Jinting Han people

After Liu Xian left, Meng Guan lay on the bed for a while. Of course, he didn't fall asleep; he just closed his eyes and thought about the events of his life.

In his youth, the young man in yellow robes, born into a declining noble family, diligently practiced martial arts in the countryside, determined to make a name for himself and revitalize his clan. However, as he grew older, although he mastered martial arts, he wasted his years in the Imperial Guard, achieving nothing. After gaining the favor of the King of Chu, he finally obtained a place to fight, plotted the downfall of Yang, and made a name for himself, being granted the title of Duke. In the blink of an eye, the King of Chu's plot failed, and he, having accomplished nothing, was left idle in the capital, wasting several more years. When Guanzhong fell into chaos and the court suffered repeated losses, finally, at Sun Xiu's request... He returned to public service, sacrificing his dignity to gain the title of Marshal of the Western Expedition. After the expedition, he decisively defeated Qi Wannian in one battle, pacifying three prefectures with overwhelming force, and became the world's recognized number one general. Later, he conspired with Sun Xiu to participate in the coup d'état, further advancing his career and becoming the first regional general in the court, excluding members of the imperial clan and the eight founding noble families. Now, he serves Sima Lun, fighting against the Henan rebels several times, preventing them from advancing an inch, and thus becoming a thorn in the side of the King of Qi.

Recalling this, Meng Guan took a deep breath, opened his eyes, and saw his second son, Meng Tao, kneeling to his left, tears streaming down his face, but he dared not utter a sound.

This was his eldest son. Meng Guan felt a pang of pain in his heart when he thought of Meng Ping, and said, "You also know about your elder brother? Are you crying for him?"

He then berated himself, saying, "How foolish I was! I knew perfectly well that he was so naive... no, he was such an upright person, a martyr! And I still wanted him to be a scoundrel like me, to tarnish his reputation. How despicable! I was utterly despicable!"

Upon hearing this, Meng Tao wept even more. He managed to stop his tears with great difficulty and choked out, "No, sir, of course I feel sorry for my brother! But I feel even more sorry for you. I am crying for you! Please don't be so hard on yourself. This is not your fault!"

“I remember when I was little, my family was poor. If there was a year of disaster, you were always the last to eat. If we finally managed to get a carp, you would let my eldest brother eat the belly, I eat the back, my mother eat the tail, and you eat the head.”

"Later, when the family prospered, you were reluctant to spend money on yourself, and you were busy all day acquiring land and building connections. But when it was my elder brother's turn to buy a sharp sword and mine to buy a fine horse, you never frowned. In my elder brother's and my hearts, you have been good enough to us, and you are a hero unlike any other in the world! My elder brother chose his own path, so you don't need to be sad about it."

Meng Tao then said, "Governor Liu and you have such a good relationship. You should head south to Jiangling, escape by sea, and hide for a while. Perhaps in a few years, when the court is in chaos again, you will have a chance to use your talents. Why wait here to die?"

Upon hearing this, Meng Guan knew that his second son was reluctant to part with him, but he still smiled and shook his head, saying, "There's no need. Liu Xian must have gone to great lengths to secure this condition for me. He's been so loyal to me; if I were to betray him, wouldn't I be a treacherous and untrustworthy person?"

“I often taught my eldest son that even if he couldn’t be a gentleman, he shouldn’t be a villain. He did it, but I didn’t. If I met him in the afterlife, how could I, as his father, hold my head high?”

"Moreover, given my situation, in principle, my entire family should be executed. If only I die, it would be a stroke of luck. Even if you brothers are implicated, with Liu Xian's help, there will always be a way out."

"Pass on my orders: dismiss all the soldiers in the city and give them the gold and silver from the mansion so they won't have come for nothing. As for my subordinates and officers who want to leave, let them find their own way."

"I reckon you won't be able to keep your title. If you want to save your life, from now on, you and the rest of your family must listen to Liu Xian for the rest of your lives, treat him as your elder brother and father, without any complaints or acting on your own, understand?"

"Go and call your mother over. I want to spend some time alone with her."

After saying this, Meng Guan waved his hand, dismissing Meng Tao, and continued to lie alone in the room, staring blankly at the ceiling, as if lost in endless reverie...

The next morning, Liu Xian led Sima Yue, the Prince of Donghai, back to Wancheng. The atmosphere was vastly different from the tense one they had witnessed the day before. Although the city's defensive structures were still intact, the place was deserted; hardly anyone remained. The city walls were empty, and a light drizzle began to fall. The raindrops pattered on the sparsely populated watchtowers, echoing through the corridors. Coupled with the scattered corpses outside the city, this created a rather eerie atmosphere.

