Jinting Han people

With the death of Hao Duyuan, 20,000 rebels surrendered, and Liu Xian led the Jin army into Ji County peacefully.

But the surrender of the Tianshui rebels was only the beginning of the pacification. In fact, Liu Xian still had a lot of things to do.

The word "pacification" sounds simple, as if all that's needed is surrender. But in reality, it involves dealing with the surrendered people, managing the areas taken over, coordinating between the rebels and the local Han people, and organizing the restoration of local livelihoods. These various matters are all included in the pacification process.

In normal times, it wouldn't be so troublesome. Soldiers could fight with their backs to the rear, with the army solely responsible for combat and the imperial court taking care of the aftermath. But under the current circumstances of advancing alone deep into the enemy's territory, this was impossible.

Qinzhou has been in disorder for several years. Even if the imperial court learned of the recovery and sent officials to take over, it would take at least two or three months. Before that, the burden would have to fall on the soldiers on the front line.

It was probably because of this that Meng Guan persuaded Jia Mi to let Liu Xian and Zhang Gui, who were outstanding in civil affairs, be responsible for this matter.

Fortunately, this wasn't Liu Xian's first time, and he already had some experience managing civil affairs from a completely impoverished situation. Furthermore, among his accompanying officers were officials like Li Han and Suo Jing, who had served as local governors and could share administrative responsibilities with him. Therefore, Liu Xian's pacification efforts went relatively smoothly for the next period of time.

His first act was to contact the Pu clan of Lueyang and demand that Pu Hong fulfill his promise. Pu Hong kept his word, not only sending food and fodder to the Jin army but also proactively contacting the various Di tribes in Lueyang to hand over hostages to Liu Xian. He also handed over important checkpoints such as Jieting and Longshan to Liu Xian.

Meanwhile, in Tianshui, a large number of Hu tribes still hid in the mountains and forests. Liu Xian adopted the strategy of releasing some of the Hu captives, allowing them to spread the message of the Jin policies. He also posted notices throughout the county, stating that with the exception of Qi Wannian himself and his relatives, no further Hu people would be prosecuted. Furthermore, no taxes would be collected this year, and next year the low tax policy before Sun Xiu's arrival would be restored: each household would only pay one bolt of Qiang cloth.

In addition, Liu Xian began to inspect the land and register, and while recognizing the Hu people who were cultivating the land, he also sent the Hu captives who had surrendered before to the local area to open up wasteland, and made an agreement with the local Han refugees that these reclaimed land would belong to them next year.

Of course, it was impossible to be completely lenient in those days. There were always some stubborn and unwilling Hu bandits in the county who refused to surrender, and some Hu tribes were half-hearted and secretly colluding. Liu Xian had no intention of being lenient. He instructed Li Ju and Zhang Guang not to be shy. As long as there was evidence, they would arrest the perpetrators wherever they could find them. All the offenders would be beheaded and their heads would be sent to the various counties in the two prefectures before being sent to Meng Guan.

In this way, two months passed quickly, and in October, Tianshui welcomed the first snow of the year. The southern Jin army also gained a firm foothold in Tianshui and Lueyang.

Coincidentally, news arrived from Meng Guan that Zhang Gui had also persuaded Dou Shou of Xinping and Peng Dangzhong of Anding to surrender, thus completing half of the task of pacifying them. According to the court's report, officials would arrive in about two weeks. By then, Liu Xian could lead his army south.

At this time, Liu Xian had nothing to do, so he took several of his subordinates and friends, including Li Ju, Li Sheng, Xue Xing, Meng Ping, and Lu Quyang, to visit the famous tribes in Longyou and relax.

As the prince of Anle, there was a place he had to go in Tianshui County, and that was Luwanwu where the Tianshui Jiang family lived.

Since the Eastern Han Dynasty, Tianshui County has had four prominent clans: Jiang, Yan, Ren, and Zhao. While not considered the most prominent clans, they were nonetheless renowned local tyrants. The Tianshui clans played a significant role in Ma Chao's failure to establish a foothold in Longyou and the return of Liang Province to the rule of Cao Wei, and Cao Cao highly praised them. However, no one could have foreseen that just fourteen years later, Tianshui would produce Jiang Wei, a traitor who would become Cao Wei's greatest headache.

But there is no doubt that he was also the most selfless and loyal minister in the history of the Han Dynasty.

After Jiang Wei, the Tianshui Jiang clan still existed in Ji County, but due to Jiang Wei's negative influence and the court's declining control over Qinliang in recent years, their influence had greatly diminished. By the time Liu Xian arrived to visit, the Tianshui Jiang clan's Luwanwu had become quite dilapidated.

