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

In reality, Liu Bei was far less calm than he appeared on the surface.

Liu Bei knew that Han Sui had good relations with both the Qiang and Di peoples.

In fact, Liu Bei and Han Sui and Ma Teng had a decent relationship, after all, they had dealt with each other before.

Moreover, when Dong Zhuo submitted a memorial appointing Han Sui as General of Anqiang and Ma Teng as General of Andi, it was Liu Bei's court in Linzi that approved it.

However, relationships are relationships, and interests are interests.

Liu Bei understood that Han Sui and Ma Teng wanted to compete for interests.

After all, if they don't fight now, once the situation in the Three Auxiliary Regions is completely stable, the imperial court will definitely send a large army to eliminate the threat to Liangzhou. Then Han Sui and Ma Teng will no longer be able to act as independent warlords, and their subordinates will gradually defect to the imperial court.

At that time, whether to fight or make peace was no longer up to Han Sui and Ma Teng.

Therefore, Han Sui and Ma Teng will indeed go all out in this military campaign. The current troop strength they have discovered exceeds 50,000, and more Qiang and Di people will likely join them along the way.

The number of troops marching north from Hanzhong is unknown; if all were added together, it might be close to 100,000.

Liu Bei's main force consisted of only five thousand armored soldiers.

Li Heng, Guo Mu, Zhang Xiu, and others served as city gate officers, bringing their total strength to approximately five thousand men.

The combined forces of Li Jue, Guo Si, Zhang Ji, Fan Chou, Li Meng, Wang Fang, and other military leaders numbered around 20,000.

Duan Wei is in Huayin and has suffered heavy losses, so he is currently unable to participate in the battle.

The total force numbered 30,000, of which 25,000 were troops that Liu Bei could not directly command. Liu Bei could only use the name of the imperial court to barely dispatch the various military leaders, but he could not command their troops.

That's how it is these days. Don't even mention the prime minister, the emperor is no match for them. Local comrades and clan soldiers only recognize their own leaders.

And these military leaders are not very reliable.

Not long ago, when Liu Bei entered Guanzhong, he used 5,000 well-equipped armored soldiers to intimidate these Guanzhong military leaders. Now, the enemy forces are numerous, and these military leaders will definitely waver when they sense that the situation is not right.

Therefore, Liu Bei could not show weakness, especially not when the situation in Chang'an was just under control, otherwise these soldiers would very likely defect to the enemy.

It's normal for people to side with whoever seems stronger.

The purpose of building Weiyang Palace at this time was to project an image of confidence and assurance.

Liu Bei appeared calm, but Li Jue was very anxious.

Li Jue and Han Sui were enemies...

Upon hearing that Han Sui and Ma Teng had launched an attack, Li Jue invited Guo Si, Fan Chou, and others to meet Liu Bei.

"Prime Minister, the military situation is urgent. Why is it necessary to start construction on palace buildings? Why aren't the laborers and provisions being sent to Meiyang to set up defenses?"

Li Jue asked anxiously, "Han Sui's vanguard has reached Beiyuan. Does the Prime Minister not intend to send troops to repel them?"

"What's the panic... We can't send the money and grain to Huaili right now."

Liu Bei shook his head casually: "We were going to attack Liangzhou anyway, but now that the Liangzhou bandits have invaded, it actually saves us trouble... Right now, I'm not thinking about how to repel the enemy, but how to annihilate them!"

This was quite a boast, leaving Li Jue and Guo Si dumbfounded.

Faced with an army of nearly 100,000 approaching, Liu Bei actually said he would annihilate them all?
"Does the Prime Minister have reinforcements?"

Guo Si asked tentatively.

"Reinforcements? Why would we need reinforcements? Ten thousand Wuhuan were wiped out in my hands, why should I fear mere Qiang and Hu?"

Liu Bei continued to shake his head: "Han Sui and Ma Teng's army may look large, but having too many soldiers is unwise... Have you all calculated how much food and supplies they need for their long journey?"

Seeing that Liu Bei showed no sign of nervousness and seemed quite confident, Li Jue's composure calmed down somewhat: "How could I possibly be thinking about calculating their provisions..."

"The scouts have reported that their forces total nearly 60,000 men. With such a large army on a long expedition, they will need several thousand bushels of grain every day. Liangzhou is barren and not a grain-producing area. With Han Sui and Ma Teng leading such a large army... how long can they hold out?"

Liu Bei smiled calmly: "They have traveled hundreds of miles along the Long Road and crossed several tributaries of the Wei River. How can they carry a large amount of grain? By the time they reach Huaili, they will have very little food left. If I send money, grain, and laborers to Meiyang now, it will only be aiding the enemy and giving them something to take."

