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

Not long after, Han Sui received a letter.

This letter was written by Liu Bei, but it was covered in scribbles and corrections. Often, a large part of a sentence was erased, and the remaining words could only be seen as reminiscing about the past, which was basically nothing at all.

When Ma Teng heard that Han Sui had received a letter from Liu Bei, he was puzzled and asked to see the letter.

Han Sui then showed the letter to Ma Teng.

Han Sui already knew Liu Bei, Jia Xu, and others, so it was normal for him to reminisce. But who would erase most of the words in a letter reminiscing?

Seeing that the letter was covered in black marks and only a few words remained, Ma Teng became suspicious and asked Han Sui, "Why was this letter altered? Is there anything you didn't want me to see?"

"...I have not altered this letter...This is a scheme to sow discord, Shoucheng, do not fall for it!"

Han Sui was quite shrewd and immediately realized that this was Liu Bei's deliberate act.

Ma Teng didn't say much, but that same day he separated his troops and stopped marching with Han Sui.

One should always be wary of others. Han Sui claimed that the letter had not been altered, but who knows?

……

The fifteenth day of the eleventh lunar month.

Lesser Cold.

The frigid weather continued throughout the year.

The weather in Fufeng was so cold that even the crows kept their beaks shut, only rising and falling repeatedly between the corpses and the nearby dead trees, as if mourning the dead.

A large number of troops were approaching from the west, and the sound of hooves and footsteps could be heard for miles in the quiet environment.

But only when the troops arrived did the crows reluctantly take flight and circle overhead.

They couldn't bear to leave the corpses on the ground.

This is Xiaohuaili.

All those who once stayed in Xiaohuai Village are gone; it has become Pound's military camp.

The corpses outside the camp belonged to Li Jue's troops, who were also the garrison in Xiaohuaili.

"The young general has arrived!"

Soldiers at the camp gate shouted, their breath like smoke.

Inside the camp, a group of Qiang soldiers bowed their heads respectfully, clearly indicating that Ma Chao held a very high position in their eyes.

Ma Chao ignored them and only asked Pang De, who came out of the camp to greet him, "Lingming's advance is incredibly swift! In just ten days, you have captured Mei County, Meiyang, Wugong, and other counties..."

Pang De shook his head and reached out to lift the tent flap: "Young General, let's talk inside."

A fire was lit inside the tent, and steam billowed out, stirring up a cloud of white mist.

But a gust of cold wind blew by, and the white mist dispersed, instantly turning the heat into cold.

"This place is even colder than Longshan?"

Ma Chao waved his hand, went into the tent, took off his cloak and threw it to his personal guard, revealing the worn-out inlaid soft armor underneath.

This soft armor looks very special. It has a breastplate on the chest with patterns that resemble the rays of the sun, and the metal plates on the soft armor are also inlaid with flame patterns.

This is not a prototype of the Central Plains, but a hybrid product that combines Han Dynasty technology with the worship of Qiang and Di deities.

The soft armor perfectly accentuated Ma Chao's robust physique.

Ma Chao is only twenty years old. Like Ma Teng, he is tall and strong, with a high nose bridge and sharp features. He is indeed very handsome.

Ma Teng's mother was a Qiang woman from the Western Qiang Fengyang tribe, while Ma Chao's mother was a Di woman from Linwei. Both father and son were of mixed race.

Ma Chao was a son born out of wedlock, and his mother was not Ma Teng's legal wife. However, this does not mean that Ma Chao's mother had a low status. Ma Chao's birth mother was a priestess of the Di tribe in Linwei. This was a marriage arranged by Ma Teng's mother for Ma Teng, and it was considered a good match before Ma Teng became a powerful figure.

Ma Teng considered himself to be from a prestigious family, but because his mother was a Qiang woman, he could not gain the approval of the Fufeng Ma clan, so he did not regard the Di woman as his principal wife.

However, even without being considered his legal wife, Ma Chao's mother continued to help Ma Teng accumulate strength, after all, Ma Teng was indeed handsome... good looks are justice.

The priest's status was similar to that of the tribal chief. This marriage alliance greatly helped Ma Teng. The soft armor was originally made for Ma Teng by Ma Chao's mother.

