Jinting Han people

After Liu Xian burned a large number of ships at Tongguan, a heated debate broke out among the Western Expeditionary Army regarding Liu Xian's next plan.

This shouldn't really be a problem, given Liu Xian's high-profile actions north of the Wei River, which were impossible to conceal. Whether it was the large-scale capture of cities, the dismissal of local officials, or the distribution of grain to farmers, these actions couldn't be kept secret. Even though the Western Army had lost most of its ships, they could still gather information by sending just one or two men across the river. Therefore, they naturally knew about the rumors Liu Xian had simultaneously spread regarding the attack on Chang'an.

Knowing something doesn't mean believing it, especially for the General Who Conquers the West after being tricked by Liu Xian.

During the military conference at Tongguan, Peng Sui said directly, "I know what Liu Xian is planning. He says he wants to attack Chang'an, but that's just a pretense. His real goal is to seize control of the area north of the Wei River. After burning the ships, we can only cross the Wei River at the Wei Bridge in Chang'an. If he sends troops there to block us, it will be very difficult for us to cross. Should we think of another way?"

Others echoed the suggestion. Guan Xian also said, "Why not simply return to Shanxian? Right now we have no boats to Weibei, but Shanxian is a gateway to Hedong. Let's follow my idea: attack Hedong from Dianlingban, destroy Liu Xian's stronghold, and kill everyone in Hedong. That's the decisive way to win."

But Jia Pi disagreed. He said to the Prince of Hejian, "Liu Xian opened the granaries to help the people and dismissed the officials. This is definitely not the way to occupy the north of the Wei River. Without taxes, how can he expand his army? How can he govern the region? His intention is definitely not in the north of the Wei River. I think it is very likely that he is making a desperate gamble and really wants to seize Chang'an."

Even Zhao Ran, who had just joined the Western Expeditionary Army, couldn't help but express his opinion, saying, "If Liu Xian really comes to attack Chang'an, it will suit our purposes perfectly! We will be well-rested and outnumbered, so what makes him think he can fight us?"

In conclusion, the Western Expeditionary Army was divided, and scouts were finding it difficult to penetrate deep into northern Yongzhou. Ultimately, the Prince of Hejian decided to expedite the construction of ships while simultaneously ordering the various prefectures of Weinan to conscript troops and laborers, to observe the situation for a few days before making further plans.

It wasn't until ten days later, when the cargo ships from Hedong appeared openly on the Wei River, that the General of the Western Expedition truly realized: the cargo ships entering the Wei River at this time must be heading towards Chang'an, and it seems that Liu Xian's claim of attacking Chang'an was not unfounded!

Sima Yong then made up his mind. He immediately led 50,000 troops out of Tongguan and headed towards Chang'an. However, due to the loss of their ships and the presence of He Pan's navy on the Wei River for surveillance, they feared being intercepted halfway and dared not advance too quickly, only traveling forty li per day. As a result, Liu Xian had already advanced to Xianyang Plain, while they had only just crossed the Ba River.

When Liang Zong, the Prefect of Jingzhao, came out to greet him, the Prince of Hejian learned the details of the front lines from him:
"Your Highness, Liu Xian has led 40,000 troops and is halfway across the river to Lincheng. Judging from the banners in his army, it seems that Liu Shen has already defected!"

Upon learning that Liu Shen's troops had defected to Liu Xian, Sima Yong was furious: "These wolves from Zhongshan! I've tolerated them for three years, can't I even tame them?"

Although Liu Shen, Zhang Guang, and others believed that the Prince of Hejian was using every trick in the book and were therefore wary of them, everything has two sides. In Sima Yong's view, he had already shown these opponents more than enough mercy by sparing their lives and not dismissing them from their posts. Yet these people were ungrateful and openly betrayed him. Thinking of this, Sima Yong felt a surge of murderous intent and wished he could tear these traitors to pieces.

Just as he was secretly annoyed, he glanced up and noticed that Liang Zong seemed a little strange, as if he wanted to say something but hesitated. So he asked again, "Is there any other military intelligence you want to tell me?"

