Jinting Han people

Chapter 419 The Death of Li Han
Although the process was somewhat bumpy, Liu Xian still managed to save the Empress and eliminate Bian Cui.

The joy of victory lingered for only a moment in Liu Xian's heart. When he stood before Bian Cui's corpse, all he felt was a receding tide of emptiness. The dead man before him was a grateful man, yet he had to kill him. He cursed him as if he were a traitor, but who could truly discern the truth of the matter?
Regardless, Bian Cui chose his own path and persevered until his death. His life, at least, was without regret and without much inner turmoil. To live to that level is at least a testament to his upright character. But those who survive still have to find ways to continue living amidst intrigue and scheming.

In order to eliminate the threat, Liu Xian needs to press his advantage and take advantage of the situation to get rid of Li Han.

After the Empress finished venting her emotions, she lay in Yang Xuanzhi's arms and sobbed softly. Liu Xian whispered to Yang Xuanzhi, "Lord Yang, I have something to say to you."

Yang Xuanzhi was a weak-willed man and originally did not want to get involved in this incident. However, after hearing that his daughter might be in danger, he hesitated for a long time before finally accompanying Liu Xian. After the recent twists and turns, Yang Xuanzhi harbored considerable resentment towards Liu Xian, but he could not express it. So, he helped his daughter to her feet and said with a stern face, "What are your orders, Lord Liu?"

Liu Xian said, "Lord Yang, although Bian Cui is dead, Li Han is still alive. We have a rare opportunity now, and we should take advantage of it to perhaps get rid of him."

Upon hearing this, Yang Xuanzhi was slightly puzzled. He asked, "Opportunity? What opportunity?"

But when Yang Xuanzhi saw Liu Xian's gaze fall on Yang Xianrong, his heart tightened, and he immediately realized that Liu Xian planned to disguise himself as Feng Sun and Bian Cui and his group, and go to Li Han's army under the pretext of kidnapping the empress, so as to take the opportunity to assassinate Li Han.

He immediately refused, saying, "No! Absolutely not! What if something goes wrong? Wouldn't that be like walking into a trap? We absolutely cannot take that risk!"

Liu Xian patiently advised, "Lord Yang, I wouldn't take this risk if I didn't have an 80% chance of winning. As long as the plan is meticulous, His Highness will be fine."

Liu Xian had already thought it through clearly. Although Bian Cui was dead, Feng Sun was still alive. His men from the Songzi Camp could replace Bian Cui's men, then kidnap Feng Sun and force him to contact Li Han. Li Han would not suspect anything. When Li Han welcomed the Empress and met with Feng Sun, Liu Xian would ambush an assassin in the crowd, launch a sudden attack, and kill him in one fell swoop. After the assassination, he would then use the Empress's name to order her subordinates to surrender, thus making the 20,000-strong army surrender without a fight.

The only variable was whether Feng Sun would cooperate. But until Bian Cui was killed, Feng Sun remained expressionless and dared not make the slightest move, which gave Liu Xian a sense of certainty. Since Feng Sun was afraid of death, things were much easier. As long as someone could keep an eye on him and threaten him with their life at all times, Liu Xian was confident that Feng Sun would comply.

Even if Li Han doesn't fall for the trap, Liu Xian is confident that he can have the few hundred soldiers of the Songzi Camp protect the Empress. At that time, he will lead his army forward to attack. Li Han is in turmoil and unable to resist. At the very least, it will be a great victory.

However, every plan is subject to unexpected events and variables, so Liu Xian was a bit conservative and only told Yang Xuanzhi that he had an 80% chance of winning.

After Liu Xian told Yang Xuan about the plan, Yang Xuan hesitated. But after looking at his daughter, he couldn't bring himself to do it. No matter how eager he was to achieve quick success, he still found it difficult to play the bad guy in front of his daughter. When he sent his daughter off to her marriage, he simply avoided Yang Xianrong for ten days straight, not saying a word to her. And the decision to agree to marry his daughter off was actually made by her father, Yang Jin, and he dared not object.

