Liu Bei: My younger brother is a deity.

Chapter 84 Rewards and Retribution

The imperial decree arrived faster than expected.

Although Xia Yu, Tian Yan, and Zang Min later submitted another memorial, trying to claim credit for burning Tanhan Mountain, they were ultimately too late.

After receiving Liu Quan's letter, Cai Yong never considered that his son-in-law might be deceiving him. He then dragged Liu Kuan along to submit a memorial to the court, recounting in detail the events of Liu Bei and Liu Quan's raid on the Xianbei royal court.

In his letter, Liu Quan slightly downplayed his own role and slightly exaggerated Liu Bei's contributions.

Thus, the name "Liu Bei" caught the emperor's eye for the first time.

As for Liu Quan, Liu Hong already had an impression of him; he was the famous Jade Gentleman of Luoyang, hard to forget.

"These Liu brothers are truly extraordinary." Liu Hong praised them a few times in the palace, then pondered what reward he should give them.

The messenger was Liu Yu.

He was about to take up his post as governor of Youzhou, and he brought the imperial edict with him on the way.

Xia Yu, Tian Yan, and Zang Min were all dismissed from their posts and reduced to commoners, then escorted back to Luoyang in prison carts to be punished.

Liu Bei received a spot to be recommended as a filial and incorruptible official next year, while Liu Quan received a spot to be recommended as an outstanding talent next year.

The term "Maocai" was one of the subjects in the Han Dynasty's recommendation system. It was often recommended alongside "Xiaolian," but Maocai was one level higher. "Xiaolian" was recommended by the prefecture, while "Maocai" was recommended by the state.

Incidentally, the term "Maocai" was used in the Western Han Dynasty to refer to a scholar, but it was changed to "Maocai" in the Eastern Han Dynasty to avoid the taboo of Emperor Liu Xiu's name.

Although Liu Quan exaggerated Liu Bei's role in his letter, Liu Quan was much more famous, and the rewards he received were actually higher than those for Liu Bei.

Liu Bei didn't care about this at all; on the contrary, he was quite pleased.

As for Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Han Dang, Jian Yong, and others, they were each rewarded with some money and silk.

Officials also went to deliver imperial edicts to Lü Bu, Zhang Xun, and others in Bingzhou, and their rewards were roughly equivalent to those given to Guan Yu and Zhang Fei.

This is the difference between having connections in the court and not having them.

After Liu Yu finished conveying the imperial decree, he couldn't help but shake his head in private.

In his view, these young men had made tremendous contributions by burning down the royal court and building the Jingguan (a monument to the grasslands), and they were the only bright spot in a major defeat. The emperor's reward was really too meager.

But he couldn't say much.

After delivering the imperial decree, he exchanged a few words with the Liu brothers, reminisced about the past, and then went to Ji County to take up his post.

Several more days passed.

That evening.

Liu Bei and Liu Quan stood on a small earthen slope by the roadside.

They watched from afar as the prison cart carrying Xia Yu and the others gradually disappeared down the official road.

After watching for a while, Liu Bei suddenly sighed, "Now I understand why you didn't let us enlist in the army back then, Quan. If we had been under Xia Yu's command, he would have been our lord. After this battle, he would have taken most of the credit, while we would have had to bear the blame for him. That would have been truly unfair."

Liu Quan nodded.

That hits the nail on the head.

According to the rules of this dynasty, county officials regard the prefect as their sovereign, and students regard their recommenders as their fathers.

When the lord prospers, his disciples and former subordinates are promoted and made rich; when the lord fails, his disciples and former subordinates also suffer.

For example, Sun Jian lost his official position because of this battle.

This is called a dualistic monarchical view.

If he and Abei were under Xia Yu's command, and bypassed Xia Yu to report their achievements to the court, that would not be loyalty, but betrayal.

Not only will they not gain any favor, but their reputation will also be ruined.

…………

Liu Yu had only been in office for a few days when a flood of tasks came his way, giving him a headache.

This crushing defeat of the imperial court sent shockwaves through the entire northern frontier.

The Southern Xiongnu Chanyu Huzheng died on the battlefield, and the Wuhuan people also suffered heavy casualties.

What's more troublesome is that Emperor Liu Hong wanted to renege on his debt.

The initial agreement was that each of the two tribes would be paid ten million coins upfront, and then another thirty million coins would be paid after the war was over, for a total of eighty million coins.

Now that the battle has been lost, Liu Hong doesn't want to pay the remaining money.

