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

Chapter 390 The Sishui River Stopped Flowing
A great commotion erupted within the city, with gongs and drums beating in unison, and all four gates of Xiapi were opened.

Cao Bao led his troops out of the city, loaded carts with valuables, and fled towards Yiqiao with the Buddhist monks.

Fadu, the abbot of Dafosi Temple in Xiapi, also followed Cao Bao.

The monks of various Buddhist temples inside and outside the city also fled with Cao Bao, and a large number of Buddhist believers followed suit.

Tens of thousands of people were running around inside and outside the city, and the area outside Xiapi looked even more chaotic.

It was indeed Zhang Chao who set the fire in Liu Bei's camp.

But Liu Bei ordered the fire, and he himself brought down the banner—the camp was no longer needed anyway, and whether it was a victory or a retreat, the camp would have to be burned down.

Those troop movements were also real.

Heading in all directions, they represent Liu Bei setting up encirclements in all directions.

The troops that entered the camp were those of Zhang Chao, Chen Gui, Xu Qiu, Xu Sheng, Mi Fang, and others.

It was because all these people had arrived that Liu Bei set fire to the city and lowered the flags, giving Cao Bao the opportunity to leave the city.

Anyone would seize such a good opportunity to set fire to the enemy's main camp, and Cao Bao's choice was already very prudent.

"Order all units to pursue and annihilate the bandits!"

Upon seeing Cao Bao leave the city, Liu Bei issued the order to annihilate him: "Zhang Chao, go and demolish the Buddhist temples in the city and eradicate the Buddhist sect."

Zhang Chao stood beside Liu Bei, hesitated for a moment, and then bowed to accept the order.

Zhang Chao is actually very pragmatic.

Zhang Chao was originally an ally of Zuo Rong, so he rushed over immediately upon learning of the fire in Xiaxiang County.

However, upon arriving in Xiaxiang, Zhang Chao learned that Zuo Rong had been killed by Zhang Fei. He then stayed in Xiaxiang and did not make any further moves. Moreover, he immediately expelled all the monks in Xiaxiang, so those monks brought their followers to Xiapi.

Liu Bei sent Zhang Fei to Xiaxiang. After meeting Zhang Fei, Zhang Chao immediately left the city and rushed to Liu Bei's side to explain the situation.

Zhang Chao was also recruited by Yuan Shu.

Not long ago, when Tao Qian resigned, Yuan Shu found Zang Hong from somewhere and asked him to give Zhang Chao an official seal, hoping that Zhang Chao would cooperate with him to control Xu Province, and promised to make Zhang Chao the governor of Xu Province.

Zuo Rong, Cao Bao, Zu Lang, and other people from Danyang also received official seals from Yuan Shu. Yuan Shu privately appointed Cao Bao as the Prefect of Pengcheng, Zuo Rong as the Prefect of Xiapi, and Zu Lang as the Prefect of Danyang in Yangzhou...

Yuan Shu also coveted grain-producing areas. Pengcheng, Xiapi, and Guangling were the three commanderies with the most convenient water transport along the Huai and Si rivers, and also the regions with the highest grain production.

Although these privately bestowed titles weren't very valuable and were given out haphazardly, they suited the mindset of Cao Bao, Zuo Rong, Zhang Chao, and others.

Previously, under Tao Qian, the country was divided into prefectures, each ruled by its own local rulers. They could freely amass wealth and land without any problem, as Tao Qian would not interfere for the sake of harmony and stability.

However, being an official under Liu Bei was not so easy.

Yuan Shu's move was perfectly timed, striking Tao Qian right after he resigned and returned to his hometown.

The military leaders of Xuzhou certainly wouldn't dare to directly rebel against Liu Bei, but with Yuan Shu's backing, the three southern counties of Xuzhou could join forces and wait for the best offer.

The problem is that Liu Bei needed grain-producing areas, not powerful clans.

Liu Bei doesn't need powerful local warlords right now; he only needs land, and he needs to secure it before spring planting. He doesn't have time to deal with the warlords in Xuzhou.

Ze Rong initially wanted to corrupt Zhang Fei, intending to demonstrate that "the people of Xiapi do not obey the imperial court's orders, but only the Buddhist monks' arrangements, so Xiapi should be managed by the Protector Ze."

This was for the purpose of negotiation, and also to protect his interests in Xiapi.

As for whether it would lead to people abandoning production, Zuo Rong didn't care, since he wasn't from Xuzhou.

— Neither Cao Bao nor Zhang Chao were from Xuzhou.

But Zhang Fei knew that Liu Bei wanted grain-producing areas, and Ze Rong's scheme was exactly what Liu Bei wanted to avoid, so he had Ze Rong killed.

By taking advantage of the Buddhist sect's affairs, Liu Bei was able to quickly and violently take over Xuzhou.

Cao Bao and Zu Lang wanted to inherit Zuo Rong's estate, so they went to Xiapi.

