Jinting Han people

Chapter 181 Before the Storm (4k)

Afule stayed in Xiayang for only one night. The next morning, he said goodbye to Liu Xian, took the gold Liu Xian had given him, and quickly left. His arrival was like a gust of wind blowing through willow branches, and his departure was like the dispersing morning mist, leaving no trace, making Liu Xian doubt whether he had even been there.

The sun had just risen, the clouds tinged with gold. The pine forests covering the mountain stretched out their soft, tender green needles, displaying their delicate side to the world. The streets were still sparsely populated. Wisps of smoke rose from the county houses. The swallows had already returned from their eaves, digging new mud into their nests.

This is a beautiful picture, but when Liu Xian thought of the news revealed by Afule, he suddenly felt the cruelty of the world.

Most people are unaware of the future; they only see the present, focusing on their own lives, and unthinkingly believe that this state of things will last forever. But in reality, this state of things is incredibly fragile, like a leaf that has dried out for days in autumn. A single step will turn it into dust and debris.

Troubled times are brewing, and while only a few signs have emerged so far, these signs are not something ordinary people can resist. A few words that may seem insignificant and insignificant to future generations are, in the experiences of those involved, like a violent storm.

But at the same time, we must also realize that no matter how terrifying these so-called storms may be, they will eventually dissipate. No one lives forever, and similarly, no matter how great the wars and turmoil, they will eventually end. And in between, there will always be children, young people, middle-aged people, and old people. The world will not end, and even hell will have its day of peace and tranquility.

Empress Jia, Jia Mi, Sun Xiu, and Zhang Hua, how long will their feud last? Will they ever realize that the storms they stir up will eventually drown them?

Liu Xian thought: It's time to make some preparations for the storm. He was very lucky this time. By chance, he was able to learn the details of the first storm, which was enough to gain some capital for himself.

When Liu Xian returned to his study, he first closed the door and told everyone not to disturb him. He then cleared the desk of all the other official documents so that he could focus on responding to the Shangdang Xiongnu's westward exodus.

Liu Xian first took out three maps: one for Fengyi County, one for Pingyang County, and one for Hedong County. He pieced the three together and, according to the information Afule had brought him, marked the route the Shangdang Xiongnu planned to take westward.

After planning his rebellion, Hao San first attacked and killed Sun Yuan in revenge. He then followed the Qinshui River valley, crossing the Shangdang Basin and the Taiyue Mountains, unexpectedly appearing in Pingyang County. He then plundered Jiangyi, a wealthy county in Pingyang County, and after obtaining supplies, he sailed down the Fen River to Fenyin, where he captured it. He then crossed the river east of Fenyin at Longmen Ferry, passed through Xiayang, and took the Liangshan Trail to Huangyaji. Finally, he headed north to reunite with Hao Duyuan in Fushi.

How should we evaluate this? This route is incredibly dangerous, requiring a significant portion of the journey through mountainous forests. There's a high probability that many people will be left behind along the way. The section crossing the Qinshui River Valley, in particular, is sparsely populated and extremely steep, making it difficult to support large numbers of people.

But precisely because it was dangerous, few people could predict that they would take this route. As long as the Xiongnu in the rear could get out, the current defenses in Pingyang and Hedong would be almost useless.

According to Afule, the Xiongnu in the rear area numbered approximately 80,000 men, including over 30,000 able-bodied men. With this number, as long as the main force of the Western Expeditionary Army did not arrive, they could take over not only Hedong and Pingyang counties, but also the entire Guanzhong region.

After leaving Hedong, if they passed through Xiayang and took the Liangshan Trail to Shuofang, although the mountain roads here were difficult to walk on, there was one advantage: once they reached Huangyaji, the mountain roads led in all directions, making it very difficult for the Western Expedition Army to pursue them.

Once Hao San reunites with Hao Duyuan, it will become even more difficult to deal with them, and they will immediately become a major bandit in Guanzhong.

Should the Western Expeditionary Army continue to send troops to Shuofang? It would be extremely difficult to achieve results, and the cost would be enormous. If the troops were not sent, what would become of the imperial court's authority?
Therefore, considering the entire situation, if we want to seize the opportunity to make a contribution, the only time to stop the Huns from the rear is after they arrive in Hedong and before they enter Liangshan.

Moreover, considering that the Xiongnu would spend the most time crossing the river at Longmen, it was probably along the riverbank that Xiayang would be at the center of the storm.

As long as he reports the news to the Western Expedition Army Headquarters in time and joins up with the main army before the Huns in the rear cross the river, he might be able to fight a great battle with Hao San here.

This must be the biggest challenge Guanzhong will face since Tufa Shuji was pacified.

