Jinting Han people

After Sima Yi and Liu Xian arrived in Ye City, the Northern Expeditionary Army Command did not immediately convene a meeting to discuss the Southern Expedition.

The reason for this was that there were too many rebel armies from various factions in Hebei, and they had not yet fully arrived in Ye City. Although Sima Yi's group arrived relatively late, there were others who arrived even later. In particular, Liu Tun, the Prefect of Taiyuan who led the Bingzhou army, had just received news that their vanguard had only just arrived at Huguan, and it was estimated that it would take them about four or five days to leave Ye City from Huguan. The Bingzhou army was a frontier army with experience in border warfare, which Sima Ying valued highly, and therefore he deliberately postponed the military council for a few days.

Before that, the various rebel leaders were busy welcoming and seeing off each other and building relationships.

Liu Xian has never liked social interactions. After all, there are always more mercenary and mediocre people in the world than those worth associating with. But in officialdom, it is an indispensable skill.

After all, being an official means managing people. Whether you like interacting with them or not, you should at least have a basic understanding of your superiors, colleagues, and subordinates. Knowing their character, strengths, and preferences will allow you to adopt appropriate strategies, whether in working together or in conflict. The saying "Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated" applies to the battlefield as well.

In fact, Liu Xian didn't even need to wait for others to come to him. On the second day after he settled in Ye City, messengers began to arrive one after another to invite him. Prefect Zheng Yan of Dunqiu and Prefect He Yan of Yangping, among others, all invited Liu Xian to banquets. Over the next two or three days, Liu Xian got completely drunk at the banquets, drinking from noon until night, day and night, basically without stopping.

However, Liu Xian didn't get to know many people this way; instead, he suffered from headaches after drinking, and he didn't actually make any real connections with anyone.

However, it wasn't without its rewards; he unexpectedly ran into Shi Chao again at the party.

Shi Chao's presence here clearly indicated that he could no longer remain in Luoyang. After his Golden Valley Garden was raided, he followed Liu Xian's advice and came to the Northern Expeditionary Army Command. Because of his prestigious family background and his desire for a military career, he quickly gained Sima Ying's favor and was appointed Protector-General.

In his early years, Shi Chao possessed a somewhat carefree and irresponsible air. Perhaps it was after the Luoyang coup that he needed to shoulder the responsibility of revitalizing the Bohai Shi clan, which made him much more composed now. After a chance encounter with Liu Xian at the banquet, he said:

“Biji, it’s impossible not to blame you for what happened at Jingu Garden. But upon closer reflection, it was just a matter of the times. Everyone was acting in their own self-interest, so let bygones be bygones.”

However, he only remained calm for a moment before revealing his usual unrestrained personality, and said to Liu Xian with emotion: "After practicing martial arts and military skills for more than 20 years, I thought I was going to be a hidden gem. Now that I have been freed from these constraints, I finally have a place to use my talents!"

Reuniting with Shi Chao evoked complex emotions in Liu Xian. He was initially happy, thinking that their childhood promise to fight side-by-side had actually come true. However, he also felt a pang of sadness. The longer they knew each other, the clearer it became for Liu Xian that his childhood friend was not on the same path as him.

On the fourth day, Liu Xian received another invitation, but this time it wasn't for a banquet.

It turned out that Lu Zhi had suggested to Sima Ying, the Prince of Chengdu: "Although a great battle is imminent, this is the first time that so many renowned scholars from all over Hebei have gathered in Ye City. This is a rare opportunity. Why not hold a literary gathering at the Ye Palace to admire the talents of these scholars and, under the pretext of suppressing the rebellion, boost the morale of the army?"

Sima Ying grew up in Luoyang and, influenced by his surroundings, developed a fondness for refined pursuits from a young age. Upon hearing this, he readily agreed and invited all the officials in Ye to a poetry gathering at the Bronze Sparrow Terrace. Liu Xian, Sima Yi, and others were naturally among the invitees, and this was a perfect opportunity for them to witness the current prowess of the Northern Expeditionary Army.

At 9:00 AM that day, Liu Xian led Zhuge Yan and Li Sheng to attend the meeting.

This was Liu Xian's first time entering the Ye Palace, and his first glimpse of its solemnity and magnificence greatly impressed him.

