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

Chapter 70 Who is this person?
Not many people attended Gongsun Zan's sacrificial ceremony.

People from Liaoxi came to attend the funeral, but they were all relatives and friends from the illegitimate branches of Gongsun Zan's lineage.

Many of Gongsun Zan's retainers arrived, but Liu Bei didn't see any familiar faces among them, and no one inquired too much about Gongsun Zan's death.

It's normal to die at the hands of the bandits in Taihang, after all, even Liu Wei, the prefect, almost died in battle.

The Gongsun family members did not seem too grief-stricken. After the ceremony, most of the retainers escorted the body back to Liaoxi, leaving only a few people in the county to collect the remains.

Liu Bei noticed that no one was coming from the south, nor were any letters arriving.

It's normal that there was no news from the south when the Taihang bandits caused trouble before. The Taihang bandits didn't just raid Zhuojun; Changshan, Zhongshan, and other places were severely affected every year.

But now the Taihang bandits should all have gone back to the mountains...

Moreover, Jian Yong sent someone by fast horse to Luoyang to inform them of Gongsun Zan's death, but the messenger has not yet received any news.

Logically speaking, Gongsun Zan had many acquaintances in Luoyang. At the very least, Liu Kuan and Lu Zhi would have sent someone to express their condolences or deliver a letter.

But apart from the Wang family coming from Zhongshan, no one else came from south of Zhongshan to attend the funeral.

There's clearly a problem in Zhongshan.

Think back to what happened in Zhongshan before—the Zishui River was blocked and all the ships were destroyed. Zhang Chun was an extremely audacious man, and this was not the first time he had cut off communication between the north and south.

It was Gongsun Zan who provoked Zhang Chun before, and Liu Bei guessed that this matter might be a consequence of Gongsun Zan reporting Zhang Chun.

Blocking traffic was not uncommon these days, after all, there were bandits or rioters everywhere, and it was common for messengers to die on the way.

Even when imperial envoys went on official business, it was a very risky mission. They had to be protected by military post stations along the way. Moreover, the envoys' salaries were always several times higher than those of officials of the same rank, and they would receive rewards upon arrival at their destinations.

If it was for the purpose of conveying imperial edicts, the imperial envoys could often receive tens of thousands of coins or even more as a "gift," which was the unspoken rule, since it was truly a matter of risking one's life for money.

Liu Bei is currently facing a difficult problem.

Wang Men came to Zhuojun to attend the funeral, but instead "handed over" to himself an appointment letter that he had "found".

The decree was indeed genuine.

Liu Bei had already received the honorary title in Luoyang, so he could no longer refuse the summons. Refusing the summons meant refusing to go to Luoyang to receive the notice in the early stages, not refusing the summons document brought by the imperial envoy.

A commendation is a notice of appointment to an official position based on military merit. Such a notice can be declined—this is the true way to refuse an appointment, which is not only innocent but also allows one to maintain one's reputation, as it is considered an act of 'not coveting fame and fortune'.

However, refusing the summons after receiving the summons would be a serious crime, as it would be considered an insult to the emperor and would at least result in being demoted to a commoner.

If the conscription order is not received, that's fine. If the envoy does not return or send back any news within six months after the conscription order is issued, the court will send another envoy to the local area to inquire.

It has been confirmed that the absence of the conscription order was due to the disappearance of the previous minister, and the court will issue a replacement order.

The six-month period was set because the journey to and from any place in the Han Dynasty would not exceed this time. Even if natural disasters caused roads to be cut off, it was usually enough time for the envoy to travel back and forth.

However, just over five months after the conscription order was issued, Liu Bei received it.

Moreover, this was brought by the Wang family, a subordinate of the Prime Minister of Zhongshan State.

The Menxia Du was a high-ranking official in charge of the military affairs and security of the minister or governor's troops. Although he was just a staff member and not an official, he could supervise the military officers in the prefecture on behalf of the governor or minister.

This means that Liu Bei must immediately go to Anxi in Zhongshan to assume his post, and Zhongshan must then respond to the court to indicate that he has taken up his post.

