Jinting Han people

After dealing with Liu Cong's matter, Sima Yong still had a lot of other things to do.

This is largely Liu Xian's fault. Although in terms of troop strength, Liu Xian did not inflict too many serious casualties on the Western Expeditionary Army during the autumn campaign, the two sides clashed repeatedly over the past two months, but it remained a stalemate. While the fighting was fierce, the actual number of casualties was not large. In total, out of the Western Expeditionary Army's 170,000 troops, the losses did not exceed 20,000, and some of these losses came from the insignificant Liangzhou army, making the casualties even smaller.

But this is only on the surface. From a deeper perspective, the damage Liu Xian inflicted on the Western Expeditionary Army was fundamental.

First, the entire Guanzhong military defense system was destroyed. The Yongzhou army, tasked with guarding against the Shuofang barbarians in the north, had largely defected to Liu Xian; Hedong Commandery and Luoyang fell under the control of the Northern Expeditionary Army, significantly increasing the pressure on the Western Expeditionary Army in the east; and Liu Xian planned to establish a foothold in Bashu in the south, first capturing Chencang and then launching a fierce attack on Hanzhong. Thus, the once impregnable Guanzhong region was now in a precarious situation, surrounded on three sides. Sima Yong had to find a way to readjust his forces and salvage the situation.

But this was not the most troublesome matter. The most troublesome thing was Liu Xian's destruction of the Weibei administrative system.

Within a single month, Liu Xian, with an entirely irresponsible attitude, dismantled all the county-level organizations of the Western Expeditionary Army in Weibei, and simultaneously returned all the taxes levied on these counties to the people. To the politically naive populace, this might seem incredibly benevolent, but in a well-functioning government, it was a disaster. Because, throughout history, the administration, taxation, and organization of any government are fundamental.

Now, Sima Yong's attempt to rebuild the county governments presents him with a major challenge: whether to reclaim the taxes distributed by Liu Xian. While this is theoretically justifiable, it would create a stark contrast in the minds of the people of Guanzhong, suggesting that Liu Xian cares for his people while the Prince of Hejian has abandoned them. If instigated by certain individuals, this could easily trigger unnecessary unrest.

Because the Western Expeditionary Army failed to defeat Liu Xian and instead allowed him to withdraw smoothly, the dismissed county and prefectural officials began to doubt and waver in their faith in Sima Yong's rule. Previously, they might have been encouraged by the victory in Luoyang and obeyed Sima Yong's every command, but now they might become hesitant. Coupled with the various problems arising from the military conflict, Sima Yong was left with a mountain of headaches.

However, most problems could be solved by Sima Yong. Time is always the best healer; as long as the government offices in each prefecture and county were rebuilt, people would forget about this year as time passed, and habit would make everything seem natural again.

However, there was only one troublesome matter that had become urgent and that Sima Yong had no choice but to deal with.

"Your Highness, Chief Secretary Yan has arrived," a servant announced from outside the door.

Then Yan Ding strode in, preparing to bow, but Sima Yong waved his hand, quickly stopping him. After Yan Ding sat down, a gloomy light appeared in his eyes, and he leaned forward, asking in a low voice, "What exactly did Zhang Fang say?"

Yan Ding said, "Your Highness, Marshal Zhang said that his illness has not yet been fully recovered and he hopes that you can grant him a few more days."

Upon hearing this, Sima Yong revealed an expression of certainty. He leaned back instead of forward, tapped the mat with his fingers, and sneered, "Still not fully recovered? I think it's your heart that's not fully healed! A letter came from Hanzhong, Liu Xian is probably already at Yangping Pass. Is he still going to Hanzhong or not!"

He had harbored resentment over this matter for a long time. According to the original plan, Zhang Fang should have left Guanzhong long ago. But now, Zhang Fang, using a defeat and an injury as an excuse, has stayed in Chang'an, showing no signs of leaving and frequently taking opportunities to meet with his former subordinates. What he was up to might have seemed unclear at first, but now everyone could see it. He was only using this as an excuse to stay in Guanzhong and force Sima Yong to relinquish power.

What infuriated Sima Yong was that Zhang Fang's intentions were so obvious. Yet, many people in Chang'an still disregarded their own feelings and actively sought to contact Zhang Fang. In their eyes, who was truly in charge of the Western Expeditionary Army?
The problem, however, was that Sima Yong couldn't launch an attack on Zhang Fang. Ultimately, it stemmed from Zhang Fang's lackluster performance in dealing with Liu Xian's offensive. It's important to understand that Liu Xian was leading mostly newly recruited soldiers this year, while Zhang Fang was facing the seasoned elite troops of Luoyang. The two were worlds apart, which further enhanced Zhang Fang's prestige and won the hearts of the generals in Guanzhong.

