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

Chapter 379 Just ask directly
Now that we've identified the problem and defined its scope, seeking the truth becomes much easier.

This time, Liu Bei did not follow Jia Xu's advice to wait a few days.

If we wait a few days, we'll probably only get a scapegoat who's been framed after colluding with others to give their stories.

This matter is difficult to uncover through investigation, so Liu Bei plans to resolve it in a simpler way.

Ask directly.

"Which families in this headquarters have private soldiers stationed in Linzi?"

Liu Bei was asking about Zuo Yuan.

“Yun Chang, Xian He, Jun Yi… Jun Yi oversees the administration of cattle and horse post stations and has private troops in Pingyuan, Le'an, and Linzi.”

Zuo Yuan was indeed aware of the situation in each of his retainers' homes.

Liu Bei's retainers are now all big shots, with high status and positions, and each has their own faction.

Resourceful aristocratic families usually do not become vassals of others, because once they become vassals, the relationship is difficult to change. From then on, the head of the family becomes the lord, and the vassal's future is limited to the head of the family's future.

Retainers are essentially like family members; for a clan, clan members are also retainers.

Just like Guan Yu, he was originally a retainer of Liu Bei, but Guan Yu also had his own retainers, who managed the property of Guan Yu's family. They were loyal only to Guan Yu and Xiu Niang, and were considered family members.

For Liu Bei, Guan Yu's retainers were his private army. They would respect Liu Bei as their 'lord', but they would not be loyal to him.

In fact, this kind of structure often involves retainers pushing the head of the family to make progress. If the head of the family is not capable, the retainers may turn to support the young master or a collateral branch.

If all else fails, they might run away from home, or even destroy their master's family and take their place.

Even after a retainer rises to power, he still has retainers. This layered structure is a characteristic of aristocratic families, and it is also the reason why they must constantly seek advancement once they rise to power.

The head of the household will be pushed along and won't be able to stop.

Liu Bei knew about Guan Yu's private army, which already existed in Zhuojun. The number of soldiers was small, only about a hundred, and they often served as Xiu Niang's guards.

In fact, most of the money in Guan Yu's family was earned by Xiu Niang, and Guan Yu always lived off his salary.

Xiu Niang was often in Linzi, so most of Guan Yu's retainers were also in Linzi.

Jian Yong always had retainers and private soldiers under his command, numbering nearly five hundred. Jian Yong's family was in the transportation business and was quite wealthy.

Shi Ren had the largest number of private soldiers because he continued to manage horse administration even after becoming the Commandant of Pingyuan.

Shi Ren had large-scale breeding experience in Youzhou, and the cattle and horses that Liu Bei brought could not be entirely raised by the government; they needed to be bred and reproduced.

The herding of cattle and horses required constant migration and rotation of pastures, which necessitated a large workforce. As a result, there were many private soldiers under the command of Shi Ren, and they were present in various prefectures. Among them were also many non-Han people.

Because he was in charge of cattle and horse breeding, Shi Ren was a powerful figure in the eyes of the officials in charge of military settlements and post stations, and his actual status was equivalent to that of the Grand Master of the Palace.

"Yun Chang wouldn't do such a thing..."

Liu Bei sighed and said, "Send Xianhe and Junyi to see me."

Liu Bei knew his own brother well; with Guan Yu's political acumen, he couldn't possibly have thought of that much... He hadn't even learned how to make money.

Jian Yong and Shi Ren, however, are not necessarily the same.

Shi Ren knows a little about everything, but his skills in each area are limited. Thanks to Liu Bei's growing strength, Shi Ren has already risen to a high position.

It is precisely for this reason that Shi Ren may have a deeper understanding than others of what it means for even one's relatives and friends to rise to prominence, and he needs Liu Bei to "go a step further".

As for Jian Yong... this guy has a history of making decisions for Liu Bei on his own. Bian Ji was brought to Liu Bei's side by Jian Yong on his own initiative.

Moreover, Shi Ren was in charge of horse administration and had close ties with the post stations. His private army raised horses year-round, and many of them must have been skilled in riding and archery.

Jian Yong directly managed the post stations, and his authority was already quite high.