Ma Chao was respected by the Qiang and Di peoples, and not just because he was a good fighter.

Most Qiang and Di people worship the sun and fire. They have practiced cremation since the pre-Qin period, and the sun and flame patterns represent their fire god.

However, their fire god is not Suirenshi or Zhurong (Red Emperor) revered by the Chinese, and it is completely different from Zoroastrianism (fire worship). It is just a primitive nature worship that regards the sun as a deity.

Ma Teng's mother's tribe, Linwei Di, was an agricultural tribe. Compared to larger tribes such as Shaodang Qiang, Xianling Qiang, Qingshui Di (the tribe of Qianwan), and Lueyang Di (the tribe of Agui), it was just a small tribe. However, the priests of small tribes were also the representatives of the gods.

To the Han people, Ma Teng was a gangster who mingled with the Qiang and Di peoples, and Ma Chao was a second-generation gangster.

But for the Qiang and Di people, Ma Teng was the one chosen by the priest, equivalent to a divine messenger; Ma Chao was the son of the divine messenger and the priest, that is, a second-generation god who received the blessing of the fire god.

However, Ma Teng did not want to be labeled as the Di Di Di God Envoy. He wanted to return to the lineage of General Fubo. So, after accumulating some strength with the help of the Di people, he married a woman from the prestigious Geng family of Fufeng as his principal wife and had two legitimate sons, Ma Xiu and Ma Tie.

The soft armor representing the Di people's divine messenger was left to Ma Chao.

Ma Chao clearly didn't care about this 'divine messenger' status, and wore this outfit everywhere he went.

"Although Longshan is cold, it is sheltered from the wind by the mountain ridges... But this plateau has no shelter at all, and the Wei River flows through it, so the humidity is quite high. Whenever the wind blows, it feels like a knife scraping your bones, which is really uncomfortable."

Pang De rubbed his hands and sat down in front of the stove: "Young General, since leaving Qian County, I have not captured any cities... Along the way, for thousands of miles, apart from a group of soldiers guarding this place, there is no one stationed anywhere else."

"No one was stationed along the way? A scorched-earth policy?"

Ma Chao was taken aback: "I thought you were quick to clean up and took all the money, grain, and people from the various counties with you..."

"In terms of the battle situation, it has been quite smooth, with our advance of a thousand miles proceeding without any obstacles... but in reality, it has been quite difficult. Our army's food supplies have run out, and we have nowhere to resupply along the way."

Pang De smiled bitterly and said, "Pang Xi and I both thought we could get food locally in counties like Meiyang and Wugong, so we rushed forward. But we didn't expect that all the counties and towns along the way were empty, and we couldn't even find a mouse."

"It's freezing cold today. If the soldiers don't have enough to eat, the north wind alone could kill them... I wonder how much food the young general brought with him?"

Pound's voice grew softer as he spoke, afraid that the soldiers outside the tent would hear him.

"I didn't bring much food with me; the army only has enough for three days."

Ma Chao frowned and lowered his voice: "Hasn't Lord Liu brought any grain?"

"Pang Xi said that the Xiegu plank road had collapsed, and Liu Shijun's supply convoy was blocked. It was unknown when they would arrive... I went to his army camp and saw that they indeed did not have much food."

Pang De shook his head and said, "Yan Yanming has already gone to search for grain, but I'm afraid he won't find any. Scouts have already scouted the surrounding area, and there's no sign of human habitation for dozens of miles... Yanming and I have both sent messages to Chencang, asking our lord and General Han to send people to transport grain quickly, but we don't know when our lord and General Han will arrive..."

"The supplies are moving slowly; it will be at least ten days before Father receives the letter and arrives here..."

Ma Chao glanced at the map inside the tent: "Does the army still have enough rations for ten days?"

"The army's food supplies are less than two days' worth... There is no one ahead, but there is a large army deployed in Huaili, and they have been holding their camp and not coming out."

Pang De shook his head: "I've been subjected to verbal battles for the past few days, but I haven't even been able to see the garrison commander of Huaili... Young General, do you think we should withdraw the troops first?"

