Jinting Han people

The next day at noon, the Hedong army, standing on the watchtower in Weinan, indeed saw a large number of troops rushing towards Chang'an.

This army flew the banners of the Western Expeditionary Army, carrying white tiger pennants aloft. However, amidst the forest of white tiger pennants, one could also see yellow flags with red characters bearing the characters for "Yan" and "Zhang," and even red flags with black borders bearing the characters for "Han." Just by looking at these banners, one could tell that they were an army from Hanzhong. The column had traveled a long way, stretching for several miles, and it took quite a while to see its destination.

Upon seeing this, the soldiers couldn't help but discuss among themselves, not because of the number of enemy reinforcements, but because of the clothing of these men.

The people of Hanzhong were dressed rather lavishly, not in the form of their armor—they certainly couldn't be like the imperial guards of Luoyang, clad in full iron armor that shimmered in the sunlight—but rather in various kinds of bright and beautiful brocade robes, silk satin cloaks, and blue-white brocade hats. Even their mounts were adorned with gorgeous brocade, a dazzling array of colors.

Seeing this, not only the soldiers from Hedong in their camp, but even the citizens of Chang'an couldn't help but discuss: "We've long heard that Bashu is rich and prosperous, producing brocade and silk, and that everyone can wear brocade. We never expected that the army sent from Hanzhong would be dressed so luxuriously."

This is actually a beautiful misunderstanding. After the great chaos in Sichuan, a large number of weavers from Sichuan fled to Hanzhong. In their haste, they couldn't take much food with them, so they naturally traded their easily portable silks and satins for grain. As a result, in the past two years, the price of brocade in Hanzhong has plummeted, and almost everyone can afford to wear silk clothes.

However, the wealth of Sichuan and Chongqing is undeniable. Yan Zuan and Zhang Yin brought not only 20,000 troops this time, but also a considerable number of shipwrights and boatmen in response to the King of Hejian's request. It is said that this was specifically to deal with the navy built by He Pan. Wei Jun had already informed Liu Xian of this in advance, telling him to be careful.

This is indeed noteworthy news, but things often go like this—there's good and bad in a trade. Liu Xian has also gained a new force of his own. Almost simultaneously with the arrival of the Liangzhou army in Chang'an, Yang Nandi's Qiuchi cavalry also arrived at Xianyang Plain.

Yang Nandi sent an envoy to report the news, while Liu Xian led his staff out of the camp to greet them. Thousands of soldiers and their baggage stretched for miles, their armor gleaming, their spears sharp, their ranks disciplined, their bearing solemn. On the numerous banners, a magnificent white horse was depicted; this was the white horse worship of the Qiuchi Kingdom, who believed a white horse god would protect them, ensuring their victory on the battlefield.

In the middle stood a man of similar age to Liu Xian, wearing an iron helmet adorned with white pheasant feathers and chainmail. A bright red cloak billowed behind him, revealing a curved sword hanging at his waist. The scabbard of the sword was mottled, stained with the blood of countless people.

His iron helmet had an iron collar that covered his eyebrows and mouth from top to bottom, leaving only his eyes and nose visible, making it impossible to see his face clearly. But judging from his attire, it must be Yang Nandi. Sure enough, from several dozen paces away, he jumped off his horse, shook his cloak, and strode towards him to greet him.

As he walked, he removed his iron helmet, revealing a full beard and half-braided hair—a typical Di person's attire. Combined with his broad shoulders and thick waist, it was hard not to call him a valiant warrior. Liu Xian, observing him, took a long time to recognize him as Yang Nandai, because in his previous impression, this Di person had been quite Sinicized; he hadn't expected to see him with such a pronounced Di influence today.

Liu Xian stepped forward to greet him, and Yang Nandi was still very polite, taking the initiative to bow down and say, "I am Yang Nandi from Yinping, greetings to Duke Anle."