At first glance, this place should have been a large fortress capable of housing thousands of people, complete with watchtowers, parapets, granaries, and reservoirs. However, many of the surrounding buildings and walls were in disrepair, with some beams and pillars even exposed, revealing a completely rotten, dried-out grayish-white hue in the wind.

It is not difficult to see that due to the decrease in clan members and the weakening of financial resources, the Jiang family can no longer support such a huge fortress.

"How unpredictable prosperity and decline are!" Meng Ping sighed heartily as he rode his horse and looked around. "Who could have imagined that Jiang Wei's rise to power wouldn't lead to the prosperity of our family, but instead to its decline?"

"It doesn't matter." Li Sheng said calmly, "His courage is unparalleled in the world. Even after thousands of years, it will be remembered by people."

No one can refute this statement, but when people see the dilapidated fortress in front of them, they can't help but feel sad: Life is really like fallen flowers on branches, drifting with the wind, and their end is unknown. Who can control their own destiny?
With such feelings, they finally arrived at Luwanwu.

Liu Xian had already submitted his petition, so when Liu Xian arrived, Jiang Sheng, the Jiang clan leader, was already prepared. He led hundreds of clan members from the dock to wait at the gate. When the two sides met, they had a thousand words in their hearts, but they didn't know where to start.

Liu Xian's purpose of coming here must be to pay homage to Jiang Wei.

However, these Jiang clan members had always been ministers of the Wei and Jin dynasties and had no connection with Shu Han. Liu Xian could hardly feel any sense of responsibility towards them, and too much interaction would only deepen others' suspicion. On the other hand, Jiang Wei's actions had profoundly affected their fate, leading to the gradual decline of the Jiang clan.

What kind of relationship do you have with someone? I'm afraid it's hard to say.

Meeting the descendants of Duke Anle, to whom Jiang Wei ultimately pledged his allegiance, the Jiang clan felt a complex mix of emotions. While Liu Bei's lineage undoubtedly contributed to the decline of the Tianshui Jiang clan, there was also no doubt that Jiang Wei's experience was destined to be remembered in history. The pros and cons of this were truly difficult to discern.

In the end, both parties chose to cut to the chase. Liu Xian said, "Please take me to the ancestral hall to pay my respects. I'll leave after that."

Jiang Shengze said, "Envoy Liu, you'd better stay a while longer. The place you want to worship is not in the ancestral hall."

This puzzled Liu Xian. As everyone knew, Cao Cao's soldiers hated Jiang Wei so much that after his death, they dissected and quartered his body, even specifically removing his liver and gallbladder to crush them. This left Jiang Wei's body completely destroyed, leaving him without a grave.

According to popular belief, if a person has no grave after death, their soul will likely wander around their last place of regret or their hometown. So, if one wants to pay tribute to Jiang Wei, they should either go to Jiange or the Jiang Family Ancestral Hall. Is there any other place?
But since Jiang Sheng was a local, there was no reason for him to fool around, so Liu Xian nodded and said, "Then please lead the way, Mr. Jiang."

Led by Jiang Sheng, the group bypassed Luwanwu and headed south through the sandy snow. The path twisted and turned, skirting three hills, before finally reaching a deserted, empty field. A stone tablet stood abruptly in the clearing, and beside it stood four jujube trees. Only the bare trunks remained, but they had grown quite tall. Liu Xian approached the tablet to examine it. Sure enough, the words "Jiang Wei's Tomb" were engraved on it.

Everyone was extremely surprised when they saw this. Li Sheng pointed at the tombstone and asked Jiang Sheng:

"This...what's going on? I remember the general should have been completely destroyed!"

Jiang Sheng was also very emotional, he explained:
"You remember correctly, Second Uncle is indeed no longer alive." Jiang Sheng is one generation younger than Jiang Wei, and because Jiang Wei is the second among his peers, he calls him Second Uncle.

"Then this is?"

"It's a cenotaph with only boots in it."

It turned out to be a cenotaph. Liu Xian was a little surprised, but then he felt a little strange. Jiang Wei had returned to the Han Dynasty for more than 30 years, but the Jiang family still kept his clothes. This was unlikely, right?
He asked the doubts in his heart, and Jiang Sheng replied:
"The boots buried here are the ones my second uncle wore when he died in battle in Chengdu."

The previous twist was already somewhat bizarre, but this answer was even more unexpected. Liu Xian couldn't help but ask again and again, "If it's a relic, how did it get back to Tianshui? Did someone send it here?"

"Someone did send it over."

Jiang Sheng recalled for a moment, then explained:
"I can't remember the exact date, but I do remember it was a rainy day when a black-clad swordsman came to stay in our village. He didn't reveal his name, but before he left, he left behind a lacquer box. Inside the box was a boot and a note saying the boot was my second uncle's legacy."

