Jinting Han people

Meanwhile, Liu Xian's takeover of Hanzhong affairs has successfully come to an end.

In truth, the Jin dynasty did put considerable effort into managing Hanzhong. Early on, after Sima Zhao destroyed Shu Han, he immediately began relocating the local population to weaken Shu Han's influence. During the reign of Sima Yan, he further divided Yizhou into eight commanderies, establishing Liangzhou with Hanzhong as its capital, thus strengthening Hanzhong's political position. Simultaneously, he relocated some of the gentry who had migrated north with Zhang Lu, reconstructing Hanzhong's power structure. This led Liu Xian to discover, upon entering Hanzhong, that there were many loyal officials and scholars within the commandery who remained devoted to the Jin dynasty.

The current Prefect of Hanzhong, Yan Zuan, is indeed a virtuous official. He pacified the displaced people, encouraged agriculture and sericulture, reclaimed wasteland, and actively defended against bandits, bringing peace to the region. When the household register was checked last year, it was found that the population of the prefecture had gradually increased to nearly 100,000. Although it was no longer as prosperous as it was during the Han Dynasty, it could still be considered a large border prefecture.

Logically speaking, with such popular support, an ordinary person attacking Hanzhong, even if they breached Yangping Pass, would find it difficult to quickly seize territory due to the fortified cities and strongholds of Hanzhong's counties. With the aid of Guanzhong, they would be virtually invincible. Unfortunately, they encountered Liu Xian.

Liu Xian's political offensive was far more aggressive than the people of Hanzhong had imagined.

After Yangping Pass was breached, officials in Hanzhong Prefecture often spread the following message to the people: "Liu Xian is leading the old men of Shu Han back to Hanzhong. He will surely seek revenge for his own reasons. If we do not resist, he will seize your land, plunder your wealth, and kill your people. What will we do then?"

Adding to the losses of over four thousand men in the Battle of Chencang and the capture of three thousand Hanzhong soldiers at Yangping Pass, many civilians with relatives enlisted were filled with a desire for revenge, believing their loved ones had perished. Therefore, before Liu Xian's army reached the city walls, many were prepared to fight to the death.

However, to their surprise, the first to arrive were not Liu Xian's army, but the prisoners from Yangping Pass.

The prisoners, with a sleepwalking expression, recounted their capture to the people of various counties, as well as Liu Xian's latest policies. The lenient conditions they were given were hard for many to believe.

Immediately, some people questioned, "How is this possible? Liu Xian came here to fight for the world, not to sell benevolence and righteousness. This must be a lie!"

One of the prisoners said, "I don't know either, but Anle Gong talked to us about this matter in front of the Wuhou Temple and also swore an oath to Prime Minister Zhuge."

At this point, the dissenters fell silent, and no one could question Liu Xian's sincerity. After all, no one could imagine the Duke of Anle abusing Zhuge Liang's reputation—something even the most absurd ruler wouldn't dare to do.

Sincerity does not guarantee success, and the gentry of the various counties held a skeptical attitude, but at least their hostility had dissipated considerably. When Liu Xian's army arrived at the outskirts of the city, some people began to bypass the local officials and make private contact with Liu Xian's army, and to assess their military discipline.

Two or three days passed, and everything was calm, as if nothing had happened, yet as if everything had. Because of this, the gentry who hadn't made contact with Liu Xianjun became restless and went to discuss the matter with those who had, quietly asking, "So? What Anle Gong said, was it true or false?"

"It's hard to say, there's no result yet." The scholars who had met with him were also very ambiguous in their attitude, not revealing the details of the negotiations, but only remarking, "The military discipline of Duke Anle is truly strict, far superior to that of the Western Army."

"Oh? How exactly would you describe it?"

"To say they wouldn't steal anything might be a bit of an exaggeration, after all, an army of tens of thousands is bound to have some oversights and accidents. But they are indeed first-rate. They buy things from the people instead of robbing them. They set up their own camps and rest instead of living in the people's houses. If there are any cases of assaulting women or robbing people's property, you can go to the army to file a complaint. As long as there is evidence, they will definitely deal with it strictly."

"Is this true?"

"Indeed, more than a dozen veterans have been beheaded by General Li for assaulting women."

"That's truly remarkable! It seems that this Duke Anle has already inherited eight-tenths of Prime Minister Zhuge's true teachings."

Upon hearing this news, the scholars who were already neutral wavered even more. The ability to wield violence is nothing remarkable; everyone will wield a sword and kill. But only those who can restrain violence truly demonstrate their mastery of it.

Furthermore, Liu Xian's army announced that the new county magistrate would be selected within five days, on a first-come, first-served basis. As a result, more and more scholars went to visit Li Ju and Liu Shen, while the soldiers who had been temporarily recruited quietly dispersed at some point.

Seeing this, the county officials knew that the situation was hopeless. There were not many soldiers in the county to begin with, and they mainly relied on the assistance of the local villagers. Now that they had lost their support, any further resistance would only bring shame upon themselves. It would be better to open the city gates.

