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

Chapter 439 Being Kind to Others: Jia Wenhe

Changan.

During Liu Bei's Northern Expedition, Li Jue, Guo Si, and others had already besieged Chang'an.

But Chang'an remained in a peculiar stalemate.

In fact, no major battles were fought in Chang'an, but the siege did last for a long time.

Chang'an was no ordinary city; it wasn't so easy to conquer directly.

After Yang Biao withdrew from Chang'an and returned to his hometown, only Liu Ai and Han Fu were in charge of things in Chang'an—in fact, it was Liu Ai who was in charge, and Han Fu really had no say.

Li Jue, Guo Si, Zhang Ji, Fan Chou, and others came to avenge Dong Zhuo, while Dong Zhuo's enemies were Liu Ai, Feng Xun, Huangfu Song, and others. The others would not fight to the death with Dong Zhuo's remaining forces.

With Feng Xun and Huangfu Song dead, Liu Ai became the main target of Dong Zhuo's remaining forces.

In order to save his life, Liu Ai had no choice but to recruit 'righteous troops' in Chang'an, which meant conscripting men.

However, recruiting people from Chang'an is not so easy. In those days, the more a place had the characteristics of the capital, the harder it was to recruit soldiers. Even when Liu Hong was the emperor, he had difficulty recruiting soldiers in Henan.

After all, all the able-bodied men and women around the capital region were already married.

The officials in Chang'an and the nobles in the Jingzhao region were actually thinking about how to get rid of Liu Ai and settle the matter...

They were all from wealthy and powerful families, and none of them wanted to become Liu Ai's accomplices when tens of thousands of troops besieged the city to attack him.

At the same time, they did have to do their best to defend Chang'an, since the families in Chang'an were quite familiar with Dong Zhuo's troops—Li Jue, Guo Si, Zhang Ji and others had many barbarian soldiers under their command, and their military discipline was quite poor. If these people were allowed into the city, they would at least rob, and it was very likely to escalate into a massacre.

After all, these soldiers came to avenge Dong Zhuo, and who knows what they might do in the name of hatred.

Therefore, Du Ji, a renowned scholar from the Du family of Jingzhao who was at home observing mourning for his stepmother, stepped forward and contacted the wealthy Zhang Ji to launch a 'self-rescue' campaign.

Du Ji and Zhang Ji were both considered poor people in Chang'an.

This was not because they came from humble backgrounds or were poor, but because their fathers were not officials.

If no one in the previous generation of a family held an official position, then they were considered to be from a poor family, regardless of whether they were rich or poor.

In other words, the family that had been officials for generations lost a generation, fewer people sought to associate with them, the family's fortunes declined, and the house became quieter than before.

The Du family had served as officials for generations, but by the time of Du Ji's father, no one held office, which meant the family had fallen on hard times and was a typical example of a poor family.

Of course, even if his father wasn't an official, he was still a powerful landlord with connections within his clan, so he wasn't someone a commoner could easily extort money from.

Moreover, Du Ji is very resourceful.

Du Ji lost his mother at a young age, and his father remarried, but his father also passed away soon after.

After his parents died, Du Ji lived with his stepmother, who had always mistreated him when he was a child, often beating and scolding him, which the neighbors couldn't stand.

However, Du Ji always treated his stepmother with courtesy, thus earning a reputation as a filial son.

When he was a teenager, Du Ji traveled around to study, made friends with scholars, and spread his reputation, so that everyone in the capital knew about his filial piety. At the age of twenty, he became the Chief Clerk of the Capital—a path that was quite similar to Jian Xianhe's joy after being flogged.

Unlike Jian Yong, Du Ji did not have the infamy of abandoning his family and changing his surname. Due to his great reputation and wide circle of friends, he was soon transferred to the position of magistrate of Zheng County. After that, he was recommended for the position of filial and incorruptible official and was transferred again. At the age of twenty-four, he became the assistant prefect of Hanzhong Prefecture.

However, at that time, the Yellow Turban Rebellion broke out in Qingxu and Bianzhang Kingdom in Liangzhou, and the Five Pecks of Rice sect launched a large-scale invasion of Hanzhong from Ba County.

All the officials in Hanzhong fled, and the imperial court was powerless to suppress them. Du Ji abandoned his post and fled to Jingzhou.

Two years ago, Du Ji's stepmother died in Jingzhou, and the country was relatively more stable. Du Ji brought his stepmother's coffin back to his hometown of Jingzhao and has been observing mourning for her ever since.

