Lu Bu: My wife comes from two thousand years later

The prison in Pingyu's government office was similar to the prisons seen on TV. It was dark and damp, with a mixture of blood and rotten smells that made people nauseous. In the dim firelight, one could occasionally see milky white, plump maggots twisting and wriggling on the ground.

After crushing several maggots to death, Zhang Mo followed Wang Yun to the outside of a cell.

The jailer lit the wall lamp, took out the key and opened the door, "Sir, Guan Hai is inside."

After saying this, he waited outside, his eyes watching his nose and his nose watching his heart, but his ears perked up.

The thief said that he had something important to discuss with Lord Wang. Lord Zhao asked him many times, but the thief refused to reveal a single word. The jailer muttered to himself, wondering what the matter was, as it was so mysterious.

Zhang Mo followed him in and saw a man chained to a wooden cross. His hair was disheveled and dirty, his clothes were torn from being whipped, his body was covered in blood and flesh, not a single piece of intact skin, and it seemed as if maggots were crawling all over him.

Is this the thief Guan Hai mentioned in the Book of the Later Han? The leader of the Yellow Turbans in Qingzhou?

As far as she knew, when Kong Rong was serving as prime minister of Beihai State, he was besieged by Guan Hai in Duchang. Later, he sent Taishi Ci to break out of the siege and go to Pingyuan County to ask Liu Bei for help. Liu Bei sent troops to rescue and repel Guan Hai.

This happened after Dong Zhuo took control of the government. Was Guan Hai captured before she even reached the position of leader? Could it be that her involvement has inadvertently changed history?

Guan Hai heard the noise and slowly raised his head, saying weakly, "Wang Yun, Governor Wang?"

"It's me." Wang Yun stood with his hands behind his back, acting like an official.

"I heard that you are from Kyoto. I wonder if you are familiar with Zhang Rang?" Guan Hai asked in a low voice.

"Is the important matter you mentioned related to him?" Wang Yun's expression became serious when he heard Zhang Rang's name.

Guan Hai did not answer, but asked: "Does the envoy want to overthrow the Ten Attendants?"

"So what? Just say what you want to say. Why beat around the bush?"

Guan Hai smiled knowingly, "I have a secret correspondence between Peng Tuo and Zhang Rang, and I'd like to ask for mercy from you, Your Excellency."

Zhang Rang actually colluded with the Yellow Turbans?

Wang Yun was stunned for a moment, then sneered, "How can a prisoner like you have the qualifications to negotiate with me? You are the leader of the bandits, and no amount of letters can save your life. If you honestly hand over the letter, I will let you die quickly."

"Your Excellency has misunderstood. I am not doing this for myself."

Guan Hai licked his dry lips and whispered, "I want to ask for a way out for my brothers. I have buried the letter under the big locust tree in the backyard of the Xincai County Government Office. I hope the governor will let them go."

Hearing that he wasn't seeking his own life, Wang Yun's expression softened. "You are indeed a man of integrity and righteousness! If you had surrendered earlier, this wouldn't have happened. If I don't kill you now as a warning to others, how can I deter those with ulterior motives who are plotting rebellion?"

Guan Hai said anxiously, "Your Excellency, they are only following orders. Moreover, since the uprising, we have not killed innocent people. I beg you to show some mercy. I am willing to be torn apart by a chariot to deter the world."

Zhang Mo couldn't help but be moved. The term "quartering" means being torn apart by five horses. The real "quartering" is not like what is shown on TV, where a person is cut into five pieces in an instant and the death is painless.

In fact, the horses run in five directions, with different speeds and different strengths. When the rope is stretched and under tension, the horses will pause slightly. The body of the person being tortured is stretched to the extreme, and he can clearly feel his muscles and bones being torn apart. The pain and fear at this time can be imagined.

In history books, the thief Guan Hai is a villain. The siege of Duchang highlights the bravery and righteousness of Taishi Ci and Liu Bei. However, this man, who was regarded as a traitor by people at that time, would rather choose to be torn apart by chariots in order to save his companions.

