Jinting Han people

When Li Han led the Western Army to the walls of Luoyang, the first thing that caught his eye was the city's devastation.

The great fire set by Zu Ti left indelible scars on the city walls. The walls and surrounding area were covered in soot and ash, and even though the fire had been extinguished for three days, the smell of gunpowder from that great coup could still be detected.

On the outskirts of Luoyang, soldiers could be seen wielding pickaxes in the hard winter soil, digging pits in the deserted wasteland. Around the pits lay piles of frozen corpses, and more and more bodies could be seen being dragged in from the fields. Clearly, they were still dealing with the bodies of those who had died in the coup, burying them in the pits to prevent the spread of plague.

Upon closer observation, Li Han noticed that almost every ten steps or so, he could see a family dressed in mourning clothes. However, it was deep winter, and there had just been a heavy snowfall, so the roofs of almost every house were covered with snow, making them difficult to see clearly.

But as soon as people heard the heart-wrenching cries of the women inside, they could finally sense that many souls had truly departed this world. Those who died not only disappeared on their own, but also took a part of the living with them.

However, Li Han, the culprit behind all this, felt somewhat annoyed. He hadn't been unaware that his previous strategies would lead to this situation; it was the price he had to pay in the struggle for power and profit. But he truly hadn't expected that the fruit of his victory, which he had cultivated, wouldn't be reaped by him. Instead, within just a few days, it quickly took root, sprouted, and grew into a sapling.

"It's unbelievable that the King of Qi is so incompetent that he can't even deal with the King of Changsha?"

Li Han's original plan was to instigate a conflict between Sima Jiong and Sima Yi, so he could reap the benefits. In his mind, no matter what, Sima Yi was outnumbered and outgunned, while Sima Jiong had a large and powerful army. In the end, Sima Yi would surely fail, and Sima Jiong, burdened with the infamy of killing the emperor's brother, would be unable to gain a foothold in Luoyang and would inevitably lead his army to retreat.

Once they leave Luoyang, the Qi army will be demoralized and have no defensible terrain. Li Han can then lead his troops to pursue them, keeping them in a state of unease and sleepless nights. When they are exhausted, he can launch a surprise attack and finish them off in one fell swoop. If successful, Li Han will undoubtedly be the greatest general since Meng Guan.

But this is the reality. A scenario Li Han had never imagined has unfolded: the King of Qi, leading a group of his loyal troops, has been defeated by the King of Changsha's rabble. The grand cause of overthrowing Qi, which he had painstakingly planned and painstakingly created, has ultimately benefited the King of Changsha.

Is it reasonable that the current political situation in Luoyang is entirely under the control of the Prince of Changsha?
This was unacceptable to Li Han, who needed to secure sufficient benefits for the Prince of Hejian before the political situation was fully stabilized.

Therefore, he deliberately led his troops to the city walls, but instead of going to the palace to pay his respects, he set up camp outside, adopting a posture that made it difficult to distinguish friend from foe. Li Han intended to use this method to put pressure on the King of Changsha in the city and force him to submit.

The army that Li Han brought this time, while not small in number, was not large either, consisting of around 30,000 troops as the vanguard. However, this did not mean that the army's momentum was not formidable.

Because he brought only cavalry.

King Hejian had high expectations for this expedition, so he exhausted his wealth to collect all the horses in Guanzhong and Longyou, and repeatedly sent envoys to the Xianbei tribes in Shuofang and Hexi to purchase them. After half a year, he finally assembled an unprecedented cavalry force and equipped it all to Li Han.

This made Li Han's 30,000 cavalry exceptionally luxurious. Besides their warhorses, each rider had a charioteer and a packhorse, bringing the total number of horses in the army to nearly 100,000. When the knights of the Western Expeditionary Army led their horses to the Luo River to bathe and groom them, the horses of various colors scurried back and forth along the riverbank, a dense and spectacular sight. Even the well-traveled people of Luoyang couldn't help but feel a chill of fear upon witnessing such a scene.

A cavalry force of this size was enough to raze the ruined city of Luoyang to the ground, and Sima Yi could not afford to ignore it.

So at the hour of You (5-7 PM) that day, Sima Yi sent an envoy out of the city to make contact with Li Han.

"Who could it be?" The officers of the Western Expeditionary Army discussed amongst themselves as they waited outside the camp. As was customary, the political landscape would be completely transformed after each coup. They were also curious who could represent the Prince of Changsha in making the negotiations now that he had seized power.

Li Han already had the answer to this question: "Who else could it be but him?"

Just as Li Han had predicted, Liu Xian's appearance before the crowd caused an uproar. As a renowned general from the Western Expeditionary Army, many in the army were familiar with Liu Xian, and they all greeted him warmly. Liu Xian returned the greetings with smiles, showing no signs of awkwardness, and for a moment, the atmosphere was harmonious and joyful.

