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

Chapter 452 Is there still ambition?

When Cao Cao met Liu Bei, Liu Bei had already arrived at Dinghu, which is two hundred li east of Chang'an.

Dinghu is the easternmost part of the original site of Shanglin Garden.

Shanglin Garden was the largest imperial garden in history, bar none.

The straight-line length from east to west reaches 400 Han li, and from north to south it is 100 Han li. Previously, the entire city of Chang'an and the imperial mausoleum were all contained within the Shanglin Garden, and Chang'an City only occupied 2% of its area.

However, Shanglin Garden is now in ruins.

Wang Mang demolished most of the palaces and pavilions in Shanglin Garden. Later, when Wang Mang's regime fought with the Red Eyebrow Army for the capital, Shanglin Garden was almost completely destroyed.

Today, only a few ruins remain, and Dinghu Camp is one of them.

But even though it's a historical site, this place has special significance.

Dinghu was once the garrison of the Imperial Guards of the Han Dynasty, and was the imperial guard camp during the height of the Han Dynasty.

Zhang Ji was also with Liu Bei, and even brought his family with him.

It looked as if Zhang Ji had already pledged allegiance to Liu Bei.

In fact, Zhang Ji was loyal to the imperial court.

When Jia Xu was colluding with Zhang Ji, he sent a message to Liu Bei. As soon as Liu Bei arrived in Hongnong, he said that Zhang Ji had "made meritorious contributions in pacifying Chang'an and in welcoming His Majesty," and appointed him as General Who Guards the East and Marquis of Lixiang.

This was a title of nobility and generalship certified by the emperor and the prime minister, far more reliable than the title of General Yanglie submitted by Yang Biao. Zhang Ji was naturally very happy to travel with Liu Bei.

This attempt to win him over seems simple, but in reality, Jia Xu created the only option for Zhang Ji—to break away from Dong Zhuo and Niu Fu's remaining forces, pledge allegiance to the court, and stand directly with the emperor.

This is the significance of whoever arrives in Chang'an first becoming the true emperor.

Zhang Ji only recognized the emperor who had granted him the title of marquis, and the other remnants of Dong Zhuo's forces were the same.

Jia Xu deliberately bypassed Li Jue's defense zone and led Li Jue and Cao Cao to meet Liu Bei.

Furthermore, he deliberately sent people to inform Yang Biao, Li Jue, Duan Wei, and others that the Prime Minister had personally come to mediate their dispute, and ordered everyone to go out of the city to welcome the Emperor's carriage.

He then deliberately led Cao Cao through Chang'an, picking up Du Ji, Zhang Ji, and others along the way. He also went with Cao Cao to find Dong Bai, asking Dong Bai to greet their elders.

Jia Xu said to Dong Bai, "Now that Lord Xuande is about to arrive, my lady should go and greet your elder. Lord Xuande is an old friend of Dong Bai and a kind and benevolent elder. He should be in charge of my lady's marriage."

This was said in front of Cao Cao.

It wasn't to welcome the emperor's carriage, but to welcome Liu Bei.

Liu Bei and Dong Zhuo did have a good relationship before, so Dong Bai should indeed have been welcomed.

Jia Xu's words essentially meant that Liu Bei had to preside over the marriage between Dong Bai and Liu Xie.

Because of these seemingly simple things, the officials in Chang'an and the remnants of Dong Zhuo all thought that Cao Cao had become Liu Bei's 'subordinate guest general', and everyone thought that Cao Cao had submitted to Liu Bei.

After all, now Cao Cao and his son can only follow behind Jia Xu...

Cao Cao was also aware of this, but he wisely kept quiet and said nothing.

After Cao Cao was defeated by Li Jue, he had less than two thousand remnants left at Ziwu Ridge. They were without equipment or food, and he was now only accompanied by Cao Ang and Dian Wei with Jia Xu. For the time being, he was at the mercy of the enemy, and the situation did not allow him to object.

Let them be guests. If they insist on saving face, what if Jia Xu and Li Jue kill him and his son on the spot?
Before Xiahou Dun leads a large army to reinforce them, they have to play the submissive role.

Yang Biao and Zhong Yao panicked upon hearing the news.