Led by Meng Tao, the group arrived at the city gate where Meng Guan was located. They removed their straw hats and raincoats, and took off their rain-soaked leather boots before heading inside. On the way, Meng Tao glanced at the seal of Sima Yue, the Prince of Donghai, confirming that he was a representative of the court. He then remained silent, but Sima Yue still felt uneasy under his gaze.

Upon entering, Meng Guan was being combed by Madam Guan. Overnight, his hair had turned even whiter; if before it was merely a worn-out gray, today it had become a pure, snow-white. Coupled with his white, round-necked robe and brocade belt, even with a sword and a knife at his waist, he appeared calm and composed, showing no trace of his former fierce battlefield general.

When Meng Guan saw Liu Xian and Sima Yue arrive, he slightly turned his head and said to them, "Please wait a moment while I comb my hair before arranging the household affairs." With that, he turned back and closed his eyes, allowing his wife to quietly comb his hair. After combing his hair smoothly, Lady Guan took some plum oil and slowly applied it to his graying hair, turning it black. After a while, his hair was dyed, and Lady Guan styled it into a bun and inserted a hairpin. When Meng Guan opened his eyes again, it seemed that the invincible Duke of Shanggu was once again standing before them.

At this moment, Meng He, the third son of the Meng family, also arrived. Like Meng Tao, he was in tears and knelt before Meng Guan. The atmosphere was extremely somber, but Meng Guan appeared outwardly as usual, which even Sima Yue found quite admirable. Considering the mission at hand, he spoke first: "Does the Duke of Shanggu have any message to convey to the court?"

Meng Guan certainly knew Sima Yue. He smiled and then said to his two remaining sons, "My fate is what I deserve. Do not resent the court. You must serve the country well, understand?"

These words were meant for his two sons, but were actually intended for Sima Yue, or rather, Sima Jiong. After Meng Tao and Meng He both agreed, he then asked Liu Xian, "Huai Chong, do you know where Ziheng's tomb is?"

Liu Xian said, "I know, I have already helped him to be reburied at the foot of Mangshan Mountain." He was very sad and wanted to shed tears, but he held them back.

Meng Guan then took off the sword from his waist and handed it to Liu Xian, saying, "I probably won't have the chance to see him again. You should bury this sword in front of his grave. After I die, perhaps this will be an opportunity to meet him again in the afterlife."

Then he took out a crystal-clear, emerald-green jade pendant from his sleeve and stuffed it into Liu Xian's hand: "This is the jade pendant I use for archery practice. Consider it a thank you gift for making this trip."

At this point, Meng Guan sighed deeply and gazed at the sky beyond the city walls. People probably assumed he had something else to say, so they held their breath and waited. But Meng Guan had no such intention, nor did he want to say anything more. He drew a short knife from his waist, intending to commit suicide, and carefully examined the gleaming blade in front of everyone. Then he placed the knife on the table, pulled open his robe, revealing his strong chest.

As Meng Guan picked up the knife, everyone watched, their hearts pounding. His hand, usually steady and firm, showed no tremor whatsoever, inspiring silent admiration. Liu Xian thought to himself, "Meng Guan is not yet fifty years old, yet he is skilled in military and political affairs, and his reputation is renowned throughout the land. If Sun Xiu had placed him in Hebei, I fear I would have had a very difficult time capturing Luoyang. Perhaps it's because Meng Guan spared me that Sun Xiu doesn't trust him, and that's why he placed him in Henan."

If Meng Guan had truly been trusted and valued by Sun Xiu, probably no one in the world would have had a chance to rise to prominence. Unfortunately, all of that is in the past. A great man of his generation will soon be reduced to a cold corpse; who in later generations will remember him?

Meng Guan then reversed the tip of the knife, raised it to his chest, and paused. At this moment, the entire mansion was silent, with only the sound of raindrops dripping from the eaves.

Meng Guan left his last words: "I regret that I cannot use my long-term strategy to drive straight to the northern desert and rebuild the glory of Longcheng!" Having said this, he exerted all his strength with both hands and plunged the tip of his knife into his heart, all the way to the hilt. But he hadn't completely pierced his heart; he was still breathing. So, with his last strength, he slashed the knife downwards, down to his upper abdomen. Instantly, his body went limp, and he collapsed onto the mat, blood gushing from his mouth, his legs twitching involuntarily.

The scene was truly gruesome, the room reeking of blood. Even a man of Xi Jian's unwavering resolve felt a chill run through him; in a short time, his undershirt was soaked with sweat. He suddenly thought, "If I were ever in such a situation, I wonder if I would have the courage to die so heroically. Meng Shanggu was truly a man of honor!"

When Sima Yue, the Prince of Donghai, saw this, fearing that Meng Guan was still in the throes of death and that his head would be soiled by blood, he hurriedly sent his men forward to grab the still convulsing Meng Guan and quickly cut off his head. The hair still smelled of oil, but when mixed with the strong stench of blood, it smelled so nauseating that it made one's stomach churn.

