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

Chapter 211 The Matter of Deposing and Establishing an Emperor
Zhao Yun's spear was sharp and powerful, displaying an indomitable spirit. It was unpretentious but extremely fast, heading straight for the center.

Sun Jian was holding a ring-pommel sword and a hand shield. The hand shield was actually a large hook-shaped shield made of iron, which was tied to his forearm like an arm shield, and it also had a handle in his hand.

Both the shield and fist have spikes that can disarm opponents, making it a favorite weapon of highly skilled swordsmen and shieldmen.

However, using short weapons against long weapons puts one at a natural disadvantage, and Zhao Yun's spear even produced a piercing whistling sound, so Sun Jian dared not take it head-on and quickly moved to the side to avoid the center.

Two masked soldiers stepped forward, attempting to stop Zhao Yun.

This was not an assassination attempt, but a military raid. Sun Jian's troops maintained a formation of five men per team, and Sun Jian himself formed a team with four others, appearing to be working together quite well.

Sun Jian's unit consisted of two swordsmen and shieldmen, two spearmen and halberdmen, and one archer. The archers were positioned on the side, but they couldn't shoot arrows at Zhao Yun because Sun Jian's sidestepping blocked the archers.

This was not an accident...

After Zhao Yun finished his thrust, he didn't stop. He swung his spear around, turned, and used the momentum to sweep out a large circle with one hand, smashing away the thrusting spear and forcing back another man wielding a halberd.

The moment the spear returned to his left hand, without even looking, he once again pursued and stabbed at Sun Jian, as if he had eyes in the back of his head.

Meanwhile, Zhao Yun continued to use Sun Jian to block the archer whose bowstring was already fully drawn.

Sun Jian still didn't dare to meet Zhao Yun's quick spear attack. He lunged to the side and front again, using a tiger leap and roll to swat his blade, trying to cut to Zhao Yun's side and strike his lower body.

Zhao Yun's spear is long and incredibly fast. Sun Jian's decision not to stay directly in front of Zhao Yun's spear thrust was correct, and he shouldn't have parried at all. A short weapon cannot be parried at mid-range by a long weapon, and retreating to avoid it will only lead to being chased. The only option was to move to the side and forward, get closer to Zhao Yun, and get within a step of him.

This also prevented the archers on the perimeter from firing arrows, otherwise they could easily have accidentally injured Sun Jian.

Zhao Yun clearly knew that Sun Jian had no other choice. Without turning his head, he continued to thrust his spear forward, stabbing down the masked soldier who had attacked with a spear. Then, without warning, he performed a "Looking Back at the Moon" maneuver.

The gun moved so fast that the blade didn't even get much blood on it, and it flew straight towards the spot where Sun Jian was about to land, like a silver dragon.

The shot came too suddenly, and it was even anticipated – when the gun reached Sun Jian, he had just landed and rolled once, and was about to get up. He was not yet on his feet and had no way to dodge.

Sun Jian was terrified and desperately swung his shield to parry, sparks flying as they clashed.

Sun Jian was lucky; although his barely managed parry didn't completely block Zhao Yun's spear thrust, it caused the spear tip, which was originally aimed at vital points, to deflect slightly, piercing the side of the shield before sliding down to his left shoulder armor.

The spear ripped through Sun Jian's shoulder armor, leaving a bloody gash on his left shoulder.

After this attack, Sun Jian was completely at a disadvantage. Zhao Yun used the momentum of his spear to turn around and began to stick to Sun Jian and thrust rapidly.

Zhao Yun's fighting style is one of charging into battle alone, which is somewhat similar to Zhang Fei's.

Unlike Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun did not rely on absolute strength or fierce attacks, but on his extraordinary ability to predict the future.

Every time Zhao Yun thrusts his spear, he can anticipate his opponent's movements.

Or rather, every time he fires a shot, he forces his opponent to have only one or two ways to respond, thus allowing him to continuously use offense as defense. This is truly fighting with his brain.

