Jinting Han people

On this day, a light snow fell in Chang'an.

Snowflakes fell, melting into dew as soon as they touched the ground. The Wei River continued to flow quietly, but a layer of white frost, like rock candy, had already formed on the reeds along its banks, a sign that the river was about to freeze. The merchants of Chang'an, however, had already keenly sensed this, and they brought in cartloads of charcoal from outside the city, piling them up like mountains in the northern market.

This was an essential annual expense for the people of Chang'an, and the citizens of Chang'an were used to it. The streets were filled with people stockpiling charcoal. Small families would go to the market and fill sacks with loose charcoal, while large families would negotiate directly with caravans to arrange for carts and horses to transport it to their residences.

Therefore, no one found it strange when a caravan loaded with charcoal appeared in front of Liu Cong's residence.

The group dismounted, covered in a layer of black mud from their journey. The saddlecloths of their horses were smeared with this mud, as were their trousers and boots. The two leaders removed their boots and tossed them at the doorway before rushing into the warm house and sitting on the fur-lined floor. Strangely, these two seemed very familiar with Liu Cong, and began addressing him as brothers. Meanwhile, Liu Can, renowned in Chang'an for his martial prowess, was serving them milk and food.

It turned out that the visitors were none other than Liu Jing, the Right Yulu King of the Five Xiongnu Tribes, and Huyan Yi, the chief commander. According to blood relations, Liu Jing was Liu Yuan's cousin, and Huyan Yi was Liu Cong's brother-in-law. Therefore, Liu Cong addressed both of them as elder brothers.

Liu Jing looked around at the furnishings in Liu Cong's room, then touched the silk clothes Liu Cong was wearing, and praised, "Xuanming, you're doing well in Chang'an! You're even wearing this outfit."

Then he laughed heartily at Liu Can, who was standing to the side, and said, "Shiguang, good lad, I heard you've improved a lot and can now fight on the battlefield, making a name for yourself!"

Liu Can was quite pleased to hear this, but given his arrogant personality, he still took the initiative to toast Liu Jing, saying, "What are you saying, Uncle? Most of my martial arts skills were taught by you personally, and I owe it all to you."

“The student surpasses the master!” Liu Jing pinched Liu Can’s arm and said to Liu Cong, who was sitting at the head of the table, half-jokingly, “Xuanming, you haven’t stayed in this glamorous world for too long and don’t want to go back to our Five Xiongnu tribes, have you?”

Liu Cong laughed and replied, "What are you saying, Third Brother? No matter how prosperous Chang'an is, can it be more prosperous than Luoyang? I can even give up Luoyang, let alone Chang'an. Nowhere can compare to my own home!"

"Haha, so it seems Xuanming has some understanding of Buddhism. Neither Chang'an nor Luoyang can tempt you!"

"Third brother, you are mistaken. Seeing such a prosperous world, of course I am tempted, but I am tempted by something else."

"What heart?"

"One day, we will serve you, my lord, and sweep across Luoyang and Chang'an, making this picturesque land ours! Then, won't we be able to have both?"

Upon hearing this, everyone burst into laughter. Liu Jing slapped his thigh and said, "Xuanming, what ambition! Now our five tribes of Xiongnu number nearly a million, truly a wealth of talent! It's just a pity that we're leaderless, and even fewer have any ambition! Many of our people only dream of becoming independent. And our old uncle keeps telling us that he wants you to be some kind of Huhanye Chanyu, isn't that ridiculous?"

The old uncle Liu Jing mentioned is Liu Xuan, currently the oldest man among the Xiongnu. He was the youngest son of Qiangqu, the Chanyu of the Southern Xiongnu at the end of the Han Dynasty, and the youngest brother of Yufuluo Chanyu. He was already 120 years old, a veritable living fossil of the Xiongnu. This Liu Xuan lived through the entire history of the late Han Dynasty, the Three Kingdoms period, the unification of the Western Jin Dynasty, and even received a personal audience with Emperor Wu of Jin, Sima Yan. Although he did not accomplish any major feats, Liu Xuan's age alone is enough to make him a legend.

Liu Jing's disrespectful attitude towards Liu Xuan quickly aroused Hu Yanyi's dissatisfaction, who rebuked him: "Sanlang, how can you speak like that? After all, Uncle is a pillar of the clan, you should at least show some respect."

Liu Jing dismissed it, saying, "He's just an old man who lived a long life. He hasn't done anything special. What's there to care about?"

Huyan Yi retorted, "How dare you! Even the Left Wise King wouldn't dare say such a thing, so what merit do you have?"

"You may not have it now, but you will naturally have it when you fight for the Left Wise King in the future!"

The atmosphere in the room became tense for a moment, but Liu Cong reached out to stop them, calming them down. He then took the initiative to offer a toast to ease the tension, saying:

"Why has it come to this? Talking about this now is a bit too far ahead. The most urgent thing is to talk about how to extricate ourselves."

