Chapter 352 Liu Bei Enters the Pass
The group of people going to Chang'an was of extremely complex composition.
Even Liu Bei and Lu Kang, who were prisoners, had completely different mentalities.
For Lu Kang, the change of ownership of Yangzhou and the sudden destruction of the four surnames of Wujun by Qiao Yan were probably things that could be seen when most of them did not intend to cooperate with Sun Ce's actions. Now the person who was carrying out this matter had just changed from Sun Ce to Qiao Yan.
At most, when Lu Kang thought of Sun Ce's untimely death and his life-saving grace in the past, he couldn't help but sigh in his heart.
But Lu Kang was not particularly worried about the future of Huating Lu's family.
Not to mention that the Lu family's clansmen had already taken several people away when Lu Yuan came to Yangzhou that year. Just to say... according to convention, the status of a family is often determined by the people with the highest status. Just looking at this point, Lu Kang didn't think he needed to worry.
Lu Ji is now studying under Zheng Xuan, who is one of the best among the famous scholars in the world. With his talent, he will definitely learn something. If he continues to study and research, he will have a chance to succeed sooner or later.
Lu Yi had already distinguished himself in the battle of Liaodong, making Lu Kang feel that he had done his duty to his deceased brother. As a student that Leping Academy focuses on training, Lu Yi's future is completely tied to Qiao Yan, so Lu Kang obviously doesn't need to worry about it.
As for Lu Yuan, he also had a development prospect that Lu Kang did not expect, and he was even very likely to become the pillar supporting the Lu family.
A woman could be an official, or even a governor of a state.
Before Qiao Yan appeared out of nowhere, Lu Kang had never thought of such a position.
With these younger generations who have a clear future ahead of them, Lu Kang doesn't have to worry about suffering when he goes to Chang'an.
As long as Qiao Yan's position as Grand Marshal remains intact, his loss of the position of Lujiang prefect would not be a loss for the Huating Lu family.
On the way to Chang'an, although Zhou Tai was rude to him and even spoke to him in a harsh manner because of Sun Ce's death, Dian Wei, the leader of a higher status in the team, treated him well enough to make him feel more comfortable.
On the other hand, Liu Bei seemed to be distracted on the road.
He was not a man who had not experienced ups and downs. He had also experienced the situation where his military achievements and political achievements were withheld. The betrayal of Pei State in Yuzhou this year did not defeat him. But at this moment, he inexplicably felt that he might not be able to return to a relatively proactive state.
In the defeat at Huaiyin, he lost Zhang Fei, who was like a sworn brother to him.
His failed escape at sea cost him the chance to make a comeback and he lost the remaining territory of Xuzhou.
With Qiao Yan's careful planning, the people of Tan County petitioned for help, which enabled him to win over the people's support for his governance of Xuzhou. Now he was separated from another trusted general of his and was sent back to Chang'an.
Apart from those subordinates who had been poached by Qiao Yan, the only subordinate who was allowed to follow Liu Bei was Jian Yong.
He had followed him since his youth, and now he was accompanying him on the road to the prison in Chang'an, which made Liu Bei sigh in his heart.
He held Jian Yong's hand and said, "Xianhe, if you have the opportunity after arriving in Chang'an, you should try to find a future for yourself first. You are an excellent eloquent and graceful person as an audience. There is still a lack of talents like you in Chang'an. It is better than living in seclusion with me."
Liu Bei still had a clear idea about his future.
Qiao Yan was sure that he was not the kind of person who would not spare his life. Since he had promised the people of Xuzhou to give him a sinecure, he would definitely not go back on his word on this matter.
But he had once been a very important member of the court in Yecheng, and had even held the position of governor. At a time when the two sides were in confrontation, it was impossible for him to be entrusted with an important position.
Even when he initially chose to serve in the court of Yecheng, it was entirely because Liu Xie was abducted to Chang'an by Dong Zhuo at that time. Relying on Liu Bei's background, in order to get an official position and a legitimate title, he had to rely on the emperor of Yecheng. But now, the close relationship between him and Yuan Shao and Liu Bian made it impossible for Qiao Yan to use him easily.
For some reason, Liu Bei intuitively felt that Qiao Yan would not use him because of other connections, but this intuition was fleeting and soon disappeared.
Jian Yong replied, "Your Excellency, do not worry. Chang'an is not ruled by the Grand Marshal Qiao. You and the emperor of Chang'an are both from the Liu clan. You also served the people when you were both governors. I think you can save your life and have the opportunity to be reused."
