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

Chapter 167 Let it be cunning
end of July.

While inspecting the various camps, Dong Zhuo was shot by an arrow that struck his buttocks.

Fortunately, Dong Zhuo was wearing heavy armor at the time, so the arrows did not penetrate his armor completely, and he was not seriously injured.

However, the assassination of the general in the army was no small matter. In a fit of rage, Dong Zhuo ordered a massive search of the entire army, but was unable to find the assassin.

Subsequently, Dong Zhuo ordered his entire army to launch a large-scale siege.

The troops attacked from all sides, disregarding casualties as they scaled the city walls like ants, and at one point even reached the city walls of Xiaquyang.

However, those who climbed the city walls could not gain a foothold, because Xiaquyang had sealed its four gates with stone and wood, and there were many Yellow Turbans inside the city. If they climbed the walls, they would only be surrounded and killed by the Yellow Turbans.

Xiaquyang remained unconquered.

However, Dong Zhuo had achieved a respectable victory in this battle, having killed over three thousand Yellow Turbans. Regardless of who those heads belonged to, they were all wearing yellow turbans, so it could certainly be counted as a kill of three thousand.

The government troops suffered minimal losses—only two hundred men were lost in total, including Dong Zhuo's own troops and the soldiers from the capital region sent by the imperial court.

However, the various "righteous armies" in Jizhou suffered heavy casualties, with several powerful clans even being completely wiped out, the number of dead and wounded being countless, and the number of those "missing" being numerous.

However, they are rebels, not regular troops, so it's normal for them to go missing or run away...

Moreover, the losses of the rebel army could be excluded from the register, since many of the rebels brought by powerful families did not have proper household registration and could not be registered even if they wanted to.

Two hundred for three thousand, that's definitely a big win.

Dong Zhuo sent a fast horse to the court to report the victory. He then claimed that his injuries had worsened and he needed to find a good doctor. He led his personal troops to retreat to Ganling and stationed them in the Jieqiao camp.

The numerous rebel armies in Ji Province also split into two groups. Most of them remained stationed outside Xiaquyang City, while a small portion went south to Ye County in Wei Commandery—this small portion, of course, consisted of those who had been decimated.

The good doctor that Dong Zhuo was looking for was naturally Liu Bei.

When it comes to battlefield first aid or wound treatment, Liu Bei certainly had many excellent doctors under his command. The young men who graduated from the first class of Xihe Medical Hall were all in Liu Bei's army at this time, and they had already accumulated a lot of clinical experience.

Chen Feng was one of them.

But actually, Dong Zhuo's injury... didn't really require any doctor.

Chen Feng quickly used a lot of gauze to wrap Dong Zhuo's waist, abdomen, and thighs tightly, making him look like he was paralyzed from the waist down, just short of receiving a critical condition notice.

—If he hadn't been bandaged up quickly, Dong Zhuo's minor cut might have healed on its own...

"General, you have fought for the country and even suffered serious injuries; your contributions are truly immense. I imagine you need not be caught in this dilemma. However, I wonder if you have ascertained who the person who attacked you with such underhanded means is?"

After Chen Feng finished bandaging Dong Zhuo, Liu Bei asked him to step outside the tent and asked Dong Zhuo privately, "If you don't investigate this matter thoroughly, wouldn't it make you seem weak and easily bullied?"

“This… the archer is my brother Dong Min. How can we investigate this matter? Moreover, if we do investigate, wouldn’t we incur the wrath of the scholars of Ji Province?”

Dong Zhuo felt that Liu Bei was a wicked man, but he liked him very much.

After all, Liu Bei was genuinely looking out for him and never made things difficult for him.

"General Dong, in this battle, all the families in Ji Province have suffered heavy losses. Whether we investigate or not, they already hold grudges against us. If we don't investigate thoroughly, they will all think that you are deliberately framing and persecuting them. On the contrary, if we confirm that one family is the assassin, the others will not become enemies with you, but will hate the fool who plotted to assassinate you..."

Liu Bei smiled faintly and said softly, "General, think about it... This is about saving yourself, not making enemies."

That's absolutely true. If you're going to do something, you have to do it properly. If the commander-in-chief is assassinated in the army, and you don't investigate it thoroughly, everyone will think it's fake.

On the contrary, by confirming that they were one family, no one would hate Dong Zhuo.

