Jinting Han people

On a day in June, when news of Liu Xian burning the grain transport boats at Tongguan reached Hedong, the people of Hedong realized that it was time to leave their hometown.

For most people in Hedong, the past six months had been a rollercoaster of emotions, filled with both joy and sorrow. They first heard of Liu Xian's death, mistakenly believing the court was doomed and Hedong would fall prey to the ravages of the Prince of Hejian and Zhang Fang. But when the fighting actually broke out, Liu Xian miraculously appeared in Hedong, frightening the enemy army away without firing a single shot. Just when everyone was overjoyed, thinking their homes were safe, Liu Xian then proposed leading the people to migrate to Bashu (Sichuan).

This inevitably makes them feel lost about the future, because it is a very long road, and many people have never left the county town in their entire lives, let alone abandon their families who have worked hard for decades, travel across prefectures and counties, and cross the Qinling Mountains.

Therefore, when the first group of people arrived at Longmen Ferry, many of them couldn't help but sob. They carried the old and helped the young, in groups, carrying large and small bags, leading oxen and horses, and couldn't help but look back with tears in their eyes.

Xi Jian was an easily moved man. Although he had been appointed by Liu Xian to be in charge of maintaining order and safety among the immigrants, he couldn't help but shed tears upon seeing this scene. He said to Liu Kun, who was in charge of the entire resettlement, "Alas, this is probably what it means to have a broken country and a tragic loss of people. I really don't want to see people with such sorrowful and chaotic expressions!"

Looking at the vast crowd in the distance, Liu Kun was deeply moved. However, he understood the matter of the relocation very well and would not shed tears like Xi Jian. Instead, he comforted him, saying, "Daohui, don't be sad. This is not something to cry about, but something to be happy about."

"These are chaotic times. In chaotic times, everyone will be affected, some more and some less. Fools will stand still and wait to die, while wise people will lead their people to safety before disaster strikes. Although we will be on a very difficult journey and have to give up a lot, there is no doubt that we are saving lives."

"Living inevitably comes at a great cost, but it also means being able to start anew. To look on the bright side, we are now on a path toward a peaceful and prosperous world. We have only chosen the destination, and no matter which path we take or which destination we reach, we will encounter storms and thunder."

This wasn't just Liu Kun's own idea; it was a unified strategy within the Anle Duke's Mansion to persuade the people of Hedong to leave. The Anle Duke's Mansion had already promised that upon arriving in Bashu, Liu Xian would distribute land to every household accompanying him and provide them with all the food and drink they needed for the migration. Furthermore, for the first three years after settling down, they would only need to pay half the rent and be exempt from corvée labor.

It was under these conditions that the Anle Duke's Mansion successfully mobilized the vast majority of the people in Hedong. Of the 200,000 Shu Han refugees, nearly 180,000 were willing to go. Adding the refugees from Xiayang and other Hedong immigrants, the total number of immigrants reached more than 230,000, far exceeding the Duke's Mansion's original estimate.

This illustrates one fact: although everyone felt reluctant to leave their homeland, they still believed in the Duke of Anle's mansion and the future promised by Liu Xian.

The entire Anle Mansion is also trying to respond to this future, minimizing the hardships immigrants face on their journey, and making these efforts visible to the naked eye.

For example, when the migrants arrived at Longmen Ferry with a sense of despair, they were surprised to find that in addition to the surging river, there were two long, serpentine bridges spanning the river from east to west, with more than two hundred grain transport boats moored beside the pontoon bridges, constantly rising and falling with the waves.

This was something they had never seen before, and it was also a carefully arranged arrangement by the Duke of Anle's mansion.

Knowing that crossing the river by boat was too slow, Liu Xian specifically ordered Lu Yun to build two new pontoon bridges, each a hundred feet long, at the Longmen ferry crossing, modeled after the Mengjin River Bridge, to speed up the migration of the immigrants. At the same time, to minimize the burden on the immigrants, he planned to use water transport to deliver supplies, sending grain and fodder in advance to places along the route such as Huangqiu and Fuping, using these locations as transit points to replenish the people's food supplies.

Right now, on the other side of the pontoon bridge, Fu Chang had already ordered his men to set up over a hundred large cauldrons on the shore for cooking. Some were simmering golden millet rice, others were steaming plump flatbreads, and on the ground was simmering Xia Yang's famous pickled vegetable and tofu soup, all emitting an enticingly sweet aroma. Officials were spreading the word on both sides of the pontoon bridge:
"Fellow villagers, you've had a long and tiring journey. Have a good meal before you continue your journey!"