At this time, Yang Nandi had already proclaimed himself the Left Wise King in Qiuchi, which, according to the Xiongnu system, made him the crown prince of the country. However, this was ultimately a self-proclaimed title and had little influence on the outside world. Therefore, Yang Nandi simply used his real name to show his closeness to Liu Xian.

But Liu Xian quickly stopped him, because for him, the support of Qiu Chi Kingdom was crucial to the success of his next move. He also had a good impression of Yang Nandi, so he helped Yang Nandi up and said with a smile, "Why are you so polite, Left Wise King? It's been five years since we last met. You must have had a long journey. Did you encounter any trouble on the way?"

Hearing Liu Xian address him like that, Yang Nandi was naturally overjoyed. He patted Liu Xian on the shoulder and laughed heartily, replying, "Haha, the journey was very smooth. Although we saw Yan Zuan and his old enemies by the river, they were probably afraid of your power. Even though they saw me by the river, they didn't dare to show their faces. We just walked and looked around by the river, so we were a little slow."

So that's how it is. In Liu Xian's estimation, Yang Nandi should have arrived earlier, but he was unexpectedly four or five days late... Liu Xian looked at Yang Nandi's troops and asked, "How many people did the Left Wise King bring?" Because in his opinion, the number of people Yang Nandi brought seemed to be more than promised.

"Six thousand men." Seeing the doubt on his face, Yang Nandi smiled and explained, "My master originally asked me to bring three thousand cavalrymen, but I figured that would be a drop in the ocean, so I gathered the brothers I could contact from the surrounding area. Some of them can't even speak Chinese, but they are excellent at fighting. Please don't look down on them, my lord."

Upon hearing this, not only Liu Xian but also his advisors, including Li Sheng, were overjoyed. For Liu Xian's army at present, six thousand men was indeed a considerable number. Moreover, judging from Yang Nandi's words, these men had all experienced battles.

Yang Nandi immediately introduced Liu Xian to his Qiang and Di friends. As he had said, many of them did not speak Chinese. Upon inquiring about the reason, it turned out that in recent years, Yang Maosou had been recruiting soldiers in Qiuchi, not only absorbing refugees from Guanzhong and Longxi, but also many Qiang and Di people from the Hehuang region.

This truly piqued Liu Xian's curiosity, because the Qiang and Di people of the Hehuang region were different from those under the imperial court's jurisdiction. The imperial Qiang and Di, aside from not being formally registered as citizens, were not significantly different from the Han people in terms of customs. The Qiang and Di of the Hehuang region, however, were uncivilized people, struggling to survive in the harsh and desolate mountains, which had honed their fierce and unruly nature. The two groups were clearly distinct. Why would these Hehuang Qiang and Di join Qiuchi without any apparent reason?

After arranging accommodations for the reinforcements, Liu Xian invited Yang Nandi and other leaders to join him in the camp. On the way, he couldn't help but raise this question. Yang Nandi scratched his head and smiled wryly, saying, "My lord, to be honest, the world is in chaos right now, and it's not just the court that's in turmoil!"

It turned out that last year, a powerful Xianbei force rose to prominence. They came from the Yin Mountains and, after negotiating with Zhang Gui, the governor of Liangzhou, obtained permission from Shanglong to migrate to the Hehuang region, where they settled and built cities. The local Qiang and Di peoples were unable to resist them and were forced to move south, thus benefiting the Qiuchi Kingdom.

"Is that so? What tribe are those Xianbei people? Do they have any names?" Liu Xian was very curious. Yinshan was the territory of the Tuoba Xianbei. Could it be that the Tuoba Xianbei had invaded the Hehuang region?
"They don't know what they call themselves. Sometimes they say they are the Murong tribe, and sometimes they say they are the Tuyuhun tribe. No one knows what kind of tribe they are. But they have a lot of people. I heard from others that there are at least fifty or sixty thousand of them."