However, when Liu Xian walked through the crowd and bumped into Li Han, their eyes both sharpened. Both understood that after the night Li Han fled, the rift between them had deepened, making a calm and peaceful negotiation difficult.

However, due to the current situation, neither of them lashed out in public. Instead, they exchanged greetings and clasped their hands in greeting.

Liu Xian laughed and said, "Shi Rong, it's only been a little over a month since we last parted, but seeing you again today feels like we've been apart for years!"

Li Han smiled in response, saying, "Green are your robes, long is my yearning. After such a great calamity, to be able to see an old friend again, how can one not be overjoyed!"

Having said that, the two laughed loudly, and without saying another word to those around them, they walked arm in arm toward Li Han's command tent. To onlookers, the two were clearly sworn brothers, but no one noticed that as they walked side by side, each had one hand on their sword, maintaining a sword-wielding posture at all times.

Once inside the tent, with no one else around, Li Han did not suppress his smile. Instead, he personally brewed tea for Liu Xian, feigning concern as he inquired about the details of the coup.

Liu Xian didn't hide it; he still felt a bit uneasy talking about the coup. Even though they had taken the initiative and gained Wang Yan's support, the process was still extremely dangerous, as the disparity in strength between the two sides was simply too great.

He gave Li Han a meaningful look and said, "The King of Qi is not unpopular. If we are not careful in handling the aftermath, it will cause endless trouble."

But Li Han pretended not to understand and said, "It is most despicable for someone like the Prince of Qi to use his position for personal gain and enrich himself under the guise of assisting in government. As for how to deal with the aftermath, we loyal ministers are here to discuss it properly."

He then changed the subject, praising the King of Hejian: "Since learning of the King of Qi's rebellion, my king has been extremely worried, fearing that he would not be able to rescue the Emperor, so he ordered me to advance immediately. Unexpectedly, it was still too late."

To Liu Xian, this was a joke, but he couldn't laugh. Facing this culprit who had instigated chaos in Luoyang, he dared not harbor the slightest contempt or wishful thinking. Therefore, after quietly observing Li Han for a moment, he couldn't help but sneer:
"It is good that the intention is there. If the world were full of loyal ministers like the Prince of Hejian and Chief Secretary Li, the country would be at peace."

Li Han could tell from this, and his expression immediately changed. However, for the sake of the future, he swallowed his anger and changed the subject, asking, "May I ask, Commandant of the Capital Region, how is His Majesty now?"

Liu Xian shook his head slightly and said, "It's not very good."

"Oh? Could it be that you were frightened on the battlefield?" "Yes, in this battle, His Majesty and the King of Changsha personally supervised the battle. Arrows rained down like rain, and I don't know how many people died in front of His Majesty."

"This is really..." Hearing this, Li Han was secretly delighted. This was exactly the excuse he wanted. He said, "How can this be?!"

"I've heard that there are still many remnants of the Prince of Qi's faction in the city. If they cause further trouble, it might frighten Your Majesty. As your subject, how can I not try to ease Your Majesty's worries?"

"I have 30,000 elite vanguard troops, which is just right..."

Before Li Han could finish speaking, Liu Xian pulled out a blue paper edict from his sleeve and interrupted him, saying:

"General Yi Zhongzheng, the righteous protector of the country, has righteously quelled the rebellion and is a trusted confidant of mine. Now that the chaos has just been quelled, the capital region is in dire need of help. In this extraordinary time, we cannot afford to be complacent. Except for those troops who have helped quell the rebellion, none of the troops in the capital region are allowed to enter the city. All matters of state, large and small, shall be left to General Yi Zhongzheng to decide."

After reading it aloud, he swallowed Li Han's words, making his face even more unpleasant.

With the original plan scrapped, Li Han naturally had to devise a new one. On the way into the city, he pondered how to gain an advantage in the negotiations. He was indeed quick-witted, recognizing that although Sima Yi had won, his loyal followers were ultimately insufficient. Therefore, he planned to use the pretext of protecting the emperor to seize control of part of the city's defenses, and then contact the officials within Luoyang to increase his bargaining power in the power-sharing process.

In his mind, this was at least a win-win option for Sima Yi. After all, there were indeed tens of thousands of remnants of the Qi King's faction in Luoyang that were difficult to deal with. With the help of the Western Expeditionary Army, it might boost the momentum of the Western Army in the long run, but it could certainly stabilize the situation in the short term. Unexpectedly, Liu Xian had prepared an edict in advance, and before he could even speak, he issued an order that, except for the army of the King of Changsha, all other troops were not allowed to enter the city.

This undoubtedly demonstrates an attitude: the new court is more wary of the Western Army than the Qi Army.

