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

Chapter 407 Forced Encouragement
In Jinyang, Bingzhou, people preach benevolence and forgiveness, while in Guangyang, Youzhou, people also preach benevolence and virtue.

Liu Yu mobilized his troops to stop the Xianbei people who were invading from Yuyang Pass north of Changping, but in Ji County, he was surrounded by a coalition of Wuhuan people and another group of Han traitors.

It refers to the tattered and high-ranking officials.

Lulong Pass has not yet fallen, and Xu Rong and Xianyu Fu are still fighting.

Bai Yao was stationed at Shimen and was not captured.

But after Tadun and Gao Gan killed Zhang Yao on the frozen surface of the Ru River, they led their army westward, driving straight through the frozen river to Ji County.

A force from the Ji Province also came to find Liu Yu, carrying the banner of the Ji Province Governor's Office. The leader was named Zhang Qi, who said that he had brought a righteous army from Qinghe (Ganling) to reinforce You Province.

Liu Yu recognized Zhang Qi; he was indeed from Qinghe and had once been the governor of Lelang.

Liu Yu initially thought Zhang Qi had come to reinforce the city, so he allowed him to enter Ji County to participate in the city's defense.

Unexpectedly, Zhang Qi took the opportunity to open the city gates and let Tadun and Gao Gan into the city.

Liu Yu was surrounded by three armies in the governor's office.

But instead of harming Liu Yu, they brought a large group of people to persuade him...

"Lord Liu may not know, but the current emperor is not the son of the late emperor. He is a forged will created by Lady Dong and Liu Bei... The former chief physician is here. Lord Liu might as well ask him..."

Zhang Qi then pulled out a number of letters and brought along a "witness".

This witness was overlooked by everyone: Zhang Feng, the former Imperial Physician and son of Zhang Rang.

Zhang Rang was forced to his death by Yuan Shao under the walls of Luoyang, but Zhang Feng was not forced to his death. During the chaos in Luoyang, he sent Zhang Rang's body back to his hometown, but disappeared shortly after returning home.

When Zhang Feng reappeared, he looked timid, with lifeless eyes and covered in wounds and bruises, clearly indicating that he had been abused.

Liu Yu stared at Zhang Qi and the others, looking at the letters on the table, without saying a word.

The letter was signed by Han Fu, who was sent by Liu Bei to serve as an official in Chang'an; Geng Wu, a famous scholar from Fufeng; Yin Kui and Yin Xiu, famous scholars from Nanyang; Liu Ai, Dong Zhuo's chief secretary; and Gongsun Du from Liaodong, among others.

Zhang Feng was slapped across the face by a high-ranking official next to him, falling to the ground. He then stood up timidly, bowing his head and saying, "...The imperial physician diagnosed that the late emperor was weak and frail, unable to conceive..."

This means that Liu Hong's sexual function is fine, but his sperm is problematic, with low sperm count or no sperm.

Regular consumption of elixirs can indeed lead to this problem; Zhang Feng may not be exaggerating.

However, Liu Hong only started taking the Golden Elixir after giving birth to Liu Xie... and judging from the bruises all over Zhang Feng's body, he was probably forced to say that.

"So what? Are you just trying to slander the late emperor?"

Liu Yu didn't look at Zhang Feng, but kept staring at Zhang Qi: "What do you want with these letters?"

He could tell that Zhang Qi was just a lobbyist, and the real person behind him was neither him nor the high-ranking official next to him.

Zhang Qi shook his head and said, "The world is in chaos now, and both the Hu and Han are uneasy. The Hu people who originally submitted to the Han have all rebelled. This is all due to the false emperor and Liu Bei's lack of benevolence... Liu Bei has committed many atrocities. Many people under his rule have been slaughtered. Even the disciples of Confucius have been harmed by him. The whole world hates him."

"The false emperor is not the son of the late emperor, and has overstepped his authority over the state, even presumptuously offering sacrifices at Mount Tai... Now, disasters are raging everywhere, with bitter cold and landslides, and the sun and moon turning blood red, all caused by the wrath of Heaven!"

"Only Liu Gongmu guarded Youzhou and widely spread benevolence and virtue. Both the Hu and Han people were convinced of his virtue. For several years, there was no war and no disaster. Such benevolence and virtue is unparalleled in China."

“Since that false emperor was not born of the late emperor, he should not rule China again, otherwise who knows how many divine punishments he would suffer… Among the current imperial relatives, if we talk about benevolent governance, no one can compare to Lord Liu.”

“In the past, there were Zhou Bo and Guan Ying who executed the deposed young emperor and welcomed the King of Dai... Emperor Guangwu was five generations removed from King Ding. He governed Hebei and implemented benevolent policies, and was given the title of Emperor Guangwu. He eventually succeeded Emperor Gengshi. Now, Liu Gong is a descendant of King Gong, and is also five generations removed from King Gong. He also governed Hebei and implemented benevolent policies, just like Emperor Guangwu.”

“The night before, four stars met at the constellation of Ji and Wei, a prophecy that a god and a man would be separated in Yan; a jade seal was also found in the Jiyin River, inscribed with ‘Yu will be the Son of Heaven’; and two suns rose in the sky above Dai County, also an omen of succession.”

"We have come here to request that Lord Liu be granted an honorific title so that he may govern the world with benevolence and virtue..."

