Jinting Han people

After a brief sacrificial ceremony at the Wuhou Temple, Liu Xian began to make further progress.

Hanzhong Commandery comprised eight counties, listed from west to east: Mianyang, Baozhong, Nanzheng, Chenggu, Xingdao, Huangjin, Puchi, and Xixiang. Of these eight counties, only Nanzheng and Chenggu were built on a plain. The remaining six counties were nestled against mountains and rivers, bordering the Qinling and Bashan Mountains, transforming Hanzhong into a secluded paradise, yet also an inescapable prison.

(Topographical map of Hanzhong Commandery)
This is a heartfelt lament Cao Cao made after conquering Hanzhong: "Nanzheng is practically a prison!" Although nominally Hanzhong was a transportation hub connecting Bashu, Guanzhong, Longshang, and even the Jianghan Plain, every route leading to Hanzhong—the Qishan Road, Chencang Road, Baoxie Road, Tangluo Road, Ziwu Road, and Jinniu Road—invariably involved traversing mountains and valleys for hundreds of miles. And at the end of each road was a narrow valley entrance, easily sealed off with just one or two cities.

Hanzhong Commandery was arranged in exactly this way.

Among them, Mianyang County and Yangping Pass correspond to the Chencang, Qishan, and Jinniu routes; Baozhong corresponds to the Baoxie route, also known as the plank road; Chenggu County and Chibanwei correspond to the Tangluo route; Xingdao, Huangjin, and Puchi counties correspond to the Ziwu route and the Hanchuan River valley to the east. Only Xixiang County is slightly more ordinary, controlling only a tributary of the Hanchuan River, serving as a secondary passage connecting Weixing County. However, this is only for now; in the future, Xixiang will become the hub of the lychee trade route, becoming a major city second only to Nanzheng.

The specific layout of these counties was largely the work of Wei Yan, a famous general of Shu Han. He not only adjusted and established these cities, but also built numerous military fortresses and strongholds in the surrounding mountains and along the roads, thus forming a chain-like defensive system. Back then, Wang Ping, with fewer than 30,000 troops, managed to stop Cao Shuang's army of over 100,000 in the Battle of Xingshi, demonstrating the sheer power of his forces.

Conversely, if this system cannot be fully mastered and loopholes appear, then Hanzhong cannot be completely brought under one side's control, and the war cannot be ended temporarily.

As a disciple of Chen Shou, Liu Xian was well-versed in the various battles of Hanzhong's history and was naturally aware of this. Therefore, he immediately discussed with He Pan, Li Ju, Wei Jun, and others, intending to focus the current offensive on the counties other than Nanzheng. Once the key routes of Hanzhong were secured, the main force of the garrison stationed in Nanzheng would be easily captured.

All the generals agreed with Liu Xian's strategy, but at this moment, Wei Jun raised an objection, saying, "My lord, I'm afraid this is not very appropriate."

"Oh? What's your opinion, Gongzhi?"

Wei Jun solemnly said to Liu Xian, "In my opinion, sweeping through the counties of Hanzhong one by one would be too time-consuming. It would probably take a month or two to take them all down. The most important thing right now is to make a quick victory."

"Why do we need to finish this quickly?" Liu Xian asked. Although he also wanted to settle down as soon as possible, he could afford to wait a month or two to minimize casualties.

Wei Jun took out a military report and handed it to Liu Xian, saying, "My lord, this is a military report from Nanzheng to Yangping Pass, saying that the King of Hejian has appointed Zhang Fang as the new governor of Liangzhou and ordered him to lead his army into Han to continue pursuing you, my lord."

These words immediately attracted everyone's attention. They were unaware of Liu Xian's assessment of the situation in Guanzhong and his considerable fear of Zhang Fang. So they all gathered around and pressed for details.

It turned out that Wei Jun had also received the news a few days prior. Judging from the speed at which news traveled between Nanzheng and Chang'an, this military report was at least twenty days old. Besides Zhang Fang's appointment, the report also contained a description of the battle between the Western Expeditionary Army and Liu Xian, as well as arrangements for the aftermath. Liu Xian took it and couldn't help but find it somewhat laughable—in which world was this battle taking place?

The military report's account of the battles before Zhang Fang's arrival was fairly honest, only exaggerating the losses suffered by Liu Xian's troops while remaining vague about their own losses. However, the account of the battles after Zhang Fang's arrival differed greatly from Liu Xian's memory.

The record states that a month prior, after Zhang Fang received orders to enter the pass, the situation became urgent. Because of Zhang Fang's unwavering loyalty to the Prince of Hejian, he immediately led his army to reinforce the area, attempting to keep Liu Xian's forces within the pass. However, in his haste, he led his troops deep into enemy territory, unwittingly falling into Liu Xian's ambush and suffering a crushing defeat.

