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

Chapter 343 Gongtai's Gift
"We will face Liu Bei's army sooner or later... Liu Bei's main force could come at any time. If we do not seize the initiative quickly, we will all be trapped."

Liu Dai watched as Bao Xin defended himself, and it was clear that he truly believed that.

"I have already heard about the matter of the magistrate killing the prefect of Qiao... I am foolish and ignorant, and truly do not know what advantage can be gained by killing an ally without authorization..."

Bao Xin suddenly changed the subject: "My lord...why have we raised an army?"

"...This is all for the purpose of welcoming the emperor, stabilizing the world, and rectifying the state..."

Liu Dai was taken aback, and gave a grand and dignified reply, but his voice grew softer and softer.

Bao Xin looked at Liu Dai without saying a word.

The two stared at each other in silence for a while.

“My lord, you are resentful that Liu Bei appointed Cao Mengde to govern Yan Province instead. I wish to clear my name of the crime of treason and restore my family’s reputation. These are all for our own personal reasons. Why talk about the state?”

Bao Xin bluntly stated, "Yuan Yi and Yuan Xu are here to continue the Yuan family line, while Zhang Mengzhuo is only trying to avoid punishment and protect himself... We all have our own agendas, which is worse than the alliance we had in Guandong in the past. Now we each have our own selfish motives, but we have no leader to command, and we are fighting our own battles. How can we gain any advantage? If I were to lend troops to you, it would only be a waste of manpower..."

"...Then, Brother Bao, what is your opinion on how to proceed?"

Liu Dai's face twitched, but he still held back his anger, after all, this was Bao Xin's territory.

"The Prince of Chen has proclaimed himself Grand General and raised an army to rebel against the court. This is an act of usurpation and treason... I, Bao, have been favored by the state for generations. My raising of an army is naturally to punish such a traitor... General Cao Mengde, who is in charge of the Eastern Expedition, has been ordered to govern Yanzhou. We are all loyal and brave men from Yan and Yu provinces. We should serve Cao Mengde, the governor of Yanzhou, to eliminate the traitor and atone for our crimes."

A hint of mockery appeared on Bao Xin's face: "Zhang Mengzhuo also has the same idea... Liu Gongshan, Qiao Mao was my close friend. You killed my friend, and you still dare to come to me to borrow troops... Do you know that I also want to borrow something from you?!"

Zhang Miao, Bao Xin, Qiao Mao, Yuan Yi, Yuan Xu... were all from Yanzhou and Yuzhou, only Liu Dai was from Qingzhou...

Bao Xin and Zhang Miao planned to defect to Cao Cao... so it's quite obvious what he wanted to borrow from Liu Dai.

Liu Dai stared blankly at Bao Xin, then looked around at the soldiers, took a few steps back, and then turned and ran.

But after running only two steps, Yu Jin rushed out from the side and behind, wielding his axe to strike.

Blood spurted from Liu Dai's neck, and the corpse took another step before collapsing to the ground.

Yu Jin wielded his long axe and struck again, beheading Liu Dai. He then silently carried the severed head back to Bao Xin's side.

Bao Xin did not take the head, but turned around to look at a scholar behind him with his eyes lowered: "Gongtai..."

The scholar stepped forward and took Liu Dai's head from Yu Jin's hands, then turned to Bao Xin: "Lord Bao, rest assured, as early as Dunqiu, Gong had a long-standing relationship with Cao Zhengdong. General Cao and Lord Bao have a bond of shared fate and hardship. Now that General Cao is being hindered by Prince Chen, he needs someone to help him."

This is Chen Gong, a member of the Chen clan of Dongwuyang, Dongjun.

Cao Cao and Chen Gong were indeed old acquaintances. Cao Cao had known Chen Gong for ten years when he governed Dunqiu, and later he had also dealt with Chen Gong when he quelled the Yellow Turban Rebellion in Dongjun.

“I am no longer the prime minister... If it weren’t for Gongtai’s guidance, I might only be a bandit in this Juye Marsh.”

Bao Xin cupped his hands in greeting to Chen Gong: "However, although Cao Mengde can tolerate me, Liu Bei may not be able to. Does Gongtai have any plans?"

“Lord Bao commands tens of thousands of soldiers and is on good terms with General Cao… Even if Liu Bei cannot tolerate him, he can only endure it.”

Chen Gong lowered his eyes and said, "With Prince Chen raising his banner in rebellion, as long as Prince Chen's banner remains standing, how dare Liu Bei not tolerate the loyal and brave men of Yan and Yu? Holding the emperor hostage allows one to command the world, and holding the world hostage allows one to command the emperor..."

Bao Xin nodded: "Gongtai's plans are profound... then I will trouble Gongtai to go to the trouble."

Chen Gong returned the salute by carrying the severed head.

Perhaps overwhelmed by the stench of blood from the severed head, Chen Gong blinked, a strange light flickering in his narrowed eyes.

……

A few days later, Qiao County.

"...It's Gongtai who's here! Please come inside and talk!"

Upon hearing of Chen Gong's visit, Cao Cao, without even putting on his shoes, ran out barefoot to greet him: "It has been several years since we parted in Dongjun, and I have often thought of you... Gongtai, have you come to help me quell the rebellion?" "Indeed, Gong has come with a gift for General Cao..."

Chen Gong handed a large box to Cao Cao's bodyguard.

"...Why must you be so formal with me, Gongtai? Don't you know what kind of etiquette this is?"

Cao Cao glanced at the box, hesitated for a moment, and did not open it on the spot.

"The palace intends to bestow Yanzhou upon the general."