All of this was to wash away the sorrow of the immigrants. Under Fu Chang's arrangement, the immigrants could eat and drink to their heart's content until they were full before leaving. This was indeed an effective approach; in those days, nothing brought more happiness and satisfaction than a full meal. And after eating their fill, people were full of energy, which naturally gave them confidence in the future.

Liu Kun observed the change in atmosphere for half an hour and was naturally very satisfied. He said to Xi Jian, "Daohui, how are you? Are you still feeling discouraged?"

Xi Jian murmured as if in a dream, "Such a big thing, I just can't quite believe it..."

"Haha, Daohui, let me teach you a few principles for doing great things."

"What do you mean?"

"Don't hesitate, don't look back, don't slack off." After giving a few instructions, Liu Kun said with a hint of self-deprecation, "Don't think I'm being long-winded. Now everything is planned. The most important thing to succeed is the confidence to carry it out. You have to protect the people, so you have to do that. What the people need is someone who can lead them, not someone who just sympathizes with them and sheds tears for them."

"Thank you for your help; I will keep it in mind," Xi Jian solemnly bowed and agreed.

"Okay, then I'll leave things here to you. I have other things to attend to, so I won't stay here any longer."

After saying this, Liu Kun spurred his horse across the pontoon bridge and went to Xiayang City to find Xi An, the magistrate of Xiayang.

Now that the migration had begun, Xia Yang, as the starting point of the entire journey, was in a flurry of activity. Besides providing food and lodging for the passing migrants from Hedong, Xia Yang itself also had to begin its own long journey, joining the first wave of departing migrants. Unlike other cities, Xia Yang had, through years of development, possessed a relatively large market and trade center. Moving people away wasn't difficult, but many supplies couldn't be transported.

Therefore, on the day the first group of immigrants left, Xi An wanted to sell the things he couldn't take with him for a good price.

Needless to say, the buyer was none other than the Tuoba Xianbei. However, when Liu Kun arrived, Xi An's negotiations with the Tuoba Xianbei were not going smoothly. The Tuoba Xianbei's envoy was none other than Baba Che. This man, with a full beard and claiming to be a cousin of the Tuoba family, had known Liu Xian and Xi An since Tuoba Yilu's initial pacification of Shuofang. At that time, however, he did not understand Chinese and needed Sinicized non-Han people like Lü Quyang to act as translators before he could communicate with Liu Xian and the other Han people. Now, after nearly ten years of border trade, his Chinese had improved considerably. Although he still did not speak fluently, he could at least understand everything.

Having lived in Xiayang for a long time, Baba Che was aware of the recent changes in the situation in Guanzhong and knew that Liu Xian's current situation was extremely unfavorable. Therefore, when he learned that Xi An was preparing to relocate a large number of people and sell off the goods that could not be taken from the city, he was initially taken aback. However, he then realized that this was a rare business opportunity and was unwilling to trade at the usual market price. Instead, he wanted to take advantage of the situation to make a profit.

Xi An was naturally unwilling, because the Xianbei people primarily traded cattle, sheep, and horses. These were the most urgently needed supplies for the people of Hedong at the moment; an extra horse would make their long migration much smoother. On this issue, Xi An was absolutely unwilling to compromise.

Therefore, he said, "Brother Dad, we've been friends for almost ten years, and we've always gotten along well. Why make things unpleasant today?"

Baba Che was unwilling to give up. He muttered, "Brother Xi, your current situation is like that of foxes fleeing from a tiger. It's not easy for you to take care of yourselves. Why are you still greedy for other things? If we are gone, all of you will probably just rot in the ground!"

The two argued fiercely, neither willing to back down. By the time Liu Kun arrived, the negotiations had made almost no progress, to the point that Baba Che was losing patience and showing signs of wanting to leave.

However, when Liu Kun came in, Baba Che's expression immediately changed.

Because Liu Kun was wearing a white, round-necked, narrow-sleeved military uniform that day, with a gold-studded belt around his waist. He was eight feet tall and had a dignified appearance, looking extraordinary. When Baba Che saw him, he couldn't help but whisper to his attendant, "China actually has such a handsome and talented person!" Then he sat down again and asked about the relationship between Liu Kun and Liu Xian.

