Rebellion

Before Lu Bu attacked Xiaopei, he had promised Liu Bei's wealth and grain to reward his troops, so the soldiers had all fought bravely at the front.

After breaking through Xiaopei, they found little grain in the prefectural storehouses, let alone any wealth.

Liu Bei had spent this time recruiting soldiers and buying horses on a large scale. How could he have left Lu Bu much to reward his troops with?

Lu Bu had promised his soldiers before the battle, and if he failed to keep his word, his authority in the army would suffer.

Lu Bu disdained Cao Cao's practice of slaughtering entire cities, but now he had no choice but to let his troops plunder some valuables.

He instructed Cheng Lian and Zhang Liao, saying, "You must keep your men in check. It's enough to borrow some grain and valuables from the common people. Don't take their lives lightly. Whenever possible, head to the estates outside the city."

"Yes, sir." Zhang Liao and Cheng Lian answered in unison.

Chen Gui had once served as the magistrate of Xiaopei, and the Chen Family owned a good deal of property there. Lu Bu still needed to maintain good relations with the Chen Family, so he couldn't go too far.

Tens of thousands of soldiers plundered the surrounding villages. Most of the common people watched helplessly as their belongings were stolen just to stay alive, while a few lost their lives trying to protect their food.

After half a day of plundering, Lu Bu left five thousand soldiers under Zhang Liao to guard Xiaopei, then led the main army back to Xiapi.

Among Liu Bei's family were members of the Mi Family, so Lu Bu had held back and spared them. He ordered Zhang Liao to keep a close watch over them in Xiaopei.

Gan Qian had taken refuge in Gan Family Village, and had just managed to avoid this calamity.

After spending a day in the Sanctuary, Lan Ziyu brought Gan Qian and her father back up. Gan Family Village now felt bleak and solemn, and much of the farmland had been trampled by men and horses.

Zhang Liao sent the former officials to various places to settle the people. Several hundred residents of Gan Family Village gathered of their own accord at Gan Ji's home. Only then did they realize how useful the cellar Lan Ziyu had dug earlier was.

Although there had been few casualties this time, most of the tenants' belongings had been stolen, and more than half the grain they had stored over the past two years had been carried away. Everyone wept in sorrow.

"However hard life gets, as long as we're still alive, we must fight to keep living. Everyone, get back to tending the fields as soon as possible, or we'll surely go hungry this winter," Lan Ziyu urged them.

"Young Manor Master, could we all follow your example and build shelters like yours?" asked Li Yang, one of the tenants.

"We can build them, but it's best not to make them too large. We also need to choose the site carefully," Lan Ziyu said.

Li Yang cupped his hands. "Then we ask the Young Manor Master to guide us."

"We ask the Young Manor Master to guide us," everyone said in unison.

"Very well. Let's tend the crops first. We can take care of everything else little by little. There shouldn't be any more fighting for a while," Lan Ziyu said, encouraging them.

Lan Ziyu's words were like heavenly music. The tenants' sorrow lifted as soon as they heard him, and they gradually returned to their homes.

"I wonder how Xuande is doing," Gan Qian said worriedly after the tenants had left.

Seeing her spirits low, Lan Ziyu comforted her. "Guan Yu and Zhang Fei are both worth ten thousand men. With those two by his side, General Liu will be fine. I'm certain he'll return to Xiaopei."

"Really?" Gan Qian's face brightened at once.

"When have I ever lied to you? Sister, put your mind at ease," Lan Ziyu said with a smile.

After Liu Bei's defeat, he would surely flee to Cao Cao. Had he not listened to Cao the Rebel and attacked Yuan Shu, Xu Province would never have fallen so easily to Lu Bu, and he would not have suffered this defeat. Boss Cao would surely help him clean up the mess.

In the north, Gongsun Zan had retreated to Yi County after the Battle of Baoqiu. Yuan Shao had nearly unified everything north of the Yellow River, and his eldest son, Yuan Tan, had also taken Qing Province from Tian Kai. Yuan Shao's actual control now extended south of the Yellow River.

Although Cao Cao and Yuan Shao were still allies, their fragile relationship could not last forever. With the situation in the north so dire, Cao Cao naturally didn't want Lu Bu to become a threat in the east. Even knowing Liu Bei had considerable ambition, he would still drive the tiger to swallow the wolf and use him to contain Lu Bu.

