Jinting Han people

Chapter 234 Entrustment
The outcome of this Liumo Battle was not ideal for either armies.

Upon learning that Zhou Chu had advanced deep into the enemy's territory, Qi Wannian mobilized 40,000 troops to lay siege, intending to annihilate the enemy. However, after suffering over 3,000 casualties and over 5,000 wounded, he failed to achieve his goal. This was undoubtedly unacceptable.

Zhou Chu's troops also suffered heavy losses. Over 2,000 of the Jianwei Army he led were killed in this battle, and the remaining soldiers were all wounded. The entire Jianwei Army had almost lost its combat capability.

However, the Jin army finally occupied Liumo and achieved its original tactical goal, which was an undoubted victory.

But when the news of victory reached Haozhi County in the rear, King Liang Sima Rong's expression was hardly pleasant. This was understandable; he hadn't initially considered winning the battle, or rather, he simply didn't care about the outcome; he simply wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to settle a personal grudge. Not only did he fail to achieve his goal, but he also had to reward Zhou Chu, something he undoubtedly didn't want to see.

But victory is victory, and when the wounded soldiers returned triumphantly, he still had to force a smile and go to greet them in person. However, to the soldiers accompanying him, Sima Rong's smile looked like he had been bitten by a dog twice, as if he would grimace in pain at any moment.

When the entire Jianwei Army appeared before everyone's eyes, everyone present was speechless with shock. It was as if these men had returned from hell. Before the war, they had been valiant and heroic warriors. But now, they were either missing fingers or ears, or had broken legs or feet. Many of the horrific wounds were enough to make one groan. The stench of blood, sweat, and pus mixed together, making one nauseous. Not to mention some who had been disemboweled, their intestines shoved back in, and were left lying on bicycles, trying to hold on for a while longer, hoping for a miracle.

Seeing this scene, all the soldiers who did not participate in the battle felt ashamed. They could imagine what kind of bloody battle these people had gone through to escape the siege of the rebels. In comparison, those who stood by and watched were simply cowards.

Faced with such a remnant army, even Sima Rong felt a little embarrassed for a moment. As the culprit, he finally felt some guilt and uneasiness. After seeing Zhou Chu, he said sincerely: "Jianwei has worked hard."

But this condolence was still insincere. Zhou Chu just glanced at Sima Rong, exchanged a few words, and ended the triumphal return on the grounds that the soldiers were extremely tired and needed to rest, and then went straight to the camp to rest.

This reason was impeccable, but it also humiliated Sima Rong in public. When he saw his soldiers talking about it, he became angry again.

After returning to Haozhi, Sima Rong immediately ordered Lu Bo to investigate and find out what had happened. After learning that Liu Xian had secretly led troops to break the siege, he urgently ordered Liu Xian to come and answer.

Late that night, Liu Xian rode alone back to Haozhi from Liumo. Sima Rong was still awake, so he met him as soon as possible.

Sima Rong asked Liu Xian why he did not wait for his order and instead sent troops on his own.

Liu Xian replied, "I should have sent an envoy to inform Your Highness. However, I received news from scouts that the situation is extremely urgent. Any delay will lead to the annihilation of Jianwei's army. How can we wait for Your Highness's orders? We can only execute them first and report later. Moreover, I know Your Highness is wise. You would not know that a subordinate is in danger and then not come to his rescue, would you?"

These words immediately choked Sima Rong.

He had indeed received a message from Liu Xian, but how could he have ordered Liu Xian to send troops? He simply pretended not to have received the message and immediately sent the messenger to rest, intending to delay time. At least on the surface, he himself did not dare to issue an order not to send troops.

Liu Xian's move of acting first and reporting later was truly brilliant. Given his position, he had every reason to dispatch troops without receiving a reply. And his reason was so legitimate: he couldn't just sit back and watch the reinforcements. Even Sima Rong couldn't utter a single word of rebuttal after hearing this, and could only grit his teeth and say:

"Good! Good! Good! You're right! This is exactly what I was thinking!"

With this, the friendship between Sima Rong and Liu Xian was over. After all, Liu Xian's actions this time completely played Sima Rong into his own hands. Although he was only a general, he acted beyond his position, waving the banner and issuing orders, as if he was the commander of the entire army. This kind of behavior was intolerable to anyone. Seizing power from others is often more hateful than killing one's own parents.

But just as Liu Xian had anticipated, the impact of this incident had already spread to the entire Jin army. Sima Rong, regardless of his high position, had to be mindful of the implications. If the situation were to collapse again, even he could not bear the responsibility. Therefore, despite his deep dissatisfaction, Sima Rong would not dare to carry out his previous blatant plots against Zhou Chu or Liu Xian.