Liang Zong stammered, "After Liu Xian set up camp, he went to Maoling to pay homage to Emperor Wu of Han and publicly proclaimed that you were the chief culprit who brought chaos to the world, but unfortunately... you were utterly incompetent, and apart from relying on Marshal Zhang, you were utterly useless... Therefore, he wanted to act on behalf of Heaven, and after capturing Chang'an, he wanted to execute you in public, just like he did with Sun Xiu, by tearing you apart with five horses..."

This statement caused an uproar among the crowd.

Anyone with a basic understanding of history understands the political implications of Liu Xian's worship at Maoling; he was clearly asserting his legitimacy as the legitimate successor to the Han dynasty. Furthermore, his public insult of Sima Yong was undoubtedly a political statement, indicating his determination to fight Sima Yong to the death.

Sima Yong was clearly enraged. Faced with such provocation, how could he maintain his dignity as a ruler if he did not respond? He immediately took out an arrow, broke it in half in front of everyone, and swore an oath to the heavens:
"How dare a traitor like Liu Xian, who has betrayed his master time and again, presume to claim to be a follower of the Way?! He has insulted me so much, no matter where he flees to, I will capture him first and then steam him to death! If he breaks his promise, may such an arrow be slain!"

Having said that, he immediately led his men into Chang'an City in a fit of rage, and then prepared a large feast in the city, as if he was about to have a decisive battle with Liu Xian.

But the Prince of Hejian was not one to act rashly. As soon as Sima Yong entered the city, most of his anger dissipated. He then climbed the city wall to inspect Liu Xian's camp and found that Liu Xian's forces occupied three bridges across the Wei River, their army forming a formidable encampment along the banks, seemingly difficult to attack. He immediately regretted his decision and summoned Yan Ding to ask:

"Taichen, in your opinion, what are our chances of winning against Liu Xian?"

After assessing the situation, Yan Ding immediately understood Sima Yong's concerns and quickly remarked, "Liu Xian is imitating Marshal Zhang's strategy!"

"You mean..."

"Marshal Zhang built fortifications in the southwest corner of Luoyang, forcing the imperial court to attack. As a result, the imperial court suffered heavy losses after a prolonged siege. Marshal Zhang waited until the enemy was exhausted, then used light cavalry to outflank them and launch a fire attack, achieving a great victory. Isn't Liu Xian's open camp in front of the city for the same purpose?"

"Yes! Yes!" Sima Yong nodded repeatedly, stroking his beard as he said, "Now it seems that Liu Xian had actually set a trap, trying to lure me into it with a provocation. Unfortunately, even Zhuge Liang couldn't fool Emperor Xuan, so how could he possibly harm me? He's just delusional."

"Your Highness is wise." After a brief compliment, Yan Ding offered his advice: "Your Highness, Liu Xian is indeed a renowned general, and now he has gained the support of Liu Shen and Zhang Guang. In my opinion, we should first gather the armies of the various prefectures, assemble the Guanzhong army, and fight Liu Xian with all our might."

Surprisingly, Sima Yong did not respond immediately. Instead, he closed his eyes and pondered for a while, which aroused Yan Ding's suspicion. He took the initiative to ask:

"Does Your Highness have any worries?"

Sima Yong opened his eyes wide and suddenly asked Yan Ding, "Tell me, if I were to mobilize troops on a large scale, how would Zhang Fang react if he found out?"

Yan Ding was taken aback. He had thought Sima Yong was worried about Sima Ying in Hebei, but he hadn't expected him to be considering Zhang Fang in Luoyang. After a moment's thought, he quickly analyzed, "Now that Luoyang is in ruins, he has few soldiers and generals, and is under the spotlight. He's too busy defending his territory to worry about anything else."

Sima Yong shook his head slightly and said in a very low voice, "Zhang Fang is no ordinary man. He is extremely bold and there is nothing he wouldn't do. He dared to negotiate peace with Liu Xian on his own before and let him enter the pass. Why wouldn't he dare to do it now? I'm afraid that Liu Xian might have some secret agreement with him again, which would be troublesome."

