Chapter 6, Group Deception
Moreover, Liu also urged everyone to avoid drinking raw water in the future and to consistently consume boiled water that has been cooled down.
As noon approached, all preparations were finally in place. With a command from Liu, most of the residents of Houfeng Village, led by the villagers, set off first towards Wuguan, which was over twenty miles away.
In the words of Dong Zhuo: "The treasures that Liu Yu has offered to the Emperor, I, the Grand Tutor, shall keep for the Son of Heaven for the time being, as the Emperor is still young and has no use for them at present"
Upon hearing the report from his subordinate sentinel, Dong Bao, who was drinking in the watchtower, immediately became invigorated and led a few of his trusted soldiers down from the wall.
Today, the leader of the Xiliang soldiers on duty at the pass is named Dong Bao. He is a subordinate general under the command of the Zhonglang General Duan Wei and is also a member of the Dong clan from Longxi
When Tian Chou and Xianyu Yin came to Chang'an to pay their respects to the Emperor, they brought with them over a hundred fine horses produced in Youzhou, a guard of fifty men, as well as a considerable amount of gold, silver, and wealth. Unfortunately, in the end, all of it went to the old scoundrel Dong Zhuo, and neither the Emperor nor Liu He managed to obtain even a single horse or a coin.
The elderly, the weak, women, children, and infants, stand over there; you sixteen stronger men, stand over here
After Liu He finished speaking, the fierce and menacing Xianyu Yin stepped forward and said: "My young master has made arrangements in advance. In order to safely pass through the Wuguan, you must now obey my orders and directives!"
After handling these matters, Liu He changed into the only set of official attire he usually wore in the palace. He then mounted a gentle black horse personally selected for him by Xianyu Yin and swaggered towards Wuguan.
The soldiers of Xiliang are notorious for their bandit-like nature, well-known far and wide. In the eyes of the common people, they are even more terrifying than mountain bandits and robbers. Unless absolutely necessary, no one wishes to provoke them actively
Cao Dongzhuo was not particularly enthusiastic or hopeful about this matter, so he treated it as if dismissing a beggar, merely allowing Tian Chou and Xian Yu, sent by Liu Yu, to accompany Liu He, while directly assigning the fifty-man guard to his adopted son, Lü Bu
The villagers saw some corpses being transported on horseback, and upon observing the mottled bloodstains that had already congealed on these individuals and the horrifying wounds at their throats, their feelings of panic intensified, making them even less inclined to remain in the village
When Dong Bao saw the approaching group of people, his expression turned unpleasant
Under the instigation and intimidation of Liu He, the small village known as Houfengzhuang became noisy early in the morning. Both adults and children wore expressions of panic as they desperately stuffed their belongings and items into pockets, baskets, and ox carts, fearing that they might overlook something important
Tian Chou spoke while taking out a bundle of mixed coins and small change, respectfully handing it over to the bodyguard beside Dong Bao
Looking at the table full of chickens, ducks, salted meats, and various pickled vegetables, Liu He felt a bit sad in his heart, but he said nothing more. Instead, he urged everyone to eat more and not to let down the sincere hospitality of the villagers
Dong Bao, grumbling and cursing, walked over with a group of people and blocked the way in front of the crowd at Houfeng Village.
The sky gradually brightened, and what is rare is that the continuous days of rain had unknowingly ceased.
Is there anyone among you in charge? Step forward and answer me!
Although the crowd did not know what "tetanus" was, upon seeing the serious expression on Wang Yue's face, who had been wandering the martial world for many years, they understood that Liu He was not joking, and thus silently committed it to memory
Under the efforts of Old Man Feng, the farmers in the village prepared a relatively lavish meal for Liu He and the other four before their departure. Perhaps it was the impressive title of the imperial envoy, or maybe it was the reputation of Liu Yu, the governor of Youzhou, for being benevolent among the people. In any case, the residents of Houfeng Village went to great lengths to please Liu He, almost bringing out all the food they could muster for the table
Most detestable is the fact that the emperor appointed Liu He as a special envoy, ostensibly sending him to Jingzhou to demand a sum of money and taxes from Liu Biao for the expenses of the imperial palace. Logically, Dong Zhuo should have provided some support, at least allocating a guard unit for Liu He and arranging a few horses for him to ride. After all, if Liu He were truly able to obtain funds and provisions from Liu Biao, would it not ultimately benefit Dong Zhuo?
The raging fire consumed everything, and in order to extinguish the last hopes of these villagers, Liu He ordered everyone to set fire to all the houses in the village, completely achieving the "Three Eliminations" of moving out, burning down, and escaping.
