Jinting Han people

Lu Ji then retreated thirty li north to Huai County to rest. He spent almost half a day pacifying his soldiers, gathering the defeated troops, arranging logistics, and restoring military discipline. It wasn't until evening that he finally managed to settle everything down.

But once he returned to the county government and sat down, he was filled with dejection. He was so distraught that he couldn't eat or sleep. Lu Ji knew very well what this failed ambush meant for him.

Although there are no specific statistics yet on the exact number of soldiers lost by the Northern Army, Lu Ji can estimate the approximate figure based on the number of missing generals and officers. A loss of around 30,000 men is still within the Northern Expeditionary Army Command's capacity to bear, but adding the losses from the previous disastrous defeat at Mangshan, the Northern Expeditionary Army Command under Lu Ji's command has directly lost 100,000 men – an unacceptable number.

When Lu Ji set out on the expedition, he had an army of 220,000, but in less than two months, he lost nearly half of them. Such losses, regardless of the era or the army, would render it essentially ineffective in combat.

But is there any logic to this? He had painstakingly and painstakingly earned the Eastern Expeditionary Army Command as bait, only to have them devour these ten thousand-odd cavalry to boost morale, and yet it resulted in another crushing defeat. Why did this happen? Had he not tried everything? What more could he do to achieve this damned victory?
Lu Ji had no answer, or rather, from the moment Sima Ying broke his promise and sent an envoy to urge a decisive battle, the situation had already spiraled out of his control. Even afterward, he racked his brains to try and salvage the situation, but ultimately it was too late. As the commander-in-chief at the front, without absolute authority, without disciplined military orders, and without the unity of purpose among his subordinates, victory was impossible.

Of course, an outstanding commander should strive to establish authority, enforce discipline, and stabilize morale through warfare. However, this always requires the support of the monarch. Lu Ji's father and grandfather were renowned for their exceptional abilities, but without the trust and empowerment of Sun Quan and Sun Hao, could such success have been replicated? If Sima Yi had not gained the approval of Emperor Ming of Wei and had remained entrenched in Guanzhong, how could he have resisted Zhuge Liang?
From this perspective, Sima Ying, the Prince of Chengdu, was even inferior to Sun Hao, and almost on par with Liu Shan. If Liu Shan had listened to Jiang Wei's advice earlier and strengthened defenses in Hanzhong and Yinping Bridge, how could he have ended up with the downfall of his kingdom?

But the ultimate consequences could only be borne by Lu Ji alone. As a compiler in the Secretariat for many years, Lu Ji understood very well that people would not scrutinize the causes and effects; success or failure ultimately determined everything. If everything ended like this, he would probably be seen in history as someone like Zhao Kuo.

This filled him with resentment. He couldn't understand how his more than forty years of sacrificing his dignity and scheming had led to this outcome. He had been defeated by Liu Xian—how could he tolerate this! How could he possibly accept it! Eighty years ago, his grandfather, Lu Xun, had been appointed commander-in-chief in a time of crisis, facing Liu Bei's tens of thousands of fierce troops in a single battle, annihilating them and becoming renowned throughout the land as a peerless general, even surpassing Zhuge Liang in humility. And now, the reputation of the Lu family of Wu Commandery, passed down for three generations, had been destroyed in his hands in such a way?!
Lu Ji's anguish was almost indescribable; he tossed and turned on his bed. Finally, he let out a low laugh like an owl, a laugh that sounded both self-mockery and a curse. It was all too ironic; he didn't know what he had been doing with his life.

In the darkness, Lu Ji suddenly felt a deep longing for his hometown. Fourteen years ago, in the spring, he left Huating with the belief of reviving his family. At that time, the peach blossoms in front of the pavilion were in full bloom, like a pink spring snowfall. The sun was warm and gentle, as if one had drunk two jugs of green wine. People from all over the village came to see him off. Among them were elderly men like his uncle Lu Xi, children like Lu Kan, and many relatives from neighboring villages.

His cousin Lu Ye knelt before him and asked, "When will you return, Third Brother?"

How did he answer? Lu Ji remembered that he said, "I will not return to the ancestral property, nor will I return to Huating." When he said this, everyone laughed and said, "That will be soon. With your talent, Third Brother, where can't you achieve success and fame?"

So Lu Ye played the zither in front of everyone, performing the piece "Bright Moon Shines in the Night." The music was so moving, it felt like it was just yesterday.

Fourteen years have passed in the blink of an eye; he has not returned to his hometown for five thousand days and nights. Lu Ji suddenly realized that he missed his hometown so much; everything there was still fresh in his memory. He missed the water shield soup from a thousand miles away, the salted fermented black beans yet to be made, the steamed crabs of Kunshan, the water chestnuts of Nanhu Lake in Jiaxing, and the cries of cranes that would echo overhead when he and his brothers went on spring outings as children.

