Jinting Han people

Chapter 218: The Solo Governor (4k)

Upon hearing that the Northern Governor had arrived, there was a flurry of activity in Zhuoyin Valley under the cover of night.

"Hurry up and light the fire. The Lord hasn't eaten yet when he arrived. Hurry up and make some soup noodles and send them over!"

"But didn't everyone say that Lord Zhang died in the battle at Panlong Bay? His head was hung at the south gate of Niyang. Could this also be a misunderstanding?"

"Alas, Lord Zhang is dead, but the court has sent a new Lord!"

"New Lord? What new Lord? The North is in chaos right now. This isn't an easy job."

"It seems to be Liu Xianjun from Xiayang, who was temporarily transferred here by Sun Changshi."

"Oh? That's good! I've heard of him. He's said to be the best county magistrate in Kansai."

"Haha, you don't need to tell me that? Who in Yongzhou County hasn't heard of his name..."

The cooks chatted as they hurriedly lit a fire in the kitchen to prepare a meal. Unlike usual, they seemed somewhat distracted, glancing frequently toward the center of the fort. Of course, they weren't the only ones; the grooms adding hay to the stables, the maids cleaning the attic, and the tenants guarding the fort against unexpected events all frequently glanced toward the main hall.

They were all very curious about what kind of person this new governor, famous in Guanzhong, was? Why did he come here alone? What was he talking about with his masters?
Inside the ancestral hall, Liu Xian, holding a tea bowl, looked around at the heavily fortified fortress. He said to the three Fu clan members before him with admiration, "Your fortress is truly astonishing. My family has an East Fortress in Yanshi, but it's probably not even one-tenth the size of yours."

"No, no, your Excellency is too kind." Speaking of this fortress, Fu Xi spoke humbly, but his face still showed a look of pride. He introduced: "My family has been running this fortress for a hundred years. It has been renovated four times before it has reached its current scale. Your Excellency is a duke's family. As long as you are willing to manage it, it can reach this scale in ten years."

"Ha, that's not necessarily true. The rise and fall of a family is determined by heaven, how can anyone predict it? Think about how the Hongnong Yang family was so prosperous five years ago, but it collapsed in the blink of an eye; the Hedong Wei family was famous in Central China, but was eventually exterminated. How swift their decline was! The fact that your family has been able to manage this place for a hundred years shows how much luck and blessings you have enjoyed!"

"Hahaha, what a pity the clan leader isn't here. Otherwise, upon hearing your kind words, he would surely drink three cups in a row and express his feelings!"

This wasn't the first time Liu Xian and Fu Xi had met. In fact, Liu Xian had previously invited Fu Xi to a literary gathering in Zhichuan, Xiayang. The two had discussed literary and historical perspectives at the gathering, and they had a positive impression of each other. Unfortunately, Sun Xiu suddenly disrupted the gathering, bringing it to a close, and Liu Xian never had the chance to host another one.

However, since this was their first time, they had something to discuss, and they began exchanging pleasantries, discussing recent events and the customs and people of Beidi County. However, both sides knew that, given the Jin army's crushing defeat, this wasn't the real topic of conversation. Liu Xian had come here with one goal: to recapture Beidi County.

The reason why they did not start the topic immediately was that both sides were wondering in their hearts and wanted to find out more specific information.

Fu Xi had already seen Liu Xian's token and knew that he wasn't officially appointed as the governor of Beidi. Instead, he was temporarily appointed by Sima Lun, the Prince of Zhao, in the capacity of General Zhengxi. The seal and ribbon were made temporarily, as the old seal and ribbon for the governor of Beidi had already fallen into Qi Wannian's hands.

Liu Xian's visit alone made Fu Xi suspicious that he was a scapegoat sent by King Zhao and Sun Xiu. After all, the conflict between Liu Xian and Sun Xiu was well known, and with the northern land now completely occupied by the Hu people, it was easy to imagine that Sun Xiu was trying to kill with a borrowed knife, using the rebels to eliminate Liu Xian, a thorn in his side.

If this is the case, I have to keep a good distance from Liu Xian. In order to complete the task of recovering the lost territory, he might dare to do anything risky and implicate the family, which would be a disaster.

After chatting for a while, the cooks prepared the meal and brought soup noodles to Liu Xian. Liu Xian took it, thanked the cook twice, and then started eating without any hesitation.

Although he was more refined than Afule, Liu Xian had also mastered his eating speed over the years. He didn't care about the heat, picking up the bowl and picking up the bamboo chopsticks, he stuffed his mouth with food continuously, finishing the soup noodles like water. Then Liu Xian ordered two more bowls without any hesitation, looking like he had been hungry for a long time.

After finishing his meal, he said to Fu Xi rather embarrassedly, "All along the way, I have been eating dry food that is hard to swallow. Now that I can eat soup noodles, I feel like I have returned to the world. I am really embarrassed."

Fu Chang laughed and said, "What's the big deal? I'm truly sorry for not entertaining you well. Are you full? If not, I'll go get two more bowls."