Liu Xian took the severed head, closed Meng Guan's eyes, wiped away the blood, and placed it in a lacquer box. This mission was now complete.

The Meng brothers, Meng Tao and Meng He, were still weeping. Liu Xian wanted to comfort them and was thinking about how to begin. Unexpectedly, Madam Guan said, "A grown man should not shed tears in public and become a laughingstock. Remember the courage and spirit of your father and brothers!"

After saying this, Madam Guan walked to her husband's side, suddenly pulled out the short knife that was still stuck in Meng Guan's body, still covered in warm blood, and then plunged it into her own neck. Blood gushed out instantly, spraying onto the wall.

It all happened so fast that everyone present was stunned. By the time they reacted, she had already collapsed onto her husband's headless corpse and quickly lost her life. Although Liu Xian knew that Meng Guan and his wife had a good relationship, he never expected it to reach this point—that Lady Guan would be willing to die for her husband! Even if recorded in history, she could be considered a martyr!

Thinking of this, Liu Xian involuntarily stood up, led his subordinates to bow three times to the corpses of Meng Guan and his wife, and then immediately began to arrange the funeral for Meng Guan and his wife.

Meng Guan had prepared a coffin beforehand and dug a shallow grave outside the city. He had specifically instructed that after his death, there was no need for a long, conventional funeral; since there were no guests, he could be buried on the same day with a simple wooden tombstone. He simply hadn't expected his wife to follow him in death and hadn't prepared a second coffin. With Meng Guan's consent, Liu Xian placed the couple in the same coffin and buried them together.

The only items buried with Meng Guan were his court robes and two seals he carried with him: one was the seal of General Meng Guan of Annam, and the other was the seal of Duke Meng Guan of Shanggu.

After everything was taken care of, it was already quite late. That night, Liu Xian stayed in Wancheng. He rested in an ordinary room in the county government office within the city, while Sima Yue stayed in the An'nan General's residence.

Perhaps because Meng Guan's head was in the room, Liu Xian did not sleep well that night. In the middle of the night, he suddenly woke up and heard some rustling sounds outside the door, like the sound of tides crashing on the riverbank, or like the footsteps of a group of people walking quietly.

This puzzled him somewhat, so he put on his robes and opened the door to see what was going on. Unexpectedly, when he shone a lamp in front of the door, he discovered that it was densely packed with people, probably several hundred, and each of them was burly. This startled him. However, Liu Xian's expression remained inscrutable; he stood before the door as if it were nothing unusual, squinting his eyes, and asked calmly:
"Who are you?"

Only then did Zhuge Yan, who was staying with Liu Xian, react. He rushed out with his sword, pointed at the newcomers, and asked, "Who are you?"

The people who came stood in front of the door, silently observing Liu Xian for a moment before one of them slowly stepped forward. By the light of the lamp, Liu Xian could see that this person was about eight feet tall, with an unremarkable appearance, small eyes, a mustache, wearing a long brown robe, and a long sword with a ring pommel at his waist.

He said to Liu Xian, "May I ask if you are Lord Liu?"

Liu Xian said, "That's right, it is I. May I ask who you are...?"

"I am Gongsun Gong from Shanggu, and I greet Lord Liu." The man bowed deeply in the night, his voice deep and penetrating.

Liu Xian understood immediately from the name: "You're from Shanggu Camp?"

"Yes," Gongsun Gong said. "I came to see Prefect Liu to ask him for something."

Liu Xian was startled again. He gripped the hilt of the Changsheng Sword with one hand and said nonchalantly, "Could it be the head of the Duke of Shanggu?"

Unexpectedly, Gongsun Gong shook his head and said, "No, this is our lord's own choice, and we certainly dare not have any objections."

This surprised Liu Xian. He had thought that Shanggu Camp had come to show loyalty to their lord, but it turned out not to be. He asked, "Then what is it for?"

"I heard that the lord gave you a jade pendant. May I take a look at it?"

Liu Xian was somewhat puzzled, but after thinking for a moment, he took the jade pendant out of his pocket and handed it to Gongsun Gong. Gongsun Gong took the jade pendant with both hands, examined it carefully under the lamplight, let out a low sigh, and handed it back to Liu Xian.

He immediately knelt on one knee, bowed, and said, "Gongsun Gong, the Commandant of Shanggu, is hereby ordered by the Duke of Shanggu to lead the Shanggu Camp and swear to serve you to the death!"

Hundreds of people present knelt down in unison and said, "The soldiers of Shanggu Camp swear to serve Lord Ming to the death!"

Because it was the middle of the night, they spoke very softly so as not to disturb others, but even their extremely low voices, when combined, were like a powerful undercurrent, washing over Liu Xian's will. (End of Chapter)