When Zhong Yao came to Chang'an, he only mentioned the emperor's marriage. The Dong family had already agreed and was preparing the wedding ceremony and procession, but things did not go smoothly because the procession prepared by Yang Biao was robbed, and Li Jue fought with Duan Wei for half a month, which delayed the procession.

Now, it seems Liu Bei will have to make the decision regarding the emperor's marriage.

Zhong Yao knew that Cao Cao would never serve Liu Bei, but he also knew that there was no way to fight him in the current situation.

Yang Biao then led the officials who had come to him to Dinghu to welcome them.

Duan Wei, who had already brought Liu Xie to Chang'an, learned of this matter and heard that Yang Biao had also gone to welcome the emperor. He then completely lost faith that the Liu Xie he had found at Ziwu Ridge was the emperor.

Duan Wei was unaware of the good relationship between Duan Jiong and Liu Bei. Before Liu Hong died, Duan Jiong never went to Luoyang to see Duan Wei, nor did he dare to tell anyone about Liu Bei burning down the imperial prison. After all, Liu Bei was not the regent he is today.

Duan Wei was already skeptical of Xin Ping and Guo Tu's words, because Liu Xie deeply hated Xin Ping, and Liu Xie had never proclaimed himself emperor.

Meanwhile, in Duan Wei's eyes, how could the emperor be in such a sorry state?

No matter what Duan Wei asked Liu Xie, Liu Xie would not answer.

Because Liu Xie couldn't tell which side the people he encountered along the way belonged to.

Liu Xie didn't want to be kidnapped again, so he kept silent the whole way.

He didn't see Duan Wei as a savior because he now understood that everyone just wanted to use him as a stamping machine, and probably only Liu Bei could treat him as a junior brother.

Xin Ping used Liu Xie's letter to lure Liu Xie to the civilian residence, which led to Liu Xie being kidnapped again.

Now, unless he sees Liu Bei in person, Liu Xie will remain silent if possible.

Seeing that Liu Xie was like a mute, Duan Wei imprisoned Guo Tu and Xin Ping. He felt that the two were not trustworthy, and perhaps they were the ones who robbed Yang Biao's caravan—he was originally invited by Yang Biao to investigate this matter.

So Duan Wei also went to Dinghu.

Jia Xu's methods were simple, but he grasped everyone's thoughts. In a short time, most of the officials and generals of the Three Auxiliary Regions gathered at Dinghu to welcome Liu Bei—or rather, to welcome the emperor's carriage.

Liu Xie, who was imprisoned in Chang'an by Duan Wei, was ignored by everyone.

Jia Xu was very helpful, and Liu Bei cooperated very well.

At Tongguan, Zhang Baiqi handed over the imperial regalia that he had seized from Yang Biao to Liu Bei.

Liu Bei immediately ordered preparations to be made on the spot and instructed all troops to equip themselves with all the best available equipment—the climate in Guanzhong was still quite hot, but Liu Bei knew that appearances were important at this time.

Then, appearing before everyone were five thousand elite soldiers escorting the emperor's carriage.

The formation was imposing and orderly, with banners covering the sky and the gleaming iron armor shining in the sun.

Zhao Yun led the way, with his Xuanjia cavalry at the very front. Each of them was clad in iron armor and had their masks pulled down, their spears gleaming.

In reality, this isn't the case during actual warfare. When marching, apart from the rotating troops who need to be on guard at all times, the main force doesn't wear equipment, which is heavy and stuffy...

Now, of the five thousand men Liu Bei brought, four thousand were clad in iron armor.

The other thousand light cavalrymen weren't wearing iron armor, but each carried a crossbow and had a cold expression, making them seem even more intimidating—this was a lightly armed, fast-moving force, specifically designed for output and killing. Their cold expressions weren't feigned; wearing iron armor and masks would have negated that effect.

The soldiers Jia Xu had just acquired did not appear in Liu Bei's army because their equipment and appearance were poor. If too many of them were to infiltrate, they would not be able to intimidate anyone.

The troops Liu Bei brought did not seem to be many, but these men from Guanzhong were all seasoned warriors who knew what four thousand armored soldiers meant.

The appearance of this disciplined and imposing force at the former site of the Dinghu Imperial Guard Camp seems to be a resurrection of the Han Imperial Guard that fought alongside Huo Biao Yao during the reign of Emperor Wu...