The name Murong sounded somewhat familiar to Liu Xian. After a moment of contemplation, he finally remembered—it seemed to be a large tribe in Liaodong! Years ago, during the Tuoba Shujineng rebellion, Murong Shegui also rebelled in Liaodong, but quickly surrendered to the court. Could this be his descendant? But how could a tribe originally from Liaodong migrate to the Hehuang region? The distance must be more than a few thousand miles, perhaps tens of thousands!

However, this was irrelevant to him; the most urgent task was to prepare for the upcoming battle. Yang Nandi was clearly also concerned about Liu Xian's situation. Although their Qiuchi Kingdom had sided with Liu Xian this time, it wasn't without reason. With the world in chaos, it was a golden opportunity for various forces to carve out their own territories and expand their power. Qiuchi Kingdom wanted to take this opportunity to truly assess the strength of the various factions in Guanzhong and then seek practical benefits for themselves.

From this perspective, the motives behind Qiuchi Kingdom's decision to bet on Liu Xian were not simple. Firstly, Liu Xian had an excellent reputation, making cooperation with him unlikely to result in losses. Secondly, Qiuchi Kingdom's power was still too small; although it could exist as an independent force, its remote location and isolated position meant it was not valued by other powers. Thirdly, Yang Nandi believed that Liu Xian had high potential and a high ceiling, and might indeed achieve great things. Fourthly, the two sides had some ancestral ties, making them old acquaintances.

But all of this hinges on Liu Xian's success. Yang Nandi also wanted to use this opportunity to carefully assess Liu Xian's surrounding forces and make a comprehensive evaluation. If the chances of success were high, he would naturally be willing to assist to the end; however, if it failed, he wouldn't hesitate to turn around and run, after all, these six thousand men were extremely valuable to the Qiuchi Kingdom. As for the extent of the negative impact on Liu Xian, that was beyond his consideration.

Therefore, not long after joining, Yang Nandi made a request to Liu Xian: "Huai Chong, I came here in a hurry because of the long journey. Apart from some necessary military equipment, I did not bring much food..." The implication was that he hoped Liu Xian could help solve the problem of food supply for his troops.

This is also his most pressing concern right now. After all, in chaotic times, the most important thing is food and provisions. If other things run out, other methods can be found, but without food and provisions, one can only starve to death. Now, Liu Xian plans to relocate more than 200,000 people at once, and the amount of food and provisions consumed will be staggering. Yang Nandi naturally wants to take this opportunity to find out the situation, because if the food supply is cut off afterward, Qiu Chi will be the first to be affected.

Liu Xian understood the implied meaning from the music. With the support of the Northern Expeditionary Army, his biggest worry was now food and provisions. So he said without hesitation, "Please rest assured, Left Wise King, since you have come to help, I can afford to provide you with this food."

After saying that, he simply pulled Yang Nandi to inspect the military camp, so that he could see the composition of his camp.

During this period, Liu Xian was also reorganizing his army. Apart from the original eight Imperial Guards, he reorganized the existing soldiers, no longer distinguishing them by region, but instead breaking up the various armies and dividing them into five armies based on the principle of veterans leading newcomers and differentiating the functions of the armies: the Fenwu Army, Yangwu Army, Zhaowu Army, Mingwu Army, and Guangwu Army.

The Fenwu Army is a light cavalry force, currently numbering over six thousand, led by Liu Shen;

Yangwu Army was a naval force of about five thousand men, led by He Pan;

The Zhaowu Army consists of fully armored soldiers, currently numbering around 10,000, and is led by Zhang Guang.
The Mingwu Army is a supply corps, currently numbering over four thousand men, and is led by Xi Jian.
The Guangwu Army consists of infantry, which is the main force in combat. Currently, there are more than 20,000 soldiers under Liu Xian's command. It is divided into four divisions: Wei Bo, Huan Yi, Suo Lin, and Huangfu Dan.

