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

Chapter 380 Gathering Strength into a Fist
That night, Liu Bei, accompanied by Zhao Yun, delivered Cao Song's body to Cao's residence.

The Cao family protected Ying Shao, and Zhao Yun brought them all under control, but did not imprison them; they were still detained in Cao Song's residence.

Cao Song was "held hostage" by Ying Shao, and the Cao family were the "victims".

Zhao Yun could tell that they deliberately wanted to let Ying Shao go, but even if he could tell, he couldn't arrest and imprison someone without evidence.

The lockdown and supervision are not a problem, after all, the whole city is now under martial law and military control, and no one can leave the house.

Cao Ang is seventeen years old and much more handsome than his father. His birth mother, Liu, must have been a beauty when she was alive.

However, Cao Ang looked somewhat ferocious at this moment.

Upon seeing Zhao Yun, his face was filled with rage: "Zhao Yun! You forcibly demanded the arrest of my ancestor, causing his death..."

"Shut up! You should know who killed your grandfather, yet you still have the nerve to blame Zilong?"

Liu Bei interrupted Cao Ang and walked straight to the pavilion in the courtyard, where he sat down on a stone stool: "Zilong gave you a chance... If you had captured Ying Shao and hadn't helped him escape, things wouldn't have turned out this way."

Cao Ang fell silent, his face turning red and then pale, gritting his teeth as if he were resentful of someone.

“You should know what Ying Shao is planning to do. You’ve seen this before; it was sent to the palace by your grandfather.”

Liu Bei took out the forged edict that Diao Chan had found from his bosom and showed it to Cao Ang: "What do you think His Majesty will do if he sees this?"

Cao Ang stared at the forged edict, his face still contorted with resentment: "What His Majesty does is entirely up to the Right General's will!"

"Yes, you understand this principle. Cao Taiwei has been an official for many years, so he must understand it even better."

Liu Bei nodded and asked, "Grand Commandant Cao probably doesn't know that Ying Shao put this in the hidden layer of the tribute brocade. Ying Shao is framing Grand Commandant Cao... But you already knew yesterday that Ying Shao framed your grandfather, so why are your family members still protecting Ying Shao?"

"The Right General has always looked down on scholars and valued the common people, and his policies such as the government's large-scale coinage incited a peasant uprising in Qingzhou... The Left Lady massacred tens of thousands of Qingzhou gentry members because of the uprising. Throughout history, apart from the tyrannical Qin Dynasty, there has never been such a brutal persecution of scholars..."

Cao Ang gritted his teeth and looked directly at Liu Bei: "My ancestor was indeed deceived by Ying Shao, but this item was indeed sent into the palace by my ancestor. Moreover, my ancestor wanted to help Ying Shao obtain an official position, and he even sent a maid into the palace..."

"This item fell into the hands of the Right General yesterday. If my grandfather and Ying Shao are not allowed to escape, does the Right General not care about my grandfather's crime?"

This is the difference in ideology between the wealthy and ordinary people...

In the eyes of a powerful family like Cao Ang, the rebellion of the powerful clans in Qingzhou was a "popular uprising" caused by Liu Bei's actions that harmed the interests of the gentry...

Different stances naturally lead to different viewpoints.

Because Cao Ang's definition of "people" was different—in the eyes of the gentry, only those from respectable families were considered "people," while commoners, tenant farmers, serfs, and those of low social status were not.

In fact, Cao Ang's judgment was correct. If Cao Song had not died, Liu Bei would indeed have punished Cao Song.

Cao Song recommended famous scholars to Liu Xie, intending to have Liu Xie establish his own faction, specifically a faction from a prominent aristocratic family. This was clearly an attempt to deceive Liu Xie and use him to compete with Liu Bei.

This is inciting conflict.

Therefore, Liu Bei had no sympathy for Cao Song's death; he was not unjustly killed.

"Alright... Since you understand everything, I'm relieved. I'm sure you won't lie to your father."

Liu Bei's tone remained calm: "Does Cao Lang wish to return to your father's side?"

"Does the Right General intend to let me return to my hometown?"

Cao Ang, who was still feeling annoyed, retorted sarcastically upon hearing Liu Bei's words: "If I were to return to my hometown, I would surely become enemies with the Right General..."

Still young and impetuous...

But such honesty is also a good thing.

"I don't care if you're my enemy..."

Liu Bei looked at Cao Ang and nodded: "But you'd better think it through. If I were to go to war with your father, your Cao family would probably be no match for me."

"...Does the Right General really intend to send me back to my hometown?"

Cao Ang was stunned; he had thought Liu Bei would definitely not let him leave.

But Liu Bei's words implied that he really wanted to send him away.

"Mengde only entrusted me with the care of Grand Commandant Cao, and sent you here so that you could fulfill your father's filial duty and take care of your grandfather. You were not taken hostage. Now that your grandfather has passed away, you should send his remains back to his hometown. This is the proper way to be filial."

Liu Bei reached out and took a set of hemp clothing from Zhao Yun, handing it to Cao Ang: "You are the eldest grandson in the family, so tonight you should hold a funeral for your grandfather. The funeral should begin tomorrow at Chenshi (7-9 AM). I will send your grandfather off with the honors due to a high-ranking official, and he will be buried in your Cao family ancestral tomb in Qiao County."

Cao Ang accepted the hempen robe with some surprise and doubt, his tone softening: "...Thank you, General Right..."

