Brother, stop curling up! You're curling up like the founder of the Han Dynasty!

Chapter 122 Rescuing the Emperor at Beiman Mountain, Yuan Shao Vows to Kill Liu Bei (Seeking updates and monthly votes)
North Mangshan direction.

Empress Dowager He, Liu Bian, and Liu Xie were so exhausted that their eyes were blurry.

"Attendant Zhang, I really can't walk anymore, can I rest?"

Empress Dowager He pleaded desperately. Having lived a life of luxury for many years, she was now terrified and had to flee for her life. Her legs were already trembling.

The same applies to Liu Bian and Liu Xie.

He was young and hadn't experienced much hardship.

At this point, I was both exhausted and hungry.

If they weren't afraid of Zhang Rang and the others, the two of them would have been fast asleep on the ground long ago.

"Even if we can't walk, we have to go!"

Zhang Rang spoke resolutely, knowing full well that he had to hide in Beiman Mountain to avoid his pursuers.

Seeing that Zhang Rang refused, Empress Dowager He sat down abruptly and said angrily, "Either you kill me, or you stop and rest."

"Do you think I wouldn't dare?" Zhang Rang drew his sword and held it to Empress Dowager He's neck, frightening Liu Bian, who stood by, into a trembling voice.

Just as the stalemate was at hand, Liu Xie suddenly spoke up: "Attendant Zhang, there are many of you, so you can take turns carrying me and His Majesty. To you, the Empress Dowager's presence or absence makes little difference. If you continue to carry the Empress Dowager, we'll probably be caught up with before we even reach Beiman Mountain."

Zhang Rang glanced at Liu Xie with some surprise, then turned back and discussed with the other attendants for a while. They decided to follow Liu Xie's suggestion: abandon Empress Dowager He and take turns carrying Liu Xie and Liu Bian to Beiman Mountain.

To prevent Empress Dowager He from being discovered by the pursuers, Zhang Rang tore off a silk scarf, tied it up, gagged her, and then pushed her into the bushes.

Then they hurriedly headed towards Beiman Mountain.

Poor Empress Dowager He endured more than ten years to finally become Empress Dowager. Just as she was about to enjoy the power and pleasure of ruling from behind the throne, she was reduced to being repeatedly humiliated by eunuchs because of a moment of weakness.

It was dark and the autumn air was chilly with a strong wind. Even if Empress He called out in a muffled voice, few could hear her. Moreover, she was exhausted and hungry, and she had no strength left to struggle or beg for help.

After an unknown amount of time, a procession of torches illuminated the bushes where Empress He was.

"Your Excellency is a member of the palace."

"Bring her up."

A soldier from Yongzhou jumped off his horse, dragged Empress He out of the bushes, and then pressed on her philtrum.

"Stop pressing it, water it."

Seeing that the Yongzhou soldiers had tried to wake Empress Dowager He by pressing her philtrum several times without success, Liu Bei threw the water bag at the Yongzhou soldiers.

The cold water made Empress Dowager He shiver and wake her up with a start. She exclaimed, "Who are you and what do you want?"

Looking at the disheveled and filthy woman before him, Liu Bei frowned and demanded, "I ask you a question, and you answer it; a wrong answer means death. Where are His Majesty and the Prince of Chenliu?"

Empress Dowager He originally wanted to reprimand Liu Bei for his rudeness, but when she met Liu Bei's cold gaze, she felt a chill in her heart and said, "He has gone to Beiman Mountain."

"How long have you been gone?" Liu Bei asked again.

"I don't know." Empress Dowager He was even more heartbroken.

"Head towards Beiman Mountain, pursue quickly." Liu Bei didn't ask any more questions. Now that the direction of Beiman Mountain was confirmed, catching up wouldn't be too difficult.

"My lord, what about this woman?" The soldier from Yongzhou chuckled, somewhat reluctantly. "My lord, I saved her. If she's willing to repay me with her body, it wouldn't be considered robbery, would it?"

Empress Dowager He glared at the soldiers of Yongzhou and shouted with all her might, "I am the Empress Dowager, how dare you insult me!"

The soldiers from Yongzhou were startled and quickly mounted their horses, not daring to look any longer.

