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

Sun Zhao was also unlucky. He had just arrived at the battlefield and hadn't even had a proper fight when he suffered a major defeat and unfortunately died in the chaos of battle.

There was no other way; it was Zhao Yun who was chasing the fleeing soldiers. Unless Liu Bei specifically instructed him to capture them alive, Zhao Yun would never leave a survivor... This added another mark to his reputation for being ruthless.

That's how it works when pursuing a fleeing army. You don't kill the soldiers who are running away, so that you can create a counterattack. But you have to kill the leaders or the brave ones who try to reorganize the fleeing army. Sun Zhao was quite brave. He wanted to reorganize the fleeing army, so Zhao Yun had to kill him.

However, thanks to Sun Zhao's protection, Pang De and Ma Chao were able to retreat to a distance of fifty miles.

Pang De didn't care about Sun Zhao's life or death; he was only worried about Ma Chao's injuries.

A healer has been found in the camp. He is a Di priest and also a shaman, but he does indeed know medicine.

The witch doctor cut open Ma Chao's blood-soaked collar and began cleaning his wounds.

The armor plates on his neck were bent and deformed, and the wound on the left side of his neck was so deep that the veins were visible. Fortunately, the armor plates protecting his neck had played a role; without them, Yan Xing's spear could have pierced through his neck.

Ma Chao was running a high fever and was delirious, yet he kept muttering, "How could this be..."

"As long as the bleeding can be stopped, the young general's life will not be in danger..."

The witch doctor said, turning to look at Pound: "But you must stay in bed for at least a month and not move around, otherwise the wound is very likely to burst open."

Pang De shook his head: "Liu Bei's army will still pursue us, and we cannot stay here. Is there any way to make sure the young general can withstand the bumpy ride?"

Stopping the bleeding from Ma Chao's wound was not easy, because even the slightest bump could ruin everything.

Having just suffered a major defeat and lost the Xiaohuaili camp, Zhao Yun is now in relentless pursuit.

The area where Pang De is located has already been cleared of everything, and Pang De's army has no food or supplies, so it is definitely not going to hold out. They must withdraw immediately.

That means it will have to be bumpy.

"We can use Qiang medicine, which can seal the wound and withstand the bumps."

The shaman hesitated for a moment before saying, "But the Qiang medicine is poisonous. Right now, the young general is young, strong, and has plenty of energy, so he may be fine. But as he gets older, he may suffer from dampness, pain, and blood stasis..."

"Then use it!"

Pound nodded. As long as he didn't die for now, that was fine. As for whether there would be any aftereffects in the future, that was a matter for the future.

Soon after, the witch doctor burned a jar of dark, gelatinous medicine and applied it to Ma Chao's wound.

The medicine had an unpleasant smell, making one want to vomit, but its effects in stopping bleeding and sealing wounds were indeed very noticeable.

"Order the troops to evacuate to Meiyang overnight..."

Pound let out a breath and led his troops to continue their retreat, away from the battlefield.

……

Meanwhile, Liu Bei's army had already entered the Xiaohuaili camp.

Li Zheng, the army's medical officer, was also treating Yan Xing's injuries.

Yan Xing broke his left arm in the process of leaping out.

Strictly speaking, it wasn't broken from the fall. He had already fractured his bone when he used the hook in his left hand to block Ma Chao's spear, but he fell again when he lunged forward.

"Why would you think of using a broken spear to stab the enemy?"

As Li Zheng put on the splint, he asked, "Do all the warriors of Xizhou fight like this?"

"No, there wasn't even time to think about it."

Yan Xing shook his head, watching Li Zheng use willow wood to fix his arm: "That spear has been with me for many years, just like my arm now. It has long been cracked and has been repeatedly bound with fish glue and hemp rope. I knew it might break, and I had thought about how to paralyze my opponent if the spear broke... But when it actually broke, I didn't think about anything. I just subconsciously risked my life to survive."

"To risk your life to survive?"

Li Zheng gave a thumbs up: "The Prime Minister admires people like this the most... The more desperate the situation, the more one should go all out."

"It's a pity we couldn't kill Ma Chao on the spot."

Yan Xing shook his head and changed the subject: "I heard you are the son of General Li of Yanzhou. How come you are a physician in the Prime Minister's army?"

