Jinting Han people

As dawn broke the next day, the thick fog gradually dissipated. The captured civilians awoke shivering in the cold wind, and were surprised to find that the army around the camp seemed somewhat different.

At some point, the soldiers opened the barricades and set up large pots on the riverbank to cook porridge. The golden millet and a little amaranth were cooked together, and even without much salt, the aroma was enough to make one's mouth water.

The starving refugees, terrified by the recent killings by the Westerners, dared not even look when loud noises arose in the thick fog at night. But now, smelling the aroma of porridge, they suddenly remembered that they hadn't had a proper meal in days, subsisting on barely edible dry rations. Now, the pain of hunger overcame their fear of death, and they dared to cautiously approach and take a closer look.

Only at this moment did they clearly see the famous banner bearing the inscription "Peace and Happiness in Eight Characters." These refugees from Luoyang then realized that they were no longer prisoners under the control of Westerners.

The news spread like wildfire, and soon, the mudflats were filled with the sound of weeping, as if a sudden downpour had begun. Perhaps driven by the relief of surviving a catastrophe, or perhaps by shame for the suffering of the past ten days, they accepted the porridge offered by the righteous soldiers while weeping, their tears falling uncontrollably into the porridge, which at least made up for the lack of salt.

Standing atop the city walls of Heyin, Liu Xian gazed upon the scene, his heart filled with sorrow. Over the years, he had witnessed far too much bloodshed; the deaths were not just in the tens of thousands, but in the hundreds of thousands. Even with Liu Xian's sensitive nature and his capacity for self-reflection, he had grown accustomed to death. Especially after dismembering Sun Xiu by five horses, few events could move him. Yet, what he saw today was still unbearable for him.

Even the great chaos in Guanzhong during Qi Wannian's reign, which displaced hundreds of thousands of people, took several years to escalate. Yet now there is a man who can cause such a disaster in just over ten days, which is truly beyond his imagination.

"Zhang Fang..." Although he had successfully achieved his goal, Liu Xian felt no joy of victory. He muttered his opponent's name, trying to figure out the enemy's next move, but his mind was blank.

These hundreds of thousands of hostages should have been Zhang Fang's greatest asset; with them in hand, the Imperial Guards would have been hesitant to act rashly on the battlefield. If Liu Xian were Zhang Fang, he would have undoubtedly strengthened the defenses of Heyin, preventing them from gaining control easily.

However, the result was not as expected; the defenses at Heyin were unusually weak. While Liu Xian's surprise attack certainly played a part, deploying only four thousand men there seemed highly illogical.

Something unusual was amiss, and this unusual calm worried Liu Xian. Therefore, he ordered Li Sheng and others to interrogate the captured Westerners to reconstruct Zhang Fang's possible plans.

After interrogating dozens of people, Li Sheng came to the same conclusion. He quickly reported to Liu Xian, saying, "These prisoners say that Zhang Fang always makes decisions arbitrarily, acting first and reporting later. His subordinates have no idea what he is thinking, not even the Prince of Hejian." The implication was that these prisoners knew nothing about Zhang Fang's arrangements.

This was certainly not the result Liu Xian wanted to hear, and he felt extremely agitated. The information he could deduce at the moment was that Zhang Fang did not value these Shi families and also did not want to engage in a decisive battle with the Imperial Guards.

This is like two swordsmen dueling. Zhang Fang first found a weakness in the court's defense, then attacked where the court was forced to defend. Logically, after the court withdrew its sword to cover, Zhang Fang should have seized the opportunity to launch a series of attacks. However, he deliberately let this opportunity pass, withdrawing his offensive, as if enjoying the duel and intentionally prolonging it. Or perhaps he was simply conserving his strength, preparing for an even more powerful attack.

Faced with such an opponent, what should we do? After reclaiming these more than 100,000 people, the safest way is actually to relocate the people, move all these refugees to Yuzhou, and then fight Zhang Fang. Although it will be extremely costly and may take several years to stabilize the people and allow them to recuperate, it will completely eliminate any worries about the future.

But now, he was no longer the commander of the Imperial Guards, and Sima Yi might not accept his suggestion. Moreover, his most pressing matter was not a decisive battle with Zhang Fang, but rather finding a way to escape the coup in Luoyang.

Amidst the turbulent currents, unrest was brewing within the court, and on the battlefield, Zhang Fang's threat remained difficult to eliminate. All these intertwined troubles were causing Liu Xian considerable distress.

