Jinting Han people

On the third day after his wedding, Liu Xian began preparing to leave.

Although they were newlyweds, time was of the essence. It was already October, early winter. Hanzhong had not yet been captured, and once snow fell, the rivers froze, and the ground hardened, making a siege extremely difficult. No matter how favorable the conditions for attacking Hanzhong were, it was impossible to assume that Hanzhong would be captured with a mere proclamation and no battle fought. Liu Xian's forces were considerable, but he did not intend to squander them. Therefore, Liu Xian planned to return as soon as possible to rejoin the main army.

Since we are leaving, we should first meet with Yang Maosou, the Duke of Qiuchi.

So he went to visit his father-in-law. As soon as the two sat down and before they could even speak, Yang Maosou's wife, Madam Liang, hurriedly asked Liu Xian, "Huai Chong, how is your relationship with A Die?"

Liu Xian said to his mother-in-law, "It's more in line with my expectations."

"That's good, that's good." Madam Liang clasped her hands together, silently chanted the name of the deity, and then said, "Although we don't know what the future holds, no matter what, it's better for the couple to be loving and harmonious than anything else!"

As she said this, Madam Liang poured Liu Xian a cup of wine and whispered, "Adie is usually spoiled at home. She can't stand hardship. Remember to give her some leeway."

Before Liu Xian could reply, Yang Maosou waved his hand to interrupt, saying, "Hey, what are you saying? Who is Huai Chong? Does he not know any principles? Does he need you to tell him? You go out first, let me have a good talk with my son-in-law."

After Madam Liang left, he immediately said to Liu Xian, "Son-in-law, since I have entrusted A-Die to you, I will no longer interfere. Now we are in this together, so if you have any requests, you are welcome to make them."

Liu Xian put down his wine cup, picked up the wine pot himself, poured a cup into an empty wine cup, and offered it to Yang Maosou, saying, "Father-in-law, you are too kind. If I have any request, it is only that our two families can unite as one and be as close as family."

This statement greatly pleased Yang Maosou. To be as close as family is easier said than done. After all, even brothers like Sima Yi and Sima Ying could have irreconcilable conflicts due to political interests; how much more so a political marriage, which is far weaker? But for a power like Qiu Chi, neither large nor small, they could neither maintain their independence for long nor contend for supremacy; therefore, they had to choose a reliable person to entrust with their duties.

As things stand, no one has performed better than Liu Xian. He didn't just pay lip service to unity; at this crucial moment, he bravely came to Qiuchi alone, while simultaneously upholding his principles and not recklessly violating them. Considering his past deeds, Yang Maosou can basically conclude that among all the heroes under heaven, Liu Xian is definitely the one destined for greatness.

Therefore, he stopped hiding his intentions and said to Liu Xian frankly, "Son-in-law, we are all one family. As long as it exists within the Qiuchi Kingdom, you can tell me and it will all be yours. As for the territory outside Qiuchi, if you want to fight for any part, just tell Brother Nandi and the others, and the people will fight for you."

Then, Yang Maosou called over the brothers Yang Nandi and Yang Jiantou, and said to Liu Xian, "I hope that you can help them out in the future, for Adie's sake. From now on, there will be no more Lord Qiuchi Yang Maosou. There will only be Prefect of Wudu Yang Nandi and Prefect of Yinping Yang Jiantou."

The implication was that he no longer considered himself the ruler of Qiuchi, but rather used this opportunity to pass on his family business to Yang Nandi. From then on, the Yang brothers were Liu Xian's subjects. The two counties of Qiuchi were no longer Qiuchi's territory, but Liu Xian's.

Yang Maosou wasn't just putting on an act. After speaking, he immediately led Liu Xian to the treasury in the mountains. Besides the grain reserves of Qiuchi Kingdom, it contained all the household registration documents for the two prefectures. Although it only contained information related to Han Chinese, the most important thing was the map of the two prefectures they had created. Yang Maosou handed it all to Liu Xian. From then on, the complex terrain of Wudu and Yinping prefectures was no longer a secret to Liu Xian.

Of course, things wouldn't go as smoothly as Yang Maosou described. To control the two commanderies, one would at least need to control the relevant personnel and take over the defense of the various cities. The fact that the leaders were willing to submit didn't equate to Liu Xian truly controlling the overall situation in Qiuchi. But at least through this marriage alliance, Liu Xian achieved the best possible outcome of his trip. With Qiuchi as his backing, he could now focus wholeheartedly on conquering Hanzhong.

The following day, October 10th, Liu Xian left Qiuchi Mountain. Accompanying him were his newlywed wife, Yang Hui'ai, his brother-in-law, Yang Nan'di, the last thousand knights of Qiuchi, and eight hundred Di servants specially transferred from there. They carried Yang Hui'ai's dowry, and the procession stretched for more than two miles along the narrow mountain road, even more magnificent than on the night of their wedding.