Entering through the Sima Gate, one is greeted by a palace path entirely paved with bricks and stones. The surrounding city walls are towering, with numerous gate towers, each seven zhang (approximately 13 meters) high, their surfaces also entirely decorated with bricks and stones, their orderly and even structure truly unlike anything seen before. Beyond the palace path, halls rise in layers, each with its own pavilion, its green tiles reaching towards the clouds, its eaves soaring into the sky like dragons about to take flight. On the white walls of the pavilions, countless paintings depict sages and auspicious omens, all vividly rendered and unforgettable.

After passing through it, Liu Xian turned northwest and arrived at the most famous Bronze Sparrow Garden in Ye Palace.

A clear river meanders through the garden; this is the Changming Canal, an artificial river specially excavated from the Zhang River. Fruit trees line both banks, and Cao Cao once oversaw the construction of bamboo groves, orchards, vineyards, and a lingzhi garden within its boundaries. These gardens are expansive, with lush trees arranged in a harmonious and picturesque manner. In this springtime season, the gardens are bursting with blossoms, their fragrance filling the air.

But the most striking feature of the Bronze Sparrow Garden was not the orchards, but the three towering pavilions on the city wall, truly magnificent and imposing. The two pavilions on the left and right, each eight zhang high, stood side by side, with hundreds of houses built on each, their carved beams and painted rafters countless. The one in the very center was even more towering, reaching ten zhang high. On top of this pavilion, several zhang high pavilions sat at the four corners, connected by aerial walkways, and in the center of the pavilion sat a bronze sparrow sculpture.

These are the three platforms known to the world as the "Three Platforms": Bingjingtai, Tongquetai, and Jinhutai.

After Liu Xian and his entourage ascended the Bronze Sparrow Terrace, Lu Zhi was inspecting the arrangements on the terrace. Upon seeing Liu Xian arrive, he strolled forward and asked with a smile, "Lord Liu, what do you think of this place?"

Looking down from the platform, Liu Xian saw the scenery inside and outside the city spread out before him and exclaimed, "I have now witnessed the true meaning of the Three Platforms' fortification."

Hearing Liu Xian's praise, Lu Zhi smiled smugly. Having served as the magistrate of Ye County for ten years, he naturally had a deep affection for the city and therefore cared greatly about its reputation. He proudly introduced:

"Although ancient capitals like Luoyang and Chang'an have prestigious names, they are too old, and many of their buildings are outdated and no longer suitable for the times. However, when Emperor Wu of Wei built Ye City, he put a lot of effort into it, and the neighborhoods within the city were the most complete, which goes without saying. But the most important thing is the Bronze Sparrow Garden."

“These three platforms alone are enough to garrison tens of thousands of troops. Among them, the Ice Well Platform has an ice chamber with several wells, storing ice, coal, millet, and salt. To the north of the Ice Well Platform, there are also armories, stables, and granaries. In comparison, the treasuries of Luoyang are scattered and not conducive to defense.”

"If a war breaks out, not to mention that the soldiers and civilians in the city are separated to the north and south, making it less likely for riots to occur. Even if the south city falls, we can retreat to the palace. If the palace falls, we can retreat to the Three Platforms. By concentrating all our forces under this high platform, the usual method of attacking the city by swarming over earthen mounds will be completely ineffective. If we don't exhaust the food reserves in the platform, I'm afraid we will never be able to break through the city."

Upon hearing this, Liu Xian looked around again and couldn't help but agree from the bottom of his heart: from the perspective of military fortresses alone, the structure of Ye City was obviously more reasonable than that of Luoyang and Chang'an. It was indeed a base camp painstakingly built by a military genius.

He then thought: if he were to attack the city, and there were fifty or sixty thousand defenders inside, how many troops would it take, and what tactics would be required to capture the city? Liu Xian pondered this question for a while, but for the time being, he had no idea what to do and had to give up with a wry smile.

After a while, the participants in the poetry gathering gradually arrived. Sima Ying, the Prince of Chengdu, took his seat at the head table, while Sima Yi, the Prince of Changshan, sat side by side at the secondary table. The officials sat down in the Bronze Sparrow Terrace in order of their rank.

The number of attendees was indeed enormous, with nearly five or six hundred people densely packed on the Bronze Sparrow Terrace. I recall that when Shi Chong held the Qingming Poetry Gathering at the Golden Valley Garden, not so many guests came. Of course, many of them couldn't compose poetry; they were just there to witness the grandeur of the gathering. There were probably only about forty or fifty people who could actually write poetry.

The host of the poetry gathering was, of course, Lu Zhi, the Left Chief Secretary of the King of Chengdu. He held a feather fan, sat on the host's seat, dressed in a blue-white Confucian robe and wearing a turban. His beard and sideburns were carefully groomed and hung down naturally, giving him a rather elegant demeanor.