Chen Gong respectfully bowed and said, "Former Chancellor of Jibei Bao Xin, former Governor of Chen Zhang Miao, and the Yuan family all feel ashamed of their past sins... Upon learning that Prince Liu Chong of Chen had raised an army without authorization to rebel, they all raised an army to help General Cao to suppress the rebellion."

"Liu Dai conspired with Liu Chong to kill Lord Qiao... Now that Liu Dai has been beheaded by Lord Bao, I, Gong, present the head of the traitor Liu Dai on behalf of Lord Bao to demonstrate my resolve..."

Cao Cao was stunned for a moment. He opened the box and saw Liu Dai's head. He didn't know whether to be happy or worried: "Thank you for your hard work, Gongtai... Why didn't Brother Bao come with you?"

In fact, Cao Cao knew very well that Zhang Miao, Qiao Mao, Bao Xin and others raised troops only because they had no other choice, because if they did not raise troops, they would only be wanted criminals.

But now that Liu Dai's head is here, and Zhang Miao, Qiao Mao, and Bao Xin are Cao Cao's friends, if they can all submit to Cao Cao, Cao Cao will certainly be happy to regard their uprising as "punishing Liu Chong," or at least as "abandoning darkness for light."

After all, Cao Cao had just suffered losses and needed troops.

As for Zhang Miao, Bao Xin, and others, they indeed trusted Cao Cao more. No one dared to risk their lives in front of Liu Bei, so they had no choice but to seek refuge with Cao Cao, their former comrade who had joined the Guandong Coalition together.

Chen Gong smiled and said, "Lord Bao once allied with Chang Xi of Mount Tai, but was worried that the court and the Right General would not tolerate his troops, so he had to send me to make peace first. Now, the only one who can make the Right General not punish Lord Bao is General Cao."

"Cao can do his best, but he can't fathom how the Right General will react, and he may not be able to exonerate the Right General from your crimes..."

Cao Cao was certainly willing to accept Bao Xin and others, but he was also worried that Liu Bei would not agree.

"Now that General Cao is in charge of Yanzhou, he can easily summon tens of thousands of troops from Chenliu, Jiyin, and Shanyang with just a word. General Cao has achieved remarkable political success in pacifying this region and has a heart to protect the people of Yanzhou. How could the Right General make things difficult for him?"

Chen Gong cupped his hands and said, "I do not wish to lie. The Right General controls the court and does not seek out renowned scholars, but only wants to recruit commoners through examinations. We scholars may find it difficult to gain the Right General's favor... General Cao, we scholars and commoners of Yanzhou are only seeking survival and profit. If General Cao is willing to accept us, we will follow your lead without question..."

The implication is that Cao Cao is now the governor of Yan Province. If he performs his duties well and leaves Liu Bei speechless, and he has tens of thousands of troops under his command, Liu Bei, unless he is foolish, would not oppose the pardon of Bao Xin and others.

At the same time, since Cao Cao had the help of the scholars of Yanzhou, he should protect their interests.

Liu Bei was unwilling to employ prominent scholars and officials, so various aristocratic families were willing to consult with Cao Cao.

If they were to insist on being on the same side as Liu Bei, then all the prominent families in Yanzhou, including Bao Xin, Qiao Mao, and Zhang Miao, would immediately join Liu Chong in killing Cao Cao.

If Cao Cao agreed to help the various families in Yanzhou to clear their names and protect the interests of the Yanzhou gentry, then all the gentry in Yanzhou would be willing to support Cao Cao.

Whether the various counties of Yanzhou would "respond to Liu Chong" or "attack Liu Chong" depended entirely on Cao Cao's decision.

"I once exterminated the Kong family. Do the prominent families of Yanzhou not fear me?"

Cao Cao hesitated. He knew that Liu Bei had asked him to attack the Kong family so that he would stand against the powerful and influential families.

"Of course we are afraid, but compared to General Cao, we are more afraid of General You."

Chen Gong said in a low voice, "Besides, what benefit does the Confucius family bring to any of the other families? Fu Sheng's teachings were passed down to Chao Cuo, Chao Cuo to Zhang Sheng, Zhang Sheng to Ouyang, and Ouyang to Xiahou… The transmission of classical studies has continued for generations, but has the Confucius family ever contributed anything? Why should any of the other families be harmed because of the Confucius family? What these scholars want is nothing more than fame and fortune. General Right is unwilling to let prestigious families benefit, but General Cao is certainly more tolerant…"

This is about the transmission of the modern text version of the Book of Documents. Fu Sheng was the first to pass it back, and later Zhang Sheng, Ouyang, and the two Xiahou families successively inherited the knowledge. The Book of Documents later developed into the three families of Ouyang, the two Xiahou, and the two Xiahou families, which spread it widely throughout the world. Indeed, the Confucius family of Lu State had nothing to do with it.

In other words, the gentry did not need to cause trouble for Cao Cao because of the Kong family, because the downfall of the Kong family would actually benefit other prominent families.

Chen Gong spoke frankly, and after thinking it over, Cao Cao nodded slightly: "Cao Cao cannot compete with the Right General... but if everyone takes the call to punish the rebels as their banner, then they are all loyal and brave ministers, and Cao Cao will naturally protect the loyal and brave men of Yan and Yu."

"With Cao Cao's magnanimity, the gentlemen of Yanzhou will surely become loyal and brave men."

Chen Gong bowed deeply and changed his form of address: "Lord Cao, there is no need to contend with the Right General. Everyone is only concerned with their own interests and survival. As long as they can be safe and sound, who would be willing to take risks?"

(End of this chapter)