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

Chapter 236 Scholars Clash
The Prefectural Office of Huang County, Donglai.

"My lord, scouts report that the Yellow Turbans number nearly ten thousand and are coming from the northeast, only ten miles from Huang County."

Zhao Yun is reporting back to Liu Bei.

Huangxian County is located on the coast in the north, and to its northeast lies the legendary Penglai.

Liu Bei now has a considerable number of cavalry, and when he goes out to fight, he always sends out scouts very far away, usually about fifty li away.

But when Liu Bei arrived, the scouts found no sign of any disorderly troops.

But as soon as Liu Bei entered Huang County, the Yellow Turbans came from the seaside and quickly approached Huang County. What this meant was all too clear.

"It seems they were prepared all along... Lord Kong, could you explain why the Yellow Turbans appeared as soon as I arrived in Huang County?"

Liu Bei turned to look at Kong Zan.

Liu Bei is currently sitting in the main seat of the government office.

Prefect Kong Zan and Chancellor Qin Zhou of Beihai stood below the hall.

They didn't run away.

In fact, Liu Bei could understand that these two were certain that he wouldn't dare to kill them.

After all, one is a direct descendant of Confucius, and the other is one of the Eight Chefs.

If judged according to the law, neither of them committed a serious crime.

Qin Zhou could be considered to have abandoned the city out of fear of war and dereliction of duty, but according to the law, he would only lose his official position and be escorted to the Court of Justice for trial.

Although Kong Zan impeached Liu Bei by taking things out of context, he did not make false accusations and could not be convicted of fabricating charges. At most, he could be said to have been incompetent and derelict in his duties, which led to popular uprisings. According to the law, he would only lose his official position and be sent to Luoyang.

Meanwhile, there was a Yellow Turban army of nearly 10,000 men only ten miles away from Huang County, while Liu Bei only brought a little over 1,000 troops to Huang County. Even if Liu Bei did not act according to the law and insisted on settling personal scores, these two men were not afraid.

Judging from their calm and composed demeanor, one can tell the true nature of the Yellow Turbans in Donglai.

Kong Zan even had a smile on his face: "Lord Liu, this Yellow Turban rebellion has nothing to do with me. Who knows where these Yellow Turbans came from... Maybe they came to retaliate against Lord Liu for suppressing the Yellow Turbans in Qingzhou?"

"Oh? Ha... Lord Kong, this is a bandit uprising in Donglai. As the Prefect of Donglai, you actually say you have nothing to do with it? The bandits in Donglai are something you need to quell..."

Liu Bei squinted at Kong Zan: "Your subordinates have stirred up a rebellion, yet you only know how to neglect your duties and shirk responsibility. I wonder what our ancestor, Confucius, would think if he saw this..."

Duke Xuanni was the posthumous title bestowed upon Confucius during the Han Dynasty.

In those days, Confucius was not yet called a sage; he was generally referred to as Zhongni Gong or Xuanni Gong, and was only revered as the "First Teacher" in the Imperial Academy and county schools.

During the Han Dynasty, although the various schools of thought were not prominent in the imperial court, they did not actually disappear. The official status of Confucius, Mencius, and Xunzi was indeed very high, but they were not called sages by the common people. Scholars respectfully referred to them as sages and teachers, which was out of respect for the lineage of their teachers.

It was not until Emperor Tuoba Hong of the Northern Wei Dynasty bestowed upon Confucius the posthumous title of "Sage of Literature" that Confucius became widely known as a sage.

The title "Supreme Sage" was actually a posthumous title given to Confucius by Emperor Taizong of Tang during the Zhenguan era; no one in the Han Dynasty actually used that title.

These days, the person most commonly referred to as a sage is the Duke of Zhou.

Upon hearing Liu Bei mention his ancestor Confucius, Kong Zan became angry: "I, Kong, have no soldiers to command and cannot quell the rebellion... So be it if I have neglected my duty. Didn't you come to Huang County just to punish me? I will accept this punishment for neglecting my duty."

"Well... before I came to Huang County, the rebels were law-abiding citizens under Lord Kong's rule. But when I accused Lord Kong of crimes, they immediately raised an army and rebelled."

Liu Bei nodded and said, "This rebel looks a lot like a disciple of the Confucius family..."

"You're trying to frame me... Liu Bei, if you slander my clan's reputation, my clan will never let you get away with it!"

Kong Zan glared at Liu Bei through gritted teeth: "Now that our army is pressing in, you are still here wielding power and arguing. When the Moth Rebels besiege the city, let's see how you resolve it!"

"You're threatening me? Does that mean you're admitting it?"

Liu Bei looked at Qin Zhou: "Lord Qin, you have also heard this. Kong Zan claims that these rebels in Huang County are his disciples. Because I came to Huang County to punish him, he raised an army to resist the law... This is a crime of treason!"

Liu Bei really didn't care about the Yellow Turban siege. Zhang Fei, Guan Yu, Zhang He, and others would receive the news and come to their aid soon. As long as they could hold Huang County for a few days, that would be fine.

