Jinting Han people

At this moment, on Mount Mang, the commanders were none other than Li Han, the chief secretary of the Prince of Hejian, and Zhang Fang, the military advisor for the western expedition.

Upon reaching the mountaintop, Zhang Fang was overjoyed to see the Xuanwu banners scattered haphazardly across the Yi River. He chuckled to Li Han, "Haha, those must be the banners of the Northern Expeditionary Army! Our army has arrived at the perfect time. The enemy is completely unprepared from behind. Now, if we charge in like this, no matter how many of them there are, we will rout them!"

"Nonsense!" Li Han reined in his horse, his face showing anger. He pointed to the group of Imperial Guard prisoners waiting to be captured in the distance and said, "Our army rushed here as fast as it could, but we're still too late. Didn't you see? The troops of the Northern Expeditionary Army have already routed the Imperial Guard prisoners! Sun Xiu is finished! What's the point of attacking now?"

"How could it be meaningless?" Zhang Fang grinned, revealing a set of fine teeth. He bent the knuckle of his right index finger and gently tapped the back of his sword, laughing as he spoke.

"Our king has given us the task of achieving merit and eliminating political enemies. Aren't these people before us political enemies of our king?"

“Of course, but that’s from the past.” Li Han glanced at Zhang Fang, his disappointment having subsided, and assessed the situation, saying, “The current situation is that Sun Xiu is finished, and so is the King of Zhao. It would be unwise to side with the loser.”

"Oh? But our army has already arrived here, can we retreat now?"

Zhang Fang could not hide his warlike desires. He glanced at the two banners among the rebel army, seemingly communicating with Li Han, or perhaps muttering to himself:

"Ah, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! Let's charge straight down; maybe we can capture two kings in one battle. If we succeed, Chief Secretary Li, as the commander-in-chief of this battle, you will be remembered for eternity, and I will have the honor of tasting the flavors of dragon liver and phoenix gall..."

"And in another quarter of an hour, this opportunity will slip away..."

Zhang Fang's words stirred Li Han's heart: Yes, this was indeed an unprecedented opportunity. If the battle went smoothly, they could capture both vassal kings directly. After defeating them, he could then seize Luoyang, send troops north to pacify Hebei, and with Guanzhong, the capital region, and Hebei all under his control, who in the world could stand against him? He would also be remembered in history for this battle, becoming a general surpassing Zhong Hui and Deng Ai.

The temptation was so immense that it caused him to hesitate, a rare occurrence for him. Li Han turned his gaze back to the battlefield, replaying the scene of victory in his mind, his grip on the sword tightening and loosening repeatedly. But when he saw a familiar flag beside the banner of the King of Changshan, he was immediately brought back to his senses.

Li Han slowly said, "No, this is not a good opportunity."

"Oh? Why do you say that?"

“Liu Xian is here.” Li Han pointed to the Yan Shu An Le Banner in the distance and commented, “With him here, we might be able to win this battle, but it’s unlikely we can achieve a complete victory.”

“We are not familiar with the terrain here either. After traveling a hundred miles, the soldiers are exhausted. The most critical thing is that we are not familiar with the appearance of the two kings. Capturing them will not be as easy as you think.”

"If we only repel them, we will just be taking over Sun Xiu's mess. King Qi has 300,000 troops. Whether Meng Guan and others are willing to obey my king's orders is another matter."

Zhang Fang pondered for a moment, then nodded slightly and said, "What Chief Secretary Li said makes sense. The problem is, what do we do now? Are we just going to retreat without even saying hello? I'm afraid the other side won't let us off the hook."

Just then, a knight from the Hebei rebel army rushed out and stood between the two armies, loudly proclaiming to the troops of the Western Expeditionary Army: "May I ask if you are friends from the Western Expeditionary Army?"

The newcomer had narrow eyes and long eyebrows, wore a scholar's robe and carried a sword. Li Han glanced at him and recognized him as Li Sheng, Liu Xian's advisor. He smiled at Zhang Fang beside him and said, "Look, here comes the one who came to say hello."

He immediately spoke up, responding to everyone in front of them: "Since Lord Li is here, surely Liu Huaichong is here too? I am Li Han, the Chief Clerk of the Prince of Hejian. Since an old friend is here, why not come out and greet me?"

Li Sheng said, "It's alright to meet, but I wonder what Chief Secretary Li intends to do by appearing here?"

Li Han smiled and said, "Of course, I am here to serve my king on his orders!"

Without batting an eye, he spouted nonsense in public: "When King Zhao usurped the throne, Xuchang and Yecheng raised the banner of rebellion. As one of the three major towns, how could Chang'an be left out? When my king heard that King Zhao had usurped the throne, he was truly worried and wished he could fly over the mountains and passes to rescue the emperor. It's just a pity that Xiahou Shi, the governor of Shiping Commandery, is loyal to the rebel Zhao. We had to eliminate him first, which delayed our arrival."