Otherwise, it would be the crime of desertion, a crime that cannot be cleared, and everything Liu Bei has now would be reduced to its original state.

But given the current situation, should I go to Zhongshan to become an official?

This is clearly jumping into a fire pit, and there's not even an official seal...

Historically, Liu Bei's first official position was as the Commandant of Anxi, but that was several years later. Moreover, he was harassed because of the conflict between Gongsun Zan and Zhang Chun.

He received the appointment of An Xiwei a few years in advance... but it felt more like destiny.

……

Besides the Wang and Gongsun families, Qian Zhao also came.

But Qian Zhao didn't come to attend a funeral; he returned to manage military affairs.

Zou Jing appointed Qian Zhao as his subordinate official, responsible for managing the military settlements and trade in the Juma River region, while also overseeing the Wuhuan tribe in Shanggu.

The Protectorate of the Wuhuan was originally located in Ningcheng, Shanggu County, but after the great war with the Xianbei, the Wuhuan tribe in Shanggu became disaffected. Therefore, when Zou Jing took office, the court moved the headquarters to Wuzhong.

After receiving the news brought by Qian Zhao, Zou Jing learned that the position of Protector of Wuhuan had become bait in the vortex of factional struggle. So he ordered Qian Zhao to garrison Zhuojun and cultivate land, and tried to communicate with the Wuhuan of Shanggu. This was a way of secretly planting an unnoticed pawn in the game.

This is also what Liu Bei said before: Zou Jing will turn the fake headquarters into the real headquarters. If something happens to Wu Zhong, Zou Jing will at least have a way out.

By having Qian Zhao, an outsider who wouldn't be targeted, establish a military base in Zhuojun, he could create a diversionary tactic and could also be transformed into a real military camp at any time.

Although Zou Jing's current forces are not large, the Protector of Wuhuan is a military camp dedicated to managing the Wuhuan tribes. It can also cultivate land and open markets. Apart from food and supplies, it is not subject to the control of the prefectures and counties.

Right now, the Juma River camp is a good place to serve as the headquarters' settlement for farming.

The trade also allowed Qian Zhao, who was familiar with the customs of the Hu people, to contact the Shanggu Wuhuan tribe.

Qian Zhao wanted to pacify the Wuhuan people of Shanggu, so he could tell them to come to the Great Wall of Han for trade. Duan Jiong had already led his troops to garrison at the abandoned Great Wall.

……

In the evening, Liu Bei met with his small group of followers to discuss matters.

"Anxi might be in some danger. What are your plans, elder brother?"

Jian Yong was the first to realize that something was wrong, and it was his subordinates who sent the message south.

"I can only go to Anxi first and then make further plans..."

Liu Bei shook his head: "However, I can give up this official position at any time. I'm only going there to avoid being punished."

"Young master, why don't you try to probe the Wang family?"

Zuo Yuan reminded him, "The Wang family sent a letter to Prefect Liu, seemingly asking him to broker some business deal."

Zuo Yuan was staying in the guesthouse to act as an intelligence agent. Now, Liu Wei's servants and attendants were all gone, and he only had a few maids by his side, all of whom were musicians that Zuo Yuan had found.

"Let's wait for the prefect to entertain the Wang family first, so we can see what kind of business they're planning to do."

Liu Bei thought for a moment, then turned to the others and asked, "Is there any way to investigate the background of this Wang family? I need to understand them before I can test them."

“I’ve seen that man from the royal gate at the festival before. He’s a horse merchant from Zhongshan.”

Qian Zhao suddenly spoke up: "He came to Anping a few years ago, trying to recruit my father. At that time, he wanted to run a horse market in Hudi. I was young and hadn't grown up yet, so he probably wouldn't recognize me, but I can confirm that the Wang family from back then was this person, but I don't know his background."

“Mass businessmen… Xianhe, ask Su Shuang. Su Shuang definitely knows the Mas businessmen in Zhongshan.”

Liu Bei connected this to Qian Zhao's father's accident, as well as the matter between Zhang Sheng and Duan Jiong.

Could this Wang family be the same kind as Zhang Sheng?

(End of this chapter)