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

Chapter 42 The Emperor is Very Busy
Zhang Fei and Qian Zhao rode up on horseback and charged straight at the Yue cavalrymen outside the stable.

The Yueqi Battalion was originally a cavalry unit, but at this time, in order to attack Liu Bei in the stable, none of them were on horseback.

Zhang Fei rode Liu Bei's steed at great speed, carrying a tree trunk that was nearly two zhang long...

This thing, with its branches and leaves still attached, looks like it was picked up from the roadside.

"Brother, Zhang Fei is here!"

The two-zhang-long tree trunk swept and swung, accompanied by a howling wind, with an extremely astonishing force. With just one strike, it swept away two soldiers outside the stable.

The horse couldn't keep up and reared up, neighing.

Branches and leaves fell in disarray, and the trunk slipped from my grasp.

Seeing that Zhang Fei was unarmed, two soldiers came to fight with spears, but Zhang Fei bent down and snatched the spears from their hands. With a backhand sweep, he knocked another soldier to the ground.

Seeing this, the other soldiers rushed to stop Zhang Fei, making things much easier for Liu Bei's side.

With a spear in hand, Zhang Fei spurred his horse and continued his charge, his movements sweeping and powerful, scattering a dozen or so soldiers in just a couple of rounds.

Some people are born warriors, possessing not only superhuman strength but also fearless courage. Even as teenagers, they exude the imposing aura of a tiger.

Qian Zhao wasn't as fierce as Zhang Fei, but he was a better horseman and more agile. He used his sword to cut down two soldiers who were besieging Liu Bei and rescued Liu Bei from the stable.

At this moment, the sergeant had already led Zuo Yuan out of the post station. Seeing that the soldiers had been scattered, he pointed his broken spear at Liu Bei and shouted, "Don't move! Protect this woman's life!"

Liu Bei turned around and, together with Qian Zhao, knocked down the soldiers beside him, pointing his sword at the squad leader: "Do you care about the lives of your comrades?!"

The sergeant dragged Zuo Yuan back a few steps, and seeing Qian Zhao poised to strike from the side, he retreated even further.

The soldiers on the outer perimeter were slaughtered by Zhang Fei, and at this point, there were very few Yue cavalrymen left who were still capable of fighting.

The sergeant, holding a blood-stained broken gun, grabbed Zuo Yuan, looked at Zhang Fei, then at Liu Bei: "Are you Yuan's death squad?"

Zuo Yuan suddenly spoke up: "My lord, do not concern yourself with me. This man already knows about our affairs. Kill him immediately!"

As he spoke, he winked at Liu Bei.

"Shut up! Are the Yuan family's assassins so fearless even towards women?"

The sergeant tightened his grip on Zuo Yuan, glanced at Liu Bei, then at Zhang Fei in the distance: "Such a fierce warrior... It seems you really were the ones who burned down Luoyang Prison..."

Zhang Fei had already dealt with most of the dozen or so soldiers on the perimeter and was riding over.

Liu Bei glanced at Zuo Yuan, who winked at him, and then said to the squad leader, "Now that you know what we've done, you should know that we'll kill you no matter what... Die!"

After saying that, he slashed at the sergeant with his sword, seemingly disregarding Zuo Yuan's life.

The sergeant shoved Zuo Yuan toward Liu Bei, using Zuo Yuan to block Liu Bei, then threw the broken spear in his hand toward Qian Zhao, before turning and running away.

Liu Bei grabbed Zuo Yuan and used his strength to parry the flying spear. The squad leader then seized the opportunity to pounce on a horse and flee.

Seeing this, the other soldiers who were still able to move also scattered and fled quickly.

"Don't run!"

Upon seeing this, Zhang Fei roared and gave chase, killing two of them in the process.

However, two men managed to seize a nearby horse and escape towards Luoyang, making them the only survivors at the scene.

"You thief, don't run away!"

Zhang Fei shouted and turned his horse to continue the pursuit, but Liu Bei stopped him.

"Stop chasing! Let's go quickly! We must inform Brother Benchu ​​immediately and tell him to return to his hometown to avoid disaster!"

Liu Bei spoke loudly, knowing Zuo Yuan's intentions.

"what?"

Zhang Fei, puzzled, turned to look at Liu Bei, asking in confusion, "Brother..."

Liu Bei winked softly, "Don't call me by my name, I just committed a crime." "Oh... then let's hurry!"

Zhang Fei was taken aback for a moment, and then planned to dismount and return the warhorse to Liu Bei.

“You can ride it yourself. This horse is yours; you're better suited for it than I am.”

