Chapter 14: Zhang Fei's Prison Break

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Seeing the rumors spreading rapidly, Zou Dan felt that if things continued this way, Gongsun Zan’s reputation would be completely ruined. So he stopped worrying about whether there was a bandit problem or not and instructed Jian Yong to first arrest a few of the rumor-mongers as a warning to others. Jian Yong readily agreed and had his men scour the county in search of culprits, but the officers all returned saying, “The whole city is abuzz with rumors; it’s impossible to know who started them…”

This was true—children on the streets were spreading the gossip; they couldn’t just arrest everyone they saw. Zou Dan grew uneasy and personally took a detachment to patrol the streets, planning to shut down the taverns where local ruffians gathered and boasted, so the rumors wouldn’t spiral out of control.

The tavern with the largest crowd was, unsurprisingly, Zhang Fei’s family establishment. As soon as Zou Dan arrived and spoke his piece, he was struck by a heavy fist and collapsed immediately.

The Taiping Dao physician who came to treat him said he would need to stay bedridden for at least ten days to two weeks. Zhang Fei was now fourteen years old, tall and robust, in the prime of his rapid growth; at this age, a blow from him was no light matter.

However, Zhang Fei did not flee after striking Zou Dan but was caught by Zou Dan’s men. By the time Liu Bei received the news, Zhang Fei was already locked up in the county jail. The jail was nearly empty except for a few former bandit leaders and the newly arrived Zhang Fei.

“Big brother, Fei really did hit that outsider official… but that official insisted on shutting down our family tavern!” Zhang Fei’s “big brother” was, of course, Liu Bei.

After returning to Zhuo County, Liu Bei hadn’t actively sought out Zhang Fei—after all, he was still young. But since Liu Bei often drank with local knights at the Zhang family tavern, and Zhang Fei had been trained in martial arts from a young age and admired heroes, he frequently came over to chat with Liu Bei and his companions. Over time, he grew familiar enough to call Liu Bei “big brother.”

“You were too impulsive. Why didn’t you wait for me to handle it?” Liu Bei hadn’t expected Zou Dan to suddenly move to close the tavern. Since the incident was partly his fault, he felt somewhat guilty that Zhang Fei ended up in jail.

“That official wanted to shut the tavern down, so I got angry and hit him… but I hit him hard and felt pretty good about it. At worst, I’ll just sit in jail until the next amnesty,” Zhang Fei said, seemingly unconcerned. At his age, the thrill was what mattered most, not the consequences.

“Did you think you were just hitting one of the county magistrate’s subordinates? You were hitting the county magistrate’s face! Gongsun Bo Gui is not like our teacher Mr. Le... Here’s what I’ll do: since Gongsun Bo Gui hasn’t returned yet, I’ll get you out for now. But don’t show your face in Zhuo County for a while. I’ll send you to Jizhou to study under Mr. Le.”

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Liu Bei felt responsible for the rumors that had harmed Zhang Fei and wanted to quickly send him away to learn some culture as a form of compensation. Zhang Fei, however, shook his head vehemently. “Big brother, if you release me secretly, wouldn’t that offend the county magistrate?”

“I’ve offended plenty of people already…” Liu Bei smiled wryly. Taking advantage of Jian Yong managing county affairs, he quickly had Zhang Fei pulled from jail and sent out of Zhuo County to apprentice under Le Yin in Jizhou, also entrusting him with some money from Qian Zhao.

Afterwards, Liu Bei returned to the jail and destroyed the records of Zhang Fei’s imprisonment, so that Zou Dan or Gongsun Zan wouldn’t remember Zhang Fei’s name and seek revenge in the future.

The bandit leaders still held in the jail, seeing this, began to plead with Liu Bei.

“Since you saved Zhang Fei, surely you can save us too. We are willing to serve you, follow your orders, and beg for your help!”

These bandit chiefs were not fools. They realized that Liu Bei wasn’t releasing them but had recruited their men as militia; this wasn’t a matter of law but for another purpose. After all, Liu Bei’s secretly freeing Zhang Fei was a serious violation of law.

