Jinting Han people

Chapter 114: Recuperation and Cleansing (4k)

On the afternoon of the day he woke up, Zhu Fu drove a ox cart over and carefully took Liu Xian back to Anle Mansion.

When they returned to the mansion, the family was shocked to see the Prince of Anle covered in bruises. A Luo and her aunt Fei Xiu burst into tears on the spot. The uncles and aunts in the family, such as Liu Yao, Liu Zan, Liu Qu, Liu Ji and others, also contributed money and manpower, and directly took over all the chores in the mansion so that Liu Xian could rest and recuperate.

Only Anle Gong Liu Xun said indifferently: "It's enough to be alive. Being alive is a blessing." This made his relatives roll their eyes.

Two or three days later, when people heard that Prince Anle was injured while protecting the crown prince, some people, both known and unknown, began to visit him.

They claimed to be visiting him, but their underlying motive was clear to everyone: after this incident, Liu Xian had officially shed the shadow of his background, achieving tangible, indelible achievements. Furthermore, with the support of both the King of Chu and the Crown Prince, Liu Xian was bound to have a place in the political arena. Their coming to befriend Liu Xian at this time was a sign that he had been accepted by the capital's gentry and had a bright future.

However, after so many years, Liu Xian has seen clearly the fickleness of human nature. Everyone is just pretending and no one really cares.

Therefore, except for those particularly familiar friends, the second uncle Liu Yao came out to greet the ordinary children of the aristocratic families for a while, and then sent them away on the pretext of recuperating from injuries.

Besides, he really needs to recuperate.

This was indeed the most serious injury Liu Xian had suffered since he was born, and it might even affect his future career as a swordsman.

But Liu Xian had nothing to complain about. Every time he thought of the giant's terrifying power that night, he felt sincerely fortunate. He thought he had done his best to respond on the spot, but he still couldn't defeat his opponent despite trying his best. In the end, he was able to survive, and it was indeed God who was on his side.

However, what made Liu Xian even more emotional was that even a giant with extraordinary strength could be defeated. This reflected a cruel truth: compared to a real war, no matter how powerful a person's martial arts were, they would still seem insignificant.

What's more, this conflict was not even a battle. In the darkness, both sides were completely unable to conduct effective command. They were just killing each other based on courage. Liu Xian felt that he was still far from being a famous general. He still had many assumptions that needed to be corrected one by one on the battlefield.

But at the same time, Liu Xian was deeply fascinated by the sense of accomplishment of fighting for his life on the battlefield and finally escaping from the hands of death. He couldn't help but begin to fantasize about a bigger stage and a bigger battlefield.

That day, Zu Ti and Liu Kun came to visit him, and Liu Xian couldn't help but talk about his experience of this conflict:

"The fighting between the armored soldiers was like a slow slicing of flesh and blood. If they were wearing iron armor, ordinary swords, spears, and halberds wouldn't be able to penetrate their defenses. If ordinary archers couldn't hit vital points like the eyes and mouth, they would have to get within fifty steps to inflict real damage. But at that distance, the enemy would quickly rush into their faces, making it useless."

"If you want to achieve a decisive victory on the battlefield, you must find a way to defeat the soldiers."

Zu Ti, who was listening with great interest, said, "Then, according to Huai Chong's intention, how can we restrain him?"

Liu Xian thought of Meng Guan's arrow that pierced through two layers of heavy armor and said with emotion, "I think we should prepare a powerful crossbow in advance."

"When it comes to human bows, the three-stone bow is the ultimate. People like you and me can use a three-stone bow, but we may not be able to draw it to its full extent. And the only person I've ever seen who can truly unleash the magic of a three-stone bow is Meng Shushi."

"But the crossbow is different. Even a five-stone crossbow, let alone a three-stone one, can be operated by an ordinary soldier. Equipped with a specially made armor-piercing arrow, the firing rate is less than eleven times that of an ordinary archer, but if the arrow hits the target, it can easily penetrate the armor."