Regardless of his motivation for gaining a reputation for filial piety, his actions were indeed genuine acts of filial piety, far more reliable than Kong Rong's method of sharing pears.

Zhang Ji's family was also a typical poor family. Neither his father nor his grandfather held official positions, and he was born out of wedlock, which meant he was already considered a commoner.

However, although they came from humble beginnings, Zhang Ji's family was extremely wealthy, the richest in Gaoling County—somewhat like Mi Zhu's family, but not as numerous, since the Sanfu region wasn't suitable for piracy...

Because no one in the Zhang family held an official position, the Zhang family was often taken advantage of by the government. Moreover, after the Taiping Rebellion, the Zhang family was almost implicated and framed because of their surname.

Zhang Ji's father then used his financial power to sell off the family's land and property, spending large sums of money on officials in the Three Auxiliary Regions, and moved the entire family to Chang'an to avoid disaster.

Money still proved useful. Zhang Ji became a county official in Fengyi at the age of sixteen, and shortly after coming of age, he was recommended as a filial and incorruptible official, thus gaining protection.

However, Zhang Ji did not go to the capital to serve as an official in the Imperial Academy. Zhang Ji was 26 years old at the time, and he was recommended for the civil service examination just as Liu Hong passed away.

In recent years, Guanzhong has been plagued by constant warfare. Zhang Ji has not accepted any official appointments and has instead spent his time associating with famous scholars and heroes in Jingzhao and Fufeng.

Zhang Ji could befriend everyone, whether they were aristocratic families, merchants, or soldiers.

Although Zhang Ji was not very old, he was very generous in making friends and often helped those martial artists from humble backgrounds. These past few years happened to be the time when martial artists were rising in Guanzhong.

This gave Zhang Ji a wide network of connections in the Jingzhao area, especially among the lower-ranking military officers in Chang'an. Many of them had received financial assistance from Zhang Ji, and many military men who had failed to become officials also flocked to Zhang Ji's tutelage.

This is very similar to Yuan Shao back then.

—Du Ji and Zhang Ji together did what Yuan Shao did when he was young.

Zhang frequently dealt with military leaders and was wealthy.

Du Ji was famous and had connections with the gentry of the capital, so everyone gave the Du family some face.

The two joined forces and secretly united various families in Chang'an. Taking advantage of Liu Ai's recruitment of soldiers, they organized a team and joined the service of Han Fu, the Prefect of Jingzhao.

Then, the two staged a mutiny in Chang'an that was almost identical to the one that occurred when Dong Zhuo was killed.

Liu Ai never expected that the methods he and Feng Xun used on Dong Zhuo would now fall on his own hands.

Liu Ai was completely unprepared for Han Fu. Han Fu had little opinion of her own, and Liu Ai made all the decisions.

Also at night, Du Ji falsely informed Liu Ai that the enemy was about to breach the southern city, causing Liu Ai to transfer his troops to reinforce the south of the city. Subsequently, he was killed by Zhang Ji at the northern residence—the same place where Dong Zhuo died.

Upon learning of Liu Ai's death, Han Fu was filled with fear, dreading that he too would be killed by Du Ji and his men. He quickly abandoned his official seal as the Prefect of the Capital and hid in the East Residence.

In fact, Du Ji and Zhang Ji had no intention of dealing with Han Fu, since Han Fu was still the Prefect of Jingzhao, and the remnants of Dong Zhuo's army besieging the city had not said they wanted to take revenge on Han Fu.

After killing Liu Ai, since Han Fu refused to show up and remained hidden in his official residence, Du Ji took Liu Ai's head out of the city to meet Li Jue and others.

Zhang Ji opened the south gate of Chang'an, Anmen, and organized people to send some grain, wine, and meat out of the city to reward the troops, which was quite a show of sincerity.

When Zhang Ji brought out the wine and meat, the south gate was wide open. Dong Bai originally planned to let Li Jue, Guo Si and others take the opportunity to rush into the city, but Jia Xu stopped him.

Jia Xu advised the generals: "Chang'an is the old capital of the Han Dynasty, and it is not comparable to an ordinary city. The old palaces of the Han Dynasty are still there, and we should still have some respect for them. Now that Liu Ai's head has been obtained, and Du and Zhang are sincere in their willingness to negotiate, if you take advantage of their gifts of wine and meat to attack, you will be without any right or reputation, and you will be regarded as traitors and rebels."