"Grand Commandant, Grand Commandant!" Just as he was pondering, Sima Yue, leaning on a wooden cane, limped over, bowed to Liu Xian, and then smiled and said, "Now that Zhang Fang has retreated and Luoyang has been recovered, the General of Chariots and Cavalry has sent a letter urging us to return to Luoyang. When will we return?"

The night passed, and the Prince of Donghai was still trembling, probably because the chafing from riding his horse had scabbed over again. But the great victory was enough to make him gratified. Therefore, on Sima Yue's face, pain and ecstasy were intertwined. He would sometimes gasp and sometimes grin, forming an extremely conflicted expression that made Liu Xian find it somewhat amusing.

Liu Xian said, "Let the disaster victims finish this meal first. It's thirty li from Heyin to Luoyang. They don't have the strength to walk that far."

“Of course, of course.” The King of the East Sea nodded repeatedly. He quickly surveyed his surroundings, then leaned forward and lowered his voice, saying, “Grand Commandant, do you still remember what we said six days ago?”

He was naturally referring to Liu Xian's involvement in the coup and the overthrow of the King of Changsha. After Liu Xian nodded, Sima Yue continued, "On this return journey, I ask that you bear with this slight grievance and refrain from displaying your banners for publicity. Otherwise, if the General of Chariots and Cavalry discovers something amiss, I will be in a difficult position to explain."

The forces of the King of Donghai, who oppose the King of Changsha, are still lurking in the shadows. This is their greatest advantage, and naturally they want to maintain it at all times. Liu Xian had no intention of showing off, so after thinking about it, he agreed.

Sima Yue added, "After returning to Luoyang, please wait patiently for a while. I will immediately discuss the specifics with the Prince of Pingyuan and the Prince of Yuzhang. Once everything is in order, we can take action!"

"So fast!" Liu Xian was taken aback upon hearing this.

Liu Xian had expected these people to wait until they had defeated Zhang Fang and the external situation was stable before making their move. He hadn't anticipated that they couldn't even wait that long. What if they mishandled the situation and allowed Zhang Fang to gain the upper hand?

"Grand Commandant, there's no time to lose," Sima Yue patiently explained. "The Prince of Yuzhang is far away in Qingzhou. During times of war, it usually takes a month for us to exchange messages. After the discussions, we still need time to contact other members of the imperial clan and prepare manpower. If we really want to take action, we might have to wait until next year." Hearing that it might take another two months, Liu Xian breathed a sigh of relief, but at the same time felt a sense of urgency: Would two months be enough for him to arrange everything?

He certainly had no intention of cooperating with Sima Yue and his group to the end. Leaving aside how much truth the Prince of Donghai spoke, and whether it was credible or not, he ultimately found it difficult to bring himself to harm Sima Yi. Even though he had hardened his heart and considered a coup to overthrow the Prince of Changsha, even reaching a very dangerous point, he ultimately abandoned the idea.

The reason is simple: even disregarding the friendship between the two, just considering principles, he has upheld his integrity to this day. Is he going to be broken like Sima Yi? If he was only after temporary power, he could have done it back in the Northern Expeditionary Army. Why wait until today?
Liu Xian understood this even more deeply after hearing Sima Yue's suggestion. The power of example is boundless, whether good or bad. With Sima Yi setting this precedent, the Sima family will likely never escape this curse of mutual destruction.

Thinking this through, Liu Xian outwardly maintained a polite demeanor towards Sima Yue, but in reality, he was merely using the title of Prince of Donghai as a pretext to seek convenience for himself. He planned to take another approach to secure a posting outside the capital, but that would have to wait until he returned to Luoyang.

After the porridge was distributed and the refugees had regained some strength, Liu Xian and his army spread out and began to escort the refugees back to Luoyang.

The refugees, young and old, embarked on their journey. Looking back at this sorrowful place, they couldn't help but sadly realize that although they had only been there for a very short time, just a few days, who would know what the future generations would think? Tens of thousands of lives were left on the riverbank. If you add the people killed by the Western army during their looting and driving, nearly 30,000 people were lost forever as a result.

Fortunately, it was all over. Even though the dead could not be brought back to life, even though countless wounds remained on their bodies, even though their possessions and stored food had been almost completely looted, everyone had survived. As long as they were alive, everything would get better. With this hope, everyone struggled forward, but some could not withstand the cold wind on their way home and became yet another group of roadside corpses.