"When you get back, tell your father the whole story. Don't make decisions on your own. Cao Ang, you should understand now that those old friends in your family may not be friends at all."

Liu Bei spoke calmly, just as he would have instructed his nephews before their departure: "I did not harm your grandfather. If you wish to take revenge, go and report to the Ying family yourself. If you consider me a thief and insist on being my enemy, then I will also... Go and change into mourning clothes."

After saying this, Liu Bei had his men bring in two boxes of funeral regalia and ordered Zhao Yun's troops to lift the restrictions on the Cao family. Cao Ang watched Liu Bei leave with his soldiers, his eyes filled with confusion. He opened his mouth as if to call out to Liu Bei, but ultimately gave up.

……

The following morning, Liu Bei, accompanied by civil and military officials from Linzi, escorted Cao Song's body out of the south gate.

When they arrived at the South Gate Post Station, Zhao Yun's men brought several heads.

These heads are indeed those of the perpetrators, the direct killers.

Zhao Yun's troops caught up with some of them, but they didn't capture any alive. Judging from their heads and eye color, they were mixed-race barbarians.

Cao Ang and Cao De, who were leading the way with mourning clothes, turned to look at Liu Bei without asking any questions, but their gazes were complicated.

Zhao Yun carried Ying Shao's head and handed it to Cao De.

Liu Bei gave Cao Ang a sword: "This is my former sword. I'm giving it to your father."

This is the sword I used when I fought Cao Cao. There is a character "德" (virtue) on the hilt.

Cao Ang nodded and escorted the body away slowly, without saying another word.

Liu Bei stopped at the post station and ordered Zhao Yun to lead troops to continue escorting him.

After the Cao family members had left, Liu Bei turned around and looked at his subordinates and officials behind him.

Many people had questions on their faces.

"Gentlemen, issue orders to all departments, instructing local officials to prepare defenses, and all those with a salary of 600 shi or more to return to Linzi to participate in the Autumn Festival."

Liu Bei observed for a while, then gave the order directly, but said nothing else, as if the matter had simply passed.

The Autumn Festival is a harvest festival in which all people participate. It is a festival to worship the gods of land and grain on the fifth Wu day after the beginning of autumn, also known as the 'Sheji' festival.

The fifth Wu day after autumn, which is more than fifty days after the beginning of autumn, is the busy time for autumn harvest. The Autumn Festival is held after the autumn harvest is over.

Normally, the chief officials of each prefecture and county would preside over the sacrificial ceremony in their respective locations.

But Liu Bei's decision to call everyone back was clearly illogical.

However, when the order is given in public, no one raises any objections.

……

Chancery desk.

"My lord, the regions of Yan and Ji are still unstable. If we recall the officials in charge of these regions, we fear that foreign enemies may cause trouble."

Without being in public, Jia Xu immediately warned Liu Bei that this matter was very dangerous.

"I need to be prepared for the possibility of external enemies causing trouble so that I can gather my strength and unleash my full power..."

"A decree is proposed to rename the Linzi Military Academy as the Great Han Military Academy. All generals of the rank of Military Commander and above must enroll in the Military Academy before the Autumn Festival. They will then take turns studying there until they receive a graduation certificate issued by me and are given a formal military rank, at which point they can be considered generals of the Great Han."

Liu Bei shook his head and asked Jia Xu to write an edict: "From now on, all regular soldiers of the Han Dynasty must come from the Han Military Academy. Any Han citizen who is willing to make meritorious contributions may enroll and be trained to become a soldier. Military personnel will receive a monthly stipend."

"Only the regular soldiers of the Han Dynasty can establish or manage official military farms. All official military farms are under military control, while prefectures and counties only manage private farmland and property."

"It is hereby warned that all civil officials, including county and township officials and agricultural officials, have no right to command troops. If any civil official wishes to join the army, he must enter the Great Han Military Academy and graduate before he can be given a military post."

Jia Xu was taking notes when he heard this. He looked at Liu Bei, hesitated for a moment, and finally asked, "Does my lord wish to reclaim military power?"

Jia Xu had never seen such a militaristic system before, but he could understand its intentions.

When everyone becomes a fellow disciple, the factional struggles will change—the struggles won't disappear, but everyone will have to reconsider their positions.

Moreover, every soldier hopes to become a regular soldier of the Han Dynasty. Liu Bei's subordinates all had their own ambitions, and so did the soldiers under other people's command.

If only regular Han soldiers could manage government-run farms... the profits from these farms were shared, and military dependents also received subsidies...

"It's not about taking over military power, nor can I take over military power... I won't harm anyone's interests, but I want to give all the units the same background, so that everyone can be classmates."

Liu Bei patted the sword at his side: "I am the Junior Tutor to the Emperor, serving as the Dean of the Military Academy of the Great Han Dynasty. I will supervise the training of the army and generals on behalf of His Majesty, and act as a teacher to the soldiers. I don't think anyone will object, will they?"

Jia Xu suddenly seemed to realize something: "The Great Han Military Academy... His Majesty is also going to enroll?"

Liu Bei smiled: "If Your Majesty has a desire to learn, that is certainly a good thing..."

"If you want to supervise and train all the soldiers in the land, then you should appoint General Wei, so that it will be a legitimate and proper position."

Jia Xu understood and immediately offered his advice: "My lord's merits over the past few years have gone unrewarded. It is time to promote him based on his achievements. Only by promoting him can all the generals return to Linzi without causing any unrest."

(End of this chapter)