A Little Trick

Chapter 114 A Little Trick

After a moment's thought, Gong Shafu nodded and said, "There is indeed such a person. Gongsun Du is a member of a collateral branch of the Gongsun family."

"He currently serves as an official in Xuantu Commandery, and it is rumored that he is highly regarded by the Commandery Prefect, Gongsun Yu!"

Liu Bei's eyes flashed. Gongsun Du!

The powerful and ruthless figures who controlled Liaodong—was the Gongsun family really that influential in the Liaodong region?

It seems we need to take action. Liaodong belongs to the Han Dynasty, not the Gongsun family.

Gongsha Fu looked at Liu Bei, his eyes flashing, and said, "Besides this, there is another uncontrolled force in the vassal state—Su Puyan, the Qiao King of the Wuhuan in Liaoxi."

"His tribe has more than a thousand villages and more than three thousand archers, who patrol the border year-round."

"Although their territory is under the jurisdiction of our prefecture and kingdom, my father has no authority to deploy troops; he is only responsible for ensuring the safety of the people!"

"The Wuhuan tribe is under the command of the Protectorate of the Wuhuan!"

Liu Bei listened quietly, his fingertips lightly tapping the table, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his eyes. This Gongsha Fu was a talented man.

The territory of Liaoxi Prefecture was ultimately too small. It was threatened by the Xianbei from the outside and hampered by the governor's office and the Protectorate of Wuhuan from the inside. Its development had long reached a bottleneck.

Now that the vassal states of Liaodong are leaderless, with Gongshamu dead, the county troops scattered, and the powerful families checking and balancing each other, it is a golden opportunity for him to take control of this region.

He looked up at the two brothers in front of him; he had already made up his mind: Gongsha Shao was upright and knowledgeable in military affairs and could command troops; Gongsha Fu was calm and resourceful and could govern the people. They were the best tools for him to control the vassal state.

The following day, Liu Bei, in his capacity as the Commandant of Liaoxi and the main general of this battle, held a grand funeral in Changli for Gongshamu, who died defending the country.

The people of the entire city spontaneously lined the streets to weep and pay their respects. Liu Bei personally presided over the ceremony and read the eulogy. His words were earnest, and all who heard them were moved to tears.

After the funeral, he immediately drafted a memorial and sent it to Luoyang as soon as possible, detailing Gongsha Mu's loyal and courageous act of sacrificing himself for his country and praising the five Gongsha brothers for their meritorious service in defending the city.

Li Biao appointed Gong Shashao as the Chief Administrator of Liaodong Dependent State, and Gong Shafu as the Magistrate of Changli County.

I received another tearful expression of gratitude from Brother Gongsha!

After sending the memorial, Liu Bei began his next move.

He first summoned Gongsun Bai privately, and after dismissing his attendants, he sighed with feigned regret: "Your talent is exceptional. I originally intended to submit a memorial to the court to recommend you for the position of Commandant of the Dependent State."

"But the Tian family has been operating in the vassal state for many years and has a deep-rooted influence. Tian Shao has repeatedly told me that the Gongsun family is rampant in the counties and covets power. If you were to take power, it might cause chaos. I have no choice but to accept this!"

Gongsun Bai, who had long harbored deep resentment and power struggles with the Tian family, turned ashen-faced upon hearing this, his hatred for the Tian family surging within him. He immediately bowed deeply, saying, "Commander, you are wise!"

"The Tian family has a long history of monopolizing salt and iron, oppressing the people, and running rampant in the countryside!"

"We implore the Commandant to uphold justice for us. The entire Gongsun clan is willing to follow your lead!"

After appeasing Lady Gongsun, Liu Bei summoned Tian Shao and said with a solemn expression, "Lord Tian, ​​there is something I must remind you of."

""

"Recently, Gongsun Bai has spoken with me several times, saying that the Tian family monopolizes the land in the vassal state and oppresses the local people, and is quite dissatisfied with your clan."

"The Gongsun clan has the backing of the Xiangping clan and possesses a strong and well-equipped army; you must be wary!"

Tian Shao, already wary of the Gongsun clan's expansion, was both shocked and furious upon hearing this, and immediately knelt down, saying, "Commander, your judgment is brilliant!"

"The Gongsun clan harbors wolfish ambitions and has always sought to seize power in the vassal state! The entire Tian clan is willing to obey the Commandant's orders and has absolutely no disloyal intentions!"

Although Liu Bei's move was simple, the two clans had a long-standing feud, and Liu Bei's subtle provocation further aggravated the situation.