He then advised Dong Bai: "Lord Dong has rendered meritorious service to the Han Dynasty, and it is only right that the various tribes avenge him and punish the guilty. However, if the tribes continue to wreak havoc in Chang'an after obtaining the heads of their enemies, it will tarnish Lord Dong's posthumous reputation. Moreover, Mei County has been destroyed, Mei Village is in ruins, and the Liangzhou bandits are still around. My entire clan will be living in Chang'an in the future, so we should now discuss things amicably with the people of Jingzhao."

Li Ru also advised, "Young lady, don't be impatient. If you want to kill the entire clan of your enemy, you can let Zhang Ji and the others do it for you. Now that they have eliminated Liu Ai, they will also eradicate Liu Ai's relatives for their own safety."

With the advice of Jia Xu and Li Ru, the various tribes refrained from forcibly attacking the city.

Du Ji entered Li Jue's army and said that the murderer who plotted to kill Dong Sikong had been eliminated. He suggested that everyone sit down and negotiate, only hoping that the various armies would not enter the city to avoid panic within the city. Everything else was negotiable.

In fact, Du Ji and Zhang Ji's demands were simply to protect Chang'an from being plundered, to safeguard their family property, and to find a suitable way out for themselves.

—Controlling Chang'an and keeping tens of thousands of troops out—that's the best resume, and any boss needs someone like that.

The saying goes, "To gain fame and sell oneself to a wise ruler," and there is no better way to directly demonstrate one's abilities than this. Moreover, it can protect the businesses within Chang'an and safeguard one's own businesses from harm.

However, Han Fu, who was inside Chang'an, was so frightened when he learned that Du Ji and Zhang Ji had gone out of the city to negotiate that he hid in the outhouse and trembled with fear.

When Du Ji returned to the city, Han Fu had already committed suicide with a knife used for cutting bamboo slips, and his crime had been discovered.

The person who discovered Han Fu was a night soil collector at the East Residence. As soon as he found her, he dutifully rang the bell—which made the whole city aware of it, and there was no way to hide it.

This put Du Ji and Zhang Ji in a very passive position...

Han Fu's death really had nothing to do with them, and they originally needed Han Fu, the Prefect of the Capital, as a title—Du Ji and Zhang Ji currently held no official positions.

With no one in charge of Chang'an, the status of Du Ji and Zhang Ji changed.

In truth, they had become bandits who killed officials, rebelled, and occupied cities...

What was originally a top-rated resume has now turned into a story of murder and arson begging for amnesty—they are now essentially local rebels unwilling to let the government troops enter, just like the Jingzhou rebels who wouldn't let Liu Biao enter Wuling.

Because no matter how Han Fu died, others would assume it was them who did it.

Even if Han Fu gave him public authorization before he died, that would be fine...

As a result, Du Ji and Zhang Ji had no choice but to hold Chang'an for the time being.

Their presence in Chang'an was far more secure than Liu Ai's. Seeing the possibility of negotiation, Li Jue and his men had no intention of launching a full-scale attack and retreated to various auxiliary camps around Chang'an. The two sides remained locked in a stalemate for a long time, and both became increasingly uneasy.

……

In fact, Li Jue, Guo Si, Zhang Ji, Fan Chou, and others also have a major problem at present.

They don't have a boss right now, so they're considered unemployed...

This group of soldiers, assembled for revenge, also lacked a true leader.

Li Jue, Guo Si, and Zhang Ji were colleagues of equal rank. Even when Yang Biao had colluded with them, the general titles he gave them were of equal rank—Yangwei, Yangwu, and Yanglie.

Although Fan Chou held a slightly lower rank and had once been a subordinate captain under Li Jue, he now led Dong Zhuo's vanguard army, which he had brought back from Shanxian County. He was Dong Zhuo's own retainer, and Li Jue could no longer regard him as a subordinate.

The four units, each led by a different officer, are currently at the same level and have no unified command relationship.

Dong Bai is their nominal lord and the reason they were able to gather in Chang'an, but Dong Bai is only a thirteen-year-old girl. It is acceptable to regard her as a banner, but it is definitely impossible for her to preside over the affairs of Guanzhong.

If everyone is the same age and no one is willing to submit to anyone else, then no one can be the leader, and no one can become the leader.

Being the leader means avoiding pitfalls and taking the blame, and none of them can take the blame right now.

They also need to find a way out for themselves.

