Liu Bian at the start, so you're called Dong Zhuo, right?

Chapter 135 Hidden Clues at Fuxi Garden

Liu Bian stood still, the irritation in his eyes finally subsiding, replaced by a deeper, more profound light.

Liu Bei.

The moment that name was mentioned, the scattered threads in his mind suddenly converged.

Two years ago, when the Yellow Turban Rebellion was first quelled, the capital was far from being in this situation. He had already released Liu Bei under the guise of the Tian Shang Guild expanding trade routes.

Ostensibly, he was tasked with facilitating the trade routes, waterways, salt and iron goods, and medicinal herbs of the Tian Chamber of Commerce along the northern regions, southern Hebei, and Henan.

As post stations were gradually established, those accessible, usable, and profitable routes outside Luoyang were slowly brought back into the hands of the imperial court.

But secretly, he also gave Liu Bei a private instruction.

After the Yellow Turban Rebellion, the most troublesome thing was not just that the rebel leaders had not been eliminated.

Rather, it was the soldiers who had been scattered.

Among these people, some were truly rebellious bandits, while others were merely swept up in the chaos. After their defeat, they scattered throughout the prefectures, valleys, desolate counties, and abandoned villages, becoming half bandits and half civilians, half soldiers and half thieves. Leaving them unattended would only bring disaster sooner or later; relentless extermination would only drive the living into becoming mortal enemies.

So when he asked Liu Bei to develop trade routes, he meant much more than just developing trade routes.

There's also recruitment.

Those former Yellow Turban rebels who still have principles, obey orders, and are willing to return to officialdom should not be hastily condemned as dead bandits. Instead, they can be organized into a militia to protect merchants, first protecting roads, warehouses, and caravans, eating the grain and following the channels of the Heavenly Merchant Guild, gradually shedding their old names, and then waiting for an opportunity—to return to the imperial court.

Even Xun Huo only had a vague understanding of this aspect back then.

Liu Bian turned around.

"Wang Ming".

"I am here."

"Regarding all matters concerning the trade routes, select capable individuals to temporarily take charge. Liu Bei himself shall immediately lead the militia and experienced veterans he has gathered over the years to protect the merchants..."

Those who could be transferred along the route were to return east in batches.

"Don't rush to raise the flag."

"Let him travel by caravan, along the old roads, as if he were escorting goods back to the capital."

Upon hearing this, Xun Huo finally showed a genuine look of joy in his eyes.

This is the flag that should be raised.

After listening to this, Cao Cao slowly grinned.

"So it turns out that Xuande hasn't just been running errands for His Majesty these past two years."

Liu Bian said calmly, "Buying and selling is just a formality."

"Recruiting people is the key to success."

Cao Cao clapped his hands, his eyes lighting up.

"Then I understand."

"Once Xuande returns, this flag outside Luoyang will truly be up and running."

Xun Yu did not immediately connect the conversation to Liu Bei, but instead changed the subject: "Liu Bei's line is the flag outside the city."

"Then it's time to raise a flag over the West Garden as well."

Meanwhile, in the West Garden, Gongsun Zan no longer wanted to feign compliance with them. With Jian Shuo dead, the West Garden quickly became quiet on the surface. The roster was handed over quickly, the military tally was delivered quickly, and even the grain register, armor register, and night watch register were excessively clean.

But the more this was the case, the clearer Gongsun Zan became in his heart—this place wasn't without problems, it was just that the problems hadn't dared to surface yet.

On this day, before dawn, three urgent drumbeats sounded in the West Garden.

As soon as the drums sounded, all eight battalions were startled.

Before the former military commanders and generals could react, Gongsun Zan had already donned his armor and mounted his horse, standing in the center of the North Camp's training ground with his personal cavalry. White horse, silver spear, cold armor; the sky was still blue, but he looked like a spear stuck in the snow.

He issued only one order: "Within half an hour, all military commanders, officers, and squad leaders of all camps shall don their armor, lead their troops, and line up in battle formation at the drill ground. Those who are late will be punished according to military law."

Upon hearing this, most people did not feel nervous.