Since Liu Xian did not actually possess any real territory at this time, he abolished the positions of prefect and magistrate for all his subordinates and instead appointed them to military posts. Of the aforementioned individuals, excluding Liu Shen and He Pan, and including Li Ju who was blocking Longban, Liu Xian appointed them all as Generals of the Household, placing them above the other officers.

As the governor of Yongzhou and the duke of Xicheng County, Liu Shen and He Pan, due to their high moral character and prestige, should not be subordinate to Liu Xian for the time being. Nominally, all major decisions require the joint approval and seal of all three before being communicated to the entire army. This way, they would not incur excessive resentment from other Jin dynasty forces.

After completing this reorganization, although it hasn't yet been tested in battle, Liu Xian is quite satisfied. With this framework in place, commanding troops will undoubtedly be much easier and faster in the future. Even if there are battle losses, they can be quickly replenished within this framework to form immediate combat power. Although there may still be various flaws that will require adjustments in the future, it should be sufficient for now.

Yang Nandi, accompanying him on his inspection of the camp, was indeed very satisfied. Everything in Liu Xian's camp was impeccably organized; the fortifications were extremely secure, and the soldiers were stationed in their respective quarters, maintaining order even without orders. The supplies, provisions, horses, and medicine were all impeccably secured, and the arrangement of the sentry posts particularly impressed him. Most importantly, even with the arrival of a large number of reinforcements from Chang'an, the camp remained remarkably calm, which was no small feat.

It was soon time for dinner. Liu Xian wanted Yang Nandi to stay for dinner, but Yang Nandi politely declined, saying with a smile, "Let's postpone it to tomorrow. These people I brought, to put it nicely, are people from beyond the borders; to put it bluntly, they're barbarians. In reality, they don't follow the rules. Your Majesty's military discipline is strict, so I'll give them a good talking-to first. I can't let them break the rules and ruin Your Majesty's reputation among the people!"

Seeing that Yang Nandi was so sensible, Liu Xian was naturally very pleased. He said, "Then I'll trouble the Left Wise King to take care of it."

Upon hearing this, Yang Nandi laughed heartily and said, "Hey, let's not be so polite. We've known each other for a long time, and it's awkward talking in official jargon. Just call me Nandi, and I'll call you Huaichong!"

This was an attempt to bring the two closer, and Liu Xian readily agreed. He immediately changed his tune, saying, "Then I won't stand on ceremony. If Brother Nandi has any questions or encounters any trouble, you can come to me anytime, and I will definitely find a way to resolve it."

"Same here." Yang Nandi then took something out of his pocket, handed it to Liu Xian, and said, "This is a gift for Huai Chong. I hope you will accept it."

A gift? Upon hearing these two words, Liu Xian instinctively wanted to refuse, but then Yang Nandi said, "It's nothing valuable, it's a token of my younger sister's affection. When she heard I was coming, she repeatedly told me to give it to you."

Yang's younger sister? Liu Xian's mind immediately conjured up the image of that mountain spirit-like girl. Every glance and smile of Yang Hui'ai was as intense as wine, carrying distinct colors of love and hate, leaving a deep impression on Liu Xian. Did she still remember him? Six years have passed, what does this girl, A Die, look like now?
As Liu Xian was pondering this, Yang Nandi handed him the object, which turned out to be a palm-sized embroidered pouch. The pouch was woven with phoenixes, and inside it was bulging as if it were filled with wheat. Liu Xian opened it and found that it contained a bag of seeds, which was emitting a strange fragrance.

Yang Nandi smiled and said, "These are peony seeds that my younger sister soaked in flower oil. She told me that she prayed for every single one of them before the White Horse God statue. Now that I'm giving them to you, they will surely bring you peace. Just wear them."

Upon hearing this, Liu Xian understood the deeper meaning. At this moment, he couldn't refuse, nor could he accept. After much hesitation, he finally accepted, saying to Yang Nandi, "Thank you for your kindness, Miss A-Die." (End of Chapter)