Now, after much deliberation, he politely declined, saying, "It's better not to. Acha is still too young to witness such a scene."

"Master Yang, this is an excellent opportunity. Once you miss it, it will be hard to come by again."

Liu Xian was about to persuade her again, but as the two were discussing, no one noticed that the Empress had already wiped away her tears and was listening from the side. Suddenly, she said, "My lord, I can go."

Upon hearing this, both of them were taken aback. Yang Xuanzhi looked at his daughter as if he were seeing her for the first time, and said, "Acha, this..."

“This is my destiny,” Yang Xianrong said quietly. “Whether as a daughter of the Yang family or as the current Empress, I must go.”

As he spoke, Liu Xian looked at her again and found that the Empress's eyes were calm as amber, neither angry nor happy. The moonlight shone on her snow-white skin, making it appear as transparent as crystal. He couldn't help but feel a slight stirring in his heart, thinking: In the past six months, the Empress has matured to the point of being unrecognizable.

Meanwhile, dozens of miles away in Xin'an, Li Han was still working late into the night reviewing military affairs.

As the government troops advanced towards Henan County, the distance between the vanguard of the two armies was less than fifteen li. Standing atop Phoenix Mountain near the ruins of Hangu Pass, one could see the government army's main camp to the east. With the possibility of battle looming, and knowing that Liu Xian might be on the other side, Li Han dared not be complacent. Therefore, even at night, he frequently checked the sentries, both visible and hidden, around the camp to ensure its security.

After making his rounds, Li Han returned to his command tent and continued to review the military intelligence sent that day. His brother-in-law, Yang Kuan, who had accompanied him, sat to the side, rubbing his aching ankles and complaining, "Brother, why do you have to work so hard every day? The roads here are difficult to walk on; I've worn out two pairs of shoes."

Li Han glanced at him and instructed, "The Prime Minister of Shu Han, Zhuge Liang, believed that there are seven prohibitions in the army. The first one is lightness, and the second one is slowness. Do you know why? Because fighting a war is not like writing poetry or painting. If you make a mistake, you will be doomed. Don't just look at the dashing scenes on the battlefield. For a battle to be fought smoothly, it is inseparable from the commander-in-chief's careful planning."

“Now we are facing not mediocre people, but geniuses like Liu Xian. How can we not be careful in everything we do? If you are not careful in your defenses and leave a loophole, he will definitely seize the opportunity to attack and destroy our camp.”

"Crush the camp..." Yang Kuan thought for a moment, then asked with a smile, "Brother, why wait for him to crush the camp? Our army has many cavalry, why not catch him off guard first?"

Li Han chuckled upon hearing this. He picked up a bowl of tea, took a sip, and then said, "There aren't many people I respect, but Liu Xian is one of them. If he were to make such a foolish mistake, how could I possibly respect him?"

"I think he didn't come here to fight, but he will never give us this opportunity."

"Oh? What are you here for?" Yang Kuan asked.

“He’s just here to block the way out of the pass and prevent me from entering Luoyang.” Li Han waved the military intelligence in his hand and said with emotion, “This is the message he sent me today, claiming that the rebels in Jingzhou can no longer hold out. Tao Kan won a great victory in Jingling, and the rebel leader Li Chen abandoned his army and fled south to Changsha by boat.”

Li Han paused for a moment, then analyzed, "He's hinting at me! This military intelligence report means that if we win this battle, the troops in the northern prefectures of Jingzhou will be free. If I fight him, he can still transfer troops from Jingzhou. Therefore, he hopes that I will back down and return to Chang'an."

Upon hearing this news, Yang Kuan was startled. He quickly sat up straight and asked, "Brother, do we still have a chance of winning this battle? I remember the government troops from Jingbei can send at least 30,000 men." Li Han shrugged, pressed the letter back down, and chuckled, "Ha! I never intended to fight him anyway. A true sage doesn't pin his hopes on weapons! If he intends to fight me to the death, that's fine, but if he drags it out, I have other ways!"