This is of course a lie. When Sima Lun was serving as the General Who Conquers the West in Guanzhong, Sun Xiu made Guanzhong universally hated. How could anyone be loyal to Sima Lun? Xiahou Shi openly responded to Sima Jiong's call to attack Sima Lun and submitted a memorial to Sima Yong, intending to lead his troops on an eastern expedition.

Sima Yong, having just been stationed in Chang'an and eager to establish his authority, saw someone conveniently appear at his doorstep and immediately dispatched Li Han with 30,000 troops to launch a fierce attack on Mei County. After Li Han and Zhang Fang besieged the city, Xiahou Shi, beset by internal and external troubles, held out for two months before finally falling, and his entire clan was exterminated. Unexpectedly, Li Han has now turned the tables on Xiahou Shi; one wonders what he would think if he knew this in the afterlife.

However, given the current situation, it has indeed provided a sufficient stepping stone for people to negotiate peace.

Seeing this, Sima Yi was quite indignant and said angrily, "What a treacherous villain! Does he think we're fools?"

Sima Ying also felt uneasy and turned to Lu Zhidao, asking, "Zidao, can we kill this traitor?"

Lu Zhi also disliked this feigned compliance, but he still advised, "Your Highness, since the other side has no intention of starting a war, we should not provoke an enemy for ourselves. Let's be patient for now. The current situation is not yet ready to start a war with the Western Expeditionary Army."

"Are we just going to let them slip through and enter the capital with us?"

"So what if we enter the capital? Now that our army has defeated Sun Xiu, the whole world knows that the Hebei rebels are the true heroes who helped the emperor. Your Highness is just letting them off the hook."

That's what they said, but everyone knew they were actually begging for mercy. Having just won a great victory, being threatened like this was a humiliating reversal of fortune for the generals.

Liu Xian said, "Han Xin endured the humiliation of crawling between someone's legs, which gave him the opportunity to stand tall in the future. There's nothing shameful about that. I fought alongside Li Han and we have a friendship. Please, Your Highnesses, entrust the negotiation to me!"

After receiving permission, he rode his horse between the two armies and said to Li Han, "Shi Rong, it's been two years. How have you been?"

Seeing him emerge, Li Han spurred his horse away from the ranks and approached him. The two sized each other up, and when they were about five feet apart, their hands unconsciously reached for their swords. If one of them drew his sword first, at this distance, the other would surely be killed. The soldiers on both sides were also quite tense, watching their commanders' movements closely, ready to draw their weapons and fight to the death if anything went wrong.

But Liu Xian moved first. He gave the reins a slight jolt, and his horse galloped a few steps ahead. Liu Xian grabbed Li Han's arm and laughed, "I still remember when we fought the bloody battle of Niyang back then, Shi Rong came to my rescue. I never expected to encounter this situation again today."

Li Han's eyes twitched, and he replied with a smile, "What a pity, I arrived a step too late, otherwise I could have killed the traitor and made a contribution. I'm sorry to my king, I came all this way for nothing."

Liu Xian laughed and said, "How could I have come for nothing? Just now, the two princes told me that anyone who serves the king faithfully will be rewarded. Since Prince Hejian has this intention, he is a hero of the country, and you are of course a hero too!"

"Oh dear, how could I possibly accept this?" Li Han feigned hesitation for a moment, then changed his expression and said, "In order not to fail in my mission, I will accept this offer without hesitation."

He whispered again, "I owe you a debt of gratitude before, but this time we'll call it even."

Liu Xian pretended not to understand, and the two laughed loudly. They embraced in front of everyone to show the friendship between the two armies, and then shouted to the soldiers: "East and West unite! Great victory in defending the emperor! Tonight we are having a friendly gathering here, and we will drink until we drop!"

Upon hearing this, the tense atmosphere between the two armies vanished instantly. The soldiers put down their swords, drew closer, and chatted and laughed with each other. After all, neither the Western Expeditionary Army nor the Northern Expeditionary Army had ever had such an opportunity to meet so many strangers in the capital region.

Lu Zhi did not delay. While continuing to gather prisoners, he immediately arranged for the nearly 200,000 people present to have an unforgettable feast.

This was no easy task. Fortunately, Sun Xiu had stockpiled a lot of grain in Yanshi, including a lot of freshly slaughtered beef and dog meat, as well as thousands of jars of fine wine transported from Luoyang, which he planned to use to reward the soldiers after the battle. At this time, all of it had been given to the Hebei rebels.

Two hours later, darkness fell. But at the foot of Mangshan Mountain, bonfires blazed everywhere in celebration. Whether they were from Hebei or Guanzhong, everyone sang and danced, enjoying themselves immensely, like one big family. Shi Le, who was seeing such a grand scene for the first time, was especially excited, raising his wine cup to toast everyone and inquiring about the names and duties of the officers.

However, the atmosphere was less harmonious around the main generals. Faced with the unexpected intervention of the Western Expeditionary Army, both Sima Yi and Sima Ying felt they had been wronged, yet they had no choice but to swallow their pride and accept it. It was already quite generous of them to allow Li Han, Zhang Fang, and others to attend the banquet, so they were far from giving them a pleasant look.

