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

Chapter 459 The Same Choice

"Cao Cao was merely acting on imperial orders to support Duan Anxi in suppressing the traitor Xia Yu... Cao Cao was a guest general, unable to enter Chang'an, and had no intention of ever entering Chang'an again."

Cao Cao had no intention of being cannon fodder. He sheathed his sword and said in a low voice, "Child, whatever your plans are... even if you win, do you think you and I will rule the world? Why should we stand in front of others as their shield and blade?"

Zhao Rong sighed: "What does Mengde intend to do?"

“Zhi Chang originally intended to lead his troops into Chang’an, but was blocked by Duan Wei. Now it is no longer possible to do so. Xia Yu has already fought with Duan Wei. Since Zhi Chang wants to help me punish the traitors, he should punish Xia Yu to protect himself.”

Cao Cao squinted and said, "Zhizhang might as well let Xia Yu retreat into Fengyi, and then I will lead my army to attack him, let him defeat me, and make him famous throughout the world..."

"Huh? Why would Mengde deliberately let Xia Yu defeat him?"

Zhao Rong felt that he couldn't keep up with Cao Cao's train of thought.

"Naturally, it's for returning to Yuzhou... Zhizhang, I won't hide it from you. If I stay in Sanfu, there will be countless people like you who will force me to be an enemy of Liu Bei... and Liu Bei will definitely use me as a shield, just like what's happening now."

Cao Cao put it bluntly: "I do not want to be the sword of the officials, nor do I want to be Liu Bei's shield, so I can only find an opportunity to leave the Three Auxiliary Regions."

"But Liu Bei will never let me leave easily; something must happen."

"Since you gentlemen intend to use Xia Yu as a pawn, then I will give Xia Yu a chance to become famous throughout the world..."

“If I am defeated by Xia Yu in Fengyi, you gentlemen will surely provide Xia Yu with substantial financial assistance to fight against Liu Bei. Liu Bei will then have no intention of making things difficult for me, and I can then leave this place via Hedong.”

“Child, you are now merely a tool in someone else’s hands. If things fail, you will surely die and your clan will be wiped out; even if things succeed, you will be suspected…”

Cao Cao's tone and expression were very earnest: "Rather than risking yourselves for the benefit of others, it would be better to leave the Three Auxiliary Regions with me and stay away from the storms to ensure your safety. We will control the local areas, and when the dust settles, no matter who wins or loses, we will have a foundation to stand on."

Zhao Rong pondered for a moment, then bowed and cupped his hands to Cao Cao: "Then it shall be as Mengde says."

Originally, Cao Cao was in a difficult position: he was either forced to deal with Liu Bei or kill Zhao Rong and become a loyal subject.

But Cao Cao insisted on choosing a third option from the two choices.

Cao Cao's biggest difference from others was that he never followed the path laid out by others.

……

Two days later.

Cao Cao and Zhang Ji led their troops to reinforce Duan Wei.

The three forces combined their troops, bringing their strength to eight thousand.

Xia Yu was indeed a very strong fighter. Although he only had four thousand troops, he repelled the attacks of Zhang Ji and Cao Cao one after another.

Zhao Rong then returned to Xia Yu's army and said that the imperial court had sent a large army to suppress the rebellion, and that the plot to infiltrate Chang'an could not succeed. He then ordered Xia Yu to retreat to Pinyang County in Fengyi to hold his position.

Xia Yu led his troops in a northward retreat.

Cao Cao led his troops in pursuit, traveling over a hundred li in a rapid advance, and managed to outflank Xia Yu, engaging him in a major battle at Ziwu Ridge.

But not long after, Cao Cao was "defeated" by Xia Yu...

After Ziwu Ridge was "captured" by Xia Yu, Cao Cao was separated in Fengyi and unable to retreat. He was also pursued by Xia Yu and could only "flee east" to Pubanjin, where he fled to Hedong.

On October 24, Cao Cao returned to Hedong via Puban, leaving the Three Auxiliary Regions.

Zhao Rong also left with Cao Cao.

Xia Yu, with inferior forces, achieved consecutive victories against Duan Wei, Zhang Ji, and Cao Cao, greatly increasing his prestige and attracting everyone's attention. This also led to the Qiang and Hu tribes in the Fengyi area flocking to his side.