Everyone thought it was funny. How could such a thing be taken seriously? But Liu Xian's face was solemn. He asked Jiang Sheng:
"What does that person look like? What are his characteristics?"

Jiang Sheng replied:
"It was so long ago that I can't remember his appearance clearly, but I do remember a scar on his face that stretched from the corner of his eye to the corner of his mouth. It was as terrifying as a ghost."

Liu Xian immediately knew the identity of the black-clad swordsman, which made him fantasize a lot and recall many past events.

Sure enough, Jiang Sheng sighed and continued:
"Later, soldiers tracked us down and told us that a band of Shu people had recently been roaming around Tianshui and Lueyang, and asked us to report any sightings. They also reported that the bandit leader looked exactly like the black-clad swordsman."

"My master has confirmed that this boot is probably the legacy of my second uncle, so he quietly built a cenotaph for him here. If the prince wants to pay homage to him, this is the most suitable place."

By this point, no one was laughing anymore. They were convinced they had just heard a remarkable story, and they were also convinced that the low grave before them was Jiang Wei's cenotaph.

Liu Xian walked silently to the tombstone. He looked at the two words "Jiang Wei" and unknowingly, tears welled up in his eyes.

Although he had never met this old man, as soon as he saw these two words, he felt that there was a god-like power watching over him, and seemed to be always accompanying him, or as if he was a part of him.

Tears then dripped onto the withered grass. Liu Xian knew that these were not tears caused by pure emotion, but came from expectations that could not be reciprocated but could not be ignored.

Thoughts are like waves. No matter how hard-hearted one may claim to be, there are bound to be moments of emotional ebb and flow. Given the vastness of the universe and the unpredictable nature of creation, what is the true meaning of my life? Why are the things I strive for so insignificant in the eyes of others? If everything is destined to be destroyed, my current existence will also disappear. What is the point of living?

At times like these, simply looking inward will not yield results.

People think that what is unique about "me", whether it is sensitive and fragile vision, complex and incomprehensible thoughts, one-of-a-kind abilities, overflowing impulses... are actually not unique. As time goes by and knowledge grows, people will sooner or later find that those so-called "uniqueness" are self-righteous. People are essentially the same as each other. They are unique only because everyone has different experiences and difficulties.

Therefore, the meaning of existence can only be sought outside.

People don't live solely for themselves. Happiness stems more from indispensability—the expectation and affirmation of others. A single individual isn't the center of the universe, but they can be the world to others. As a son to your parents, a student to your teacher, a husband to your wife, a confidant to your friends... Because you are indispensable to others, you become a unique and indispensable part of the world.

What Liu Xian felt at Jiang Wei's tomb was precisely this indispensable hope. With his heartfelt devotion to the Han Dynasty, he had written a monumental chapter in history, and even more than thirty years later, Liu Xian could still sense it. He believed, deep in his heart, that if such a man had existed, his heroic spirit would live on in the world, and would unconditionally support him as he continued on his path.

How could this not make him cry?

Liu Xian lit the incense, then knelt down and respectfully kowtowed three times to the grave. As for kneeling and kowtow, he had never been so willing in his life.

At the same time he said in his heart:

"General, I will carry on your legacy. If you know anything about this, please bless me! I will never let your blood, or anyone else's, be shed in vain!"

The heaven and earth were vast, and it seemed as if the heroic spirit had heard these words. After a gust of winter wind, hail and snow began to fall from the sky again. Bits of icy white snow fell on the monument, as if they were endless silent words.

Liu Xian was deeply moved by this scene. He pondered for a long time before the tomb and composed another poem:
"Iron cavalry on the Qishan Road, a thousand years of courage and undiminished. Time comes to prolong the Han Dynasty, time passes and I remember the old friends.

"Red flags remain on a thousand forts, lonely souls guarding the old army. Jackdaws cry in the trees, their cries heard across the river in the evening snow."

After the worship, on the way back, Liu Xian chatted with Jiang Sheng for a while and asked:

"You said there were bandits causing trouble back then. What was the final outcome?"

"I'm not sure. They say they caught some, but some eventually escaped. It's been almost thirty years now, so they're probably all dead."

Liu Xian fell silent upon hearing this, feeling the burden on his shoulders grow heavier. After returning to Ji County, he ordered Li Sheng to allocate a thousand rolls of silk to Jiang, thus concluding his journey.

However, the journey of appeasement was not over yet. After the arrival of the new Tianshui prefect, Liu Xian made a brief handover and finally led his army south. Next, he would take the Qishan Road to enter Wudu County and begin the process of appeasement of the Li family of Lueyang. (End of this chapter)