Shi Ren was in the plains at the moment and it would take him time to get here. Jian Yong, on the other hand, arrived very quickly.

Upon meeting Liu Bei, Jian Yong's first words were: "Brother, you don't suspect me, do you?"

"Of course I'm suspicious. What if you're planning some kind of surprise for me again..."

Liu Bei didn't mince words with Jian Yong: "I know you didn't do this, but you must have something you haven't told me."

“It wasn’t me… If Yong wanted to do this, he wouldn’t have gone to all this trouble.”

Jian Yong plopped down on Liu Bei's couch: "Yong said yesterday that to investigate this matter thoroughly, we must investigate all the officials..."

Liu Bei glared at Jian Yong: "Then go and investigate?"

Jian Yong shrugged: "If I were to investigate, it would be Yuan Shu who did it... or Dong Zhuo, or if all else fails, Sun Jian... or Liu Biao would also do..."

"...I don't need you to teach me how to frame someone...I want the truth!"

Liu Bei asked in a serious tone, "Whose men killed Ying Shao and Grand Commandant Cao?"

“I truly do not know… but elder brother should first resolve the problem before seeking its root cause.”

Jian Yong looked at Liu Bei, his tone becoming serious: "Cao Zhengdong is very likely to raise an army to avenge his father. If we insist on the truth, we may ruin everything."

“Xianhe, I know you’ve always thought of me wholeheartedly…”

Liu Bei looked at Jian Yong with a gentle and sincere gaze: "But the problem in this matter is not Cao Cao... I am the leader of the brothers. If I am ignorant and act as a muddle-headed elder brother, being pushed around by others without seeing the truth or taking the right path, am I still Liu Xuande? Do you want an elder brother who is both deaf and blind?"

Jian Yong sat up straight, looked at Liu Bei, and after a while, stood up again.

“Brother, I only know that the postmaster who was killed at the post station was Guan Shen’s man. I reminded you yesterday that Guan Shen had been here.”

As Jian Yong spoke, he lowered his head and pondered for a while: "Guan Shen and Shi Ren are doing maritime trade together, and they trade in the Three Han and Liaodong vassal states. However, my elder brother's family also gets a share of the profits... As for the murder, I really don't know anything about it."

Clearly, Jian Yong's claim of not knowing was not genuine ignorance, but rather a lack of evidence.

In fact, Liu Bei did not need evidence.

When it comes to family matters, Liu Bei is the head of the family...

Guan Hai was the founder of the Linzi Elementary School and the dean of the Maritime Academy. Guan Shen was the actual commander of the Guan family's navy. They were not actually Liu Bei's retainers, but their roles were not much different from those of retainers.

Because the Guan family couldn't enter the circle of aristocratic families who were part of the court officials, and because they were pirates, they were naturally at odds with the local officials from Qingzhou.

Since the postmaster was Guan Shen's man, it means that Guan Shen was Ying Shao's original contact—that makes sense, since the sea is the best way to escape, and Linzi is not far from the bay.

But Guan Shen could not have been the mastermind; he was merely an executor.

Since Shi Ren and Guan Shen were trading together, it's highly likely that Shi Ren was the one truly colluding with Ying Shao.

They have status, authority, manpower, and motivation.

The key point is that Liu Bei's own family also received a share of the profits from Shi Ren and Guan Shen's business... This should have been voluntarily handed over by Shi Ren as a retainer.

Therefore, all the retainers would protect Shi Ren, and none of them were willing to tell Liu Bei the truth.

Moreover, the brothers couldn't be sure whether Shi Ren's actions were at Liu Bei's behest... Even Jia Xu didn't dare to say.

At the same time, dealing with Shi Ren would affect Liu Bei's interests as well as Zuo Yuan's interests.

The retainers would protect the interests of the family. They feared Liu Bei, but they feared Zuo Yuan even more.

“Xianhe, from now on, you must tell me everything first. Is there anything between us that we can’t talk about? Besides… whether it’s for power or wealth, I can give the brothers more. I am the head of the family, and I will fight for the brothers’ interests.”

Having received the answer, Liu Bei nodded and stood up: "But at home, there can only be one voice."

(End of this chapter)