He then drew a conclusion, saying, "Minister Tai, please send me a letter to order the troops from other prefectures to come to Chang'an, but we still need to take precautions against Zhang Fang."

"I will obey Your Highness's orders." Yan Ding readily agreed, but as he spoke, a thought suddenly occurred to him, and another idea came to mind.

For the next ten days or so, Chang'an remained inactive. Liu Xian's troops fortified their camps along both banks of the Wei River, while Sima Yong extensively recruited soldiers from the Guanzhong region. As mentioned earlier, in June, the Prince of Hejian had planned to launch a four-pronged attack on Hedong with 100,000 troops. Although the plan had not yet materialized, the troops had already been assembled. Sima Yong, who had previously brought some troops back to Chang'an, now issued orders to leave Protector-General Mi Huang with 10,000 men to guard Tongguan Pass, while the rest of the troops also returned to Chang'an.

In addition to this force, he also gathered troops from Liangzhou and Jingzhou, expecting them to arrive in Chang'an within a month.

Adding to the troops already stationed in Chang'an, Sima Yong mobilized an astonishing 150,000 troops, with a wealth of talented individuals and powerful soldiers under his command. The list and commanders are as follows.

The General Headquarters of the Western Expeditionary Army had a total of 70,000 troops stationed there.

The troops under Yan Ding, the military advisor for the Western Expedition; the troops under Jia Pi, the military commander for the Western Pacification; the troops under Diao Mo, the military protector for the Western Expedition; the troops under Xi Wei, the military advisor for the Western Expedition; and the troops under Zhou Bi, the military commander for the Western Expedition.
The troops under Liu Cong, the General of the Red Sands; the troops under Lü Lang, the General of the Agriculture; and the troops under Sima Song, the General of the West.
The troops under the command of General Chen An, General Ma Zhan, and General Ya Bo;
The troops under Cavalry Commandant Zhao Ran, the troops under Eastern Qiang Commandant Guan Xian, and the troops under Western Rong Commandant Wei Fu;
The Yongzhou army numbered 30,000.
The troops under Liang Zong, Prefect of Jingzhao; the troops under Zhang Fu, Prefect of Fengyi; the troops under Guo Chuan, Prefect of Fufeng; and the troops under Liang Mai, Prefect of Shiping.
The Sili Army numbered 20,000:

The troops under Peng Sui, the Prefect of Hongnong, and the troops under Song Zhou, the Prefect of Pingyang;
Liangzhou army of 20,000:

The troops under Zhang Yin, the governor of Liangzhou; the troops under Yan Zuan, the prefect of Hanzhong; and the troops under Zhang Cun, the prefect of Zitong.
The Jingzhou army numbered 10,000:

The troops under Wang Xun, the Prefect of Weixing, and Chen Zhong, the Prefect of Shangyong.

The aforementioned troops were already a formidable force, but Sima Yong's orders didn't stop there. At Jia Pi's suggestion, he simultaneously sent messages to Qin Prefecture, Liang Prefecture, and Weibei, attempting to win over the various Hu tribes in Guanzhong and Longxi, hoping they would attack Liu Xian's forces from the flanks and rear. However, because Liu Xian had made preemptive arrangements, while escorting the immigrants into Shu, he also took the opportunity to block all the roads leading north, resulting in the capture of many of the envoys from the Western Expeditionary Army, preventing them from making contact with the Hu people.

Sima Yong also considered using the Qin Province troops. Currently, Feng Shang, Han Zhi, and others were leading troops to attack Shanggui, and their forces were all elite. If these Qin Province troops could be transferred to Guanzhong, it would undoubtedly deal a fatal blow to Liu Xian. However, Liu Xian had also taken precautions: after Li Ju captured Chencang, he moved the main force to Qian County, remaining constantly vigilant against the Qin Province army from Xialong.

Regardless of the circumstances, in this Battle of Chang'an, the ratio of troops between the Prince of Hejian and Liu Xian was an astonishing three to one, or even four to one. Not to mention that the Prince of Hejian also had nearly 30,000 cavalry, giving him an absolute advantage in both quantity and quality. Most people would believe that Sima Yong was the victor.