"So it's the Empress Dowager." Liu Bei scoffed, then said to the Yongzhou soldiers behind him, "Look at your ambition, I'll find you a good family when we get back to Yongzhou."

The soldiers of Yongzhou were overjoyed: "Thank you, Your Excellency. Should we then take care of this Empress Dowager?"

"Never mind, quickly bring back His Majesty and the Prince of Chenliu." Liu Bei lightly spurred the reins, no longer looking at Empress Dowager He, and led his troops away.

Empress Dowager He was both angry and anxious, and helpless. Her vision blurred, and she fainted again.

Although Zhang Rang and the others took turns carrying Liu Xie and Liu Bian, two legs could not outrun four legs, and they were soon caught up by Liu Bei's cavalry.

Hundreds of cavalry generals, including Zhang Rang, surrounded them. Liu Bei rode up from the center and sneered:

“Zhang Changshi, why are you so persistent? I had no intention of killing you, but you insisted on taking His Majesty and the Prince of Chenliu hostage, which has given me quite a chase.”

Zhang Rang was both shocked and frightened. His tone was no longer as firm as it had been at Chang Le Palace. He begged for mercy, "Prefect Liu, spare my life! I am willing to deposit all my wealth into the Yongzhou Quanfu!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhao Zhong and the other attendants behind Zhang Rang were filled with hope.

Liu Bei sent Ma Chao and Fa Zheng to Luoyang to promote the Quanzhou Prefecture of Yongzhou, a fact that Zhang Rang and others were aware of.

If money can save my life, then it's worth it!
Zhao Zhong and the others also begged for mercy, all saying they were willing to deposit all their money into the Yongzhou Quanfu.

Liu Bei glanced at Zhang Rang and the others and asked, "You can't even return to Luoyang, how can you possibly have money to deposit in the Yongzhou Quanfu?"

Zhang Rang hurriedly said, "As the old saying goes, a cunning rabbit has three burrows. We know we have offended too many people, so we dare not keep all our money in one place. The reason we adopted sons and godsons is also to distribute our money in order to save our lives. As long as Governor Liu spares our lives, we will never go back on our word!"

Zhao Zhong and others also made repeated promises.

"Brother, we must not trust them. If we let them go today, they will surely hide again. Why would they deposit all their money in the Yongzhou Quanfu? We should kill them all to prevent future troubles," Zhao Yun said, feigning a shout.

Zhang Rang and his men were all terrified.

Just when he thought he was about to die, Liu Bei suddenly changed his expression: "Fourth brother, you must not be rude to the guests of Yongzhou Quanfu. Yongzhou Quanfu has always been committed to integrity and aims to become the safest place in the Han Dynasty. Once anyone's money is in Yongzhou Quanfu, it will never be stolen by outsiders."

"Since Zhang Changshi and others are willing to deposit their money in the Yongzhou Quanfu, it shows their trust in the Yongzhou Quanfu. How can you make unfounded speculations? You are ruining the reputation of the Yongzhou Quanfu. If you do it again, you will not be let off lightly!"

Zhao Yun pretended to bow his head and admit punishment: "Brother, it was Yun who was wrong."

A glimmer of hope immediately appeared in the eyes of Zhang Rang and the others.

“Zhang Changshi, I always keep my promises.” Liu Bei waved his hand, signaling the cavalry to make way, and said, “Leave His Majesty and the Prince of Chenliu here, and you may leave.”

Zhao Zhong couldn't believe it and asked in surprise, "Liu Yongzhou, are you really going to let us go?"

Liu Bei laughed and said, “I have no intention of caring about your previous status; from now on, you will be guests of the Yongzhou Quanfu. I am a fair person and I don’t like to take advantage of others. Considering that you have served the late emperor for many years and have worked hard even if you have not made any great contributions, as long as you are willing to deposit your money in the Yongzhou Quanfu, I will only charge you 30% of the management fee, and you can withdraw the rest of the money as you see fit.”

"If your adopted sons, godsons, relatives, friends, students, former officials, etc., can no longer stay in other prefectures and counties, they can also deposit their money in Yongzhou Quanfu. As long as they come, they are guests of Yongzhou Quanfu, and we will only charge 30% of the management fee; as long as you do not break the law in Yongzhou, you can enjoy your old age in Yongzhou."

