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

Chapter 389 Survival
"Guorang, you lead the army to clear the banks of the Si River, seize all the boats at the ferry crossings, and guard the Yi Bridge."

Liu Bei looked at the map and deployed his troops: "Zilong, lead the army south to Huailing to set up an ambush. If any troops come from the south to the north, ambush them directly."

Yiqiao is the famous bridge where Zhang Liang met Huang Shigong, located west of Xiapi City.

The western and southern parts of Xiapi County are surrounded by the Si River, while the northern part is bordered by the Yi River. The Yi Bridge is located at the confluence of the Yi River and the Si River. To the west of this bridge lies the territory of Lü County in Pengcheng.

Huailing is located in the southern part of Xiapi County, bordering Huainan.

Tian Yu and Zhao Yun accepted the order and left.

"Brother, would Cao Bao really abandon the city? Judging from the current situation, if he holds Xiapi, we wouldn't be able to capture it. Why would he abandon the city?"

Zhang Fei looked anxiously at Xiapi County: "Xiapi has ample money and provisions, but tens of thousands of ignorant believers are blocking our way. Brother, we didn't bring any supplies or provisions with us. The army only has five days' worth of rations, which is not enough to build supplies..."

"Yide, calm down. Cao Bao and the others are more anxious than you and me... He doesn't know that I don't have much food. My army has countless oxen, horses, and carts. Anyone who sees them will think that my army has plenty of provisions. How dare Cao Bao hold out for long?"

Liu Bei shook his head: "There are at least 20,000 believers outside Xiapi, and there are definitely more inside the city. How long can Cao Bao support so many people? Let alone five days, he won't be able to stand it for three days. He will definitely leave the city. He will either come to negotiate with me or lead his army to flee... If he doesn't come to see me today, then I will create an opportunity for him to leave the city in three days."

"The Buddhist sect had its followers guard the city in an attempt to make the general restless and force him to kill the Buddhist sect's followers, so that the followers of Xiapi would be united in resisting the imperial court and making it difficult for the imperial court's orders to reach this place. Yide did not fall for this trick, which has already disrupted the enemy's plan."

The military advisor Xun You nodded and said, "Yide burned down the Xiaxiang Temple and killed Ze Rong. Logically, Ze Rong's remaining forces should have caused trouble in Xiaxiang. However, the scouts reported that there are no Buddhist followers outside Xiaxiang City. Zhang Chao and Mi Fang have already entered Xiaxiang County, and Ze Rong's remaining forces and Xiaxiang followers have not entered Donghai County. That means they have all gathered in Xiapi."

“It is normal for the remnants of Zuo Rong’s forces to defect to Cao Bao, but the fact that all the believers from Xiaxiang have also come to Xiapi cannot be Cao Bao’s doing. Cao Bao came all the way from Pengcheng; he couldn’t have moved so many believers.”

“Only Tibetan monks from Xiapi could bring so many believers to Xiapi; there must be someone behind this.”

"The only one who could plot against Xuzhou at this time is either Cao Mengde or Yuan Gonglu. Cao Cao has always opposed licentious worship, and even if he were to use a scheme, he would not do so through Buddhism... So it can only be Yuan Gonglu."

"It is likely that after Yuan Gonglu killed Liu Chong, he did not receive any reward from the court. General Wei then demanded that he enter the military academy and also ordered Yuan Gonglu to hand over Zhang Kai."

"Now that the imperial court has issued an order to suppress Buddhism, Yuan Gonglu must be protecting the Buddhist sect and using money to bribe Cao Bao and others in order to seize the grain-producing land of Xuzhou."

"If Yuan Gonglu wants to meet Cao Bao and his men, he will have to pass through Huailing. An ambush in Huailing will surely yield results."

Xun You differed from Jia Xu. Jia Xu always analyzed things from the perspective of human nature, directly using people's hearts as a breakthrough point.

Xun You, on the other hand, starts from logic and deduces step by step, but in the end, he also finds the motive.

Yuan Shu sent Yang Hong to see Liu Bei, but Yang Hong came up empty-handed and was even forced to study at the Han Military Academy. Yuan Shu was certainly unhappy about this.

Moreover, Yuan Shu, this underworld boss, did indeed have a great reputation in Huaiyang. He was truly the leader of the Green Forest Alliance. After Tao Qian resigned, it was quite normal for Yuan Shu to hire or win over the generals of Danyang, such as Cao Bao, Zuo Rong, and Zu Lang.

