Jinting Han people

In late August of the second year of the Tai'an era, under Liu Xian's scheme, the imperial court executed Li Han, the governor of Henan, and took control of his infantry and cavalry.

This was a glorious victory. With only the lives of a few palace maids, Liu Xian wiped out the inner circle of the King of Hejian in the city and also absorbed his important 20,000 cavalry.

This was undoubtedly a heavy blow to the power of the Prince of Hejian. For the past three years, Sima Yong had been able to maneuver and manipulate events in Luoyang, stirring up unrest in the impoverished Guanzhong region through war, and Li Han, as his chief strategist, had undoubtedly played a crucial role. Now that Li Han was dead, it was as if the Prince of Hejian had lost an arm, and the annexation of 20,000 cavalry was a burden that no other power could bear.

It's not hard to predict that the King of Hejian will not be able to swallow this bitter pill, and his next counterattack will definitely be a crazy and desperate gamble.

Therefore, the first thing Liu Xian did after eliminating Li Han was to set up defenses.

He said to He Pan, “I will try my best to be on good terms with the King of Hejian and persuade him not to take action. Although it is unlikely to succeed, as long as we can buy some time, it will not be a waste of effort. Lord He, you should hurry up and rebuild Hangu Pass on the ruins now. I will try my best to accommodate your manpower and resources in Luoyang.”

Although Zhang Fang had threatened Liu Xian, claiming that no matter how Liu Xian defended, he would find a way to win, the presence or absence of defenses on the battlefield makes a difference. Now that Liu Xian has recaptured Xin'an, he naturally cannot be rendered useless.

He then sent Huangfu Shang to repair Yiyang and strengthen its defenses. As the two major passages from Guanzhong to Henan, if the Western Army could be blocked at these two points, and a stalemate tactic could be adopted, with deep trenches and high walls, avoiding open battle and thus crippling the logistics supply in Guanzhong, the King of Hejian would undoubtedly have no chance of winning.

But this was only the simplest arrangement; the specific details depended on how the King of Hejian reacted. So Liu Xian sent someone to contact Li Ju, asking him to help find out the latest news in Guanzhong.

The most urgent task is to try to incorporate these merged Western Army cavalry into our ranks.

Incorporating troops has always been a troublesome task. When Cao Cao incorporated the Qingzhou army, they caused countless disturbances due to disobedience and desertion during battles. Even decades later, after Cao Cao's death, they continued to disobey the court's orders and disband without authorization. This clearly demonstrates the difficulty of incorporation.

Liu Xian's current problem was even more significant. He couldn't possibly lead this cavalry force into battle against the Western Army. Otherwise, internal strife could easily escalate into a mutiny if incited by the enemy. However, these were rare elite troops of the Western Army, and he couldn't simply keep them on the battlefield and guard them indefinitely. After careful consideration, Liu Xian sent someone to contact Liu Hong of Wancheng to discuss exchanging soldiers in Liang County. In return, he would use these cavalry to exchange for some of the imperial guards and Jingzhou troops that had been previously allocated to Liu Hong.

In this way, Liu Hong could continue to quell the rebellion, and Luoyang could also receive reinforcements, which was a win-win situation.

Only then did Liu Xian return to Luoyang to report his achievements and arrangements to Sima Yi. After resting for about ten days, Sima Yi was finally able to get out of bed. Upon hearing the entire story, his expression turned solemn. Needless to say, he understood that the new court he controlled had reached a critical juncture. If they could overcome the current difficulties, the future would be bright; if they failed, it would be utter ruin.

Since assuming power, Sima Yi had been trying his best to avoid this situation, but reality had not turned out as he wished. He couldn't help but sigh and say, "The country is in such a state of chaos that even we have to fight among ourselves. Is this the will of Heaven?"

His first thought was to gain Sima Ying's support, and he instructed Liu Xian: "Lord, you should immediately write a letter to the General and inform him of this matter. Tell him that I hope he will mediate this matter. If he can step in, perhaps the Prince of Hejian will back down."