It was early winter, and everything was desolate, with withered scenery along the way. But perhaps because the Qinling Mountains blocked the cold winds, the climate in the mountains was warmer than in Guanzhong, and therefore more vibrant. Chrysanthemums were still blooming by the roadside from time to time, and dog's tongue grass was still growing towards the sun on the hillside. Some elk and gray rabbits appeared and disappeared, and occasionally you could see the big marmoset (golden monkey) with its unique appearance and yellow fur.

However, for Liu Xian, the most pleasing sight on the road was undoubtedly his newlywed wife. A-Die, being young and not a Han Chinese woman, and naturally lively and active, disliked sitting in the carriage. So she wore a bamboo hat, concealed her face with a veil, and dressed in a white and red jumpsuit, riding alongside her husband. Along the way, she childlikedly picked up fallen leaves, flowers, and fruits, and occasionally acted like a child, playfully teasing Liu Xian, as if her joy was inexhaustible.

This joy also touched Liu Xian, reminding him of his youth. Although he faced many difficulties then, he was proud and ambitious, possessing the purest and clearest courage. He dared to do anything, wanted to do anything. But now, while he still held onto those ideals and beliefs, that crystal-clear purity had been forever lost in the trials of the world. Therefore, he still held a tolerant and appreciative attitude towards A-Die's innocence.

Politics is politics, but life is not just about politics. Under the influence of Ruan Ji, Liu Xian had long since learned the truth of life: one must move forward without stopping, but one should not forget to appreciate the scenery in life. Even the most ruthless person needs a good mood to move forward.

From this perspective, Yang Hui'ai was undoubtedly a very good girl. Although she wasn't exactly understanding, the age gap between her and Liu Xian made her affections somewhat reserved, and she didn't want to show her fiery side. Her youthful vitality and abundant emotions, like a clear spring in the mountains, soothed Liu Xian's weary mind.

However, what worried Liu Xian more was the relationship between A Die, A Luo, and Lü Zhu. Although he knew that it was impossible to eliminate disharmony between women, he still wanted to make things easier, so he instructed Yang Hui'ai: "Once we arrive, there will be fighting immediately, so don't wander around. If you have any requests, just send me a message, and I will make arrangements."

Liu Xian had already made up his mind. He planned to arrange a separate residence for A-Die, and the two would not see each other for the time being until Hanzhong was captured. Fortunately, Yang Hui'ai didn't care about these things. She was still immersed in the novelty and joy of leaving Qiuchi after her marriage, and she also knew that Liu Xian had important things to do. One evening, she even brought over a small orange-red animal and said seriously, "Look, the white feather will protect you!"

Liu Xian and the little animal stared at each other for a long time before Liu Xian remembered that this was the fire fox he had met by the stone pool when he first met A Die. How did it follow him here? The fire fox, of course, did not answer. It just stared with its big black eyes, nestled adorably in A Die's arms, sticking out its pink tongue, looking very content.

Five days later, Liu Xian and his party arrived in Wuxing City.

Although Wuxing City is called a city, it is more like a large fortified village. The main city's circumference is only about 500 paces, and eight smaller granaries were built around it, taking advantage of the terrain. Together, they could only accommodate a little over 2,000 people. Clearly, Zhuge Liang built this city ninety years ago primarily as a transit point for his Northern Expeditions and as a protective fortress for Hanzhong Commandery. It was an extremely complete defensive system. According to the local Di people, even when Deng Ai attacked Chengdu, Wuxing was not breached.

Such a small town naturally could not accommodate the large number of immigrants. Fortunately, the place was located at the confluence of three tributaries of the Jialing River, where the river's erosion had created four fertile riverbanks. Yang Jian had previously set up camp on the riverbanks by cutting down trees, which could barely provide temporary accommodation for the immigrants, but it was not enough to keep them warm and comfortable during the winter.

Because the area was relatively open, and the river wind made the weather even colder than in the mountains, some of the migrants on the riverbank, dressed in tattered clothes, inevitably shivered from the cold. Seeing this, Liu Xian immediately ordered that the deerskins he had just obtained be distributed to the migrants to keep them warm. At the same time, he realized that entering Hanzhong was now urgent and imminent.

After selecting a camp and ordering the Di people accompanying him to move in, Liu Xian immediately summoned his subordinates from Wuxing to learn the latest details.

At this time, Liu Kun, Lu Yun, and others were no longer in Wuxing. As arranged beforehand, some of them stayed in Liangquan, while others led their followers to Tazhong to be responsible for the resettlement of immigrants. Only Xiahou Cheng, Ruan Fang, and others were responsible for maintaining order in Wuxing.