He still remembered the scene when he first heard the cry of the cranes: four or five white cranes spread their wings in the marsh, stood on their high feet, and cried out to the sky. The sound was pure and short, like a question, a plea, or a call. That sound was unforgettable for the young Lu Ji.

But now, he is in a foreign land, a stranger in a strange land, and he may never be able to go back.

Thinking this, Lu Ji's mood gradually calmed down, and he was finally able to fall asleep. Unexpectedly, in his hazy state, he suddenly realized that he had returned to his hometown of Huating, and was in a side room of his family's fortified village. Although he was wearing a round-necked, narrow-sleeved military uniform and had a sword at his waist, and was already an adult, everything around him was still the same as when he was a child.

Then he heard people talking next door. Upon closer listening, he realized it was his father, Lu Kang, and his elder brother, Lu Jing. Because it was through a window, their voices were very faint, like the buzzing of mosquitoes. Even with Lu Ji's keen hearing, he could only hear them intermittently.

The two seemed to be discussing the fate of the Wu Kingdom. The elder brother asked, "Since Shu Han has fallen and the tripartite balance of power has been broken, how long can Wu Kingdom survive?" The father replied, "Don't worry about these things. Everyone dies eventually. Everything in the world experiences rise and fall. Sometimes, we don't need to ask about the outcome, but rather whether we have done our best."

The elder brother asked again, "But the Emperor doesn't seem to trust our family." The father replied, "That's not important. What's most important is having a clear conscience. Everyone has their own destiny, and when destiny arrives, we can only accept it. Rejecting destiny won't change anything; it will only make things worse. But having a clear conscience might be the only way to gain the favor of fate."

Is fate truly unchangeable? This thought flashed through Lu Ji's mind, and in the blink of an eye, he saw his mother, Zhang Wenjun.

He had no memory of his mother, who had passed away when he was four years old. By then, Sun Chen was dead, and Lu Kang brought Zhang Wenjun back to remarry him, but their relationship could not be restored, and their marriage lasted only five years. Therefore, Lu Ji had long forgotten his mother's image.

But upon seeing the gentle woman before him, Lu Ji suddenly remembered that she was his mother, only he had become older than her.

His mother looked at him tenderly and asked, "What do you think of what the adults said?"

Lu Ji shook his head and said, "I don't understand, what should I do?"

"To understand destiny is to understand yourself." His mother stroked Lu Ji's graying hair and said slowly, "Sanlang, only by understanding your true self can you change yourself and then change destiny."

"Know yourself..."

"It's actually very simple. Don't lie to yourself that you don't like the people and things you like. Don't lie to yourself that doing things you hate is a necessary price to pay. If you feel that the world is corrupt, you can just leave. If you make yourself distorted and confused, not only will you not be able to recognize yourself, but others will not be able to recognize you either. Whether you try to save yourself or ask for help, they will naturally be powerless."

As they were talking, the door was suddenly pushed open forcefully, and a warrior in military uniform burst in. Lu Ji looked closely and realized it was Liu Xian. He drew his sword, his eyes wide with anger, and questioned Lu Ji, "Traitor, you betrayed me!" With that, he thrust his sword at Lu Ji, who had no way to dodge and could only raise his hand to block.

But before Liu Xian's sword could strike, everything before Lu Ji's eyes vanished. He cried out and sat bolt upright in bed, realizing he was awake, his back soaked with cold sweat. It was still dark outside, but he couldn't fall back asleep. The scene from his dream remained vivid in his mind. He recalled the dream and was momentarily stunned.

After an unknown amount of time, it was already broad daylight outside. Sima Sunzheng suddenly stumbled in, looking panicked and trembling. He said, "Grand Commander! Something terrible has happened! Last night, all the troops fled under cover of darkness, and all the camps are empty!"

"What!" Lu Ji exclaimed in shock. He immediately asked, "Where did they go? Take me to see them!"

Having said that, he drew his sword and stood up, intending to go and see for himself. At this moment, his son Lu Wei, his confidant Fei Ci, and others rushed into the room. They knew the situation better, so they said to Lu Ji, "Grand Commander, something bad has happened! Last night, Meng Chaochao came! He announced to each unit that there was a military order from the Grand General, ordering the entire army to retreat to Shanyang!"

"Meng Chao, how come he's not dead? And there's the General's order?! How come I didn't know about it?"

Lu Ji was even more astonished upon hearing this. Since the Battle of Mangshan, Meng Chao had not returned after his crushing defeat, and Lu Ji had assumed he had perished in battle. Unexpectedly, not only had he not died on the battlefield, but he had also brought Sima Ying's military order to withdraw the entire army.

But after a few breaths, Lu Ji gradually calmed down, and he had a vague idea of ​​what had happened. Or rather, he had actually been mentally prepared after this battle. Such a crushing defeat meant someone had to take responsibility, and that person could only be himself. He could accept that; he did indeed have undeniable command errors.