Upon hearing this, Liu Xian's expression changed slightly. Only then did he realize that Sima Yi still harbored unrealistic fantasies about Sima Ying.

Although Sima Yi and Sima Ying were brothers, several letters from the Prince of Chengdu over the past six months subtly revealed Sima Ying's dissatisfaction and hostility. The reason for this was actually quite simple: the problem stemmed from the agreement Sima Yi had made with Zheng Yan years ago.

When Sima Yi met with Zheng Yan, he hoped that the Prince of Chengdu would come to Luoyang to assist in governing and stabilize the court. However, Sima Ying had no such intention. He remembered Lu Zhi's analysis that Luoyang was a furnace and could not be controlled by anyone. Therefore, he wanted to emulate Cao Cao's precedent of remotely controlling Xuchang from Ye City, thus wielding power remotely. So the two made an agreement that although the Prince of Changsha, Sima Yi, would assist in governing in Luoyang, he would have to report everything to Ye City and obtain Ye City's permission before he could implement anything.

In reality, this is impossible.

Court affairs also have priorities, and it's impossible to report everything to Ye City immediately. Especially after the chaos in Jingzhou, was it really necessary for the court to receive military reports, first send them to Ye City, wait for Sima Ying to discuss and make a decision before sending them back to Luoyang, and then have Luoyang draft an edict and send it to the front lines? By then, five or six days would have been wasted on the journey, and the military situation at the front would be a different story. Therefore, in handling the Jingzhou war, Sima Yi basically made decisions first and then informed Ye City.

From Sima Ying's perspective, this was undoubtedly a breach of promise and a breach of contract. He repeatedly wrote to Sima Yi criticizing him and urging him not to make rash decisions. However, Sima Yi believed he had done nothing wrong and therefore ignored his advice. When Liu Xian returned to power, he tried to win over Sima Ying by sending a letter, but Sima Ying didn't even reply. Judging from all these signs, Sima Ying's attitude was already shifting; remaining neutral was already quite commendable.

However, Liu Xian couldn't say these things outright. After all, Sima Ying and Sima Yi were brothers, and he was currently in an awkward position. If he were to speak out, he would inevitably be accused of sowing discord among family members and harboring ulterior motives. He could only mutter vaguely, "I'm afraid the Prince of Chengdu is easily swayed and will be misled by the treacherous ministers around him."

Sima Yi, however, was not worried. He said, "Isn't there Chief Secretary Lu here? My sixteenth brother isn't an unreasonable person after all. Your Excellency, please don't worry too much."

Upon hearing this, Liu Xian sighed and said no more, preparing to bow and take his leave. Just before he departed, Sima Yi suddenly stopped him and asked, "Regarding the important matters of the day, does Your Excellency have any advice for me?"

Liu Xian turned to look at Sima Yi, but saw that the man had become thin and pale, his face remarkably similar to Sima Wei's, which filled him with mixed emotions. Liu Xian said, "Your Highness is skilled in both literature and martial arts, so I have not much to say. I only have one piece of advice: the upcoming battle may be extremely arduous, with many unforeseen twists and turns. It will be a test of wills; whoever can grit their teeth and persevere will win. I hope Your Highness can persevere."

Sima Yi considered himself a man of great integrity, and he dismissed Liu Xian's advice with a smile, saying, "Alright! I will definitely show the Lord."

The challenge came quickly.

Upon learning of Li Han's assassination, Sima Yong was indeed enraged. The moment the imperial envoy arrived, he resolutely rejected any attempts at reconciliation, instead arguing, "Li Shirong was my chief secretary; I know his character best! He risked his life to rescue the emperor and accept the secret edict; he is a loyal minister known throughout the land! Now he is going to Luoyang to take up his post to mediate the conflict in Qin Prefecture. How could he assassinate the Prince of Changsha and plot to kidnap the Empress?"

"Liu Xian, Yang Xuanzhi, and Huangfu Shang have distorted the truth, confused right and wrong, and unjustly framed Chief Clerk Li. They must have committed numerous evil deeds in their daily lives and are afraid of being exposed by him, so they have unjustly killed him! As a high-ranking official and a bulwark of the state, how can I sit idly by and watch these treacherous officials hold power?" "Go back and tell the General of the Cavalry to quickly eliminate these treacherous officials, or I will raise an army to avenge the righteous!"

