentai! Are you plotting a rebellion?!"

This shout was a guess, but Liu Bei guessed correctly. The masked bandit leader, who had already charged at Liu Bei with his knife, paused noticeably upon hearing Liu Bei's roar.

This really is Sun Jian, who disappeared before.

"Zumao! Come here! Your elder brother is here to save you!"

Once his name was called out, Sun Jian broke his silence and waved to Zu Mao.

But Zu Mao didn't move, looking left and right, clearly hesitant.

Yeah, for Zu Mao, what the hell is this...?

My older brother came to my rescue and didn't give up on me. Isn't that a good thing?
But my future is gone...

Sun Jian is now a deserter who has fled, and now he has become a thief.

Liu Bei had already brought Zu Mao into his personal guard, and Zu Mao already knew that everyone who came out of Liu Bei's personal guard could become an official...

Besides, Sun Jian's previous obvious distrust... or rather, his deliberate act of pushing Zu Mao out to his death, naturally made Zu Mao resentful!
Zhao Yun ignored all that and when he saw Liu Bei pointing his knife at Sun Jian, he immediately pounced on Sun Jian, sweeping his spear in a half-circle to force back the bandits in front of Sun Jian, and then thrusting straight forward.

(End of this chapter)