Dong Zhuo thought for a moment and nodded: "That makes sense... but I'm not sure which one to confirm..."

At this point, Dong Zhuo seemed to realize something and turned to ask Liu Bei, "Does Xuande have any grudges with any family in Ji Province? If so, please speak frankly... Although I am a warrior, I know how to repay kindness with kindness."

Although he said it was a gesture of 'returning a favor,' there was something else in Dong Zhuo's eyes.

"I have no enemies in Ji Province, General, there's no need for such probing. You must be worried about Minister Yuan, right? Most of the scholars in Ji Province are under Minister Yuan's patronage... You consider them fellow disciples, so you don't want to push things too far?"

Liu Bei shook his head: "But General, you might want to think about this: when the officials appointed General Dong to lead the army in place of Minister Lu to conquer Ji Province, was it so that you could gain merit and be ennobled? If such a good thing were to happen, why didn't they send their own sons to the front?"

Dong Zhongying was not so easily fooled, but Liu Bei really did not intend to use Dong Zhuo to plot against any enemy in Ji Province.

Liu Bei's plan was not that simple.

Upon hearing Liu Bei's words, Dong Zhuo frowned and pondered for a long time before sighing softly, "I know this is no easy task, but I have both the Emperor's decree and my lord's command, so I have no choice but to come..."

"The Lord's order... Haha... Minister Lu's strategy of besieging the city and pacifying the enemy was not wrong, but even Minister Lu could not escape having his death sentence reduced by one degree... The so-called Lord sent the general here to take over as Minister Lu, I really don't know where this favor comes from?"

Liu Bei chuckled: "Minister Lu is a renowned scholar, and many will speak on his behalf to save him. But General Dong, do you have any connections with these upright scholars? If you don't save yourself, who will?"

Upon hearing this, Dong Zhuo's expression turned somewhat unpleasant, and he remained silent.

Liu Bei stopped talking; that was enough. To say anything more would be seen as deliberately provoking trouble.

……

In fact, Chen Feng's main job now is Liu Bei's scribe, and being a military doctor is a side job - Chen Feng has not received any extra care, and being a scribe is the job he deserves.

Liu Bei was essentially a lazy person, but he was never lazy in his thinking, and he would never slack off when it came to matters concerning his own safety, such as practicing martial arts every day.

But Liu Bei would certainly not do the work himself if he could have someone else do it.

Military orders or important documents could not be written directly on bamboo slips; they had to be carved with a knife—this was to prevent alteration or illegibility due to water or other unforeseen circumstances.

Carving characters on bamboo slips with a carving knife is both time-consuming and laborious, and officials usually need someone to help them with this task.

In fact, Zhang Fei was the most skilled person at carving bamboo slips. He had been practicing every day for several years. Now, Zhang Fei could even write directly on the bamboo slips with a horizontal knife. His movements were incredibly fast, showing the demeanor of a martial arts master.

However, Zhang Fei often made typos when carving, so tasks like military orders and documents should never be entrusted to him. Otherwise, the most common words like "transporting grain" might very well be carved as "military woman" by Zhang Fei...

Chen Feng was different; he was slow, but he never made a mistake.

However, Chen Feng never had the opportunity to earn military merit.

In fact, he was quite skilled in martial arts and very brave, but he failed the martial arts selection and was unable to join Liu Bei's personal guard, nor did he get the opportunity to go to the battlefield.

Tian Yu, who was the same age as Chen Feng, had been promoted by Liu Bei to the position of Military Strategist due to his merits in Yuyang. Liu Bei kept his word and promoted those who had made contributions, regardless of their age.

As for Chen Feng, this clerk position, it will probably take another two years to mature.

In fact, Chen Feng was not pursuing a promotion, after all, he was only fifteen years old and there was no rush.

Moreover, Chen Feng liked the position of scribe very much because it allowed him to stay with Liu Bei and made it convenient for him to record history.

However, Chen Feng encountered many difficulties in writing "Chengzuo Guanji".

Especially in recent times.

For example, the plan that Liu Bei offered to Dong Zhuo... This plan was indeed very effective. Although Dong Zhuo failed to conquer Quyang, he at least won a "great victory," which was enough to explain to everyone.

The problem is that Chen Feng knew very well that this plan was intended to harm those powerful families in Ji Province and relieve Dong Zhuo's predicament. Liu Bei's starting point was not noble at all; it was more like collusion with evil.

