Han Ji

Chapter 125 Dead Men Tell No Tales

The scarred man gritted his teeth: "Captain, it's not that we don't know what's good for us. But the government... the government has always been untrustworthy!"

Liu Bei said, word by word, "I, Liu Bei, swear today: after the fifteenth of August, not only will I not drive them away, but I will also distribute grain to those who have land and wasteland to those who have no land. Those who wish to join the army will be registered in my army and will receive a monthly salary of three hundred coins."

The displaced people were in uproar.

For the landless to be given barren land, that's something that only happens in dreams.

"Captain... is this true?" an old man asked in a trembling voice.

"Is it true?" Liu Bei drew his sword, the tip touching the ground. "If I break this oath, may I be as cruel as this sword."

With a flick of his wrist, the sword snapped in two with a clang.

The broken sword was stuck in the ground, reflecting the firelight.

The refugees looked at the broken sword, then at Liu Bei.

The scarred man suddenly knelt down: "Captain! I believe you!"

As soon as he took the lead, a whole bunch of people knelt down.

Wang Wu breathed a sigh of relief.

Liu Bei, however, did not relax. He looked towards the outer edge of the crowd, where several figures were quietly retreating.

"Zhang Wu," he whispered.

"exist."

"Take down those three men in gray in the southeast corner."

Zhang Wu led ten riders out.

Seeing that things were going badly, the three men took off running. But they were no match for the horse; they were pulled down by the lasso, tied up, and dragged back.

Liu Bei walked up to the three men.

"Who sent you to incite the refugees?"

The three lowered their heads and remained silent.

Liu Bei didn't press him for answers, but simply told Wang Wu, "Search him."

Wang Wu led his men to search, and they found a wooden plaque in one of the men's arms; it was another wolf-head plaque belonging to the Black Wolf Riders.

"These are Zhao Lü's men," Liu Bei said to the refugees, putting away the wooden sign. "You all see clearly, these are the people who instigated the disturbance. Why don't they want us to live in peace? Because if we live in peace, they will have no profit to gain!"

The displaced people were furious, and some picked up stones to throw at them.

Liu Bei raised his hand to stop him.

"I will interrogate these three men," he said. "But that's it for tonight. Go back to your sheds and rest. You'll be back to work as usual tomorrow."

The crowd gradually dispersed.

Liu Bei ordered Wang Wu to increase night patrols, while he led the three men back to camp.

Inside the central command tent, candlelight blazed brightly.

The three men were bound and kneeling on the ground. Liu Bei sat behind the table, while Guan Yu stood beside him with his hand on his sword.

"Zhao Lü is already in my hands," Liu Bei said. "If you want to live, tell the truth."

The man in the middle looked up: "Captain, we are merely following orders..."

"On whose orders?"

"Zhao, Zhao Gongcao..."

"What did he ask you to do?"

"On the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, they set fire to the refugee camp, took advantage of the chaos to kill a few military police, and framed the refugees..."

Liu Bei then asked, "And then? What happened to the refugees?"

"Drive them away, disperse them, or arrest them to work on the mausoleum..."

Liu Bei remained silent for a moment.

"What else did Attorney Zhao confess?"

"They also said that after the deed was done, each of us would receive a thousand taels of gold and be assigned to the county army as a squad leader..."

"You believed it?"

The three of them lowered their heads.

Liu Bei got up and went outside the tent.

The night breeze is cool, and the sky is full of stars.

Guan Yu followed him out: "Brother, what should we do?"

"Keep them locked up for now," Liu Bei said. "We'll make further plans after Xi Jian inspects them tomorrow."

"If Xi Jian were to inquire about the riots among the displaced people..."

"Tell the truth." Liu Bei looked at the camp lights. "Say that someone instigated the unrest, but it has been quelled. Show him these three men and the wooden plaque."

Will he believe it?

"Believe it or not, he has to put on an act." Liu Bei turned around. "What Xi Jian wants is stability in Hanzhong. As for who is sabotaging things behind the scenes, he may not really care."

The camp was quiet that night.

Liu Bei was not asleep; he was looking at a map in his tent. Xun Cai was beside him, grinding ink for him.

"My lord," she whispered, "Su Gu will surely obstruct Xi Jian's inspection tomorrow."

"I know."

"Those three...should we have them identify Su Gu?"