"No, no, if I eat any more I'll become a glutton." Liu Xian said, sitting up straight. "Let's get back to the point. I came to visit your house this time because I have something important to ask of you, Brother Wugen."

Fu Xi was waiting for these words. He said, "These are troubled times. If the Lord has any requests, please tell us. As long as we can do it, we will do our best."

The words sounded nice, but Liu Xian frowned, because the hidden meaning was not difficult to hear. He said he was doing his best, but in fact he had already found an excuse that the matter was beyond his ability.

Liu Xian laughed and said, "Yes, Brother Wugen is absolutely right. I think so too."

"At this time of national crisis, although we cannot kill the enemy and avenge the fallen soldiers, we should still sacrifice our own lives to seek a piece of clean land for the people."

"I'm here for no other reason than to seek your support to help me recapture Niyang and drive out the Qiang and Hu people!"

Liu Xian was still laughing at first, but as the words flowed out, his expression quickly turned serious. His eyebrows raised like swords, the corners of his mouth pressed down like a mountain, and his dark pupils revealed an unquestionable look. It was as if the righteousness in his words had become one with him, putting endless pressure on Fu Xi.

Fu Xi was accustomed to meeting prominent figures and high-ranking officials, but at this moment, he was at a loss for words. For some reason, his eyes flickered to Liu Xian's waist, noticing his back straight, his right hand resting on his sword. Seeing this, a chill ran down his throat, and the words he had been about to refuse were stuck in his throat, unsure how to utter them.

This caused the scene to fall into silence for a moment. Fu Chang was the first to react and asked Liu Xian:
"So, the Lord came here alone?"

Fu Chang was a young man, and the atmosphere eased a lot as soon as he opened his mouth.

Liu Xian knew Fu Chang's name. As the son of Lingzhou County Lord Fu Zhi, he was known as a famous child prodigy in Guanzhong. Liu Xian was a bit polite and replied with a smile:
"The road was full of rebels and barbarians. To conceal my presence, I didn't bring anyone from Xiayang County."

"So, how does your Excellency plan to quell the rebellion? All the officers and soldiers in Beidi County are gone, and the towns of Niyang and Fuping are occupied by the rebels. The Malan Mountains to the north are filled with Tiele people who have migrated south. Captain Zhang Guang was originally stationed there, but he's said to have died in battle. What can you do here alone?"

Upon hearing this, Fu Xi immediately wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve and cheered for Fu Chang in his heart.

Fu Chang had just used a trick of attacking the strong and attacking the weak, avoiding a direct response to Liu Xian's question about righteousness. Instead, he pointed out Liu Xian's current predicament: a lone governor with no soldiers or personnel, how could he recover the lost territory? Without a viable plan, the Fu family naturally had no need to respond. But Liu Xian had clearly given the question careful thought. He remained calm and replied with remarkable composure, "It's certainly difficult, but it's not impossible."

"Please tell me clearly, Lord."

"Do you know about Liu Bei's story of riding alone into Jing?"

At the end of the Han Dynasty, the country was in chaos. Yuan Shu occupied Nanyang County, the most prosperous prefecture at the time, intending to use it as a base to gradually annex Jingzhou. Dong Zhuo appointed Liu Biao as the governor of Jingzhou to curb Yuan Shu. Yuan Shu was unwilling to let Liu Biao take the position, so he blocked the official road to prevent Liu Biao from taking the post.

Unexpectedly, Liu Biao arrived at his post alone, traveling by a narrow road to Yicheng. He contacted local nobles such as Kuai Liang, Kuai Yue, and Cai Mao, and lured and killed local clan rebels who refused to obey his rule. Upon hearing this, the other officials were horrified and either surrendered to Liu Biao or resigned, leaving him in control of the six counties of Jingzhou except Nanyang.

When Liu Xian mentioned Liu Biao at this time, he was obviously comparing himself to Liu Biao, and compared Beidi County to Jingzhou, and compared Fu Xi, Fu Chang and others to Kuai Liang and Cai Mao, hoping to use a trap to eliminate the rebel leaders.

As descendants of the Fu family, Fu Xi and Fu Chang were of course aware of Liu Biao's deeds. Fu Xi's heart sank, thinking: Liu Biao's single-horse expedition into Jingzhou may sound good, but weren't Kuai Liang and Cai Mao the ones who truly pacified Jingzhou? Liu Huai Chong's words were just a way to use the Fu family as pawns. What was his reason?
But it was not in accordance with etiquette to say this, so Fu Xi had to say vaguely:
"I'm afraid this is not easy to do."

"What's the problem?"

As Liu Xian continued to question, Fu Chang on the side continued:
"Although the Lord's idea is good, it is somewhat inappropriate to use an analogy."

"Oh? Let's talk about the world."