"Even if you can't go out and serve as a governor or governor of a province, there will always be a chance for you to serve as a position like the head of a clan in Chang'an. After the world is pacified, there will no longer be a distinction between the emperor of Chang'an and the emperor of Yecheng, and you should be able to serve as a governor of a region again."
Jian Yong was not like Liu Bei who could see more potential lurking things. He just felt that it might be a good thing to change camps at this time while taking advantage of the defeat.
But when he arrived in Jingzhou, he noticed something was wrong when he saw Liu Biao's attitude.
Logically speaking, Liu Biao was not only a member of the royal family, but also a governor who had always been a vassal of the imperial court in Chang'an. After hearing about the battle situation in Yangzhou and Xuzhou, he should have felt gratified.
In particular, the generals under his command played an important role in this battle and made great military achievements. When the Chang'an court calculates the rewards based on merit, he will at least be able to get some of the credit.
But what is strange is that after hearing about the war situation between the two states, Liu Biao showed an expression that was hard to tell whether it was fear or confusion.
He grabbed Zhang Yun and walked aside, "Tell me everything about your situation in Yangzhou and Xuzhou."
"Uncle, I am in charge of these fleets. I have only been ashore a few times, so I know very little," Zhang Yun replied in a low voice. "When we arrived in Yangzhou, Sun Ce was already half dead. It happened that the Grand Marshal arrived and entrusted the orphan to him. Then she went into the mountains to capture Zu Lang. She basically used Sun Bofu's old subordinates, and at most brought Wen Zhongye with her."
In Zhang Yun's opinion, Sun Ce's death was a great thing for Jingzhou.
As long as Sun Ce is alive, we can tell from the way he deals with Huang Zu and swears to avenge his father that once he truly gains a foothold in Yangzhou, since distant water cannot quench a nearby fire and Qiao Yan's primary opponent is Yuan Shao, Sun Ce will inevitably take action against Jingzhou.
By then, Jingzhou will have to face considerable trouble.
Now that Sun Ce is dead, and he died at the hands of the Shanyue forces in Yangzhou, it has nothing to do with their Jingzhou. His uncle should feel that the huge rock has been lifted from his head, and should not react like this.
It was as if there was another knife hanging over his head.
"Uncle, you can relax. Wen Zhongye assisted Zhou Gongjin in the battlefield of Xuzhou and made great contributions in the suppression of Liu Bei and Zhang Fei's forces. As for me, your nephew, I first followed the Grand Marshal to land in Wujun from the sea and captured all the four surnames of Wujun. Then, at the right time, I led my troops northward. Coincidentally—"
Zhang Yun was completely unaware that Liu Biao's expression was becoming increasingly ugly, and at this moment he made an upward gesture, with a hint of pride in his tone, "It just happened to catch Liu Bei who was fleeing to the sea."
"Although my Jingzhou navy is not among the top naval forces along the coast, it still performed very well in such a simple pursuit. In short, I didn't lose face for you, so don't worry."
Seeing Zhang Yun's frank attitude, Liu Biao wanted to slap him in the face to wake him up.
Peace of mind? There is no way he can feel at ease.
He originally thought that by sending out the troops from Jingzhou, he would at least be able to learn how Qiao Yan developed his power step by step to this point. Besides making friends with him, he could also let his two subordinates learn a thing or two, which would at least help him improve himself.
I’m not sure if I learned anything, but I was quite frightened!
Just listening to what Zhang Yun said, Liu Biao was full of questions that needed answers.
In addition to these problems, what made him feel even more frightened was that last year Qiao Yan led troops to capture Yizhou and Youzhou, and this year he conquered Xuzhou and Yangzhou, so - what was the goal for next year?
When the reputation of Grand Marshal Qiao Yan had already surpassed that of the emperor in the capital, and the power of the Liu clan had been declining since the fire in Luoyang that year, was it possible for her to include Jingzhou in next year's target on the grounds that he had colluded with Dong Zhuo in the past?
No matter how Liu Biao thought about it, he felt that this was not impossible!
Once she had the experience of pacifying the Shanyue in Yangzhou, she would be more adept at dealing with the clan bandits in Jingzhou.
If she let Zhu Jun return to Changsha, first go south to wipe out the rebels in the southern part of Jingzhou, and then take these people north to find a crime to arrest him, it might be the best outcome for her.
What’s the use of the Xiangyang family’s support for Liu Biao!