Li Han and Zhang Fang were shameless enough to introduce their subordinates to Liu Xian and the others, including familiar faces like Suo Lin and Jia Kan, as well as unfamiliar faces like Fang Yang and Xi Wei.

Liu Xian thought of Zhang Guang and asked Li Han, "How is Brother Jingwu doing lately?"

Li Han looked slightly embarrassed. Zhang Guang, with his personality, was naturally dissatisfied with Li Han's autocratic style. Therefore, as soon as Li Han took office, he sidelined him. At present, Zhang Guang had no real power in the Western Expeditionary Army Command, and was just a civil governor in Xinping County.

Li Han then gave a vague answer: "Nothing has changed, it's still the same."

Liu Xian then asked Zhang Gui, "Where is Lord Shiyan?"

Li Han replied, "Don't you know? At the beginning of this year, the court appointed him as the governor of Liangzhou. However, Guanzhong is in great chaos now, and Shi Yan is busy suppressing bandits in Liangzhou. Otherwise, he would also be on the expedition with the army."

"Oh? This can be called the Kansai Great Chaos?"

"The problem still lies in Yizhou. Zhao Xin is taking advantage of the situation to seize power by gathering refugees from the north! The Xianbei in Liangzhou are also stirring up trouble."

This was the first time Liu Xian had heard about Zhao Xin's rebellion. His heart was filled with turmoil, but his face remained calm and composed. He simply said, "Now that the capital is secured, Zhao Xin is nothing but a clown and will soon be quelled by the royal army."

He turned to Sima Yi and the others and said, "Your Highness, time is of the essence. How about we go to the capital to meet the Emperor first thing tomorrow morning?"

Sima Yi was about to nod when Lu Zhi said, "Don't be impatient. Now that we're here, we must show our loyalty to the emperor: the righteous army is here to save the country, not to seize power. In the next two days, we should first pay our respects to the past emperors of the Jin dynasty. It won't be too late to enter the capital after the people of the capital region have all learned of this."

This is the right way to gain the upper hand politically, and everyone agreed with it.

After the banquet, the army camped in Yanshi City early the next morning. The two kings and their generals led more than a thousand followers to pay homage at Gaoyuan Mausoleum, Junping Mausoleum, Chongyang Mausoleum, and Junyang Mausoleum. At the same time, they dismantled the licentious shrine that Sun Xiu had set up on Mount Song, which claimed that Emperor Xuan of Jin had issued a divine decree ordering the King of Zhao to succeed to the throne. This took about three days.

During this time, Sima Lun naturally learned of the disastrous defeat at Yanshi and the defection of the Western Expeditionary Army. He was greatly frightened and hastily resigned from his position, sending an envoy to inform the two princes: "I was misled by Sun Xiu and mistakenly took control of the imperial regalia, which angered the world. Now I know my crime and should resign and return to farming, so that the world may be at peace."

At this point, the time was ripe to enter the capital, and the army officially marched towards Luoyang.

Two hundred thousand troops returned in triumph, a spectacle never before witnessed in Luoyang. Prior to this, Luoyang had been under martial law for four months under Sun Xiu, losing the hearts and minds of the people. Now finally free, the people cheered and thrashed about, flocking to the streets to witness the triumphant return of the loyalist army. For a time, from Jianchun Gate to Qilijian in Luoyang, crowds gathered, people of all ages and backgrounds—scholars, farmers, artisans, men, women, and children—all shouting "Wow, victory!" at the arriving soldiers, pointing and whispering, discussing the battle and the heroes.

As the sun rose, its rays shone brightly, illuminating the streets and making the rows of houses gleam. Black flags fluttered in the sunlight as soldiers marched in single file, their armor gleaming like golden scales, their spears and halberds raised high like a forest. The people along the roadside, seeing the bravery and skill of the righteous army, couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.

The two kings, of noble status, were customarily presented in the middle of the main army. As one of the meritorious generals who came to the aid of the king, Liu Xian took the lead, standing in the vanguard that was the first to enter the city. He was radiant, glancing around, surrounded by a thousand horsemen and officers, the brilliance of the red sun making his gaze so intense that no one dared to look directly at him.

Looking at the excited and curious faces of the children by the roadside, he couldn't help but recall the scene when he, Xi An, and Zhang Gu watched Ma Long's departure for war when he was a child. Under the expectant gazes of the crowd, he waved slightly, and the accompanying drums and music began to play, and the soldiers sang "Watching the Sea".

The military songs were stirring and inspiring, and when sung by the soldiers, they became even more majestic and resounding. As he passed by the Anle Duke's mansion, he subconsciously looked around at the crowd and was surprised to find that the Anle Duke's family members were also standing in the crowd on the street, looking at him with joy.

That year, Liu Xian was twenty-nine years old. He was already recognized throughout the land as a first-rate general, and people compared him to Yue Yi of Yan and Li Mu of Zhao. (End of Chapter)