Jia Xu had already created the impression that "Cao Cao was a subordinate general of Liu Bei" and "Zhang Ji had already surrendered to the court."

At this point, everyone's assessment of Liu Bei was completely different.

Now, it truly is a case of whoever Liu Bei says is the emperor, and whoever does become the emperor.

……

Everyone present looked at Liu Bei's army and dared not utter a word.

Yang Biao, however, was the boldest of them all. He stepped forward and asked Liu Bei, "Lord Xuande, where is the Emperor?"

"This is the military camp. What crime is it to ask about His Majesty's whereabouts here?"

Liu Bei remained silent, but Zhao Yun, wearing an iron mask, spoke in a muffled voice that sounded like a ghost.

"To spy on the emperor's movements, to spy on the imperial carriage, and to presume to inquire about the emperor's residence constitutes a grave offense of disrespect..."

Guo Jia added the charges to the list from the side.

Yang Biao broke out in a cold sweat, unsure how to react. Fortunately, Cao Cao quickly came to the rescue: "Your Majesty and the Prime Minister have had a long and arduous journey. Minister Cao only wished to prepare a temporary residence for Your Majesty... Does the Prime Minister intend to go to Chang'an?"

Cao Cao was clearly much more astute than Yang Biao. This was not only asking Liu Bei whether he should lead his army into Chang'an, but also asking Liu Bei—who would be the emperor in the future?
Is it Liu Xie, who is already in Chang'an, or someone else?

"General Cao has worked hard to devise plans for His Majesty. I wonder if the palaces in Chang'an are still intact? Is Weiyang Palace still usable?"

Liu Bei nodded to Cao Cao: "Are there still camps in Chang'an?"

Cao Cao breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this. Although Liu Bei's words were mocking Cao Cao, they actually meant that he wanted to bring Liu Xie back.

This, on the contrary, relieved Cao Cao of his previous sense of guilt.

"Weiyang Palace has not yet been fully renovated and may not be usable."

Jia Xu replied, "The Imperial Guard camp was also destroyed in the war. The Prime Minister's troops may first be stationed at the Eastern Imperial Camp. After the Weiyang Palace is repaired and the bandits in Liangzhou are pacified, the Prime Minister may be able to preside over His Majesty's wedding ceremony."

Cao Cao and Yang Biao both turned around abruptly to look at Jia Xu.

It was quite normal for Liu Bei's troops to be stationed in the Eastern Imperial Camp as the emperor's personal guard.

But Jia Xu said that the Weiyang Palace should be repaired and Liangzhou pacified before the emperor could get married...

What kind of project was Weiyang Palace? Over a hundred years, through the reigns of more than a dozen emperors, Weiyang Palace was still not completed…

But this makes sense, if the emperor didn't have a house to live in, how could he get married?

"In that case, please lead the way and welcome His Majesty to Chang'an."

Liu Bei nodded to Jia Xu: "Important matters such as rebuilding Weiyang Palace and suppressing the bandits in Liangzhou still require the joint efforts of all of you. As for His Majesty's wedding... that is His Majesty's own matter and should be decided by His Majesty himself."

No one raised any objections.

Cao Cao, Yang Biao, and Zhong Yao all looked at Liu Bei with strange expressions.

They didn't quite understand why Liu Bei and Jia Xu didn't immediately take over Dong Bai's marriage—Liu Bei could now completely regain control of Liu Xie, and Zhong Yao had already made arrangements with the Dong family. As long as Liu Bei took over, all of Dong Zhuo's remaining forces would become Liu Bei's allies.

This is the difference in ideology.

Liu Bei truly regarded Liu Xie as a human being.

That's it.

……

On the way to Chang'an, Cao Cao requested an audience with Liu Bei.

Liu Bei invited him to ride in the carriage with him, and the two spoke alone.

"Yuan Shu and Lü Bu are plotting to seize Yu Province. Your hometown has already been attacked. Should you return immediately?"

Liu Bei spoke as if it were casual conversation.

"...Does the Prime Minister intend to punish the traitor Yuan Shu?"

Cao Cao appeared quite composed, showing no sign of being anxious.

"Yide has already passed away."