Zhang Mo originally wanted to follow and learn about Guan Hai in history out of curiosity, but now she felt pity for him.

"I will consider your request."

Wang Yun looked at Guan Hai thoughtfully, then turned and walked out of the cell.

Zhang Mo hurriedly followed him out and was about to say something, but when she saw the jailer waiting beside her, she swallowed the words involuntarily.

After leaving the prison, Wang Yun asked Du Fei to take people to dig out the letters, and he and Zhang Mo got on the carriage back home.

In the carriage, Zhang Mo cautiously glanced at Wang Yun, who was looking serious, and asked tentatively, "Does foster father really want to have Guan Hai torn to pieces?"

"Since he wanted to protect those people so much, as a father, I will certainly help him."

Fulfillment? Looking at the face in front of her that looked exactly like her father's, Zhang Mo felt a chill in her heart. Is this the ruthlessness that a politician must have?

This time, there were more than 10,000 Yellow Turban soldiers who accepted the amnesty. If he wanted, he could have included Guan Hai's hundreds of subordinates as those who were recruited. Why would he need to exchange them for being torn to pieces?

Thinking about the fact that he had been defeated twice by Guan Hai, Zhang Mo couldn't help but suspect that this Envoy Wang might be taking the opportunity to take revenge.

"Father, can't you show some mercy? Even our leader Peng Tuo hasn't been executed. Even if he were to be executed, there's no need to use such cruel torture."

"Peng Tuo is the leader of the bandits. I will take him back to Luoyang and hand him over to Your Majesty for punishment."

He turned to look at Zhang Mo, quite surprised, "Why are you pleading for him so much?"

"My daughter is not speaking up for him. I'm just lamenting the injustice of the world. Those who are spineless and flattering are pardoned, while a man of his chivalrous heart and iron will be tortured."

Wang Yun sighed softly, "He's a good man, but he's also a traitor."

"Father, have you ever considered why Zhang Jue was able to incite so many people to rebel against him? Why would those people, who can't even read a single word and might not even know who the current emperor is, risk their lives to rebel?"

Recalling her experiences upon crossing over, Zhang Mo's expression was filled with deep sorrow. Who had forced such kind people to become cannibalistic demons? The emperor, the eunuchs, the officials, or the wealthy families? In this feudal society, those oppressed to the point of no return were unable to even resist?

"They just simply want to survive..."

At this point, her bright eyes became a little confused. In order to gain Wang Yun's attention, she repeatedly offered advice to help him eliminate the Yellow Turbans. Was this right or wrong? Without her participation, Guan Hai would not have ended up like this.

He hasn't gone to Beihai to surround Kong Rong yet!

"I understand the suffering of the people, but this is no reason for rebellion. I will show mercy to his subordinates and send them to Qingzhou for three years of hard labor!"

Seeing her eyes still glazed over, Wang Yun suddenly felt a pang of heartache. Those bright, cunning eyes that offered advice were what she should have. He coughed awkwardly twice and explained, "Qingzhou is not like the border. Those people are just drying salt and repairing roads. It's just a bit of hardship, but their lives are not in danger."

"What about Guan Hai?"

Zhang Mo saw hope in his relaxed expression and looked at him eagerly, "Foster father, I beg you to let him go. He did kill many soldiers, but that was during the hostile period, not because he was cruel."

She lifted the carriage curtain and pointed at the orderly streets of Pingyu. "Look, godfather, he occupied Pingyu for such a long time, but he didn't plunder and kill people like Bo Cai did. He didn't kill any innocent people except the rich and unkind. Even the officials who were the most hated by the thieves, he didn't kill their families."

Wang Yun certainly knew that Pingyu's situation was much better than Yangdi's. Guan Hai was not only a talented general, but also had good character. If he could serve the country, it would be a blessing for Your Majesty. But he chose to be a thief, which was really a pity.

He was silent for a moment and then said, "His life or death, your father will consider it."

