Jinting Han people

Chapter 180 A Business (4k)

"What! Business?"

When Liu Xian heard this, he felt a little funny, but he didn't dare to take it seriously.

From what Afule had just described, his tribe couldn't even sustain itself, and most of his assets had been bought by Sun Yuanqiang. How could he possibly have the capital to start a business? Meanwhile, Liu Xian knew Afule's character. Although he seemed unremarkable, he was a man who dared to defy the mundane, do extraordinary things, and achieve extraordinary things.

Just as he had said he wanted to avenge his fellow villagers who had been wrongfully murdered, when he decided to do something, he wasn't afraid of any risk in the world. Even if he was alone in Luoyang, he dared to form a gang and rob the Golden Valley Garden. Although Liu Xian was fanning the flames, he knew that Afule was the true organizer, and he also understood that he was a natural leader.

So Liu Xian smiled on the surface, but became cautious in his heart, waiting for Afule's next words.

Afule said, "I want to tell you a piece of news, a very important one."

Liu Xian didn't hesitate and asked directly, "How much do you want to sell it for?"

A Fule held up a finger and said, "A thousand gold coins, honest and trustworthy, it's worth it."

Liu Xian nodded, shook his hand and said, "Okay, deal!"

This actually frightened Afule, as if he had stepped into a trap. He asked back, "Huh? Why are you so happy?"

"What? You're not even happy?"

"This is unusual, maybe there's something fishy going on." Afule shook his head as he recalled, "I still remember when we planned to rob the Golden Valley Garden together. On the surface, we all said we were going in to steal money."

"What happened? You said nice things on the surface, but you were actually trying to steal the woman. You pretended not to tell us and used us as a cover. I remember it clearly."

"Who knows if you got some stolen money from somewhere and are planning to cheat me right now!"

Liu Xian was speechless for a moment. This was indeed the case at the time, and he really couldn't refute the accusation. But now, he was indeed well-intentioned, so he laughed and scolded unhappily:
"Yes, you're right. This money is stolen money I stole from others. Just tell me if you want it or not! If you don't want it, I'll send you away."

"Yes! Why not?" Upon hearing that he really had money, A Fule's expression immediately changed. He stepped forward with a flattering expression, patted Liu Xian on the shoulder and said, "I knew there weren't many good brothers like you in the world."

"No, your brother is in the stable thirty steps outside the yard right now. I can't be your brother."

The two of them burst into laughter again. Liu Xian sat down and asked him, "Tell me, what news did you bring me?"

A Fule did not speak immediately, but walked out of the courtyard first, looked around the courtyard cautiously, and after seeing that there was no suspicious person eavesdropping except the oriole and the mulberry tree, he slowly returned to the room, closed the courtyard door, and whispered in Liu Xian's ear:

"Our Shangdang leader, the Xiongnu rear commander, Lord Hao Sanhao, is planning a rebellion this April!"

Afule's voice was extremely soft, as soft as a mosquito's whisper, but to Liu Xian, it was like thunder. He trembled all over, nearly leaping from the couch. But his rationality calmed him, and habitually suppressed the impulse. Liu Xian closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and exhaled long. After nearly ten breaths, he finally calmed his excitement.

When he opened his eyes again, Afule was already sitting on the couch, looking at him leisurely.

Liu Xian's expression was extremely serious. He asked Afule, "Are you serious?"

Afule nodded and said, "Of course it's true!"

In fact, Liu Xian had already believed it in his heart, but he was just too excited.

Since his release from the imperial prison, he had been anticipating a rebellion almost daily. Especially recently, when he'd been enraged and tormented by Sun Xiu's provocations, he'd sincerely hoped for chaos. Then, he could exploit the situation and fish in troubled waters, either by making a name for himself or by joining the rebellion. Continuing this calm, as if nothing had happened, was unacceptable.

But what he never expected was that just when he had finally gotten over this hurdle in his heart and was ready to live calmly, Afule brought him such big news.

That's right. Actually, there's no need to worry. In this era, with this kind of court, the people of the world will definitely rebel, even if they don't rebel this year or next year. It's just that today, he got news of the first rebel from Afule.

At this point, Liu Xian's mood had reached an unprecedented calm. He asked Afule again, "Tell me in detail what's going on."

A Fule smiled and said, "What a coincidence! You also contributed to this."

"mine?"

After listening to Afule's narration, Liu Xian gradually understood the cause and effect of the incident.