It turned out that Liu Jing and his party had come after receiving a message from Liu Cong. Liu Cong claimed that he intended to leave the Western Expeditionary Army and return to the Five Tribes of the Xiongnu, and needed someone to look after him. So he used the same trick as before, planning to have his clansmen disguise themselves as merchants and come to Chang'an to meet him, just like he did in Luoyang.

At this moment, Huyan Yi asked, "Xuanming, when do you plan to leave Chang'an? What is the situation on the Western Expeditionary Army's side? Will it affect the overall situation?"

From the very beginning, the five Xiongnu tribes did not support Liu Cong's arrival in Chang'an. After all, at this time, the Left Wise King Liu Yuan was still in Ye City. If the Western Expeditionary Army and the Northern Expeditionary Army clashed, the King of Chengdu might become suspicious of Liu Yuan and then imprison and kill him.

But now that Liu Cong has established a connection with the King of Hejian, everyone's thinking has changed. Especially now, the Western Army has already made a name for itself and is recognized as the strongest army in the world. They think, since they've come all this way, they can't come away empty-handed. At the very least, they have to be prepared and not needlessly anger the Western Expeditionary Army Command and invite enemies for the Five Xiongnu Tribes.

Faced with such a difficult problem, Liu Cong remained calm and composed. He simply smiled faintly, raised his wine glass, and said, "Brother, please rest assured, I have made arrangements and should be able to leave smoothly. The reason I asked you to come and take care of me is mainly because manpower is sometimes limited, and we always need to make extra preparations in case of unforeseen circumstances."

What arrangements have you made?

“I submitted a memorial to the King of Hejian, stating that we Xiongnu people are willing to serve as his vanguard and assist him in attacking the Northern Expeditionary Army.”

"Xuanming, are you insane!" Upon hearing this, both men were greatly shocked. Huyan Yi immediately stood up and accused him, "Do you know what you're doing? Have you wasted your time studying the Classic of Filial Piety? The Left Wise King is still in Ye City!" But Liu Cong remained calm in the face of such accusations. He quietly poured himself a cup of wine and then smiled, "Brother, what are you thinking? I was just submitting a memorial, how could I really do that? I just want a pretext to return to Bingzhou with a clear conscience."

"And what will happen after we return to Bingzhou? Are you going to turn your back on the Western Expeditionary Army and deny everything?"

"Ha, isn't this inevitable? Sooner or later, there will be a major battle between the Western Army and the Northern Army, and Father is in Ye City. Can we just stand by and watch?"

Huyan Yi and the others were taken aback, but then had to admit that Liu Cong's words made perfect sense. The five Xiongnu tribes were located in Bingzhou, which was between Guanzhong and Hebei. If a conflict broke out between the two, they would inevitably have to choose one side to submit to. At this point, trying to remain uninvolved was nothing short of wishful thinking.

Liu Jing sighed, "What a pity. In that case, Xuanming, you've come all this way for nothing."

"How could it be a wasted trip? It was clearly very fruitful!" Liu Cong put down his cup, slowly rose, and strolled out of the main room. He returned shortly after, this time carrying several scrolls. Liu Cong unfurled the scrolls and smiled at the two men, "Look, the geography of the eight hundred li of the Guanzhong Plain is all here!"

Liu Jing and Huyan Yi exchanged a glance, then quickly opened the scrolls to look at them, and were overjoyed. It turned out that these scrolls depicted maps of all the prefectures of Yongzhou!

Liu Cong continued, "During my time in Chang'an, I not only obtained maps from the military headquarters, but also made many connections in Guanzhong. Although they may not necessarily be of use to us in the future, as long as we know ourselves and our enemy, these connections may come in handy when we raise an army in the future."

Upon hearing this, Hu Yanyi was filled with admiration, and Liu Jing also praised Liu Cong repeatedly, saying, "Xuanming, in my opinion, among your generation of brothers, you are the most like the Master! The Master is getting old, and in the future, the position of Great Chanyu will have to be yours!"

"Hey, what are you saying, Third Brother!" Liu Cong showed a reproachful expression, but a smile still lingered in the corner of his affectionate eyes. He said, "There are seven brothers in our family. Who doesn't look like an adult? I'm just the most ordinary one."

Upon hearing this, everyone present laughed. It was a generally accepted fact that Liu Cong was the most outstanding among Liu Yuan's seven sons: the eldest, Liu He, although tall and dignified, was aloof and not good at socializing; the second, Liu Gong, was gentle but lacked ambition; the fourth, Liu Yu, and the fifth, Liu Long, were also capable, skilled in judging cases and caring for the people, but unfortunately not good at military affairs and ill-suited to this chaotic world; the seventh, Liu Yi, was too young and could not possibly inherit the position of Chanyu.

Therefore, among all of Liu Yuan's sons, only Liu Cong was capable of achieving great things. He was not only handsome and dashing, like a refined young gentleman, but also skilled in both literature and martial arts, possessing profound strategic acumen, making him the most capable of accomplishing great things. Otherwise, why would Liu Yuan have sent Liu Cong to Luoyang as a hostage among all his sons? Liu Cong thus always considered himself Liu Yuan's true successor. However, regardless of the circumstances, Liu Cong was not the eldest son, and whether he could inherit the title of Xiongnu Chanyu was a matter for the distant future.