It is said that the Tiger Army suffered more than half its losses, and Zhang Fang himself was also wounded by an arrow, so he had to recuperate in Chang'an for the time being. Therefore, the arrangements of the Western Expeditionary Army had to be adjusted. Originally, they planned to urge Zhang Fang to lead his troops into Shu immediately, but because of this matter, they had to wait until Zhang Fang had recovered before they could set off again. This process would take anywhere from half a month to a month.

The General Headquarters of the Western Expedition ordered the garrison in Hanzhong to prepare to defend Yangping Pass first. If Yangping Pass fell, they would then defend Nanzheng. As long as Nanzheng remained intact and Liu Xian could not take over the entire defense system of Hanzhong, Zhang Fang could seize the opportunity to move south and launch a pincer attack with the garrison in Nanzheng, potentially defeating Liu Xian in one battle.

When the generals saw the military report and learned of the Western Army's deployment, many of them were in an uproar.

After all, according to the military report, Zhang Fang's army should be preparing to set off now. If he takes the Ziwu Road, his cavalry can reach Hanzhong in ten days at most. If he takes the Tangluo Road or the Baoxie Road, it will only take about twenty days.

It's unrealistic for our side to take over the counties of Hanzhong and completely blockade all the mountain passes in such a short time. And if Zhang Fang's army arrives in Hanzhong and the garrison in Nanzheng fails to capture it, we will indeed be caught in a two-front war. While defeat cannot be guaranteed, it is certainly extremely dangerous.

In this light, Wei Jun's suggestion makes perfect sense. While there is still some time, the safest approach would be to swiftly capture Nanzheng before Zhang Fang's army arrives. With Nanzheng, the largest city in Hanzhong, as a base, they could then gradually seize other cities, forcing Zhang Fang back to Guanzhong. This would be the best strategy.

Unexpectedly, Liu Xian remained calm after reading the military report. He handed the report to his generals and said, "This is nothing to worry about. I dare to assure you all that Zhang Fang will not enter Guanzhong."

However, Liu Xian was vague about the reason. He simply smiled and said, "The King of Hejian wants to drive the tiger into the forest, but he doesn't even consider whether he can still control Zhang Fang with his current prestige."

Regarding this battle report, Liu Xian's focus differed significantly from that of his generals. He wasn't concerned with the so-called military deployments of the Western Expeditionary Army, but rather with the relevant records concerning Zhang Fang.

Liu Xian still vividly remembered the battle with the so-called Tiger Army a month ago. That golden-armored knight had fled so quickly, disappearing almost instantly after a single charge. How could he possibly be injured and need a month to recuperate in Chang'an? The Tiger Army's loss of more than half its strength was even more of a joke; his scouts clearly saw Zhang Fang's army burning, killing, and looting in the surrounding area to impersonate the Tiger Army. It was precisely these records that reassured Liu Xian; he knew that this perfectly confirmed his previous judgment.

Zhang Fang deliberately lost the battle at Xianyang Plain. He exaggerated his injuries to Sima Yong, hoping to lull the Prince of Hejian into a false sense of security and reduce his own danger. However, he then fabricated an arrow wound as a pretext to delay in Guanzhong. This further proves that he had no intention of pursuing him at all, but rather aimed to achieve a greater victory with less effort by catching the Prince of Hejian off guard.

Previously, Liu Xian's biggest question was when Zhang Fang would likely launch his counterattack. Judging from this military report, it should be after the recuperation period ends. During this time, Zhang Fang must have been actively contacting allies and expanding his power. Once the recuperation period ends, no matter how many allies Zhang Fang has found, even if he gains nothing, he will have no choice but to take action.

When two tigers fight, there will inevitably be casualties. It seems the infighting within the Western Expeditionary Army Command will take place within the next few days. Who will win? Who will lose? Liu Xian thought to himself, Zhang Fang's chances of victory lie in this next attack. He must be aiming for Sima Yong; if he succeeds, he will most likely replace Sima Yong. But if he fails, given Sima Yong's stronghold in Guanzhong, he might face some setbacks. However, in the long run, victory still belongs to Sima Yong.

In summary, Liu Xian believed that Zhang Fang had a 30% chance of success, assuming that most of the officers in the Western Expeditionary Army were normal people.

However, this is temporarily irrelevant to Liu Xian. Regardless of who wins, this event is destined to greatly shake the prestige of the Western Expeditionary Army. Re-establishing stable rule is clearly not an easy task. If not handled properly, it could trigger a series of coups, similar to the one in Luoyang. This also makes it difficult for them to proactively intervene in the situation in Hanzhong.

What was there to fear? Unfortunately, Liu Xian lacked concrete evidence to convince the generals. Moreover, in everyone's eyes, that retreating skirmish was a hard-won victory for Zhang Fang, greatly boosting morale. To say that Zhang Fang deliberately retreated would only make the generals more fearful. It was better to keep them in suspense, thus showcasing his brilliant strategy.

