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

Chapter 227 The Pacification of Xuzhou
A few days later, Liu Bei met Chen Deng in his camp.

Contrary to Mi Zhu's expectations, Chen Deng was actually very approachable and did not put on airs because of his family background. Upon hearing that Liu Bei wanted to see him, he immediately rode over with Mi Zhu.

In fact, Chen Deng and Liu Bei are very similar.

They are very similar in both appearance and temperament.

Despite being from a noble family, he wore a military uniform with bound sleeves and carried a long sword. He was strong and upright, looking like a descendant of a military family.

He often wears a hearty laugh, yet his eyes appear rather calm, making it difficult to guess what he's thinking.

They were also of similar age; Chen Deng was two years younger than Liu Bei.

Even their way of speaking is similar—they both like to make things clear and to express their attitudes directly and simply.

"I have long admired Prefect Liu's great reputation and deeply respect him. The Prefect wishes to recommend me as a candidate for the civil service examination, for which I am deeply grateful. However, I do not know how I can repay this favor?"

Chen Deng went straight to the point as soon as he met Liu Bei.

"No reward is needed; all that is required is for Yuanlong to uphold justice and righteousness."

Liu Bei didn't mince words and said directly, "I want to save the lives of 300,000 starving people in Xuzhou. Anyone who gives away grain to help the people can take all the land of the bandits. Yuanlong, are you willing to help the people of Xuzhou?"

"No need..."

Chen Deng was stunned: "Lord Liu only cares about the living?"

"For the sake of the living, and for the sake of stabilizing Xuzhou."

Liu Bei nodded: "I'm sure Zizhong has already told Yuanlong about everything else. I recommended Yuanlong as a candidate for the civil service examination not so that he would join my school, but only to ask him to follow my example."

"I fear that the way the magistrate is doing will be criticized by the world... I have also heard that the magistrate has not taken any personal gain, but has been punishing the traitors and helping the people in distress."

Chen Deng lowered his head and asked in a low voice, "But I don't understand, why does Your Excellency favor the common people but dislike the scholars? Scholars can help Your Excellency obtain high office and titles, but the common people cannot... Why is Your Excellency like this?"

"The Yellow Turbans have been in Qing and Xu for three years, growing from a few thousand to hundreds of thousands... What have the Chinese people done in all these years?"

Liu Bei shook his head: "The powerful clans of Qingzhou are all traitors, and the powerful clans of Xuzhou are all divided into clans... Your father once served as the magistrate of Ju County, so Yuanlong should be familiar with both Qingzhou and Xuzhou."

"Yuanlong should also know why the Yellow Turban Rebellion broke out."

"If the Yellow Turban Rebellion remains unresolved, Yuanlong should know what the final outcome will be..."

"As the rebels continue to roam and spread, the number of starving people grows ever larger and becomes increasingly difficult to quell, and the fields will remain uncultivated. When millions of people all don yellow turbans, there will be no land left to eat in the entire world... At that time, who among you and me, or all scholars, can remain unscathed?"

Chen Deng looked up at Liu Bei and nodded gently: "Deng understands... But as a junior in the clan, I cannot rely on the clan's full strength, so I can only do my best."

Liu Bei laughed and said, "Yuanlong only needs to persuade the wise men of Xuzhou. As for those fools who cannot be persuaded, there will be wicked people to persuade them to do good."

“If you persuade a county, Yuanlong will gain a county; if you persuade a prefecture, he will gain a prefecture… Within the Yuanlong clan, the future may not be able to match the power of you alone.”

Chen Deng shook his head: "My lord, I have no need for repayment."

“I need you to be in power so that you can protect me. I need to be free from lawsuits so that I can support you.”

Liu Bei said solemnly, "Benevolence and righteousness are essential, but so are personal interests; this is my way."

Chen Deng bowed his head: "I am willing to follow the ways of the governor."

……

After seeing off the kind-hearted Chen Deng, Liu Bei began to entertain wicked people.

"Wang Jingxing, isn't Wang Song your cousin? Are you aware of his raids on Tan County?"

The villain Liu Bei referred to was Wang Lang.

"Lord Liu, Lang was unaware of this matter. Wang Song and Lang are not related..."

Wang Lang also knew that Zang had occupied Sangong Mountain, but he did not intend to confess to instigating Wang Song.

Wang Lang's cousin, Wang Song, is still imprisoned in the camp on Sangong Mountain.

After Zang Ba was recruited by Liu Bei, Wang Song's crime of gathering a crowd to become a bandit was already confirmed.

Zang Ba rarely killed anyone. Unless absolutely necessary, he was always willing to be kind to others—and only such a temperament was suitable for chaotic times. Those thugs who kill at the drop of a hat have no future.

"Oh? Since Wang Song has nothing to do with you, then I'll just wipe out his entire family... I originally thought he was your brother, and I was even thinking of sparing his life for Brother Jingxing's sake..."

Upon hearing this, Liu Bei immediately turned his head and said, "Xuan Gao, go and get that Wang Song..."

