Jinting Han people

Speaking of Meng Guan, Liu Xian's attitude towards his former superior was extremely complicated.

From their first meeting, Meng Guan displayed martial arts skills that Liu Xian never forgot. His archery was unparalleled, considered the best in the Imperial Guard. Even after encountering many skilled archers over the years, only Li Ju could rival Meng Guan. Later, during Yang Ji's surprise attack on the Eastern Palace, Liu Xian fought a fierce battle with a giant and nearly lost his life. It was Meng Guan who came to his rescue, saving his life with a crucial arrow. From then on, Liu Xian was extremely grateful to Meng Guan.

Then, during the campaign to quell Qi Wannian, after three years of arduous fighting in Guanzhong with little progress, Meng Guan displayed extraordinary military talent. He generously shared his experience in commanding troops with Liu Xian, resulting in a decisive victory over Qi Wannian. As a result, Liu Xian deeply admired Meng Guan. Even though Meng Guan was an unscrupulous corrupt official and utterly devoid of moral integrity in his political stance.

The last time the two parted ways was during the raid on Jingu Garden. Sun Xiu's plan was clearly to have Meng Guan arrest Liu Xian. Regardless of Liu Xian's prior preparations, as long as Meng Guan wanted to advance his career, Liu Xian would have nowhere to escape. And indeed, as Sun Xiu predicted, Liu Xian's actions did not escape Meng Guan's notice; he directly intercepted Liu Xian at the crossroads. If he had taken Liu Xian directly back to Luoyang then, everything would have been over.

In the end, perhaps out of consideration for their friendship of over ten years, or perhaps out of respect for Meng Ping, Meng Guan let Liu Xian go. Allowing him to escape this greatest ordeal of his life allowed Liu Xian to achieve his current success.

Of course, deep down, Liu Xian harbored a feeling that was difficult to express to others. Regardless of what kind of person Meng Guan was or what flaws he might have, at home, he was undoubtedly a good elder and a good father. Towards his children, Meng Guan was not a traditional patriarch, but rather respected their ideas, often offering subtle care and trying to give them some space to pursue their ideals.

Liu Xian longed for this atmosphere. He looked at Meng Guan's family as if they were a precious treasure. Although he had never possessed such a treasure himself, he hoped that it would not be damaged by others, so that the world could be a more beautiful place.

But in the current situation, Meng Guan seems to be stuck in a dead end.

Regardless, this time Meng Guan sided with Sun Xiu and the King of Zhao. Now, Sun Xiu has been torn apart by five oxen, and all of the King of Zhao's followers have been executed, leaving only Meng Guan still trapped in Wancheng. Moreover, unlike the General of the Western Expeditionary Army, who hadn't fired a single arrow before but had instead incurred a blood feud with the Henan rebels, Sima Jiong would absolutely not let him go.

What should we do? Should we just sit idly by and watch Meng Guan be exterminated by the King of Qi?
After a moment's deliberation, Liu Xian quickly made up his mind.

He did not express his opinion publicly at the meeting. Instead, after the meeting, he secretly went to the Changshan Prince's Mansion to meet Sima Yi and said to him, "Your Highness, I believe that Meng Guan is the country's number one general, who has made great contributions in suppressing rebellions. His abilities are known throughout the country, and he has many former subordinates and officials in the Imperial Guard. If we were to exterminate his entire clan, it would probably cause a lot of controversy."

Sima Yi was somewhat puzzled. He asked in return, "What does the Prefect mean? Could it be that you intend to save Meng Guan's life?"

Liu Xian did not speak explicitly, but earnestly said, "Please, Your Highness, do me a favor and let me meet with Prince Qi privately. If this matter fails, Your Highness will not suffer any loss. If it succeeds, Your Highness will gain a great boost in the army, and the Imperial Guards will be grateful to Your Highness! And don't forget, Meng Guan... he was originally a follower of Prince Chu!"

Upon hearing this, Sima Yi's expression became unreadable. After standing up and pacing for a moment, he sighed and said, "Alright, I will take you to see the King of Qi first thing tomorrow morning."

The next morning, Liu Xian went to see Sima Yi again, and Sima Yi immediately led him on horseback to the Qi Prince's residence. When they arrived at the Qi Prince's residence, they could see that the Qi Prince's residence had gathered a group of craftsmen to repair the gate and roof tiles, seemingly wanting to make the lintel look taller and more imposing.

A servant recognized Sima Yi and Liu Xian and immediately said, "Are you His Highness Prince Changshan? Please wait a moment, Your Highness, while I inform my king." After a while, the servant came out and said, "My king is entertaining the Prince of Donghai. Your Highness may come along."

Sima Yi and Liu Xian went inside together. Upon entering the hall, they saw Sima Jiong sitting behind a desk, seemingly reading a list. At a table to the side, a middle-aged man of about forty sat upright, seemingly waiting for Sima Jiong's reply.

