Jinting Han people

Chapter 217: Fu Clan of the North (4k)

The Battle of Guanzhong in the sixth year of the Yuankang reign affected more than just Liu Xian's fate. In fact, the entire population of Guanxi, whether Hu or Han, commoners or scholars, was caught up in this vortex, their fates intertwined and entangled, laying the groundwork for the future.

September Wuchen, Taixingting, Zhuoyinwu, Beixiang, Niyang County.

The warm autumn sun rose, casting a slightly reddish glow. Migratory birds flying south could see that within this massive fortress, covering an area of three miles in radius, there were seventy-five houses, two large warehouses, and six watchtowers. They were densely packed together, occupying almost every inch of available land, like pine nuts in a pine cone, making it seem cramped.

But it is precisely this exaggerated construction method that allows 1,500 people to temporarily live in the dock.

The locals boasted that as long as they gathered manpower and relied on the two-meter-high rammed earth walls outside the fort for defense, and with the granaries and wells inside the fort as support, the fort would become as tricky as a hedgehog with its hair standing on end, and they could hold out for two years no matter what enemy came to besiege it.

Although no one has tried this so far, all Niyang people firmly believe in it.

After all, being able to build a fortress of this size was enough to demonstrate the owner's extraordinary financial resources. Furthermore, the owner of the fortress possessed six thousand acres of land, six hundred tenants, six hundred domestic slaves, and a dependent clan and extended family, easily mobilizing a manpower of two thousand, nearly one-third of the entire population of Niyang County.

But no one will be jealous of the owner of the fortress because of this. On the contrary, they will be proud of the dignity of their master's family.

Because looking at the entire Guanxi, apart from the powerful families in Hedong, Pingyang and other places, no other family can compare with the historical glory of the Fu family in the north.

Yes, this fortress belongs to the Fu family in the north.

However, in Zhuoyinwu, there weren't many people who could make the decisions. Early in the morning, after receiving a message from his servants, Fu Xi knew something was amiss. He immediately sent for his younger brother Fu Zan and his cousin Fu Chang to come to the ancestral hall for a meeting.

Fu Xi is thirty-seven years old this year. He is a typical scholar of elegant conversation. He wears a wide Taoist robe with fluttering sleeves. His sideburns and beard look elegant and refined after being groomed. In addition, he wears casual clothes all year round, so his skin is fair, giving people a subtle sense of fragility.

Unfortunately, the anxiety and fear on his face now shattered these temperaments. After the blood rushed up, Fu Xi's cheeks turned red, as if something inside was broken.

When he saw Fu Chang and Fu Zan step into the hall, he immediately stepped forward and said, "Third brother, sixth brother, something terrible has happened. General Jie has suffered a great defeat in Meiyang."

Fu Zan ranked third among his peers, and Fu Chang ranked sixth, so Fu Xi called them that.

Upon hearing that the Jin army had suffered a crushing defeat in Meiyang, Fu Zuan was horrified and asked hurriedly, "How did the government army suffer the defeat? What were the losses?"

"Alas, it's said that tens of thousands of Qiang and Hu people from Qinzhou came to support the rebels. The government troops were terrified and fled in a single battle. The rebels pursued them from dusk until this morning. Some of them have already escaped to our Niyang. Today, we took in a deserter in the fort, and we got the general idea. According to that deserter, the government troops may have suffered more than half their casualties this time!"

"Ah! That's an army of 100,000, how could they be defeated so miserably?"

Any Jin Dynasty scholar would have been horrified upon hearing the outcome of the Battle of Meiyang. While at the end of the Panlong Bay Battle, some might have harbored a certain degree of hope, believing the government troops had simply fallen prey to a treacherous scheme by the rebels and that the Jin army still had a chance of swiftly annihilating them, the bloody outcome of the Battle of Meiyang left no room for deception.

This time, the rebellion in Guanzhong is bound to turn into a war lasting months and years.

Amidst the sighs of his two brothers, Fu Chang laughed and said, "Why are you so anxious, brothers? It's just a defeat, a common occurrence in military affairs. Didn't the government army suffer many defeats when Tufa Shuji was rebellious?"

Unlike Fu Xi and Fu Zuan, who have been adults for a long time, Fu Chang is of the same generation as them, but he is only seventeen years old, still a very young age. Even in front of his brothers, he still unscrupulously expresses his own ideas, analyzing:
"Although General Jie is more loyal to the emperor and patriotic than Sun Xiu, and has a good heart, in terms of talent, in my opinion, he is not as good as Sun Xiu."

"At least Sun Xiu, after suffering a loss, learned the lesson. He couldn't fall in the same place again. If he couldn't win, he shouldn't fight! But General Jie had clearly suffered a crushing defeat at Panlong Bay, and his army's morale was low, yet he still insisted on fighting. This was unwise. If he didn't lose, who would?"

"In my opinion, it won't be long before Lord Jie and Sun Xiu, the two enemies, and His Royal Highness Prince Zhao, like crabs clawing at each other, are all dismissed and returned to the capital."