This makes Zhao Yun appear to be two points faster than others – his opponents need a little time to react, while Zhao Yun basically doesn't need any reaction time, thus always gaining the upper hand.

What was originally a situation of being besieged has now turned into a situation where Zhao Yun keeps a close eye on Sun Jian and is chasing him. No matter which way Zhao Yun is facing, he is actually always chasing and attacking Sun Jian.

Moreover, Zhao Yun's attacks were devoid of any fancy tricks; every spear thrust was deadly.

Other enemies, having to be wary of and aid Sun Jian, also achieved the effect of using the enemy to control the enemy.

This is different from Guan Yu and Zhang Fei. Guan Yu is good at breaking through enemy lines head-on and defeating them with one blow, Zhang Fei is good at finding the enemy's weaknesses and using them to overcome the strong, while Zhao Yun is good at anticipating opportunities and finding the initiative in a weak position. It is precisely because of this that Zhao Yun is indeed more suitable to be the head of the guard than Zhang Fei.

However, this style of play also has limitations.

Because Zhao Yun's attacks don't give anyone time to react, and his teammates around him also don't have time to react, Zhao Yun can only act without restraint when there are no friendly forces around him, otherwise it's easy for them to hinder each other or even cause accidental injuries.

In fact, the Zhao family's martial arts are not particularly rare, but only Zhao Yun has mastered the effect of "doubling combat power when fighting alone".

Sun Jian is now surrounded by Zhao Yun alone, struggling to hold off the enemy and unable to command his troops.

Many enemies also surrounded Sun Jian in an attempt to rescue him, but Zhao Yun, despite being surrounded by dozens of men, was still able to chase after Sun Jian and beat him up. After being completely surrounded, without the worry of arrows from the outside, Zhao Yun became even more ferocious...

Zhao Yun single-handedly pursued Sun Jian, leaving him no time to command, which bought Liu Bei crucial time to respond.

In fact, it only took a dozen seconds, but that was enough time for Liu Bei to organize his guards.

At this time, Sun Jian's men had already formed a semi-encirclement around Liu Bei.

Most of the guards had already engaged the enemy in close combat, and due to incomplete equipment, they suffered considerable casualties in a short time.

After all, only Zhao Yun and Zu Mao, the two sentries, were fully equipped; the others were eating and were not wearing armor, and were only carrying swords.

Sun Jian couldn't deal with Zhao Yun with his sword and shield, and his guards, wielding broadswords, also had a hard time dealing with an enemy with multiple troop types working together and full armor, plus there were archers firing arrows from the outside.

Instead of charging into battle, Liu Bei used a table to shield himself from arrows and retreated towards the stables of the post station, shouting as he went, "Zumao, release the horses!"

A dozen guards gathered around Liu Bei, carrying a table to protect him as he galloped toward the herd of horses.

Zu Mao was closest to the stables. He was still hesitating, but after hearing Liu Bei's call, he seemed to stop worrying—Liu Bei hadn't ordered him to kill Sun Jian, he was just letting the horses out.

Sun Jian heard this too, and while fending off Zhao Yun's pursuit, he shouted, "Zu Mao! Do you still consider me your brother?"

Zu Mao didn't respond, but instead opened the stable and spurred the horses.

The horses surged forth, many running towards Liu Bei. Liu Bei did not mount his horse immediately, but instead had his guards drive the horses to the battlefield.

Hundreds of horses charged into the battlefield. Although it was chaotic and no one was directing them, it broke up the battle formation of Sun Jian's troops. Moreover, the guards were all skilled riders, and they leaped onto the horses as soon as they saw them.

Since it was a temporary rest stop during the march, the tack on the old horses was not removed—the warhorses were not saddled at all, and they were always ridden on old horses during the march.

The double stirrups and high saddles played a significant role at this time, allowing dozens of guards to mount their horses.

Although it is a nag, as long as it is a horse, its impact force alone can force the enemy to give way.

Moreover, the brothers' weapons were all on horseback.

