Jinting Han people

Since the rebellion forces from the north and south joined forces, the political situation in Luoyang has been in a delicate balance.

Although nominally the three princes are jointly governing and maintaining a delicate peace, the gathering of 600,000 rebel troops in the capital, with camps several miles apart in the north and south, appears to be protecting the peace of Luoyang, but in reality, it has created a standoff.

Every day, the people of Luoyang saw the banners fluttering in the north and south, and the soldiers shouting like thunder when they went out to drill. They were all terrified, fearing that a great battle would break out at any time and raz Luoyang to the ground.

This concern was not unfounded. At the end of June, Sima Xin, the Prince of Xinye, was about to travel south to Jingzhou to rebuild the Southern Expeditionary Army. To bolster his prestige, Sima Jiong, the Prince of Qi, rode in the same carriage with Sima Xin, visiting various imperial tombs. During the visit to the Junyang Mausoleum, Sima Xin publicly stated, "The Prince of Chengdu is a close relative of the state. If we want the country to enjoy long-term stability, we must either work together to assist him in governing, or if that's not possible, we should find a way to seize his military power." Upon hearing this, Sima Jiong fell silent for a moment.

This statement quickly spread, and within two days, it became common knowledge. Sima Yi, the Prince of Changsha, and Sima Ying visited the mausoleum again, and Sima Ying publicly said to Sima Ying, "The world we live in today is the result of the late emperor's great achievements; you and I, brothers, should cherish and protect it!"

This was undoubtedly a response to Sima Xin's remarks, delivered in a sharp and uncompromising tone. It's clear that beneath the surface of peace lay the mutual distrust between the northern and southern rebel armies. This is easily understood: the Hebei rebels had rendered greater service, while the Henan rebels had more troops; neither would willingly submit to the other.

Amidst this turbulent situation, no one expected that Sima Ying would suddenly withdraw his troops and leave.

The morning after Lu Zhi met Liu Xian, Sima Ying, the Prince of Chengdu, went to pay his respects to the Emperor.

The brothers' reunion was a common and joyous occasion. Accompanied by Empress Yang, the emperor offered his thanks and appreciation to the Prince of Chengdu. Unexpectedly, Sima Ying suddenly said to the emperor, "The merits of the loyalist and the pacification of the rebellion are all due to the Grand Marshal. I dare not claim credit for the emperor's achievements."

He then submitted a memorial praising Sima Jiong's merits and suggesting that the emperor entrust all government affairs to the Prince of Qi. He then requested to return to his fiefdom in Hebei, citing the illness of Consort Cheng.

The emperor was momentarily stunned and at a loss for words. Sima Ying then bowed three times, took his leave, and went directly to the Imperial Ancestral Temple to pay homage to his ancestors. He then announced to the public that after the ceremony, he would leave Luoyang and return to Ye City.

During the ceremony, he also sent letters to the other two kings to inform them of the matter.

Sima Yi, the Prince of Changsha, was closer and received the news first. He was greatly alarmed and immediately rushed to the Imperial Ancestral Temple to meet with Sima Ying. His words of greeting also carried a hint of reproach. He said, "Sixteenth brother, why didn't you tell me about such a big matter first?"

Lu Zhi had planned ahead, and Sima Ying answered according to the plan:
"Fifteenth Brother, the country is facing numerous challenges, and the most important thing is to prioritize peace and the overall situation. Since ancient times, there has never been a case where three people could govern and still maintain peace. If this continues for too long, conflicts will inevitably arise. King Qi has taken the lead in raising the banner of righteousness and is indeed capable. Let's be patient for the sake of the country and take a step back for now."

Sima Ying spoke with such noble character that Sima Yi was naturally speechless. He could only say, "Sixteenth Brother is so considerate of others; I am no match for him."

After the two men finished their worship at the Imperial Ancestral Temple, they led their respective staffs eastward. The two kings rode in carriages while their staffs rode on horseback. When they reached the Dongyang Gate, Qi King Sima Jiong finally learned the news, and he could hardly believe it.

