Jinting Han people

Chapter 121: Observation (4k)

For most people in the world, being a bystander is a blessing and a pleasure.

After all, much of the suffering people experience in life stems from the limitations of their own abilities, the subsequent realization that they can't achieve what they want, and the subsequent inability to achieve what they desire. The reason the man from Qi worried about the sky falling was simply because he realized he couldn't create the world like Pangu did, and he felt the pain of his own incompetence. However, little do they know that their own suffering, if viewed from a different perspective—from the perspective of an outsider—becomes a joke.

Because when we observe, we subconsciously transcend our limitations, implicitly embracing the Taoist principle of freedom from the world. We can easily see how simple and clear the ignorance of others is. People cannot escape their own thoughts, just as fish cannot escape flowing water, flowers cannot escape branches, dew cannot escape the morning, and the colorful clouds cannot escape white clouds. Then, we can regard the ignorance of others as a fun and spectacle worth appreciating, observing their overestimation. At the same time, we forget our own overestimation and temporarily experience the joy of the Creator.

Liu Xian is now enjoying this kind of pleasure. He can watch the development of events in the capital calmly without any burden, and it doesn't matter who wins or loses.

Of course, in Liu Xian's view, the outcome of the battle was quite clear. If Sima Wei really got the support of Empress Jia, Sima Liang and Wei Guan would not be able to fight back.

Although Wei Guan's idea was perfect and all his policies were within the rules and impeccable, if Sima Yan were still alive, the Runan King's party, which had gained justice and won the hearts of the majority of people, would surely have won a great victory in the court.

But Sima Yan is dead after all. What can determine the direction of the regime now is not justice and public opinion, but weapons. No matter how reasonable the words are, they are as fragile as paper in front of the sharp blade.

Liu Xian's only concern was what Empress Jia had planned for the future; she wouldn't have handed over power to Sima Wei so easily. But Liu Xian couldn't imagine how Empress Jia could have someone capable of stopping Sima Wei without Sima Liang's handicap.

Unless she still has some hidden cards up her sleeve.

But even so, the struggle between the two is probably a long-term thing, and has nothing to do with Liu Xian. He just wants to prevent Anle Mansion from being affected.

After meeting Sima Yue, Liu Xian knew that Luoyang would be in trouble again in the next two days, so he hurriedly made arrangements and asked Achun and others to go to the West Market to buy 40 stone of corn, and some oil, salt, tea and grass in advance, which were enough for the mansion's expenses for a month. At the same time, he dragged back three pieces of yellow pear wood that were one foot wide and ten feet long. He planned to use these woods to support the gate if there was any war to prevent the rebels from taking advantage of the situation. This was the thing Liu Xian was most wary of after experiencing the chaos in the Eastern Palace.

He had originally planned to stop by the Lu Mansion to find Lu Ji and investigate Empress Jia's situation. Unfortunately, Lu Ji was not at home. Lu Dan told Liu Xian that Lu Ji had been staying at the palace for the past few days and had instructed his brothers to stay in the mansion and not go out.

Everything is imminent, and Liu Xian can even smell the solemn atmosphere in the wind.

The next morning, Liu Xian was awakened by a strange sound. At first, he thought he had a nightmare and was awakened by nature, but as his hearing gradually recovered, he could clearly feel the sound. It seemed to come from the ancient times, covering the whole area, and it also seemed to come from the sky in the northern desert, mixed with yellow sand and grass debris, long and distant.

Ah Luo, who was standing by, was also awakened. She rubbed her eyes and asked, "Biji, where did that noise come from so early in the morning?"

But Liu Xian didn't answer immediately. He kept listening until the sound completely faded away. Then he slowly said, "It's the sound coming from Mangshan."

"Mangshan?"

"This is the sound of the bugle call from the Heqiao camp. The foreign troops from Mangshan have moved! Judging from the distance of the sound, the King of Chu's vanguard has already entered the northern suburbs."

After saying that, he quickly stood up and put on his clothes, struggling to put on his sleeves with his left hand. At the same time, he said to his wife, "A Luo, tell your family not to go out from today onwards. Let's see how the situation develops."

Ah Luo was puzzled. Liu Xian should have been prepared long ago, so why was he so nervous today? But she didn't question him. Instead, she took out her belt and fastened it for Liu Xian, helping him put on his shoes and socks. Then she hurriedly fixed her own clothes.

Liu Xian quickly reached the eaves of the main courtyard, set up the stairs to the roof, and quickly climbed up. After gaining a firm footing on the roof, he stepped on the tiles and clattered to the highest point of the ridge. Then he looked to the north and was shocked by the view before him.

At this time, Luoyang was the largest city in the world, perhaps even the largest. The city walls themselves were magnificent, yet they paled in comparison to the densely packed residential areas outside. As a child, Liu Xian gazed from a rooftop, the endless eaves undulating amidst the greenery stretched endlessly, like a beach after the tide receded, stretching as far as the eye could see until the foot of Mount Mang, faintly visible in the distance. And at mealtime, smoke from Luoyang's cooking stoves rose, a thousand plumes of white smoke drifting upward like willow catkins flying backwards. And looking back at the nightscape of Luoyang from Mount Mang was an unparalleled spectacle.