Facing Fu Chang's eloquent speech, the two brothers smiled bitterly. It was not because they felt that Fu Chang's words were unreasonable, but because these words were useless. Even if he was right, what impact would it have on the current family predicament?
Fu Xi said: "This world, now is not the time to talk about this, the important thing is what should we do?"

"What do you mean?"

"Now that the clan leader is away and the entire northern county has been occupied by rebels, we must find a way to protect our clan..."

The common ancestor of the Beidi Fu family is Fu Jiezi, a famous general in the Western Han Dynasty, who is famous for his achievement of beheading the King of Loulan. The Beidi Fu family also made their fortune from this hero and has survived hundreds of years of vicissitudes.

It was only during the Wei and Jin dynasties that the Fu family in northern China developed into two branches, each equally superior. The father of Fu Xi and Fu Zan was Fu Xian, the former Inspector of the Imperial Capital and Marquis of Qingquan, while the father of Fu Chang was Fu Zhi, the current Guanglu Xun and Duke of Lingzhou.

The two branches had once been on equal footing, but in the fourth year of the Yuankang reign, Fu Xian passed away. Without a supporter, Fu Xi and the others had to rely more on Fu Chang to maintain family unity. Therefore, at this critical juncture, even though the two men were nearly twenty years older than Fu Chang, they still had to consider his opinion.

Fu Xi thought about the current dilemma and patiently said to Fu Chang, "Now that the rebels have won a great victory, there will be no government troops coming to retake the lost territory for at least a few months. The rebels are not engaged in production and are thinking about expanding their territory, so they will definitely find a way to extort food."

"Brother, are you saying that the rebels will try to extort food from us?"

"It's not just about extorting food. You have to know that even across the world, our Fu family in the north is a well-known clan. Will the rebels let us go just to boost their morale? Think about Han Sui, Ma Teng and the others a hundred years ago. Don't harbor any luck!"

The story of Han Sui and Ma Teng that Fu Xi mentioned refers to the Qiang rebellion in Liang Province in the late Eastern Han Dynasty. In order to strengthen their strength, the Qiang and Hu people forced Han Sui, Ma Teng and other Guanzhong scholars to join the rebel army, resulting in one of them wanting to surrender to the court all his life but being unable to do so, and the other being abandoned by the Qiang people and killed by Cao Cao.

This is the situation Fu Xi feared. What would happen if these rebels forced the Fu family to join them and ruined their reputation?
Fu Chang remained noncommittal and said to Fu Xi, "Then we must draw a clear line between ourselves and the rebels. We are irreconcilable. We can hide in the fortress and have enough food for two years. In two years, at least the imperial reinforcements will arrive."

"To put it simply, if the rebels lead a large army to attack the fort, can we really hold it? Once it's breached, you and I will be sacrificed!"

"So what do you plan to do, brother?"

"I'm thinking, can we spend more food to buy peace and keep both sides from offending each other? The clan leader is at the court, so even if someone reports it, he should be able to cover it up with a few nice words." Fu Chang's eyes widened, and he couldn't help but question:
"Second brother, you think the rebels are too stupid! I heard that the leader of the rebels this time is, uh, I think his name is Qi Wannian! He can win consecutive victories, so at least he is not short-sighted."

"Now that the Western Expedition Army has suffered a crushing defeat, it's a golden opportunity for him to exploit his victory and expand his territory. Why would he leave Qinzhou, which is undermanned in the west, and instead come to attack us? This is completely not worth the loss!"

"Even if Sun Quan had abandoned Hefei and launched a surprise attack on Guan Yu, he could have at least captured three counties. What can he gain by attacking us? Second brother, don't worry. Not many people will die."

Fu Chang's series of words left Fu Xi dumbfounded. He couldn't think of any words to refute, but he felt that what the other party said was really unreasonable, so he had to say:
"Many things in the world cannot be solved by just thinking. If it were six months ago, who would have thought that such a disaster would happen? I'll take care of this matter."

The implication was that this topic would end here. Several people had already discussed it and respected Fu Zhi's opinion. The next matters would be left to Fu Xi and others.

The age gap between the brothers is significant. As the saying goes, an elder brother is like a father, so the older one has more decision-making power. Fu Chang's father, Fu Zhi, and his older brother, Fu Xuan, are both officials in Luoyang. Fu Xi is the oldest in the family, so it's perfectly legitimate for him to make the decisions.

Fu Chang didn't say much, so he rolled up his sleeves to show his agreement.

Sure enough, within two hours, two hundred or so barbarians came on horseback, carrying swords and wearing armor. They went straight to the main gate of Zhuoyin Fort, drew their shining swords, and the leader shouted into the fort:

"Hey! Listen up, everyone inside! Our Tiele leader, Lord Qi Wannian, defeated the Jin army just six days ago. On the battlefield, we beheaded countless heads, and the plains flowed like rivers of blood. Guanzhong is now ours!"

