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

Chapter 319 A Family of Sages
Looking at Liu Bei's ambiguous smile, Cao Cao felt uneasy. After a moment of contemplation, he said, "Yuan Gonglu comes from a family that has held high office for four generations and is known for his chivalry. Can he be called a hero?"

"Yuan Changshui, the fierce and ruthless man on the road... He has chivalry but no sense of righteousness. His family background is unparalleled in the country, yet he only lives as a bandit... How can he be called a hero?"

Liu Bei smiled and shook his head, raising his wine cup to cover his mouth.

Cao Cao drank a cup of wine, his expression changed, he frowned and pondered for a while: "Dong Zhongying comes from a respectable family, yet he rose to prominence through martial prowess, and now he has been appointed one of the Three Dukes. Can he be called a hero?"

"Dong Zhongying is brave and fierce in battle, and treats his soldiers like his own children. He certainly has the talent for warfare... But he lacks moral character and is not good at governing. He is good at violence but bad at order. How can he be considered a hero?"

Liu Bei continued to shake his head.

Cao Cao drank another cup, his face turning even paler, and said again, "Then... the successive Zongzheng Yu, Yan, and Biao were all virtuous and talented members of the imperial clan. Each of them governed a region and possessed the ability to govern, as well as a reputation for virtue. They were respected throughout the land. Could they be called heroes?"

"Several of the herdsmen have chosen to go out and guard their own territories, each with the intention of cultivating their own virtue... The character of these clansmen is indeed superior to that of many famous scholars, but a hero must benefit all under heaven; how can a person who only cultivates virtue be considered a hero?"

Liu Bei poured Cao Cao another full cup.

Cao Cao's face turned completely pale. He raised his cup and forced down the drink, then asked bluntly, "In Lord Xuande's eyes, who qualifies as a hero?"

"Among the heroes of the world, only Cao De and Liu Bei are worthy of mention... Haha... Cough cough..."

Liu Bei put on a show, downing a whole cup of plum wine in one gulp, then coughed violently and vomited most of the wine he hadn't swallowed.

Damn it, wild plum wine is really bad, it's sour and astringent!
Cao Cao actually downed three cups in a row?!

Cao Cao's face turned pale, and he stood up in a panic, knocking over the wine cup in front of him: "Lord Xuande..."

"It's nothing, it's nothing, I just choked...cough...it's too sour."

Liu Bei waved his hand: "Brother Mengde, why are you so panicked?"

"...Cao Cao thought the wine was poisoned...It is indeed sour and astringent, hard to swallow..."

As Cao Cao bent down to pick up the wine cup, he said awkwardly, "I am a coward, so afraid of a few mere plums. I am not worthy of the title of hero."

"In his early years, Mengde was regarded by Xu Zijiang as a hero of chaotic times. Now that the world is in chaos, what is there that he cannot be?"

Liu Bei calmed himself down and said, "From now on, you will pacify the Guandong region, and I will pacify the Hebei region. We will eliminate all the treacherous officials and restore peace to the Han Dynasty... However, when peace comes, Brother Mengde, please don't become a traitor in this peaceful era..."

Cao Cao shuddered, then slowly rose, placed the wine cup back on the stone table, and changed the subject, following Liu Bei's lead: "The talk of eliminating treacherous villains was actually because I was young at the time and threatened Xu Zijiang with a knife... Lord Xuande, you said you would eliminate all the treacherous officials. I suppose you already have someone in mind for the next bidding process. I wonder who the bidder is?"

Liu Bei gave Cao Cao a deep look, then refilled Cao Cao's cup: "Brother Mengde, who do you wish to see?"

"...How could Cao Cao presumptuously accuse someone of treason...Please, Lord Xuande, decide this matter with a single word."

Cao Cao lowered his head.

"That depends on the results of our questioning tonight... Kong Rong and Kong Zhou are also on Mount Tai. I came up the mountain to wait for them to reveal the information."

Liu Bei spoke the truth directly: "If Kong Rong cannot provide a suitable target, then at sunrise tomorrow, the Kong family of Lu will issue a tender notice."

"Kong Rong? Weren't those two kidnapped...?"

Cao Cao was stunned for a long time.

Liu Bei looked at Cao Cao with a half-smile.

Cao Cao suddenly realized that whether Kong Rong was captured or defected to the enemy was entirely up to Liu Bei. Right now, the dozens of gangsters who were following Liu Bei up the mountain were probably all eager to wipe out the Kong family.

Rich families have so much money to be made...

"...But they are from a family of sages and saints...Is Lord Xuande not afraid of being infamous?"

Cao Cao couldn't help but ask the question.

"Failure brings infamy."

Liu Bei shook his wine cup and took a sip: "Besides, sages are sages, and our teachers are teachers. Just because someone has the surname Kong doesn't mean they can do whatever they want... Only those who inherit the virtues of Confucianism can be considered disciples of our teachers. If they corrupt the Confucian tradition, we students should all cleanse the sect... What do you say, Mengde?"

……

Late at night, Cao Cao hid in his tent and whispered to Xiahou Dun, "From now on, do not contact Luoyang anymore... and do not contact Xun Yu either."

"Why?"

Xiahou Dun was puzzled.

“Liu Bei tested me with plum wine…” Cao Cao lowered his head and said, “He is suspicious of me… We can no longer associate with prestigious families.”

