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

Chapter 69 Big Plan

Four months ago, Zhongshan Lu Nu.

"Your Excellency, before we paid tribute, we sent a message to Wang Meng, the Junior Prefect of Yongle. However, after we entered Luoyang with eighty white horses, we found that both Wang Changshi and his son, the Junior Prefect of Yongle, had died in prison. Chen Qiu had taken over the position of Junior Prefect of Yongle."

The chief accountant, Wang Men, reported to Zhang Chun with a worried expression: "Chen Qiu claims that Your Excellency has exceeded the tribute quota, and suspects that you have bribed Wang Fu. He has been questioning us for many days, and we have been unable to complete the tribute."

"Shortly afterward, Zhuo Ling Gongsun Zan sent someone to accuse the Prefect of treason. Sili Xiaowei Yang Qiu then claimed that the Prefect was a member of Wang Fu’s faction and ordered him to be summoned to the capital by imperial carriage to be summoned to the Court of Justice."

"Minister Liu He also ordered the confiscation of all of Your Excellency's followers and properties in Luoyang, so we had no choice but to hastily flee Luoyang..."

"what?!"

Zhang Chun roared in fury: "Those Chen Qiu and Yang Qiu... those two scoundrels! As soon as they gained power, they started to smear others everywhere!"

"When Wang Fu was powerful, who didn't befriend him? Shouldn't my tribute be sent to the Imperial Treasury? She's just a maidservant!"

“Yang Fangzheng is from the same prefecture as me, yet we are always at odds! He wants to kill me to seize control of the horse market in Yuyang!”

"That young man from the Gongsun family was the same the other day, and now this Yang Qiu is the same! It's all for the profit of horse trading! What kind of upright person is he?!"

"That Liu He... he wants the horse market and the barbarian cavalry, his ambitions are far-reaching... Hmph, I'm afraid Minister Liu isn't content with just being an official..."

Zhang Chun cursed a few times, then frowned and began to think.

"Your Excellency, we have escaped back to report the news. The Imperial Guards of the Capital Region have been pursuing us relentlessly. We have destroyed the Zishui pontoon bridge again to hinder their pursuit..."

Wang Men looked visibly panicked: "But destroying the bridge can only delay things for a few days at most. Your Excellency... what should we do?"

"With the Taihang Mountains nearby, the Imperial Guards will surely die at the hands of the Taihang bandits... Just send troops to kill them!"

Zhang Chun clenched his fists so tightly they cracked.

"But this can only be a temporary measure. If the Imperial Guards don't return to Luoyang, I'm afraid a large number of troops will arrive soon..."

"Yang Qiu is in charge of the judiciary, and there are also Minister of Works Liu He and Minister of the Imperial Treasury Chen Qiu controlling both inside and outside the court. Liu He's cousin Liu Na is also the captain of the Imperial Guards' infantry."

"Even Cao Changqiu is now afraid of his power and refuses to see guests. We have no other way to turn..."

Wang Men felt that killing the imperial guards was not the solution.

Liu He was a member of the imperial clan of Hejian, sharing the same lineage and branch as Emperor Liu Hong.

Chen Qiu had served as Minister of Justice and Grand Master of Ceremonies. When Wang Fu was imprisoned, not a single person from the Minister of Justice's office showed up, which was not unexpected.

Currently, Chen Qiu has become the Yongle Shaofu (a high-ranking official in charge of the imperial household) to isolate the palace; Situ Liu He (a high-ranking official in charge of the imperial guards) can silence the court; Liu Na uses the imperial guards to intimidate Luoyang; and Yang Qiu is wielding a butcher's knife to search the entire country...

How long can a few elite guards hold out against this force?

"Hmph... My Yuyang Horse Market has been supporting the palace for a long time. Yongle Palace will not turn a blind eye to this. First, send a bodyguard to the palace to inform them of this matter."

"Tribute, huh? Do Chen Qiu and the others really not understand what tribute is? Are they doing this on purpose...?"

"Yang Qiu wants to torture me... Humph! If they only retaliated against the eunuchs, that would be one thing, but they specifically set their sights on Yongle Palace!"

Zhang Chun said bitterly, "Yang Qiu has become a pawn in Guandong. If such a cruel official wants to live, there is only one way he can go... This man's arrogance won't last long! Send men to block all roads, intercept all soldiers, cavalry, and official documents... We will defend ourselves for a few months and wait for him to perish!"

Starting in May, Zhongshan closed all roads, making it impossible to cross the river during the summer flood season and cutting off north-south transportation.

Under the pretext of suppressing the Taihang bandits, Zhang Chun mobilized all his troops to Lunu, but he completely ignored the Taihang bandits. Instead, he reorganized the county troops into separate units, led by members of the Zhang family, and firmly controlled all the passes in Zhongshan.