Zhang Chao was not a member of the Danyang circle. After Liu Bei issued the order to suppress Buddhism, Zhang Chao knew that he could no longer wait for a higher price, and he was quite rational.

Therefore, Zhang Chao cooperated with Liu Bei and put on a show, which can also be regarded as a demonstration of loyalty.

But if you're going to show loyalty, you have to show it to the very end.

Like Chen Gui, Zhang Chao understood what Liu Bei meant by ordering him to eradicate the Buddhist sect. Liu Bei hadn't explicitly stated the need for killing, but Zhang Chao's order to his subordinates was: "Search the city thoroughly, leave no monks alive, and detain all believers. Anyone who resists will be killed on sight!"

After leading his troops into Xiapi, Zhang Chao began a bloodbath without hesitation.

Besides the believers who fled with Cao Bao, many people remained in the Great Buddha Temple and its various halls.

Whether they are monks or believers, most of those who come here to protect the faith are inherently rebellious.

The sounds of fighting erupted, and the air was thick with the stench of blood.

Liu Bei staged this performance to prevent his own army from getting their hands dirty with blood, but at the same time, he wanted to completely sever the roots of Buddhism.

— Liu Bei's camp caught fire, and the flags fell. Zhang Chao was the one who set the fire, and Liu Bei's troops did not enter the city.

Zhang Chao's entry into the city and the massacre of the Buddhist sect had nothing to do with Liu Bei's troops.

Liu Bei only needed to enter the city at the last minute to "stop" Zhang Chao in time, or at least not so quickly, and act as a savior.

This was not to curry favor, but simply to prevent the people of Xiapi from harboring resentment towards Liu Bei's troops.

Liu Bei still wanted to farm in Xuzhou.

……

Zhang Chao was in charge of the operation inside Xiapi City, while the pursuit outside the city was naturally the job of Chen Gui, Xu Sheng, Mi Fang, and others.

If they were to face each other, these people might not be a match for Cao Bao and Zu Lang.

Cao Bao had 5,000 Danyang soldiers under his command, and they were all veterans, so their combat strength was actually quite strong.

However, in order to escort a large amount of wealth and to avoid being surrounded by Liu Bei's army, Cao Bao did not dare to linger.

Upon reaching the banks of the Sishui River, they found the Yiqiao Bridge heavily guarded by crossbowmen, and not a single boat could be found on the riverbank.

This situation wasn't too unexpected; Cao Bao was mentally prepared for it.

If the road can be kept clear, then there is no need for anyone to cover the rear... The reason believers need to delay behind is precisely because the road may be blocked.

Charging into the bridge blocked by crossbowmen would be suicidal, and Cao Bao's Danyang soldiers, being seasoned veterans, would certainly not do such a thing.

With rivers to the south and west, Cao Bao and Zu Lang could only travel eastward along the Si River.

As night fell, the followers of the Futu sect were scattered in disarray; tens of thousands of untrained people were not capable of acting in unison.

Cao Bao and Zu Lang had many carriages, horses, and valuables, so they couldn't run too fast, but the Buddhist followers did indeed become cannon fodder to cover their retreat.

Chen Gui, Xu Sheng, Mi Fang, and others each led an army in pursuit, but were greatly annoyed by the believers' obstruction.

They didn't initially want to kill the believers.

Because they were all from Xuzhou, their fellow townsmen.

However, in order to pursue Cao Bao, it would be inevitable to kill many Buddhist monks of the Futu Sect, and in order to remove obstacles, it would also be necessary to use force against believers.

Moreover... Liu Bei issued a military order that the spoils of war need not be handed over.

Cao Bao and Zu Lang were carrying a large amount of wealth...

The attitude of the order to suppress Buddhism was extremely clear—Chen Gui understood it, and Xu Sheng and others also understood it. If they didn't want Liu Bei to investigate the Buddhist believers in the various households in Xuzhou, then they had to kill all those in Xiapi who were "sacrificing themselves to protect the religion," and at least ensure that all the foreign monks and Buddhist monks were killed.

After many monks were killed, the followers began to riot and rebel, which gradually escalated into a full-blown conflict.

Each company had no choice but to take drastic measures.

Stubborn believers either blocked the way, protected the monks, or attacked the various sects, often hurling extremely offensive insults, making them impossible to save.

A large-scale massacre occurred on the banks of the Sishui River.

Just as Chen Gui had predicted, once the various factions' troops were in a bloodthirsty frenzy, they no longer cared whether the victims were from different factions in Xuzhou or not.

If you don't kill someone, someone will kill you.

That night, tens of thousands of believers and hundreds of monks, the vast majority of whom died on the banks of the Surabaya River.

The corpses that fell into the Sishui River blocked the river channel, which was still covered with a thin layer of ice. The pile of corpses was so high that the Sishui River stopped flowing.

(End of this chapter)