But now, Liu Xian saw a different view amidst this landscape of eaves and green leaves:

Tall flags emerged from the streets and alleys. At first, they were unnoticeable, just like lilac flowers in the grass, but gradually, more and more flags appeared in Liu Xian's eyes, like big trees rising from the ground, covering the tiles and branches, and then like water drops flowing into a stream, forming a long snake-like team.

And this was just the first one, followed by the second, the third, the fourth... until the twelve flags snaked closer and connected the northern suburbs with Mangshan, Liu Xian heard the sound of gongs and drums and footsteps again.

These were not the noisy, unpredictable sounds of an ordinary market. They were organized, orderly, silent, and powerful, striking fear into the hearts of the bewildered people. When the vast army gathered outside the city, forming a sea of flags, the very earth trembled. The people who had previously crisscrossed the streets of Luoyang had now fled. Above and below, all that could be seen was the ocean-like golden glow gleaming from the armor of the soldiers.

Liu Xian, watching this spectacular scene under the rising sun, couldn't help but groan inwardly: Oh my God! How many people did Sima Wei mobilize...

The answer is available, because the flags of different troops are also different. Liu Xian squinted his eyes and distinguished the flags from them, and got a horrifying answer: the thirty-six imperial guards of Luoyang, even including the five guards of the crown prince who had not yet taken office, had appeared outside the city.

All of this can only illustrate one fact: King Sima Wei of Chu, as the commander of the Northern Army, issued a general mobilization order for the imperial guards and mobilized 100,000 troops in the capital!
No wonder the horn sounded so long and heavy. Liu Xian had never imagined that Sima Wei would go to such an extent.

Liu Xian breathed a sigh of relief. There was no need to look any further. He climbed down the wooden ladder the same way he had come. Xi An and Zhang Gu were waiting at the bottom of the ladder. When they saw him come down, they immediately asked, "How is it? What happened?"

Liu Xian replied, "The King of Chu is going to wipe out the Grand Chancellor and the Grand Guardian's gang."

Zhang Gu asked, "What are the chances of winning?"

Liu Xian said, "The combined followers of the Grand Guardian and the Prime Minister are only two thousand men, less than half of what Yang Jun had before. What can they use to fight the King of Chu?" After hearing this, the two looked at each other in surprise: the disparity in numbers was so great that it was almost like an elephant fighting an ant. Even if all the most outstanding generals in ancient and modern times, like Han Xin, Xiang Yu, Bai Qi, and Li Mu, were to come back to life, they would never have a chance of winning.

Xi An asked, "How strange! The King of Chu has such a huge advantage that even if he mobilized 10,000 men, he could have wiped out the Prime Minister and his men. Why mobilize so many troops?"

Liu Xian glanced at the sky and said, "It's very simple. This time, the King of Chu isn't just targeting the King of Runan. He's also trying to show off to the court and the Queen. If they dare to use him again, these 100,000-strong army won't just be aimed at the King of Runan."

Liu Xian didn't finish his words. He was still thinking: His original guess was wrong. He had thought Sima Wei would fight Empress Jia for a long time after eliminating Sima Liang. Unexpectedly, Sima Wei had no patience for that. He was determined to achieve his goal in one fell swoop. If he succeeded, he would directly control supreme power. If he failed... Sima Wei probably couldn't figure out how to fail, so he acted so recklessly...

Things did indeed develop smoothly.

After the 100,000-strong army was assembled, the 36 imperial guards were divided into four groups to control all the gates of Luoyang City in the east, south, west and north. The soldiers then posted notices at each gate and announced loudly in the streets.

These soldiers claimed that King Sima Wei of Chu had received a secret imperial decree, alleging that Grand Chancellor Sima Liang, King of Runan, and Grand Chancellor Wei Guan were plotting to depose the emperor. Therefore, the King of Chu had led his troops to rescue the emperor and apprehend the rebels. To demonstrate his intentions, the King of Chu did not impose martial law. The people of Luoyang were free to come and go as they pleased. Any disturbance could be reported to the King of Chu's main camp north of the city, where the King would punish them severely.

After this notice was issued, the citizens who had been hiding in their homes suddenly became alert. They first opened their doors and cautiously peeked in front of them to find out what was happening on the streets.

Once they realized there was no martial law in place, the people's natural desire to watch the excitement was rekindled. They learned that the King of Chu had split his forces into two groups: one led by Chief Clerk Gongsun Hong, to surround and capture Sima Liang, King of Runan, and the other led by Sima Xia, King of Qinghe, to capture Grand Tutor Wei Guan. The people, regardless of the danger, followed the soldiers in droves. After all, witnessing the capture of a regent was a rare event, comparable to Jia Chong's slaughter of the Duke of Gaogui in the street.