Whether they were imperial envoys, secret agents, or traveling merchants, anyone who passed through Zhongshan would die at the hands of the Taihang bandits.

After the Taihang bandits returned to the mountains one after another, the troops that Zhang Chun had sent to various places also delivered the intercepted goods to Lu Nu.

By the end of August, Zhang Chun had intercepted numerous conscription orders and official documents, all of which had passed through Zhongshan in the past few months. Some involved arrests and imprisonments, such as the arrest of Zhang Chun and Wang Men…

There were also officials recruited through recruitment, such as the appointment given to Liu Bei.

There were also announcements of death, such as the news of Duan Jiong's death and the news of Gongsun Zan's death.

"Your Excellency... Gongsun Bogui has actually died in battle, reportedly at the hands of the Taihang bandits."

Wang Men was sorting through bamboo slips when he saw Gongsun Zan's name and singled it out: "Liu Wei of Zhuojun wishes to hold a funeral for him..."

"Good riddance... Ha! That Gongsun family of Liaoxi has been coveting the profits of my family's horse market all day long. That brat Gongsun was always looking for trouble with me. Good riddance!"

Zhang Chun was also flipping through the bamboo slips, his focus clearly on names like Yang Qiu and Chen Qiu: "Wait a minute, this person... he's an official recommended by Yang Qiu!"

That was Liu Bei's letter of appointment, appointing him as the acting magistrate of Anxi County.

The person who recommended this appointment was Yang Qiu.

Anxi was a small county, located thirty li east of Lunu, the seat of Zhongshan government, and was essentially a garrison town of Lunu.

The position of county lieutenant in a small county adjacent to the administrative center is similar to that of a county magistrate attached to the city, and this lieutenant is an acting lieutenant who has not yet been officially appointed, which is certainly not a good job.

Yang Qiu and the eunuchs were sworn enemies. Naturally, the eunuchs in charge of manipulating official positions in the West Garden would not offer good positions to those recommended by Yang Qiu.

However, the emperor and the eunuchs were always very trustworthy when selling official positions. Once they received the money, they would definitely do the job. Moreover, a minor official like a county magistrate was not worth the emperor's attention. Liu Bei was not particularly noticeable, so it was quite normal for him to get this position.

But in Zhang Chun's eyes, this was very abnormal.

Yang Qiu recommended a county lieutenant with military merit and placed him in Anxi, which was right next to Lu Nu in Zhongshan!
The county magistrate was a military officer in charge of troops... and Liu Bei's letter of recruitment stated "meritorious service in planning the slaying of the Xianbei cavalry".

Zhang Chun's family's horse market in Yuyang was actually trading with the Hu people...

A county lieutenant who had earned military merit by beheading a Xianbei was recommended by Yang Qiu, who was about to arrest him and imprison him, to serve as a military officer in Anxi... He was neither controlled by Lu Nu, yet he was next to Lu Nu!

What does this mean?
Zhang Chun felt there was no need to even think about it; it was definitely aimed at his life!

This threat definitely needs to be eliminated, but Liu Bei certainly wouldn't come to Zhongshan if he hadn't received the recruitment notice.

Now that all the bandits from Taihang have returned to the mountains and there are no other disturbances, it is time to eliminate the hidden dangers.

Zhang Chun thought for a moment and then called Wang Men over: "Go to Zhuo County and deliver this conscription order to that Liu Bei... while you're at it, go and attend the funeral of the young master of the Gongsun family."

"Your Excellency...why are you attending Gongsun Bogui's funeral?"

Wang Men was a little confused. Issuing a conscription order was appropriate; they could lure the man to Zhongshan and kill him, but going to a funeral...

"Gongsun Xiao'er is dead, and the Gongsun family will naturally come to mourn. Go and discuss with them that I wish to transfer the Yuyang Horse Market to the Gongsun family..."

Zhang Chunyin said cautiously, "We can't just wait for the palace to react. I have to find a way out of this mess myself. The Gongsun family has always coveted our horse market... so I'll give it to them!"

"Your Excellency's plan is brilliant! However... it would be better to say that this matter was transferred to Liu Wei, since both Liu Wei and Gongsun Zan are under Liu Kuan's command..."

Wang Men offered a suggestion: "Liu Wei is incredibly greedy; he must also want the profits from horse trading. Liu Kuan is a member of the Hongnong imperial clan, while Liu He is a member of the Hejian imperial clan… Let Hongnong and Hejian fight amongst themselves! As for Yongle Palace and the Emperor…"

"Yes! Ha..."

Zhang Chun looked at Wang Men with admiration: "Zigu is intelligent. If this matter is resolved, I will recommend you for the position of Filial Piety and Incorruptibility..."

However, when Wang Men left, Zhang Chun's gaze towards him from behind was like that of a wolf or a falcon.

(End of this chapter)