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

The cold wave in the first year of Jian'an was more severe than the previous year.

Until the end of March, the entire Youzhou was shrouded in bitter cold, with very little snowfall, and the fields were frozen and cracked like a tortoise shell.

Because there hasn't been much snowfall, not even grass is growing on the frozen ground.

By April, the weather had finally warmed up, but the overall environment had already become completely unbalanced. It was too late to replant crops at this time. Even if the seeds planted at this time could germinate and survive, most of them would wither and die before they could bear fruit, and the harvested grain would be less than the amount of seeds planted.

Famine spread like wildfire throughout Youzhou.

"Let's go, head south."

People from all the counties of Youzhou helped each other, dragging their families along, and surged towards Jizhou like a tidal wave.

The road was lined with white bones, and the mournful cries echoed for miles.

Some people traded their ancestral jade discs for half a bag of bran, while others sold their daughters for just a few bushels of millet.

This is inevitable.

Even though Qian Zhao did his best to organize the crowd and prevent chaos, he had no food left to distribute, and death and lamentation remained the main theme on the southward journey.

……

Zhenshi Wubao, Wuji County, Zhongshan.

Fourteen-year-old Zhen Mi stood on the watchtower of the fortified village, looking out at the long, winding line of refugees.

A breeze blew through my hair, carrying with it the sound of weeping from afar.

Zhen Mi's youthful face now held a seriousness beyond her years.

"Little sister, why are you climbing so high again? Come down quickly!"

The elder brother, Zhen Yan, went up to the top of the fortress and saw his younger sister on the watchtower. He glared fiercely at the servants below.

The servant shrank back: "The young lady insisted on going up to see, and we couldn't stop her..."

This watchtower is actually a lookout tower, a defensive facility of a large fortified village, just like the watchtowers in military camps, and it is indeed very tall.

“Brother, look at them.”

Zhen Mi pointed to the crowd outside: "Yesterday there were only a few dozen people, but today there are tens of thousands. I heard that the official granary in Zhuojun has long been empty. These people have traveled hundreds of miles to Zhongshan... but the price of grain in Zhongshan has reached ten thousand coins per dou. How are they going to survive?"

"What business is it of yours how they live?"

Zhen Yan was clearly more worried about his younger sister falling: "Come down first and let's talk!"

"Brother, why are grain prices so high in Zhongshan?"

Zhen Mi asked, "If you don't tell me, I won't come down."

"...Little sister!"

Zhen Yan hesitated for a moment, then turned and waved for all the servants to leave before saying to Zhen Mi, "Little sister, in chaotic times, food is life itself. Don't meddle in this matter."

“When my father was alive, he acquired a lot of land and the family had accumulated more than 100,000 bushels of grain. At that time, the grain was hoarded and not sold because of the chaos. I knew that this was for the long-term survival of the family.”

Zhen Mi continued to look outside: "But Father has passed away... Now, who in the clan can protect these assets? Brother, have you ever thought about what will happen to the refugees who are starving and about to die, while everyone in the county knows that our Zhen family has grain?"

"The officials of the prefecture and county will handle this themselves..."

Zhen Yan said in a low voice.

"Prefectures and counties?"

Zhen Mi interrupted: "The Zhongshan granary has been empty for a long time. I heard that yesterday tens of thousands of refugees gathered in front of the official granary. If the county soldiers had not opened the empty granary to show the public, there would probably have been a great uproar."

Zhen Yan's expression changed: "But the clan... has all agreed with the local gentry not to distribute grain... If I distribute grain, they will definitely be at odds with my family."

"The starving people are like dry twigs, but they will rise up at the slightest spark."

Zhen Mi said softly, "If the starving people are allowed to fall into dire straits, the first places they will burn down will be the richest families who have hoarded the most grain. The discord among the wealthy families is a matter for the future... But right now, my Zhen family is the first to be affected because of its great influence... My brother taught me to read and write, didn't you ever think that possessing such a treasure could be a crime?"

Zhen Yan was silent for a moment, then looked up at his younger sister and nodded: "Little sister, come down. I will now convene a meeting of the clan to discuss opening the granaries for famine relief."

The next day, in the main hall of the fortified village.

The elders of the Zhen clan gathered and argued endlessly.

Some advocated continuing to hoard grain and waiting for a higher price to sell; others worried that a peasant uprising would harm innocent bystanders.

"Dear uncles and elders."