Li Jue and Guo Si exchanged a glance and nodded in unison: "No wonder the Prime Minister is so composed... He must be confident of victory?"

Liu Bei's statement was not a deliberate act; Duan Wei's previous strategy in Pingliang involved setting up camps at each level to facilitate the transport of supplies.

It's easy for troops to run out of food if they set out from Chang'an to attack Liangzhou, and it's equally easy for them to run out of food if they set out from Liangzhou to attack Chang'an.

At present, Duan Wei has not yet implemented the plan to conquer Liangzhou. Only the Huaili area west of Chang'an has a well-prepared defense.

"I have already ordered Meiyang and Wugong counties to retreat to Huaili, to fortify their defenses and clear the fields, so that the bandits have nowhere to eat and to prevent the two counties from being plundered. The two generals have come at the right time. How about you two take care of this matter?"

Liu Bei indeed seemed confident: "Huaili has been building its defenses for many years, with ample fortifications and moats. If we can hold them off for a few days, Han Sui and Ma Teng will run out of food. Then we can divide our forces and cut off their supply lines. A complete victory will not be difficult."

Mei County has already been burned down by Li Ru. Currently, only Meiyang and Wugong counties are likely to become supply points for the enemy.

Meiyang is Dong Bai's fiefdom and also the territory that Li Jue has always managed, so it is most appropriate for Li Jue to handle this matter.

Liu Bei's explanation sounded quite reasonable, and Li Jue and Guo Si both nodded in agreement and went off to carry out their tasks separately.

After the group left, Zhuge Liang asked Liu Bei, "Master, is it really necessary to adopt a scorched-earth policy? I doubt Han Sui and Ma Teng will run out of food so quickly..."

"Of course not... I was just trying to reassure the troops."

Liu Bei nodded and said in a low voice, "Han Sui, Ma Teng and others must be colluding with someone. Someone must be providing them with food and supplies. If they were short of food, they wouldn't have gone to such great lengths to send troops out... It would be very difficult to cut off their supply lines. Most of their troops are Qiang and Di people, who are used to plundering everywhere."

"Then how should we deal with it?"

Zhuge Liang frowned: "Currently, the various units are not united. Guo Si's troops are only concerned with self-preservation and have no intention of advancing. If we face the enemy head-on, I'm afraid they may not give it their all..."

"If our army is like this, does that mean the enemy army is a monolithic entity?"

Jia Xu said, "As the Prime Minister just said, too many people are not necessarily a good thing... With more people, there are more thoughts, and everyone has different ideas, so we can divide and win them over, causing them to fall into chaos."

Liu Bei nodded and looked at Jia Xu: "Wenhe, the enemy's vanguard consists of Pang De and Yan Xing. Is it possible to persuade them to defect?"

Yan Zhong, who recommended Jia Xu for an official position, was Yan Xing's paternal uncle. Liu Bei thought that Jia Xu could probably try to sow discord between them.

Jia Xu pondered for a moment before replying, "Yan Shi has recommended me, but I am not familiar with Yan Xing... However, we can still try to say that he has served the court. In order to seize Jincheng and the Yan clan's troops, Han Sui forced Yan Xing to marry his daughter, and Yan Xing was forced to become Han Sui's son-in-law."

"As for Pang De... he was originally a county official in Langgan County. He made great contributions in the campaign against the Qiang and Di tribes under Ma Teng. After Ma Teng was appointed General Andi, he appointed Pang De as a colonel. Unless Ma Teng surrenders to the court, it will be difficult to win Pang De over."

Jia Xu was quite familiar with these people, but the circles Jia Xu belonged to were clearly different from Ma Teng's.

"Then please let Wenhe try to persuade Yan Xing to defect."

Liu Bei thought for a moment and said, "As for Ma Teng... I will go and talk to him, and first recommend him as General Fubo..."

Jia Xu nodded and left with several guards.

……

……

Kitahara.

The two armies have already met at the Xiegukou Pass.

One force was moving from west to east, led by Pang De with Yan Xing as his deputy, and numbered over ten thousand. The other force was moving north from Hanzhong along the Baoxie Road, led by Pang Xi, and also numbered nearly ten thousand.

"Why are you only arriving now? Didn't we agree to come here around the winter solstice?"

Pang De was asking Pang Xi, "It's already four days late, and I'm afraid the best opportunity in Chang'an has passed... Where is Lord Liu?"

They both shared the surname Pang, but they were not from the same family. Pang Xi was from Luoyang and was a good friend of Liu Yan.