"What reason do we have to doubt this? Both Zhongfu and Ang'er have been sent to Linzi, so why would Liu Xuande have any doubts?"

Xiahou Dun pulled back the tent flap and looked around, then pulled his head back in. "Besides," he said, "the Empress Dowager and the officials of the court are all dissatisfied with Liu Bei. Now that Dong Zhongying is about to return victorious, if we obey Liu Bei's orders, we will offend the court and Dong Zhongying... We are in a precarious situation on both sides. There are many powerful families in Yanzhou, and we are already struggling to establish ourselves. If we don't rely on the help of the officials of the court and the prestigious families..."

"Liu Bei's strategy of bidding to quell the rebellion has enabled him to command the heroes... Now that Liu Bei's power is established, the next bidding order will surely be issued to prestigious families... The treacherous officials he wants to eliminate are the officials of the court and the various powerful families!"

Cao Cao said in a low voice, "The world has changed... Rather than befriending both sides and being coerced from both, it would be better to serve the emperor wholeheartedly. If that can truly bring peace to the world..."

……

On the other side, Guan Yu, Zhao Yun, and Xu Shu were all inside Liu Bei's tent.

The mountain area is small, so we can only share tents and squeeze in, and we can only sleep with our feet touching.

It's also a good opportunity to hold a short meeting; it's pitch black and all you can hear is the sound.

Xu Shu: "Wenhe sent word that the Fu family of Chengyang and Princess Yang'an are plotting rebellion, and that the bandits in Hebei have installed the Prince of Ganling as emperor. Former Prime Minister Feng Xun of Ganling is also in Nanpi."

Liu Bei: "Liu Zhong, the Prince of Ganling? Isn't he in Luoyang...? Feng Xun disappeared for five years, but now he's reappeared. It seems he was the one who met Yuan Shao in the Taihang Mountains... What do Zilong, Kong Rong, and Kong Zhou say?"

Zhao Yun: "Kong Rong remained silent throughout. Kong Zhou claimed that the Kong family had been supporting the Taishan bandits, saying that this was Luoyang's idea, but later the Taishan bandits took him hostage."

Xu Shu: "Kong Rong and Kong Zhou were both ordered by their clans to come to Mount Tai to trade with the rebels, which is already considered aiding and a crime that cannot be forgiven. But the two of them were also imprisoned on Mount Tai by the officials of Luoyang..."

Liu Bei: "It seems that Yang, Wang, Xun, Fu and others deliberately designed this, so that if they succeed, they will all succeed, and if they fail, only Kong Rong and Kong Zhou will be harmed... No famous family in this world is innocent."

Guan Yu: "The officials of Luoyang wanted to besiege Qingzhou and seize His Majesty. For this, they were willing to collude with traitors, falsely establish the Prince of Ganling as emperor, and disrupt the succession of the Han Dynasty... The disciples of Confucius have been colluding with traitors for a long time... and they still call themselves loyal, righteous, benevolent, filial, and respectful of teachers and the Way? Such scholars and officials should all be executed!"

Liu Bei: "Would Kong Rong and Kong Zhou be willing to use their status as Confucian masters to rally scholars across the land to attack the officials of the court?"

Xu Shu: "I asked them... They dare not, otherwise they would be ostracized by the clan. This matter may not necessarily be their own will, but rather the will of the Kong clan. Both of them have children and are people with past sins. The Kong family would rather abandon them than confront the famous families of the world."

Zhao Yun: "I also tried to persuade them, but they all remained silent."

Liu Bei: "So cowardly... you won't even resist being abandoned by the world? Wasn't Kong Rong always known for his fierce spirit?"

Guan Yu: "They tremble at the sight of blood, how can they be considered fierce?"

Liu Bei: "Then let's settle accounts one by one... Speaking of which, the wine made from wild plums today is really not good to drink in big gulps... It tastes quite different when you drink it in small sips."

……

The next morning, the sun rose.

Watching the sunrise from the top of Mount Tai is indeed a different experience than usual.

Everyone remained silent, standing behind Liu Bei without uttering a sound.

After the sun had fully risen, Liu Bei turned around and looked at everyone: "The new sun shines on our path, and we should return the favor by bowing to it."

Cao Cao led the way, and the crowd bowed deeply to the sun.

This gesture looks like a bow to Liu Bei.

"Gentlemen, heed my call to tender! The next bid..."

Liu Bei's voice wasn't loud, but everyone fell silent, as if they were all afraid of missing the name of the next target.

"The ringleader... is the Kong family of Lu! The Kong family instigated the bandits of Mount Tai to falsely establish an emperor... This crime is unforgivable, and the whole world should unite to punish them!"

For the third time, Liu Bei stated a seemingly easy goal: "To annihilate the rebels and pacify the State of Lu, the one who achieves the greatest merit shall be named General of the South! This battle will be led by General Cao Cao, who will conquer the East, and all provisions will be supplied by Qingzhou. I hope you all will fight bravely and achieve merit, and be ennobled and appointed as generals!"

Cao Cao stood there, stunned, his eyes wide: "Me... lead the battle?"

"What? Brother Mengde, are you unwilling to lead the battle?"

The rising sun behind Liu Bei cast him a dark shadow, obscuring his expression. Only a hand outstretched, commanding gesture could be seen: "If Brother Mengde is unwilling, then..."

"I, Cao, am following orders!"

Before Liu Bei could finish speaking, Cao Cao accepted the bid with his hands clasped.

(End of this chapter)