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

Chapter 245 Two Peaches Kill Three Warriors
Dong Min was taken aback. He looked around and, seeing that there was indeed no one else there, asked, "Brother Jia, how did you know that?"

As fellow townsmen from Liangzhou, and having a comradeship with Liu Bei, Dong Min was fairly frank with Jia Xu, but still maintained a degree of caution.

"The Yellow River is currently overflowing, and all the counties have closed their roads. Hangu Pass and Mengjin Pass have also been blocked by General He... If we hadn't already entered Luoyang, why would General Dong have asked about this?"

Jia Xu asked softly, "Has your brother received a secret imperial edict to enter the capital?"

Dong Min was shocked and didn't dare to speak for a moment, only looking at the people around him.

"Don't be suspicious, I guessed it..."

Jia Xu stood up: "Take me to see General Dong."

Sometimes, being too smart can be frightening and even alienate others.

Jia Xu had always been avoiding such situations; when they were in Pingyuan, he never deliberately made such 'guesses'.

Even if Jia Xu analyzed the facts, he would usually consult with Liu Bei first, letting Liu Bei analyze the results himself—after all, Liu Bei was no less capable than him in this regard.

But now, Jia Xu is presenting himself as an omniscient being who sees everything.

To 'guess' that Dong Zhuo was in Luoyang, and to 'guess' that Dong Zhuo had received a secret edict to enter the capital, was, in Dong Min's eyes, a stroke of genius.

This is to gain the upper hand and make one's words carry more weight.

When Liu Yu proposed the appointment of the Agricultural Commandant, he was told that the court meeting was interrupted by Empress Dowager Dong's poisoning. Although the court blamed the matter on the soup official, Jia Xu and Liu Bei had discussed that only the Empress would need to do this.

Meanwhile, Dong Chong, Empress Dowager Dong's nephew and former General of the Cavalry, was executed for kidnapping and abducting relatives of officials.

While Liu Bei's coercion played a role in Dong Zhong's death, the reason he was directly convicted and executed was ultimately because He Jin was the one who investigated him.

He Jin and Empress He were half-sisters, while He Miao and Empress He were half-sisters. Although He Jin and He Miao were not related by blood and did not get along, they would both protect their sister.

Empress Dowager Dong lost her ally who controlled the Imperial Guards, while Empress He gained two older brothers, He Jin and He Miao…

This made it impossible for Empress Dowager Dong to deal with Empress He.

The poisoning incident occurred because Empress Dowager Dong had lost her support, and the emperor was also nearing the end of his life. If both Empress Dowager Dong and the emperor died, then Liu Bian would naturally be the only one to succeed to the throne.

In order to protect herself and Liu Xie, whom she had raised, Empress Dowager Dong had to win over the military generals around Luoyang.

The governor of Hanoi, Zhu Jun, lacked sufficient strength and was controlled by people from Guandong; the governor of Nanyang, Yang Xu, was even less of a hope.

Around Luoyang, the only two powerful and potentially enticeable figures are Dong Zhuo, the governor of Hedong, and Ding Yuan, the governor of Bingzhou.

Ding Yuan recently offered his troops to Xiyuan, and his confidant Zhang Yang is currently serving as the military commander of Jian Shuo's headquarters.

Jia Xu wouldn't believe it if it wasn't related to Empress Dowager Dong's poisoning.

Since Dong Zhuo was able to appear in Luoyang, it must be related to this matter. After all, like Liu Bei, Dong Zhuo was not allowed to enter the capital without an imperial edict.

……

Dong Zhuo currently has 3,000 troops stationed in Gucheng—a place only 30 li away from Luoyang County and one of the eight passes of Luoyang.

Dong Min whispered a few words to Dong Zhuo, who immediately came out to greet Jia Xu.

Jia Xu and Dong Zhuo were old acquaintances, so there was not much formality. Upon entering Dong Zhuo's military tent, he asked, "General, you have come to Luoyang, presumably to punish the rebels... But why have you stationed your troops here all this time?"

"Hearing that the Emperor is unwell, I dare not move."

With no one else around, Dong Zhuo answered frankly, "Although I came here by imperial decree, I did not expect the Emperor's health to deteriorate, and I am now in a dilemma..."

"Why make things difficult? If the general doesn't want to obey the imperial edict, he can simply feign illness and return to Hedong." Jia Xu looked surprised.