Zhen Mi followed Zhen Yan out and gracefully bowed to the elders: "I am young and a daughter, so I shouldn't be commenting. However, seeing the refugees eating each other and the fields littered with bones, I can't bear it. I think it's urgent to help the refugees, but you uncles are still arguing about it... Why is that? Are you all unwilling to part with your money?"

An elder scoffed, "A woman with a kind heart is unlikely to achieve great things. In chaotic times, it's difficult enough to protect oneself, let alone help others."

Zhen Mi shook her head: "I have no benevolence, I am only thinking about the future. When the Yellow Turban Rebellion broke out, weren't the people starving and had nowhere to go? Today there are tens of thousands of refugees in Youzhou. If another peasant uprising breaks out, my Zhen family may be wiped out."

She paused, then looked around at everyone: "But if we open the granaries to help the people, firstly, we will save lives and accumulate merit; secondly, we will prevent disasters from arising; and thirdly, we will gain a reputation for benevolence. The current court is ruled by Prime Minister Liu, who comes from the Liu family of Zhongshan. However, the Liu family of Zhongshan was still exterminated because of their lack of benevolence and morality... With the Liu family as a warning, my Zhen family must be a benevolent and virtuous family in order to establish a lasting legacy."

The clan elders looked at each other, and finally all looked at Zhen Yan.

Zhen Yan is the second son of the Zhen family, but his elder brother has died along with his father, so Zhen Yan is the current head of the family.

Seeing that no one could agree with his younger sister, Zhen Yan finally slammed his hand on the table and said, "My younger sister is right. The Zhen family should be a family that accumulates good deeds... Open the granary and distribute the grain!"

The news caused a stir in Wuji County.

At first, no one dared to believe it, until the Zhen family actually set up a soup kitchen outside the county and moved bags of millet out of the warehouse, and the refugees finally woke up from their dream.

"We will never forget Lord Zhen's kindness in saving our lives!"

May Lord Zhen live a long and healthy life!

Tens of thousands of people knelt and kowtowed, their cries shaking the heavens.

As the news spread, the Zhen family's reputation for benevolence quickly became known.

In just half a month, the Zhen family distributed 100,000 bushels of millet, saving tens of thousands of refugees.

However, not everyone is happy about this.

Changshan Gaoyi.

"Zhen Yan has gone back on his word! He promised that no grain would be distributed before June!"

Gao Huai spoke fiercely, pacing back and forth.

He was the head of the Gao family, who moved to Changshan after Guan Yu pacified Hebei.

A few years ago, the powerful families of Hebei settled in the Changshan and Zhongshan areas without causing any trouble. However, during this famine, the Gao family hoarded 100,000 bushels of grain and is now joining forces with other families to raise grain prices. This is actually a common practice these days, to the point that everyone thinks it is a normal way to do business.

However, the Zhen family did not follow the normal procedure. As soon as they opened the granary to release grain, the price of grain plummeted, and the hoarding and speculation business of various families naturally failed.

Another wealthy man sitting below said in a sinister tone, "The Zhen family has ruined the market, but they have gained a lot of fame. Now the refugees only know the Zhen family and probably don't know the imperial court."

Gao Huai was taken aback upon hearing this: "Oh? Brother Meng, what do you mean by that..."

"The Zhen family opened their granaries to provide relief, and the refugees were so grateful that they knelt down and called him 'Your Majesty.' This was a way of bestowing favors and winning over the masses."

The wealthy man surnamed Meng whispered, "If we continue to say that Zhen Yan is privately amassing armor and soldiers and recruiting militia... now that Prime Minister Liu is most wary of local powerful families becoming too powerful, why don't we send him a stone tablet that will be worshipped by ten thousand households, and bury some armor and weapons in his fields..."

"The large-scale migration of refugees from Youzhou to the south will surely cause concern for both Governor Qian and Prime Minister Liu..."

Gao Huai's eyes lit up: "Brother Meng, what a brilliant plan!"

……

A few days later, a large group of people appeared in front of the Zhen residence, carrying a stone tablet.

The stone tablet appears to praise the Zhen family's goodness, but the inscription states that the Zhen family had "the conduct of a benevolent ruler and virtuous king, winning the hearts of the people."

These words were clearly presumptuous, but those who brought the stone tablet were indeed refugees. Considering that it was normal to be a little exaggerated in expressing gratitude, the elders of the Zhen family had their servants take the stone tablet into the fortified village.

