Jinting Han people

Chapter 226 Goodbye King Liang
It has to be said that the support army sent by the court in the sixth year of Yuankang was probably the army with the best military discipline in the history of the Jin Dynasty. No one could match it in the previous thirty years, and it would be difficult for anyone to surpass it in the next hundred years.

After all, the military is a repressive place, and commanders are more or less susceptible to this influence. This can lead to drunkenness, prostitution, and even murderous violence. If commanders are corrupt, the soldiers will naturally not restrain themselves, and their behavior will become even more violent. Hence, the saying "soldiers are worse than bandits" has been around since ancient times.

Thanks to the power struggle in the court, the Hou party would rather give the credit for suppressing the rebellion to these most incompatible marginalized people in the court than let the other princes get what they wanted. In the end, they miraculously created such an army with strict military discipline and responsible generals.

Liu Xian, Li Ju and his companions rode their horses across the Wei Bridge. Before they saw the Chang'an city gate, they saw hundreds of corpses hanging high under mulberry trees along the streets in the northern suburbs of Chang'an.

Snowflakes were falling, covering the faces of the corpses and obscuring their hideous expressions. The cold temperature had turned their skin pale, and the ropes had become stiff, like icicles frozen to a tree trunk. Judging from their size and physical features, it was clear that these dead were once soldiers. Liu Xian was horrified by this horrifying scene. Upon inquiry, he learned that these were Jin soldiers who had committed rape and murder in the city.

This news made Liu Xian feel dizzy and almost thought he had misheard. After double-checking, he finally realized that this was the new policy of Prince Liang and his men. In the midst of this catastrophe, the situation at the Western Expedition Army had completely changed. It was no longer the domain of Prince Zhao and Sun Xiu.

Continuing further in, we came upon the market north of the city gate, a scene of impeccable order. Soldiers patrolled the streets, while vendors hawked their wares with indifference. Many of the people were farmers shopping for necessities, yet the atmosphere was remarkably peaceful. It was clear that after the turmoil of war, people had rediscovered the beauty and preciousness of daily life.

When Liu Xian and his companions handed the certificate to the city guards for review before entering the city, they asked with some emotion:
"Who is the noble who manages Chang'an? This is my third time in Chang'an, but it is the best Chang'an I have ever seen."

The city guards shared the same sentiment and happily replied, "When we first arrived, General Jianwei Zhou Chu, Duke Ziyin of Zhou, was in charge. The day before yesterday, it was replaced by Duke Zizhuang of Anxi Army. They're both incredibly kind people!"

The proud look on the soldier's face left a deep impression on Liu Xian. After entering the city, he turned to Li Ju and said:
"If even 10% of the officials in the world could be like these two husbands, the current official atmosphere would be upright. If even 30% of the officials in the world could be like this, it would probably be the rule of Yao and Shun."

But unfortunately, in the current political environment of the Jin Empire, this is undoubtedly a flash in the pan.

When Liu Xian arrived at the Zhengxi Army Headquarters and put down his luggage in the guesthouse, he immediately went to pay a visit to the current Zhengxi General, Sima Rong, the King of Liang.

His Royal Highness Prince Liang's residence was located in the former residence of Sima Lun, Prince of Zhao. Liu Xian had been there once before and had been impressed by the various instruments of the Rice Dao and the altar. However, now all these things had been swept away, leaving the place looking quite empty. Liu Xian was led into the hall by a servant, and after removing his boots, he immediately saw Sima Rong, draped in a Jin robe, sitting by the brazier, planting cattails with his chief secretary, Lu Bo.

Perhaps when a person reaches a certain age, their appearance stops changing. The King of Liang still looked the same as when he first arrived in Chang'an to report on his work five years ago. He was thin, with kind eyes and a touch of free and easy manner, yet his movements were still agile. Just as Liu Xian was about to salute, he put down the throwing tool in his hand and smiled at Liu Xian:
"Isn't this Liu Huai Chong? No need to be so polite."

His tone was very natural, as if the two were old friends who had known each other for a long time, but in fact, this was only the second time they met.

Liu Xian still bowed respectfully and said to Sima Rong, "Liu Xian greets His Royal Highness Prince Liang."

"Hahaha, you're the hero who reclaimed the North. You didn't encounter any obstacles along the way, did you?"

"Your Highness, we didn't encounter any rebels when we arrived, but there were a great many refugees who had left their homes, many of whom were traveling in large groups, without food or clothing. If left unchecked, I'm afraid it would have led to a disaster. However, since arriving in Chang'an, the situation has improved significantly."