When food is scarce, it is certainly impossible to wage a siege, but the Huaili garrison has been staying indoors and unable to engage in open battle, so the only option is to find ways to obtain food and manufacture weapons.

In fact, there were many generals guarding Huaili. Liu Bei was in Huaili, as were Li Jue, Guo Si, and others.

The civilians and grain evacuated from Meiyang, Wugong, Xiaohuaili and other places are also at the Huaili camp.

It was freezing cold, so Liu Bei would certainly not go into battle unless Pang De launched a major attack.

It's so comfortable to warm up by the fire in the camp, why bother going out and freezing? The cold wind on the Guanzhong Plain really blows silently...

“I have just arrived here. If we retreat immediately, I am afraid our morale will be completely crushed… First, control our food supply, one meal a day. If necessary, kill some old and weak horses. We can wait until Father’s central army arrives.” Ma Chao paced back and forth a few times before finally sitting down by the stove, rubbing his hands together to warm himself, just like Pang De.

……

The next morning, no food was prepared in Pang De's army.

One meal a day, of course, is eaten at noon when it's warmest; at other times it's better to stay in the tent to avoid the wind.

If we don't light a fire to cook in the morning, we can save firewood for heating.

Pound was able to share the hardships with his soldiers. When the troops didn't eat breakfast, he didn't eat either, and he patrolled the camp in the coldest morning wind.

Ma Chao also patrolled the camp together. This was a necessary measure after reducing food supplies, mainly to let the soldiers see that the two leaders had not eaten and were working on an empty stomach.

It was indeed very uncomfortable to patrol the camp on an empty stomach and in the cold wind; both of their stomachs were growling loudly.

The rumbling in the stomachs of the bodyguards beside him was incessant...

But this is the effect we want.

It's not scarcity that's the problem, but inequality. If the leader and his close associates also don't eat, everyone will feel more at ease.

After completing the rounds and seeing that the soldiers in each camp had no complaints, the two returned to their main tent.

Then... the two of them simultaneously pulled out a packet of dried meat and shared it with the guards who had been patrolling the camp.

In fact, a commander should be like this—he should appear to share weal and woe with his soldiers, while ensuring that he always has the resources to fight to the death, so that he can put his strength to use in case of an emergency.

"Report!"

Just as the two were gnawing on the frozen jerky, a soldier came to report: "An imperial envoy has come from Chang'an, saying that he is here to deliver an imperial edict to Commandant Yan."

Ma Chao was startled upon hearing this: "Wasn't it said that Yanming went to find grain? How come an imperial envoy is looking for him?"

Pound shook his head, equally bewildered, picked up his ring-pommel sword, and left the tent.

There were indeed imperial envoys outside the camp, accompanied by only about ten people. The leader was wearing a minister's robe and carrying an imperial insignia, which was genuine.

This is Xu Shu.

At this time, there was no danger to one's life if one came as an envoy. One might be detained, but not killed, since one was representing the emperor.

The banner raised by Han Sui, Ma Teng, Liu Yan, and others was to "purge the court of corrupt officials," not to change the dynasty and establish a new emperor. If they were to kill the emperor's envoys, this banner would not stand.

Xu Shu was also a murderer, so he was quite bold. He stood in front of the camp and looked at the army without panicking at all. In fact, he was observing the number of soldiers and the details.

Xu Shu also had a young bodyguard named Chen Dao by his side.

They are from the same hometown and have a good relationship.

"Minister Xu...it seems they are short of food."

Chen Dao whispered in Xu Shu's ear, "It seems that no fires have been lit or food prepared in the camp, and the soldiers' stomachs are growling..."

Xu Shu nodded without saying anything.

Seeing someone emerge from the camp, Xu Shu stepped forward with his imperial staff: "Where is Yan Xing, the Commandant of Wuji?"

Ma Chao frowned and remained silent.

Pang De looked Xu Shu up and down: "Commander Yan is away on military business... Now that I am the commander-in-chief in the army, the imperial envoy may entrust me with the imperial edict to deliver."

"How can the emperor's edict be delegated to someone else?"