Therefore, even before the Jingzhou and Yizhou armies arrived, the entire General Headquarters of the Western Expeditionary Army was filled with optimism and eager to start the war. During a military council, Guo Chuan, the Prefect of Fufeng, suggested to Sima Yong:
“Your Highness, Jingzhou and Yizhou are too far from Chang'an, and the number of troops we can mobilize is not large. Why waste time on two or three thousand men? Our army's morale is high now, and it is the time to strike while the iron is hot and lead the troops to defeat Liu Xian. After all, he is not what he used to be. What is there to be afraid of in a mere broken-armed man who was beaten like a stray dog ​​by Marshal Zhang?”

After he finished speaking, all the generals burst into laughter.

After so much time, most people know that Liu Xian's right arm has been severely injured multiple times and he can no longer wield a sword. The Western Army, being the most martial, upon learning of Liu Xian's decline, mocked him as "the man with the broken arm." However, for the sake of propriety, these mockeries were mostly kept private; this was the first time Guo Chuan had brought it up openly.

Seeing the high morale of the army, Sima Yong was somewhat satisfied. He had indeed been thinking recently about whether he should fight a battle or two with Liu Xian, and taking this opportunity, he asked Guo Chuandao, "What are your plans? Tell me about them."

Guo Chuandao said, "Why bother with any plan? In a battle between two armies, the brave shall prevail! The enemy has set up camp between the water and the river, neither advancing nor retreating, they are truly indecisive. As long as we do our best, we are not afraid of not winning."

This was not the answer Sima Yong wanted to hear. He glanced at Yan Ding, who knew perfectly well what was going on and immediately said, "How can matters of state be handled so rashly? You must know that Liu Xian once defeated Lu Ji's army of over 100,000 with only 10,000 men at Mangkou."

“Lu Ji is just a scholar, how can he compare to us warriors? Besides, our army is not the Northern Army, why should we be like this?” Guo Chuan said dismissively, and most of the generals showed the same expression.

"It's always better to be safe than sorry," Yan Ding insisted.

"Alright, then what is the King of Hell's opinion?"

"We should send someone up to test the waters first and see what Liu Xian is capable of now." At this point, Yan Ding paused, looked around at the generals, and asked, "Gentlemen, who is willing to challenge Liu Xian's camp? Let's fight a small battle first. If we can win, we can dampen the enemy's morale, and then our army can fight a major battle later."

Sima Yong added at the opportune moment: "If we are victorious, I will appoint him as the governor of Liangzhou."

Upon hearing this, the generals were in an uproar. Who wouldn't want to be the governor of a province? So they all stepped forward to volunteer for battle.

However, only one person could be chosen for the challenge. Sima Yong initially wanted to choose Chen An, as he was still deeply impressed by Chen An's strength. But then he reconsidered, realizing that Chen An was a newcomer with no experience, and such an arrangement might not be convincing to the troops. Instead, he chose Ma Zhan. After all, Ma Zhan had a blood feud with Liu Xian for killing his brother, and Ma Zhan was also a veteran who had participated in the Battle of Luoyang, making him the most reasonable choice.

Ma Zhan was overjoyed and swore an oath to the Prince of Hejian: "Your Highness's kindness will earn me your life. I will do my utmost to kill the two Lis for Your Highness."

"Oh? What two Lis?"

"Li Ju, Li Sheng."

Li Ju and Li Sheng were Liu Xian's well-known right-hand men. Killing them would be as easy as killing Liu Xian. Upon hearing this, Sima Yong burst into laughter, and everyone else joined in.

Sima Yong laughed and nodded, saying, "Then I'll take your good wishes. Go and prepare for a day. The day after tomorrow morning, the whole army will be waiting for your good news."

So, on the day of Ji-You in the seventh month of the third year of Tai'an, after a ten-day standoff, the main force of the Western Expeditionary Army finally left Chang'an and advanced three li to the north. Then, in full view of everyone, Ma Zhan led a thousand cavalrymen to break away from the main force and formally challenged Liu Xian's army to battle.

The Wei River flowed swiftly, and the two sides finally clashed in their first true battle. (End of Chapter)