Jinting Han people

The struggle between Guandong and Guanxi has a long history. Since the transition from the Shang to the Zhou dynasties a thousand years ago, countless famous battles have erupted in this small area between Chang'an and Luoyang: the Battle of Muye, the Battle of Shaoliang, the Battle of Yique, Liu Bang's conquest of Qin, the Battle of Xingyang between Chu and Han, the Battle of Xiaodi, the Dong Zhuo Rebellion, the Battle of Tongguan...

It's hard to imagine that these famous battles, which are still talked about by later generations and have influenced the fate of China, all took place within this area of ​​four hundred li. The reason is simple: this land is too special, special in its topography and special in its location.

On this land of East Asia, from the world's highest plateau, the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, to the East Asian coast, the continent is naturally divided into three steps and two dividing lines. The first and second steps are divided by the Qinling Mountains, Taihang Mountains, Bashan Mountains, Wuling Mountains, and Loushan Mountains; the second and third steps are divided by the Qilian Mountains, Kunlun Mountains, and Hengduan Mountains.

At this time, Chinese civilization had not yet explored the third step of the continent, but it had occupied almost all the habitable territories within the first and second steps. Therefore, controlling the boundaries between these steps was of paramount importance for unification.

In the area spanning four hundred li from Chang'an to Luoyang, the Guanzhong Plain, Hongnong Basin, and Luoyang Basin are like three beads strung together, located precisely at the center of this dividing line. The Qinling and Taihang Mountains converge here, and the Yellow River carves out a narrow and constricted road, which subsequently became the most important passage for transportation between East and West China throughout the ancient and medieval periods.

This is precisely why, once a war breaks out between Kansai and Kanto, whoever successfully occupies this passage will hold the real initiative. During the Qi Wannian Rebellion, the climax of Qi Wannian's offensive was to directly blockade Tongguan after capturing Chang'an, but he ultimately failed.

While the Zhao King's Rebellion was massive in scale and impact, it contained few truly commendable battles. In terms of intensity, it probably didn't even compare to the Qi Wannian Rebellion. If the Western Expeditionary Army and the Eastern Expeditionary Army were to clash, Liu Xian would actually favor the Western Expeditionary Army.

The reason why the Western Expeditionary Army struggled during the Qi Wannian Rebellion was ultimately due to the poor performance of its two commanders, Sima Lun and Sima Tong. In a normal war, the military skills of the people of Guanzhong were the highest. The three-year-long Qi Wannian Rebellion had also honed a group of reliable mid-level officers. With the support of the Liangzhou horses, they also had a large cavalry force. If the Western Expeditionary Army could recruit some non-Han people as auxiliary troops, its fighting strength would actually be stronger than it had been a few years prior.

These are things that the Eastern Expeditionary Army Command, which had only been dealing with a mess for a few months, could not match.

Liu Xian considered that to win this battle, he needed to make effective use of the terrain, employ strategic planning before the war, and leverage political principles to compensate for the shortcomings in the officers' and soldiers' abilities.

Therefore, after leaving Xingyang, he went directly to Hongnong to investigate the terrain that could be utilized.

When it comes to the strategic passes within Hongnong County, the two most famous are undoubtedly Hangu Pass in the east and Tong Pass in the far west.

The Hangu Pass at this time was not the Hangu Pass that repeatedly defended against the allied forces of the six states during the pre-Qin period, but rather the one built during the Han Dynasty. Due to the Yellow River's erosion, many sandbars were exposed north of the Qin Dynasty's Hangu Pass, which were then transformed into roads, rendering the original Hangu Pass no longer a formidable natural barrier. During the Han Dynasty, to strengthen the defenses of Luoyang, Hangu Pass was moved eastward to Xin'an County to prevent the Guanzhong army from freely invading Luoyang. However, compared to the former, the terrain was no longer as strategically advantageous.

During the Three Kingdoms period, Cao Cao believed that Hangu Pass was not strategically important enough, so he decided to abandon it and instead build a new pass at the westernmost part of Hongnong, on Linzhi Plain, a necessary route into the pass. This new pass is now Tongguan Pass.

Liu Xian had passed through Tongguan many times and knew its strengths and weaknesses. Tongguan's strengths were obvious: a direct attack from Linzhi Plain was virtually impossible. However, Tongguan's weaknesses were also fatal. If the attacking side had enough ships, they could bypass Tongguan via the ferry crossing and directly enter Guanzhong, cutting off Tongguan's retreat route. This was how Cao Cao forced Ma Chao to abandon Tongguan.

