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

Chapter 429 Face the blast

Late at night, in Ji County.

Liu Yi had already received Zhang Liao's reply, which was sent by fast horse.

This letter was actually a manifesto, written by Guo Jia.

Tell the rebels:

You have abandoned the attire of the Han Chinese, allied with the Wuhuan and Xianbei to plunder You and Ji, poisoning the people, and committing heinous and immoral acts.

In the past, Zhongxing Shuo colluded with the Xiongnu and committed treachery, leaving a lasting stain on his reputation to this day, even leading to the removal of the Zhongxing clan.

Today, the loyal and brave of the world will unite, their arrows will be strung across the border, their armor will shine at Lulong, and your deaths and the extermination of your clans will be imminent!
The proclamation arrives on the day it is sent, ordering you to behead the chieftain of the Wuhuan as proof of your loyalty.

If you remain obstinate, your banners will obscure your yurts, and your iron cavalry will trample your bones! Those who collude with foreign tribes are not even human!
By then, it will be too late for regrets!

……

Along with this proclamation came a death warrant issued by the Governor's Office of Ji Province, written by Zhao Lei and issued by Guan Yu.

The case of Liu Hui, a wicked man from Zhongshan, was adjudicated.

His crimes were threefold: first, he betrayed his lord and sold out his country, secretly colluded with the Wuhuan, opened up the border passes, and led the Hu cavalry to invade.

Secondly, they poisoned their hometown, harmed the people, and allowed foreign tribes to slaughter them, resulting in countless skeletons covering the fields.

Thirdly, they issued false edicts, forcing good people into slavery and coercing villagers into evil deeds, eventually leading to the extinction of the population in You and Ji counties.

According to the "Nine Chapters" law on treason, those who plot to betray the country and follow a false regime shall be executed by dismemberment and their entire clan shall be exterminated.

According to the "Bangzhang" law, those who bring foreign tribes into harming the registered people will be executed, and their three clans will be implicated.

The traitor Hui has already been beheaded. Now, let the world know that he will be stripped of his clothes and official hat, thrown into the marketplace, and his body will be dismembered in the wilderness.

The father, brothers, sons, and their entire clan were exterminated; the wife and daughters were confiscated as government slaves; the mansion was plowed into a filthy pond, and their bones were thrown into the pond. A stone was erected with the inscription "Tomb of the Traitor," which anyone could drown in.

This monstrous head will be displayed in all prefectures, and anyone who dares to imitate it will be punished in the same way.

In the fifth year of the Chuping era, the year of Jimao and the year of Bingwu, he served as the supervisor of the legal affairs office in Jizhou.

The document also included several arrest warrants.

This included Yuan Shao, Gao Gan, Liu Zijing, and others.

The method of issuing warrants is always "seeing them and not killing them, no need to capture them alive".

Yuan Shao and Gao Gan were considered the ringleaders of traitors, a crime punishable by the extermination of their entire families; taking their heads would grant them the title of marquis.

Liu Zijing was called a "traitor who colluded with the Han," and his crime was less serious than Liu Hui's, but he was still punished along with his entire family and his sentence was reduced to a suspended sentence.

Liu Bei, being implicated in the crimes of Liu Zijing's three clans, was stripped of all his official positions and demoted to a lowly barbarian.

Zhang Liao also specifically informed Liu Yi: "Brother Liu is not the ringleader. Regardless of what happened before, you can be considered as being coerced by the bandits. If you can realize your mistake and surrender immediately, kill the barbarians to atone for your sins, you may even receive a reward from the court and become a true general of the Han Dynasty."

"But if Brother Liu remains obstinate, it will likely be only a few days before your name appears on the execution warrant... The Liu family will probably cease to exist like the Zhongxing family."

……

Liu Yi paced back and forth, his brows furrowed as he looked at the proclamation.

This was a short man in his thirties. He didn't look like a fierce and strong man. He had a sparse beard and was thin, but his eyes revealed a shrewdness, making him look more like a scholar.

"Liu Bei didn't fall for our plan, and now he can no longer defend Ji County..."

Liu Yi said in a low voice, "If we take hostages like Gao Gan, we will only increase our enmity with the families in Youzhou. If we stay here any longer, the families in Guangyang will probably turn against us."

Although Liu Bei couldn't send messages to most parts of Youzhou, it was much harder to keep them from Guangyang.

News of Gao Gan's defeat by Liu Bei had spread throughout Guangyang along with the scattered defeated troops.

These manifestos and arrest warrants will soon spread far and wide.

"I never expected Liu Bei to resign from his post... If he doesn't defend Ji County, how will we cope? Are we to retreat back to Liaodong?"

The speaker was Yang Yi, who had met Liu Bei in Qingzhou.