The local powerful families of Pinyang also offered money and provisions, calling Xia Yu a "famous general of the world" and requesting his protection.

Many envoys also quickly arrived at Xia Yu's army, bringing beauties and wealth. They all praised Xia Yu for his high moral character and prestige, suggesting that they should take advantage of this victory to attack Chang'an, purge the court of corrupt officials, and restore peace and order to the world.

The emotional value provided was excellent, as were the financial, material, and physical gifts.

Xia Yu now feels quite triumphant.

He felt he had been stifled his whole life, and finally got to enjoy himself in his old age.

Riding the wave of his "great victory," Xia Yu incorporated many non-Han people into his army and openly raised the banner of "purging the court of corrupt officials."

Xia Yu probably didn't carefully consider the consequences.

……

October 26th, Chang'an.

Upon receiving news of Cao Cao's defeat, Liu Bei laughed as if possessed, and laughed for a long time.

Jia Xu, Zhao Yun, and the others looked at each other in bewilderment.

Why is my lord laughing so loudly?

Zhao Yun asked, completely bewildered.

"...Hahaha...Cao Cao wasn't defeated...he just ran away..."

The absurdity in Liu Bei's heart was something he couldn't explain to anyone else.

But Liu Bei was certain that Cao Cao's defeat was a ruse, and that he was actually fleeing.

"This... I also think Xia Yu shouldn't be that powerful... but how did the Prime Minister conclude that Cao Cao feigned defeat and left?"

Jia Xu was stunned. How could this thing be determined?
Liu Bei shook his head, unsure how to explain.

You can't exactly say you had experience in your past life, can you?
In the history I knew from my previous life, after Cao Cao appointed Liu Bei as General of the Left, he ordered Liu Bei to lead Zhu Ling and Lu Zhao to intercept Yuan Shu. Liu Bei also took advantage of the opportunity of launching a military campaign to escape...

Now their roles have been reversed. Liu Bei appointed Cao Cao as General Who Conquers the West, ordering Cao Cao to command Zhang Ji and Duan Wei to intercept Xia Yu. Unexpectedly, Cao Cao made the same decision as Liu Bei...

Liu Bei could only say, "He neither wants to be subordinate to me and be ordered around by me, nor does he want to join the rebels and be used by treacherous people. Naturally, he will have the idea of ​​leaving the Three Auxiliary Regions and returning to Pei State."

This judgment is actually quite accurate.

Jia Xu nodded in agreement.

"If Cao Cao is thinking this way, then he is a formidable enemy. We cannot let him leave... The Prime Minister should send men to pursue Cao Cao."

Guo Jia said, "Cao Cao is a man of great talent and has the assistance of many scholars. If he insists on being an enemy of the Prime Minister..."

"How do we pursue them? Xia Yu is blocking the way at Ziwu Ridge..."

Liu Bei shook his head: "Unless we disregard the situation in Chang'an and send our entire army eastward along the south bank of the Yellow River to intercept Cao Cao, who can stop him? We can only send a message to Yun Chang and Yi De as soon as possible, telling them to be careful..."

Jia Xu also shook his head: "Now that Xia Yu has raised the banner of rebellion, I fear that all the bandits in Guanzhong will rise up together... Now that Cao Cao has left, our army has few reliable troops. We must guard against internal traitors and also fight against external enemies. We really cannot make another big enemy."

Guo Jia sighed and nodded: "I will send a message to General Guan to guard Yanzhou and General Zhang to retreat to Xuzhou, so as to avoid any loss on the eastern route."

Liu Bei nodded: "Summon Wen Yuan back as well, and have him stationed in Wei Commandery to keep an eye on the movements in Bing Province and Hanoi."

At this point, Jia Xu suggested, "Since Cao Cao has returned, the Prime Minister might as well send an envoy to deliver an imperial edict ordering Cao Cao to destroy Yuan Shu... It would be better to send Huang Wan, the Grand Master of Ceremonies, as the envoy."

What is Huang Wan doing?

Liu Bei turned to look at Jia Xu.