After all, compared to Lu Bu, Liu Bei was more worthy of Cao Cao's trust.

Meanwhile, after Ji Ling returned from Xiaopei to Shouchun, Yuan Shu flew into a rage upon reading Lu Bu's letter proposing peace.

Previously, Han Yin had sent a great deal of grain and supplies to Xu Province, yet Lu Bu had secretly sabotaged things and forced Ji Ling to withdraw. Although the betrothal gifts were still being prepared according to custom, Yuan Shu had already come to hate Lu Bu.

At that moment, a strategist under Yuan Shu suggested that Hao Meng, a native of Henei who had an old connection with him, could be offered generous rewards to rebel against Lu Bu, seize Xu Province, and present it to Yuan Shu.

Yuan Shu was delighted. He had long wanted to seize Xu Province, so he ordered the man to travel secretly to Xiapi.

After returning victorious from Xiaopei, Lu Bu was full of himself. For several days, he drank and feasted with his generals until late into the night.

One night, at around the third watch.

Lu Bu was sound asleep on his bed when a sudden clamor rose throughout the residence. The clang of weapons carried on the wind.

The female guard assigned to watch over the rear courtyard rushed to Lu Lingqi's door and reported that assassins had broken in. Lu Lingqi quickly donned her armor and went out. After questioning the guard, she learned that her father's subordinate, Hao Meng, had rebelled and was already inside the government offices. More than half the female guards under her command had been killed or wounded.

The situation was critical. Lu Lingqi kicked open Lu Bu's door.

"Eyed bandit, how dare you!" Lu Bu had been fighting Zhang Fei in his dream, and Lu Lingqi's kick at the door startled him awake.

"Father, Hao Meng has rebelled! Take Mother and get out, quickly!" Lu Lingqi pointed outside and shouted.

"Hao Meng? Not Zhang..." Lu Bu focused his eyes. Wasn't this his own bedroom? The woman beside him was hurriedly getting dressed.

"Don't put on armor. There's no time!" Lu Lingqi saw that Lady Yan wasn't even properly dressed, yet she was trying to fetch Lu Bu's armor.

There was no time to worry about being half-dressed. Lu Lingqi grabbed Lady Yan's hand and rushed out. Lu Bu followed behind them in disarray, his clothes askew. The haze of wine had long since turned to cold sweat running down his back.

"Young Lady, the front hall has fallen. You can escape through the rear gate!" the female guard urged.

Lu Lingqi led her parents away as directed. Once they came through the rear gate, they heard the city in an uproar. She turned to Lu Bu and asked, "Father, Xiapi is in chaos. We don't know how many rebels Hao Meng has gathered. Where should we go now?"

"We can go to Gao Shun's Xianzhen Battalion," Lu Bu said firmly.

Lu Lingqi nodded. It was exactly what she had been thinking, and it seemed her father had sobered up.

Hao Meng's forces were limited, and he couldn't take control of all four gates of Xiapi in a short time. That gave Lu Lingqi and the others a chance to hide in the city for an hour before escaping.

The three reached the Xianzhen Battalion. Seeing Lu Bu in such a sorry state, Gao Shun knew something terrible had happened in the city.

"That scoundrel Hao Meng dared to betray me! That scoundrel Hao Meng dared to betray me!"

As Lu Bu muttered on and on, Gao Shun invited him to take the seat of honor in the main tent. Then he clasped his hands and said, "My lord, please rest here for now. I'll take my troops into the city at once to put down the rebellion."

"Good. Wenyuan is in Xiaopei, so Xiapi will have to rely on you," Lu Bu said, panting.

"My lord, rest assured."

Gao Shun's Xianzhen Battalion was disciplined and the most elite infantry under Lu Bu. Before setting out to suppress the rebellion, he ordered his deputy, Xu Shuang, to protect Lu Bu.

Most of Gao Shun's officers knew Lu Lingqi. While they waited for news from Gao Shun, Xu Shuang leaned toward Lu Lingqi and said quietly, "I heard that a few days ago, my lord attacked Xiaopei and then let his soldiers plunder the villages. Gan Family Village was probably among them."

"What? What happened to Lan Ziyu?" Lu Lingqi asked anxiously.

Xu Shuang shook his head. "I only heard the rumors from other camps over the past couple of days. General Gao probably knows the details better."

Lu Lingqi stamped her foot in anger. "Hmph, that Gao Shun has started keeping things from me, too."