"It's said that during the Battle of Jieqiao, Gongsun Zan's White Horse Volunteers, clad in horse armor, were invincible in Youzhou. However, they were defeated by Qu Yi, who led eight hundred veteran Qiang warriors equipped with a thousand powerful crossbows, who shot Gongsun Zan to the ground in one fell swoop! And wasn't it thanks to his unique crossbow army that Prime Minister Zhuge Liang was able to lead a hundred thousand Han troops through Guanlong?"

"I think a crossbow will be essential to gaining an advantage on the battlefield in the future."

Zu Ti nodded frequently, but he also disagreed. He said, "The crossbow mechanism is certainly important, but its drawback is also obvious: it's too expensive."

"I've thought about this. If it's just an ordinary crossbow that can't penetrate armor, the cost is acceptable. But if it's the kind you're talking about, one that can pull a 30-jin (approximately 100 jin) force, it would require special wood, or something made from tendons and horns, and then coated with glue and paint."

"A well-made crossbow requires the bow shaft to be dissected in the winter, the horns to be trimmed in the spring, the sinews to be worked in the summer, and the materials to be joined together in the autumn. During the cold winter, the limbs are placed in the bow case to set their shape, and during the extreme cold of winter, the exterior is trimmed. The following spring, the bowstring is attached and the bow is stored for another year before it can be used."

"So, the production process for a crossbow trigger takes two to three years, and the cost is really too high. I'm afraid it's not realistic to want large-scale equipment."

"Oh?" Liu Xian knew from Zu Ti's tone that he had other ideas, so he asked, "What suggestions does Shi Zhi have?"

Zu Ti smiled and said, "In my opinion, we have to start with ordinary weapons."

"According to common thinking, weapons are difficult to penetrate armor, so they can't cause harm to the soldiers, which is why we try every possible way to penetrate the armor. But I wonder if there is a weapon that can inflict serious damage even without penetrating the armor?"

Liu Xian immediately realized that Zu Ti was talking about blunt attacks. He didn't need to pursue the sharpness of the weapon, but the weight of the weapon.

Even if a weapon like a sledgehammer or a club cannot penetrate the armor, it can still injure the wearer through the armor, or even cause the lungs to rupture and die. Just like the giant who used his extraordinary strength to break through the armor formation,
But there was a problem. Liu Xian said, "You mean using a hammer? That's one way, but wouldn't this weapon be too heavy and not suitable for use on the battlefield?"

"We can come up with some top-heavy designs!" Zu Ti said excitedly. "I even think we could weld a sledgehammer to the iron chain and swing it over. No matter how thick the armor is, one blow would instantly shatter it into pieces."

Liu Kun disagreed and jokingly said, "Shi Zhi, that's easy to say. Who would use such a weapon so easily? If you accidentally hit a fellow soldier, he would be smashed to pieces. It's better to just use some wooden sticks!"

"In my opinion, cavalry is still better! Didn't Emperor Wu of Wei's Tiger and Leopard Cavalry dominate the world back then? Who cares if you're armored or not? Two legs can't outrun four. They'll just attack you where your defenses are weak and you don't have any armored soldiers. How can they lose?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Liu Xian and Zu Ti looked at each other in bewilderment. Although Liu Kun's words were true, they were like saying, "If people can't afford corn, why not eat Hu pancakes?" All the military commanders in the world wished their troops were all cavalry. What a pity! Throughout history, only a few have ever been able to fulfill their wishes. They both laughed at the same time and said, "Yue Shi is still the wisest!"

While they were joking, A'Luo came in with an angry look on her face, which made the three of them stop talking and remain silent.

Ah Luo brought some rock honey to the three of them and said to Liu Xian with a stern face, "You need to rest and recuperate. If they quarrel again, I will kick them all out."

The three of them immediately shut up. After Ah Luo left, Liu Kun glanced back twice before whispering to Liu Xian, "Madam is very strict! Huai Chong is usually in the room, isn't he a mistress?"