"Wait!" Wang Lang had thought Liu Bei had come to interrogate him, but he hadn't expected this. He quickly interrupted Liu Bei, saying, "My lord, Heaven cherishes life. Why not spare his life and give him hard labor as atonement..."

Liu Bei nodded: "That will work... However, I don't have enough grain here to support these bandits as laborers. I've heard that there are many fertile fields in places like Xiapi and Guangling. If Brother Jingxing can get some grain, then we can support more laborers."

"This... all the fertile land has been claimed..."

Wang Lang was a clever man and already understood Liu Bei's intentions, but he dared not agree: "How do I intend to take it?"

"I don't care how you take it, whether you cheat, steal, or rob."

Liu Bei pointed to the soup kitchen outside the camp: "I will take care of accommodating the starving people. You go and fetch the grain here. Anyway, the lives of Wang Song's entire family are in your hands. You decide what to do."

In fact, Wang Lang knew that not only the lives of Wang Song's entire family were at stake, but if he failed to accomplish the task, Wang Lang's own entire family would also be at risk of "dying at the hands of the Taishan bandits" at any time.

Everyone is useful; the key is to use them in the right place and with the right methods.

Moreover, Wang Lang was actually quite capable in handling affairs, and he did have a wide network of connections.

Wang Lang sent men to Que Xuan's house and had Que Xuan's concubine kidnapped and taken to Ji Ling's house...

Que Xuan, which Sun Guan could not conquer, was sown apart by Wang Lang in just a few days. Wang Lang not only opened the road to Que Xuan but also led his army to attack Ji Ling.

Ji Ling was caught in a pincer attack by Que Xuan and Sun Guan, and had no choice but to flee to Huainan.

Subsequently, Wang Lang orchestrated dozens of cases of framing and slander, causing most of the prominent clans in Xiapi County to fall into trouble... Wang Lang's ability to seize grain was indeed far superior to that of Liu Bei's other subordinates.

After that, Sun Guan led the Taishan bandits southward with almost no obstacles.

……

In October, Xuzhou was pacified.

After returning to Huaipu, Chen Deng not only provided Liu Bei with provisions, but also used his family's land to resettle a large number of starving people, and continued to lobby in Xiapi County.

Most of the gentry in Xiapi gave the Chen family face and did not cause any further trouble.

When Liu Bei dealt with the settlement of Yellow Turbans, he placed many Yellow Turbans under the names of the Mi and Chen families, and also transferred a considerable amount of land to their names.

Mi Zhu acquired many "military settlements" in Donghai and Xiapi, while Chen Deng expanded his family's land south of the Huai River... or rather, it was not family land, but Chen Deng's land.

Wang Lang handled both the household registration and the land deed. This prefect of Xuzhou was indeed very hardworking, busy from morning till night every day, always conscientious and diligent...

Of course, there were also many powerful families who were not very cooperative.

But it doesn't matter; those who don't cooperate will be taught by villains like Wang Lang and Sun Guan to ruin their families and do good.

Those who escape quickly to other places will naturally have their property confiscated according to the law.

Not all the rebels and Yellow Turbans were willing to submit to resettlement; many fled to Mount Tai or Huainan.

Especially in Guangling, because of the great commotion in Xiapi, the powerful families of Guangling got wind of it and fled in droves, most of them going to Jiangnan to avoid trouble.

In any case, Xuzhou was basically stable, but Taishan County in Yanzhou was in complete chaos.

Zang Ba stationed his troops in Langya, handling the aftermath while keeping an eye on the bandits of Mount Tai to prevent trouble from arising again after the recent pacification.

Liu Bei began his return to Qingzhou, and when he left, his army had gained a thousand elite soldiers.

These were not recruited soldiers, but remnants of the Yellow Turban Rebellion who voluntarily followed Liu Bei, and they were the elite of the elite—Zhang Rao returned to follow Liu Bei after settling the Yellow Turbans of Qingzhou in Pengcheng.

Although Chen Deng was appointed as an official by Liu Bei, he did not follow Liu Bei back to Qingzhou. He did not intend to leave his hometown and wanted to stay in Xiapi to handle the aftermath.

Mi Zhu was not a subordinate official of Liu Bei, but the Agricultural Commandant of Xuzhou, who also had a large family to take care of.

Mi Zhu's younger brother, Mi Fang, followed Liu Bei to Qingzhou, where he also started as a guard and is currently under Zhao Yun's command.

Wang Lang successfully redeemed Wang Song's life and allowed Wang Song's family to work as laborers under Mi Zhu.

In Xuzhou today, Liu Bei's reputation is far greater than Tao Qian's. However, most of the gentry in Xuzhou praise Liu Bei's benevolence while secretly cursing him.

The gentry of Xuzhou also understood what Liu Bei was up to, but unlike Cao Cao, the gentry of Xuzhou really had no way to report Liu Bei...

The murders and property robberies were all committed by the bandits of Mount Tai and the Yellow Turbans of Qingzhou. The framing was done by Wang Lang. Liu Bei had been providing relief to the starving people, and Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and others had been fighting bandits and maintaining order.

After all, Liu Bei didn't have a father who was a Grand Commandant, so he had to protect himself.

(End of this chapter)