As a result, the counties surrendered one after another. Except for Nanzheng, all the other counties in Hanzhong fell within five days. On the 24th day of November, when Liu Xian's army was at the gates of Nanzheng, news also came that Xixiang County had surrendered. Liu Xian had basically taken control of all the key roads in Hanzhong Commandery.

As a result, Liu Xian's reputation in Hanzhong soared. Although he did not station himself in Nanzheng City, the Hanzhong gentry flocked to his military camp at Cuiping Lake, forming a long queue. From this perspective, he had effectively become the master of Hanzhong.

The following afternoon, snowflakes drifted down over Hanzhong, turning Cuiping Lake into a snowfield. A thin layer of ice covered both Hanchuan and Cuiping Lake, clearly indicating that the weather had turned cold. However, winters in Hanzhong were much warmer than those in Guanzhong. While the weather was still bearable, the immigrants braved the wind and snow to build houses in the fields. Fu Chang and others were planning the reclamation efforts for a month later, preparing for the next spring.

The long line in front of Liu Xian's camp remained unchanged, with county officials recommended by various counties waiting there for Liu Xian's summons and questioning.

"Excuse me, I have urgent business with the Marshal!"

At this moment, Meng He finally managed to get through the procession and enter Liu Xian's main tent. Liu Lang was reading inside the tent. When he saw Meng He enter, he put away his book before Meng He could even ask him anything, and went to inform Liu Xian in the guest tent about the matter.

After a while, Liu Xian came out of the guest tent and saw Meng He dusting off his cloak. He poured him a cup of hot tea and asked with a smile, "How was it? What was Yan Zuan's reaction?"

Meng He quickly folded his cloak, took the steaming teacup, sat down, and said to Liu Xian, "Brother, Yan Zuan still refuses to surrender."

This news surprised Liu Xian somewhat. He poured himself a bowl of tea and, after settling into bed, asked, "Only Nanzheng remains in the prefecture, yet he still refuses to surrender. Could it be that he is still hoping for Zhang Fang's help?"

In the past few days, Liu Xian had begun negotiations with the garrison of Nanzheng. Although he held an absolute advantage, Liu Xian still did not want to directly engage in battle with the garrison. Firstly, because troops were precious, Liu Xian wanted to minimize casualties. Secondly, the garrison commander, Yan Zuan, was quite popular; if he were to fight him and ultimately kill him, it would likely damage his reputation and hinder future development. Therefore, Liu Xian still wanted to persuade Yan Zuan to surrender, using a peaceful surrender to complete the conquest of Hanzhong. Liu Xian had assumed that once all the other mountain passes were captured, Yan Zuan would surrender. Unexpectedly, when that moment arrived, Yan Zuan was left with only a lone city, and he still refused to surrender.

“That might be one of the reasons,” Meng He said. “However, I think there are other reasons as well.”

"Other reasons?" Upon hearing this, Liu Xian was prepared to listen to what Meng He was about to say, but Meng He hesitated and seemed to have something difficult to say.

"Just say what's on your mind, don't hold back. My headache is my problem too." Liu Xian could roughly guess that Yan Zuan had made a very awkward request, but how awkward could it be? He felt that it could all be resolved.

“Brother, Yan Zuan said that over the years, Qiu Chi has repeatedly led his troops to invade Hanzhong and has also supported several bandit groups in Hanzhong, causing countless disturbances to the people. He has a deep grudge against Qiu Chi. Hearing that you are associating with Qiu Chi, he thinks that this is like a monkey wearing a crown, how could you possibly achieve anything great?”

"So Yan Zuan said that if his brother wanted him to surrender, he would only consider it if his brother first cut off the heads of those bandits."

After hearing Meng He's words, Liu Xian finally understood why Meng He was in such a dilemma.

He had just married A-Die, and Yang Nan-Die had become his brother-in-law—this was common knowledge. Yet Yan Zuan had made this request. If it were carried out, it could very well cast a shadow over the relationship between the two families, and if not handled properly, it could even lead to internal strife. It was better not to mention it at all.

Upon hearing this, Liu Xian took the matter very seriously. After a moment of silence, he asked Meng He, "Is what Yan Zuan said true or false? Why didn't you mention it to me?"

Meng He didn't speak, but silence was also an answer, and Liu Xian already knew what was going on.

Clearly, everyone believed that Yang Nandi's army was a guest force. Liu Xian's two reorganizations of the army in Guanzhong did not include Yang Nandi's Qiuchi army; the two armies were merely allies and could not be treated as a single entity. Furthermore, Yang Nandi was Liu Xian's relative by marriage; if Liu Xian were to speak ill of him, he might find out later and create another enemy. It was better to simply pretend the matter never happened.

After Meng He left, Liu Xian sat alone for a while.

His first thought was relief. Luckily, he hadn't let Yang Nandi lead the troops to persuade them to surrender; otherwise, with his band of bandits, who knows what kind of trouble they would have caused, and this attempt to persuade them to surrender would never have been so successful.

