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

Chapter 238 Lies
Having just been released from prison and being a temporary appointee, Taishi Ci had no equipment whatsoever, so he borrowed a set of clothes from Zhao Yun.

Zhao Yun was three inches taller and bigger than Taishi Ci, so this outfit was a bit loose on him.

Taishi Ci had no choice but to attach two more hand halberds to his back and waist to support himself and tighten his armor.

He had a long spear in his hand, four halberds stuck in his body, a horizontal sword at his waist, and a large bow on his back; his entire body was covered in weapons.

After the city gates were opened, the setting sun shone on Taishi Ci, causing his metallic gleam to flash wildly, which made the Yellow Turban rebels outside quickly take precautions.

Taishi Ci leisurely rode his horse to the city gate and walked alone towards the camp opposite.

Seeing that only one person had come out of the city, some of the Yellow Turbans came forward to greet him.

"Taishi Ziyi?"

That person knew Taishi Ci.

"Guan Shen, you took my money and betrayed me... If you don't give me an explanation, then we'll be mortal enemies!"

Upon seeing the man, Taishi Ci stepped forward aggressively and shouted.

That was one of the prows of the Guan family pirates' ship.

"Hey, hey, this wasn't my intention, otherwise why would I have let you onto the boat... I'll refund you double the ferry fare later..."

Guan Shen looked rather embarrassed: "Weren't you detained by Lord Kong? How come..."

As he spoke, he looked Taishi Ci up and down, a hint of envy in his eyes.

This is the equipment Zhao Yun used when he served as the captain of the personal guards. Liu Bei's personal guards always had the best equipment.

The captain of the guard had to accompany Liu Bei everywhere, serving as his image and figurehead, and also drawing fire for Liu Bei when necessary. This black armor was much more handsome than Liu Bei's own armor, and the armor plates even had cloud patterns left from the fine forging process.

The white banner on the helmet was also very conspicuous; it was used to mark the position of the leader.

The black armor that Liu Bei wore during battle was actually quite inconspicuous, looking no different from the equipment of ordinary guards.

"Kong Zan arrested me because of a personal grudge, but I am now the Sima of Beihai..."

Taishi Ci looked at Guan Shen and asked, "If Lord Qin of Beihai and Lord Kong of Donglai were to fight each other, would your Guan family side with Beihai or Donglai?"

Guan Shen was shocked: "This...the two prefects are at odds? Weren't they supposed to join forces to attack Governor Liu?"

"Your Guan family has two branches, and aren't there some disagreements between them?"

Taishi Ci stretched out his hand: "Who's in charge of your Guan family right now? Pay me back the ferry fee first!"

Guan Shen smiled awkwardly: "My cousin Hai is in charge... Ziyi, come with me to my cousin to get the money."

……

The Guan family were descendants of Guan Zhong of the State of Qi, and were a legitimate and prestigious family.

However, Guanzi's descendants faced a disadvantage after Emperor Wu of Han.

Guanzi was one of the Hundred Schools of Thought, and some of his academic ideas were absorbed by Confucianism, such as the moral teachings of propriety, righteousness, integrity, and shame, as well as the concepts of Dao, law, Yin and Yang. Originally, the Guanzi school was not much different from the mainstream Confucian ideas.

However, since the theory of the interaction between Heaven and man became mainstream, the differences between the Guanzi school and Confucianism have become very large.

Guan Zhong's scholarship emphasized inclusiveness and advocated the simultaneous governance of Tao, rites, and law, pursuing practical results. Its core ideology was a combination of Huang-Lao thought and Legalist scholarship, which also included scientific knowledge such as astronomy, geography, economics, and agriculture—which conflicted with the mainstream Han Dynasty concept of the interaction between Heaven and Man.

The core theory of the interaction between Heaven and Man is that "the Way comes from Heaven, and if Heaven does not change, the Way will not change either." However, Guanzi's core idea is that Heaven and Earth are constantly changing, and the sun, moon, stars, and all things are constantly changing. Therefore, the way of doing things should also be "without fixed forms or constant shapes."

In fact, Dong Zhongshu's theory itself did not advocate for immutability; it was merely a means to consolidate imperial power, bind the emperor to Heaven, and advocate acting in accordance with Heaven's will. However, the ideas of the Guanzi school are easily misunderstood and lead to other associations, thus being regarded as heresy.

Therefore, the descendants of Guan were not regarded as disciples of Confucianism, or even as scholars.

This made it difficult for members of the Guan family to become officials, and the once prestigious family gradually declined into a local tyrant.

As a result, the Guan clan split into two branches.