Looking at the eunuchs whispering and discussing amongst themselves, Liu Bei could barely suppress the smirk on his face.

Killing Zhang Rang and his men only requires one strike.

Killing Zhang Rang and the others would be of little value to Liu Bei. Although three hundred cartloads of gold and silver treasures were moved from the eunuchs' palace, the efficiency was far too poor, and it would also waste Liu Bei's manpower.

If Zhang Rang and the others are released, they can deposit their money into the Yongzhou Quanfu (a type of government office), as can the adopted sons, godsons, relatives, friends, students, and former officials of the various eunuchs.

This is much more efficient than Liu Bei painstakingly transporting money!

People like these may save money but not necessarily spend it.

Then Liu Bei could use the money from the Quanzhou government office in Yongzhou to purchase large quantities of grain and warhorses in Nanyang, Hanzhong, and Xiliang.

As for whether Zhang Rang and others were willing to go to Yongzhou, Liu Bei was not worried about this at all.

Zhang Rang's adopted son, Zhang Feng, is still in Yongzhou and hasn't returned yet. Zhang Feng is being used as a role model to specifically entice and persuade these corrupt officials who have obtained their money improperly.

Corrupt officials would simply hoard this hard-earned money, but Liu Bei was able to use it to benefit the people.

This is helping them accumulate good karma!

Liu Bei felt he was being far too kind!
Liu Bian and Liu Xie were dumbfounded as they watched the attendants leave in panic.

Liu Bei not only actually let Zhang Rang and the others go, but also gave everyone dry rations, water, and money, as if he were afraid that they would starve, thirst, or freeze to death.

"Liu Yongzhou, why did you let them go?" Liu Xie couldn't hold back any longer.

Liu Bei replied without hesitation: "What else could it be? It's for money, of course!"

“But eunuchs bring disaster to the country and its people, and their crimes are unforgivable. How can we let them go just for money?” Liu Xie found it hard to understand.

Liu Bei scoffed, "You don't know the cost of firewood, rice, oil, and salt until you're in charge of the household. Even the late emperor sold official positions and titles, so why don't you say that the late emperor's crimes were unforgivable?"

Although Liu Bei intended to support Liu Xie as the new ruler, he had no intention of indulging Liu Xie.

Liu Bei's primary purpose in coming to Luoyang was to make money; rescuing the emperor was merely a secondary objective.

When faced with moral blackmail, we should use morality to blackmail back.

You can weaken others externally, but you must never weaken yourself internally!
Liu Xie's eyes widened, and he was immediately speechless.

If Liu Hong's crimes are unforgivable, then that would be the height of filial impiety; if Liu Hong's actions are excusable, then the eunuchs' actions are also excusable.

Liu Bei had no interest in chatting with Liu Xie any longer. He called to his men, "Two men, help His Majesty and the Prince of Chenliu onto their horses. We need to return to Luoyang to deter these villains!"

Not long after they returned, Cao Cao arrived with a cavalry force. Upon seeing Liu Bei, he shouted from afar, "Xuande, have you managed to rescue His Majesty and the Prince of Chenliu?"

Liu Bei responded loudly, "Your Majesty and the Prince of Chenliu are well."

Cao Cao was overjoyed and hurriedly stepped forward to pay his respects.

Liu Bian remained hesitant and dared not speak, while Liu Xie spoke clearly, praising Cao Cao on Liu Bian's behalf, which surprised Cao Cao.

After paying their respects, Cao Cao and Liu Bei rode ahead on horseback, and Cao Cao said in a low voice, "The situation in Luoyang is not good. Apart from Yuan Shu's Tiger Warriors, Yuan Shao has taken control of the Western Garden Army, the Five Schools of the Northern Army, the Feathered Forest Army, the City Guard Army, and the Army under the Commander of the Imperial Guard with the insignia of a Grand General."

"Just now, Chunyu Qiong and I came to chase after them together. On the way, we met Empress Dowager He, and Chunyu Qiong sent her back to Luoyang. Chunyu Qiong also secretly warned me that Dong Zhuo and others had been ordered by Yuan Shao to stay put and could not come to Luoyang. He told me to think carefully before acting."

"Entering the city now might lead to unforeseen circumstances."

Cao Cao's tone was tinged with worry.