Liu Bei nodded: "But Yide is not familiar with Pei State, and even less familiar with Huainan."

“I have sent Miaocai back to the army… Speaking of the two of them, Yide saved Miaocai back then, and Miaocai always said he had no way to repay him. Now that Yide has been ennobled and appointed as a general, and his name is known throughout the world, I'm afraid he will be even less able to repay him in the future.”

Cao Cao then said, "Since we have no way to repay you, then we can only arrange a marriage between our families... Miao Cai has a younger sister who is sixteen years old and not yet betrothed. She is skilled in martial arts and calligraphy and painting, and she would be a good match for Yi De... I'm sure the Prime Minister is already aware of this matter. What is the Prime Minister's opinion?"

Liu Bei was taken aback. So she wasn't Xiahou Yuan's niece after all.
"This matter concerns Miao Cai and Yi De; they can discuss it themselves. Why ask me?"

Liu Bei looked at Cao Cao with a puzzled expression.

“Yide regards the Prime Minister as his elder brother. An elder brother is like a father, so marriage should naturally be discussed with the Prime Minister.”

Cao Cao spoke very seriously: "Your Majesty's marriage is also... The Prime Minister is both an elder relative of the imperial clan and a regent minister. Your Majesty has no blood relatives or elders. Whether by etiquette or law, the Prime Minister should make the decision. Why does the Prime Minister want Your Majesty to decide for yourself?"

“Brother Mengde, why are you so preoccupied with arranged marriages? You weren’t like this before…”

Liu Bei seemed to realize something and sighed: "What exactly is your ambition now?"

Upon hearing Liu Bei address him as "brother" again, Cao Cao quickly cupped his hands in apology, saying he dared not accept such a title.

But Cao Cao did not answer this question for a long time.

This question stumped Cao Cao.

Most of the time, people are not in control of their own lives.

This is true for everyone.

In what family were they born, in what environment did they grow up, under whom did they study, what did they learn, what did they do, how did they get married, how did they acquire and maintain their property, and what kind of life did they lead in their later years...

In a person's life, from birth to death, most of the most important choices are not actually made by their own will.

Things are constantly changing, and only when you reach that stage can you make a choice under the circumstances at that time.

And every choice, even if it is your own decision, is not necessarily your own will—every choice is actually a compromise.

Sometimes we compromise for our family, sometimes for our loved ones, sometimes for the community, sometimes for ourselves, and sometimes for poverty.

The more times you compromise, the more constraints you feel, and the less able you are to make decisions based on your own will.

If this is true for ordinary people, it is even more true for leaders who bear the expectations of millions.

Liu Bei made many choices along the way, and these choices forced him to keep going. With so many enemies, if he stopped, Liu Bei, his wife, children, and brothers would all meet a bad end.

The same goes for Cao Cao.

Since accepting investment from the Yingchuan gentry, Cao Cao had no way out and could only go down this path to the bitter end. He also carried the expectations and ideals of countless people.

Young men from powerful and influential families like Xun Yu and Xun You couldn't let their families decline. Each of them carried the expectations of their families. Although they were relatives, they had to go to different sides and scheme against each other. They were not in control of their own destiny.

Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and others came from humble backgrounds and had accumulated countless enemies by following Liu Bei through killing and arson. They had no other choice.

The road ahead is fraught with thorns.

Behind them lay a bottomless abyss.

Everyone is like that.

Therefore, the more experiences you have and the more choices you make, the fewer genuine smiles you have.

Friends drift apart, comrades fall on the battlefield, family members go their separate ways, lovers are separated by vast distances...

Familiar faces are replaced by newcomers, and the youth's ideals are drowned out by reality. The further one goes, the lonelier one becomes.

If you turn around, a dark cliff lies behind you, and the steps you climbed up are long gone.

This is life.

Gradually, people forget their former selves, their past dreams, and their youthful memories—once they forget, the pain is less.

The passionate youth of yesteryear, with their lofty ambitions, will gradually transform into something else as the world changes.

The only constant in this world is change.

Liu Bei asked Cao Cao about his current ambitions.

Cao Cao really couldn't say it.

You can't just say, "Every time we prepare for a rebellion, great things can be accomplished," can you?

After a long while, Cao Cao murmured, "I aspire to pacify the world..."

(End of this chapter)