Zhen Mi and Zhen Yan were both out distributing grain and not at home; the clan elders were in charge of things at home.

That very night, before Zhen Yan and his sister had returned home, a troop of soldiers arrived at Zhen's fortified village. "Someone has accused your Zhen family of secretly amassing armor and weapons and plotting rebellion. Lord Qian has ordered that you go to Lu Nu to defend yourselves."

These are Qian Zhao's troops; they were quite polite when they arrived.

The Zhen household was in complete chaos.

Mother Zhen forced herself to remain calm and grabbed the leading military officer: "My family has always abided by the law, how could you say we have any ulterior motives?"

The military commander didn't resort to force. He simply produced the military order issued by Qian Zhao and ordered the Zhen family to open the fortified village: "If they are law-abiding, then let us in to take a look."

Mother Zhen then had the clansmen open the gate.

As soon as the military commander entered the fortified village, he saw the stone tablet.

"Where is Zhen Yan now?!"

The military officer frowned as he looked at the inscription on the monument and drew his sword: "Let him come with me first..."

Qian Zhao had already gone south to Lu Nu by this time. Although the incident occurred in Zhongshan, the refugees were all from Youzhou, so Qian Zhao was indeed very concerned.

In the afternoon, the military commander took Zhen Yan away from the porridge distribution site and sent men to surround Zhen's fortified village.

That very night, even worse news arrived.

After Zhen Yan was taken away, the three granaries set up by the Zhen family outside the city were attacked at the same time. Thugs looted the grain and set fire to the granaries. Dozens of servants guarding the granaries were killed or injured, and the tens of thousands of bushels of grain remaining in the granaries were also burned to ashes.

Meanwhile, Qian Zhao's men discovered a number of weapons and armor in Zhen's fields.

Why did the Prefect of Youzhou harm my family?

Zhen's mother wept at home: "My son did good deeds, why was he arrested by the county soldiers? Is doing good a crime...?"

"This was probably not done by Lord Qian..."

Zhen Mi stood in the courtyard, gazing at the towering flames in the north, her hands clenched into fists inside her sleeves.

She recalled what Zhen Yan had said—that the clan had already made an agreement with all the local gentry not to distribute grain, and that if the Zhen family distributed grain, all the other families would be at odds with the Zhen family.

It seems there's more to it than just discord...

"I am going to Wei Commandery. I have heard that Prime Minister Liu is treating the plague there. I will appeal this injustice to the Prime Minister!"

That night, Zhen Mi lowered herself down the rope from the back wall of the fortified village and, taking advantage of the darkness, slipped through the back ditch to avoid the soldiers surrounding the fortified village and quietly headed south.

If she can climb watchtowers, she can naturally climb the walls of fortified villages; she's not the kind of sheltered young lady who never leaves her home.

She took off her fine clothes, put on coarse linen clothes, painted her face black, disguised herself as a refugee, packed some dry food and an account book, and deliberately took the back roads.

These past few days she's been distributing porridge outside the city, and seeing so many refugees, she's actually quite convincing in her disguise.

Not long after leaving Wuji, Zhen Mi saw many people frozen to death lying by the roadside, and starving people walking south like zombies.

We didn't see any more soup kitchens along the way.

……

The twelfth day of the fifth month of the first year of Jian'an.

The border closure order has begun to be gradually lifted.

The first area to be relieved was the northern region of Handan, Yiyang, and Quliang, because Liu Bei received news from Qian Zhao about the southward migration of refugees from Youzhou.

Liu Bei ordered Zhang Liao to lead his troops south of Handan, controlling only Linshui Pass and Yangping Pavilion, ensuring the safety of Yangping Pavilion, and leaving the northern part of Handan open.

Subsequently, the southern border passes of Liyang and Baima were no longer closed, and the transport of bulk supplies resumed.

From Hanoi, the Chaoge Pass has also reopened to traffic.

At this time, the epidemic area has been contained to Neihuang and Fanyang counties. Both the medical team and the "Neihuang thieves" who were forced to atone for their sins are working overtime, and the spread of the epidemic has been initially controlled.

Liu Bei also sent people to pick up the Zhuge family's children.

Ju Shou has publicly clarified the whole story of Zhuge Xuan's murder, and the previous accusations that "Zhuge Xuan was tyrannical and harmed the people, leading to a popular uprising" are no longer mentioned.

However, clarifying the truth is always much more difficult than falsely accusing someone, and the previous stigma still affected Zhuge Xuan's reputation.