Xu Shu shook his head and refused: "I will wait for him here. Is there any wine or water in the camp to warm me up?"

After saying that, he walked into the camp.

Pang Degang tried to stop him, but Ma Chao held him back.

One cannot be disrespectful to the emperor under the watchful eyes of the public; the imperial edict must still be obeyed.

Even if the imperial edict is accepted and the fuel is used for heating the kang (a heated brick bed), at least the edict must be accepted first.

"Then please let the angels rest in the camp for a while."

Ma Chao said, "However, the army is crude and simple, and I'm afraid it will be difficult to entertain the angels."

"Are you Ma Mengqi?"

Xu Shu turned to look at Ma Chao: "When Liangzhou rebelled in the past, your father quelled the Qiang and Di rebellion. Why are you now leading the Qiang and Di to attack Jingzhao?"

Ma Chao replied, "In the past, when Liangzhou was in turmoil, my father fought to quell the rebellion for the Han Dynasty; today, treacherous officials are causing chaos in the court, and we have come here to fight for the Han Dynasty as well..."

Xu Shu smiled and said, "The treacherous person in the court that Mengqi mentioned... could it be Uncle Ma?"

Ma Chao frowned.

Uncle Weng was Ma Ridi's courtesy name. Ma Ridi was a direct descendant of the Fufeng Ma clan, while Ma Teng was a collateral descendant not recognized by the Fufeng Ma family. Xu Shu was obviously saying this on purpose.

"The traitor in the court is none other than Liu..."

Pound was speaking from the side.

But he was stopped halfway through the conversation by Ma Chao, who prevented him from revealing Liu Bei's name.

"Since the angel has come to deliver a decree to Yan Yanming, let's not talk about these irrelevant matters... May I ask what His Majesty has summoned Yan Yanming for?"

Ma Chao immediately changed the subject: "Although the imperial edict cannot be handed over to others, it must still be made public."

"It's certainly a good thing that the emperor has issued an edict..."

Xu Shu didn't mince words: "Yan Yanming is known for his bravery. His Majesty intends to appoint Yan Yanming as Right Fufeng and have him stationed in Huaili."

"Right Fufeng? Yan Xing?"

Pound frowned.

Yan Xing is the same age as Pang De, only twenty-five years old. He is the Prefect of Fufeng, and Ma Teng's core territory is in the northwest of Fufeng.

"...Is this His Majesty's decree, or the Prime Minister's intention?"

Ma Chao also narrowed his eyes.

"This is a matter of public discussion within the imperial court."

Xu Shu spread his hands and began to speak frankly: "You all came here to fight for the Han Dynasty to rid us of bandits, but isn't it all for the sake of being granted official positions, generalships, and territories to enrich yourselves? Actually, this matter is all negotiable..."

Ma Chao was still young and couldn't stand the truth. Hearing this, he looked displeased and said, "We have come to set things right!"

"Yes, yes, yes, to set things right..."

Xu Shu did not argue: "I was merely on a mission to deliver an imperial edict. Meng Qi, there is no need for you to be angry with me."

Ma Chao's expression darkened further, and he suddenly asked, "Where is Xia Yu, the Protector-General of the Qiang?"

Xu Shu smiled and asked, "I wonder if Meng Qi is asking about Xia Yu's head or his body?"

Ma Chao gritted his teeth, not wanting to speak to Xu Shu anymore: "Guards, please have the envoy temporarily stationed at the flank camp..."

After settling Xu Shu in the deputy camp, Pang De noticed Ma Chao's uneasy expression and advised him, "This is just a divisive tactic. Young General, there's no need to worry. Yanming isn't so easily swayed by such a simplistic scheme."

“This may not necessarily be a divisive tactic… Jia Wenhe has a past relationship with the Yan family. As long as Yan Xing accepts the imperial edict, he will truly become the Right Governor of Fufeng.”

Ma Chao shook his head and said, "Since Chang'an was able to send an envoy here, there must be no trouble. Xia Yuding has already been killed, and there are probably no more inside help in the city. We are also short of food... Under such circumstances, Yan Xing will probably accept this edict... We must be wary of others..." (End of this chapter)