When Liu Xian thought of this, he couldn't help but recall the heroic words he and Shi Chao said when they were children when they were on the battlefield to pacify the enemy. His heart was suddenly filled with excitement. Is his childhood dream going to come true?
But how to do it specifically still needs careful consideration.

First of all, the matter must be reported to the Zhengxi Military Headquarters, but how and when to report it is a question that deserves careful consideration.

If the report is made too early, the Western Expedition Army will doubt where the information came from and may not believe it, and it may also interfere with the original westward escape route of the Xiongnu in the rear.

If the report is too late, can he withstand the military pressure of the Xiongnu crossing the river? Xiayang only has 600 county soldiers.

Thinking of this, Liu Xian came up with an idea. He sent someone to call Li Sheng over and said to him, "Bin Shuo, I have something to entrust to you."

As soon as Li Sheng entered the room and saw the unusual atmosphere in the room, he immediately knew that Liu Xian was planning something big. He was very smart not to ask why, but instead said directly: "My lord, if you have anything to say, just leave it to me."

Liu Xian stared into his eyes and said, "I want you to go to Shangdang for some business."

"Business? What kind of business? Buying or selling?"

"Yes," Liu Xian said slowly, "I want you to go to Shangdang and buy some Codonopsis pilosula. Buy a lot of Codonopsis pilosula."

"Dangshen? Did you buy it to nourish Zhaorong?"

"Yes, but not all. Didn't some soldiers mutinied and injured our county guards last year? Buy some for them too."

At this point, Liu Xian instructed Li Sheng emphatically, "I'll give you three hundred gold. I heard that the Codonopsis pilosula in April is the best. If there are no special circumstances, I hope you can buy the best Codonopsis pilosula in April."

"Anything else you want?"

"Also, bring your best horse with you. I can lend you Fanyu."

Although Li Sheng didn't understand the deeper meaning behind Liu Xian's words, he didn't ask any more questions. After nodding, he went to arrange the matter.

This was Liu Xian's plan. There was no more convincing reason than to report it firsthand. Reporting it immediately after the incident was the most time-saving and appropriate method. Logically speaking, the Xiongnu in the rear had nearly 100,000 men crossing the mountain, while Li Sheng was a single, fast horse. If both of them worked as hard as they could, they could at least gain a ten-day advantage, which should be enough for the Western Expedition Army to react.

The problem of reporting the news was solved. What Liu Xian had to consider next was how to reduce the losses that Xia Yang would suffer during the war.

If this incident breaks out this year, the trade route of Longmendu will be scrapped. If you think about it more deeply, the summer harvest in Hedong will definitely be over this year, and there will be no wheat harvest. At the same time, the rebellion will also create a large number of refugees in Hedong and Pingyang, who will need a large amount of food to appease them. Otherwise, famine is very likely to occur in the three counties. After Liu Xian realized the seriousness of this problem, he immediately sent someone to call Xi An in and said to him:

"Chi Nu, take all the remaining money and silk in the treasury. From today on, you must go to Chang'an, Hedong, and other places to buy food."

"Buy grain?" Xi An was also confused by this request. He calculated in his mind and asked, "Bi Ji, I think the county government has more than enough grain in stock, enough for us to use until next year. Why buy grain?"

Liu Xian hadn't told Li Shengming before, and he certainly couldn't tell Xi Anming now. Before the incident broke out, the fewer people who knew about this, the better. It wasn't that he didn't trust his friends, but he couldn't afford the risk of it leaking. If Sun Xiu learned of this, he would undoubtedly be labeled an accomplice.

However, such a large-scale purchase of grain does require a reasonable explanation to the world.

He pondered for a moment, then suddenly had an idea and replied, "I just received a letter from my teacher in Luoyang. He said that at the beginning of this year, an evil star flashed in the west. This is a sign of a locust plague this year. We must prepare in advance."

"Locust plague? Seriously?" Xi An was taken aback. He didn't doubt Liu Xian's rhetoric. As a historian, Chen Shou was a master of astrology. At the time, people generally believed that astrology could predict good and bad fortune. If Chen Shou, a leading historian, said that the appearance of an evil star this year signified a locust plague, no one would doubt it.

After receiving Liu Xian's affirmative answer, Xi An did not dare to neglect and immediately set about the matter. It was still spring, when grain prices were cheap, and he hoped to collect more grain. Liu Xian did not dare to count on Sun Xiu's disaster relief level.

The last thing Liu Xian considered was how to prepare for the attack. This time he called the new county lieutenant Xue Xing over.