"Liu Biao was able to enter Jingzhou on his own because Yuan Shu only controlled Nanyang County. Those active in the rest of Jingzhou were merely bandits, and the people in each county were still loyal to the Han Dynasty. Therefore, all he needed to do was unite the powerful clans like Kuai and Cai, and employ a few tactics, and he could have taken control of Jingzhou."

Fu Chang paused here, looked directly into Liu Xian's eyes, and continued:
"But the current situation is completely different. The rebels have occupied the entire Beidi County, and the Hu people in the county have all defected to the rebels, countless in number. In comparison, there are less than 10,000 Han people in the county. It can be said that neither the people's support nor the geographical advantages are in the court's favor."

"If the Lord wants to rely solely on our support and claim to reclaim the North, that's a bit too much."

Hearing this, Fu Xi cheered in his heart again. He found that Fu Chang was indeed the child prodigy that his uncle had high hopes for. His thinking was indeed several times faster than his own. Refuting Liu Xian so openly and honestly saved him from a lot of unnecessary troubles.

He looked at Liu Xian again and was surprised to find that the Daibei County Governor was not depressed at all. Instead, he looked at Fu Chang with admiration. He smiled and replied:
"What the world says is not without reason, but it is also somewhat biased."

"Really? Please give me some advice, Lord."

"The world has just said that the people's will is in our favor. This is indeed a major event that cannot be ignored, but there are problems with the deduction."

Fu Chang raised his eyes and asked, "What's the problem?"

Liu Xian spoke eloquently, "Hu people are different from other Hu people. Roughly speaking, there are Di, Qiang, Xianbei, Xiongnu, Jie, and Wuhuan. And each of these major tribes is also divided into different clans. For example, among the Xianbei, the well-known ones include the Tuoba Xianbei, Murong Xianbei, Duanbu Xianbei, and Yuwen Xianbei."

"The Xiongnu were similar. Under the control of the imperial court, they were divided into five tribes. Those who lived together with the Xianbei in Shuofang were called Tiefu. Previously, they were also divided into Lushui Hu and Tuge Hu because of place names."

"The main rebels now are the Tiele Xiongnu and the Houbu Xiongnu, who originated from Shangdang. These Hu people are not united. When Qi Wannian rose up in arms, except for the Tiele Xiongnu and the Houbu Xiongnu who fought to the death, the rest of the Hu people followed suit and rebelled, simply because they hated Sun Xiu's harsh rule."

"No one longs for war. The so-called unrest among the people is either a result of desperation or the instigation of a small group. From what I know, there aren't many Tiele people in Beidi County, right? They're mostly just Malan Qiang following suit. If we defeat their leader and divide them, the people's hearts will naturally turn to the court again."

When Liu Xian said this, he felt a little thirsty, so he stopped to drink some water. At the same time, he looked at the expressions of the Fu family members, waiting for their further reactions.

Fu Chang thought for a moment, then nodded slightly. "Your Majesty, what you said is indeed reasonable, but isn't all this based on the premise of being able to win on the battlefield? We've previously gathered information that there are seven or eight thousand rebels in Niyang. Do you plan to lead us, the fortress servants, to defeat them?"

"Eight thousand? Hahaha..."

Hearing this number, Liu Xian laughed heartily and stood up, pointing eastward towards Niyang:
"Perhaps there were seven or eight thousand rebels before! But now, there are only about five hundred Tiele people in Niyang City. Most of the others have followed Qi Wannian to attack Anding, Lueyang and other counties further west."

"How did the Lord know this? We are in Niyang and don't know this news. Please don't lie to us."

"Of course I was the one who checked alone." Liu Xian retracted his finger and sat down again, smiling calmly at Fu Chang and the others, "I'm not a fool like Sun Xiu. How could I not know the principle of knowing yourself and the enemy before planning for the future?"

"If you don't believe me, you can send someone to the city tomorrow to take a look and see if what I said is true or not."

Having said that, even someone like Fu Xi, who had been depressed beforehand, felt a bit of hope now, thinking, maybe this new governor of the north really has a way to recover the lost territory?
But Fu Chang persisted, asking, "As the Lord said, even after we lured and killed the rebel leader, there are still hundreds of rebels in Niyang City who will definitely not surrender. Furthermore, the terrain is extremely difficult, with mountains to the north and plains to the south, surrounded by muddy water, making it extremely difficult to break through. How do you plan to take the city?"

"I have already sent out a special force." Liu Xian said solemnly, "As long as there is chaos in the city, we will be able to enter easily."

Fu Xi and Fu Zan looked at each other in bewilderment. Didn't the new Lord of the Prefecture say he hadn't brought any troops from Xiayang County? How had he arranged for such a surprise attack when the roads were heavily blocked by the Hu people?
But Fu Chang understood a little, and he smiled and said, "It seems that the Lord has won it for sure."

Then he turned to Fu Xi and said, "Second brother, since the Lord of the Mansion is such a hero, we must not bring shame to the reputation of our ancestors and head of the family!"

Young people are always confident about the future and dare to try new things.

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(End of this chapter)