How do we record this?
It was written as, "Lord Xuande offered a plan to General Dong Zhongying, which led to a great victory for the government army, which once entered the city of Xiaquyang; unfortunately, Dong Zhongying was wounded and could not achieve complete success, which was a great pity."
This is indeed how a normal historian would write it.

Chen Feng was unwilling to record it that way. He knew very well whether Dong Zhuo's battle was a great victory or not, and writing it that way would not be a true record.

However, if recorded truthfully, it would read, "At that time, Dong Zhongying was worried that he would be punished and executed for failing to achieve his goal. In order to escape unscathed, he followed Liu Bei's plan and mutilated himself to falsely accuse the rebel army of assassination. In order to clear their names, the various families in Jizhou had no choice but to fight desperately, resulting in countless casualties among the rebel army..."

—If it were written like that, wouldn't my own mentor become a cunning and treacherous person?
Chen Feng was in a difficult position.

So, when Liu Bei took him to treat Dong Zhuo's wounds, Chen Feng quietly asked Liu Bei, "My master's treacherous schemes to General Dong are probably not commensurate with his reputation for benevolence. How should I view this?"

"Since you've already called it a conspiracy, then of course we should treat it as a conspiracy..."

Liu Bei turned his head and looked at the somewhat bewildered Chen Feng, and immediately understood the boy's mindset: "Why can't benevolence and cunning coexist? I want to ensure the survival of tens of thousands of people in Ganling, and to ensure my own survival, I must help General Dong escape his predicament, and only then will he speak up for me."

“I have never considered myself a kind person... If I didn’t have cunning to survive, it would be difficult to live in such a chaotic world, so how could I possibly practice benevolence?”

"But my mentor's reputation will be greatly tarnished as a result, and he may be attacked even a hundred years later."

Chen Feng nodded to indicate that he understood the reasoning, but he was still a little hesitant.

"Is there anyone in this world who is perfect? ​​Chengzuo, if I can build a great legacy that will last a hundred years, then a great scholar will surely debate the classics for me a hundred years from now. If I am defeated and die in battle, then what does it matter if my reputation is tainted?"

Liu Bei shook his head, telling Chen Feng to give up on that idea: "Just record the events as they are, and you can also record everything I say today as it is. Let future generations judge right and wrong, merit and demerit."

"only."

Chen Feng nodded in agreement, no longer hesitant about the matter.

……

A few days later, Dong Zhuo led his troops to Wei Commandery.

It was said that it had been determined that a member of the powerful Feng clan of Wei Commandery had assassinated him in the army, but there was no one from the Feng family at the time, and Dong Zhuo had not caught the 'murderer'.

Subsequently, Dong Zhuo claimed that the arrow wound was difficult to heal and requested the court to replace him with a new general to lead the army, and stationed his troops in Ye City.

In early August, Huangfu Song defeated the Yellow Turban rebels led by Bu Yi at Cangting, beheading more than 10,000.

The imperial court issued an edict ordering Huangfu Song to lead troops to attack Ji Province and replace Dong Zhuo.

During the period when Dong Zhuo moved to Ye City and Huangfu Song had not yet gone north, Liu Bei went to Guangzong again and sent Zhang He to Xiaquyang.

Liu Bei originally wanted to get some of the Yellow Turbans to accept amnesty before Huangfu Song's army marched north, because Liu Bei now had grain in his hands.

If they are unwilling to accept the offer of amnesty, they can lead their people away; staying in Guangzong and Xiaquyang will only lead to their demise sooner or later.

But as soon as Liu Bei entered Guangzong, he knew he couldn't persuade him otherwise.

Zhang Jiao has passed away.

There was no Ju Su in Guangzong City, but Zhang Jiao was already in his coffin.

At this point, the Yellow Turbans in Guangzong City were no longer listening to anyone.

If Liu Bei hadn't bowed in respect before Zhang Jiao's coffin, and if Zhang Liang hadn't maintained his respect for Liu Bei, Liu Bei probably wouldn't have been able to leave the city.

The Yellow Turbans inside the city had no faith in the imperial court. Although Zhang Liang was the leader they recognized, he was unable to persuade the Yellow Turbans to surrender—he did not have the same appeal as Zhang Jiao.