"Identifying him won't help," Liu Bei shook his head. "Su Gu can push the blame onto Zhao Lü, saying that Zhao Lü acted on his own initiative. Xi Jian wouldn't offend a prefecture governor for the sake of Zhao Lü."

"So you're just going to let him go like that?"

"Let him go?" Liu Bei smiled. "Zhao Lü is a thorn in Su Gu's side. The more anxious he is, the more likely he is to make a mistake."

Xun Cai seemed to be deep in thought.

Liu Bei grasped her hand: "Cai'er, politics is sometimes more tiring than fighting a war."

"I know," Xun Cai leaned on his shoulder, "but I trust my husband."

The next morning, Xi Jian indeed arrived at the refugee camp.

He rode in a comfortable carriage, accompanied by dozens of attendants. Su Gu, Chen Lun, and other officials from the prefecture accompanied him, and Liu Bei, along with Guan Yu and Jian Yong, greeted him.

The camp had been tidied up, and the refugees were working in groups in an orderly manner.

Xi Jian got out of the carriage, looked at the soup kitchen and workers' sheds, and nodded: "Commander Liu is good at managing the army, and the refugees have been settled well."

"The governor is overpraising you."

Xi Jian walked to the granary, and Wang Wu led the disciplinary team to salute.

"These are..."

"A self-organized militia by the refugees," Liu Bei said, "responsible for maintaining order in the camp."

"Oh?" Xi Jian sized up Wang Wu. "Are you a refugee?"

Wang Wu knelt down and said, "Your Excellency, I am a refugee from Fengyi. I was taken in by the Commandant, who provided me with food and wages. I am willing to serve him to the death."

Xi Jian smiled and said, "Get up."

He continued his inspection and came to the shed where he saw Zheng Hegong teaching people how to repair the canal.

"This is?"

"Old river worker Zheng is knowledgeable in water conservancy," Liu Bei said. "The original canal route is unfair. I asked him to change it, which can irrigate tens of thousands of acres of farmland."

Xi Jian looked at the picture and nodded: "A measure that benefits the people."

Su Gu stood to the side, his face grim.

After completing his inspection, Xi Jian returned to his camp to rest.

Liu Bei ordered Qian Zhao to bring in the three instigators.

The three men knelt down and confessed that Zhao Lu had instructed them, presenting a wooden plaque as evidence.

After listening, Xi Jian remained silent for a long time.

Where is Lawyer Zhao now?

"He has suddenly fallen ill and is recuperating at home," Su Gu said preemptively. "I have already sent someone to look after him."

"He's ill..." Xi Jian looked at Liu Bei, "Liu Commandant, what do you think should be done?"

Liu Bei bowed and said, "Whether Zhao Gongcao is involved in the case needs to be verified. I have already handed over the witnesses and evidence to the prefectural government. I request that Prefect Su conduct a fair trial."

He kicked the ball back to Sugu.

Su Gu gritted his teeth: "This humble official will certainly investigate thoroughly."

Xi Jian nodded: "Very good. However... the resettlement of refugees is a matter of great importance, and we must not allow any more trouble to occur. Commandant Liu, you must be extra careful."

"Your humble servant understands."

Xi Jian stood up: "I will set off for Chengdu tomorrow. As for the matter in Hanzhong, Prefect Su and Commandant Liu, you must cooperate well and not fail the important trust placed in you by the court."

"Yes."

After seeing Xi Jian off, Su Gu gave Liu Bei a cold look and left in a huff.

Guan Yu said in a low voice, "Brother, Xi Jian is just trying to smooth things over."

"His ability to smooth things over is the best possible outcome," Liu Bei said. "At least he didn't show favoritism towards Su Gu."

"But Lawyer Zhao..."

"Zhao Lü won't have an easy time." Liu Bei turned and went back to camp. "Let's see if Su Gu will spare him."

That night, Zhao Lü died suddenly in the dungeon of the prefectural government.

When the news reached the military camp, Liu Bei was having a meal.

Jian Yong reported: "It was said that he suffered a sudden heart attack and was already dead when the jailer found him."

Liu Bei put down his chopsticks: "Where is my family?"

"Su Gu gave them some money so that the coffin could be escorted back to their hometown."

"understood."

Xun Cai said softly, "Husband, Su Gu is trying to silence us."

"Fool." Liu Bei stood up. "If even a dignified governor can't protect his own men, who would dare to work for him?"