Liu Bei wouldn't let Zhang Fei dismount from the black horse, and instead found other Yueqi horses for himself, then led the group away at full speed.

……

Luoyang.

"...I heard that a thief called himself Zhang Fei, and the names of the others were unknown. There were men and women, all of whom were fearless and highly skilled in martial arts. They should all be Yuan Shao's loyal followers."

The squad leader knelt before Cao Jie and reported, "Commander Cao was harmed by him. I am incompetent and no match for the thief. I could only flee back to report. I beg Lord Cao for forgiveness."

The other two surviving Viet Cong cavalrymen were also kneeling nearby.

Cao Jie's eyes were filled with shock and anger: "Yuan Shao's men? What's their whereabouts?"

"They said they wanted Yuan Benchu ​​to return to his hometown to avoid trouble."

The sergeant bowed and kowtowed: "The commander-in-chief led the charge in pursuit, but unfortunately... I was unable to protect him and am now dead."

"Broken Stone... Damn it!"

Cao Jie stood up, glanced at the squad leader, gritted his teeth, and entered the West Garden.

Soon after, another large group of soldiers poured out of Luoyang and headed southeast towards Runan.

At the same time, the Emperor issued an edict and widely distributed official gazettes, stating that former Grand Commandant Duan Jiong had worked diligently and devoted himself to serving the country with outstanding achievements. Recently, due to unusual celestial phenomena, he requested to be imprisoned to observe the heavens, but unfortunately perished in a fire. This is a great tragedy for the Han Dynasty, a cause for regret and sorrow.

Therefore, the emperor personally recruited Duan Jiong's younger brother, Duan Wei, and granted him the position of General of the Palace Guard in Luoyang, without accepting bribes for the official post.

However, the imperial gazette made no mention of restoring Duan Jiong's post as Grand Commandant or posthumously conferring him a title, nor did it mention any funeral or ceremonial rites. Perhaps the emperor simply forgot...

After all, the emperor is very busy.

At the same time as news of Duan Jiong's death was released, the court summoned Yuan Shao to serve as the Commandant of the Yue Cavalry, citing the completion of Yuan Shao's mourning period.

However, Yuan Shao refused the summons, saying that he had been observing mourning for his mother and now needed to return home to continue observing mourning for his father. According to the law, he could not serve as an official, and he quickly left Luoyang and returned to his hometown of Runan.

The problem is that Yuan Shao's biological father, Yuan Cheng, had already died the year he was born...

Yuan Shao explained that, reflecting on his own birth as a fatherless orphan, he lamented that his father had never experienced the joy of playing with his knees, and therefore he had to continue mourning for his father, Yuan Cheng.

The eunuch Zhao Zhong went to warn Yuan Shao, saying that Yuan Shao had refused the court's summons and instead kept fugitives around. He added that Yuan Shao's deliberate attempt to gain fame and influence must be a sign of his treasonous intentions.

But no one could do anything to Yuan Shao; he was a very filial son…

However, after Yuan Shao left Luoyang, the Minister of Works Yuan Feng was immediately dismissed by the emperor because he was unable to perform his duties due to a prolonged illness.

In fact, Yuan Feng was in high spirits; the night before he was dismissed from his post, he was still engaging in reproductive activities with several concubines.

At the same time that Yuan Feng was dismissed from his post, Yuan Wei, the head of the Yuan family clan, was transferred from Taichang to Situ.

Of course, promotion also requires paying money; the price for a position as Minister of Works is the same as that for a Grand Commandant, which is also a small goal.

The Yuan family readily paid the money.

Subsequently, the emperor summoned Yuan Shu to the capital immediately to assume the post of Colonel of the Vanguard, with a price tag of twenty million coins.

Although Yuan Shu dragged his feet, he eventually entered Luoyang, but after arriving there, he never came out again. It is said that he frequented music halls, played with chickens and dogs, and was incapable of doing any work.

The emperor therefore rebuked the Yuan family, saying that the entire Yuan family was either sickly or spoiled, and were all mediocre people. What virtue or ability did they have to become a family of dukes and marquises?
As a result, Yuan Kui, the head of the Yuan family clan, immediately submitted a memorial impeaching himself. Just three days after being promoted, he was dismissed from the position of Minister of Works and demoted back to Grand Master of Ceremonies.

The Grand Master of Ceremonies was originally priced at 50 million coins, but after a demotion, he offered a discount and only charged 30 million. The Yuan family readily paid.

It really wasn't easy for the emperor to carry out the renovations...

(End of this chapter)