Jia Xu rarely addresses high-ranking officials by their first names, but his direct address of Huang Wan by her given name clearly indicates that Jia Xu has already determined that something is amiss with Huang Wan.

“During this period, Huang Wan’s residence has been frequented by guests every day, and most of them only go in and do not leave… The East Residence has probably become a barracks.”

Jia Xu only described the situation without mentioning any crime, since Huang Wan hadn't committed any crime—hosting guests at home wasn't illegal; at most, he could be accused of disturbing the peace by gathering a large group for a banquet.

"Then let Huang Wan go to Yuzhou to issue an edict...to reassign Cao Cao as Governor of Yangzhou, appoint Xun Yu as Prefect of Jiujiang, and appoint Cao Ang as Magistrate of Shouchun." Liu Bei once again began to demonstrate his talent for stirring up trouble: "Since Huang Wan is restless, Yang Biao is certainly restless too...let Yang Biao go to Shouchun to issue an edict to Yuan Shu, appointing Yuan Shu as Prefect of Yingchuan and recommending him as General of the East."

"Fengxiao, take the Imperial Guards and go to Huang and Yang to appoint them as imperial envoys. If they refuse to accept the order, arrest them on the grounds that they are colluding with Xia Yu. They will not be wronged."

Jia Xu and Guo Jia nodded in unison: "That's exactly right."

"Let's issue another tender...calling all heroes of the land to Chang'an. Whoever leads a thousand men to Chang'an first will be appointed as the magistrate or commandant of the Three Auxiliary Regions and Three Rivers."

Liu Bei turned to Xu Shu and had him write a document: "This tender is for the reconstruction of the capital region. Anyone skilled in civil administration and construction may recommend himself as governor or prefect. Yuanzhi will select and test his strategies."

If there aren't enough troops, of course we have to make up for it. The appeal of the bidding order is still there, but it will take time to send it to various places.

During this period, Liu Bei could only strictly guard Chang'an and ensure its safety first.

"Should we approve the matter of officials recommending each other? There are already many memorials recommending officials that have reached the Ministry of Personnel."

Xu Shu asked.

"All the court officials approved, but all those nominated for the positions of prefectural and county magistrates were rejected... The reasons can be made up, just let them nominate new court officials."

Liu Bei smiled and said, "Most of them want to stay by the emperor's side, and they rarely recommend local officials. If anyone recommends a county or prefecture official position, they must be a traitor."

Xia Yu was certainly to be attacked, but the matter of attacking Xia Yu was not discussed among the people—everyone knew that although Xia Yu had the talent to lead an army, he was not so powerful as to be able to fight Cao Cao, Duan Wei, and Zhang Ji alone against three opponents…

After arranging how to deal with the officials, Liu Bei personally went to see Li Jue, Guo Si, Fan Chou, and others.

Liu Bei issued orders directly to officials but personally intervened with military leaders. This was not because he intended to discriminate, but because the two groups had different needs.

There's no need to be overly respectful to officials; it's better to handle things officially, since they're not one of your own... If you show too much respect, they might think you have ulterior motives.

However, when dealing with the soldiers, it is necessary to provide them with sufficient emotional value and make them feel valued.

A soldier like Xia Yu was easily coaxed into becoming a pawn and a scapegoat.

Unlike Cao Cao, Li Jue, Guo Si, and others had not yet developed the habits of a boss and did not have the mentality of "not wanting to work for others".

They had no reason to antagonize Liu Bei.

The task of suppressing Xia Yu was handed over to Li Jue, Guo Si, Fan Chou, and others. Duan Wei was reassigned to Huayin—both to guard against Yang Biao and to prevent Duan Wei from clashing with Li Jue again.

Zhang Ji no longer supervised the grain supplies; this time, Jia Xu was in charge of them, and Zhang Baiqi was the military supervisor in charge of law enforcement.

Jia Xu and Zhang Baiqi were probably more intimidating to Li Jue and others than Liu Bei was.

Yang Biao and Huang Wan dawdled for a long time after receiving the imperial edict from Guo Jia.

Of course, they didn't want to be some kind of envoy to deliver an imperial edict in Yuzhou... Heaven knows if they'd ever come back.

But if he didn't obey, the armored soldiers behind Guo Jia, carrying swords, would probably attack...