Sun Yuan's administration aroused widespread anger among the Hu people in Shangdang. However, even so, the Hu people still found it difficult to make up their minds to revolt.

Firstly, there was the geographical advantage. Shangdang was located at the southernmost tip of Bingzhou, extremely close to the key points of the capital: to the south lay Henei County, the birthplace of the Sima family; to the east lay Yecheng, one of the Five Capitals; and to the north lay the Bingzhou Military Governor's Office. If a rebellion was not kept secret and word leaked, the Jin army would be immediately suppressed on three sides.

Secondly, there was the issue of public opinion. Although Sun Yuan's brutality was tyrannical, it was limited to Shangdang County. The rest of Bingzhou, especially under the Five Commanderies Commander-in-Chief Liu Yuan, was not yet unbearable. The rear commander, Hao San, had repeatedly hinted at Liu Yuan's support, but Liu Yuan remained noncommittal, neither confirming nor denying, clearly intending to remain out of the situation. This left the Shangdang Hu people feeling uncertain.

The third question was the destination. If they wanted to start a rebellion, where should they go? Liu Yuan, the Grand Commander of the Five Tribes, was unwilling to accept them. Would they then head north to join the Tuoba Xianbei? This was an option, but with the Bingzhou Governor's Office in between, the journey would be extremely difficult and dangerous. Or, taking a risk, they could simply head south to attack Luoyang. This, too, would be amusing.

So during last year's planting season, the Hu people of Shangdang were still wavering and undecided.

But at the end of the year, two things happened that forced them to make up their minds. The first was that Sun Yuan's tyranny became even worse.

Because Sun Yuan was too successful in his overfishing in Huguan in the past two years, this famous and prosperous trade route has become a thing of the past. There are no more people, it is overgrown with weeds, and even tigers and foxes have increased in number.

Sun Yuan, however, was deeply dissatisfied with this. While he was unwilling to abandon the checkpoint at Fukouxing, he also wanted to establish a checkpoint at Tianjingguan, south of Shangdang. The road to Tianjingguan was far less accessible than Huguan. Surrounded by mountains, ravines, and ancient passes, the terrain was extremely treacherous, earning it the nickname "Sheep Intestine Slope." Therefore, since ancient times, few caravans had passed through this route except for military action.

However, because Huguan was difficult to pass, some Hu tribes had to take risks and go out of Tianjingguan to Hanoi, Luoyang and other places to trade and survive in the hope of earning some hard-earned money.

As a result, Sun Yuan set up additional checkpoints here, refusing to let anyone pass without paying taxes, effectively cutting off everyone's livelihood. The first group of Hu people who were stopped were furious and wanted to cause trouble, but Sun Yuan immediately imprisoned them all. Dozens of them were beaten and then hung at the checkpoint for public display. Then, a snowstorm hit, and the freezing weather froze them to death.

When word of this spread throughout the county, the Hu people were deeply shocked. They all thought that if they continued like this, they would die if they rebelled, and they would also die if they didn't. It would be better to kill Sun Yuan and run away, at least to avenge the death of his father. So they made their final decision.

The second thing was the news that the Zhengxi Army had successfully recruited Hao Duyuan.

Hao Duyuan was originally the younger brother of Hao San, the commander of the Xiongnu rear corps. Both were renowned heroes within the Shangdang Xiongnu. However, upon the death of the previous commander, Hao Yezai, Hao San succeeded him. Unwilling to be inferior to Hao San, Hao Duyuan vowed to carve out his own kingdom. He led several hundred of his men and left Shangdang, never to be seen again.

The Shangdang Xiongnu had heard news of Hao Duyuan over the years, but they had only heard general reports that he was doing well. However, this was the first time they knew the specifics of the situation.

When everyone learned that Hao Duyuan had established a foothold in Shuofang and was being actively recruited by the Western Expedition Army, the Shangdang Xiongnu suddenly had a direction. After they planned to start an uprising, they moved their entire clan westward, and tens of thousands of people came to Shuofang to join Hao Duyuan.

After listening to Afule's narration, Liu Xian had fully understood the causes and consequences of the uprising, and couldn't help feeling a little disappointed.

Because according to the plans of the Xiongnu tribes in Shangdang, it would be more accurate to say that they were preparing to escape rather than starting a rebellion, and it was not as grand as Liu Xian had expected.

But Liu Xian quickly adjusted his mindset. He thought, throughout the dynasties of past dynasties, the first rebellion was always small-scale, which was normal. And once there was a first, there would be a second, and a third. There was no need to be so impatient.