With horses and long weapons, the guards were a completely different force. The guards, who had been on the defensive, finally organized a counterattack, and the enemy suffered heavy casualties.

At the same time, the horses also disrupted the enemies surrounding Zhao Yun, throwing him off balance. Zhao Yun then grabbed a nag and leaped onto it, brandishing his spear as he continued his charge.

Sun Jian finally got a chance to catch his breath and, following the example, tried to grab a horse to use.

The problem is, he captured a fine warhorse.

The warhorse was tall and magnificent, a first-rate steed, but it wasn't saddled.

But Zhao Yun had already turned around and charged again. The battlefield was in chaos, and Sun Jian couldn't afford to change horses again...

A naked horse can actually be ridden. Sun Jian grabbed the horse's mane and leaped onto it, and indeed managed to ride it. He then took a spear from a soldier beside him and attacked Zhao Yun.

Clearly, Sun Jian was somewhat resentful after being suppressed for so long, feeling that Zhao Yun had the advantage of the length of his weapon...

Sun Jian was indeed highly skilled. He had faced Zhao Yun with short weapons for so long without being killed, which made him one of the best in the world. Even Guan Yu and Zhang Fei dared not spar with Zhao Yun with short weapons during their training.

But Sun Jian clearly didn't know that Zhao Yun on horseback was the complete form...

Zhao Yun spurred his horse toward Sun Jian. Many people tried to intercept him along the way, but Zhao Yun killed more than ten of them with a single thrust of his spear.

The two then rode past each other on horseback.

But in just one round, Sun Jian fell off his horse.

He wasn't stabbed to death, but the force of the clash of spears knocked Sun Jian off his horse.

Zhao Yun simply preferred to fight with his brain, but that doesn't mean he wasn't strong. When Sun Jian fought Zhao Yun on a horse without a saddle, it was inevitable that he would fall off his horse.

Zhao Yun abruptly stopped and turned his horse around, thrusting his spear again, piercing down the soldier who was trying to rescue Sun Jian. The old horse also reared up because of this thrust of the spear, stopping in front of Sun Jian.

Just as Sun Jian sat up, Zhao Yun's spear was already pointed at his throat: "Stop!"

The soldiers around Sun Jian stopped abruptly, not daring to step forward.

"That's quite a skill..."

Even though Zhao Yun had a spear pointed at him, Sun Jian still sincerely praised him.

"Sun Wentai has been captured! Why don't you all surrender?!"

Zhao Yun did not respond, but instead shouted again.

Liu Bei and Zu Mao had already mounted their horses and were fighting fiercely with the enemy when they heard Zhao Yun shout that Sun Jian had been captured. Liu Bei quickly ordered his guards to shout the same.

At this time, more than half of Liu Bei's guards had been killed or wounded.

Such a loss was hardly a victory for Liu Bei; it was merely Zhao Yun's solo achievement. The battlefield gradually calmed down, but the enemy did not surrender. Instead, they maintained their encirclement, though they ceased fighting or firing arrows.

Sun Jian's troops were a well-trained elite force. Even though Zhao Yun's spear was still pointed at Sun Jian's throat, no one held back and the siege was lifted because Sun Jian did not surrender.

Liu Bei had seen Sun Jian at night before, so he didn't get a good look at him.

Now that they're closer, Sun Jian's appearance is easy to spot.

This person's eyes have a distinctly fierce look, with a sharp gaze, wide whites, and prominent eye bones between the eyebrows, making them look very much like tiger eyes.

This feature is just like Liu Bei's big ears; once you've seen it carefully, you'll definitely remember it.

“Sun Wentai, I do not believe I have committed such a feud with you, and you would not have the intention to kill me. Why did you ambush me?”

Liu Bei led his guards forward and surrounded Sun Jian, but Zhao Yunteng made a move that forced the people next to Sun Jian to take a few steps back.

Now, several hundred people have surrounded Liu Bei, while Liu Bei has surrounded Sun Jian.

"Sun was only trying to save Zu Mao..."