When they saw the two men enter, Sima Jiong greeted them and asked them to sit down. The middle-aged man then stood up and bowed, revealing himself to be Sima Yue, the Prince of Donghai.

Liu Xian knew Sima Yue; they had worked together under Sima Wei back when Sima Yue was a spirited young man. However, during the year that Sima Yue had left Guanzhong and returned to Luoyang, the two hadn't had much contact. Upon seeing him again, Liu Xian was surprised to find that the man opposite him was now a composed and aloof middle-aged man.

Sima Yue clearly shared this sentiment, saying, "It's been several years, and Huai Chong's appearance has changed as well."

After everyone was seated, they chatted for a few moments. It turned out that he was recommending talented individuals to Sima Jiong. Managing the affairs of the court and appointing the most talented people in the country are characteristics of an enlightened government. Sima Yue had served in the court for many years and had a wide network of connections, making him the best candidate to recommend talent.

However, this was not a topic for Liu Xian to discuss, and Sima Jiong had no intention of talking to him about it. He directly asked Sima Yi, "Prince of Changshan, is there something you need so early?"

Sima Yi glanced at Liu Xian, who then stood up and replied, "Your Highness, I have something I wish to ask of you."

"Oh? Tell me."

“The Duke of Shanggu has rendered great service to the country and is very popular among the soldiers in the Western Expeditionary Army. If we kill him, there will probably be a lot of discussion in the court and among the people, and it will also cause a lot of trouble in Guanzhong. Moreover, he is currently occupying Wancheng. If we send people to attack him, it may cause a lot of casualties. It would be better to let the Duke of Shanggu go, remove him from his post, and confine him to his home for life. That would not be a bad solution.”

Sima Jiong was quite surprised to hear this; he hadn't expected anyone to plead for Meng Guan. He immediately felt a surge of anger, but unable to express it, he suppressed it and said:
"Huai Chong didn't participate in the Henan campaign, so he doesn't know how many of my men Meng Guan killed! Let me tell you, I suffered 70,000 casualties, nearly half of which were at Meng Guan's hands! Blood debts must be repaid in blood! Since he sided with the traitor Zhao and committed such heinous crimes, even if I can tolerate him, how can the court tolerate him? How can the world tolerate him!"

The scene became somewhat quiet for a moment. Although Sima Jiong suppressed his anger, his attitude was very clear: Meng Guan's existence was a disgrace to the Henan rebels, and Sima Jiong would not be satisfied until he was eliminated.

Liu Xian had actually anticipated this situation, but he still tried to reason with him, saying, "Meng Guan is indeed stubborn and unrepentant, but Your Highness, Meng Guan's eldest son, Meng Ping, is a fine man. When the Prince of Huainan came to the aid of the emperor, he led the troops to join the righteous army. He was the one who charged ahead and even reached the enemy's face. Unfortunately, in the end... he failed at the last moment and died tragically on the battlefield. But it is clear that the Meng family also made contributions to the emperor's cause. Please think about it again!"

Liu Xian had always been reluctant to recall this incident. Meng Ping was an excellent young man; his smile was pure, and his ideals were innocent. Although their time together was brief, it left a deep impression on Liu Xian. Being with him was like washing away all the filth in his heart; he didn't need any scheming.

Liu Xian liked him very much, as if he were his own younger brother. Over the years, he had rarely met someone with such pure ideals. When he learned of Meng Ping's death from Fu Chang's letter, Liu Xian was heartbroken and unwilling to discuss it with anyone.

Sima Jiong, of course, wouldn't pay attention to such a person. Hearing this, he was somewhat surprised and turned to ask Sima Yue, the Prince of Donghai, who was standing beside him, "Yuanchao, is this true?" Sima Yue nodded and said, "Your Highness, it is indeed true. Meng Ping was an upright man, dedicated to his duties to both superiors and subordinates, and had a strong sense of justice. When the Prince of Huainan was fighting against the rebel Zhao, he led his men to join the battle first, charging ahead, taking several arrows without retreating, and finally dying for his country. He can be considered a martyr."

Upon hearing this, Sima Jiong hesitated. He tapped the table with his fingers, clearly beginning to weigh the pros and cons.

Listening to the sound of Sima Jiong's knuckles, Liu Xian felt a rare sense of unease. Precisely because it didn't concern him, he found it difficult to ascertain whether Sima Jiong would truly care about Meng Ping's sacrifice.

A moment later, Sima Jiong looked up and suddenly smiled slightly. He abruptly stood up and walked to Liu Xian's side. He was slightly shorter than Liu Xian, but his every move still tried to imitate the superior demeanor of his uncle, Sima Yan. He patted Liu Xian on the shoulder, his tone much gentler:

"Liu Xian, you and Meng Guan have a long-standing relationship, right? Let me tell you, Meng Guan is indeed unforgivable, but since what you said is true, I'm willing to give him a chance."