These past few days, Sima Yong had been constantly anxious, as if an invisible worm was gnawing at his flesh. With each passing moment, he felt himself growing weaker and more isolated. He had no time to think about Hanzhong and Liu Xian; only the name Zhang Fang occupied his mind.

Yan Ding was well aware of this. It was originally his idea to bring Zhang Fang into the pass, and now it was his turn to offer a solution. Therefore, he quickly stated, "Your Highness, it seems that this vicious tiger, Zhang Fang, must be eliminated. If we let him live any longer, he will probably devour everyone."

Upon hearing this, Sima Yong immediately perked up and said, "What brilliant plan do you have, Your Excellency? Speak quickly!"

Regardless, Sima Yong trusted Yan Ding to a certain extent. Firstly, Yan Ding was someone Sima Yong had personally promoted and often devised schemes against Zhang Fang; secondly, Sima Yong had informants specifically monitoring Zhang Fang, and he had a list of who Zhang Fang met in his hospital room each day and how many people there were. Aside from being ordered to check on Zhang Fang's injuries, Yan Ding never contacted Zhang Fang, which undoubtedly reassured Sima Yong.

Yan Ding looked around to make sure no one else was there, then whispered to himself, "Your Highness, I think we can start with Zhang Fang's illness."

"The illness?" Sima Yong frowned slightly.

“Yes.” Yan Ding said, “You should know that after Zhang Fang said that after the arrow was removed, the wound developed sores and he could not be exposed to the wind for a while. Therefore, he could not meet people directly. Every day when someone came to visit him, he would pull a black veil over his bed so that no one could see his wound.”

"That's how it is." Sima Yong nodded slightly, then said sarcastically, "At first I thought he was seriously injured and couldn't show his face in public. Now it seems that this beast is deliberately using this as an excuse to delay his journey south, trying to turn the tables on me."

"Yes, but if that's the case, doesn't this give Your Highness a reason?"

"reason?"

“Since he is injured, and he claims it’s so serious, why doesn’t Your Highness use this as an excuse to give him medicine?” Yan Ding first glanced at the Prince of Hejian, then lowered his eyes and slowly said, “You are the ruler, and he is the subject. It is only natural for a ruler to give medicine to his subject. Why not just poison him and say that he died of illness? Who could say that would be wrong?”

"A brilliant plan! A brilliant plan!" Upon hearing this, Sima Yong slapped the table repeatedly, feeling that it was very feasible. However, after a moment's thought, he felt that something was amiss. He quickly found some loopholes and calmed down, saying, "However, there are some loopholes, and it is not quite appropriate."

"Oh? Why?" "Zhang Fang is currently resting in the military camp, surrounded by tens of thousands of soldiers. How can we make him drink the medicine willingly? If he is wary and sends someone to test the medicine first, and finds it poisonous and refuses to drink it, such a lawless beast will surely use this as an excuse to start an uprising. In this way, we will not only fail to kill Zhang Fang, but also give him a pretext."

Yan Ding had not expected the King of Hejian to react so quickly. Fortunately, he had thought about this matter for a long time and had considered many details. He then said with a smile, "Your Highness is truly wise. This is precisely the key to this plan."

"How to say?"

"Your Highness may or may not be wary of the medicine Your Highness bestows. If he drinks it, that would be ideal. If he doesn't, it would be an excellent opportunity to get someone close to Zhang Fang. Then, you could send a loyal follower to infiltrate the group distributing the medicine and kill Zhang Fang with a single blow. Wouldn't that be a wonderful thing?"

"This..." King Hejian hesitated slightly, after all, this might incite a mutiny.

Yan Ding insisted, "Your Highness, Zhang Fang's troops are tyrannical. How could he possibly win the hearts of the people? If we kill him, he has no brothers or children. Who will seek justice for him? Who will avenge him? Nothing will happen."

Sima Yong pondered for a long time before saying, "But Zhang Fang is no ordinary person. He used to be able to kill people in battle. Even if he is injured, it is not certain that we can take him down smoothly, right?"

“Therefore, we need to select them carefully!” Yan Ding said, “Your Highness, I have already selected several strong men for you. They are waiting outside the door now. Would you like to take a look at them in person?”

Sima Yong nodded and said, "Alright, let's take a look."

Yan Ding immediately got up and went out, quickly bringing the five people to the door. However, what puzzled Sima Yong was that these five people were wearing veils and bamboo hats, and their faces were not visible. Yan Ding explained, "We are afraid that Zhang Fang has spies in the mansion. Just in case, we have to do this to avoid being recognized at the last minute, otherwise it will be difficult to accomplish anything great."

The King of Hejian nodded and ordered his guards to search the place as usual. After confirming that no one was carrying any weapons, he let the men in, closed the door, and ordered the guards to leave temporarily to make sure no one was paying attention.