After reading the letter several times, he finally realized what was happening. He hurriedly changed his clothes, and without even bothering to take a carriage, he led his closest advisors and rode off to catch up with Sima Ying. About half an hour later, he finally caught up with Sima Ying at Qilijian.

When Sima Jiong saw Sima Ying stop the carriage, he immediately dismounted, caught his breath for a while, and then climbed onto the carriage shaft. He took Sima Ying's hand and said, "Zhang Du, why are you leaving in such a hurry? No matter how urgent it is, it wouldn't hurt to meet me before you leave."

Sima Ying earnestly replied, “You are overthinking it. I returned to my fiefdom because my mother is ill, and I was in a hurry to go home to take care of her. You, on the other hand, are busy with state affairs and are a good advisor to the country. What do I have to worry about? These days, everything that the Prince of Qi has done has been appropriate in both public and private matters. I have seen it all and have no doubts. I hope that after I leave, you will not forget your original intentions.”

At this point, he began to recount his relationship with the Dowager Consort, expressing his duty as her son to take good care of her. After a while, he and Prince Qi began to reminisce about the past, when they were both assisting the Crown Prince in the Eastern Palace. Unexpectedly, the Crown Prince met with misfortune and died halfway through his service, leaving only the two of them to return to Luoyang.

Sima Ying was handsome, and his voice was extremely moving as he spoke. When he got to the most emotional part, he burst into tears in front of everyone. Sima Jiong was also moved by his words and tears welled up in his eyes. He lowered his head and wept.

At that time, the three kings and hundreds of officials gathered at Qilijian. People from the surrounding area came to watch. Not only the common people, but all the officials in the court were also alarmed. Those who could ride horses came to see them off and witnessed this scene of brotherly love and respect.

After everyone understood the whole story, they all exclaimed with emotion, "It is a blessing for the country and the nation that the three kings can live in such harmony!"

Liu Xian was also among the crowd. Having been informed of the news by Lu Zhi, he had made preparations and was therefore among the first officials to catch up with Sima Ying, following Sima Yi. As one of the actual commanders of the Hebei rebel army, he was highly respected by the other generals of the Northern Expeditionary Army. Taking advantage of the moment when the two kings parted and the troops were assembling in the camp, the generals all came to bid farewell to Liu Xian.

Lu Zhixian walked over and smiled at Liu Xian, saying, "Before you leave, I'll leave you a big gift."

"What kind of gift?"

"Since our army is about to leave, we will not take the grain and fodder transported from Hebei with us. There are still 200,000 bushels of rice stored in the North City Camp. We will leave them all to you, Huai Chong. I believe that with your character, you will be able to use them effectively."

This is indeed a great gift. Liu Xian has almost exhausted the Sili Prefecture's funds recently and is still worried about the construction of the new canal. With this 200,000 hu of grain in hand, he will have more confidence in doing things.

Liu Xian was very grateful and said with a smile, "Very well, I will make sure that the people of the capital know about your kindness."

"It's all thanks to my king's kindness," Lu Zhi said modestly as always. He then added, "Do you remember our agreement from last night? Wait for my news."

Then came generals like Shi Chao and Zhao Xiang. They had benefited greatly from fighting side by side, but because of their noble birth, they felt ashamed to be subordinate to others. Therefore, when they parted, they said with a touch of pride, "Just wait, when we meet again, we will be completely different."

There were unspoken thoughts hidden within this narrative. Although Lu Zhi, adhering to the principle of restoring morale, persuaded Sima Ying to return to Ye City, the generals of the Northern Expeditionary Army didn't care about such things. They yearned for merit and were willing to fight anyone to prove themselves.

Seeing this, Liu Xian couldn't help but think, "Luoyang is indeed rife with undercurrents, but is Yecheng any better off?"

However, he maintained a friendly demeanor with the generals, saying, "I believe this too, but the loyalty to the emperor is over, so let us celebrate peace throughout the land!"

Ultimately, Liu Xian's stay in Ye City was too short. He only had superficial acquaintances with most people and didn't have much to say to them. After exchanging a few pleasantries, the conversation would end, which made Liu Xian feel somewhat bored.