Liu Bei wanted Zhuge Jin and Zhuge Liang to personally restore the Zhuge family's reputation for benevolence.

After all, what Liu Bei sought from Yue Yin was benevolence and virtue, and Zhuge Liang was Liu Bei's disciple, so this benevolence and virtue was to be passed down to Zhuge Liang.

At the same time, the children should also be allowed to fulfill their filial duties and send Zhuge Xuan's remains back to his hometown.

Zhuge Jin was coming from Gaotang and was also escorting supplies along the way, which could be considered official business.

Because Liu Bei wanted to appoint Zhuge Jin as the Agricultural Commandant of Wei Commandery, the newly established camp was located at Yangping Pavilion.

The major cities of Handan and Ye County were burned down, and the surrounding countryside was also relocated due to epidemic control. The central part of Wei County was almost a wasteland. Since the refugees from Youzhou were heading south, it would be a good opportunity to settle the starving people who were heading south and cultivate the land in this area.

Zhuge Liang, having come from Chang'an, had no other official duties to perform, and traveled at full speed on horseback, thus arriving much faster.

Like Liu Bei, Zhuge Liang entered Heishan from Henan, passed through the Fukou Pass, and went straight to the burned-down Handan. This was indeed the fastest route.

Zhang Liao stationed troops at Linshui Pass in the south of Handan. Further south beyond the pass are Ye County and Yangping Pavilion.

For the safety of Liu Bei and his medical team, and to prevent anyone from accidentally entering the epidemic area, ordinary people are temporarily not allowed to pass through Linshui Pass. Only troops responsible for transporting supplies or people with official duties can pass through.

"My daughter has a grievance to appeal to the Prime Minister! Let me come over!"

A displaced girl with a face covered in mud was crying and shouting in front of the gate.

However, the soldiers had heard this kind of talk far too often. Those who wanted to pass either cried and said that someone in their family had died and they had to go, or that they had a grievance, a serious illness, or a matter of great filial piety, and so on.

But a military order is a military order. If a military order says that ordinary people are not allowed to pass through, then they cannot pass, no matter how much they cry.

The soldier was kind enough to give her a bowl of millet soup with chaff, but asked her to leave the city gate and not to come within a hundred paces of the city gate and the gate wall.

This is definitely Zhen Mi. Her appearance is so realistic that the guards really mistook her for a refugee.

Zhen Mi had no choice but to retreat to the Fu River, which was two hundred paces away.

But at this moment, she was being targeted by others.

There were still many refugees who couldn't get across the pass. Not everyone could beg for food at the pass, and the soldiers weren't kind enough to give food to everyone; their own food supplies were also limited.

Seeing the girl crying pitifully, they gave her a little something. If they couldn't stand it, the soldiers would usually drive her away with spears and crossbows.

Several refugees also retreated from the pass. Seeing that the girl had received food from the soldiers, they silently surrounded her.

Upon seeing this, Zhen Mi immediately put the bowl down on the ground and then tried to retreat to the city gate again—she had distributed porridge before, and she knew that anything could happen for a mouthful of food.

But those refugees didn't seem to be just there for food...

One of them extended his hand to Zhen Mi: "Young lady, are you here alone?"

The hand was clearly heading towards Zhen Mi's chest.

Zhen Mi looked dirty and disheveled. Her hair was like a bird's nest, her face was covered in mud, and her clothes were dirty, tattered, and even smelled bad.

But her clear, crisp voice as she cried out in front of the gate just now had already revealed her identity as a girl, and it looked like she was hiding something on her person.

Indeed, they had hidden some food. Not only did they have dry rations in their pockets, but they also had account books and numerous bamboo slips documenting the Zhen family's distribution of grain to disaster victims.

But as soon as the refugee reached out, a riding whip lashed out: "Let go!"

The refugee turned around and saw a young scholar glaring at him angrily.

"Kid, mind your own business... This horse is quite nice!"

After glancing at the whip marks on their hands and then at the scholar's fine clothes, the group of refugees surrounded the scholar, seemingly intending to find a wealthier target...

This is Zhuge Liang, who has just left Fukou Pass and arrived at Linshui Pass. He is fifteen years old this year and is already seven feet seven inches tall.

Zhuge Liang jumped off his horse, cracked his neck, and loosened his wrists: "After practicing martial arts for so many years, I don't even know if I can win..." (End of this chapter)