"Really?" Liu Xian was both surprised and delighted upon hearing this.

“Meng Guan still occupies Wancheng and is trying to put up a stubborn resistance. You’re right, it will take me a lot of effort to take him down, and I might even lose some men. Here’s what I’ll do, Liu Xian, I’ll send you to persuade him to surrender.”

"Persuade to surrender?"

Sima Jiong clapped his hands forcefully and laughed, "That's right! If he really sees the error of his ways and is willing to surrender, I will grant him a quick death and let him commit suicide on the spot. I will not pursue his family members."

But then his expression suddenly changed: "However, if he remains delusional and refuses to submit to the law, I will entrust the responsibility of bringing him down to you. In that case, don't blame me for being ruthless; you will personally oversee the killing of Meng Guan's entire family!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Xian remained speechless for a long time, finally asking again to confirm, "Can the whole family be spared?"

"Well, if I don't kill him, how can I explain it to the righteous army? Considering his son is a martyr, I won't pursue the rest." Sima Jiong turned around and pointed to Sima Yue beside him, asking, "Yuan Chao, you shouldn't have anything urgent, right?"

Sima Yue was taken aback, then nodded and said, "No."

Sima Jiong had already sat back down, and after reviewing the list on the table again, he said without looking up, "Then you will go with Liu Xian as his deputy! After it's done, bring back Meng Guan's head to report. I estimate that by then, the second batch of reward lists will be released. Huai Chong, if you succeed, I will not treat you unfairly."

Liu Xian's reward had not yet been decided, but regardless, he was among the top three meritorious officials who had served the emperor, and a dukedom was a certainty. However, judging from Sima Jiong's words, if Liu Xian messed things up, the reward would be uncertain.

But Liu Xian did not complain. He knew that this was probably the best condition he could negotiate for Meng Guan, so he had no choice but to agree.

And so, Liu Xian, Sima Yi, and Sima Yue left the Qi Prince's residence. Sima Yi, who also planned to rebuild the government office, bid farewell to Liu Xian and quickly returned. Sima Yue, however, looked somewhat embarrassed and asked Liu Xian, "When does Huai Chong plan to depart?"

Liu Xian said, "The sooner the better, let's set off this afternoon."

Sima Yue asked, "Aren't you going to make some preparations? His Highness Prince Qi probably means for you and me to lead the troops there, if Meng Guan doesn't surrender..."

Liu Xian resolutely said, "Bringing troops there would only cause more trouble. Only by keeping a small entourage can we show our sincerity."

Seeing Sima Yue's disapproving expression, Liu Xian added, "Your Highness, if the Duke of Shanggu wants to defend the city, we could besiege it for a year and still not be able to take it down."

Sima Yue thought to himself that since Liu Xian had taken the job himself, it wouldn't be his problem if he messed it up, so he agreed. At the same time, he made up his mind: Liu Xian must go and talk to Meng Guan first. If Meng Guan didn't agree to commit suicide first, he would never risk his life with Liu Xian. Otherwise, losing his head under Meng Guan's blade would be an unexpected disaster.

Liu Xian knew that this was a thankless task, and whether he succeeded or not depended entirely on himself. He immediately returned to his residence to prepare for his departure.

The residence he was currently residing in was the former residence of the General Who Pacifies Bandits. After his return from Hebei, his former advisors all returned. Fu Chang, Xi Jian, and the others had indeed fulfilled their promises to Liu Xian. Even though the General Who Pacifies Bandits' residence had been temporarily disbanded, they each contacted about a hundred of their former subordinates to secretly protect Liu Xian's family members at the Duke of Anle's residence. Liu Xian was very grateful to them, thinking to himself that after so much time, he still had some trustworthy people.

Upon hearing that Liu Xian was going to Wancheng again, Fu Chang immediately volunteered, saying, "Since Your Excellency is going to do such an important thing, how can you not take us with you?"

Liu Xian initially wanted to refuse, but Xi Jian said, "We were all there when the Prince of Huainan came to the aid of the emperor. If you bring us along, your words will be more convincing."

Liu Xian thought about it and realized that this made sense. So he left Li Sheng and Huan Yi in Luoyang to handle the official duties under his command. He then took several advisors, including Fu Chang, Xi Jian, and Ruan Fang, along with dozens of cavalrymen. After reporting to Sima Yue, he immediately set off on his journey south.

Wancheng is nearly 600 li from Luoyang, and the road is relatively flat. Liu Xian rode at full speed, and two days later, they arrived at Bowang City, where they stayed for the night. (End of Chapter)