Seeing the frozen corpses scattered everywhere on the road, Liu Xian couldn't help but feel a pang of sorrow. He initially wanted to properly collect the bodies, but he worried that Zhang Fang might launch an attack with his army at any moment, which would be a greater loss than gain. After much deliberation, he ultimately decided to prioritize the lives of the living and make further plans after sending them to Luoyang.

The refugees were eager to return home. The journey of over thirty li (approximately 15 kilometers) would take about four hours on foot. But despite the bitter cold, their exhaustion, and the perilous roads, they persevered. They set off from Heyin at noon and arrived in Luoyang by evening of the same day.

Meanwhile, outside Luoyang, the imperial guards, hearing of their families' safe return, surged out in droves. A vast, ant-like mass of people swarmed the city gates, colliding with the oncoming tide of people. They called out each other's important names, their calls echoing endlessly. If they heard a familiar reply, they would immediately erupt in joy, turning to embrace their families. Those who remained, stirred by this, were filled with even greater agitation and fear, trying to call out even louder, searching for their loved ones in the crowd.

This chaotic scene was clearly beyond the court's expectations. What would happen if Zhang Fang retaliated at this moment? Upon learning of this, Sima Yi immediately dispatched Shangguan Si to restore order, but with little success. This was understandable; what did military discipline matter when faced with the longing for family reunion?

In the end, it was the Prince of Donghai who appeared to take charge. After all, it was inconvenient for Liu Xian to show his face; nominally, he was the commander-in-chief who rescued the hostages from Heyin, and all the rescued people of Luoyang owed him a debt of gratitude. Under Sima Yue's earnest persuasion, and with the condition of providing porridge, the disaster victims listened to his advice and gradually dispersed, easing the situation.

Naturally, Liu Xian's Western troops did not participate in this scene. They followed Sima Yue's arrangements and moved their camp south of Luoyang to rest. At dinner, after dealing with the refugee affairs, Sima Yue went to the palace to discuss the next steps. In fact, most of the officials in the court were going to attend; it was just that Liu Xian's office, as the Grand Commandant, was excluded.

Liu Xian, however, thought this was a good thing. This isolation actually gave him freedom, allowing him to act secretly. So that night, he changed his clothes, disguised himself as an ordinary soldier, put on a straw hat with a veil, and quietly went into the city to visit the Prince of Xiangyang's residence.

It was called the Prince of Xiangyang's Mansion, but it was actually the Prince of Chu's Mansion.

Even though it had been a long time since he had come here, Liu Xian still knew the way like the back of his hand. Since most of the officials were in the palace and the rest of the soldiers were busy recognizing their relatives, Luoyang was in a state of chaos, which made it easy for Liu Xian to arrive at the Prince of Xiangyang's residence and hand over his visiting card.

Sima Fan, the Prince of Xiangyang, was still in the palace discussing matters, while the Dowager Consort Qin, formerly the Princess Consort of Chu, was in her residence. Upon hearing of Liu Xian's visit, she hurriedly came to greet him personally, complaining, "Oh, Huai Chong still remembers us!"

Although her words were a complaint, Consort Qin's tone remained friendly. After all, the relationship between Liu Xian and Sima Wei was common knowledge. When Sima Wei was alive, Consort Qin often hosted banquets at the Prince of Chu's residence, and she was naturally acquainted with Liu Xian. After Sima Wei's death, the two families became even more closely connected.

Although Liu Xian rarely visited in recent years, A'Luo would always arrange for him to offer New Year's greetings and gifts at the Chu Prince's residence during the holidays, thus maintaining the relationship between the two families. Furthermore, the collaborative governance between Liu Xian and Sima Yi had elevated the status of the Xiangyang Prince's residence, gradually restoring it to the forefront of the imperial clan. All these reasons led the Dowager Consort Qin to treat Liu Xian as if he were a brother.

Liu Xian took off his bamboo hat, bowed, and said, "Your Highness's words truly make me feel ashamed."

Consort Qin naturally wouldn't really blame him. She welcomed him into the house and asked with concern as they walked, "Has Huai Chong had dinner yet? If not, we can still prepare some. I remember you like tangerines, and we have some in the house!"

Liu Xian shook his head slightly and said, "No need for the Dowager to trouble herself. I am not here to reminisce."

"Oh? Then why did you come?"

Liu Xian sighed, "Your Highness, you don't know this, but the General and I are irreconcilable enemies. I've come here not for any other reason than to beg you and His Highness to save my life!" (End of Chapter)