"If Lord Liu ascends to the throne, the border barbarians will surely retreat... Whether it is the Donghu or the vassal states, they can all help Lord Liu to bring peace to the world!"

After Zhang Qi finished speaking, he opened the letter boxes one by one.

Han Fu wrote to Liu Yu, saying that there was a young ruler in the east, but his bloodline was not pure. Liu Bei only appointed people from poor families, which was turning the world upside down and could not be trusted. He advised Liu Yu to establish himself and said that the Three Auxiliary Regions and Liangzhou would respond.

Han Fu is now the Prefect of Jingzhao, and he's probably caused some trouble in Jingzhao and Fufeng again.

Geng Wu was Han Fu's chief secretary, and his letter was basically the same as Han Fu's, except that he added some prophecies, including the phrase "The one who will replace Han will be Tu Gao." Liu Ai, Dong Zhuo's chief secretary, also wrote a letter saying that Dong Zhuo also intended to support Liu Yu as emperor; it's unclear whether this was true.

Yin Kui and Yin Xiu both came from the Yin clan of Nanyang, which is the same family as Yin Lihua. The two wrote a letter to Liu Yu, wanting to arrange a marriage between Yin Xiu's daughter and Liu Yu's son, Liu He—which would perfectly match the story of the Yin clan's daughter and Emperor Guangwu, Liu Xiu.

Gongsun Du wrote to Liu Yu, saying that if Liu Yu were to be granted an imperial title, the Xianbei and Wuhuan would be able to be used, and the Liaodong vassal states and the Three Hans would also be loyal to Liu Yu and would also urge him to establish himself.

This means that as long as Liu Yu declares himself emperor in Youzhou and accuses Liu Xie of not being Liu Hong's biological son, the Xianbei and Wuhuan will retreat on their own.

It presents both threats and temptations.

"The world is now divided, each with its own ulterior motives, and even the Emperor is suffering abroad. I have received great favors from the dynasty, yet I have failed to eliminate these traitors for the country, which is a disgrace!"

Liu Yu glared at Zhang Qi: "You are all guarding your respective prefectures and counties, and should be doing your best in serving the king, but you are trying to tarnish my reputation with such treasonous schemes... And you dare to talk about benevolence and virtue? The barbarians have raised troops to invade my great Han, is this considered benevolence and virtue?!"

"The various barbarian tribes were already loyal to the Han Dynasty. If it weren't for the false emperor's lack of virtue, which led to calamities, why would they have raised an army to rebel?"

Gao Gan said from the side, "The Hu people are also human beings. They rose up in rebellion to survive... If the world were ruled by Lord Liu, the Hu people would not have resorted to plundering... What do you say, Tadun Chanyu?"

"Yes... We have always admired Lord Liu. If Lord Liu becomes the Emperor of the Han Dynasty, we will naturally be citizens of the Han Dynasty and will certainly not rebel. As long as the Han Dynasty allows us to make a living in You and Ji, we will definitely fight for the Han Dynasty in all directions and pacify the world..."

He must have practiced saying "tadun" on purpose, because he said it like he was reciting a memorized text.

"Do any of you possess even the slightest sense of right and wrong, good and evil?!"

Liu Yu was enraged: "You killed my comrades, plundered my Han people, and now you dare to insult me ​​with this act of usurpation... I am a subject of the Han Dynasty, and I will not do anything treasonous. You might as well kill me!!"

"...Doesn't Lord Liu think of Prince He's well-being? If he ascends to the throne, perhaps Prince He can bring peace and prosperity to the land, just like Emperor Xiaoming..."

Zhang Qi suddenly mentioned Liu Yu's son, Liu He.

He still compared Liu Yu to Liu Xiu and Liu He to Emperor Ming of Han, Liu Zhuang.

Liu Yu was stunned for a moment: "Where is my son?!"

The high-ranking official pointed to the tadun.

At this time, Liu He was naturally in Ji County. Now that Zhang Qi had tricked him into the city, Liu He and Liu Yu's wives and concubines had fallen into the hands of Gao Gan and Tadun.

"Lord Liu, we have no intention of harming you, we only ask that you consider this carefully..."

Zhang Qi spoke politely, but the threat in his words was obvious.

……

……

At this time, Liu Bei faced a formidable enemy in Ji Province.

Liu Bei knew that this northward campaign would be difficult, but he did not expect it to be this difficult.

After Liu Bei sent troops to Ji Province, the province was left very vulnerable because Guan Yu had already deployed most of the troops there. As soon as Liu Bei arrived in Qinghe, he discovered that some troops were attempting to enter Qinghe County from Julu.

That unit flew a flag, but it was a flag that read "Purge the Emperor's inner circle of corrupt officials."

If this flag appears in Jizhou, then it must be rebels, and we definitely have to fight them.

Then, Liu Bei was stopped at the boundary bridge.

It was a place Liu Bei was very familiar with, the boundary bridge between Julu County and Qinghe County.

Although Liu Bei only brought 5,000 men, he brought Guo Jia, Zhao Yun, and Tian Yu with him, and all the armored cavalry were present.

Those who could hold off Liu Bei's elite central army were certainly no ordinary people, and Liu Bei recognized one of them—Yan Liang.

A skirmish ensued, ending in a draw, during which the scouts identified the enemy commander.

The opposing force consists of four groups.

Tian Feng, Qu Yi, Yan Liang, and Wen Chou.

(End of this chapter)