Sima Yong spoke these words with conviction and righteous indignation. He then issued a proclamation, calling on all the vassal kings in the land to raise an army in Luoyang, just as the three kings had done in the past when they attacked Zhao.

When the proclamation reached Luoyang, Sima Yi found it utterly laughable. He laughed at Liu You and the others, saying, "Last year he could still point out the faults of the King of Qi, but this year he can't even fabricate a charge against me. He just says he wants to execute the ministers. And this is how he tries to claim the moral high ground?"

Everyone laughed, agreeing with Sima Yi's assessment. This level of proclamation practically tore down all pretense of decency, amounting to nothing more than an open declaration of rebellion. It seemed that without Li Han's support, Sima Yong had lost his ability to incite public opinion.

However, the strength of the Western Expeditionary Army should not be underestimated. On the day of Bingyin in September, Li Ju sent a message from Hedong, informing Liu Xian of the specific troop deployment for Sima Yong's eastward expedition.

After Li Han's death, Zhang Fang became Sima Yong's most trusted general. Therefore, for this attack on Luoyang, he appointed General Zhenwu Zhang Fang as commander-in-chief. Sima Yong also understood that success or failure depended on this, and there was no time to hesitate. So, apart from the garrison troops that had to be left behind, he mobilized all the troops from Guanzhong and Longxi, gathering more than 70,000 elite soldiers, and placed them all under Zhang Fang's command.

The generals who participated in the eastern expedition were all carefully selected by Sima Yong, ensuring they had no connection with Liu Xian and obeyed Zhang Fang's orders. These individuals were:

General of Valiant Might Diao Mo, Military Advisor of the Western Expedition Xi Wei, Military Advisor of the Western Expedition Lou Bao, Military Advisor of the Western Expedition Zhou Bi, Prefect of Anding Wang Chan, Prefect of Hongnong Lü Lang, General of the Vanguard Ma Zhan, Protector of Anyuan Yu Kui, Prefect of Fufeng Guo Chuan, Commandant of Fengyi Ya Bo, Prefect of Shiping Liang Mai, Magistrate of Chang'an Su Zhong, Secretary Zhu Yong, Cavalry Commandant Zhi Fu, and Commandant of the Army Wei Jun.

Liu Xian was not familiar with these people's names before, but Li Ju warned him that most of them were promoted from the ranks by Sima Yong, and they were by no means good-for-nothings like Sun Xiu who could not fight. He hoped that Liu Xian would take them seriously and not underestimate them.

Most importantly, Sima Yong's determination this time was extremely firm; he had already announced to the army that he would move his capital to Shanxian County in Hongnong to oversee the various armies in battle, showing no sign of returning to Chang'an without victory.

Liu Xian, of course, dared not underestimate him. In fact, after confirming that Zhang Fang had indeed taken command of the Western Army, Liu Xian had already given up any illusions about being able to fight normally. He did not believe that the first line of defense at Xin'an and Yiyang could contain Zhang Fang, so he began to make a backup plan, namely, to suggest to Sima Yi that a scorched-earth strategy be implemented throughout the entire Henan Commandery.

Sima Yi hesitated about this, after all, Henan was densely populated, and the cost of a scorched-earth policy was too great, especially in Luoyang, where hundreds of thousands of people were gathered together. If they were not careful, it would create a large number of refugees. How would they be resettled then? Moreover, with a major battle imminent, the army in Luoyang had to strengthen the city's defenses and maintain the canal transport. Where would they find extra troops for a scorched-earth policy?

Liu Xian understood the situation, but even being a refugee was better than becoming Zhang Fang's supply rations. Therefore, after some hesitation, he abandoned his original plan and instead suggested spreading the word to the gentry of Henan, urging them to leave Luoyang, transfer their property to their estates outside the city, and gather their tenants to build fortified villages. This way, if the Western Army risked crossing the border, the common people could hide in these fortified villages, preventing the Western Army from acting with impunity.