After feeling relieved, Liu Xian's second thought was indeed a headache: should he deal with this matter? The marriage between the two families had only just begun. If he started to rectify things now, wouldn't it give the Yang family the impression of being ungrateful? If it was just for the sake of Nanzheng City, and it ended up causing a rift between the two families, it would clearly be a loss.

However, after careful consideration, Liu Xian still decided to deal with the matter. This was not only for the sake of Nanzheng, but also for the long-term development. Problems, once they exist, will not simply disappear. If they are not addressed early, and are left to become more complex later, the consequences will only worsen. Didn't Marquis Huan of Cai, who refused treatment from Bian Que repeatedly, ultimately die suddenly from his illness? Although he was not Bian Que, the principles of healing and governing a country are the same.

So Liu Xian went to visit Yang Nandi and brought up the matter.

Yang Nandi was indeed very displeased. He said to Liu Xian, "Since ancient times, the way to wage war is to use the greed of the soldiers to inspire their courage. They have had enough fun in peacetime, and then they will fight to the death on the battlefield."

"Huai Chong, what's there to criticize? These people may have some bad habits, but they're top-notch fighters on the battlefield. If you're worried about the deaths in the attack on Nanzheng, then I'll lead the attack and let them be the vanguard. It's better than them dying at the hands of their own people!"

Yang Nandi was about to complain a bit, but before he could finish speaking, he saw Liu Xian staring at him sternly. He rarely saw Liu Xian lose his temper, but now, with just a slight display of his power, it was as if Mount Tai had descended upon him, instantly pressing down on Yang Nandi's chest, making him feel a chill and rendering him speechless.

Once Yang Nandi had straightened his posture, Liu Xian slowly said, "Nandi, we are here to conquer the world, not to be mountain bandits. If you want to continue being the Duke of Qiuchi, I won't stop you. After I conquer Bashu, I will send you silk and money every year, guaranteeing you endless wealth and honor."

"But if you want to fight alongside me to conquer the world, that's absolutely not the case. Of course, we must be fair in rewarding and punishing, but we cannot use greed to control our troops. Emperor Shizu used greed to control his troops back then, and what was the result? Wu Han even robbed his hometown of Nanyang, and even forced his own people, Deng Feng, to rebel, resulting in a year of wasted civil war and tens of thousands of deaths and injuries. What was the point of that?"

"Today we fight for Hanzhong, tomorrow we fight for Chengdu, and then we'll go and fight for Chang'an and Luoyang. When will the world be at peace? Who will trust us? Should we kill all those who are not convinced? That's impossible. We can kill one generation, but we can't kill two. There will always be unsatisfied descendants. Therefore, we must not only conquer the world, but also govern it."

"Emperor Shizu ruled the world by relying on ghosts, gods, and destiny. To be honest, I don't really believe in that. I still believe in the human heart and integrity. Nandi, you need to think clearly about whether you intend to be a fake duke on Qiuchi Mountain or an unparalleled general like Yang Hu or Guan Yu in this life."

Liu Xian's attitude was so firm that after he finished speaking, Yang Nandi, a man eight feet tall, was speechless. After a long while, he finally raised his head, spread his hands, and said in a tone of surrender, "Huai Chong, there are about a thousand people here, old and young. We can't kill them all, can we?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Xian let out a long sigh, knowing that the other party had already compromised, and immediately smiled and said, "There's no need for that."

Yang Nandi then handed over the refugee leaders Deng Ding and dozens of others, including the Hongdi. Liu Xian summoned the surrounding people, personally oversaw their executions, and then gave the order to have them beheaded and their heads displayed on flags. The people of Nanzheng were overjoyed at the sight, and decorated the streets with lanterns and colorful banners to celebrate. Afterwards, Liu Xian ordered that these criminals be given a proper burial and that their families and clans be given gold and silk to appease the people.

Upon hearing this, Yan Zuan couldn't help but sigh to the heavens: "Liu Huaichong is truly a democrat! Such a person was born; is the fate of the Jin dynasty sealed?"

Yan Zuan was not the kind of blindly loyal person who would die for his country. The reason he was unwilling to surrender before was partly due to his hostility towards Yang Nandi, and partly because he did not want his ancestors' decision [1] to be disgraced in the end. But now that things had come to this, he finally made up his mind, led the 10,000 garrison troops in the city, sent white banners as hostages, and surrendered to Liu Xian.

This day was the eleventh month of the third year of Tai'an, the day of Gui Chou. Liu Xian led his army to officially enter Nanzheng, and Hanzhong Prefecture, which had basically never experienced the smoke of war, fell completely into Liu Xian's hands.

[1] Yan Zuan's grandfather was Yan Pu, Zhang Lu's strategist. Yan Pu was the biggest driving force behind Zhang Lu's choice of Cao Cao over Liu Bei. Therefore, Yan Zuan felt that surrendering to Liu Xian would subject his family to attacks from two or three traitors. (End of Chapter)