"I am Chi Nu Luo, a Tiefu native, a brave general under Lord Wannian's command! I heard your family is a prominent family in Guanzhong, and is known for being sensible. Why don't you understand the current situation and come out to celebrate?"

The troops Chi Nuluo brought were not many and posed no threat to Zhuoyin Fort, but Fu Xi's attitude was still relatively humble. He replied on the city wall:

"I appreciate your kindness, but my family has been a family of Jin officials for generations, and we are highly valued by the court. The head of my clan is still in Luoyang. If I were to surrender, I would surely be branded as disloyal and unfilial. I simply dare not do it."

"However, my family has no intention of becoming an enemy of your army. In three days, we will offer you 5,000 bushels of wheat and millet to support your army. I hope your army will show some mercy and not attack my family."

This response greatly satisfied the Tiele people. They were currently short on manpower and had other battles to attend to, so they hadn't initially thought they could pry open the gates of Zhuoyinwu. This was merely posturing and threatening; otherwise, they wouldn't have brought so few people. However, Chi Nuluo still displayed a certain degree of dissatisfaction, pretending to attack, using the situation as leverage to bargain with Fu Xi.

After some discussion, the two finally reached an agreement: three days later, the Fu family in Beidi would offer 3,000 hu of wheat flour and 3,000 hu of millet to the Tiele people in exchange for the Tiele people not harming them in the slightest.

After the peace talks ended, Fu Xi breathed a sigh of relief and held a small dinner in the fort to celebrate the safety of his family.

While drinking, Fu Chang felt depressed and sat alone in a corner drinking. Fifth brother Fu Jun saw that he was in a bad mood, so he stepped forward and asked with a smile:
"Shidao, what's going on? Are you dissatisfied with what Second Brother did?"

"Of course I'm not satisfied." Fu Chang stared at the candlelight on the table and complained.

"What's wrong with you?"

"It's a total loss-making deal!"

Fu Chang gritted his teeth and complained to Fu Jun:

"Thinking of buying peace by sending food is wishful thinking! The rebels are fighting right now, and what they lack most is food. Where will they get it after they finish eating it? It's still us! When they come again, will we give it to them?"

"The enemy doesn't dare to attack us because we have so many people and so much food. Even without any external aid, we can still hold on until next autumn harvest."

"But now they've given us so much food, enough for our family to eat for five or six months! It would be fine if they don't go back on their word, but if they do, they'll surround our village again. We were originally sure we could hold out until the imperial court's reinforcements arrived, but now, we've lost a few months for nothing. If we can't wait for reinforcements by then, we'll be finished!"

After saying this, Fu Chang felt even more angry.

He was not a person who was stingy with money. On the contrary, when he was five years old, he gave his most valuable gold ring to a slave, simply because the other party wanted it. What he disliked was the cowardly and superficial atmosphere in his family, which made him feel depressed.

It's just a few Qiang and Hu people rebelling, what's so scary about that? Sima Shi suffered a crushing defeat at Dongxing, but didn't he eventually recover? It's simply that the Western Expedition Commander was so incompetent that he frightened his brothers.

But then again, the performance of the imperial army in recent years has been truly disappointing. They barely managed a victory against the Xiongnu in Hedong, let alone the crushing defeat they've suffered against the Wannian army of Qi. Is this still the Western Expeditionary Army that Emperor Xuan devotedly cultivated, producing such renowned generals as Deng Ai, Zhong Hui, Wei Guan, Du Yu, and Ma Long?

Thinking of this, Fu Chang's anger eased somewhat, and he felt that his brother and the others' behavior was understandable. Compared to the absurdity of the imperial court, they were merely cowards.

However, this truly betrays the reputation of our ancestor, Fu Jiezi. After all, our ancestor, with only two guards, journeyed thousands of miles to the Western Regions and dared to plot the destruction of the rebel King of Loulan. Even Ban Chao and his ilk idolized his courage!
After talking to Fu Jun for a few more words, Fu Chang said goodbye and went to the top of the wall of Zhuoyinwu to watch the night view alone.

There is no moon tonight. Under the vast starry sky, you can see the muddy water flowing around the dock not far away, and the stars are reflected in the waves, appearing and disappearing.

If it weren't for this turmoil, I would have entered the government this year, but now I'm trapped here. What will happen in the future? Will I become a person like my second brother when I grow up? Fu Chang listened to the faint sound of water splashing and fell into deep thought about his future.

As he was daydreaming, the silence that was brewing the mystery was broken, and Fu Chang heard the very familiar sound of horse hooves, which seemed to be stepping on his periosteum.

He looked towards the source of the sound and saw a man and a horse trampling through the small stream beside the turbid water, running from south to north, and soon stopped in front of the main gate of Zhuoyinwu.

"I am the new governor of the Northland. I have come to see Brother Wugen (Fu Xi) today. Please introduce me to you!"

Liu Xian looked up and said at the foot of the gate.

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(End of this chapter)