Liu Xian restrained the people in Anle Mansion and asked them not to join in the fun, but he was also concerned about the further development of the situation: How would Sima Liang and Wei Guan respond?
The answer is no response.

In less than half an hour, Gongsun Hong took King Sima Liang of Runan into a prisoner cart and took him out of the palace. Sima Liang shouted from inside the cart, "What injustice! What injustice!"

"My loyalty is evident to the sun and moon. Even if I were to show it to the whole world, I would not be ashamed! Ah! You unjust people, how dare you wrongly accuse innocent people like this! You will not have a good death in the future!"

The tone of King Runan was sad and angry, but his appearance was ridiculous. His hair was beaten and disheveled, his hands were handcuffed to the prison cart, and he had to stick out his round belly. Under the scorching sun, he sweated like rain, his clothes were soaked, and his face turned red, like a pig waiting to be slaughtered.

But the people still felt sorry for King Runan, so they followed him and fanned him all the way.

But Wei Guan was not so lucky. It was a well-known fact that Wei Guan was the strategist of the King of Runan's party. Just as he had promised Liu Xian before, Wei Guan would never compromise.

Therefore, when Sima Xia, Prince of Qinghe, surrounded Wei Guan's mansion with his troops, he refused to confess his guilt and even tried to lead his followers to resist. Sima Xia immediately sent a thousand soldiers into Wei Guan's mansion and killed all nine members of Wei Guan's family, including over a hundred guards and over sixty servants and maids.

After learning of Wei Guan's death, Sima Wei ordered Gongsun Hong to behead Sima Liang on the spot and throw the King of Runan's body under the north gate city wall. His eldest son Sima Ju was also killed.

It was only half a day after Sima Wei led his troops to besiege Luoyang.

Upon learning of the murders of Sima Liang and Wei Guan, Liu Xian sighed deeply. He could not help but comment to Xi An, "This can be said to be the greatest injustice since the Taishi era (the founding year of the Western Jin Dynasty). It is truly a violation of the harmony of heaven!"

Xi'an was concerned about another issue. He asked, "Now that the King of Chu has eliminated the King of Runan and the Grand Tutor, why hasn't he withdrawn his troops?"

Liu Xian had already analyzed the situation thoroughly and said, "He wants to use the might of these 100,000 soldiers to get the Queen to decide on the title of Regent! He won't withdraw his troops until the title is decided."

"But what if the Queen is unwilling to compromise?"

"Then he'll probably take advantage of the situation to purge the Queen's followers and force her to compromise. The Queen will have no other choice..."

At this point, Liu Xian suddenly stopped. At this moment, he suddenly realized a problem: something was wrong, everything was wrong! It seemed that for Sima Wei, everything was going too smoothly, and there was no need for any planning at all. It seemed that he had already been destined to succeed.

But Liu Xian was all too aware of the strength of the Prince of Chu's followers. Among his advisors, he could only trust around two hundred people, and his personal entourage numbered no more than five thousand. Furthermore, most of the capable personnel had been transferred away. The last time he met Sima Wei, the only people he could mobilize besides a few princes of his generation were opportunists. How could such a crude plan possibly succeed?
Even Sima Yi's Gaopingling coup took several years of planning before he could defeat Cao Shuang. Is Empress Jia even worse than Cao Shuang?
At this thought, Liu Xian suddenly woke up. He knew what was wrong: with Sima Wei's current power, it was impossible for him to fully control the Imperial Guards. He had military power in name only, but in reality, hadn't Yang Jun also had military power in name only? In the end, he was still executed by the Imperial Guards in a coup and his entire clan was exterminated.

Sima Wei had previously reorganized the imperial guards and killed people to establish his authority. Logically speaking, this should have been the time when the soldiers were most resentful. But now, Sima Wei was able to mobilize 100,000 imperial guards. This was by no means a normal phenomenon. It could be said that Empress Jia had buried many traps within the imperial guards and was ready to strike back at any time!
No, it's not a possibility, it's definitely the truth! Thinking of this, Liu Xian couldn't help but be shocked.

He finally understood what Lu Ji meant by the big net targeting the King of Chu.

Previously, Liu Xian mistakenly believed that it was an alliance between Empress Jia and Prince of Runan. Now it seems that Empress Jia used Prince of Runan as a cover to make Sima Wei complacent, and used the imperial guards to plant hidden cards, and suddenly attacked when Sima Wei thought he was sure to win. This is the real winner!
What a brilliant strategy! Who came up with this?

But Liu Xian didn't have time to think about this. He felt as if he was in a heavy snowfall, his whole body shivering. If Empress Jia wanted to purge Sima Wei today, could he really stay out of it? That was probably impossible.

At this time, a three-meter-long Zuoyu banner was slowly erected outside Sima Gate. This tiger-shaped auspicious beast, famous for stopping killing, was baring its fangs and claws, facing north.

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(End of this chapter)