The status of these people as local tyrants in Jingzhou is very similar to the situation of the Four Families of Wujun in Yangzhou.
The latter has now ended up being exiled to Yizhou. Can the former compete with Qiao Yan's power?
With such anxious feeling, Liu Biao waved his hand, signaling Zhang Yun to leave first.
Perhaps the only consolation for him is that his situation is much better than Liu Bei's. At least he has not yet officially become hostile to Qiao Yan, and this time he has indeed nominally obeyed Qiao Yan's order to send troops to Yangzhou and Xuzhou.
He thought for a moment and asked Cai Mao, "What do you think? Should we spend our money to avoid disaster?"
Cai Mao: "What do you mean by that, Lord?"
Liu Biao replied, "Look, Liu Xuande was able to serve in Chang'an instead of being sentenced to death because the people of Xuzhou petitioned for him. Shouldn't we also win over the people's hearts?"
Cai Mao: “…”
He felt that Liu Biao might be suffering from a bit of paranoia.
Qiao Yan would attack Jingzhou only if he had nothing better to do...
But Liu Biao continued to talk: "No, no, let's first see how Liu Xuande will be treated after he arrives in Chang'an. If we go too far, there will be no place for regret."
He thought for a moment and said, "I'd better write a letter to Chang'an and ask Boyu to avoid Liu Xuande there first, so as to avoid any trouble for Jingzhou."
Cai Mao could not help but say: "If you really have such concerns, you might as well send Wen Zhongye to assist the Grand Marshal in guarding Xuzhou to show Jingzhou's support for his actions."
Anyway, Wen Pin and Cai Mao were not really on the same page, so throwing him out and solving the suspicious thoughts of his boss at the same time could be considered the best of two worlds.
Liu Biao nodded and agreed: "It should be so, it should be so."
As for Zhang Yun, he would not send him out. That guy actually thought that he had contributed to the two water invasions. God knows when he will cause trouble.
After realizing that there was nothing wrong with this arrangement, Liu Biao finally calmed down the panic in his heart after hearing the shocking news.
When he was escorting Liu Bei from Jiangling to Nanyang County, he behaved like a qualified governor. Jian Yong even felt that the scene of Liu Biao's loss of composure that he had vaguely witnessed before seemed to be just his illusion.
But if Liu Biao's behavior had already made Jian Yong suspicious, the actions of Nanyang Prefect Yuan Yao made him feel that there were no normal people in the Chang'an court.
Jian Yong had witnessed with his own eyes how Yuan Shu and Yuan Shao acted bossy in front of Liu Bei in the past. However, Yuan Yao, as Yuan Shu's eldest son, had experienced the death of his father. Given his current situation of being directly promoted to the position of prefect, it was natural for him to have some arrogance as a young man.
However, what Liu Bei, Jian Yong and others saw was a lazy governor who seemed to be just trying to get by.
When he was about to settle down a few people here for the night, Jian Yong, who was much more free than Liu Bei, went up to chat with him. Yuan Yao looked at him suspiciously for a long time and said, "Your habit is not good. When you arrive in Chang'an, you have to know one thing: you can't just talk to anyone."
Not everyone has the good luck like Yuan Yao in choosing a camp.
Not everyone has his vision.
Thinking of Liu Bei's identity as a defeated royal family member, Yuan Yao couldn't help but think of the greetings from Liu Yang who greeted him shortly after he arrived in Chang'an.
Seeing that Jian Yong didn't seem to understand what he meant, Yuan Yao didn't explain any further. He just patted him on the shoulder to signal him to take care of himself, and then returned to the provincial capital to fight crickets.
"This prefect... seems to be different from Yuan Benchu's sons?" Jian Yong muttered softly as he watched Yuan Yao's departing back.
"It's probably due to the different growing environments." Liu Bei thought for a moment and replied.
He had hardly had any communication with Yuan Yao before this time, and it was indeed impossible to be sure whether his behavior had changed after Yuan Shu's death.
The place of Nanyang is almost surrounded by the territories already occupied by the Chang'an court. There is no direct military danger. Yuan Yao's policy of governing by doing nothing may be to comply with Liu Biao's wishes, or out of self-preservation, or it may be that a way of survival is bound to emerge in such an environment. There is nothing wrong with it.
Yuan Yao's reminder to be careful when traveling in Chang'an City might not have been just a casual remark.
Liu Bei said, "We are prisoners after all. We should do as Yuan Taishou said and be cautious in what we say and do."