The Buddhist sect was probably not something Yuan Shu actively created. He merely used the events orchestrated by Ze Rong to protect the sect and prevent Xiapi and other counties from being controlled by Liu Bei.

“Zhang Chao had already stationed his troops in Xiaxiang County a few days ago, even faster than Mi Fang… He’s quite proactive.”

Liu Bei asked Xun You, "Gongda, what do you think Zhang Chao will do?"

"Zuo Rong was in charge of the grain transport in the three prefectures. He was extremely corrupt, but no one reported to the court in a timely manner about his large-scale Buddhist construction. It is clear that the three prefectures of Pengcheng, Xiapi and Guangling were all concealing the truth."

Xun You knew Zhang Chao quite well: "Chen Yuanlong is seriously ill, and Zang Xuangao is in Xiaopei. It's normal that they don't know, but Zhang Chao must know. He and Cao Bao arrived so quickly, so they must both have connections with Yuan Gonglu. Zhang Chao must be Cao Bao's ally. The fact that the followers of Xiaxiang moved to Xiapi is most likely related to him."

Zhang Chao and the Mi family were at odds. If Zhang Chao hadn't deliberately concealed it, at least Mi Fang, the Commandant of Guangling, would have known about it.

"Pass down the order to Zhang Chao to come here and receive orders... Yi De, go to the garrison in Xiaxiang. If Zhang Chao disobeys, kill him."

Liu Bei looked at everyone in the tent and said, "Send orders to Mi Fang, Xu Qiu, and Xu Sheng, instructing them to come here within three days to destroy the Buddhist sect. Tell them that the spoils of war from the destruction of the Buddhist sect do not need to be handed over."

“Shout to Xiapi: if Xiapi does not surrender within three days, then we will all be considered part of the Buddhist sect.”

Mi Zhu and Xu Qiu are in Tancheng, Chen Gui is in Huaipu, and Zhang Chao and Mi Fang are currently in Xiaxiang. They can all arrive in Xiapi within three days.

Xun You hesitated for a moment, then said in a low voice, "General, the various families in Xuzhou are not on good terms with each other. Governor Tao previously ordered them to govern their own prefectures because he was worried that they would deepen their hatred... Moreover, there are tens of thousands of believers in and around Xiapi, all of whom are from the various families in Xuzhou..."

“I know that Prefect Tao did the right thing before, but things are different now.”

Liu Bei nodded and looked at Xun You: "I came to Xuzhou to acquire more arable land and to ensure a bountiful harvest next year, not to maintain harmony."

"In that case, we should send an order to Huaipu to send Chen Yuanlong to Linzi for medical treatment and to invite Chen Gui to lead troops here to exterminate the Buddhist sect. Chen Yuanlong has failed in his duty due to illness, and this is the duty of the Chen family."

Xun You closed his eyes and suggested, "Most of the followers of the Buddhist sect come from Xiapi County, and many members of the Chen family are believers."

……

……

Huaipu.

Chen Deng is recuperating at home.

After the onset of gout, Chen Deng experienced chest tightness, high fever, redness, swelling, and pain in his joints, making it impossible for him to walk or even clench his fist.

The Chen family sought out renowned doctors for him, but no one in the entire Huaipu region could cure him.

“Yuanlong, General Wei has sent an envoy to take you to Linzi for medical treatment.”

Chen Gui stood guard by Chen Deng's bedside, looking somewhat anxious: "I heard that Mr. Hua is in Linzi. It seems that only Mr. Hua can cure this disease."

"I heard from the boy that a peasant uprising broke out in Xiapi because of Zuo Rong's devotion to Buddhism?"

Chen Deng shifted his body and sat up, leaning against the backrest: "With chaos erupting in Xiapi, I, as the prefect, have an inescapable responsibility. According to General Wei's policies, those whose livelihoods are in danger must bear heavy responsibility... We must make amends as soon as possible."

“You have been ill for months, this matter has nothing to do with you.”

Chen Gui advised, "Take good care of yourself and recover. I will go to Xiapi to quell the rebellion."

Chen Deng looked at Chen Gui: "...Father is going to Xiapi? General Wei sent an envoy, it seems it's not just about my illness, what else is it?"

"General Wei has issued an order to suppress Buddhism, ordering me, Xu Qiu, Xu Sheng, Zhang Chao, Mi Fang, and others to lead troops to Xiapi to suppress the Buddhist rebels... There are now tens of thousands of Buddhist believers in and around Xiapi."

Chen Gui forced a smile: "Yuanlong, you should know what General Wei's intentions are."