Many people originally thought that the newly appointed Gongsun Zan was just a border general. He could control his original group of people in the West Garden, but he couldn't control the entire West Garden army. As soon as he took office, he should at least say some polite words and get to know the old camp.

But Gongsun Zan did not.

Half a quarter of an hour had passed, and not everyone was present.

Two military commanders and one military officer—that's too slow.

Without even asking, Gongsun Zan simply raised his hand and said, "Remove the armor."

The three former generals' expressions changed on the spot.

"Captain, we are here."

"beat."

Twenty strokes of the military rod were delivered in front of the Eighth Battalion.

For a moment, only the muffled thuds of sticks hitting flesh and the screams of those few people that they couldn't suppress could be heard on the training ground.

The veteran military commander's eyes immediately blazed with anger. Just as he was about to speak, he looked up and saw that Gongsun Zan was less than three feet away from him on horseback.

"You're not convinced?"

The military officer gritted his teeth and said with a forced smile, "The West Garden has its own established system."

Before he could finish speaking, Gongsun Zan's horsewhip lashed out at his cheek with a sharp crack, the tip of the whip grazing his ear and leaving a bloody welt.

The entire training ground fell silent.

Gongsun Zan didn't even glance at the blood; he remained seated on his horse, his voice as cold as iron.

"Old style?"

"When the late emperor was alive, the West Garden was at his behest."

"Now that I'm here, the West Garden will obey military orders."

"Anyone who uses the old orders to suppress the military again, I'll make them the first sacrifice to the flag."

The meaning is quite obvious—

Anyone who disagrees, I'll beat them up.

For the next whole day, the Eighth Battalion of Xiyuan trained from dawn until sunset.

First, form ranks, then change guards, then activate the signal, then relay orders, then conduct a night patrol.

One is wrong, and another is wrong.

If you're wrong, then hit me.

If you're slow, you'll be penalized.

The orders were unclear; attack.

Hesitant to switch defense, then attack.

The night order was unclear, so I called.

At the edge of the training ground, screams of pain came one after another as the sticks were struck. Towards the end, even those who had initially wanted to observe dared not linger any longer.

Gongsun Zan did only one thing from beginning to end—stand on his horse and watch.

He doesn't want these people to submit.

He just wants these people to know fear first.

By evening, the faint air of restlessness in the West Garden had been completely dispelled by the beating and the intense pressure of the entire day.

Cao Cao was standing outside the training ground at some point, watching Gongsun Zan slowly return on horseback, and couldn't help but chuckle softly.

"This guy is really straightforward."

"If we're talking about establishing authority, then we'll only establish authority."

Someone nearby spoke up.

"General Gongsun made the right move."

"But that's not enough."

Cao Cao turned to look at him.

"How so?"

The man lowered his head and pondered for a moment: "Order."

Cao Cao finally couldn't help but frown.

"Wenruo, speak your mind!"

Xun Huo smiled and mounted his horse.

"Mengde, come with me to the Ministry of Personnel."

At the Ministry of Personnel, Xun Yu asked for four old books from the past three months and began to peruse them.

After a long while, there was still no movement. Just as Cao Cao was about to become impatient, Xun Yu spoke up.

"These people are not right."

Cao Cao went over and looked at it for a long time, but he still couldn't figure it out.

"What's wrong with these people?"

Xun then unfolded the few thin books page by page, comparing each person to A, B, C, and D, and pointed them out to him.

"Look here, the junior official in charge of orders has fallen ill, and A has been brought in to replace him."

If A is unavailable, B will fill in temporarily.

"Going back further, the shift that opened at the side gate was originally scheduled for C, but C had a family tragedy, so D took his place."

"Looking at the night patrol, if Ding is transferred to the night patrol, the side gate will just fall into Yi's hands."

"These people are usually scattered in different battalions, different platoons, and different departments. They don't stand out from each other and never show up together."

"But whenever there's chaos in the army, or an emergency at night, someone has to ask for sick leave, and someone has to cover for them."

"In the end, these few people will always be placed in the most important positions."

Upon hearing this, Cao Cao's expression finally changed.

Normally, you really wouldn't notice that.