Having made up his mind, Liu Xian immediately ordered his army to split into three routes:

One route was led by Liu Shen, with 30,000 troops, and they quickly marched eastward to take over the four counties of Huangjin, Puchi, Xingdao, and Xixiang in eastern Hanzhong.
One force, led by Li Ju, numbered about 20,000 men and first attacked Baozhong and Chenggu counties. After their success, they would return to Yangping Pass to escort the Hedong immigrants stranded in Wudu back into the pass, while also sending scouts northward from the Baoxie Road to gather as much information as possible about the specific movements in Guanzhong.

The last force, led by Liu Xian himself, numbered over ten thousand men and stationed themselves in front of Nanzheng City. Their purpose was to monitor the movements of the Nanzheng garrison, preventing them from making any rash moves, and to oversee the subsequent resettlement of the people of Hedong.

Once the order was given, Liu Xianjun's various units ceased their arguments and immediately began to carry it out.

However, for Liu Xian, this was not merely a simple military operation; he also intended to use it as an opportunity to formally begin consolidating his political offensive in Hanzhong. Before coming, He Pan had advised him to pay attention to both diplomacy and appeasement, as neither could be neglected, and now was precisely the time to begin appeasement.

Before coming to Hanzhong, Liu Xian had a general plan for stabilizing the city. In essence, it boiled down to three things: appeasing the people, attracting talented individuals, and establishing trust.

Regarding the pacification of the people, firstly, there is the ever-present issue of maintaining military discipline. While it's not possible to claim absolute innocence, the local order must at least be maintained. Secondly, the fields and population of Hanzhong should be surveyed and counted as soon as possible to prepare for the coming year's farming. Thirdly, based on this, the immigrants from Hedong should be resettled as quickly as possible, allowing them to live among the local residents and strengthening control over Hanzhong.

To undertake such a large-scale undertaking, it is undoubtedly essential to employ capable individuals. This includes not only the talented people of the Anle Duke's Mansion, but also local talents from Hanzhong, since those who understand the area best are always the local scholars. Therefore, Liu Xian plans to have the local scholars elect county magistrates and officials after taking control of the various townships and counties in Hanzhong, while also recruiting some leaders of the Yong and Qin refugees. In this way, governance under the supervision of the Duke's Mansion will face much less resistance in administration.

The final step, establishing trust, was to instill confidence in Liu Xian among the local people. They needed to believe that Liu Xian was a trustworthy and benevolent ruler, and a wise and capable one. This was precisely what Liu Xian had been striving for. His immediate visit to the Wuhou Temple upon entering Hanzhong was undoubtedly a way of asserting his legitimacy to the local populace.

Next, he planned to fulfill his prior promise and release all the captured Yangping Pass soldiers back to their hometowns. He also intended to use this opportunity to have them serve as his envoys, spreading his policies and reputation throughout Hanzhong.

These matters are of long-term importance, so although Liu Xian delegated these specific tasks to Fu Chang, Lü Quyang, Xi An and others, and took charge of military affairs in the army himself, he still made time every day to inquire about the progress of these civil affairs.

Thus, Liu Xian led his troops to Cuiping Lake, ten miles north of Nanzheng City, and set up camp there. As Liu Xian had predicted, the garrison in Nanzheng County only dared to send out a few scouts to investigate, and dared not launch an attack. Clearly, the garrison commander was following orders from the Western Expeditionary Army Command, intending to hold the city and await reinforcements.

At this moment, the two sides are facing each other across the lake, just like a month ago when Liu Xian confronted the Chang'an garrison at Xianyang Plain. But in reality, the two situations are qualitatively different. Liu Xian does not yet have enough power to quickly control the eight hundred li of Qin Chuan, but he has more than enough power to control the two hundred li of Han Chuan.

Of course, amidst this calm standoff and busy activity, Liu Xian was also waiting for changes in the situation in Guanzhong. Although he had concluded that Hanzhong would not be affected in the short term, any changes to the Western Expeditionary Army, the most powerful force in the land, would ultimately affect the overall situation of the land.

Liu Xian first escaped the vortex of Luoyang, then the vortex of Guanzhong, and now he finally awaits the outcome with a calm mind. He believes that not only him, but all the forces across the four seas and nine provinces are actually waiting for this result.

Following the coup in Luoyang, many local powers were ready to make their move. They simply lacked a suitable opportunity to take center stage. Liu Xian was merely the first power to emerge after Sima Yue's failed coup. The upcoming showdown between Zhang Fang and the Prince of Hejian would likely be that opportunity, tearing away the final veil and allowing those who had been hiding beneath the banner of the Jin dynasty to reveal their true power.

Once thunder and fire collide, the heroes will seize the opportunity to strike. (End of Chapter)