"Luoyang's defenses are currently weak. The longer this drags on, the more unsettled the people of Luoyang will become, giving Feng Sun and his men a great opportunity. If trouble breaks out in Luoyang, I don't believe Liu Xian can maintain order!"

Thinking of this, he instructed Yang Kuan: "Write a letter for me tonight, write a letter to Feng Sun, and tell him to wait in Luoyang a little longer. I will find an opportunity for him. It will not be too late for him to make his move when a good opportunity arises."

After Yang Kuan left to receive his orders, Li Han got busy again. He spread out a sheet of paper on the table, lightly dipped his brush in ink, pondered for a moment, and then began to write.

This is a letter to Sima Ying, the Prince of Chengdu.

In the letter, Li Han directly discussed the war in Jingzhou, with the sole purpose of sowing discord:
He began by mentioning Zhao Xiang's previous defeat and serious injuries. He casually remarked that Zhao Xiang was renowned as a fierce general, so why was he defeated by a motley crew? Liu Hong was supposed to be the main force in suppressing the rebellion, so why was Zhao Xiang sent into battle first? Had there been any discord between the two armies? If so, it should have been resolved as soon as possible.

He then focused on Sima Yi's imperial edict to Xiangyang, ordering Sima Xin to defend the city. Li Han analyzed that, logically, when facing rebels, one should concentrate superior forces to quell the rebellion as soon as possible. Why then did the King of Changsha order the King of Xinye not to leave the city to engage in battle? Was it because the King of Xinye was a remnant of the King of Qi, and the King of Changsha therefore harbored hostility towards him, deliberately allowing the rebels to grow stronger?

Finally, he mentioned Tao Kan's great victory in Jingzhou, ostensibly congratulating Sima Ying. He claimed that with this victory, Liu Hong would be able to establish a firm foothold in Jingzhou, and soon the court would regain control of the region. Then, Liu Hong could sail down the river and pacify Shi Bing in Yangzhou, and the world would return to peace. However, Li Han's true intention was to imply to Sima Ying that Sima Yi would seize Jingzhou and Yangzhou, no longer subject to Sima Ying's checks and balances.

After writing the letter, Li Han summoned a messenger and instructed him to deliver it to Ye City, along with a lacquered box. Inside the box were several pieces of fine Lantian jade, a gift specifically for Meng Jiu, a favorite minister of Sima Ying.

Li Han believed that with this letter, the King of Chengdu would inevitably suspect the King of Changsha and then send troops to attack him. At that point, the possibility of Feng Sun starting a rebellion in Luoyang would increase even further. This was a true open conspiracy, and no matter how capable Liu Xian was, he could not resist the lust for power.

Power, lust… In his youth, Li Han cared little for power; he only valued his talent, wanting to compete with the world's brightest minds, to live a life of pleasure and freedom. But after being suppressed by the Huangfu brothers, he finally realized that talent without power is worthless, and power is the only true treasure in the world. Because human beings are born to endure suffering, and power is an unparalleled elixir, capable of transferring the suffering of the powerful to the powerless.

That's the truth. There are endless disputes in the world, but gains and losses can be summed up in one sentence: the struggle for power and profit.

Power comes first, profit follows; no matter how beautifully and sweetly the reasons are embellished, reality is barren and ugly. Emperor Xuan of Jin's victory has eloquently proven that the victor is blameless. Therefore, to gain more victory and power, people must resort to any means necessary. And to seize this supreme power, one must naturally abandon all propriety, righteousness, and shame; Li Han had already made up his mind when he was employed by the Prince of Hejian.

After finishing his work, Li Han was exhausted. He tidied himself up a bit, blew out the lamp, took off his clothes, and went to bed, preparing to close his eyes and rest. Unexpectedly, Yang Kuan rushed back, holding a letter, and said, "Brother, it's news from Feng Sun! Great news!"