This emperor loved money but was unwilling to suffer any loss.

The Southern Xiongnu and Wuhuan were naturally unhappy and started making a scene, almost tearing down Liu Yu's government office.

Before he could properly appease them, the Xianbei people's revenge arrived.

In early September, a Xianbei cavalry force of over 10,000 men, led by Tan Shihuai's son Helian, launched a surprise attack on Liaoxi. They captured Liucheng in one fell swoop, taking away the mother, wife, and daughters of Zhao Bao, the governor of Liaoxi. They then besieged the prefectural seat and attacked it day and night.

Zhao Bao was so anxious that he jumped up and down and asked Liu Yu for help.

Liu Yu's head was spinning; after much deliberation, he suddenly remembered two people—

It was the Liu brothers!

Those two lads have set fires in the Xianbei royal court; they might have a way to deal with it.

Although he knew this was a desperate measure, he really had no other choice.

Since Liu Yu took office, Liu Quan has always kept a drone hovering over his residence.

Therefore, he already knew Liu Yu's purpose in summoning him and A Bei.

At Liu Yu's residence.

Following Liu Quan's instructions, Liu Bei patted his chest and said, "Don't worry, Lord Liu, as long as Prefect Zhao is willing to cooperate, we will definitely be able to rescue his family."

Liu Yu was skeptical, but decided to try anything, even if it seemed hopeless.

Zhao Bao's side cooperated, immediately gathering an army of 20,000 to confront the Xianbei people.

The Xianbei people used Zhao Bao's family members to threaten him.

He and his personal guards arrived at the front lines: "Prefect Zhao, do you not care about the lives of your elderly mother, wife, and daughters? If you do not retreat, your family in Liucheng will be beheaded."

Zhao Bao gritted his teeth and endured it, pretending to be hesitant.

He Lian thought there was a chance, and said, "Don't worry, we'll just plunder Liaoxi. Once we're done, this land and your family will be returned to you."

Zhao Bao pretended to be interested and began to bargain with He Lian to buy time for Liu Bei and his men.

Meanwhile, Liu Bei and Liu Quan had already set off at full speed for Liucheng.

With a drone scouting ahead, the two easily avoided all the Xianbei cavalry along the way.

In less than half a day, Liucheng appeared before them.

It was a small earthen city, 400 meters from east to west and 200 meters from north to south, with low walls made of rammed earth.

Both city gates were tightly closed, and on the city walls, Xianbei people carrying spears strolled back and forth lazily.

Liu Bei reined in his horse, glanced at the commotion on the city wall, and asked in a low voice, "A-Quan, why didn't you call Yun Chang and Yi De this time? More people would increase our chances of success."

Liu Quan shook his head: "This time the main priority is rescuing people, not killing them, so we don't need that many people. Besides—"

He paused, then added, "I need to use some magical techniques, which I don't want them to see."

Upon hearing the words "divine methods," Liu Bei's eyes lit up immediately.

That tiny bit of uncertainty in my heart vanished completely in the blink of an eye.

"Then how do we get into the city?" Liu Bei asked in a low voice.

Liu Quan looked up at the sky.

Only he knew that 300 meters above his head, a drone was transmitting the entire layout of Liucheng, the distribution of troops, and the patrol routes to him in perfect detail.

"Wait until it gets dark," he said.

An hour later, the sky darkened.

Liu Bei and Liu Quan abandoned their horses and headed towards Liucheng.

…………

In Liucheng.

A civilian house was requisitioned by the Xianbei people and used as a prison. Two Xianbei soldiers with knives stood outside the door.

Several crows were perched on the roof, all turning their heads to the side, watching a strange bird that had blended in with them.

The room was dimly lit. An old woman sat against the wall, with a middle-aged woman and a young girl in front of her, all with tears streaming down their faces.

The old woman was Zhao Bao's mother, while the middle-aged beauty and the young girl were Zhao Bao's wife and daughter.

The old woman glanced at the faint firelight outside the window, then at her daughter-in-law who was weeping beside her and her little granddaughter who was nestled in her arms. She reached out and tidied her granddaughter's disheveled hair, and said softly, "Don't cry, crying is useless."

She paused, her expression turning serious. Her gaze slowly swept over her daughter-in-law and granddaughter, and she said, word by word, "You must remember, we are all women of the Zhao family. You must never disgrace the Zhao family. If any Xianbei scoundrels attempt to harm us—"

She paused slightly, touched the hairpin in her hair, and said in a deep voice, "Then take your own life."