As luck would have it, on the very second day after Liu Jing and his entourage arrived, a messenger from the Western Expeditionary Army Command summoned Liu Cong to the Prince of Hejian's residence. Liu Cong immediately put aside all his affairs, mounted his horse, and followed the messenger to the Prince's residence.

The Prince of Hejian's residence was none other than the former Prince of Zhao's residence, which Sun Xiu had renovated. However, after Sima Yong moved in, he found Sun Xiu's construction too extravagant and felt that renovations would be a waste of money, so he left it untouched and moved in directly. Therefore, when Liu Cong entered, he could still see the altar, meditation room, and temple that Sun Xiu had overseen the construction of. However, due to Sima Yong's long period of disuse, they were covered with withered dust and weeds, and had long since fallen into disrepair.

Sima Yong was indeed a frugal member of the imperial clan. His vast palace occupied only half of the original Zhao Prince's residence. As could be seen on the way there, the palace had very few servants and maids, almost indistinguishable from that of a third-rate gentry.

After searching the weapons, Liu Cong finally met Sima Yong, the Prince of Hejian, who was alone in his room reading military reports, looking irritable. But upon hearing that Liu Cong had arrived, his impatience vanished, replaced by a friendly expression, and he beckoned, saying, "Xuanming, you've finally arrived."

He had clearly thought through the details, and without exchanging many pleasantries with Liu Cong, he went straight to the point: "Xuanming submitted a memorial saying that we can bring in five Xiongnu tribes as our reinforcements. Is this true?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Cong immediately knelt down and said, "With Your Highness's divine martial prowess and virtuous character, you have quelled the rebellion in the capital region and pacified the unruly people in Guanzhong. All the wise men in the world look to you for guidance, let alone us, the people beyond the reach of civilization. I have read some classics and know the words 'loyalty' and 'filial piety.' Whatever Your Highness commands, I will obey without question."

Since Liu Cong joined the Western Expeditionary Army, he had always been completely obedient to Sima Yong. Therefore, although this flattery was rather mediocre, Sima Yong did not find it abrupt or incongruous. He was simply wondering why Liu Cong, who had always blended in with the crowd and neither did anything inactive, would now volunteer for a mission.

Such questions usually indicate a desire for reward. Therefore, Sima Yong first feigned great joy, exchanging compliments with Liu Cong for a while, and then tentatively asked, "If Xuanming performs meritorious service for me, what would he desire?"

Liu Cong lowered his eyes and said, "Your Highness, I am only the third among my peers. According to common sense, I should not be able to inherit the position of Chanyu..."

This answer immediately put Sima Yong at ease. If Liu Cong was only after power and profit, then everything made sense. He smiled and promised, "Xuanming, what are you saying? With your talent, you are more than qualified to be the Great Chanyu of the Five Tribes. I will immediately write an edict appointing you as the Commandant of the Five Tribes, overseeing the military affairs of the Five Xiongnu tribes. After the matter is accomplished and you have rendered meritorious service, I will appoint you as the Great Chanyu of the Five Tribes. Who will have any objections then!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Cong was immediately moved to tears, and said to Sima Yong, "Your Highness's kindness in recognizing and recognizing my talent is something I don't know how to repay! For Your Highness's great cause, my father and I are willing to do anything, even sacrifice our lives, to ensure Your Highness's long life!"

Liu Cong, already handsome, was now weeping uncontrollably, repeatedly calling Sima Yong "Long live the Emperor," treating him as if he were the emperor himself. Sima Yong, of course, was delighted. Seeing Liu Cong's tears, the last trace of suspicion in his heart vanished. He quickly helped Liu Cong up and then sighed, "Scholars are often deceitful. Perhaps a simple and honest man like Xuanming is the true loyal minister!"

Having said that, he took out the edict he had prepared beforehand, made some minor additions and alterations at the end, stamped it with his seal, and handed it to Liu Cong, solemnly instructing him: "I hope Xuanming will not disappoint me like Zhang Fang did."

Liu Cong's heart skipped a beat, but he repeatedly agreed, maintaining a grateful expression on his face. The imperial edict was then slowly withdrawn. After leaving the residence, he was in high spirits, for according to plan, he had achieved his goal and could now pack his bags and prepare to leave Chang'an.

On his way out of the mansion, he bumped into Yan Ding, the military advisor. The two were not acquainted and did not greet each other, but Liu Cong clearly saw Yan Ding leading several strangely dressed figures wearing veils and bamboo hats towards Sima Yong. Seeing the group's hurried manner, Liu Cong was extremely puzzled. What were they doing? He thought of the recent situation in Chang'an and, as if sensing something, tugged at his sleeve, a peculiar smile appearing on his lips.

It seems Zhang Fang has pushed Sima Yong too far. Is the Prince of Hejian finally losing his temper and going to make the first move against Zhang Fang? (End of Chapter)