One branch in the State of Qi still upholds the scholarship of Guan Zhong and mainly engages in commerce. They are the richest family in Qingzhou, somewhat similar to the Mi family of Xuzhou.

Although the Guan family did not actually own any farmland in Donglai, their businesses were spread throughout coastal counties and prefectures in Qinghai, Hebei, and Liaodong. They also controlled the maritime trade in the Beihai Bay, giving them considerable influence in the coastal areas.

Another branch was in Zhuxu County, Beihai. They also engaged in maritime trade, but no longer passed down the scholarship of Guanzi. Instead, they devoted themselves to Confucian classics, integrated into the Confucian school of the Han Dynasty, and cultivated famous scholars to consolidate their family's prestige—Guan Ning was a representative of this group.

The two families split up to preserve their lineage, but to this day, both claim that their branch is the direct descendant of Guan Zhong, and they are indeed somewhat at odds with each other in their struggle for the position of clan leader.

In response, the Guan family of Qi deliberately imposed economic sanctions to curb the business of the Guan family of Beihai, a fact that was widely known among the scholars of Qingzhou.

Of course, despite the rivalry, they are ultimately from the same lineage. When major events occur, the two clans will help each other, and members of the clan often visit and assist one another, so there is no real enmity between them.

Guan Hai and Guan Shen were both members of the Guan family in the State of Qi.

For Taishi Ci, the conflict between the two branches of the Guan family was something he could exploit.

"Lord Kong once ordered me to deliver a memorial to Luoyang to accuse Liu Qingzhou, but Lord Qin of Beihai instead ordered me to accuse Lord Kong in Luoyang... I originally wanted to flee to avoid this disaster, but you betrayed me..."

Upon meeting Guan Hai, Taishi Ci first fabricated a story about the dispute between the two prefectures of Donglai and Beihai: "Now that Prefect Liu has come to seek justice for Kong Zan, Prefect Qin has decided to help Prefect Liu. I wonder what you, Guan, intend to do?"

Taishi Ci's fabrication was so convincing that Guan Hai had no doubts and asked, "What exactly is the matter between the two offices?"

“It is precisely because of your Guan family that we are fighting for your Guan family… Your Guan family has money, grain, and troops, but no high-ranking officials or titles to back it up. Both governments want to take your Guan family’s money, grain, and troops for their own use.”

Taishi Ci put his arm around Guan Hai and whispered, “Kong Zan has dealings with your clan, but Lord Qin has secretly gained the service of the Beihai clan. If your two clans serve the two prefectures separately, neither prefecture will be satisfied… If you decide to serve Lord Kong, then Lord Qin will have to make plans early, which is why he sent me to ask for your opinion.”

"When did Lord Qin gain the allegiance of the Beihai Sect? How come I knew nothing about it?"

Guan Hai frowned and asked.

"The Guan family of Beihai refused to submit to Kong Zan and were imprisoned by him. Do you think Lord Qin only got me out of prison? Everyone in prison had a grudge against Kong Zan, and Lord Qin got them all out... The two branches of your Guan family are at odds, and everyone in Qingzhou knows that. Do you think the Guan family of Beihai will do something if they gain power?"

Taishi Ci's embellishment became increasingly fluent: "Moreover, Lord Qin has already decided to assist Lord Liu... You should make plans as soon as possible. If you attack the city, then the Guan family of Qi will be guilty of treason, and Kong Zan will surely die in the city. If you fail to break through the city, and if Lord Qin and Lord Liu do not die, you... Ha."

"If you wish to switch allegiance to Lord Qin, then come with me into the city to assist him. Perhaps we can then stand alongside the North Sea Sect."

"If you don't want to get involved in this, then hurry up and avoid trouble in Liaodong... Although Lord Qin has the intention to recruit you, the Guan family of Beihai will definitely seize on your weaknesses to kill you, and your clan's property will most likely be lost."

Guan Hai indeed seemed extremely hesitant: "Kong Zan took my young son to the State of Lu, and I cannot seek refuge with anyone else... Ziyi, is there a way to satisfy both?"

"Yes, we can retreat our troops and station them at Penglai, waiting for Lord Liu, Lord Qin, and Kong Zan to fight it out. We can then simply vote for the winner. Why be used as a pawn by others?"

Taishi Ci patted his armor: "Actually, I came out of the city with this in mind as well."

After some deliberation, Guan Hai decided to withdraw his troops before the camp was completed.

Soon after, the Yellow Turban rebels outside the city began to retreat under cover of night.

Just after Guan Hai ordered a retreat, Taishi Ci disappeared silently from the Yellow Turban formation.

(End of this chapter)