However, Liu Xian had no particular interest in Tongguan Pass on this trip. After all, he intended to find a suitable terrain to defend against future offensives from the Western Expeditionary Army. Therefore, naturally, his first thought was the abandoned Hangu Pass, and he went there to conduct an on-site inspection.

However, in order not to overly provoke the still relatively harmonious situation, Liu Xian did not immediately state his purpose after arriving in Xin'an. Instead, as if he were making a normal visit to a county, accompanied by Pei Gao, the prefect of Hongnong, he first visited the scholars of Xin'an County, examined the county's household registration and land records, as well as the taxes that had just been collected this year.

After four or five days of this half-hearted approach, Liu Xian finally brought up the matter, using hunting as an excuse, claiming that he wanted to relax for a while. He finally had some free time and, guided by a local hunter, went to the ruins of Hangu Pass.

Just like the Honggou ruins, the once glorious Hangu Pass is now just a pile of broken walls and ruins. And because it is early winter, there is a thick layer of fallen leaves in the ruins, withered vines climb all over the crumbling walls, and some withered yellow cockleburs remain on the ground. When you walk through them, the thorns will get stuck on your clothes, so you have to brush them off and clean them up from time to time.

Liu Xian was impatient, so in order to get a better view of the surrounding terrain, he rushed up the hillside south of the ruins. When he reached the top, his forehead was covered in sweat, but it quickly evaporated in the winter wind.

Liu Xian dismounted, and after Zhuge Yan caught up with him, he sighed, "Nan Qiao, no wonder Cao Cao abandoned Hangu Pass. It is indeed not as strategically important as Tong Pass!"

Zhuge Yan, a man of humble origins, felt an indescribable joy upon returning to the mountains and forests. He laughed heartily and said, "Not as good as Qiu Chi."

Liu Xian smiled and agreed, "That's true."

Before Tongguan Pass lay a narrow, impassable ditch, barely wide enough for a single cart to pass, its terrain undulating with a drop of over thirty zhang (approximately 15 meters), a sight that truly terrified Liu Xian. Of all the terrain he had seen, only Qiuchi could compare. While the ruins of Hangu Pass were also nestled against mountains and beside water, overall it was merely a normal mountain pass. Even if successfully rebuilt, it would never possess the imposing, defiant grandeur of Tongguan Pass.

"Do we need to redo it?"

"Let's take another look." Liu Xian covered his eyebrows with his hand, looked westward at the direction of the mountains and rivers, and said, "This is not the only road; we can only keep it as a backup for now."

According to local hunters, there are three routes between Xin'an and Luoyang: the middle route, where the Hangu Pass ruins are located, is the shortest; the southern route passes through Yiyang City, a detour of about fifty li; the northern route is a rather treacherous mountain path, only wide enough for three or four people to pass side by side, and not even suitable for vehicles.

If the fortress were to be rebuilt here, troops would need to be deployed to defend the city on the other two roads. Although something is better than nothing, Liu Xian still wanted to find a strategic location that could at least block two passages.

After all, the Sili Prefecture was still building the canal and didn't have much spare money. Building a new pass also required careful consideration of the construction costs.

Thinking about this, he went down the mountain again, intending to examine the details of the ruins more closely. Unexpectedly, at this moment, a messenger from the county suddenly came to report: "Your Excellency, a distinguished guest has arrived in the county, saying that he wishes to meet you."

Liu Xian thought that some local celebrity had arrived and wanted to invite him back to the county, so he said, "Go and tell the guest to wait. I will leave in an hour."

No sooner had he finished speaking than a man rode in on a tall horse, laughing at Liu Xian, "Haha, I can't wait to see Liu Wohu!"

The man who appeared wore a white, round-necked, knee-length robe, tied at the waist with a brocade sash adorned with silk threads. His hair was styled in a topknot and secured with a hairpin—a typical scholar's attire. However, his appearance was completely at odds with it. He had dark skin, a high forehead, a long beard, and a thick, rugged beard that extended to his chin. His eight-foot frame, comparable to that of a bear, instilled fear in those around him, as if they had encountered a ferocious beast on horseback that could take their lives at any moment.

