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

Chapter 20 A White Horse as a Gift
"What do you mean?! I am a member of the Zhang clan, it's written all over the place!"

Zhang Shiping was both surprised and furious: "Have you never heard of the Zhang family of Yuyang? Bo Ren, the prime minister of Zhongshan, is a member of this clan!"

They don't even call him "Young Master" anymore, and they're using the Zhang family of Yuyang and Zhang Chun, the prime minister of Zhongshan, to intimidate people.

It seems this is Zhang Chun's horse.

“Our army has lost some warhorses… Since you say you obtained these horses from the Wuhuan, then let’s see if all of them are Wuhuan horses…”

Liu Bei shook his head and turned to instruct Jiu Chi: "Check each horse one by one and find our horses."

Nine-foot raised his hand and pointed: "My lord, no need to investigate, it's right there. The Xianbei bandits haven't even removed their saddles yet."

Sure enough, a Xianbei warhorse was in Zhang Shiping's cavalry, with an empty quiver hanging on the side of its saddle.

Zhang Shiping turned his head, his face full of confusion: "This... um?"

"You're saying these horses are all for the Zhang family's private use? But these are Xianbei warhorses... If you didn't steal them, does that mean the Zhang family has colluded with the Xianbei?"

Liu Bei waved his hand coldly: "Take all the horses away, tie up the men and take them to the county jail, and wait for the Ming court to come and interrogate them!"

The Xianbei invaded every year, and the Han Dynasty was at war with them. To accuse someone of colluding with the Xianbei was a serious matter.

The key point is, there really is evidence...

"My lord, my lord! This is a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding..."

Zhang Shiping waved his hands and shook his head, saying, "This is the first time I've seen this horse. It must have wandered into my horse team by accident, and it's not stolen goods!"

"You can argue with the Ming court yourself; I'll just take back my stolen spoils!"

Liu Bei shook his head, indicating that he did not want to communicate.

“But…but apart from that horse whose origin is unknown, the rest were indeed purchased from the Wuhuan! Young master, may I ask where you hold office? Our clan has a slight reputation and a branch in Zhuo County; you should have heard of it…”

Zhang Shiping anxiously explained, trying to build rapport.

"My lord, we've found another Xianbei warhorse. Look, it still has fresh abrasions on its back..."

As Zhang Shiping was explaining, Jiu Chi's voice rang out again.

"Ah... ah?"

Zhang Shiping was stunned.

“Look carefully, this is not us framing you... Seeing that you are educated, I will not tie you up. You can go to the county and explain to the Ming court yourself.”

Liu Bei spoke with an air of righteousness.

After saying that, he walked straight to Jiuchi, took the Xianbei warhorse he had just found, and rode away.

Zhang Shiping, clutching the nine-foot sleeve from behind, cried out, "Hero, hero! May I ask your name, sir? Hero... don't take them all away..."

But Jiu Chi didn't say anything more. After all, according to the rules of the martial arts world, he couldn't reveal his boss's name without permission. He just told the executioners to take away all the horses, leaving none behind.

In truth, Jiu Chi knew that the two horses might have unintentionally wandered into Zhang Shiping's horse team. After all, horses are herd animals, and Zhang Shiping and his men were probably stuck in the river and hadn't noticed them in time.

……

Halfway there, in the distance, they could see the county town, and there they saw a group of people coming out of the county.

The group carried a flag that read "Zhuoling Gongsun".

That was Gongsun Zan's banner.

It seems Gongsun Zan has returned.

In those days, county magistrates traveled or went on inspection tours on a large scale. They were accompanied not only by their subordinates but also by patrol guards and a large group of servants. Banners, drums, and music were all essential items.

However, it seems that Gongsun Zan was leading a cavalry unit at this time.

It is estimated that Zou Jing asked him to go and rescue Liu Bei after he arrived in Zhuo County.

Liu Bei hadn't brought any flags, and his army had many horses. To avoid being mistaken for bandits, Liu Bei quickly went forward alone.

Upon approaching, Liu Bei discovered that behind Gongsun Zan was a troop of fifty or sixty cavalrymen, all of whom were well-equipped.