Without waiting for Liu Xian's return, Li Ju led 20,000 troops westward to besiege Ju County. This was the only city controlled by the Western Expeditionary Army in Wudu Commandery, only seventy li from Yangping Pass, the entrance to Hanzhong Commandery, and eighty li from Wuxing, effectively blocking the only route between Wuxing and Yangping Pass. Li Ju planned to take it first, thus clearing the last obstacle to the attack on Hanzhong.

When Liu Xian arrived, Li Ju had already been besieging the city for seven days. The military report that came yesterday said that the garrison of Ju County was insufficient and that they had already breached one corner of the wall. At most, they would be able to take Ju County in two more days.

Upon hearing the news, Liu Xian did not hesitate. At this distance, with no information about Hanzhong, they could engage the main force of Hanzhong at any time, so they should prepare rigorously. After resting for one night, he led the remaining 40,000 troops to Ju County.

Between Wuxing and Juxian, the mountain road gradually narrows, becoming even more treacherous than the exit of the Chencang Road. This is not only because the banks of the stream gradually rise, forming massive cliffs from rocky mountains. More importantly, because no one has tended to it for a long time, the road is covered with overgrown thorns. These dry thorns are sharp and hard, yet their branches are still resilient. They are not easy to cut, and if you accidentally get caught on them, even if your trousers are covered in mud, they will still be torn to shreds. In winter, this is an extremely unpleasant accident, forcing people to proceed with extreme caution.

Fortunately, by evening the road cleared up, and the soldiers emerged from the valley one after another, finally breathing a sigh of relief. They then heard the booming sound of war drums not far away. After leaving Chencang, they had marched over a thousand miles, and the soldiers were exhausted. They all wanted to quickly enter Hanzhong to rest, but hearing this sound filled them with fervor and high morale. They discussed among themselves: With General Li's abilities, he should be able to break through the city today, not tomorrow.

But before they could celebrate for long, their fighting spirit quickly dissipated when they joined up with Li Ju: it turned out that Li Ju's siege of the city was not going well.

Because Ju County was situated by mountains and water, and the city was small and high, it could only be attacked from two sides. Moreover, the surrounding area was mostly rocky, making it unsuitable for siege tactics using earthen ramps. In order to save time, Li Ju adopted the most direct method: using wooden ladders to scale the city walls like ants. After several days, more than two thousand men were killed or wounded. As a result, when the two armies joined forces, there were many wounded soldiers in the camp, groaning incessantly, and the army looked sorrowful.

Fortunately, as the main force arrived at the city, the defending troops, seeing the overwhelming number of enemy soldiers, realized there was no hope of holding out any longer. The commander finally lost his will to fight and surrendered to Li Ju. After the city was opened, a quick count revealed that the defending troops numbered only about seven hundred. Upon inquiring about the casualties, they learned that they originally had a thousand defenders, but after several days of attack and defense, they had only lost about three hundred men.

Such a disparate casualty ratio was unprecedented in Liu Xian's army, severely impacting the morale of the soldiers. They had long heard that Ju County was less strategically important than Yangping Pass; if taking Ju County was already so difficult, how could they possibly breach Yangping Pass?

Further questioning of the prisoners revealed that Yangping Pass was guarded by three thousand soldiers. Upon hearing this news, many soldiers considered abandoning their posts. If they hadn't already traveled thousands of miles and weren't now in the desolate mountains and forests, making it difficult to return home, many would likely have considered deserting.

Faced with this demoralized mood in the army, Liu Xian remained calm. He merely rested briefly in Ju County before continuing his westward advance two days later. Because the Ma Ming Pavilion road west of Ju County had been dismantled by the garrison, they first traveled south along the Ju River. After only half a day's journey, a wide river, hundreds of feet across, suddenly appeared before them. The river surged and crashed against the mountains, creating countless waves. Everyone knew the name of this river, for it had once named a country and a people.

Reaching this point means that the group has crossed the Qinling Mountains. The Qinling Mountains are to the north of the Han River, while the Daba Mountains are to the south. Seeing the Han River means that they have arrived between these two mountains.

Thinking of this, the soldiers felt they had accomplished a great feat, and their morale was boosted. They continued westward along the Han River, and soon the terrain became steep and flat. After crossing a mountain pass, they could see two passes, one to the south and one to the north, straddling the Qinling Mountains, Bashan Mountains and the Han River. Behind them, the mountain road stretched out endlessly, a flat plain, and they could even see the smoke rising from the farmhouses along the Han River.

These two fortresses, which bring together all the mountains and rivers, are Yangping Pass.

Upon seeing this scene, Liu Xian was so moved that he could not speak for a long time. Pointing to the two fortresses, he said to the generals behind him, "Ever since I saw this place five years ago, I have dreamed of it every year." (End of this chapter)