Yang Yi looked quite robust, with broad shoulders, a thick waist, thick eyebrows, big eyes, and a full beard, making him look more like a military general.

"Liu Bei has issued a warrant for the arrest of his relatives and has taken the blame himself. If this warrant is sent to various parts of Youzhou, the families in Youzhou will probably rush to join Liu Bei. Even if we take the old and weak of each family hostage, it will be difficult for us to gain a foothold in Youzhou."

Liu Yi said in a low voice, "Now that Gao Gan has been defeated and there is still no news from Chang'an, we have no new ruler to assist and no one to support us... If we continue to fight Liu Bei head-on, we will only be trapped in a desperate situation. We should retreat to Liaodong immediately."

Yang Yi looked hesitant: "But Gao Gan is missing and his fate is unknown. General Yuan will definitely not give up. If we abandon this place and retreat to Liaodong, how will we explain it to our lord and General Yuan?"

"I just don't understand why our lord insists on relying on Yuan Shao?"

Liu Yi frowned: "Yuan Shao is nothing but a stray dog. His family has declined and he can no longer be shown to others. My lord can kill him and take his wealth for his own use. Why should you obey him?"

“Yuan Shao was indeed a man of great talent and ability; the lord did not value his family background.”

Yang Yi sighed: "If it weren't for Yuan Shao's funding and planning these past few years, our lord wouldn't have been able to take Liaodong as his base... Moreover, the Wuhuan, Xianbei, Fuyu (Huimo) and Yilou (Tungusic) tribes all follow Yuan Shao's wishes. How could it be so easy to kill him?"

"But if we were to ally with foreign tribes again, I fear we would truly suffer the same fate as Zhongxing Yue, being infamous for a thousand years... Yuan Shao said he could assist a new ruler, but where is that new ruler?"

Liu Yi shook his head and said, "It would be better to befriend Liu Bei and fight against the Wuhuan together. Perhaps we could really become generals of the Han Dynasty..."

"When I went to Qingzhou, Liu Bei did not yet regard my lord as an enemy... He only said that my lord should follow Liu Bo'an's orders. If Liu Bo'an were alive, perhaps we could still be on good terms with Liu Bei, but Liu Bo'an is dead, and you and I once besieged Qianzi Jing..."

Yang Yi sighed again: "We are already enemies with Liu Bei. If Liu Bei can list Yuan Shao in the biographies of treacherous officials, how could he really let us go? If we surrender to Liu Bei, we will probably die at his hands... Besides, our wives and children are all in Liaodong. How can we surrender?"

That's true; Liu Yi really didn't dare to gamble with his life.

They dared not gamble on whether Liu Bei would seek revenge later, nor on whether their family members in Liaodong would die.

"We can neither advance nor retreat, and staying here will only lead to defeat... Liu Bei is unwilling to negotiate, and clearly has no intention of stopping the war. Brother Yang, what do you think we should do?"

Liu Yi was torn between surrendering to Liu Bei and retreating to Liaodong.

“Now that the families in Guangyang can no longer be relied upon, we might as well do a good deed by releasing Liu Bo’an’s remaining troops and letting Tian Zitai lead the families in Guangyang…you and I should withdraw from this place first.”

After some deliberation, Yang Yi decided to retreat strategically: "Withdraw from Guangyang and retreat to the strategic pass between Linyu and Jieshi. We will not help either side and will observe the battle between Liu Bei and Tadun. If Liu Bei wins a great victory, you and I will intercept and kill Tadun and surrender him to Liu Bei. This will be a way out for both of us, our lord... If the two sides are locked in a stalemate, then someone will come to our aid..."

This is typical warlord thinking: side with whoever wins. If the two sides are evenly matched, then one can act as a third party to determine the outcome.

"What if Tadun wins?"

Liu Yi looked at Yang Yi.

"If the imperial army is defeated at Tatun, it means the imperial court is weak... We should then ask our lord to establish a new kingdom and become king. Why should we go and assist in establishing a new ruler?"

Yang Yi answered without hesitation.

……

……

Three days later, Guan Yu led his army to the city of Ji County.

Along the way, Guan Yu did not encounter any enemies. Instead, he met Tian Chou, who was welcoming the imperial army, at the military camp west of Ji County.

Tian Chou, courtesy name Zitai, is very young, only twenty-four years old at the moment.

Three years ago, Tian Chou was appointed as an official by Liu Yu. The year before last, Liu Yu sent Tian Chou to Qingzhou to meet Liu Xie, and he had a brief encounter with Liu Bei.

After Liu Yu's death, his subordinates, including Tian Chou and Qi Zhou, were imprisoned in Ji County.

Liu Yi released them and returned Liu Yu's seal and ceremonial flags to Tian Chou.