Just then, Liu Xian heard a familiar voice calling out to him from the crowd: "Hey, hey! Liu Xian, Liu Xian! Don't miss me! I'm here!"

Hearing the call, Liu Xian looked towards the source of the sound and, sure enough, it was Shi Le, the Jie barbarian. He was squeezing through the crowd, waving frantically as he pushed his way in, finally managing to squeeze through. With his usual optimistic smile, he put his arm around Liu Xian's shoulder upon meeting him and exclaimed, "You've really become famous! It's been over a month since I've seen you at all, and now you're surrounded by so many people, I almost died from being squeezed!"

Liu Xian looked him over and over again at the silk robe he was wearing and the incongruous headdress on his head, and joked, "You're not bad either! Do you remember how you said you wanted to rise to prominence more than ten years ago? Now you've really done it."

For their contributions in the Battle of Ji County, Ji Sang and Shi Le were rewarded. Ji Sang was granted the title of Marquis of Dongting, while Shi Le was granted the title of Marquis of Guannei. In the current Luoyang court, where dukes and marquises were everywhere, these titles might not seem like much. But for the bandits of Leping who had previously been on the run, it was a complete turnaround.

"Haha, this is nothing!" Shi Le was naturally very pleased with this, but he immediately boasted, "Although there is something to be happy about right now, it is just a small milestone in my life. Liu Xian, just you wait and see, I will create even greater glories in the future!"

"Oh?" Seeing his confidence, Liu Xian couldn't help but ask, "So what are your plans for the future? Aren't you going to stay in the capital region?"

"What's so great about staying in the capital region? I've been here before! Luoyang may be a big city, but there's not much space for people to roam. Don't forget, I was born in the Year of the Horse, and I don't want to stay in a place where I'm not free."

At this point, Shi Le pointed to Lu Zhi not far away and said smugly:
“We’ve already made arrangements with that Chief Clerk Lu. He really appreciates us. When we return to Hebei, he’ll appoint my sworn brother as the Prefect of Zhao Commandery, and I’ll become the Commandant of Zhao Commandery. That way, we’ll be like local warlords.”

With the downfall of the Zhao King's faction, the Zhao state was abolished and reverted to Zhao Commandery. It seems that Lu Zhi, in order to strengthen his control over Ji Province, employed this group of bandits from Leping, appointing them to official positions there.

Seeing Shi Le's unserious behavior, Liu Xian couldn't help but worry about the local people and asked, "Governing a region and fighting a war are not the same thing. You have the courage to go into battle and kill the enemy, but can you manage civil affairs well?"

“What’s so difficult about that?” Shi Le said without any concern.

"Oh? Do you perhaps have experience with this?"

“I have no experience,” Shi Le said matter-of-factly. “But who is born with experience? If you don’t have experience, you can learn! I’m not one to pretend to know what I don’t. When I get there, I’ll ask a few local teachers for help and ask them to teach me everything, one by one, without any shame.”

"Even if I'm not as smart as you, if I can't learn it in a day, I can't learn it in a year. There's nothing in this world that can stump a person. If something does stump a person, it's simply because they're unwilling to persevere and put their heart into it."

To the average person, Shi Le's words seemed utterly unreasonable. There's a saying: "Preparation is the key to success, lack of preparation leads to failure." If you want to accomplish something, it's best to think things through carefully before acting. How can you expect to start preparing only when the time comes? Know that once things are messed up, there's likely no second chance.

But Liu Xian understood Shi Le's philosophy of life. For ordinary people, failure might be unacceptable. But for Shi Le, failure was insignificant; or rather, he had long been accustomed to it, simply viewing it as a scene in his life. Success is scenery, and so is failure; neither success nor failure matters, what matters is whether he has seen these scenes.

Perhaps in Shi Le's eyes, life was like an interesting game. He placed himself outside of the world, using the joys and sorrows of human life to amuse himself. This seems somewhat like Sun Xiu, but fundamentally they are different, because he truly loved and enjoyed his life.

From this perspective, Liu Xian quite liked Shi Le, and even sincerely admired him. Therefore, he said, "Alright then, if you encounter any problems in Zhao County that you cannot solve, you can write to me for advice."