Due to concerns about Xianyu Yin's injuries, Liu He requested Wang Yue to personally attend to the matter, applying a fresh layer of hemostatic ointment to Xianyu Yin. Meanwhile, he instructed the scribe to fetch several pieces of clean white cloth, which were torn into long strips. These strips were then boiled in a clay pot for an extended period, after which they were carefully wrung out and gently used to bandage Xianyu Yin's shoulder.
Liu He is truly destitute now! In order to return to Youzhou smoothly, he is exhausting all his efforts to gather every available resource, and now he is even resorting to taking items from the deceased!
Before the ignition, Liu and his men had already stripped the soldiers disguised as robbers of their weapons, the money they carried in their bosoms, and even their clothes and shoes.
Under the instructions and arrangements of Xianyu Yin, Tian Chou, and others, everyone systematically completed the final preparations before departure
"What a bunch of thieves! It turns out they are just a group of poor wretches!"
Many people did not understand why Liu He insisted on the trouble of boiling the cloth strips in boiling water several times. However, Liu He solemnly warned everyone that henceforth, any cloth used for bandaging wounds must be boiled in boiling water for disinfection; otherwise, it could easily lead to infection with the terrifying disease known as "tetanus"
On top of the towering Wuguan Pass wall, the soldiers assigned to watch duty had spotted a group of people approaching from the inner side of the pass early on, and promptly reported to the commanding officer on duty.
Dong Bao, relying on his kinship with Dong Zhuo's brother Dong Min, nephew Dong Huang, and other generals such as Dong Yue, often engaged in heinous acts during his shifts. For instance, he plundered the wealth of passing merchants and commoners, forcibly seized and violated beautiful women, and even occasionally, after drinking, would recklessly unleash his fury by directly killing solitary pedestrians.
Liu He concealed a pass document bearing the seal of the Grand Master in his bosom, which could attest to his identity as a special envoy of the Son of Heaven. Last night, Liu He had already burned the secret edict that the Emperor had privately written to Liu Yu. Even if the troops were deliberately obstructed and searched by the soldiers of Xiliang at the pass, it would yield no results
Each household is to take out all the black clothing and fabric from their bags, as we need to provide the men in the village with a uniform attire; all women and girls aged over 16 and under 40 must wear the dirtiest and oldest garments, and everyone should smear their faces with soot from the bottom of pots to avoid being humiliated by the soldiers during the inspection
On top of a tall pile of firewood lay twenty corpses, which, once ignited by a great fire, would ultimately turn into a ground of ashes, rendering it impossible to discern the origins and identities of these individuals
Under the command of Liu He, the sixteen villagers who remained dismantled the flammable materials such as wooden planks and door panels from each household's houses and concentrated them in the courtyard of Old Man Feng's home
Dressed in tattered clothes, Tian Chou hurriedly bent over, wearing a face full of smiles, as he emerged from the crowd
Tian Chou, leading the elderly, weak, women, and children from Houfeng Village, set out two hours earlier. By the time it was the first moment of the Shen hour, they finally arrived at the heavily guarded Wuguan.
After having a meal away from home, Liu He approached the neatly organized group of over a dozen households, wearing a warm and confident smile. He opened his mouth and said: "Fellow villagers, do not worry; as long as I am here, you will definitely not be treated unfairly in the future"
On Liu's left and right are Wang Yue and Ding Kuang, closely following him are sixteen men dressed uniformly in black attire, leading the horses. At the rear are Shi A and Xianyu Yin riding side by side
Honorable General, I am Feng Gui, a farmer from Houfeng Village. Recently, our village was raided and burned by a group of bandits, leaving everyone without a means of livelihood. I have heard that the wealthy families in Jingzhou are in need of tenant farmers, so I wish to go there in search of food.
Sixteen horses, led by the men from Houfeng Village, carried all the valuable items and belongings from each household in this village. To present a solemn appearance, they were uniformly loaded in wicker frames covered with black cloth, which gave a rather impressive sight from the outside
The wishes of the common people are quite simple; they hope that through this meal, which they would normally never indulge in, the benevolent Lord Chamberlain might show kindness and safely lead everyone to Nanyang, and then arrange a place for them to survive.
Liu He did not press the villagers too much; instead, he persuaded everyone to convert the surplus grain stored at home into easily transportable dry food, so as not to let the Western Liang soldiers at the pass benefit from it for nothing.
Old man Feng's yard has turned into a heap of ruins. At this moment, he has changed his mindset, realizing that things like houses and farming tools cannot be moved. Burning them down would actually leave a clean slate. As long as he is still alive, if he can find his children to escape to Jingzhou, even if the days ahead are difficult, they will not be worse than the current situation
Taking advantage of the fact that everyone was busy packing, Liu instructed Tian Chou to lead Shi A and Ding Kuang, each holding onto several horses, to leave the village and bring back all fifteen corpses that had been left in the fields.