After retracting the imperial edict, Liu Xian said, "Shi Rong, His Majesty's order is here, please forgive me for being unable to disobey it."

"Huai Chong, you are too kind." Li Han composed himself, clasped his hands in a fist and replied, "It is the duty of us subjects to obey the imperial edict. I will comply."

He then left the camp, waved to his generals behind him, whispered a few instructions, and returned to his tent after his men had all left. The tea had just been brewed, but Li Han did not pour any for himself. Instead, he poured himself a bowl and looked at Liu Xian, saying meaningfully, "I have something to say from the bottom of my heart, but I don't know if I should say it."

"Please speak freely, Shi Rong," Liu Xian said with a smile.

Li Han said leisurely, "Lu Shiheng's 'Theory of Five Ranks' is well written. The imperial cause is of utmost importance, and the world is vast. The vastness cannot be controlled by one side, and the weight cannot be borne by one person alone."

"The matter of assisting in governance involves the safety of the entire realm and is no easy task. It is probably beyond the capacity of one person to bear. With King Qi Yin serving as a cautionary tale, I hope that the King of Changsha will not repeat the same mistake!"

The implication was that since he could bring down Sima Jiong through public opinion, he could certainly bring down Sima Yi as well. Moreover, he had these 30,000 cavalrymen.

Hearing this, Liu Xian couldn't help but smile. Li Han was indeed still the same Li Han; whenever he was unhappy, he could never hide his sharpness. Even after clearly losing sight of righteousness, he still dared to make threats.

Liu Xian replied in a calm tone, "Shi Rong's words are indeed profound truths. I have learned a lot."

"However, please rest assured, General of the Cavalry has already made plans. He has no intention of governing alone and attaches great importance to the opinions of His Highness the Prince of Hejian."

"Hmm?" This surprised Li Han. He asked, "May I ask what the General of Chariots and Cavalry's plans are?"

"Didn't His Highness the Prince of Hejian submit a memorial to the Emperor, proposing that the Prince of Chengdu be invited to the capital to assist in governing? The General of Chariots and Cavalry has already sent someone to invite the Prince of Chengdu to uphold justice."

This blow struck right at Li Han's vital point, making his face extremely ugly, yet he was speechless.

When he wrote this memorial, in order to demonstrate the righteousness and legitimacy of Sima Yong, the Prince of Hejian, he raised the banner of Sima Yi and Sima Ying, claiming in the memorial that the actions of the Western Army were all because Sima Jiong was unworthy of the position, and only Sima Ying, the Prince of Chengdu, was qualified to serve as regent.

However, Li Han only wrote it casually, not expecting that after his victory, Sima Yi would actually cede the spoils of victory to Sima Ying. Thus, Li Han's coercion plan failed. While Sima Yi's forces alone were indeed no match for the Western Expeditionary Army, with Sima Ying joining the fray, Li Han's coercion would push Sima Ying to his side. This would cause the Western Army to completely lose its moral high ground and give the Prince of Chengdu an opportunity to annex the former forces of the Prince of Qi.

Under such circumstances, Li Han had no choice but to temporarily concede defeat.

The Western Army halted at the gates of Luoyang for four days before finally receiving an envoy from Sima Ying. This envoy was none other than Zheng Yan, the Right Chief Secretary of the Prince of Chengdu. Unlike the strict precautions taken against Li Han, Zheng Yan was personally received by Sima Yi upon entering Luoyang. Sima Yi welcomed him to the residence of the General of Chariots and Cavalry, where they discussed matters of great importance concerning the future of the court for two hours.

Ultimately, Sima Yi persuaded Zheng Yan, and an agreement was reached: Sima Ying decided not to enter Luoyang for the time being, acknowledged Sima Yi's great achievement in conquering Qi on his own, and supported Sima Yi's appointment as regent. However, in exchange, from then on, all edicts to be issued by the court and all personnel changes in the empire had to be submitted to Ye City for review by Sima Ying before they could be implemented.

Neither side commented on Sima Yong, who had advocated for a campaign against Qi. After the matter was settled, Zheng Yan went to Li Han's camp, informed him of the negotiation results, and ordered him to withdraw his troops.

Li Han had initially held onto a sliver of hope that if the King of Chengdu and the King of Changsha failed to reach an agreement, he could still take advantage of the situation. However, reality proved harsh. He had the resources to provoke the King of Changsha, but he was powerless to confront the alliance between Luoyang and Yecheng. He could only rationally accept his fruitless situation and retreat to Guanzhong in dejection.

A major battle was thus averted without a trace, and the first year of the Tai'an era came to a peaceful end.

With the arrival of the second year of Tai'an (303 AD), will peace come in the new year?
Most people dared not entertain such thoughts, for this year was the year of Guihai, and the following year would be the year of Jiazi, a year rumored to bring a great calamity. (End of Chapter)