With Liu Xian's promotion to sixth-rank county magistrate, Xiayang County had two vacancies for county lieutenants, as previously mentioned. The appointment of the new lieutenant was a significant personnel change within Xiayang's internal political landscape. This move involved military power, commanding half of Xiayang County's troops and effectively serving as Liu Xian's right-hand man.

Over the years, Liu Xian hadn't had many talents in the small town of Xiayang. Sun Xi and Xue Xing were two of them. Logically, Sun Xi's contributions to Xiayang were greater, but considering Xue Xing's status as a descendant of the Shu Han, Liu Xian deliberated and ultimately appointed Xue Xing as the new county lieutenant. Although he didn't explicitly state it, Liu Xian hoped to foster closer ties between the two.

After Xue Xing came in, Liu Xian first asked with concern: "How are you, Ji Da? Are you having any trouble adapting to being a county lieutenant?"

"Thanks to the county lord, everything is fine." Xue Xing replied with a somewhat restrained look.

"That's good, that's good." Liu Xian saw that he was a little uneasy, so he gently said to him, "What do you think of the recent training of the county soldiers? I know you have a family background in martial arts, so please tell me what you have to say."

Xue Xing hesitated for a moment, then finally said, "I think that the county lord has encouraged everyone to strengthen their physiques this year, and that they have indeed made great progress in physical fitness, but they have neglected the practice of combat skills. This is probably not a good thing."

Liu Xian touched his chin and nodded. "You're right. I have the same concerns. So I was thinking, why don't you take charge of this matter?"

"I..." Xue Xing looked at Liu Xian, shook his head slightly, and pointed at himself and said, "I'm afraid I'm not as good as Sun Caoyuan in this matter. The county lady should entrust it to him."

"What do you mean?" Liu Xian smiled, stood up, patted Xue Xing's chest, and encouraged him, "When it comes to swordplay, Sun Xi is indeed better than you, but when it comes to flags, drums, and formations, he's not as good as you. You have to have confidence in yourself."

Xue Xing still had a somewhat reluctant expression on his face, but since it had come to this, he couldn't refuse, so he nodded and said, "Then I'll do my best."

Liu Xian nodded in satisfaction and said to him, "I suspect the last incident is not over yet. You have to pay close attention to it. Stop everything else for a while. Besides practicing battle formations, have everyone practice long-range shooting."

"Then, you go notify the Iron Officials and have them stop everything else they're doing, put aside their swords and other things, and focus on making more arrows. Ideally, we can produce 500 arrows a day. I hope to see 50,000 arrows in the county warehouse in three months."

The reason for strengthening defense is the easiest to find. After all, with the disaster that happened last year as a pretext, no one would doubt Liu Xian's motives.

Sure enough, after hearing this, Xue Xing was a little embarrassed, but after thinking it over, he finally said, "I will obey your orders..."

After Xue Xing left, Liu Xian looked at his departing back and couldn't help wondering: It seems that Xue Xing is not happy because he is valued by me. What is the reason?

Liu Xian thought about it and felt that there should be only one answer: that is, he still didn't want to get too close to him.

Although Liu Xian had tried hard to conceal his intentions to win him over over the years, he could sometimes be a bit too deliberate. Xue Xing must have sensed his intentions; they were both just playing dumb.

If Xue Xing really doesn't follow his wishes, wouldn't it be inappropriate for him to force him to win him over?

This thought made Liu Xian frown. He put himself in Xue Xing's shoes and realized that this was indeed a problem. His actions over the years had indeed been rather outrageous, and it was natural that Xue Xing had no desire to tie him down. Trying to win him over was probably like Sima Wei forcing him into a coup. Even if he'd done his best, it didn't guarantee he'd win his heart.

Perhaps I should have a frank talk with Xue Xing. If he really doesn't want to, there's really no need to force him. Maybe he'll come to his senses later. After all, setting a bird free is far more likely to gain friendship than keeping it caged.

Thinking of this, Liu Xian finally felt relieved and continued to prepare for the April storm.

Liu Xian guessed correctly, Xue Xing indeed thought so. Hearing that the conflict between the county and the Zhengxi Army seemed to be intensifying, he was full of complaints about the future.

That evening, after Xue Xing finished his official duties, he went to a tavern outside the city to drink. The innkeeper saw him coming and greeted him with a smile, complimenting him:

"Isn't this County Magistrate Xue? The boss is waiting for you upstairs!"

Upon hearing this, Xue Xing immediately hurried upstairs and entered the private room. He saw a man dressed like a businessman sitting inside and brewing wine. On the other side of the screen, there seemed to be a woman playing the piano.

The businessman looked up at him, smiled, and said, "Ha, Brother Ji Da, I've been waiting for you for a long time. Come and sit down!"

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(End of this chapter)