Afule's throat was so sore from talking so much that he was guzzling cold water. Liu Xian waited until he finished drinking and then asked with a smile:

"You sold me this information. What do you expect me to do? Collaborate with you?"

Upon hearing this, Afule coughed several times, looked at Liu Xian with an incredulous look, and burped, "Liu Huai Chong, I don't remember you being this stupid, right? This is hopelessly stupid. Do you want me to get involved and get myself killed?"

"Haha, do you think your fellow countrymen are stupid?"

"Stupid, of course it's stupid! If it were me, I would rather take these people to attack Luoyang. Whether they succeed or not is another matter, but at least it will be a grand victory! But running to this miserable place like Shuofang, when you're hungry, there's nowhere to grab food, and when you starve to death, no one will care, and it won't amount to anything."

It was something Afule could really say! What seemed like the most impossible route to others was actually the one he was most willing to implement. Liu Xian smiled and said, "People should not always think about making a big splash, but also find a way to say it nicely."

He had intended to change the subject, but Afule persisted, elaborating on his thoughts. "Hey, it's not all about the excitement. Don't underestimate the calm these days. Actually, I see ambitious individuals everywhere trying to take advantage of the situation. They're just waiting for an opportunity, an excuse."

"As long as the court in Luoyang is still there, everyone should just pretend and obey the court's orders. But what if something happens to the court? How many people in the world would be willing to go to Luoyang to save the court? I don't think it's possible. So, in my opinion, if an uprising breaks out, attacking Luoyang is the only way to survive."

Liu Xian stared at Afule for a while, then sighed, "You're quite a bit of a naiveté, kid. But have you ever considered that there are so many feudal lords in this world? Will they watch you attack Luoyang first? If you fail, it's fine. But if you do, they'll all attack us together?"

"Is there such a thing?"

A Fule was taken aback. It was obvious that he had no idea about the general politics of the court and his vision was not long-term. So after thinking for a while, he could only scratch his head and said regretfully:

"Forget it. I've made up my mind anyway. I'll get the money from you and I won't get involved in this matter anymore."

"what's your plan?"

"Of course we're heading north!" Afu Le showed a rare look of dejection, looking up to the sky and sighing, "I plan to take advantage of the Marshal and his men fleeing west to lead my people to seek refuge with Zuo Xian Wang. If we can't stay there, we'll continue heading north, perhaps to the north of Yanmen Pass and seek refuge with the Xianbei people."

Although he didn't say it explicitly, Liu Xian could hear the regret in his words: no matter what, after this incident, he could no longer stay in his hometown of Shangdang, and he didn't know how long he would be gone, so he couldn't help but feel sad about it.

A Fule brought the topic back to the topic and said, "That's the news. I sold it to you for a very simple reason. When I thought about my fellow countrymen and relatives, I was afraid that sooner or later they would become military merits for the imperial court. I felt uneasy all over. And then I heard the news about you. I thought, instead of selling these lives to others, I might as well sell them to you!"

But when Liu Xian heard this, he felt a chill in his heart.

He thought the man before him was the young man who had said he wanted to avenge his people, but he hadn't expected that at this moment, Afule could actually say such cold words. Liu Xian pretended to be nonchalant and asked, "Aren't you going to persuade them again?"

Unexpectedly, Afule easily saw through his thoughts. He stood up, first looking at the willow trees outside the window, and slowly said: "Liu Huaichong, I know you call me cold-blooded in your heart. But the world is so vast, it is destined that we must give up some things."

Then he looked back at Liu Xian, locked eyes, and said, "We are first and foremost responsible for ourselves, then for our loved ones. If we are more capable, we are responsible for our friends or subordinates. No one can be responsible for everyone. On the contrary, everyone should be responsible for their own choices."

"Within my responsibilities, I will do my best, but outside of my responsibilities, it depends on God's will. I can't force it, and I have to give up what needs to be given up."

Liu Xian knew that Afule was right, but he found it hard to accept. What kind of life would he lead if he gave up the things that were important to him so decisively?

He now re-examined Afule and discovered that his coldness and passion blended so wonderfully and perfectly within him, ultimately forming an indescribable and unpredictable leadership aura. This was completely different from Liu Xian's calmness. As Liu Xian looked at him, he finally realized something:
He and this Jie man were not on the same path, on the contrary. Perhaps this man would be the most difficult opponent in his life.

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(End of this chapter)