Dong Zhuo hesitated for a moment, then told the truth: "To be honest, Jia Zhizhong, I received a secret order to eliminate the true culprit who poisoned the Empress Dowager. When I arrived here, Dong Cheng held a banquet and acknowledged me as his elder brother... In a moment of impulsiveness, I agreed in front of everyone at the banquet, but shortly afterward I heard that the Emperor's poisoning had deepened..."

This essentially means that the Empress Dowager recognized Dong Zhuo as her nephew.

The Empress Dowager couldn't speak directly, but if Dong Cheng acknowledged Dong Zhuo as his brother, then Dong Zhuo could be considered a relative of the Empress Dowager.

Although the Dong families of Hejian and Longxi were not related, in those days, formally acknowledging one's elder brother in public was no small matter, especially between people of the same surname. Once they became sworn brothers, they were essentially cousins.

Upon hearing this, Jia Xu sighed: "General Dong, do you know who the real culprit is? And why did you receive the Empress Dowager's decree?"

"...This edict is issued by the emperor, not just by the empress dowager."

Dong Zhuo hesitated for a moment, but finally said, "The Empress Dowager and the Emperor are not the only ones who want to get rid of the real culprit."

Jia Xu let out a long sigh: "Since General Dong is now a relative of the Empress Dowager, he must be an enemy in General He's eyes... There is no other choice now."

Dong Zhuo nodded helplessly: "Yes, there is no other choice... I am actually trapped here and have no choice but to move forward or backward."

Jia Xu asked, "The court is currently discussing the rebellion in Liangzhou. If you were to go to Liangzhou to quell the rebellion..."

“I do not wish to fight with my fellow villagers, nor do I wish to wage war under the command of Huangfu Yizhen… Moreover, General He must have ill intentions towards me. If I go to Guanzhong to quell the rebellion, I fear I will also suffer annihilation. The officials in the court want me and Prefect Liu to go to Liangzhou, but in reality, they want to take our lives… Even if we can save our lives, I fear I will be accused of colluding with the rebels.”

Dong Zhuo shook his head and smiled bitterly: "Mr. Wenhe, you are a man of extraordinary wisdom and strategy. Do you have any brilliant plan to save me?"

"Since both sides are treacherous, we should strike first."

Jia Xu offered a plan almost without hesitation: "Since the general has brought troops, why not surrender them to the West Garden?"

"Offering troops to the West Garden? What is the meaning of this? How can we strike first and gain the upper hand?"

Dong Zhuo didn't understand for a moment.

"The general's subordinates are all elites, and everyone wants them... It is precisely because everyone wants them that they will all try to eliminate the general. But it is also because everyone wants them that this is the general's opportunity."

Jia Xu lowered his head and said softly, "Now that the Emperor's poison is incurable, the Grand General and the General of Chariots and Cavalry must know this. General, you can first offer your troops to the Western Garden and surrender to Jian Shuo."

"Then, citing the emperor's illness, they privately announced that they would switch allegiance to the Grand General."

"At the same time, let Shu Ying lead his troops to surrender to the General of Chariots and Cavalry..."

"But in reality, the general does not submit to either of them. Whenever someone inquires, he says that the other two are forcing the general... The saying goes, 'Two peaches kill three warriors.' As long as the general is determined, he will surely be able to make the three kill each other first."

"When the three sides clash, even though the general only has three thousand elite troops, he can decide the final outcome..."

Dong Zhuo's eyes widened suddenly: "Brilliant strategy, sir! If you weren't already under the command of Lord Liu, I would have kept you in the army day and night to learn from you..."

……

After leaving Dong Zhuo's army, Jia Xu immediately went to find Qian Zhao and asked her to take Yue Yin to Qingzhou immediately according to Liu Bei's letter.

Qian Zhao also knew that if something happened to the emperor, it would be extremely dangerous for Le Yin to stay in Luoyang.

However, Yue Yin was not in the residence at this time, because the old man had just been invited by Liu Hong to a side hall for a banquet.

"Mr. Yue advised me to stop selling official positions, and I agreed. But I also have a request for you..."

Liu Hong actually held Yue Yin in high esteem, always addressing him as "Master": "I wish to invite you to be the teacher of my son Xie. Would you be willing?"

(End of this chapter)