"Liu Yi has already withdrawn from Guangyang. He released us from prison and asked me to lead the families of Guangyang to surrender to General Wei."

When Tian Chou arrived at the camp, he did not see Liu Bei's entourage, so he had to hand over Liu Yu's seals as Governor of Youzhou and Grand Marshal to Guan Yu: "General Wei, have you really resigned from your post?"

"I am now just a lowly soldier in the vanguard... Zitai, how could Liu Yi entrust Ji County to you?"

Liu Bei's voice came from the side.

Tian Chou turned his head and saw that Liu Bei was dressed in the uniform of a guard, standing in front of the camp like an ordinary soldier. Guo Jia stood beside Liu Bei, also dressed in the uniform of a guard.

"Lord Xuande sets an example by his own conduct, truly serving as a role model for the world."

Tian Chou turned and bowed respectfully to Liu Bei: "Before leaving, Liu Yi released me from prison, saying that he originally wanted to surrender to the court, but his family was in Liaodong and he dared not abandon his parents, wife and children. He could only give way first so that the court's army could annihilate Tadun."

"It seems that Liu Yi really doesn't get along with Tadun..."

Liu Bei waved his hand, indicating that there was no need for formalities: "Do you know where he went? Is he planning to ambush me?"

"He went east, but his exact destination is unknown... All the money, grain, military equipment, cattle, and horses in the county were taken away by Liu Yi, and we are powerless to pursue them."

Tian Chou said, "If we look at it from my perspective, he might go to Liaoxi, and he has no intention of setting up an ambush."

Liu Yi would certainly take all the supplies from Ji County with him, otherwise he would not be able to maintain the morale of his troops.

But releasing all the hostages was indeed a gesture of goodwill; at least the people of Guangyang would no longer hold a grudge against Liu Yi.

The one who kidnapped the hostages and coerced the various families was Gao Gan. Liu Yi only participated in the siege and encirclement of Qian Zhao. He had no grudges with the families in Youzhou, nor with the remnants of Liu Yu's forces.

Guo Jia nodded in agreement: "He has no need to set up an ambush. Even if he wins, he won't be able to establish himself in Guangyang. It would be better for him to play the good guy and retreat to a dangerous place to defend himself."

"Fengxiao, if you were Liu Yi, what would you do?"

Liu Bei once again began to regard Guo Jia as a guiding light.

"Liu Yi came under orders, but his actions differed from those of Gao Gan, and he was also at odds with Ta Dun... This must be due to the discord between Gongsun Du's troops and Yuan Shao's troops, which stemmed from differences in factional ideologies."

Guo Jia seemed to have considered this long ago: "If I were Liu Yi, upon seeing the proclamation and hearing that my lord had taken responsibility for the crime, I would know that Youzhou was no longer a viable option."

"But if we retreat to Liaodong, I'm afraid I won't be able to explain it to Gongsun Du; if we surrender to our lord, I'm afraid my family won't survive..."

"Then we can only retreat a bit first, release the hostages taken by the high-ranking officials to avoid being labeled as traitors; then retreat to a dangerous place to hold our ground and watch our lord and Taton fight each other."

Guo Jia paused here, spreading his hands towards Liu Bei: "I am not familiar with the geography of Youzhou, and do not know where the most dangerous and perilous places are..."

"Lulong Pass, or the Linyu Jieshi Road."

Tian Chou said, "If he doesn't return to Liaodong and intends to sit back and watch the outcome, then these two places will be easy to defend and difficult to attack. Lulong Pass is currently under siege by the Wuhuan of Liaoxi, so Liu Yi should have gone to Linyu."

The Jieshi Road in Linyu County is a coastal official road leading to Liaodong. Most of the road is made up of cliffs and reefs. Jieshi Mountain, which means "East of Jieshi", is located there and is the gateway to Liaodong.

"My lord cannot negotiate with Liu Yi, but Zitai can... Zitai is well-versed in geography, why not lead the various tribes of Youzhou to find Liu Yi?"

Guo Jia turned to Tian Chou and said, "Go and talk to him about avenging Duke Bo'an."

Tian Chou was somewhat puzzled: "When Lord Bo'an met his demise, Liu Yi was not here... and why would Liu Yi avenge Lord Bo'an?"

Indeed, he wasn't there. At that time, Liu Yi and Liu Hui went to Wuzhong to besiege Qian Zhao.

"It's not about letting him seek revenge, but about telling him that the entire Youzhou will avenge Duke Bo'an, and the imperial court will also avenge this great grudge... Let him think carefully about who Duke Bo'an's enemies are, and also let him not make a mistake."

Liu Bei nodded and said, "Gongsun Du is not Bo'an Gong's enemy, but Yuan Shao is, Gao Gan is... If Gongsun Du and Liu Yi do not want to be investigated by the court, they should act like loyal ministers."