After the conversation, Sima Rong did not ask Liu Xian to stay overnight and immediately drove him out of the Haozhi County government office.

Liu Xian was not nostalgic for this. He took Fan Yu with him and prepared to return to Liumo as soon as possible. When he was about to leave the county, he was stopped by a young man and said:

"Lord Liu, please stay. My master would like to have a chat with you."

Liu Xian looked back and saw that the young man had a handsome face and did not look like someone from the military camp. He did not know him, so he could not help but ask:

"Where are you from? Who is your master? What do you want from me?"

The young man was not afraid of strangers and said directly, "Just follow me and you'll find out."

Liu Xian had actually guessed most of what the boy said by hearing his Jiangnan accent, so he didn't refuse. He followed the boy back and walked around a few corners until he came to a house allocated to officers. He pushed the door open and saw that it was indeed Zhou Chu.

Zhou Chu had already changed into a loose robe and was sitting by the brazier, letting a servant change the herbs on his shoulder blade, chest and abdomen, and right leg. The room was filled with a unique medicinal smell.

Perhaps due to excessive blood loss and overwork, Zhou Chu looked a few years older. He did everything slowly. After replacing the herbs, he closed his eyes and rested for a while. Just when Liu Xian thought he had fallen asleep, he opened his eyes and said slowly:
"Boy, you ruined my chance to die on the battlefield."

This sentence almost choked Liu Xian. He had thought that since he saved Zhou Chu's life, he would finally hear some good words from him, but he didn't expect him to say the same thing when they met. This old man really didn't know how to get along with others, right?
Liu Xian thought so, then sat down and jokingly said to Zhou Chu, "I'm really sorry. How about I compensate Zi Yagong with a life span of Nanshan?"

Zhou Chu glanced at Liu Xian and said, "What a slick remark! Mount Zhongnan still exists, but which ancient people still exist?"

"They are all here," Liu Xian replied. "As long as they are ancient people I admire, they live in my heart just like this Zhongnan Mountain."

Liu Xian's current meaning is that he respects Zhou Chu just like he respects the heroes in the history books he has read. Zhou Chu was finally moved when he heard this. He stretched out the tongs to stir the brazier and said:
"You're being too kind. Zhou Chu is nothing more than a defeated general without a father or a king, with his country and family destroyed. All he wants is death." He stared at the sparks in the brazier in a daze for a moment before turning to Liu Xian, "You're different. At such a young age, you've already taken it upon yourself to restore our country. Your ambitions are so lofty that I truly feel ashamed of myself."

This statement was like a bolt from the blue, startling Liu Xian. He suddenly remembered Sima Rong's words that Zhou Chu had accused him of treason. He had originally thought it was a lie Sima Rong used to intimidate him, but to hear Zhou Chu say it himself today was a terrifying experience.

Before Liu Xian could explain, Zhou Chu said, "You don't need to explain yourself, and you don't need to say yes or no. I don't have any evidence, I'm just guessing. Now that you've saved my life, naturally no one will believe these words."

"I know this because I have a son just like you. He also wants to restore his country, and his character is similar to yours."

"You saved my life today, and I have nothing to repay you for. I heard that you are a good swordsman. I have a pretty good sword here. I originally planned to pass it on to my boy, but after thinking it over, I decided to give it to you now."

Liu Xian couldn't help but laugh when he heard this. He found that Zhou Chu was really a strange old man. He obviously wanted to express his gratitude and goodwill, but he had to speak in such a roundabout way.

But speaking of swords, he was indeed a little curious. Zhou Chu was from a famous family in Jiangdong. The sword he dared to give as a gift must be a famous and divine sword. Liu Xian was itching to see what kind of sword it was.

Zhou Chu quietly reached out to the door. The young man was still standing there, but he had a long sword case in his hand. Seeing Zhou Chu's hand out, the young man showed a rather reluctant expression, but still handed over the sword case.

Zhou Chu took the sword case, opened it naturally, took out the long sword with the sheath, and handed it to Liu Xian.

Liu Xian eagerly drew his sword, the three-foot-long blade instantly unsheathed, its gleam gleaming in the firelight. Judging by its make, it was an ancient sword at least four hundred years old. Liu Xian lightly stroked the blade's edge with his fingertips, and a drop of blood immediately spurted out, prompting him to quickly release his grip. The blade remained unstained, demonstrating the meticulous care it had taken to maintain its astonishing sharpness even today.

Liu Xian examined the writing on the back of the sword again, and saw three words written in simple, ancient small seal script: "Battle will win."

He turned to the other side and saw three more words written on it: "Attack and you will win."