If one night comes, as long as someone is slightly off-beat, calls in sick, or changes shifts, these people will flow like water through the cracks to the most crucial place.

Who opens the side gate? Who issues the night order? Who raises the drums? Who raises the signal flag?

If even one order is wrong or one step too slow, the West Garden itself will fall into chaos.

Cao Cao stared at the books for a long time before finally cursing, "Damn it—this is really cunning."

Just as Cao Cao was about to arrest the man, Xun Yu had already closed the book.

"That's not the worst part."

"The biggest problem is that if we arrest these people directly now, they might not confess."

"Because most of them don't even realize that they are just one link in this chain."

Cao Cao was taken aback.

"Then how do we catch it?"

Xun Huo's eyes finally turned cold.

"Since Jia Xu buried the preface..."

"Then let's disrupt his order first."

That night, the Ministry of Personnel issued a very inconspicuous temporary transfer order:

The West Garden has recently been reorganized. Sick leave will still be granted tonight as usual, but all the shifts will be reversed. The positions of the corner gate, night patrol, and messenger will be temporarily swapped. In addition, there will be an extra ration check tonight, which will be collected by the clerks of each camp in person.

Gongsun Zan was puzzled, but he still gave the order as usual.

Less than half an hour later, someone made a move.

He was neither a military commander nor a military officer.

He was a minor clerk whom no one would usually give a second glance.

When he was ordered to collect his rations, he took advantage of the break while exchanging slips of paper to clutch a thin, almost invisible piece of paper tightly in his hand as he walked out.

But after taking only two steps, Cao Cao emerged from the shadows, a smile on his face, but his eyes were gleaming coldly.

I've been waiting for you for ages.

97

The clerk's face turned deathly pale instantly, and he turned to run away.

Two guards rushed forward and pinned the man to the ground, killing him instantly.

The note unfolded, and only four words were written on it:

The north gate remains unchanged.

Gongsun Zan stood under the torch, staring at the four characters, his face gradually darkening.

He didn't need to ask anymore; he understood.

Without Xun Yu's intervention, if things had really changed in the West Garden, the moment the words "as before" were uttered, the North Gate would still be the old gate, the night orders would still be the old order, and the secret thread left by Yuan Shao here would suddenly come to life at the most critical moment.

They might even still think that they have completely taken over the West Garden.

Xun was behind him, and only glanced at him indifferently.

"Take him down, interrogate him, and then kill him."

That night, Xiyuan took seven people.

Two former military commanders.

A Sima.

Two minor officials in charge of issuing orders.

A gatekeeper.

And there was also the clerk who passed the note.

The following day, a court assembly was held in Deyang Palace.

After hearing the report from Xiyuan, Liu Bian's gaze lingered on Gongsun Zan and Xun Yu for a moment each before he spoke: "Gongsun Zan."

"Your subject is here."

"He has rendered meritorious service in establishing authority at Xiyuan and in clearing out the enemy camp."

"Effective immediately, he is promoted to Colonel of the Upper Army."

The moment the words "Commander of the Upper Army" were uttered, the entire hall fell silent.

This means that the West Garden has truly been handed over to Gongsun Zan.

Gongsun Zan knelt on one knee, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and said in a deep voice, "Your subject obeys the decree!"

Liu Bian's gaze toward Xun Huo now held a hint of approval.

He knew in his heart that this round was not a victory for Gongsun Zan over Yuan Shao.

Instead, Xun Yu defeated Jia Xu.

That night, at Chengde Hall.

Cao Cao entered the palace that very night, handed Liu Bian a secret report, and said in a deep voice, "Your Highness."

"We've got news about those spies we've been searching for on Yuan Shao's side."

Liu Bian was overjoyed and hurriedly opened the secret report to read it.

There was only one sentence on it:

He traveled westward, neither returning to his clan nor seeking out old friends; all the people he asked along the way were soldiers.

The hall fell silent immediately.

Liu Bian slowly closed the paper, the faint hint of joy that had just appeared on his face vanished.

Yuan Shao wasn't fleeing; he was looking for an even sharper weapon.

"It's finally revealed."

"Yuan Shao did not go elsewhere."

"He went to borrow troops."