Although Liu Bei claimed to have 6,000 soldiers from Yongzhou, he actually only had 2,000, while Yuan Shao had more than 20,000 troops after integrating the armies in Luoyang!

A difference of more than ten times!

This doesn't even include the defeated soldiers of He Jin and He Miao in Luoyang, as well as the retainers and knights-errant kept by princes and ministers.

If Yuan Shao really wanted to take advantage of the situation to launch an attack, Cao Cao did not believe that Liu Bei could stop him with his two thousand men.

"It's alright," Liu Bei said dismissively. "Dong Zhuo's third brother is still in Luoyang. If he hears of the change, he will surely send someone to inform Dong Zhuo. Yuan Shao cannot stop Dong Zhuo!"

“If I do not enter the city, Yuan Shao will think I am cowardly. Once Yuan Shao makes this judgment, he will definitely attack me with all his might, and that will be the real danger. If I enter the city, Yuan Shao will think I am fearless and will not dare to act rashly.”

Liu Bei glanced at Cao Cao and chuckled, "If Mengde helps Yuan Shao now, I will have no chance of escaping Luoyang."

Cao Cao shook his head: "Since I have made an agreement with Xuande, how could I go back on my word and help Yuan Shao again? Besides, Yuan Shao now commands more than 20,000 troops and holds the insignia of a Grand General, enjoying the power to make decisions on his own. Whether I am there or not will not affect Yuan Shao's plans."

Liu Bei smiled but remained silent.

It wasn't that Cao Cao was particularly trustworthy, but rather that he realized he wouldn't gain much benefit even if he helped Yuan Shao. In fact, Yuan Shao even sent Chunyu Qiong to warn Cao Cao.

If Cao Cao were to join in at this point, it would only make Yuan Shao despise him even more.

Fulfilling the agreement with Liu Bei was clearly more valuable than helping Yuan Shao.

In addition, Liu Bei's assessment of Dong Zhuo made Cao Cao secretly feel fortunate.

Yuan Shao was convinced that he had taken control of Luoyang, based on the assumption that Dong Zhuo and other generals would obediently stay put and wait for orders. However, he did not expect that Dong Zhuo still had a secret edict from Liu Bei.

With this secret edict, Dong Zhuo will arrive in Luoyang tonight even if he rushes at all costs. Otherwise, once the situation in Luoyang is settled, even if he has the secret edict, it will be of no use.

Just as Liu Bei had predicted.

When Yuan Shao learned that Liu Bei had entered the city in a swaggering manner, he immediately became suspicious.

After being outmaneuvered by Liu Bei outside Pingguan, Yuan Shao was reminded of the time he was suppressed by Liu Bei at Xiyuan Army.

The more confident and fearless Liu Bei appeared, the more cautious Yuan Shao became.

If it were someone else who was willing to risk their life for a great cause, regardless of whether Liu Bei was fearless or just pretending, all 20,000 troops would have been sent in, more than ten times the strength of the enemy, to surround and kill him. Even if he had wings, he would have no chance of escaping.

“Mengde returned to the city with Liu Bei, it seems Mengde is truly prepared to support Liu Bei.” Chunyu Qiong’s tone was full of ferocity.

Everyone else follows Yuan Shao, so why does Cao Cao have to be different?
Do you still think you can be on equal footing with Yuan Shao?

Yuan Shao was equally displeased.

No matter how you compare them, Yuan Shao did not believe that Liu Bei was stronger than himself.

Previously, Liu Bei was slightly better in terms of official rank, but now Yuan Shao is the Commandant of the Capital Region, who holds the authority of a Grand General, and is no worse than Liu Bei.

Even so, Cao Cao still managed to side with Liu Bei.

"Liu Bei, your arrogance won't last long. Tomorrow I will summon all the court officials, and with the Empress Dowager in charge, we can decide the course of events."

"You insulted the Empress Dowager yesterday, how could she forgive you? All she needs to do is issue an edict in public, and I can have you arrested and imprisoned!"

Yuan Shao's expression was somewhat distorted, as if he wanted to return the humiliation that Liu Bei had brought him all at once!
I, Yuan Shao, a member of the Yuan family who has held high office for four generations, am not someone that can be compared to a commoner from a remote border region.
(End of this chapter)