Sun Jian had a shoulder injury and was probably injured when he fell from his horse. He sat on the ground without moving, allowing Liu Bei's guards to subdue him.

"Mao doesn't need anyone to save him, much less to kill someone to save him..."

Zu Mao whispered from the side.

"Zumao, I don't blame you for abandoning me... but if you follow Magistrate Liu, you might lose your life!"

Sun Jian's voice suddenly rose considerably.

Liu Bei curled his lip—Sun Jian was clearly speaking to his subordinates…

This was to let his subordinates know that it wasn't he who abandoned Zu Mao, but rather Zu Mao who betrayed him...

This tactic is understandable, and Liu Bei didn't care. What Liu Bei cared about was that Sun Jian actually had the mind to create a persona to win back people's hearts after being captured.

“Sun Wentai, your life is in my hands right now… how can you still have the mind to consider the lives of my comrades?”

Liu Bei couldn't help but offer a reminder.

“Lord Liu, your life is also in my hands…I am not afraid of death, so are you not afraid of death either?”

Sun Jian gestured to the people around him with his eyes.

To be honest, Liu Bei really didn't dare to kill Sun Jian at this time, otherwise if he were besieged by Sun Jian's troops again, Zhao Yun might be the only one in his own guard to survive.

"My lord, Sun Lang... Mao holds Sun Lang hostage, and we each lead our troops to retreat, what do you say?"

Zu Mao stepped forward, knelt on one knee, and pleaded.

"...Okay...but I need to know first, who sent you?"

Liu Bei nodded, but continued to ask Sun Jian questions.

“Sun has already said that he came for Zu Mao…”

Sun Jian remained silent and closed his eyes: "Zu Mao, if you hate me, why not take my life now?"

"What? Sun Wentai, I thought you were a hero, but I never expected you to be so cowardly..."

Liu Bei already understood the situation. As he spoke, he leaned down and whispered to Sun Jian, "Is someone spying on you? Why don't we join forces to kill them?"

There must have been other people in Sun Jian's army, probably supervisors sent by Sun Jian's boss. Sun Jian should now be considered a mercenary.

Sun Jian certainly didn't want to die, but he was unwilling to reveal in public who the instigator was—meaning that the enemy likely still had a large force, and Liu Bei couldn't afford to waste time there.

After hearing Liu Bei's whisper, Sun Jian opened his eyes, hesitated for a moment while looking at Liu Bei, and then suddenly looked behind Liu Bei.

A masked man behind Liu Bei was visibly startled: "Sun Wentai, you don't care about your wife and children..."

Before he could finish speaking, Liu Bei turned around and slashed with his sword.

The man's neck opened wider than his mouth, and blood sprayed all over Liu Bei's face.

"Can you speak now? Who sent you here?"

Liu Bei turned and stared at Sun Jian: "Give me a name, and we will each lead our troops away. I will not hold this against you."

"Tao Qiuhong".

Sun Jian then waved to his men to lift the siege: "I, Sun, am desperate and need to rely on him to implicate the Imperial Censor to avoid punishment... There is more than one army here; there are several thousand more troops in Xingyang. I came here to seize your insignia and regalia before you rejoin your troops..."

"Take my ceremonial regalia?"

Liu Bei, lifting Sun Jian to his feet, exclaimed, "He wants to use my name to rebel?!"

Sun Jian nodded: "Lord Liu, your commanders Guan Yu and Zhang Fei have just entered the capital region... If they use you as a pretext to plot a rebellion, whether it's Qingzhou, Jizhou, or Luoyang... they will all believe it."

That's absolutely true.

Guan Yu had just led his army into the capital region... If someone were to raise Liu Bei's banner and imperial staff to rebel at this time, many people would believe it, or at least be skeptical.

At the same time, if Liu Bei were killed at this time, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei would most likely believe that Liu Bei was harmed by the court, and they might actually raise an army to rebel and demand justice, which would confirm the scheme of Tao Qiu Hong and others...