Sima Rong burst out laughing upon hearing this, pointing at Liu Xian and saying to Lu Bo, "See? This is the man Duke Lu hates. Every time he opens his mouth, he's criticizing his superiors."

Lu Bo smiled and replied, "Your Highness, this is a rare honest minister in the court. Only a virtuous person can control him."

"If you can't use him, then you're a person without virtue?" Sima Rong then pointed at Liu Xian and said with a smile, "But I saved his life, so it seems I'm a very virtuous person!"

After that, there was another burst of laughter, and the atmosphere in the room became more relaxed and harmonious.

After joking around, Sima Rong asked Liu Xian to sit down next to the brazier and finally got down to business:
"What's the current situation in Beidi County? Last time I heard, I heard you were preparing to retake Fuping. Have you been successful?"

This had happened a month earlier, when Liu Xian had joined forces with Zhang Guang and secured over 2,000 defeated soldiers gathered by Li Ju, finally stabilizing the situation in Niyang. For some time afterwards, he had been preparing to recapture Fuping County to the south.

"Yes, when His Highness sent me the message, I had just recaptured Fuping."

"Oh? How did you recover it?"

"The ones defending Fuping are just some bandits. I transferred the county soldiers from Xiayang and flew them under the banner of Your Highness. The sight of the banner scared those people away."

"Haha, good, so you have already recovered the entire Northland County."

"It's all thanks to Your Highness."

"So, is there any other movement from the rebels in the west?"

"I've already sent scouts into Fufeng. According to reports, the main force of the rebels is currently gathering in the Liumo area. They have a large number of men, but we'll need time to determine their exact number. We expect to receive a report in four to five days."

"Have you deployed your defenses?"

"I have handed this matter over to the Northern Commander Zhang Guang. He was trapped in Malan Mountain for nearly a hundred days without yielding, and he is truly loyal to the court. With him in charge of this matter, there will be no more mistakes."

After a series of conversations, Sima Rong nodded with satisfaction and said to Lu Bo beside him in approval:
"The great waves wash away the sands! The Tao Te Ching says that when a country is in danger, there are loyal ministers. This is true."

Lu Bo, tapping his chess pieces, responded, "With these wise and capable ministers, it will be easy for my king to quell the rebellion."

Having said this, Sima Rong suddenly asked Liu Xian:
"Huai Chong, do you know why I called you to Chang'an?"

Liu Xian's heart tightened, knowing that it was probably about his official position, but he still said:
"I don't know."

After all, Sima Rong had accepted gold from Liu Xian. In a sense, Liu Xian could be considered a direct descendant of the King of Liang. So the more he looked at it, the happier he became. He stroked his beard and said with a smile:

"Logically speaking, you've only just recovered the North, and the situation should still be unstable. I shouldn't have asked you to come. But you also know that these are extraordinary times. I bear the heavy responsibility of the court and have been ordered to quell the rebellion. Many things are unusual, so I don't follow so many rules."

"Yes."

"There are three things in total." Sima Rong reached into his sleeve pocket and pulled out a roll of yellow silk, handing it to Liu Xian and saying:
"The first thing to do is for the court to officially recognize your position as Governor of Beidi. The appointment King Zhao gave you was only a temporary measure. Now, you can remove the word 'temporary appointment'."

Before he finished speaking, Sima Rong took out a lacquer box from his side. When he opened it, a silver seal could be seen inside the box.

"This is the seal of the Guards. Your position is very sensitive, and there was considerable debate within the court about whether or not to grant you a military commission. However, with the support of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, it has been decided. The two thousand defeated soldiers that Li Shihui has gathered will be directly assigned to your command."

Unlike the Han Dynasty system, after the reform of the military district system, prefects in the Wei and Jin dynasties could not directly command troops. They had to be granted military rank by a military garrison before they could be considered legitimate local lords. This also meant that from then on, Liu Xian was eligible to submit petitions directly to the court and was no longer suppressed by Jia Mi.

"Thank you, Your Highness, and thank you, Your Highness."

Liu Xian took the yellow silk and the silver seal again, his heart filled with mixed emotions, unable to tell whether he was happy or sad.

He had always been proud, believing himself to possess the talent to help the world, yet to obtain this piece of yellow silk and this silver seal, he had endured countless hardships. Although he tried to suppress his emotions, his hands still trembled slightly. Perhaps only he knew the weight of giving his all.

Sima Rong also knew that Liu Xian had a difficult time. After his mood eased a little, he patted Liu Xian on the shoulder and said slowly:

"As for the second matter, it's about the bandit leader Qi Wannian."

"Qi Wannian?" Liu Xian asked hurriedly after suppressing his emotions.