Wang Yun had already stated his stance. Zhang Mo knew that saying more might cause resentment. Recalling the letter he had mentioned in prison, she changed the subject and asked, "Guan Hai just now said that Zhang Rang was colluding with Peng Tuo. Is my adoptive father really going to report this to His Majesty when he returns to the capital?"

"Of course, Your Majesty has been deceived by the eunuchs. Now that you have caught that fellow, how can you let him go?"

Speaking of the Ten Attendants, Wang Yun's face was filled with anger. Not only did these eunuchs instigate His Majesty to sell official positions and titles, they even dared to collude with rebels. They really deserved to be killed!

"I heard that Zhang Rang is deeply favored by His Majesty. I'm afraid it will not be possible to overthrow him with just a few letters." Zhang Mo said.

As long as Emperor Lingdi was alive, these people would be like holding a golden medal of immunity from death. Wang Yun's actions would only bring hatred.

"Even so, I, your father, will still give it a try. If we don't get rid of the eunuchs, our Han dynasty will be destroyed by them sooner or later."

How could a few eunuchs bring down the Han Dynasty? The fall of a dynasty is never due to a single factor.

"Zhang Rang and his men are extremely powerful. If my adoptive father fails to bring him down, he will surely retaliate and even face imprisonment."

Alas, there will definitely be jail time.

Wang Yun said, "Father, I will be more careful and won't give him any chance to take advantage of me."

Seeing Wang Yun's firm attitude, he knew that it was useless to say more. Fortunately, Wang Yun had just made great contributions in suppressing the bandits. Although Emperor Ling was stupid, he was not a bloodthirsty person, so his life should not be in danger.

…………

Eight days later, in the backyard of the governor's mansion, Zhang Mo looked at the man who climbed over the wall in broad daylight. She was stunned for three seconds, then picked up the guqin she was playing and smashed it without hesitation.

"Thief, thief, catch the thief!" she jumped up and shouted.

"I am not a bandit..."

The man ran forward a few steps and picked up the guqin that was about to fall to the ground.

Hearing the shouts, Xu Chu and his brother, who were trying hard to learn to read outside the courtyard gate, pushed the door open and walked in. Without saying a word, Xu Chu picked up his sword and killed them.

"You bold thief, how dare you trespass into the governor's residence in broad daylight."

The man hurriedly explained, "I am not a thief, I am here to see the envoy."

He dodged the blade with a flash of his body, and in his busyness he did not forget to gently place the guqin on the stone steps beside him.

"Why did you sneak into the backyard instead of informing the envoy through the main gate?"

As he spoke, he swung his sword and started slashing around. Xu Ding and Du Fei originally wanted to go forward to help capture the thief, but seeing the situation, they knew they would most likely be accidentally injured by Xu Chu, so they stopped.

The man continued while dodging, "I really came to look for the envoy. The servant at the door refused to inform me, so I had to climb over the wall to get in."

Seeing that the man's clothes were tattered, he had a scar on his face, and he was quite skilled in martial arts, Xu Chu guessed that he was not a good person and was just quibbling. He raised his knife and chopped at him again.

The man kept dodging, but the other party was aggressive and didn't give him any chance to explain. He didn't show any mercy and thought of knocking the bull down first.

He quickly broke off a branch of plum tree nearby, used it as a sword, and found a gap to strike at Xu Chu's wrist holding the knife. Xu Chu was unable to react in time, and felt as if his wrist was whipped. It stung and then slightly numb, and he almost couldn't hold the knife in his hand.

The man is not as strong as Xu Chu, but his reaction speed is much faster than Xu Chu. Look at his steps and moves, each step has its own method, as if he has real kung fu.

Moreover, judging from the man's appearance, he certainly doesn't look like a thief.

"Stop, stop, don't hit him yet, let me ask him!" Zhang Mo shouted to Xu Chu.

The two sides faltered, and Xu Chu was the first to step back, standing in front of Zhang Mo. His tall body blocked her view completely. While staring at the man warily, he turned his head and said to Zhang Mo, "This guy seems to have real kung fu."

Zhang Mo poked her head out from beside his arm and said with a smile, "You do know kung fu!"