Chen Deng frowned: "Since there is unrest in Xiapi, it is indeed my responsibility. It is only right that General Wei sent me, Chen, to quell it... Where did those tens of thousands of believers come from?"

Chen Gui gave a bitter laugh: "They came from various families in Xiapi, mostly from my Chen family... I've already asked within the clan, and hundreds of people have gone to Xiapi, claiming to be protectors of the Buddha! Some clansmen have even become monks..."

"Why didn't anyone tell me about the Buddhist sect sooner?"

Chen Deng's face turned pale: "Why didn't you tell me that there are many believers in the clan?"

"You are suffering from unbearable pain, how can we disturb your health with these things?"

Chen Gui shook his head: "I never expected that the Buddhist sect would plunder so much of the believers' money and provisions. I thought it was just doing good deeds... I never expected General Wei to want to exterminate the Buddhist sect, and I never expected that those monks could bewitch believers to protect the sect with their lives..."

"...General Wei's order is for each family to persuade their clansmen to return?"

Chen Deng's voice trembled slightly.

"General Wei only issued an order to suppress Buddhism... ordering the extermination of Buddhist temples, which will surely lead to the killing of all believers by each family."

Chen Gui sighed again: "The families in Xuzhou all have grudges against each other. Since each family has led troops there, how can they persuade the others? I do want to persuade my clansmen, but the Buddhist sect is extremely good at bewitching people. It can make tens of thousands of people protect the temple with their lives. Do you think you can persuade them?"

Chen Deng was stunned and remained silent for a long time. By exploiting the mutual grudges among the various families in Xuzhou, and by using the extermination of the Buddhist sect to create an opportunity for each family, they would inevitably kill their enemies' family members.

Once the killing begins, it will not end.

Let all the noble families become butchers, and completely eradicate the Buddhist religion.

Even the humble tenants of Xuzhou, fearing that families would fight each other out of hatred, dared not enter the homes of the noble families again.

Guantun will become the main agricultural product of Xuzhou.

From an observer's perspective, this is clearly a good approach, using the most legitimate command to allow each party to make a decision that aligns with their own wishes.

But now, it is Chen Deng's own family that is being manipulated by this method.

The Chen family had no prior enmity with other families, but Chen Gui was going to quell the rebellion, and those monks and believers were clansmen from various families in Xuzhou.

"General Wei's desire to seize the land in Xuzhou will inevitably cause discontent among the various families... General Wei is exceptionally intelligent and must also know that he is doing this on purpose."

Chen Gui tucked the blanket around Chen Deng: "Every family has blood on their hands, every noble family has a reputation for slaughter, and they all have deep-seated hatred for each other. Only when the Buddhist sect is completely eradicated will General Wei feel at ease..."

Chen Deng was going to Linzi for medical treatment, and Chen Gui had no choice but to obey.

This may be the first time that a wealthy family like the Chen family has experienced what it's like to be a "commoner" with no choice but to be manipulated in order to survive.

But this is how the common people of the Han Dynasty have always survived.

……

……

three days later.

Dusk, inside the city of Xiapi.

Cao Bao and Zu Lang's troops are loading money, grain, gold, and silk from the city onto carts.

The vast amounts of money, grain, gold, and silk in Xiapi's treasury were all obtained by Zuo Rong.

By this time, there were already several military camps outside the city.

“Zhang Fei didn’t kill the believers outside the city… He killed Zuo Rong without hesitation, but didn’t attack the ignorant believers. Brother Cao miscalculated.”

Zu Lang looked at the firelight of Liu Bei's camp outside the city, picked up a piece of meat with his short knife, and put it in his mouth: "There are more and more troops outside the city now..."

"General Wei arrived too quickly... General Wei dislikes killing. If it were only Zhang Fei, he would definitely have made a move... But General Yuan has not yet arrived. What should we do?"

Cao Bao stood on the city wall, gazing at Liu Bei's camp in the distance: "Should we follow General Yuan's orders and hold this place, or should we lead General Wei into Huainan?"

"General Wei's army has countless cattle and horses, so his provisions must be plentiful. Holding out for too long is pointless. There are so many believers in and around Xiapi City. Holding out here will only waste money and supplies. If we run out of food, how will we sell our goods? Why don't we go to General Wei and pledge our loyalty to the court? I've heard that General Wei is good at business. It's worth a try."

As Zu Lang wiped his dagger, he said, "Yuan Gonglu wants to seize Xuzhou, but he hasn't come yet. He only makes empty promises of sending an official seal... There are no official regulations for this seal, so how many people would accept it? But General Wei, if he promises me an official position, I'll definitely get one..."