These six words tickled Liu Xian's heart, and he couldn't help but feel reluctant to let it go. He flipped it over and over several times, and then danced it around with his hands twice before asking Zhou Chu, "Lord Ziya, what kind of sword is this? Does it have a name or origin?"

Zhou Chu finally smiled and said to Liu Xian slowly, "The name of this sword is 'Ever-Victory'."

"As for its origin, it is actually the sword that Han Xin, the Marquis of Huaiyin, once wore."

It turned out to be Han Xin's sword? Liu Xian had already put away his sword, but upon hearing this, he couldn't help but immediately pull out the Ever-Victorious Sword to admire it again. Zhou Chu then recounted the origins of the sword.

It turns out that this sword was cast by Han Xin using the fine iron from Mount Tai after he conquered the State of Qi and asked Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang, to be named King of Qi.

After defeating Xiang Yu, Han Xin was granted the title of King of Chu. He recruited Xiang Yu's former subordinates, including Zhongli Mei, a former general of Xiang Yu. Zhongli Mei was a renowned general of Western Chu, and had participated in Xiang Yu's victory over Liu Bang. Han Xin, therefore, was deeply fond of him and gifted him the Ever-Victorious Sword as a token of his favor. However, upon learning of Han Xin's recruitment of former Western Chu subordinates, Liu Bang immediately plotted to capture Han Xin. To prove his innocence, Han Xin ordered Zhongli Mei to commit suicide. The sword Zhongli Mei used to commit suicide was the Ever-Victorious Sword.

After this incident, the Ever-Victorious Sword became a family heirloom of the Zhongli family, passing through the Han Dynasty. At the end of the Han Dynasty, when Liu Biao died of illness, Zhongli Xu took the initiative to flee to Sun Quan, the ruler of Wu, and presented him with the sword. Delighted, Sun Quan appointed Zhongli Xu as the Commander of the Tower Ships and gifted the sword to Zhou Yu, expressing his high hopes for him. Zhou Yu ultimately lived up to these expectations, commanding the legendary Battle of Red Cliffs that changed history.

Unfortunately, fate would have been against his talent; Zhou Yu died young, and his two sons also died young from illness. The sword returned to Sun Quan's hands, and he repeated his old tricks, gifting it to Lu Xun, then General Auxiliary to the Eastern Wu. Later, Lu Xun orchestrated the Battle of Shiting, instructing Zhou Cang to feign surrender to lure the enemy. Zhou Cang lived up to expectations, successfully luring the enemy and then decisively defeating Cao Xiu's Wei army in a bloody battle. Sun Quan, Lord of Wu, ascended the throne and became emperor. Lu Xun, deeply impressed by Zhou Cang, gifted him the Ever-Victorious Sword. From then on, the Ever-Victorious Sword fell into the hands of the Zhou family of Yangxian.

And now, this sword of Han Xin, which has existed since the founding of the Han Dynasty, has fallen into Liu Xian's hands.

Upon learning of the sword's rich history, Liu Xian couldn't help but sigh with emotion, inwardly sighing: "What a victorious sword! It has imbued itself with the blood of renowned generals, achieving unparalleled fame!" Just hearing the names of those who wielded the sword made his blood boil.

This thought actually only flashed through his mind, but Zhou Chu keenly caught it and asked:
"Is the sword more important or the person?"

Liu Xian answered without hesitation, "Of course, people are important! People are not only swords, they are also city walls, and they are also mountains and seas. The vast world is made up of one person after another."

Zhou Chu was very satisfied with what he said. He smiled and said, "Since you can say these words, I am not wrong to trust you."

Liu Xian was somewhat baffled, as this wasn't a very auspicious statement. However, he was still overjoyed to finally have Zhou Chu's approval, and that night he bowed and said goodbye. He thought to himself, if he ever had the chance in the future, he would ask this old man for advice on military strategy, and he wouldn't be rejected.

Zhou Chu stared at Liu Xian's back, recalling what he had seen and heard in the past year, and thinking of his son Zhou Qi, he couldn't help but sigh: There are so many people with wolfish ambitions, it seems that the world is destined to be in turmoil.

I hope this person can restore peace to the world.

After Liu Xian returned to Liumo, he rested for a night and continued to supervise the construction of the local camp the next day, preparing for the next stage of the war. Unexpectedly, at noon the next day, the army received the tragic news that General Jianwei, Zhou Chu, had passed away in his house. He died silently, as if he were asleep, with no trace of pain on his face.

Calculating the time, it was probably half an hour after Liu Xian left.

Liu Xian was stunned when he heard this. He looked at the newly acquired Ever-Victorious Sword again, feeling a little lost, as if he had lost a very important confidant.

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(End of this chapter)