Jinting Han people

In June, the weather reached its scorching peak. The sun beat down on the land surrounding the capital, causing the soil to crack and spew forth intense heat. Even when farmers carried water on their backs, a single splash would leave only a fleeting dampness, intensifying the heat in the fields, making it feel like being in an oven. But for this year's harvest, the farmers dared not slack off. Even with dizzy heads and drenched in sweat, they continued their busy work, determined not to let this year's autumn harvest be in vain.

Just then, a large and imposing army swept through the fields.

Perhaps due to the extreme heat, these men rode large horses but wore only light robes. Many of the valiant riders disregarded their appearance, leaving their chests open and constantly fanning themselves. Some even opened their water bags and poured cool water directly onto their bodies to cool down. The leather armor and iron helmets strapped together behind their saddles revealed their military status.

Throughout the year, the farmers of Henan had become accustomed to the comings and goings of the army, but at this moment, they still couldn't help but raise their heads and look at them with curiosity. This was because the banners carried by these troops were different from the previous yellow dragon banners, white tiger banners, and black tortoise banners: the banners were white with black borders, and in the center was embroidered a fierce blue dragon.

This is the Azure Dragon Banner representing the Eastern Expeditionary Army, which is the Henan righteous army personally led by Qi King Sima Jiong.

Unlike the Hebei rebels who sent their elite troops into Luoyang, the Henan rebels were poorly equipped and their military bearing was not as good. In fact, many of them had completely different clothing, appearance, accents, and mannerisms. The farmers had never seen so many outsiders before, so they watched with great interest for a while. However, there was nothing particularly interesting about marching, and they soon grew tired and went back to their farm work.

As time passed, the number of soldiers passing through the road only increased, continuing in an endless stream. This surprised them, and when they went to work in the fields the next day, they still saw soldiers walking on the road, only their clothing was completely different from before. When they realized that this was still the same large army that had advanced the day before, their surprise turned into horror: just how many people had come?

When the number of people reaches a certain size, their military appearance becomes less important. In fact, the sheer number of diverse groups actually highlights the fact that this force comes from all corners of the country. Quantity itself is the most direct form of power; an endless, boundless crowd will leave all who witness it in awe.

As the crowd moved, Prince Qi, Sima Jiong, was surrounded by people. He sat astride a magnificent, purple-maned steed, surveying the surrounding farmland. The fields stretched out before him, the millet waves gradually turning yellowish-green, swaying in the wind. In the distance, the green hills were lush with trees, and everything appeared peaceful and serene. He couldn't help but sigh to those around him, "After half a year of military campaigns, I see the capital region peaceful and serene again today. A sense of peace is rising in my heart!"

A middle-aged man beside him said, "Your Highness was the first to advocate for the defense of the emperor, and you carried the hopes of the people. After more than ten battles, large and small, in Henan, you finally succeeded. The peaceful scene before us is all thanks to Your Highness!"

“Hey, Shiying! How can a man not know his own worth!” Sima Jiong waved his hand, pointed to another tall knight beside him, and said with a smile, “We did win some minor victories in Henan, but in terms of merit, how can we compare to Marshal Liu beside me?”

"He attacked Zhao County, fought at Huangqiao, and defeated Yanshi, winning three great victories in a row. Even though I am far away in Yingyin, I have heard about it!"

Upon hearing this, the knight beside him changed his expression slightly. He quickly cupped his hands and said, "Your Highness, you flatter me. This is not my achievement alone. It is thanks to the full support of His Highnesses Chengdu and Changshan, the strategic planning of Duke Xuancheng and Chief Secretary Lu, and the valiant efforts of the soldiers. Of course, it is also thanks to Your Highness for raising the banner of righteousness, which enabled our army to gain the moral high ground, thus enabling us to serve the king, eliminate the traitors, and restore peace."

Seeing his humility, Sima Jiong couldn't help but laugh and said, "Huai Chong, there's no need for such humility! I am not Xiao He, and you are not Han Xin. Now that everything is in need of rebuilding, it is precisely the time when the country needs talented people. We will not mistreat our meritorious officials."

The person speaking with Sima Jiong, the Prince of Qi, was Liu Xian, the Prefect of Changshan. Walking alongside him was Lu Xiu, the Left Sima of the Prince of Qi.

Of course, those who accompanied him were not only these people, but also the generals of the Henan rebel army, including Sima Xin of Xinye, Sima Xiao, Prince of Fanyang, Zu Ti, Left Military Advisor, Gou Xi, Right Military Advisor, He Xu, Governor of Yuzhou, Dong Ai, General of the Dragon Cavalry, and Wang Yan, Governor of Yanzhou.

As they marched into Luoyang, they were accompanied by a massive army of 400,000 loyalists.