They understood that Liu Bei had some other use for keeping them imprisoned and so pleaded earnestly.

“Zhang Fei wasn’t released by me; he escaped on his own… and so will you.” Liu Bei tossed the jail keys inside the cell. “But you must come with me to another place and swear allegiance before I’ll trust you.”

...

On the bright side, Zhang Fei’s assault on Zou Dan was beneficial—since Zou Dan was bedridden, no one was watching Liu Bei closely. Meanwhile, the county’s prominent families began approaching Liu Bei.

The first to come was his distant uncle, Liu Yuanqi.

“Xuande, you are very different from before. As a relative, I am pleased. Now that you hold the rank of militia captain, you will surely have a bright future…”

Liu Yuanqi’s impression of Liu Bei had improved over the years, thanks to Liu Bei’s good reputation in Zhuo County. Nonetheless, it was somewhat awkward for an elder to seek help from a junior, so his words were hesitant.

“Uncle, there’s no need for such formality. If there is anything you want me to do, just say it plainly,” Liu Bei replied respectfully. Calling him “uncle” was proper, and Liu Bei appreciated that Liu Yuanqi had not harmed his reputation—a kindness indeed.

Liu Bei knew why Liu Yuanqi had come: to request military action against the bandits.

But the problem was, the troops had already been deployed and had not yet returned...

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“Then I will be direct. Banditry is widespread; caravans of our clan have been robbed, and even my family has lost fine horses. Since Xuande commands the troops, you should lead the campaign to suppress them.”

Liu Yuanqi was no longer polite with Liu Bei—having watched him grow up, he could afford to be frank.

“Uncle, you may not know, but the militia troops belong to the prefecture’s army. The militia captain assists the prefectural commander and only has the authority to lead troops in battle, not to seek out enemies independently,” Liu Bei explained respectfully. “I must at least know where the bandits are before I can take action. Uncle, do you know their whereabouts?”

Indeed, without permission from the governor, the militia captain had no authority to mobilize troops or conduct operations independently; they could only act once the bandits’ location was confirmed. Since the militia was composed of former bandits, they were prone to causing trouble if left to roam freely.

“The bandits’ movements are erratic; no one knows their current location… Sigh… then, Xuande, could you station troops at our clan’s ancestral pavilion to protect us from these bandits?”

Liu Yuanqi dropped the matter of launching an offensive and instead asked if troops could be stationed within the Liu clan’s territory to ensure safety.

“Uncle, my men are all militia, former bandits themselves. Having them stationed inside the clan…” Liu Bei shook his head but offered another solution. “I could ask the central government for help, but they are not currently in the county. Please wait a few days... By the way, how many fine horses were stolen? And what other clan assets were taken?”

Liu Yuanqi hesitated. “Three horses bearing our clan’s brand were stolen, and a cartload of white silk was robbed… Xuande, do you mean that Gongsun Bo Gui can recover these items?”

“Not necessarily, but it’s worth a try. Maybe we can get them back,” Liu Bei said as he pulled out some bamboo slips and recorded the stolen goods.

Liu Yuanqi frowned. “Is it true that this banditry is caused by Gongsun Bo Gui, as the rumors say?”

Liu Bei shook his head, a trace of bitterness on his face. “Uncle, this is not the central government’s doing but mine. It is I who unleashed troops that pillaged our neighbors.”

Liu Yuanqi furrowed his brow deeply and sighed. “Why do you bother defending him…”

In truth, Liu Bei was telling the truth: the banditry was indeed caused by him.

But sometimes, honesty does not win belief. Not only did Liu Yuanqi not believe him, but no other families did either...

Within a few days, Liu Bei returned the Liu clan’s stolen goods to Liu Yuanqi. Except for a little dust on the silk, nothing was missing.

Liu Bei insisted the banditry was his doing and that returning the goods was to make amends, but no one believed him anymore.