Unfortunately, after the proclamation was posted throughout the city, few in Luoyang responded. The reason for this was that, in the previous civil wars, the army had generally maintained restraint. While they had certainly caused some disturbances to the people, they ultimately regarded Luoyang as a valuable asset, and in their own battles, they had not deliberately harassed or harmed the populace. To ordinary people, the so-called coup was nothing more than a change of rulers on the city walls. As long as the common people didn't deliberately cause trouble and contributed some money and provisions, trouble would stay away from them, so why bother going to the trouble of hiding and fleeing?

Liu Xian was quite helpless about this. After some deliberation, he decided to transfer some people to repair Jingu Garden and transform this abandoned garden into a fortified village. In this way, if something bad were to happen in the future, it could at least accommodate some refugees. This was the limit of his ability.

Just as the imperial court was busy preparing for a full-scale war with the Western Army, the envoy from Ye City finally arrived. The visitor was none other than Zheng Yan, the Right Chief Secretary of the Prince of Chengdu, who had negotiated with Sima Yi before.

Sima Yi was overjoyed upon receiving the news. He had recovered about 50-60% of his strength, and although he was still somewhat weak, he was able to walk and attend to official business normally. He immediately ordered all his staff to gather in front of the General of the Cavalry's residence to welcome Zheng Yan, as a sign of respect for the Prince of Chengdu and the Northern Expeditionary Army.

After welcoming Zheng Yan into the mansion, Sima Yi was very humble. He pulled Zheng Yan to his side and bowed to greet him, saying, "Is the General doing well in Ye City? It's been three years since I last saw him. I miss him terribly!"

Then he pointed westward and said angrily, "Right now, the Prince of Hejian has defied the world and raised an army in rebellion, threatening me. What is his purpose? Nothing more than the power I hold. Ha, do I really care about such power? If the General were willing to enter the court to assist in governing, I would have long since retired from the military and returned to my hometown, no longer concerning myself with politics. Alas, what is there left for me to worry about!"

At this point, Sima Yi grasped Zheng Yan's hand and asked, "However, considering that we are all members of the imperial clan, I still hope that at this crucial juncture, our families will not fight amongst ourselves. Last time I sent a letter hoping that the General would mediate this matter, I wonder if there has been any follow-up?"

He fully expected that Zheng Yan's arrival must be a sign that the Prince of Chengdu valued him. Unexpectedly, Zheng Yan's attitude was not attentive at all. Instead, he subtly withdrew his hand and replied rather stiffly, "Your Highness, when I came from Ye City, the General did not mention this matter. Instead, he gave me other instructions."

"Oh?" Upon hearing this, Sima Yi's smile froze. He slowly suppressed his smile, frowned, and asked, "Then what brings you here, Chief Secretary?"

Zheng Yan glanced at the advisors of the King of Changsha present, then fixed his gaze on Liu Xian, who was at the head of the group, and slowly said, "My king has read the Grand Commandant's memorial and thinks that what the Grand Commandant said is very true. There are treacherous officials in the court, which have aroused the wrath of heaven and the resentment of the people. Therefore, we must handle this carefully in order to appease the people's anger."

"Your Highness, my king's intention is to suggest that you execute the three traitors Liu Xian, Huangfu Shang, and Yang Xuanzhi. Once they are executed, nothing will happen. Otherwise, my king will raise an army in response to the Grand Commandant and march on Luoyang."

After saying this, Zheng Yan rolled up his sleeves, ignoring the expressions of everyone present, and rudely raised his head and closed his eyes, making an arrogant expression as if he were waiting for a reply.

Upon hearing this, the assembled crowd was initially taken aback, then enraged by Zheng Yan's provocation. However, unable to speak, they silently turned their gazes to Sima Yi, seeking to ascertain his intentions.

Sima Yi remained silent, scrutinizing Zheng Yan beside him. His expression was so cold it was as if a blizzard had swept through the room. (End of Chapter)