Calling them cavalry might be a bit inappropriate, because these men were not dressed as county soldiers, and each of them had different equipment.

Moreover, these people appeared to be from all ethnic groups. There were Han Chinese with their hair tied up and wearing headscarves, as well as non-Han Chinese with braids and gold rings.

These are not regular troops, but followers...

Or it could be called a righteous follower.

"Brother Bogui, have you come to my aid?"

Liu Bei looked at the loyal followers behind Gongsun Zan with some envy.

These people were probably friends Gongsun Zan had made over the years, and they were all likely to be exceptionally skilled, though not all of them rode white horses.

"Indeed, Governor Zou came to the county seeking reinforcements, saying that you were engaged in a fierce battle with the Hu people and that there were no soldiers available in the county, so my friend and I went out of the city to come to your aid..."

Gongsun Zan looked Liu Bei up and down: "However, it seems you won?"

"Yes, the barbarians have been driven away, but the spoils were few."

Liu Bei felt it was a bit difficult to boast, and even with his thick skin, he still felt a little embarrassed to say it was a great victory.

So, he changed the subject and said softly, "Since Brother Bogui has come to my aid, I'll give him some spoils of war..."

"It seems we've truly achieved a great victory... Congratulations, my brother!"

Gongsun Zanpi congratulated him expressionlessly, then shook his head: "My achievements are self-evident, my brother, there's no need for such formalities."

After saying that, he turned around and prepared to leave.

Liu Bei stepped forward and grabbed Gongsun Zan's hand, whispering in his ear, "Brother Bogui, the spoils of war include a hundred fine horses... don't you want them?"

Gongsun Zan paused, his eyes filled with surprise and doubt: "A hundred horses? My brother actually managed to annihilate the Xianbei cavalry?"

He thought Liu Bei had wiped out all the Xianbei people.

"No, no, no, the Xianbei cavalry only left seven heads. Most of the horses were taken from another thief who claimed to be from the Zhang family of Yuyang, but he lurked near the battlefield stealing my spoils, so I took all his horses back. They were all stolen goods anyway..."

Liu Bei spoke honestly.

There's no need to lie about this. If Gongsun Zan doesn't accept those horses, then Liu Bei won't either. He can just release Zhang Shiping later.

However, if Gongsun Zan is not afraid of provoking the Zhang family, then Liu Bei must give him half of the horses.

"The Zhang family... Hmph, they do have a lot of horses. It wouldn't hurt for you to take them, my brother."

Gongsun Zan snorted coldly when he heard about the Zhang family of Yuyang.

“In that case, those horses are spoils of war. Brother Bogui recommended that I be exiled to the barbarian lands, and I should naturally repay that favor. Since you have already led the troops, half of the horses captured in this battle will be given to you as a reward… Would you be willing to accept them?”

Liu Bei nodded as he spoke, his tone exactly the same as when Gongsun Zan had asked him, "Would you be willing to accept him?"

Gongsun Zan lowered his head and remained silent for a while. Then, looking at Liu Bei, he forced a self-deprecating smile and said, "Thank you very much, my brother."

It seems he really needs a horse.

Liu Bei smiled slightly and said, "We are brothers, why bother with thanks?"

It was as if the two were truly brothers.

Back in the ranks, Liu Bei had the executioners divide the horses into two groups, and specially selected all the white horses, personally taking them to the county stables.

The official stables were horse breeding facilities run by the government.

Liu Bei brought Gongsun Zan more than forty horses, all of them white.

He then watched as Gongsun Zan's retainers branded the horse with the 'Gongsun' mark before leaving with peace of mind.

At that time, a white horse was indeed synonymous with a good horse and was expensive. However, this was not because a white horse was superior to horses of other colors, but because a white horse represented preciousness and auspiciousness.

Basically, the difference is between luxury cars and ordinary cars—the power configurations are actually similar, but the white horse represents status, strength, and good fortune, and its social value is indeed higher. In other aspects, there is not much difference.

Liu Bei didn't care about the color of the horse.

He only cared about when Gongsun Zan would be transferred...

With these white horses, Gongsun Zan probably won't be able to stay in Zhuo County for long.

(End of this chapter)