Liu Xian laughed and scolded, "Get lost! How dare you look at me like that!"

The three of them joked for a while, and soon changed the subject to the outcome of the coup.

Liu Kun lamented, "When has Luoyang ever seen such a turmoil in decades? The Three Yangs have controlled government for seven or eight years, and their followers numbered in the thousands, yet they were completely eliminated in just a few days." Liu Xian remarked, "Yang Jun is greedy. In his position, he's actually trying to monopolize government. With so many powerful clans watching, how could he possibly succeed?"

"That's the logic," Liu Kun defended Yang Jun. "But frankly, who in that position would allow others to assist them in governing? Emperor Wu of Han left four ministers to assist him, but in the end, wasn't Huo Guang the only one left? The first emperor of Han also allowed Li Yan and Zhuge Liang to share power, but what was the result? Wasn't it Zhuge Liang who ultimately deposed Li Yan?"

"Supreme power has always been held by only one person. This is perfectly normal. In my opinion, if Yang Jun is to be blamed for anything, it's that he shouldn't have been the late emperor's scapegoat to eliminate the King of Qi in the first place! Having come to this point, who else, other than the King of Qi who could subjugate the ministers, could escape unscathed?"

"I think they themselves had anticipated this. Didn't Yang Jun finally give in? But what's the point? If you embark on this path, you will either die or be killed. There is no other way."

At this point, Liu Kun's face turned grim. He said to Liu Xian, "Huai Chong, you didn't see yesterday. The King of Chu's methods were too cruel! He killed people on the banks of the Luo River to establish his authority. He killed thousands of people!"

"Needless to say, those in Yang Jun's mansion were beheaded by Meng Guan that same day. The rest of the people also escaped, mainly the families of Zhu Zhen, Wu Mao, Duan Guang, Liu Yu and other staff members. They were tied up in rows like straw, and then the killing began in waves."

"From the hour of Si until the afternoon, the blood of children, women, and the elderly mingled, soaking the sand and flowing into the river. The foam around it was red."

"At that time, tens of thousands of people ran over to watch and saw those who were about to be beheaded crying. Their cries were so heartbreaking that it almost made people lose their souls."

When Liu Xian heard Liu Kun's description, he immediately thought of the night when he fought in the Eastern Palace. Although only a few hundred people died, the impression it left on him was already tragic and bloody.

Thinking about expanding the scene tenfold, with many elderly people and children involved, Liu Xian couldn't help feeling sad and sorrowful.

Although he knew that this was a life-and-death struggle, so many innocent people were implicated, and Liu Xian suddenly felt a little disgusted with his actions.

Liu Kun continued to describe: "The one crying the most miserably was the former Shangshu Ling Yang Yu. He loudly cried out his injustice, saying that he had a treasure that could save him from death."

Liu Xianqi asked, "Treasure? What treasure?"

Zu Ti interjected, "Yang Yao claimed that during Emperor Wu's lifetime, he had specifically declared that he would not participate in factional disputes. If a disaster truly threatened to annihilate his clan, he asked the late emperor to issue an imperial edict of amnesty in advance, just as Emperor Wen pardoned Zhong Yu during the Zhong Hui Rebellion."

"Did the late emperor agree?"

"Yang Yao said he agreed. He placed the imperial edict in a stone coffin in his bedroom. It's also on record in the Secretariat."

So this is Yang Yu's treasure! Liu Xian remembered that Sima Wei had said that Yang Yu's treasure was hidden in a stone coffin and no one was allowed to see it. It turned out to be an imperial edict of pardon!

Liu Xian asked, "Has anyone gone to see it?"

Zu Ti spread his hands and said in a nonchalant tone, "Who cares? He killed so many people from the Yang family. Does it really matter whether he has a pardon from the late emperor?"

That’s right, Liu Xian nodded. As the saying goes, to cut the grass at its roots, Sima Wei would definitely not let Yang Yu go.