Liu Kun knelt on the mat and said that he was Liu Xian's deputy and that he would be fully responsible for the relocation of the people. Baba Che immediately brought up the old issue again, saying that he wanted to buy up the city's supplies at a low price. Liu Kun disagreed and, after consulting Xi An, insisted on negotiating at the original prices.

Upon hearing this, Baba Che finally lost his temper and became furious. He stood up and cursed in Xianbei, "You ungrateful wretch! You've offended us Xianbei! Aren't you afraid of losing your head?!" Seeing their leader rise, his followers rushed to draw their swords. More than ten gleaming blades danced around Liu Kun, like stones thrown into a flock of crows fighting for food, causing a great commotion among the Xianbei. Seeing this, Xi An turned pale with fright and lowered his head, not daring to look them in the eye.

Liu Kun remained unmoved and calmly said, "Our Celestial Empire has existed for hundreds of years and has never heard of being afraid of the Xianbei. We only know two things: to be benevolent to guests and righteous to friends."

“I believe that Brother Daddy is a friend of ours, which is why we are here to discuss business. If Brother Daddy thinks that we are cowards who bully the weak and want to take this opportunity to humiliate us, then we are people with self-respect and will never back down.”

After hearing these words and seeing that Liu Kun remained calm and composed throughout, Baba Che calmed down. They all sheathed their swords, sat down, and began to talk and chat, making a lot of noise, just like in a marketplace.

After a while, Baba Che asked Liu Kun in Chinese, "You are so calm, you must be someone who has experienced the battlefield?"

Liu Kun smiled but didn't answer. He rolled up his sleeves to show them the calluses on his hands from sword practice and the scars on his arms from where he had been cut by swords. Baba Che was immediately impressed and said, "If a man has scars, then a woman has a beautiful face. It's much more pleasing to the eye this way." The Xianbei people admired Liu Kun even more.

At this point, Baba Che finally changed his mind. He said to Liu Kun, "A hero is a hero wherever he goes. We think Anle Gong is a hero, but we didn't expect that there would be heroes under Anle Gong's command. We Xianbei people admire heroes. How about this, we each compromise and buy and sell at 80% of the usual price?"

Liu Kun nodded with a smile, and the two sides reached an agreement: the Tuoba Xianbei would exchange more than 4,000 fine horses within ten days for all the goods in Xiayang County, including fermented black beans, soybean paste, stone mills, ironware, ceramics, and paper.

After reaching an agreement, Baba Che did not rush to leave, but continued to talk with Liu Kun with great interest: "Do you think that with the strength of the Duke of Anle, this plan can really be realized?"

Liu Kun smiled and asked in return, "What? Do you think this is impossible?"

Having spent so much time in Xiayang, Baba Che believed he had a very good understanding of the Han people, and therefore he naturally said:
"On the grasslands, the migration of hundreds of thousands of people is commonplace and nothing remarkable. But I know that you Chinese are attached to your homeland and rarely move around, so such a thing rarely happens. It's like birds are good at flying and horses are good at running; each has its own habits. But if you were to exchange them, that would be absolutely impossible. I don't think you could do it."

“There’s nothing we can’t do,” Liu Kun said to Baba Che. “The character of us Chinese is not static, but like a river, it flows over gentle slopes and plunges over cliffs. If there is anything that will never change, it is that we will never stay in one place.”

Baba Che and the others were skeptical, but having achieved their goal, they didn't linger any longer. However, when they came out, they ran into a large, long-distance migration group.

After a hearty meal, the first group of immigrants, numbering over 50,000, were full of confidence. Guided by their mentors, they began to slowly but steadily make their way southwest. In just one morning, they had already passed Xiayang City and were gradually venturing deeper into Liangshan.

Because of the rain a few days ago, under the scorching sun, a long rainbow appeared in the sky, its seven-colored wings spread wide, hanging in the northwest sky and stretching across the streets, cities, and the boundless mountains and forests to the northwest.

The crowd walking on the ground before them resembled a long dragon, stretching as far as the eye could see, like a rainbow painted on the earth. The immigrants probably felt the same way; looking at the rainbow overhead and walking on the uneven road shimmering with light, they were even more certain that they were walking on a path full of hope. (End of Chapter)