This is no longer Xuzhou.
Even after passing through Nanyang, he would lose one less person who could give him advice, because if Chen Deng wanted to go to Luoyang, he had to first enter Yingchuan from Nanyang and go north to Huanyuan Pass, while Liu Bei should go to the northwest of Nanyang County and enter Guanzhong through Wugu Pass.
From now on, we will go our separate ways and won’t see each other again in the short term.
Just as he thought of this, he saw Chen Deng walking towards him and then bowed deeply to him. "My Lord, please take care when you go to Chang'an."
Liu Bei did not blame Chen Deng for joining Qiao Yan, and even agreed to let her go to Luoyang to assist Xun Yu in managing the people's livelihood there.
If Chen Deng had not chosen him, he might still be just a general stationed in Pei State to suppress bandits, and there would be no possibility for him to become the governor of Xuzhou.
If it were not for Chen Deng's assistance in governing Xuzhou, he would not have been able to accumulate such popularity in Xuzhou in these years.
And if Chen Deng had not stated his achievements, he would not have been able to be legitimately freed from the state of being executed.
At this moment, he was inevitably defeated, but Chen Deng still had his career pursuits and the hopes of the Chen family in Xia Pi on his shoulders. How could he hold the other party back?
"From now on, you don't need to call me Lord of the Mansion anymore. There is no Xuzhou Governor Liu Bei in this world. There is only the criminal Liu Bei who is going to Chang'an." Liu Bei helped Chen Deng up and said, "Besides, you and I are just going to Luoyang and Chang'an respectively. We are not going to die. Since we are in the same Sili territory, we will always have a chance to see each other again."
"Yuanlong, I am looking forward to the day when Luoyang will have a population of one million again."
Chen Deng did not make such a promise, and Liu Bei did not continue speaking.
When Liu Bei was heading towards Wuguan, he turned around and saw Chen Deng standing behind his carriage for a long time, seemingly worried about his future journey to Chang'an.
Until only a vague figure was left, he bowed and saluted in his direction for a long time.
From then on, there was no master-servant relationship.
Liu Bei sighed deeply, feeling both relieved and melancholy for some reason.
But after entering Guanzhong, he no longer had the energy to consider Chen Deng's situation.
Amid the gradually rising crowd of voices, Liu Bei saw the Guanzhong Plain, which was still fertile despite last year's drought, the heavily guarded garrisons in the capital area, and the merchants with various accents.
These people and things flashed past his eyes quickly like a revolving lantern as the official road became wider and wider, speeding up the journey.
Buildings such as Lingtai Mingtang in the suburbs of Chang'an and the prosperous spring outing scene next to the outside of the moat also appeared in his sight one after another.
Until the speed of the carriage gradually slowed down and stopped a short distance away from the city gate, he had to get off the carriage to wait for the inspection ahead. Then he finally set foot on the land of Chang'an in Guanzhong.
Is this Chang'an today?
Liu Bei looked at the Chang'an city wall in front of him and was distracted for a moment.
The walls still have traces of war left behind.
Perhaps some of them were left behind when the Red Eyebrow Army attacked Chang'an in the past, or perhaps some of them were left behind when Qiao Yan and his troops entered Chang'an and killed Dong Zhuo.
In short, these traces do not seem to need any unnecessary repairs to make them brand new and clean just because a new dynasty was established here, but they are displayed to the world with ease.
But as a city wall, the protection it can provide is sufficient.
Looking at the faces of the people passing by, it seems that no one thinks that these scratches will affect the appearance of the royal city, nor will they affect the sense of security that its existence can bring to people, because there is a kind of extremely contagious peace on their faces.
A more obvious livelihood is in sight than for the people of Xuzhou.
Dian Wei suddenly interrupted his thoughts and said, "Envoy Liu, please come in."
Liu Bei gathered his thoughts and replied, "Okay."
They were not like the soldiers and prisoners escorting criminals, who entered the city quietly under the cover of night and brought him to Liu Yu. Instead, on such a bright afternoon, when the people coming and going at the city gate were no different from usual, they walked in like officials who came to Chang'an to report on their work.
We walked through the south gate of Chang'an, which is the new Chang'an Road.
When Liu Bei was walking on this special cement road, he happened to hear someone shouting in the distance, "Leping Monthly March issue, hurry up if you want to buy it!"
He subconsciously looked up at the sky. It seemed to be just an ordinary day in Chang'an City.
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