"The road through Xiegu Valley is difficult to traverse, the plank road has been in disrepair for years, and we have been delayed for many days due to landslides... I led the vanguard here in haste, but the magistrate is still stuck on the way..."

Pang Xi shook his head and asked something similar to Pang De's: "Didn't Ling Ming just arrive half a day ago? Why are you only arriving today? Where are General Han and General Ma?"

"Chencang is difficult to conquer... In order to capture Chencang, our troops suffered heavy casualties. We have arrived here by traveling day and night at full speed."

Pang De gave his excuse: "General Han needs to procure provisions, and General Ma is being held back by Yuan's troops, so the march is a bit slow..."

In fact, it didn't take him too much effort to capture Chencang, because Li Jue had already recalled all the troops garrisoned in Chencang before attacking Chang'an. Previously, Di King Qianwan had occupied Chencang, but withdrew after his defeat, so there were actually not many people in Chencang at the moment.

It is true that the road Pang Xi described was difficult, but it shouldn't have been hindered for so long.

It's just that none of them wanted to be at the forefront.

Only by arriving late can one potentially catch the prey...

Moreover, logically speaking, there should be obstacles in the Wuzhangyuan, Xiegukou, and Beiyuan areas. Previously, when Song Jian ordered Di King Qianwan to send troops, he was defeated in the Beiyuan area, where there are ready-made fortifications and camps.

But to their surprise, they encountered no obstacles along the way.

"Does your unit have any news from Chang'an? Is Commandant Xia still able to coordinate with us from within and without?"

Pang Xi shook his head and changed the subject.

"There is no news at all... but there are no guards in this strategic location, so it seems that chaos has broken out in Chang'an."

Pang De shook his head and said, "Should we march on Chang'an as soon as possible, or wait here for Governor Liu and the two generals to arrive?"

Pang Xi hesitated for a moment: "Let's advance as soon as possible... lest we miss the opportunity. I have long heard of the brave and valiant heroes of Liangzhou, and I wish to follow in their footsteps..."

"Alas... we are but people from the borderlands, insignificant as we are. Let the heroes of Dongzhou go first..."

Pang De shook his head and gestured for Pang Xi's troops to go first.

Or perhaps no one wants to be in the lead...

……

Pang Xi's troops were indeed all from Dongzhou, which was actually a lucky break for Liu Yan.

In recent years, Liu Yan and Liu Biao have gained a lot of benefits in the south.

From the time Dong Zhuo and Yuan Shu fought for Nanyang until now, the population of Nanyang has been migrating south in large numbers.

Some time ago, the Hu people moved south, Luoyang was burned, and there was chaos and war everywhere in Henan. Tens of thousands of refugees from Nanyang and Luoyang migrated south to Yizhou, where they were all incorporated into Liu Yan's army and called "Dongzhou soldiers".

Tens of thousands of refugees also migrated to Jingzhou and were taken in by Liu Biao, which led to the rapid growth of the troops of Liu Pan, Cai Mao and other people close to Liu Biao.

To be precise, Yizhou and Jingzhou were both brought under Liu Bei's control during his expedition to Liaodong—at that time, the north was at war, while Liu Yan and Liu Biao were gathering people in the south.

It was precisely because of this great gain that Liu Yan indirectly gained control of Hanzhong, which is why he set his sights on Chang'an.

In a way, Liu Yan can be considered a prime example of getting something for nothing. It seems that the Liu family's way of thinking is quite similar. Liu Yan's approach in Yizhou was very similar to that of Liu Biao.

When Liu Biao first went to Jingzhou, he married a woman from the Cai family and thus gained investment.

After Liu Yan entered Shu, he became involved with Lady Lu, the widow of Zhang Heng, the Taoist master of the Five Pecks of Rice sect.

This Zhang Heng was not the inventor, but the son of Zhang Daoling and the father of Zhang Lu.

The Taoist sect founded by Zhang Daoling (Zhang Ling) should actually be regarded as a "Taoist Alliance". When it spread its teachings in the Central Plains, it was often suppressed. It only flourished after it arrived in Shu (Sichuan) and was no longer subject to government control. It established twenty-four palaces in the Bashu region, which were actually twenty-four mountain peaks.

When the Dao Alliance was first established, although it also used five pecks of rice as the entry threshold, it was not the Five Pecks of Rice Dao at that time, because paying five pecks of rice was more like a tuition fee for joining a sect.

After Zhang Daoling's death, Zhang Heng succeeded him. The five dou of rice was no longer a tuition fee, because unlike his father, Zhang Heng did not take in disciples everywhere. He only selected children with good talent and good family background as his disciples.

This is an inevitable direction for development; otherwise, the risks would be too great, and the court would suppress them.