Yes, the number of the Henan rebels not only exceeded the 200,000 of the Hebei rebels, but also far surpassed the 300,000 announced to the world when they rose up in February. Instead, it reached an unprecedented and astonishing 400,000-strong army.

This was not an exaggeration. As early as when Sima Jiong first took up his post in Xuchang, the Eastern Expeditionary Army had nearly 140,000 troops under its command. He spent half a year persuading He Xu, the governor of Yuzhou, and Wang Yan, the governor of Yanzhou. During the uprising, he also received the support of the governors of various prefectures in Yangzhou, Jiangzhou, Jingzhou, Qingzhou, and Xuzhou. In the vast area south of the Yellow River and east of Tongguan, except for a few places such as Henan Prefecture and Nanyang Prefecture, almost everyone followed the lead of the Prince of Qi.

It can be said that Sima Jiong was already the de facto ruler of half of the Nine Provinces.

Unfortunately, he ultimately fell short in terms of military achievements.

On Lu Ji's advice, Sun Xiu made two arrangements: first, he dispatched generals such as Zhang Hong to garrison the passes south of Luoyang and then advance south to occupy Yangdi; second, he stationed Meng Guan in Wancheng to harass Sima Jiong from the flank and rear.

These two arrangements, one in the south and one in the north, rendered Sima Jiong unable to move.

In fact, according to military strategy, Sima Jiong's best approach would have been to divide his forces into multiple routes, using his numerical advantage to launch a multi-pronged attack. One route would have attacked Chenggao Pass, another Eban Pass, and yet another Yanshou Pass. He could then have adjusted his deployment based on the strength of the enemy's forces and broken through the Imperial Guard's defenses at their weakest point.

However, Lu Ji accurately identified the weaknesses of the Henan rebels—their morale was low and their discipline was lax.

Therefore, he specifically advised Sun Xiu to have the Imperial Guards advance to Yangdi, only a few dozen miles from Xuchang, before the Henan rebels took action. Xuchang was the Henan rebels' stronghold, and within this distance, the Imperial Guards could clearly observe their every move. Sima Jiong would certainly not dare to rashly divide his forces to attack Luoyang in front of the Imperial Guards; otherwise, he would likely be defeated piecemeal.

This left Sima Jiong with only one option besides heading north to fight – to march south and attack Meng Guan, despite his large army.

As expected, Sima Jiong's generals were all inexperienced and his army was of mixed quality. His attempt to march north and launch a fierce attack on Zhang Hong resulted in repeated defeats. His attempt to send troops south to attack Meng Guan and eliminate the threat also resulted in heavy casualties. Of course, this does not mean that the Henan rebels achieved nothing on the battlefield.

After several defeats, Sima Jiong followed Zu Ti's strategy, imitating Yuan Shao's tactics during the Battle of Guandu. He fortified Yingyin with high walls and ambushes, feigning troop desertions to lure the imperial guards into an attack. Zhang Hong, emboldened by his successive victories, indeed underestimated the enemy and led his troops in a night raid on the Yingyin camp. However, they were soundly defeated by the Henan rebels, suffering thousands of casualties.

After this battle, Zhang Hong led his troops to defend Yangdi, and the Henan rebels were helpless. The two armies probed each other back and forth, and the stalemate continued.

When Liu Xian led his troops to relieve the siege, the Yangdi Imperial Guards finally learned of the death of Zhao King Sun Xiu. They lost their reason to continue fighting, and even though they knew the future was bleak, they could only surrender on the spot.

Thus, the Henan rebels finally opened up the road to the north, and the entire army marched from Yangdi and Eban Pass to Luoyang, leading to the scene just now.

Although Liu Xian was modest, it was an undeniable fact that the Hebei rebels were the first to enter Luoyang. Sima Jiong couldn't help but feel resentful, and repeatedly asked Liu Xian about the details of the Hebei war on the road, and sighed: "Alas, the country has produced famous generals in every generation. It seems that the leader of the new generation of scholars is you, Huai Chong."

"Not at all," Liu Xian said. "Our victory was mainly due to the strength of Your Highness's army, which made Sun Xiu pay attention to Henan and make special arrangements there. Hebei does not have a famous general like Meng Guan to guard it. So, our victory in entering Luoyang was also due to Your Highness's restraint. Henan and Hebei are not different, and the credit is the same."

This argument pleased Sima Jiong, who finally smiled sincerely and patted the saddle, saying, "Huai Chong speaks very well. Only when the righteous army is united can the world be at peace."

Mentioning Meng Guan, he gritted his teeth and couldn't help but clench his fist and swear, "Unfortunately, there are still bandits in Jingzhou who have not been eliminated. Once I inform the Emperor, I will surely kill Meng Guan's entire clan!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Xian's heart skipped a beat. The images of Meng Guan and Meng Ping seemed to flash before his eyes. He couldn't quite describe the feeling, nor did he know how to express his opinion.