Tao Qiuhong was indeed capable of harming Liu Bei by any means necessary—Tao Qiuhong was from Pingyuan, and many scholars in Jinan were also tricked into becoming eunuchs by Liu Bei. Pingyuan and Jinan both belonged to Qingzhou at the time. (Note: Pingyuan Commandery/Kingdom belonged to Qingzhou throughout the Han Dynasty, and only came under the jurisdiction of Jizhou during the Wei and Jin Dynasties.)
Now that Liu Bei is the governor of Qingzhou, Tao Qiuhong certainly doesn't want Liu Bei to go to Qingzhou alive.

Tao Qiuhong did indeed control many imperial censors. Sun Jian's previous crimes were not serious, and Tao Qiuhong could certainly have gotten him pardoned.

Moreover, Tao Qiuhong had recently been recruited by the Grand Commandant's Office as a Clerk, which is the second-in-command of the Grand Commandant's Office. He was recruited by Zhang Wen, but he was dismissed from his post because Zhang Wen was convicted of a crime.

Zhang Wen was convicted because of Liu Bei, Sun Jian, Yuan Shu, and others.

……

Sun Jian lifted the siege, and Liu Bei kept his word and let Sun Jian go.

Dozens of people were killed or injured on both sides, but in the end, each side collected the remains of their troops and went their separate ways, without mentioning any grudges.

Liu Bei did not blame Sun Jian for this, but he did not intend to let Sun Jian off easily either. As soon as he arrived at Xiaopingjin, Liu Bei informed He Miao of the matter.

Previously, when the Bai Bo army threatened Luoyang, He Miao moved his garrison to Xiaopingjin, and this matter was originally under the jurisdiction of He Miao, the governor of Henan.

However, Sun Jian was indeed very cunning. Just as Liu Bei had joined forces with Guan Yu's troops, he encountered Sun Jian again.

Sun Jian also came to Xiaopingjin, and he came to report that someone in Xingyang was plotting a rebellion. He even reported it in front of Liu Bei.

Sun Jian expressed his willingness to lead the imperial army to quell the rebellion and was willing to take the initiative to be the vanguard. Since Sun Jian was willing to take the initiative to be the vanguard to quell the rebellion, if Liu Bei continued to hold Sun Jian's crimes against him, it would be a sign of not understanding the bigger picture.

Having received Liu Bei's earlier announcement, Sun Jian's subsequent report was seen by He Miao as a voluntary surrender, a sign of abandoning darkness and embracing the light...

He Miao was short of manpower, and Liu Bei was going to Qingzhou, so he certainly couldn't go with He Miao to quell the rebellion; at most, he could provide some support along the way.

When Sun Jian suddenly switched sides and volunteered to take on the most arduous tasks, He Miao was naturally delighted.

As for the crimes committed by Sun Jian... they were not worth mentioning in He Miao's eyes.

Even though he had attacked Liu Bei before, as long as the rebellion could be quelled, He Miao could still help Sun Jian clear his name.

Not only that, three days later, Yuan Shu also came – Yuan Shu had learned of the urgent report He Miao had sent to the court and was also there to quell the rebellion.

Upon seeing Liu Bei there, Yuan Shu also revealed a piece of gossip: "The rebel armies of Tao Qiu Hong, Xu You, Wang Fen, and others are not limited to Xingyang. We must be careful on our way to Qingzhou..."

"How did you find out, Brother Highway? Did they invite you to plot a rebellion?"

Liu Bei asked a question jokingly.

"They did invite me... They plan to depose the current emperor and install the Marquis of Hefei in his place..."

Yuan Shu's expression was somewhat strange: "Did you invite them too?"

"No, but they tried to seize my ceremonial guards and wanted to use my name to rebel."

Liu Bei sighed, "Making things so obvious, it's like they're afraid their entire family will be wiped out..."

The two looked at each other and smiled bitterly.

Actually, it wasn't just the two of them; Cao Cao also received an invitation from Wang Fen to "support the great cause"...

(End of this chapter)