Although he brought a small force, it consisted entirely of top-tier elites, and with Zhao Yun by his side, Liu Bei had nothing to fear.

Moreover, Liu Bei was certain that as long as Kong Zan was dealt with, the Yellow Turbans in Donglai would surely retreat. "This…"

Qin Zhou was shocked: "I...I didn't hear anything..."

"Didn't you hear? That Lord Qin fled Beihai and stayed in Huang County for so long, all to collude with the Yellow Turbans in a rebellion..."

Liu Bei looked at Qin Zhou expressionlessly: "Either you came to Huang County to punish Kong Zan for his rebellion, or you came here to plot a rebellion. Lord Qin, choose one."

Kong Zan glared angrily, about to speak, when Zhao Yun stepped forward with his spear in hand, coldly watching him. Kong Zan swallowed his words back.

Qin Zhou hesitated, swallowing hard. "I...I fled Beihai out of fear of war, and came to Huang County only to avoid disaster. Please, Your Excellency, punish me for dereliction of duty..."

Qin Zhou was also very clever. Liu Bei gave him two choices, but Qin Zhou chose the third one, directly admitting his dereliction of duty to avoid being put on the spot.

But Liu Bei had already made up his mind to roast people alive, so how could they escape so easily...

"Heh... In that case, Lord Qin, please come with me to kill the traitors and make amends for your mistakes."

Liu Bei pointed at Kong Zan: "First kill this bandit leader, and take his head to swear an oath for the army."

Qin Zhou immediately collapsed to the ground: "My lord, my lord... I have no guts and dare not do this. I beg you, my lord, to spare me..."

Liu Bei shook his head and then asked Kong Zan, "Lord Kong, you can also choose... If you kill 'the traitor Qin Zhou who instigated the rebels to come to Huang County,' not only will you clear your Kong family's name, but you will also be exempted from the crime of dereliction of duty, and you may even have the merit of suppressing the rebellion and defeating the bandits..."

Qin Zhou was terrified and alarmed: "Lord Liu! Why are you so ruthless!"

It was indeed ruthless. They were determined to kill either Kong Zan or Qin Zhou, and the other person had to do it personally, while also pinning the blame for the Yellow Turban Rebellion on the deceased.

Whether it's a direct descendant of Confucius killing renowned scholars, or a renowned scholar killing a descendant of Confucius, it will become headline news in the Han Dynasty...

"I didn't intend to do this, you forced me to..."

Liu Bei coldly said, “If I kill you two, people will say I killed a famous scholar and instigated a rebellion. If I let you go, you will go to Luoyang to stir up trouble... If I exterminate all the Yellow Turbans in Donglai, you will say I am cruel, bloodthirsty, and inhumane; if I pacify the rebels here, you will say I colluded with the Yellow Turbans to plot rebellion…”

"Do you think I wouldn't dare kill a direct descendant of the Confucius family, nor would I dare kill one of the Eight Chefs, a renowned scholar of our time..."

"But you must know that Wang Fen is currently imprisoned in Pingyuan Prison. It would be easy for him to prove who is plotting treason. Moreover, I can make 300,000 people believe that you two are the masterminds behind the Yellow Turban Rebellion in Qingzhou!"

"I will not kill you, but only one of you can live. Otherwise, when the Yellow Turbans besiege the city, I will throw you both down the city walls and make Wang Fen write a confession guaranteeing that your entire clans will be labeled as traitors..."

"The Yellow Turbans are still ten miles away. You can decide for yourselves who lives and who dies."

After Liu Bei finished speaking, he took Zhao Yun out of the house, intending to lock the two of them in the main hall of the government office.

But before the door was closed, Kong Zan drew his sword and stabbed Qin Zhou in the chest.

"Lord Liu, you have quite the methods..."

Kong Zan's eyes were filled with hatred as he looked at Liu Bei, but his words were quite sensible: "That Qin Zhou was plotting a rebellion, instigating the E'zhai to cause chaos, and even forcing me, Kong, to join the rebellion. Fortunately, Lord Liu arrived in time to expose this villain's conspiracy..."

only……

Liu Bei was not very sensible.

"I never imagined I would witness Lord Kong brutally murdering a renowned scholar... Guards! Where are all the officials in the prefecture? Come here!"

Liu Bei stood at the door with a look of 'fear', calling out to the officials in the prefecture.

"Liu Bei, you..."

Kong Zan hadn't expected Liu Bei to pull this stunt, and finally lost his composure. Looking at the blood-stained sword in his hand, he muttered to himself, "So... vicious! So vicious!"

Many officials from the prefecture were nearby. Upon hearing the commotion, they came to investigate and were stunned to see Kong Zan's hands covered in blood and Qin Zhou dead in the main hall of the government office.

"What are you standing there for? Quickly capture this murderer!"

Liu Bei shouted and ordered the officials of Donglai County to arrest the man.

Seeing the county officials watching outside the gate, Kong Zan gritted his teeth, glared at Liu Bei, and shouted: "Traitor! Traitor!"

Then, he suddenly slashed his neck with the sword!
(End of this chapter)