He just hadn't expected the accountability process to happen so quickly and so urgently. It seemed that the opposition in Ye City had been sharpening their knives for a long time. Regardless of whether he fought the battle of Xingyang or not, they wanted to kill him based solely on the defeat at Mangshan.

With this in mind, Lu Ji could easily deduce the next step: after the entire army had dispersed, messengers would soon arrive.

Are they going to give themselves a quick death, or do they want to arrest and convict themselves first?

Lu Ji leaned against the doorpost, remaining motionless for a long time. While they were silent, the others gradually realized what was happening: the Prince of Chengdu wasn't using a straightforward method to remove Lu Ji from his military command, but instead secretly bypassing Lu Ji to transfer troops. This wasn't about assigning blame; it was about preventing a rebellion! They probably already intended to kill him.

Regardless, Lu Ji was well-liked among the people of Wu for his usual support of his fellow townsmen, and these scholars from Jiangnan were reluctant to abandon him. Sun Zheng then suggested, "Grand Commander! Since they're going to kill people over there, what are we waiting here for? Let's just leave quickly and go back to Jiangdong! These northerners don't treat us southerners like human beings; we've already reached our breaking point!"

"Now that Shi Bing is wreaking havoc in Jiangdong, the Jin court is powerless to stop him. With your prestige, you can return to the country and rally those old clans of Jiangdong to support the descendant of the Sun family. How can you not restore the country?"

"Restore the kingdom?" Upon hearing this, Lu Ji finally reacted. He raised his lowered eyes, looked at his confidants around him, and slowly shook his head, saying, "I have made so many mistakes in my life, but there is no need to make the same mistake again. The world has been in chaos for nearly a hundred years, and it has only been a long time since we were unified. If we cannot completely eliminate the war, what is the point of dividing the country into separate territories?"

At this point, he gave a bitter laugh and said self-deprecatingly, "Besides, the General has done me a great favor. If he wants to take my life, then so be it!"

To be fair, Sun Zheng's suggestion wasn't without merit. The Jin dynasty had only pacified Jiangdong for twenty years, and many powerful clans of Sun Wu still existed. These included the Zhou clan of Yixing, the He clan of Shanyin, the Ji clan of Moling, the Gu clan of Wujun, and even the Zhang clan of Pengcheng (descendants of Zhang Zhao) and the Lu clan of Linhuai (descendants of Lu Su), all of whom had close ties to his family. Furthermore, given Lu Ji's years of activity in Luoyang, his connections with the southerners, and the Wu people's resentment towards the Jin dynasty's marginalization over the years, their desire to return to Wu and rise up was not entirely unrealistic.

Lu Ji never considered rebelling. He only wanted to revitalize his family's reputation and restore the Lu clan to the ranks of first-rate aristocratic families. If his generation failed, there were successors; as long as the family could continue, there was still a chance for revival. If a rebellion failed, it would likely bring utter destruction to the family, and no one would be spared.

Thinking of this, Lu Ji remained calm and tried his best to soothe everyone's emotions. He turned to his son Lu Wei and the others and said, "Don't worry. No matter what, the General is a kind and benevolent person. Maybe we are overthinking it. In the end, he will just be dismissed from his post."

So everyone returned to their rooms to await the final judgment.

After a while, most of the soldiers from Huai County had left. Lu Ji didn't stop even the soldiers from his own camp, letting them all go. This left him with only about a hundred men.

At this point, the officials of Huai County also realized something was wrong. They guessed that Lu Ji was about to lose power and might bring disaster upon himself. They privately discussed whether they should quickly distance themselves and drive them away. However, the county magistrate admired Lu Ji's poetry and said, "A person who can write such beautiful articles is a deity descended to earth. If we are so rude, we will be punished by heaven in the future." So, in the end, Lu Ji and his party were allowed to stay.

He even personally knocked on Lu Ji's door to deliver food, hoping to take the opportunity to ask for a calligraphy copybook. Unexpectedly, when he arrived, he found Lu Ji asleep on the couch, fully clothed. He then placed the food on the table and quietly withdrew.

A sudden chill startled Lu Ji, who rose quickly to his feet and strode to the window, opening the west-facing pane. Instantly, a flurry of goose-feather snowflakes filled his vision. The overcast sky, seemingly unnoticed, had been blanketed in snow, adorning the earth and everything around it with countless glistening specks. The vast expanse of land and the distant mountains evoked a profound sense of desolation and emptiness. It seemed as if one were but one of these countless snowflakes, destined to vanish in an instant. Yet, even so, each snowflake remained beautiful and irreplaceable.

Lu Ji watched as snowflakes slowly blanketed the earth, gradually accumulating into an undeniable, dazzling white expanse, until dusk fell and the sky turned a dark blue-black, obscuring the outlines of everything. Only the somber yet distinct white of the earth remained.

Lu Ji, who was standing by the window, seemed to be deep in thought until a knock on the door startled him.

"Grand Commander, the envoy from Ye City has arrived," Sun Zheng announced from outside the door. (End of Chapter)