His record was indeed as described. Liu Xian still remembered the scene of this man wielding a seven-foot-long broadsword, slaying fierce Xiongnu warriors on the battlefield, and also his horrifying penchant for cannibalizing human eyeballs in public. The moment Liu Xian saw him, a sense of crisis and vigilance arose in his heart, and goosebumps rose on his skin, but he had no choice but to force a smile and bow, saying:

"Brother Zhang Fang, what are you doing here?"

The visitor was Zhang Fang, the military advisor for the western expedition.

He squinted at Liu Xian, his eyes revealing an undisguised aggression, as if he had encountered a prime prey. He dismounted casually and said to Liu Xian, "I've heard you were going to Xing County in the prefecture. Now that you've arrived in Xin'an, how could I, as your old comrade-in-arms, not come to see you?"

Zhang Fang and Liu Xian were indeed comrades-in-arms, but as for how close they were, that was unnecessary. What Liu Xian truly felt was the respect and importance placed on him by the entire Western Expeditionary Army.

He had tried his best to minimize the impact in order to avoid attracting attention, and had not ventured deep into Hongnong, only considering setting up defenses on the outskirts of Luoyang. Yet Zhang Fang had arrived so quickly! It seemed that they had been watching his every move.

Therefore, Liu Xian laughed and said, "Ha, that really troubles Brother Zhang Fang."

Liu Xian's tone was sarcastic, but Zhang Fang didn't notice it at all. Instead, he casually looked around and asked in an exaggerated and aggressive manner, "Liu Xian, I heard you came here for hunting. What brings you here? Is there some fox here? If so, you can leave it to me. I'm the best at skinning foxes."

This was almost a direct challenge to Liu Xian's intentions, and the expressions of the others present immediately changed, but Liu Xian maintained his original smile and replied:
"Haha, I'm the kind of person who does things on a whim. I originally wanted to hunt, but then I thought about it and decided to enjoy the scenery instead. The scenery here is all historical remnants; it really makes one nostalgic!" Faced with Liu Xian's feigned ignorance, Zhang Fang burst into laughter again. He put his arm around Liu Xian's shoulder and said:
"So it's for remembrance! I thought you were going to build a city here!"

"Repair the city? What's the point of repairing the city?" Liu Xian still didn't give a hint.

Zhang Fang, seemingly without any scruples, said in public, "Of course it's to guard against rebels! Hasn't the Grand Marshal been plotting to seize power and disrupt the government lately? First, he forced his own elder brother to rebel, and then he dismissed the country's most respected officials. Building a city to guard against rebels is only a matter of course."

These words were utterly treasonous. Zhang Fang seemed to have no regard for the dignity of the nation or the current peaceful situation. He stared directly at Liu Xian and said, "But I still have to say something fair. If you think that building one or two cities can suppress the rebels in the world, then you are being far too naive."

"Li Changshi once told me a saying, what was it again? Oh! A country's security does not depend on the natural defenses of mountains and rivers! No matter what kind of city it is, if its ruler does not practice virtuous governance, it cannot be defended!"

At this point, the other followers turned pale. Even Liu Xian hadn't expected Zhang Fang to push things so far. Did this brute really not know the meaning of restraint?
But upon closer examination of the logic in his words, one can't help but laugh: even if the King of Qi is wicked, he is still no match for the King of Hejian. And judging from the tone of his words, is this man trying to openly challenge me, wanting to prove himself superior?
Liu Xian countered, "So, Brother Zhang Fang has a way to break through the city?"

Zhang Fang laughed, and then boasted, "That's right, if someone is a conventional person, they probably won't have any way to defeat their opponent. But I'm different. I know the tactics that can defeat all enemies in the world. Even if you face me, you can't win."

"Oh, then I'll have to ask you. Come on, Brother Zhang Fang, let's talk as we walk."

"Okay!"

"You say you know a battle strategy that can defeat all enemies in the world."

"Yes, people often think that my king employs me because I am from the same hometown as my king, but that is wrong. In fact, my king values ​​this very quality of mine, which is why he treats me like a good dog."

"I really can't imagine that. I thought such a tactic didn't exist in the world."

"Haha, only an ignorant person would think that way. In chaotic times, relying on conventional warfare tactics such as defending cities and fighting in the field is certainly subject to change and victory is not guaranteed. But that doesn't mean there isn't a truly foolproof method to win."

"Appreciate further details."

Zhang Fang, without holding back, proudly proclaimed to Liu Xian, "Since you've fought so many battles, you should understand one thing: war may seem like a struggle for cities, but in reality, it's a victory for the hearts and minds of the people."