Conquering Chang'an was originally part of their resume—uniting, possessing a powerful army, controlling the old capital of the Han Dynasty, making meritorious contributions by suppressing rebellions, and honoring the emperor as the general in charge of suppressing rebellions in Guanzhong—that was their way out.

Otherwise, if they split up and each looked after their own interests, they would just be a few minor warlords.

Negotiation is not something they are good at.

After discussing it, the four soldiers felt that Jia Xu was the only person they could trust at the moment, so they asked Jia Xu to negotiate with Chang'an on their behalf.

Although Jia Xu doesn't give people the impression of being a kind-hearted person, he truly has always been benevolent towards others.

He rescued Tang Ji, helped Dong Bai and Li Jue, sent Yang Xiu and Fu De home, and exchanged the wives and children of Li Jue, Guo Si, Zhang Ji, and other remnants of Dong Zhuo's forces. He also just stopped Li Jue and his men from forcibly entering Chang'an... He did all good deeds.

Most of the time, doing good deeds doesn't bring any benefits, but in Jia Xu's case, it really did.

Jia Xu was from Wuwei in Liangzhou and was related to Duan Jiong. He was also the legitimate Minister of the Imperial Secretariat of the Han Dynasty—he could now represent the imperial court, the Guanzhong gentry, and the military leaders of Xizhou.

Even Dong Bai listened to Jia Xu the most...

Most importantly, Jia Xu didn't have many troops at his disposal, only the Dark Soldiers.

This means that only Jia Xu would not attempt to encroach on the interests of any party.

Both Dong Zhuo's remaining forces and various families in Jingzhao trusted Jia Xu.

……

The stalemate between the two sides continued until late June.

During this period, Jia Xu did not make any other reaction, but simply kept sending his underworld soldiers to gather information from various places.

It wasn't until news of the great victory in Youzhou arrived, and the news of Cao Cao holding a funeral for Empress Dowager Dong spread, that a real negotiation was organized.

Jia Xu sent Zhang Baiqi into the city and invited Du Ji and Zhang Ji to the post station outside the city gate to discuss matters. He also ordered Li Jue and others to retreat thirty li to Du County, leaving less than two thousand men at the South Post Station of Chang'an.

Those who remained outside the city were all Han Chinese troops, the personal guards of the four military leaders.

This appears to be a peaceful resolution.

“I have long heard of the names of Du Bohou and Zhang Derong, two talented individuals.”

Jia Xu asked, "If I wish to go to Chang'an to take charge, I wonder if the various families in the capital are willing to be at my beck and call?"

Du Ji hesitated for a moment: "Regarding Princess Jia's matter, I think no one would object, but I don't know..."

"But you don't know what to do, right?"

Jia Xu smiled and asked, "Whom does the capital now serve as its master?"

This question can only have one answer.

Zhang Ji said, "This is the old capital, so naturally the emperor is the master..."

"Yes, this is the old capital, and we can only serve the emperor. Please open the city gates. I will only allow the generals of each unit to lead two thousand men into the city, and I will not allow them to plunder inside."

Jia Xu nodded and said, "Please also convey to the families of Jingzhao that Luoyang is now in ruins, and only Chang'an can serve as the capital. Once the world is at peace, His Majesty will return to Chang'an. I will not allow Chang'an to become ruined and starving under any circumstances."

"There are too many bandits at the moment, and both Guanzhong and Guandong are in turmoil. I urge you all to join forces to suppress the rebels and restore peace to the two capitals. Otherwise, the emperor will be unable to move the capital."

Establishing the capital in Chang'an and ensuring its preservation was the best way to protect the interests of the people of the capital.

At this time, Jia Xu had not yet received Liu Bei's message.

But Jia Xu knew that since Youzhou had won a great victory, as long as he could control the three surrounding areas, Liu Bei would definitely send Liu Xie back to the capital.

Qingzhou is lacking in many things; to this day, it doesn't even have a palace or a palace office.

Linzi was too remote for the Han Dynasty, and the capital region had a complete system of government operations, which took many years to build, including roads, canals, post stations, defenses, government offices, palaces, mausoleums, altars, and so on.

Luoyang was burned down and could not be rebuilt in a short time, so establishing the capital in Chang'an was the inevitable choice.

Jia Xu always spoke according to the person he was talking to.

Currently, those who control military power around Chang'an, including Du Ji and Zhang Ji, are all from humble backgrounds or are military men.

They did not have much animosity towards Liu Bei.

(End of this chapter)