Fortunately, Sima Jiong only mentioned Meng Guan casually. He was more concerned about the political situation in Luoyang, which affected his own interests. So he asked Liu Xian, "Your Highnesses, the Prince of Chengdu and the Prince of Changshan, since you have been in Luoyang for some time, what new policies have you implemented?"

Liu Xian knew that Sima Jiong was worried that the two princes would steal his credit first, and he couldn't help but feel a little contemptuous, but he kept his expression unchanged and replied:
"Your Highness, the two princes only welcomed back the Emperor and executed the Prince of Zhao and Sun Xiu, the main culprits. Apart from that, they dared not act arbitrarily in any other matters and left them to be discussed after Your Highness arrives in the capital."

Sima Jiong indeed showed delight, and he repeatedly expressed to Liu Xian, "Good! Good! The two kings have not let me down, and I will not let them down either!"

However, despite these words, some of the accompanying rebel generals looked displeased. This was understandable; they had originally intended to seize the opportunity of serving the emperor to make a name for themselves, but instead, they had encountered repeated setbacks and made no progress. Now, the die was cast, and the great credit had already been taken by the Hebei rebels. Even if the Hebei rebels were willing to share some of their credit, it wouldn't be as good as keeping it all to themselves.

Therefore, Dong Ai sarcastically remarked to Liu Xian, "It is said that when Sun Xiu died, he cried out that a great calamity of the Jiazi year was about to come, and that only the True Lord of Peace could descend to earth to eliminate the disaster. I wonder if this is true or false?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Xian's expression immediately changed; it was clear that his sore spot had been hit. But before he could speak, Zu Ti, who had been silent for a long time, immediately changed color and rebuked Dong Ai:
"Why do you say such things, Lord Dong?! Huai Chong and Sun Xiu have a long-standing grudge. Before his death, Sun Xiu used such words to sow discord among the people, simply to frame loyal officials and force the court to cripple itself! Everyone in the world knows this. What is your intention in bringing this up now?!"

He then added, “I have always been on good terms with Liu Huaichong and know him best. Observing his conduct and actions, how could he have ever wronged the court? Back then, when he ousted Yang in the Eastern Palace, later when he quelled the rebellion in Guanzhong, when he overthrew the Empress Dowager, and when he served the emperor, he risked his life every time, daring to be the first to act. How could he tolerate others' criticism?!”

Dong Ai had only intended to tease Liu Xian, but he hadn't expected Zu Ti to react so strongly. However, Zu Ti spoke with righteous indignation, leaving Dong Ai speechless. Feeling somewhat embarrassed, he quickly defended himself, saying, "I have always admired Lord Liu. I was just bored on the road and made a joke. If I have offended you, I hope you won't mind."

Sima Jiong, standing to the side, laughed and said, "Sun Xiu is known to all for his wickedness. Who would take his words seriously? But Long Xiang, it's best to avoid making such jokes. After all, Huai Chong is a man of high moral character, unlike you who have sixteen concubines."

Everyone laughed, and Liu Xian's expression improved somewhat. After the others dispersed, he quietly thanked Zu Ti, who waved his hand and said, "It's just a trivial matter. I just can't stand people spreading rumors and causing harm to others."

For others, this might be a trivial matter. But for Liu Xian, the person directly involved, it was a deep-seated worry. As the saying goes, "three men can make a tiger," and no rumor is truly inescapable. Especially one as important as Sun Xiu, whose words, spoken with such desperate effort after such a gruesome death, are destined to be remembered.

In the short term, this rumor might have little impact on Liu Xian. But in the long run, the effects would be immeasurable. After all, the people are the most concerned about the future, and this rumor certainly wouldn't disappear easily; it would accompany Liu Xian for the rest of his life. Liu Xian knew that this rumor was like an invisible shackle; if any major political event occurred in the court, he would be the first to be scrutinized. Even more inexplicable was that, after this incident, the difficulty of his being appointed to a post outside the capital would increase dramatically.

They had barely left Luoyang when the matter came to light, further confirming Liu Xian's suspicions. Fortunately, Zu Ti spoke up for him; otherwise, he truly didn't know what he would have said to end the conversation.

Along the way, the Henan rebels did not mention the matter again. After all, regardless of what Sun Xiu said, at least this major battle was over. Many rebel soldiers came to Luoyang with a pilgrimage-like mentality.

In their eyes, no matter where they were, their roots were always in their ancestral homeland, and they would eventually return to their roots. Therefore, this campaign to defend the emperor in Luoyang was like a long journey to realize a dream; they seized a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to fully appreciate the prosperity of the capital region. After this trip to the capital, they could return home and boast to their elders about this great feat of saving the country, and then they could live a simple life without regrets. (End of Chapter)