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

Chapter 249 Let’s fight!

He Miao changed into soldier's clothes and left Xiaopingjin with Liu Bei.

When Xu Rong saw Liu Bei come out, he didn't say anything.

It's unclear whether he recognized He Miao, but he didn't stop him or say goodbye to Liu Bei; he was simply giving instructions on military affairs.

After Liu Bei left, Xu Rong's troops launched another attack on Xiaopingjin.

……

North of Luoyang, at Xiamen Gate.

When Guan Yu arrived, he saw that the hanging gates of the moat outside the city had not been lowered, so he immediately led his troops to the city.

The city gates remained tightly shut.

Soldiers were looking out from the city wall.

"Is it Commandant Guan?"

Jia Xu's voice came from the city.

"Jia Zhizhong?"

Guan Yu looked up at the city wall and raised a torch to signal the arrival of the flag.

It was too late, and nothing else on the city wall could be seen except for the banner of Jian Shuo, the military commander of the Western Garden.

As soon as Guan Yu answered, a commotion arose within the city.

"By order of Attendant Jian, we are dispatching troops to quell the rebellion! Open the gates!"

Another voice came through.

A moment later, the city gates opened.

"Where is our lord?"

Jia Xu, not having seen Liu Bei, quickly asked Guan Yu.

"My elder brother went to Xiaopingjin..."

Guan Yu bowed to Jia Xu and said, "My elder brother has instructed me to follow the instructions of Master Wenhe."

"Does my lord intend to kill the General of Chariots and Cavalry?"

Jia Xu was greatly alarmed.

"Perhaps they are going to rescue the General of Chariots and Cavalry."

Guan Yu shook his head: "Brother, you said the assassination plot must have been carried out by the Yuan family."

Jia Xu was taken aback, then burst into laughter: "My lord is truly shrewd! Yun Chang, please guard this gate for my lord and wait for him to arrive."

Another general stepped forward: "Mr. Wenhe, should we still go to find the General of Chariots and Cavalry?"

"No need for that. Brother Zhang, please inform General Dong that Prefect Liu has asked him to join in punishing the rebels. Please ask General Dong to lead his troops here as soon as possible."

Jia Xu turned his head and said.

This man was Zhang Ji, a subordinate of Dong Zhuo, from Wuwei. He was the one Dong Zhuo sent to the West Garden to "present troops," because among Dong Zhuo's subordinates, besides his son-in-law Niu Fu, only Zhang Ji was relatively particular about etiquette.

This is similar in nature to Ding Yuan sending Zhang Yang to Beijing to present troops.

Currently, Zhang Ji is nominally a Sima under Jian Shuo, and was also sent by Jian Shuo to suppress He Miao.

However, Jia Xu kept Zhang Ji stationed at Xiamen without moving, which was also the reason why Jia Xu had the underworld soldiers lie in wait outside to inform Liu Bei to come to Xiamen.

"Rebellious?"

Zhang Ji was somewhat puzzled: "Isn't it He Cheqi?"

Jia Xu shook his head and said, "Brother Zhang, only the Emperor can decide who is a traitor. You and I, or even Prefect Liu and General Dong, can only obey the Emperor's edict. Whether it is the Grand General or Colonel Jian... even the Empress Dowager and the Empress, their words have no weight."

Zhang Ji nodded: "That's true..."

Say it
Just then, a scout came to report: "Commander Guan, the troops of the Governor of Bingzhou are coming from Mengjin, only twenty li away from here, and there are probably two thousand of them."

Night sentries rarely venture far, let alone ascertain the affiliation of troops, yet Guan Yu's men were able to speak so clearly—this is truly rare indeed.

"Mr. Wenhe, and Prefect Ding of Bingzhou... are they enemies or friends?"

Guan Yu asked upon hearing this.

Jia Xu frowned: "Ding Yuan is probably hedging his bets... During the court assembly today, the Empress Dowager mentioned sending the Grand General to Xizhou to quell the rebellion, and then the assassination attempt occurred. The Empress Dowager will definitely order Ding Yuan to lead troops into the capital. But Ding Yuan's troops arrived tonight, so quickly, they must have been waiting in Mengjin for a long time... Where is Zhang Yang?"

"He is currently stationed outside the Imperial Academy at the South Gate."

Zhang Yang is now nominally Zhang Ji's colleague, and Zhang Ji is aware of his movements.

“Then Ding Yuan did not come on the Empress Dowager’s orders, but was summoned by the General… I will guard this gate and wait for the lord and General Dong to arrive.”

Jia Xu looked at Guan Yu: "Ding Yuan's army must be intercepted, otherwise it may cause trouble for our lord."

Guan Yu nodded to indicate that he understood and led his troops north to intercept them.

Zhang Ji guarded the Xiamen gate and sent a fast horse to Gucheng to deliver a message.

……

In front of the North Palace Gate.

"Commander Jian, stop sending the Imperial Guards out... We should keep a close watch on the palace to prevent any unforeseen events."

Zhao Zhongzheng was trying to persuade Jian Shuo.

He did not refer to Jian Shuo as a court attendant, but rather by his military rank.

"What? Doesn't He Miao deserve to be killed?"

Jian Shuo stared coldly at Zhao Zhong. "If He Miao is executed, the Grand General will have sole control of the court, and behind him are all scholars from Guandong... If we help the Grand General get rid of He Miao, then no one will be able to restrain him, and we will become his enemies! Whatever you and I do now will be wrong..."