However, this was not the end. Liu Kun continued, "But if we are to talk about injustice, it must be General Wen who is wronged!"

General Wen? Liu Xian was puzzled. He remembered that there was no one named Wen among Yang Jun's followers. He hurriedly asked, "Who was killed?"

"It's the former Dongyi Commandant Wen Chu and Wen Ciqian!"

Most people may not be familiar with the name Wen Chu, but his other name is well-known, that is Wen Yang, a name that all famous generals in the world admire.

Wen Yang was born into the Wen family of Qiao Commandery, a family that had been loyal to the Cao Wei regime for generations. When the Sima clan usurped the throne of the Wei dynasty, Wen Yang joined his father, Wen Qin, in an uprising to defend the throne. At only eighteen years old, he proved a hero even at a young age. In Huainan, he fought twice against the brothers Sima Shi and Sima Zhao.

Especially in the first battle, Wen Yang was invincible and killed hundreds of people along the way. He went straight to Sima Shi's tent, which frightened Sima Shi so much that his eye disease flared up and he rushed out in shock. Finally, he died of a sudden illness.

Unfortunately, during the Third Huainan Rebellion, Wen Qin fell out with the commander-in-chief, Zhuge Dan, and was killed by him. Wen Yang was left with no other options but to lead his brothers in surrendering to Sima Zhao.

Although Sima Zhao was deeply resentful of his brother's murder, he was also deeply impressed by Wen Yang's prowess on the battlefield. He believed that Wen Yang was the bravest warrior of the time and that killing him would be unlucky, so he accepted Wen Yang's surrender.

With Wen Yang's surrender, Zhuge Dan's entire army was shocked and morale was in chaos, which ultimately led to a disastrous defeat.

After his surrender, Wen Yang, due to his past deeds, was constantly suspected by the imperial court and was not given important positions for many years. It was not until the third year of Xianning, when Tufa Shujineng was about to seize all of Liang Province, that Sima Yan appointed Wen Yang to recapture the lost territory. Wen Yang lived up to expectations, winning the battle in one go and shocking the western border. This frightened Tufa Shujineng so much that he sent an envoy to surrender and sent over a hundred hostages.

After Wen Yang was dismissed from office again due to suspicion, Tufa Shuji rebelled again. It was not until Sima Yan appointed Ma Long that the rebellion in Liang Province was completely ended.

It can be said that Wen Yang only experienced three battles in his life. But there is no doubt that Wen Yang is the only person since Guan Yu and Zhang Fei who can deserve the title of "Ten Thousand Enemies". He is the spiritual totem of all warriors and even the concrete embodiment of martial arts in the human world.

Because of him, people began to believe that the deeds of Xiang Yu and Huo Qubing were not legends, but tangible reality.

When Liu Xian and Shi Chao were children, they both idolized Wen Yang. However, Wen Yang lived a secluded life, keeping to himself. After Liu Xian entered the government, there were no opportunities for them to become friends, a fact that always left Liu Xian with deep regret.

But from what Liu Kun said, he was actually implicated in the coup. Liu Xian pressed Liu Kun again, "What exactly is going on?"

"Hey! Wasn't Ma Yao of the Dong'an Company among the royal family members involved in this coup? He's Zhuge Dan's grandson, and he's still obsessed with Wen Yang's surrender to Emperor Wen and the murder of Zhuge Dan. So, he took advantage of the situation to exact personal revenge, claiming General Wen was also Yang Jun's accomplice. Then, they tied up dozens of his family members and marched them to the Luo River yesterday, killing them all."

"When General Wen was beheaded, his face was as hard as stone, and he didn't even frown. I guess he had expected this day to come."

After hearing this, Liu Xian was speechless for a long time. He suddenly felt that he had embarked on the wrong path. No matter whether those who tried to avoid the coup or those who had nothing to do with the coup, they were all pulled into this vortex. Although he was not involved so deeply at the moment, if he continued to go on, would it backfire on him?

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(End of this chapter)