After much hesitation, upon hearing that Duan Wei's troops had gone to Huayin, Yang Biao and Huang Wan did not choose to fight to the death on the spot. Instead, they accepted the imperial staff and the imperial edict and left Chang'an.

……

……

October 30th.

The winter solstice that year was the first day of the eleventh lunar month.

The winter solstice is a great auspicious occasion, as the sun and moon align at the beginning of the lunar cycle, symbolizing the accuracy of the calendar and harmony with the natural order.

The winter solstice is a time for offering sacrifices to heaven.

Such an auspicious sign on the first day of the lunar new year will lead to an extremely grand ceremony for worshipping Heaven.

Offering sacrifices to Heaven meant that the Emperor was to leave Chang'an.

The altar for offering sacrifices to Heaven was located at Taiyi Altar (also known as Taiyi Altar) in the southern suburbs of Chang'an.

Ganquan Palace is also located here.

This place is very close to Chang'an, only five li away.

But no matter how close it is, this place is still outside Chang'an City.

Without the protection of city walls, and with many people participating in the sacrificial ceremony.

Just one day before the winter solstice, Xia Yu led his army to invade again. This time, Xia Yu incorporated many Hu people and people of unknown origin, and his army had exceeded 10,000.

The fact that they were able to gather so many people so quickly is, of course, due to the large amount of sponsorship and 'investment' they received.

If Xia Yu's troops can get close to Chang'an, or even close to Ganquan Palace, there will definitely be an insider in Chang'an who will rise up in rebellion.

Even though Liu Bei had already gotten rid of Yang Biao and Huang Wan, there would still be internal collaborators, which was easy to judge—Jia Xu had said that the East Residence was almost turning into a barracks, and the Winter Solstice was the perfect opportunity for a large-scale alliance.

However, Xia Yu ultimately failed to reach the edge of Chang'an.

Li Jue, Guo Si, Fan Chou, and other generals intercepted Xia Yu on the banks of the Wei River.

Xia Yu was indeed a formidable fighter, repelling multiple attacks in half a day.

In the afternoon, Yang Biao's cousin, Yang Ding, led his troops to appear on the flank of Li Jue's army.

Xia Yu thought Yang Ding was coming to attack Li Jue from both sides, so he immediately led his troops to attack. However, he did not expect that Yang Ding's troops would launch a surprise attack on him.

Zhao Rong and Xia Yu were initially won over by Yang Biao and Huang Wan.

Xia Yu never expected Yang Ding to attack him...

Yang Ding led his troops to flank Xia Yu, while Li Jue seized the opportunity to launch a surprise attack. Guo Si personally led his elite troops to charge into Xia Yu's formation for a frontal assault, while Fan Chou also launched a simultaneous attack from the other side.

Xia Yu's formation was thrown into chaos, and Guo Si and Fan Chou charged into the center of the army.

Xia Yu was surrounded and cursed Yang Biao as a faithless scoundrel.

But by then, no one could hear his angry outbursts, since Yang Biao wasn't there at all.

Xia Yu's own choice was flawed; he has no one to blame but himself.

It's not that you can't take sides, but you must first consider your own position before taking sides.

Standing at the front row does indeed bring the most benefits; money, supplies, and troops are the first to be acquired. Everyone treats the cannon fodder at the front row extremely well, providing them with ample emotional support and making them feel very satisfied and happy.

But those standing in the front row are also the quickest to die.

Some people are capable, but they can't live a good life because they are hasty when faced with choices.

They have a short-sighted vision, simple thinking, and don't think deeply. They are extremely casual about important decisions, but they care a lot about emotions and "pleasure".

However, if you feel "exhilarated" in this kind of struggle, it often means that you are standing in the most dangerous place.

Under the combined attack from all sides, Xia Yu was killed in the chaos of battle, and his troops quickly collapsed.

Li Jue and Guo Si incorporated Xia Yu's remaining troops, and Fan Chou took Xia Yu's head and quickly returned to Chang'an.

The battle took only one day, and they even managed to catch the winter solstice ceremony.

From the time Xia Yu was hailed as a "famous general of the world" to his defeat and death, when his head was used as a sacrifice to heaven, only ten days passed.

(End of this chapter)