"Ha, you underestimate me!" Shi Le said with some dissatisfaction. It was clear that times had changed, and he now had some pride and arrogance. "Liu Xian, you just wait! A hidden dragon will eventually rise to the sky! Next time we meet, I will definitely give you a big surprise!"

This vow seemed to have been made far too many times, and each time they met again, Shi Le seemed to have failed to keep it. To say it again now was merely a repetition, even seeming somewhat childish. Liu Xian, of course, wouldn't take it seriously anymore, and simply smiled, "Alright, I'll wait for that day."

Amidst laughter and conversation, the group reached the end of Qilijian and was about to see the Mangshan Mountain Path.

Sima Ying said to the two princes who were seeing him off, "Even after a thousand miles of farewell, we must part ways. Fifteenth brother, Your Highness Prince Qi, let's stop here! I hope that you two will work together in the capital region, consider the overall situation, and bring peace to the people. In this way, I can serve my mother in Ye City without worry."

Sima Yi and Sima Jiong exchanged a glance and both promised, "Please rest assured, Sixteenth Brother (King of Chengdu), I will do my utmost."

After bowing twice, the King of Qi and the King of Changsha alighted from their carriages and watched the grand procession of the King of Chengdu gradually disappear into the shadows of the forest along the Mangshan mountain road. A long while later, the two looked at each other, both bewildered. They had not yet recovered from Sima Ying's bizarre decision and needed time to consider their next move.

Sima Ying, having crossed Mount Mang, was also looking back south. He could no longer see Luoyang, only the Mount Mang stretching before him. The tombstones along the way filled him with sorrow, and a rather subtle turmoil stirred within him:

Even though he was mentally prepared, when he actually relinquished his power as regent, he recalled his dramatic journey as a prince and suddenly felt empty and destitute, followed by a sense of hunger and dissatisfaction with the status quo.

Just then, Zheng Yan, the Right Chief Secretary, suddenly approached the carriage and said to Sima Ying, "Your Highness, Your Highness, do you have a moment?"

Sima Ying laughed and said, "Why do you need to ask? Is there anyone else here? Just say what you want to say."

Zheng Yan said to Sima Ying, "Your Highness, do you remember what I said before? If you want to achieve great things, my army still lacks a commander who can organize and manage troops."

Sima Ying nodded, then said regretfully, "That's right. Yesterday I sent Zidao to recruit Liu Xian, but unfortunately it was unsuccessful."

Mentioning Lu Zhi filled Zheng Yan with resentment. Although he and Lu Zhi were both serving as Left and Right Chief Secretaries, Zheng Yan had made almost no noteworthy contributions in this battle to defend the emperor, while Lu Zhi had become a universally recognized virtuous minister. This filled Zheng Yan with intense hatred, and he resolved to trample Lu Zhi into the mud after returning to Ye City.

However, at this moment, he still concealed his emotions and said with a smile, "It is indeed a pity. But Your Highness still remembers that I said a few days ago that there was a talented person who, as long as Your Highness gets him out of prison, will surely greatly boost the morale of the Northern Expeditionary Army."

"What you say is true..." Sima Ying suddenly recalled that it was indeed true. Zheng Yan had asked him to intercede with Prince Qi, Sima Jiong, hoping to recruit someone from the imperial prison, calling him a capable commander. As the saying goes, it is easy to find a thousand soldiers, but difficult to find a general. Sima Ying readily agreed to the matter, but time was short and he had not yet met him.

He exclaimed with delight, “Excellent! I am delighted to see such a wise man. Quickly, invite him over!”

Zheng Yan smiled slightly, pulled the rider behind him to the front of the carriage, and said to Sima Ying, "Your Highness, this is the famous Lu Wenhai, the grandson of Lu Xun and the son of Lu Kang."

Lu Ji, seated on his horse, took a deep breath, bowed slightly to Sima Ying, and said with clasped hands, "Though I am unworthy, I wish to speak to Your Highness about the ways of kings and hegemons." (End of Chapter)