"Yes, as you know, it was you who persuaded Hao Duyuan to surrender, and Qi Wannian also came to Chang'an with you. Now the court has been fighting them for so long, but we don't know what kind of people they are. How should we fight this war? Therefore, I want to ask you, what kind of person is Qi Wannian? This way, we can prescribe the right medicine."

This is indeed a good question. Liu Xian didn't need to think deeply and replied immediately:
"Qi Wannian is an ambitious and daring man."

Lu Bo was not very satisfied with what he heard and questioned:

"That's meaningless. Since he dared to rebel, he must be an ambitious and reckless person."

"Lu Changshi didn't understand what I meant. Qi Wannian's ambition is different from that of others."

"different?"

"Yes, the ambitions of ordinary people often stem from dissatisfaction with the status quo, which then leads to false fantasies. In a moment of passion, they take risks and do things beyond their capabilities. Such people are blind and naturally prone to failure."

"You mean he's not blind?"

"Yes, when I first met Qi Wannian, he was still a small general with only a few hundred men under him. He was also ostracized by his own people. However, he was neither arrogant nor impatient, and was very kind to others. Ordinary people who interacted with him would not think he was arrogant at all."

"Then why do you think he is ambitious?"

"Because I've never seen him depressed." Liu Xian recalled the dozens of days he spent with Qi Wannian. His features seemed blurry, but his smile was still fresh in his memory. This Hu man had maintained an astonishingly optimistic attitude towards life during those ordinary days, seemingly without even a sigh.

"Everyone laughs, but when I met Qi Wannian, I found that he was smiling all the time. It seemed that even the ordinary things could not erase his smile. This shows that he has extraordinary aspirations, that is, extraordinary ambitions."

At this point, Liu Xian summarized to Sima Rong:
"Your Highness, I don't know what you think, but since it was Qi Wannian who started the rebellion and usurped the throne, in my opinion, Your Highness must not harbor any hope. Ordinary delaying tactics like appeasement and peace talks will not work on him."

"If you are his enemy, you must completely eliminate him. Otherwise, if you are not careful, Qi Wannian will escape and ascend to heaven. It won't take long for him to make a comeback."

After hearing this, Sima Rong and Lu Bo looked at each other in bewilderment. It was obvious that Liu Xian's evaluation of Qi Wannian was beyond their imagination, and they didn't know how to respond for a moment.

Sima Rong picked up a wooden dice, fiddled with it in his hands for a while, and finally said to Liu Xian:
"In that case, Huai Chong, you must also attend tomorrow's military meeting."

"Military meeting?"

"Yes, this is the third reason I asked you to come here. Guanzhong is a mess right now, and there are so many things to do. We are just getting started."

Sima Rong showed a headache, rubbed his brow and said:

"The scale of this Qiang and Hu rebellion has surpassed that of Tufa Shuji back then. No one in the court believes it can be easily quelled, and naturally, I have no plans to do so. But how should we proceed? This requires everyone to brainstorm and come up with a solution."

"Tomorrow, all the people from the Western Expedition Army will be present. If you have any opinions or ideas, you can discuss them at the meeting."

"The court attaches great importance to this battle. If we can successfully defeat the bandits and quell the rebellion, I will not withhold your credit."

Liu Xian hurriedly expressed his gratitude, and the meeting was thus successfully concluded.

Honestly, this meeting with Prince Liang was the most satisfying one Liu Xian had had in years. Not only had he gotten what he had hoped for, officially securing the position of Governor of Beidi, but the peaceful atmosphere of Chang'an and Prince Liang's gentle demeanor had also left Liu Xian feeling incredibly happy.

When he had heard about the new list of generals for the Western Expedition, he had felt that it lacked reputable generals and that the selection was questionable. But after experiencing it firsthand, Liu Xian realized that he had been too passive. If there was such harmony between the upper and lower levels, and if everyone was united, victory would be possible.

Cao Cao was known for his military prowess, boasting a reputation of being invincible. Neither his great-grandfather Liu Bei nor Sun Quan were actually as powerful as him. Yet, wasn't he ultimately defeated by the Sun-Liu coalition at Red Cliff? Qi was no match for Cao Cao, and their current Western Expedition Army was even more powerful. Why wouldn't they win?
Thinking this way, Liu Xian said goodbye to Sima Rong. When he was about to leave, the King of Liang suddenly stopped him and said:
"Oh right, Huai Chong, I almost forgot to remind you, be careful of Zhou Chu causing trouble for you."

Zhou Chu? Liu Xian was stunned for a moment before he even stepped out of the door.

It was this sentence that made him realize that the current Zhengxi Army might not be as harmonious as he had imagined.

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(End of this chapter)