The atmosphere at the poetry gathering was quite relaxed. Friends chatted casually, drank, and ate without any restraint. Everyone simply waited for the host to give a topic, then thought about and wrote a poem, which was then announced and judged by the audience.

Thanks to Sima Yi, Liu Xian was seated relatively early and could directly hear Lu Zhi and Sima Yi discussing their topics.

Lu Zhi said to Sima Ying, "Your Highness, those who are attending today's poetry gathering are all men who are determined to serve their country. Why not let them write some poems on the theme of serving the country?"

This was something Lu Zhilai had discussed with Sima Ying beforehand. After all, everyone here was now a champion of righteousness, and writing such poems to express their aspirations would be a great achievement if they succeeded in suppressing the rebels and restoring the dynasty.

Sima Ying was just about to agree when suddenly someone spoke up, their voice high-pitched and androgynous: "Your Highness, I've heard that poetry and prose are about elegance. In such beautiful scenery, wouldn't discussing fighting and killing spoil the mood?"

Liu Xian was taken aback upon hearing this and looked up to see a handsome, fair-skinned young man. He was about sixteen or seventeen years old and stood beside Sima Ying. His face was clean-shaven, and his eyes were extremely alluring. Judging from his attire, he was likely a close attendant of a eunuch.

Liu Xian glanced around and noticed something else: the moment the young eunuch spoke, Lu Zhi's face turned extremely ugly, while Sima Ying's expression was very indulgent. He first smiled at the young man and said:
"Oh, Meng Jiu, you like poetry too?"

"I am ashamed, Your Highness. Although I am of lowly birth and have a body awaiting death, I still have a heart that yearns for beauty." The young eunuch brushed his face with his purple sleeve, revealing a shy expression like a budding flower, which made Sima Ying even happier.

But he glanced at Lu Zhi and hesitated, saying, "Yes, but I've already agreed with the Chief Secretary that this poetry gathering is to boost morale, so it's not appropriate to change the topic at the last minute."

Meng Jiu gently approached Sima Ying, placing her slender hands on the Prince of Chengdu's shoulders, and breathed out with her cherry-like lips:
"Your Highness, poetry is a refined art. Today, we have not only righteous men but also lovers of poetry. Your use of poetry to boost morale is not only disrespectful to such refined tastes, but also makes the soldiers feel strange. They might even privately look down on you, thinking that you don't understand poetry!"

"Is that so?" Sima Ying asked with a hint of doubt, then turned her gaze to Lu Zhi.

Lu Zhi was about to speak when Meng Jiu interrupted, "Your Highness, why don't you ask everyone here? Since they composed the poem, how can we not ask for their opinions?"

Sima Ying was persuaded. He immediately put on a polite smile and sent a servant into the crowd to ask the scholars around him, "What do you all think?"

The answer is self-evident. The Jian'an style is nearly a century past, and the most popular style today is the Taikang style. What is the Taikang style? It refers to the works of Lu Ji, a leading figure in the literary world, that flattered Jia Mi. The writing style is magnificent and ornate, but at its core, it is simply praising the rulers.

Poetry writing places particular emphasis on style and spirit, and such poetry naturally earned the Taikang style a high reputation in later literary circles. Of course, Lu Ji, as the pioneer, could create poetry in any style. However, for other writers of average talent, who were not geniuses like Lu Ji, it was already difficult to master one or two styles, let alone switch styles on short notice.

Upon learning that they would be writing farewell poems, most of the participating poets racked their brains, managing only to come up with a couplet or two, and the overall quality of their poems was unsatisfactory. Therefore, they were quite apprehensive, fearing they would embarrass themselves at the meeting. When they learned they could return to their old ways, they were overjoyed and readily agreed.

Upon seeing this, Sima Ying immediately waved his hand and said with a smile, "In that case, let's have everyone write some poems on the theme of spring!"

Upon hearing this, most of the poets beamed with joy, but Lu Zhi's face turned extremely ugly.

Liu Xian observed the unfolding events from the sidelines. He saw Sima Ying embracing the young eunuch, one blushing and his heart pounding, the other gesticulating wildly. Their intimacy almost surpassed that of a married couple. Liu Xian felt a chill run down his spine, thinking to himself, "Everyone says the Prince of Chengdu is skilled at social interaction and judging character, but I never expected him to have a penchant for homosexuality! It's simply unbelievable!"