They were suspicious of each other and at odds, each regarding Liu Bei as their only reliable support and vying to curry favor with him.

His usual behavior became much more restrained, and he actively participated in the reconstruction of Changli, contributing money and effort, thus falling completely under Liu Bei's control!

Liu Bei also knew that this method could solve the problem temporarily, but it would not last long!

Just in time, a new opportunity has arrived!

On this day, the beacon towers in the southwest direction lit up one after another, their smoke columns stretching across the sky, and soon reached Changli City.

Immediately afterward, Liu Bei received an urgent report delivered by fast horse from Liaoxi!

The Xianbei cavalry broke through the border barriers and penetrated into the heart of Youzhou. The beacon fires along the border continued uninterrupted throughout the night, and a hundred-mile-long column of smoke stretched across the entire prefecture, causing three alarms a day.

An urgent message rushed straight to the gates of Luoyang Palace. Before the court session had even ended, the edict to quell the rebellion had already been sent out of the city gates, strictly ordering all counties and kingdoms in Youzhou to immediately muster their troops and rush to the aid day and night, without any delay!

Let's go back a few days!

When Liu Bei sent troops to rescue Changli, the battle on the other side had just begun.

In Youbeiping, Gongsun Zan gathered two thousand of his White Horse Cavalry and three thousand soldiers from Youbeiping, totaling five thousand men.

They also joined forces with Xia Yu, the Protector of the Wuhuan, to launch a two-pronged attack on the Xianbei Suli tribe that had invaded Youbeiping.

The White Horse Cavalry surged across the grasslands like a snowy wave, cutting off the vanguard of the Suli tribe. Xia Yu launched a flanking attack, causing the Xianbei to lose over a thousand men and retreat in haste.

Gongsun Zan and Xia Yu pressed their advantage, advancing northwards and killing over a thousand more before finally capturing the enemy in the encirclement.

Weichang is located in the heart of the Xianbei territory, with crisscrossing valleys and complex terrain.

The Suli tribe fought and retreated, eventually leading the Han army deep into the valley.

Then, the pockets were closed!

Suddenly, the Xianbei banner changed and became the Mija tribe!

Gongsun Zan and Xia Yu found themselves trapped in a valley by Xianbei cavalry several times their number, unable to advance or retreat.

Meanwhile, the real Suli tribe, led by the Xianbei general Suli himself, with 8,000 elite cavalry, swaggered from Youbeiping, which had no troops to defend, and marched straight into the heart of Youzhou along the Rushui River Valley.

Wherever it passed, the county towns and outposts crumbled at the mere sight of the enemy, and the smoke from the beacon towers rose one after another, burning from Youbeiping all the way to Yuyang, and from Yuyang to Guangyang.

Ji County was shaken. Guo Xun, the governor of Youzhou, urgently ordered troops from various prefectures to come to the aid of the emperor, but it was too late. The heartland was as empty as a sieve.

Su Li's eight thousand elite cavalry galloped freely through the heart of Youzhou, as if they were in an empty land.

A similar scene also played out in Bingzhou.

The Xianbei army in central China broke through the defenses in northern Bingzhou, and Taiyuan, Yanmen, and Xihe counties were all in dire need of assistance.

The governor of Bingzhou sent an urgent report to the capital, and one after another, express horses rushed into the gates of Luoyang.

The imperial court was then shocked and realized that something serious had happened.

Liu Hong smashed a teacup during the morning court session. He thought the Xianbei were just plunderers who would raid southward every autumn when their horses were fat and strong, and then leave once they had plundered enough.

But this time it's different. Two routes in the east and one route in the center are all advancing. This is not looting; this is to shake the very foundation of the northern frontier.

Imperial edicts flew out of Luoyang City one after another.

He ordered Guo Xun, the governor of Youzhou, to quickly mobilize troops from various prefectures and defeat the Xianbei within a specified time.

He demanded that all available troops within Youzhou, including those from Youbeiping, Yuyang, Liaoxi, Liaodong, Shanggu, and others, be deployed to the front lines.

When the imperial eunuch arrived in Liaoxi, Zhao Bao knew that Liu Qi was finished, and that the Xianbei people had entered Youzhou from Youbeiping.

Furthermore, he began to feel fortunate that he hadn't let Liu Bei take all his troops with him, otherwise the Xianbei might have seen that this area was undefended and also fled to Liaoxi!

He hastily assembled his troops and sent a trusted confidant with an imperial edict to urgently summon Liu Bei!

The messenger followed the beacon fire all the way, hurrying as fast as he could, and arrived in Changli County almost simultaneously!