"The palace is poorly defended, and Feng Sun has taken the opportunity to kidnap the Empress. He's on his way here! He sent someone to tell us to send troops to meet him!"

"What?" Upon hearing the news, Li Han was startled and immediately sat bolt upright in bed. He grabbed the letter, lit a lamp, and examined it closely by the firelight. After reading it twice, he laughed three times, then clapped his hands and exclaimed, "Excellent! Excellent! Liu Xian made a fatal oversight and failed to protect the Empress! Feng Sun handled this matter brilliantly!"

Not wanting to delay, he immediately ordered a hundred of the army's most elite cavalrymen to be selected to meet Feng Sun on the road. He himself was so excited that he couldn't sleep, so he simply waited at the camp gate.

In his moment of triumph, he even began to fantasize about how he would humiliate the Huangfu brothers once he entered Luoyang.

Ever since being suppressed by the Huangfu brothers, he had long harbored this plan: since Huangfu Shang resented him for disrespecting him, he would peel off Huangfu Shang's skin. Huangfu Zhong liked to curry favor; he would break Huangfu Zhong's fingers and toes one by one. If happiness was destined to be built on the suffering of others, then Li Han wished he could inflict a hundred times more pain on his enemies…

He waited from night until dawn, until the sun rose and the land was bathed in light, when finally some figures appeared in the southern mountains. After a while, as the distance closed, the figures became clearer. Having been to Luoyang several times, he could easily spot Feng Sun among them, and behind him, the haggard-looking Empress.

Upon seeing this, Li Han immediately ordered the entire army to assemble at the camp gate to welcome the Empress.

When the Empress was about thirty paces away, he, as the leader, led the crowd in bowing and saying, "Your subject pays respects to Your Highness!"

"You are the Governor of Henan?" The Empress asked, sitting on her horse, her voice sounding somewhat tired. "Could you come forward a few steps, Minister Li? I have something to say to you."

Li Han, unsuspecting, stood up and took about ten steps forward, reaching the middle of Feng Sun's group. Just as he was about to exchange a few pleasantries with the Empress, he suddenly heard a crisp sound of a sword being drawn. Turning around, he saw a middle-aged man standing there with a sword drawn, aggressively approaching him. He knew he was in trouble and immediately tried to retreat, but before he could react, someone beside him suddenly grabbed his arm and whispered, "Don't go!"

Li Han tried to draw his sword to defend himself, but in his haste, before he could even draw his sword, Gongsun Gong's blade was already hurtling towards him. Li Han instinctively used his left hand to block, but in the blink of an eye, his left hand was severed.

Wounded and in agony, Li Han knew he could not escape death and repeatedly shouted, "Guards! Kill these people!" But after shouting two or three times, no one responded. Gongsun Gong stepped forward, stomped on his cheek, and slashed him several times with his knife, beheading him and holding the bloody head in his hand.

Yang Xuanzhi, who was by his daughter's side, was stunned by the bloody scene. Only after the Empress called out to him did he come to his senses. He quickly pulled out the edict that Liu Xian had prepared beforehand and read it aloud to the equally bewildered Western Army officers before him:
"The evidence against Li Han, the Prefect of Henan, for assassinating the General of the Cavalry, taking the Empress hostage, and inciting internal strife is irrefutable. Therefore, I am acting on a secret imperial decree to arrest Li Han for treason! The crime is limited to one person; the others will not be investigated!"

He then put down the imperial edict. Despite the turmoil in his heart, he tried his best to maintain a calm expression and said as Liu Xian had instructed, "We are all government troops, why must we kill each other? Lay down your weapons, and the court will take good care of you."

The Western Army officers looked at each other, unsure of what to do, yet they dared not disobey the Empress's decree, and a stalemate ensued.

But soon after, news arrived from the rear that Liu Xian's army was pressing in. They finally lost the will to resist and formally surrendered to the imperial court.

(End of this chapter)