Looking back at Lu Zhi, Liu Xian saw that his fists were clenched, and he was so angry that his lips turned white and his whole body trembled. But now that things had come to this, he couldn't embarrass Sima Ying in public, and there was no way to persuade him. He could only do as Lu Zhi wished.

However, as a result, the poetry gathering, which was supposed to be a gathering of heroes, quickly became vulgar and tasteless. Most of the poems written by everyone were clichés like "Orchids and magnolias remain in the empty valley, their fragrance lingering even in the frost" and "The dark cliffs embrace the secluded jade, the clear stream gathers its pure light," and no masterpieces were produced.

Even Zhuge Yan, a rough man who didn't understand poetry but was quite curious, listened with great interest for a while at first, but soon found it boring and started looking for peaches and plums to eat.

Liu Xian had originally intended to participate in the poetry gathering, but given how it had turned out, he naturally lost interest. He simply used this free time to thoroughly explore the Three Terraces of Ye City, and it must be said that the scenery of Ye City was indeed extremely magnificent.

To the north of the city lies Mammoth Slope, where, it is said, elephants sent by Sun Quan were once kept. It was here that Cao Chong weighed the elephant. To the west of the city were Xuanwu Garden and the Cockfighting Platform, once teeming with rare and exotic animals. Although these are no longer visible, their structure and layout are still quite fascinating.

As dusk fell, Liu Xian slowly descended from the highest pavilion of the Bronze Sparrow Terrace. He saw Lu Zhi standing on the south side of the terrace, one hand on the railing, the other gazing into the distance. A gentle evening breeze blew from afar, causing his robes to flutter and his beard to fly, making him look like a celestial being.

Liu Xian was so engrossed in watching that Lu Zhi noticed him and turned to ask, "Oh, does Lord Liu have something to say to me?"

Liu Xian stood next to Lu Zhi, cupped his hands and said, "Oh, Lord Lu, you're too kind. You can just call me Huaichong."

Lu Zhi smiled and, without standing on ceremony, asked, "Is there something you need, Huai Chong?"

Liu Xian followed his gaze south and saw countless lights twinkling outside the vast Ye Palace complex. He said, "I originally wanted to see Zidao's poem expressing his aspirations, but I didn't expect to have the chance today."

This touched a nerve with Lu Zhi, who sighed and lamented, "My prince is actually a man like your grandfather. He is virtuous but lacks talent, dares to delegate power, yet is unable to distinguish between loyalty and treachery, and enjoys manipulating power. I was careless for a moment, and a villain took advantage of the situation!"

Liu Xian didn't dwell on the topic. He continued, "I just regret that before coming here, I racked my brains and came up with a historical poem, but I didn't have the chance to tell it to anyone. It's a real pity."

"Oh?" After calming down a bit, Lu Zhi became slightly curious and smiled, "Then why doesn't Huai Chong read it to me?"

"Very well!" Liu Xian shifted his gaze from the city lights to the shimmering waters of the Ye Palace under the bright moon, and slowly recited:

"The Zhang River flows like a mirror east of Ye City, but the summer palace of Emperor Wu of Wei is no more."

Zheng Er's reputation was inferior to Yuan Shao's, yet his beauty surpassed that of Cao Hong.

Jian'an, with his spear held high, possessed an indomitable spirit; yet, in the end, the noble Duke of Tongque lost his position.

A wise man advised drinking in Hebei, and even the Duke of Zhou, spitting out his food, found the flowers red.

After reciting the poem, Lu Zhi was stunned. He shifted his gaze back to Liu Xian, only to find Liu Xian's eyes burning with passion. Clearly, Liu Xian had condensed all the things he wanted to say but couldn't say into this poem.

Lu Zhi, being an exceptionally intelligent man, immediately grasped the underlying meaning. He was momentarily at a loss, seemingly astonished by Liu Xian's boldness and moved by his frankness. However, he was a man who had made a vow long ago, and his principles were not so easily abandoned. Therefore, he quickly calmed down and leisurely replied:

"Huai Chong did indeed write good poems... It's a pity that it was too late and the poetry gathering had ended, so no one else heard them."

After saying this, he excused himself, saying he was tired, and hurriedly went to rest.

Liu Xian felt a little regretful, thinking: This is probably a polite rejection. But then she comforted herself, saying: At least it wasn't a clear rejection, there's still a chance.

Thinking this, Liu Xian cheered up again. That night, in his dream, he seemed to hear the sound of twinkling stars. (End of Chapter)