“My father once said that you should live wherever you feel comfortable. I feel comfortable in the army, so I’ll serve here. We’re all serving the court…” Li Zheng smiled and said, “Isn’t Lord Yan also serving the court?”

"Unfortunately... my father-in-law probably won't be as magnanimous as your father..."

Yan Xing sighed softly and stretched out his hand. His tiger's mouth was split open, and blood was seeping out. It was from the shock of gripping the spear shaft so tightly.

"Yanming defeated Ma Chao in this battle, and from now on, the Qiang and Di people will fear you..."

Liu Bei arrived at the camp at some point and said to Yan Xing, "You have intimidated the Qiang and Di tribes in Fufeng, so Han Wenyue will no longer need Ma Teng's help... Your father-in-law is a smart man; he knows how to make the right choice."

"Greetings, Prime Minister..."

Upon seeing Liu Bei, Yan Xing prepared to rise and bow: "I do not know what Father-in-law will think. If Father-in-law leads his army here, I cannot possibly confront him... Prime Minister, you have come here because you are worried about me, haven't you?"

But he couldn't stand up and was pressed down by Li Zheng: "No need for formalities at the medical camp. The Prime Minister comes to inspect the camp every night, not for you..."

Yan Xing turned his head and saw that Liu Bei had indeed gone to get gauze to bandage another wounded soldier.

This has been a long-standing practice. Whenever Liu Bei is away on campaign, he will, as always, inspect the camps and take care of the wounded soldiers.

To be honest, there is an element of showmanship involved, but if someone can persist in doing it for more than a decade, then it can't be called showmanship.

One after another, soldiers came to the army, most of whom had been in close contact with Liu Bei, either in the medical camp, at dinner, or when the spoils of war were being distributed.

A ruler who is not so aloof and can be seen by his subordinates at any time will truly gain their support.

"I have no worries about you... I'm worried about Liu Yan."

While skillfully bandaging the wounds of the injured, Liu Bei asked Yan Xing, "Where did those old soldiers we defeated today come from? According to previous intelligence, the camp south of the Wei River should be occupied by Pang Xi's Dongzhou troops, but none of the Dongzhou troops are here, while these old soldiers have appeared..."

“Those are the old men of Brazil, all mountain soldiers, led by Sun Zhao. Pang Xi said earlier that the plank road had collapsed, and most of Liu Shijun's troops from Yizhou were unable to arrive in time... Perhaps the plank road has been repaired now?”

Yan Xing recounted what he knew.

"If that's the case... where are Liu Junlang's other units?"

Liu Bei frowned: "At least Pang Xi should be here..."

Yan Xing suddenly turned his head and said, "Perhaps... they've gone to launch a surprise attack on Chang'an?"

"possible……"

Liu Bei nodded and looked at Yan Xing: "Since Yanming is worried about meeting your brother on the battlefield, when your brother arrives, you can go and deliver the imperial edict to him as an imperial envoy... General Han Wenyue of Zhao'an Qiang has quelled the rebellion in Liangzhou. You go and deliver the edict, and your brother will surely accept it."

"Isn't the Prime Minister going back to Chang'an with his troops?"

Yan Xing was stunned for a moment.

“If I return to Chang’an with my troops, I’m afraid my father-in-law will not accept the imperial edict… You may not know what he’s thinking, but I do have some idea…”

Liu Bei shook his head and said with a frank smile, "Does Han Wenyue really want to see Liu Yan take Chang'an?"

……

Five days later.

Liu Bei received news from both the east and west sides almost simultaneously.

To the east, Liu Yan's troops did indeed appear outside Chang'an City.

To the west, Han Sui and Ma Teng led their troops in two separate routes. Han Sui was stationed at Wugong, while Ma Teng was stationed at Meiyang.

Seeing that Han Sui and Ma Teng had not joined forces, Liu Bei knew that his previous letter had worked—this was a tactic learned from Cao Cao in history, and it could be considered that they copied each other's homework.

Moreover, Liu Bei also planned to copy another set of homework.

Yan Xing rode alone to Han Sui's camp, acting as an envoy of the imperial court to persuade Han Sui to cease hostilities and make peace.

Han Sui initially wanted to wait and see, but Yan Xing said that Liu Yan's army had already arrived at the gates of Chang'an and that they had previously had military provisions but had not provided them to the allied forces. Therefore, Han Sui immediately led his troops to Xiaohuai to meet Liu Bei. (End of Chapter)