Tian Chou understood and accepted the order.

Liu Yi had previously tried to make Liu Bei feel threatened... but Liu Bei and Guo Jia were also experts in this area.

……

……

From Zhongshan to Zhuojun, and then to Guangyang, Liu Bei's forces grew larger and larger along the way.

The force that attacked Liu Hui numbered only a few thousand.

He then joined forces with Guan Yu to defeat Gao Gan, and various families in Zhuojun surrendered to him, forming an army of 20,000.

Upon arriving in Ji County, Liu Yi withdrew, and Tian Chou and Qi Zhou led various families from Guangyang to join him, adding tens of thousands more people.

The 30,000-strong army was divided into three forces.

Guan Yu and Zhang Liao led the main force to Wuzhong to deal with Tadun.

Xianyu Yin commanded the troops of Guangyang and led the Qi Zhou Jiao Chu and other tribes to the northern part of Yuyang to deal with the Xianbei.

Zhang He commanded the troops of Zhuojun and led Zhang Nan, Ma Yan, and others to Shanggu to suppress the Wuhuan.

Apart from Guan Yu and Zhang Liao, all the other troops could be considered "exterminated soldiers".

The most urgent thing now is to quickly break through the collapse.

This is a battle to demonstrate the strength of the imperial court; a swift victory is essential, and even a stalemate is unacceptable.

The division of forces was also to prevent miscellaneous troops from affecting the main force's combat effectiveness and thus hindering its progress.

In mid-April, Zhang Liao led his vanguard cavalry to Wuzhong.

Liu Bei is currently a soldier in the vanguard, and has just been promoted to squad leader. The people in his squad are Guo Jia, Xu Miao, Zu Mao, Liu Deran...

In the Pinggu area of ​​Yuyang, about a hundred miles from Wuzhong, the vanguard scouts suddenly encountered the main force of the enemy.

This place is actually a valley with low hills. There are no cities here, and it's not a special place. It's just that it's more suitable for cavalry to march.

But the scouts spotted the wolf banners of the Tadun tribe.

Perhaps Tadun also received news from Guangyang and personally led a large army westward.

In this encounter, neither side was prepared, and both sides were cavalry, with scouts only able to probe from a short distance.

When the scouts encountered the enemy, the two sides were only a dozen miles apart.

The enemy was numerous, covering the mountains and fields as far as the eye could see, and it was impossible to know exactly how many there were.

Zhang Liao's vanguard consisted of only three thousand cavalry.

At this time, Guan Yu's main force was still behind, separated by the Ju River, and was still a day and a half away.

Most of the soldiers in the vanguard were a little hesitant. It wasn't that they were afraid of the enemy and didn't want to advance, but rather that they all knew Liu Bei was in the army...

Guo Jia and Xu Miao both felt that they should retreat to the east bank of the Ju River and wait for Guan Yu's main force.

After all, the enemy was too numerous, and such an unprepared encounter was not the forte of a strategist like Guo Jia.

Only Zhang Liao overruled the objections of the others: "The barbarian formation is disorganized and their troops are exhausted. Now is the perfect time to launch a swift attack! We are completely unprepared, but so is Tadun! Our army is brave and elite, far superior to the barbarian's! Please follow me in this swift attack; we will surely win in one battle!!"

At this moment, Liu Bei was just a squad leader, but no one really treated him as such; everyone was watching him closely.

Liu Bei handed his helmet to Zhang Liao, saying, "Liu Bei, a banished soldier from the vanguard, is willing to follow General Zhang to defeat the enemy!"

Zhang Liao didn't stand on ceremony. He put on the general's helmet with a three-foot-long white tassel, raised his halberd, and shouted, "Swift Wind! Tyrant!!"

"kill!"

"Swift Wind" means a rapid attack, and "Heroic Chief" means to directly target the enemy's leader.

Zhang Liao himself became the arrowhead and headed straight for Tadun's wolf banner.

Liu Bei, along with his own troops, followed behind Zhang Liao.

The Wuhuan army was indeed disorganized, much more so than Liu Bei's vanguard. Even after Zhang Liao led his troops into the enemy ranks, the Wuhuan army still had not formed a proper formation.

Zhang Liao's method of fighting this time was actually not fancy; it's impossible to have any clever plans in the form of an encounter battle.

But when it comes to martial arts, there is almost always one common sense principle: everything can be broken, but speed is the only thing that cannot be broken.

Zhang Liao is fast enough.

He makes decisions quickly, deploys troops quickly, charges quickly, and is quick-witted, quick-thinking, and quick-handed. Even his martial arts skills are characterized by speed.

Being one step ahead in everything is currently the best tactic.

(End of this chapter)