The sky was already dim, and after the door was closed, the room became even more indistinct. Only the light from the charcoal fire in the brazier and the candles on either side cast flickering shadows of the group. Sima Yong looked around and noticed that the five people who had entered were all tall and burly, and couldn't help but ask Yan Ding, "What are the backgrounds of these people? What are their abilities?"

Yan Ding earnestly said, "Don't worry, these men are all handpicked from the local Hu people. Each one of them can fight tigers and wolves! They have no connection with the army, don't speak Chinese, and won't leak any secrets. I can guarantee that Zhang Fang won't hear a thing. Pick one of them, infiltrate the ranks, and hide a knife. If Zhang Fang doesn't take the medicine, they will strike first and surely kill him!"

Upon hearing this, Sima Yong could find no fault with it, and he sighed, "Among all the ministers, only the Censor understands my intentions!"

Having said that, he rose to examine the five strong men before him. One by one, they removed their bamboo hats, and Sima Yong, holding a candle, looked at each one. These men were either leopard-like with piercing eyes, or had long eyes and broad jaws; some had murderous expressions, others were wooden-faced—none of them seemed ordinary. However, when he reached the last man, he saw that the man had disheveled hair, a thick beard, and his features were barely visible, yet his posture was extremely relaxed, and his demeanor extremely at ease, as if he didn't consider himself a king. Moreover, he vaguely felt that the man was somewhat familiar.

He stopped abruptly, intending to squint and raise the candlelight to examine the man more closely, but the other man grabbed his right hand firmly and sneered, "Your Highness, it's been a long time!"

Upon hearing this, Sima Yong immediately recognized the other party's identity. He was so terrified that he forgot to speak. He subconsciously tried to look at Yan Ding, but was instead lifted up like a chick and had his neck grabbed by one hand. At this point, he couldn't utter a single word.

This person was none other than Zhang Fang, who should have been lying in the military camp!
In an instant, countless questions arose in Sima Yong's mind: Why was Zhang Fang here? He clearly had spies around; Zhang Fang must have reported back before leaving the camp. Had he gotten involved with Yan Ding? And when did this happen?
He couldn't find an answer. This once-powerful vassal king, who had dominated the nine provinces, could now only struggle futilely in Zhang Fang's hands. Zhang Fang, unable to bear seeing his old lord die an unjust death, chuckled kindly and explained:

"Hahaha, Your Highness, you're quite confused, aren't you? Actually, I, Zhang Fang, have never been injured. The one lying in the military camp is just a substitute I found to distract you."

The implication is that Zhang Fang had pulled off a clever maneuver during this period, causing Sima Yong to misjudge the situation from the start. On the surface, he was recruiting old troops in the military camp, but in reality, he was personally contacting various parties in Chang'an.

Zhang Fang was extremely pleased with himself. He gripped Sima Yong's neck, feeling the other's resistance growing weaker and weaker, and continued to mock him:
"You didn't expect that, Your Highness? You thought I, Zhang Fang, was a fox, only good at a little bit of cleverness, right? Actually, you're wrong. I, Zhang Fang, am a snake, haha, I've always been incredibly bold. No matter how big the prey is, even if it bursts my belly, I'll swallow it whole!"

Having said this, the King of Hejian lost his last breath. This renowned and virtuous king of the Jin dynasty, filled with disbelief and resentment, was easily broken by Zhang Fang, like a fragile blade of grass.

Yan Ding didn't even glance at his lord again. He simply said to Zhang Fang in a very cold tone, "Marshal, the matter is settled. It's time to clean up the mess."

Zhang Fang threw the Prince of Hejian to the ground and said with a smile, "It's a small matter, a small matter. Everything will proceed according to the plan of the Minister of the Interior."

As several arrows rang out from the Prince's residence, nearly a thousand soldiers suddenly sprang forth from the surrounding streets and alleys of Chang'an, completely surrounding the Prince's residence. These were all Tiger Knights under Zhang Fang's command. To onlookers, these men should have died a month ago in the battle against Liu Xian's army. However, with Yan Ding's assistance, they had appeared in Chang'an undetected and, under the pretext of expanding their army, occupied part of Chang'an's defenses, finally launching their attack at this moment.

Soon after, Zhang Fang's army in the north of the city also received the signal. They had been stationed north of the Wei River, but now led their troops out of camp and marched directly to the walls of Chang'an. The other armies, unaware of the reason, could only send messengers to report to the Prince of Hejian's court while simultaneously observing the movements of Zhang Fang's forces. The result was predictable: regardless of whether the other armies were loyal to the Prince of Hejian, they received no response. The armies dared not act rashly and ultimately watched helplessly as Zhang Fang took control of many of Chang'an's city gates.

What happened next was something most people could already predict. (End of Chapter)