At this point, the "five pecks of rice" became a form of protection money.

Even if you pay the rice, you're not considered a disciple, not even an outer disciple; you're just considered a "good family who follows the Way"—at this point, the Daoist sect was called the Five Pecks of Rice Sect, and its nature had changed.

Zhang Heng's widow, Lady Lu, was originally his disciple. It was a teacher-student romance. Lady Lu was Zhang Heng's second wife after his first wife's death.

Lady Lu was very famous in the Sichuan-Chongqing region. It was said that she could control five ghosts, so she was called "Ghost Princess". She was also extremely skilled in health preservation.

It is said that Ms. Lu has never changed her appearance from the age of eighteen to her current forty-something years. She has remained incredibly beautiful for over twenty years, as if she has never aged.

Of course, Liu Yan's affair with Lady Lu was not because of her beauty, but because of the power of the Five Pecks of Rice sect.

Zhang Heng's first wife had no children, while when Lady Lu gave birth to Zhang Lu, Zhang Heng was already over seventy years old—whether it was due to the remarkable efficacy of Taoist health practices or some other reason, this seventy-year-old Taoist master had a successor...

Zhang Heng died in the second year of Guanghe (179 AD) at the age of eighty-four, while his wife, Lady Lu, was only twenty-seven years old and her son, Zhang Lu, was only eight years old.

Since Zhang Lu was just a child when Zhang Heng died, the Five Pecks of Rice sect's power was seized by Zhang Xiu, another disciple of Zhang Heng. Zhang Xiu was the one who created the "Three Officials' Handwritten Letter" and turned the Five Pecks of Rice sect into a heretical sect. He was known among the people as the "Master of the Five Pecks of Rice".

During the Yellow Turban Rebellion, Zhang Xiu also raised troops in Ba County in response to the Way of Peace, and was known as the "Rice Bandit". However, neither the government nor the local powerful families attacked him.

The fundamental reason for not launching a campaign against them was, of course, that they couldn't win... After all, the Five Pecks of Rice sect had been in Sichuan and Chongqing for decades and had deep roots.

In the early days of his entry into Shu, Liu Yan, like Liu Biao, was unable to effectively control Yizhou. Seeing the strength of the Five Pecks of Rice sect, he approached them through Lady Lu, promising to officially establish the Five Pecks of Rice sect as the "state religion," and thus received Zhang Xiu's assistance.

Zhang Xiu was appointed as the Prefect of Yi Province, which enabled Liu Yan to successfully establish a foothold in Yi Province.

Afterwards, Liu Yan used the Five Pecks of Rice sect to suppress local powerful families in Yizhou, killing more than a dozen clans of traitors, including Wang Xian and Li Quan, and gradually gained control of various counties in Yizhou. He also took advantage of the southward migration of refugees to form the Dongzhou Army to counter the Five Pecks of Rice sect and strengthen his own power.

In other words, it's like getting something for nothing, profiting from both sides.

After taking control of Yizhou, Liu Yan felt that Zhang Xiu was becoming too powerful to control, so he took Lady Lu, the Ghost Princess, into his home and supported the grown-up Zhang Lu to gradually erode Zhang Xiu's power.

After all, Zhang Lu was Zhang Heng's designated successor.

Several years ago, Liu Yan appointed Zhang Lu as the Inspector General of Righteousness, who, together with Zhang Xiu, another Inspector General, led troops to capture Hanzhong. Zhang Xiu killed Su Gu, the Prefect of Hanzhong.

After Zhang Xiu killed Su Gu, Zhang Lu, on the grounds that Zhang Xiu had killed an official and rebelled, together with Liu Yan, killed Zhang Xiu and completely regained control of the Five Pecks of Rice sect. After that, they cut off the Xiegu Road and blocked all imperial envoys.

Liu Yan once wrote a memorial stating that "the rice bandits have cut off the road and it cannot be reopened." This was a document that Liu Bei received before his ancestral worship ceremony at Mount Tai. After that, imperial edicts never entered Yizhou again.

In truth, Liu Bei knew Liu Yan's thoughts—if the rice bandits really blocked the road, how could Liu Yan's memorial possibly reach Linzi...

Liu Yan's ambition to attack Chang'an this time is essentially the same as Han Sui and Ma Teng's: he is unwilling to let the situation in the Three Auxiliary Regions be completely stable. If the imperial court is stable, it will restrain the various provinces, and he will no longer be able to be the local emperor of Yizhou.

However, whether it was Liu Yan, Han Sui, or Ma Teng, they all hoped that their allies would hold the line first...

This is the norm for allied forces; the Kwantung Army did the same back then. (End of Chapter)