Zhao Zhong was clearly the one with a clear head.

"Then... are we just supposed to do nothing?"

Jian Shuo hesitated and whispered.

"Now, the only one who can still share our hearts is the Empress Dowager... First, we must defend the palace and secure our path forward or backward. I will go and ask the Empress Dowager for her opinion."

After saying this, Zhao Zhong turned and ran into the side gate of the North Palace.

Jian Shuo paced back and forth with a furrowed brow, clearly extremely anxious.

Zhao Zhong has been away from the emperor recently, but Jian Shuo has been with Liu Hong the whole time. Jian Shuo knows one more inside story than Zhao Zhong.

The emperor was in a semi-conscious state, rarely waking up each day. But this noon, when he was lucid, he summoned Jian Shuo and asked him to draft a will.

The will stipulated that Liu Xie should be made the crown prince.

However, just as the edict was being drafted and the imperial seal was used only within the palace, before the seal of the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat was affixed, Liu Xie was assassinated that afternoon.

Upon hearing the news, the emperor was so enraged that he fainted.

Now, apart from the Empress Dowager, most people hope that Liu Hong will die soon.

Moreover, how many people would be willing to accept the emperor's last will and testament?
The imperial edict had just been delivered to the Ministry of Personnel when this incident occurred. I have already received the emperor's edict. How am I supposed to survive after the emperor's death?

Yes...yes.

After thinking for a while, Jian Shuo gradually became determined—if he could not help Liu Xie, the Marquis of Dong, to succeed to the throne, and if he could not exterminate the He family, he would surely die.

I am not Zhang Rang, unlike Zhang Rang who has the Empress's sister as his daughter-in-law... If the He family were to take power, whether it be He Jin, He Miao, or Empress He herself, they would all take my life.

Only by eliminating He Miao and He Jin together can the Emperor's edict be recognized; otherwise, the Western Garden's forces might not be able to handle the He family's mutiny.

Although the Western Garden had a large number of troops, Yuan Shu, Cao Cao and others were all under He Jin's command (and were regarded as He Jin's followers), and the generals of the Western Province were all focused on self-preservation and difficult to mobilize. The only troops that could be mobilized were those of Zhang Yang.

That's the only way.

Jian Shuo summoned several trusted eunuchs: "Summon He to the palace to receive the Emperor's dying instructions..."

……

On the other side, Liu Bei and He Miao were on a frantic run.

Upon arriving at the Xia Gate and meeting Jia Xu, Liu Bei, holding the Tiger Tally of General of Chariots and Cavalry, rode directly into the city and headed straight for the North Palace.

It was already past midnight, and the sky was beginning to lighten.

The galloping horse entered the city, alarming the six officers of Luoyang, but none of them dared to make a move upon seeing the blue ribbon and tally in Liu Bei's hand—they were former subordinates of He Miao.

Only one Imperial Guard hesitated before attempting to intercept.

"Anyone who blocks my way shall die!"

Liu Bei charged straight at them.

Behind him, armored cavalrymen, spears in hand, prepared to charge.

Seeing the ferocity of Liu Bei's troops, even the Imperial Guards made way for them.

The Imperial Guards were indeed unreliable these days.

Liu Bei did not linger and went directly to the North Palace Gate.

The person stationed in front of the palace gate turned out to be an old acquaintance.

Yuan Shu stepped out from among the elite guards and looked at the seal of office Liu Bei was holding: "Lord Liu... you've annihilated the General of Chariots and Cavalry?"

Clearly, Yuan Shu assumed that Liu Bei must have killed He Miao to obtain He Miao's seal of office.

Liu Bei tossed the imperial seal to Yuan Shu, saying, "I have come as my master. You know my temperament, Gonglu... Open the door!"

Yuan Shu reached out and took it, shaking his head with a conflicted expression: "I cannot open this door; I am only here on orders..."

"On whose orders? The General?"

Liu Bei's face showed a hint of sarcasm: "Do you know that the General-in-Chief also listens to Yuan Shao's words? You actually listened to Yuan Shao's orders... Haha!"

"Or are you acting on orders from your clan to eliminate Lord Dong? What, even the chivalrous Yuan Gonglu is planning to murder an eight-year-old child?"

"I had no such intention... Don't use that adopted son of a concubine to humiliate me!"

Yuan Shu's face darkened.

“Yuan Gonglu, I know all about your Yuan family’s schemes… Don’t you, a member of the Yuan family, know anything about them?”

Liu Bei glanced at the hundreds of elite soldiers behind Yuan Shu, drew his sword, and said, "Although we have old grudges, we are still friends. I'll give you one last chance... Make way!"

"...Xuande, your master passed away at midnight..."

Yuan Shu lowered his head and said something, then raised his head: "Although I have many reasons not to, as you said, I am a member of the Yuan family... Since you want to avenge your master... then come and fight!"

"Master...good, good, good...the Yuan family finally has someone who dares to take responsibility!"

Liu Bei threw down the tiger tally and stepped forward with his sword raised: "Then I'll give you my life!"

"Black Armor..."

Zhao Yun pulled down his mask and raised his spear.

"kill!"

The armored cavalry charged toward Yuan Shu.

(End of this chapter)