"Very few people actually die in the fight. Most people die on the way to escape, or they are so terrified that they lose their testicles and develop a fear of war."

"So the key to victory is not how many people you kill, but how to use enough methods to make your prey fear you."

Liu Xian glanced at Zhang Fang and asked, "That makes sense, but may I ask, Brother Zhang Fang, how exactly should it be done?"

Zhang Fang stroked his beard and pointed to the ground beneath his feet, saying, "It's very simple. If there were a city here, according to normal warfare tactics, I would have to attack the city head-on, otherwise it wouldn't be enough to protect my supply lines, and I wouldn't be able to advance."

"Yes."

“But according to my strategy, there is no need for that. I can abandon the supply route and send men to bypass this city and set fire to the area in Henan, cutting off the city’s retreat route.”

"Oh? Then what about supplies?"

"I can just eat people. I don't need food supplies. I can just capture and eat everyone I see, and that will solve the supply problem."

"..."

"Then I piled the leftover bones in front of the city and told the garrison inside that if they did not surrender, I would eat them too. Brother Liu Xian, do you think they would be afraid to surrender?"

"..." Liu Xian stared at Zhang Fang, maintaining his composure, but his left eyelid twitched.

Faced with Liu Xian's silence, Zhang Fang took it as a sign of appreciation. He laughed proudly, "This is merely one of my insignificant tactics. If I were to attack Luoyang, I would have no fewer than ten ways to breach the city. For example, I could dig a breach on the south bank of the Yellow River. What do you think?"

"For example, when I'm attacking, I gather refugees from the surrounding area and force them to rush into the city with swords and knives, making the city open its gates. Otherwise, I'll kill them all outside the gates. What do you think?"

“There’s another way. I can send a small number of people to infiltrate the surrounding cities, set fire to the markets, and then drive these people into the cities we want to attack, like locusts, to devour all the food in the cities, or force them to rebel. What do you think?”

Seeing that Liu Xian was speechless, he burst into laughter again, patted Liu Xian on the shoulder and said, "I have an inexhaustible supply of such winning methods. Brother Liu Xian, tell me, don't I have mastered a sure-win strategy?"

“I don’t care whether anyone is building a city here, although I, the king, do care. That’s why I came here to talk to you, Liu Xian, about this matter. I hope you will think it over carefully and not abandon your old comrade-in-arms and stand on the wrong side.”

After saying this, Zhang Fang hummed an unknown tune to show his cheerful mood. Meanwhile, Liu Xian, standing to the side, was filled with murderous intent and almost wanted to kill him on the spot.

This person—no, he's no longer human; he's a living, breathing beast in human form! He's the most pathetic and terrifying ferocious beast that Master Chen Shou spoke of, the one that would be bred in the human hell when the end times arrive! He's the very embodiment of horror; how could I let him live!

But the moment his right hand touched the hilt of the sword, Liu Xian felt a sharp pain in his shoulder, instantly reminding him of the severe injury he had sustained to his right hand. Zhang Fang was a master of exceptional strength and courage; two years ago, if he had fought Zhang Fang, the outcome would have been roughly 40/60. But now, none of them, including himself, could match Zhang Fang. Without a pre-planned strategy, they probably wouldn't have been able to kill this ferocious beast.

Thinking of this, Liu Xian had no choice but to suppress his murderous intent and said to Zhang Fang in a normal tone with a smile, "Brother Zhang Fang, your battle tactics are indeed superb. I would like to have dinner with you tonight and learn more from you. What do you say?"

Zhang Fang was quick-witted. He seemed to see through Liu Xian's true intentions and waved his hand, saying, "I have conveyed my king's meaning. Liu Xian, the throne is a sacred vessel for the state, and only the virtuous should possess it. If there is a war in the future, you should think carefully about which side you should stand on!"

After saying that, he immediately ran away without stopping, looking dejected, which was completely inconsistent with his previous arrogance and his outstanding bravery.

But Liu Xian understood that this was a sign of the man's utter shamelessness; he was there specifically to intimidate him. Not only in battle, but also outside of battle, he spread fear; his tactics had become deeply ingrained in his very being.

This was an opponent Liu Xian had never encountered before, one that surpassed his imagination of humankind. He then had a premonition that the fate of destroying the Jin dynasty would likely fall upon this ferocious beast. (End of Chapter)