Zulang has a long scar on his face, which makes him look somewhat ferocious. He has a thick neck and a bushy beard like a halberd, and his fierce and brave aura is quite obvious.

Zu Lang was the chieftain of the Yue tribe in Jing County, Danyang. He was a Han Chinese, and his original name was Zu Lang. His situation was similar to that of Zhang Yan before he rose to prominence. He had no relation to Zu Mao.

The Yue people of Danyang are not all foreign tribes, but rather illegal armed groups that, like the Black Mountain bandits, have hidden in the mountains.

Among them were indigenous people who were descendants of the ancient Yue people, as well as ordinary Han Chinese who went into the mountains to become bandits.

The term "Yue" does not refer to a single ethnic group, but rather to the collective name of the Baiyue people. Most of the Yue people in Danyang were assimilated into Han culture, and most of the Danyang soldiers were originally Yue people.

"The imperial court has issued an edict to suppress Buddhism, and General Wei will likely not tolerate us... Zuo Rong's welcoming of Zhang Fei was also a ploy to sell himself, but he was killed on the spot by Zhang Fei..."

Cao Bao hesitated for a moment: "Moreover, it's difficult to be an official under General Wei. Taking office and leaving office are all decided by General Wei's word... On the other hand, it's more comfortable under General Yuan, with fewer restrictions."

"But General Yuan is late in arriving, while General Wei has already led a large army here. What can we do?"

Zu Lang sheathed the cleaned dagger: "Neither of us believes in Buddhism. If General Wei wants to destroy Buddhism, then we'll just help him destroy Buddhism..."

“General Wei is not Tao Gongzu. He only appoints Han generals based on their military academy background and officials based on their miscellaneous studies background. His military orders are extremely strict. Don’t you know why Ze Rong was killed? If we were to follow General Wei’s example, we would have to abandon our troops and enter the military academy first. General Wei’s military academy is a policy of stripping military power. Do you want to go? Do you dare to send your subordinates to become General Wei’s students?”

Cao Bao looked at Zu Lang: "Why don't you go and talk to General Wei about the deal in Xiapi?"

"...Farming in Xiapi has fallen into disrepair, and I once concealed the matter of Buddhism from Zuo Rong. General Wei will surely punish me for this, so how can I go and talk about it?"

Zu Lang looked at Cao Bao with dissatisfaction: "Only Brother Cao can go and negotiate!"

“If it were when Magistrate Tao was still in power, I would really want to become a fellow disciple of the Emperor… But now that Magistrate Tao can resign as he pleases, I don’t want that… These five thousand men are my future, and I don’t want to be manipulated by others.”

Cao Bao shook his head: "Since we're both uneasy, why don't we take the money and provisions and leave separately?"

"Then who will cover our retreat? The carts carrying money and provisions are heavy and difficult to leave quickly. If no one comes to our aid, we may not be able to shake off the pursuit."

Zulang was clearly unhappy.

"Cover the rear? As long as you and I call ourselves the protectors of the Buddha and escort the monks out of the city, those monks and believers outside the city will naturally cover our rear."

Cao Bao clenched his fist, then relaxed it, then clenched it again, seemingly having made up his mind: "Now that Xiapi City has enough money, food, and manpower, who would have thought that you and I would abandon the city and leave..."

"Brother Cao...look outside the city!"

Zulang suddenly pointed to Liu Bei's camp.

A great commotion arose outside the city.

Liu Bei's camp is on fire!

There were probably a lot of people who started the fire, and the fire looked quite large.

The camp was in complete chaos.

It wasn't completely dark yet, and troops could be seen moving around everywhere. Many troops were heading in different directions, and many more were pouring into Liu Bei's camp.

This large-scale unrest definitely indicates that something bad has happened.

"Zhang Chao made the move! Get out of the city and break through!"

Cao Bao's eyes lit up when he saw Zhang Chao's banner entering Liu Bei's camp.

"It's not a scam, right?"

Zu Lang examined the situation closely: "Such chaos has erupted! Is Liu Bei's leadership really that incompetent? Should we provide support for Zhang Chao?"

Liu Bei's camp looked extremely chaotic; even the banners had fallen over!
"The flags have all fallen... Regardless of whether it's a trap or not, all we need to do is get out of here. Why bother helping Zhang Chao? Let's go!"

Indeed, Cao Bao had no intention of attacking Liu Bei's camp; he simply wanted to use this opportunity to escape.

(End of this chapter)