The situation was similar on Zhang Bao's side; Zhang He also returned empty-handed.

Seeing this, Liu Bei had no choice but to advise Zhang Liang to kill Guo Dian, put Guo Dian in Zhang Jiao's coffin and bury him in the south of the city, and rebury Zhang Jiao in the east bank of the Qinghe River in Ganling. Only the women and children here could guard Zhang Jiao's tomb. We can't let the tomb of the great teacher be stained with blood every day, can we?
The Great Teacher desires peace and tranquility...

Zhang Liang agreed.

After Zhang Jiao's death, the Yellow Turbans in both regions no longer closed their cities and defended themselves, but instead frequently launched attacks on various families in Ji Province. The private armies of various families in Ji Province that had previously besieged Xiaquyang were also defeated and retreated to Wei County.

Within Ganling, the tombs on the east bank of the Qinghe River are unsigned, with only the words "Peace" written on the tombstones.

……

On the other side, after Qin Jie, the governor of Nanyang, killed Zhang Mancheng, the Yellow Turbans of Nanyang elected Zhao Hong as their leader and reoccupied Wancheng.

Zhu Jun and Qin Jie joined forces with 18,000 men to continue the siege of Wancheng.

However, the siege lasted from June to August, and they were unable to achieve victory.

Wang Yun, the governor of Yuzhou, suggested that Zhu Jun be summoned back to the capital and that someone else be selected instead.

However, Zhang Wen, the Minister of Works, submitted a memorial stating: "In the past, Qin employed Bai Qi and Yan appointed Yue Yi, both of which required a long and protracted campaign to defeat their enemies. Zhu Jun's campaign against Yingchuan has already yielded results. Changing generals in the midst of battle is a major taboo in military strategy. He should be given time, and an imperial edict should be issued to urge him to act."

Therefore, Liu Hong issued an edict sternly urging Zhu Jun to comply.

Fearing punishment, Zhu Jun launched a fierce attack without regard for casualties, and finally killed Zhao Hong.

However, the Yellow Turbans in Nanyang elected Han Zhong as their leader, and once again defeated Zhu Jun, occupying Wancheng for the third time.

Zhu Jun had suffered too many casualties and his forces were no longer sufficient to besiege the city. He could only disband the siege and build an earthen mound south of the city, beating drums and shouting every day to make it appear as if he was attacking from the southwest.

After the siege was lifted, the Yellow Turbans all rushed to the southwest to meet the enemy, while Zhu Jun led 5,000 elite troops to attack the northeast, and stormed the city in one battle.

Han Zhong retreated to the inner city and requested to surrender.

Zhu Jun's military advisor Zhang Chao and Nanyang Prefect Qin Jie both thought that Zhu Jun should accept their surrender, but Zhu Jun disagreed.

"Accepting the surrender of rebels will not turn people to good; only by eliminating them can their evil be punished. If we accept their surrender now, it will only encourage their rebellious intentions and give them the idea that they will rebel when it is advantageous and surrender when it is not. This is to let the enemy prolong their rampage, which is not a good plan!"

After Zhu Jun finished speaking, he ordered the attack to continue, but they were unable to capture the city for several days.

Seeing that the attack was difficult to break through, Zhu Jun said to Zhang Chao, "The enemy has been surrounded by us and has not been able to surrender. They know they are doomed, so all ten thousand of them are of one mind... Since that is the case, then we should lift the siege and gather the troops to enter the city. When Han Zhong sees that the siege has been lifted, he will definitely break out. Once they come out, the morale of the troops will naturally collapse."

So he ordered the siege to be lifted.

When Han Zhong saw that the siege was lifted, he led his army out of the city. Zhu Jun took advantage of the situation to launch a flanking attack and won a great victory. He then pursued the enemy for more than ten miles and killed more than 10,000 people.

Han Zhong and others requested to surrender again, but Zhu Jun forced Qin Jie to kill Han Zhong.

Unable to maintain their peace, the remaining Yellow Turban forces elected Sun Xia as their leader, gathered tens of thousands of Yellow Turbans to launch a counterattack, and once again occupied Wancheng.

After more than four months of fighting, several Yellow Turban leaders were killed, the heartland of Nanyang was devastated, and the imperial army suffered more than 10,000 casualties.

But Wancheng remained in the hands of the Yellow Turbans until October.

(End of this chapter)