Jinting Han people

The sky was clear and the winter sun hung high.

West of Jiangzhou City, in the countryside, a dozen or so knights were chasing each other, competing in archery. This garden was originally a training ground for the Shu Han army in its early years. It covered an area of ​​dozens of miles, with a river meandering through it, lush vegetation, and abundant trees. Even in the early winter, it was still green and shady, without much desolation. In addition, various wild animals roamed within, making it an excellent hunting ground.

Surrounding this garden, two or three thousand soldiers were on martial law. Passing through the undulating low hills, one could see spears and halberds gleaming in the distance, and banners fluttering in the air.

Following the dozen or so knights ahead was another troop of mounted followers. Each carried a bow and a banner, cheering and shouting encouragement. Hundreds of fine horses galloped down the hillside, kicking up dust and mud, their hooves sounding like a never-ending tide, crossing a stream and splashing water everywhere. Birds in the forest were startled into flight like clouds, and many rabbits and deer scattered in panic.

Jiangzhou, which later became Chongqing, was also known as Ba County.

This place is where the many rivers of Sichuan converge, controlling the upper reaches of the Qutang River, and overlooking the Man and Bo tribes; its terrain is strategically important. During the Spring and Autumn Period, the Ba people occupied this area and frequently contended with the powerful Chu state. When Qin acquired this land, its methods of plotting against Chu became even more numerous. Nearly a century ago, Liu Bei entered Shu from here, and later Zhuge Liang led the Jingzhou army to its aid, thus pacifying southern Shu from this point. The three rivers of Dianjiang converge and flow down to the Yu River, which is called the inner river; the main river flows from the Lu and Rong rivers up to Shu County, which is called the outer river. With these two rivers guarding its confluence, the city has become a vital strategic location, the gateway to Ba and Shu.

The present-day Jiangzhou City was personally supervised by Li Yan, a key minister of the Shu Han state. Surrounded by water on three sides—the Inner River to the north, the Outer River to the south, and overlooking the Yangtze River to the east—it was only accessible via the Fotu Pass on the west side, truly a strategically important location. Therefore, it was once considered one of the four major towns of Shu Han, along with Hanzhong, Yong'an, and Weixian. After losing Chengdu, Luo Shang also decided to relocate here as his base.

A year ago, Luo Shang fell for Li Xiong's ruse and launched an attack on Picheng, resulting in a crushing defeat for Li Xiong. Li Xiong then divided his forces into two routes, personally leading one to ambush Luo Shang while ordering Li Xiang to attack Jianwei County from the other, cutting off Luo Shang's supply lines. As a result, the situation in Chengdu deteriorated rapidly, forcing Luo Shang to abandon the city and flee with his remaining troops to Jiangyang.

At that time, Luo Shang was in dire straits. Although he had some troops left, he was short of food, and the few remaining counties were fragmented and disorganized. If Li Xiong hadn't also run out of food and been unable to pursue him, Luo Shang's entire army would probably have been wiped out on the spot.

Fortunately, after Luo Shang submitted a memorial to the court explaining his situation, the court promptly granted him the counties of Liangzhou, making him the de facto Grand General of Liang and Yi provinces. At the same time, Liu Hong of Jingzhou proactively sent 150,000 bushels of grain, relieving Luo Shang's immediate crisis. Only then was Luo Shang able to station himself in Jiangzhou, reorganize his troops, and recruit loyal scholars from the Bashu region.

However, as things stand, apart from his old friends and fellow disciples with whom he has a long-standing family relationship, there are not many scholars in Sichuan who are willing to respond to Luo Shang's call.

The main reason for this is that Luo Shang has three major shortcomings.

One reason was his greed. Luo Shang was obsessed with money and repeatedly violated court laws. Previously, when he led troops into Sichuan to quell a rebellion, someone suggested he immediately repatriate the displaced people from the north. Li Te offered him gold and silver, and Luo Shang complied, offending the local populace. After a while, he set his sights on the remaining wealth of the displaced people, intending to block roads, expel them, and plunder their possessions, thus offending the displaced people again. In the end, he gained money, but lost the hearts of the people.

The people thus spread rumors that: "Those whom Shang loves are either wicked or sycophantic; those whom Shang hates are either loyal or upright. He is as rich as the people of Lu and Wei, and his family is as wealthy as the people of the city; he is as greedy as a jackal, and there is no limit to his greed." They also said: "The Shu bandits are still tolerable, but Luo Shang killed me. The General Who Pacifies the West has brought even more disaster."

That would have been fine, since he wasn't the emperor, and even after the rebels were driven into rebellion, the court still had many loyal officials willing to quell the uprising. However, one of Luo Shang's flaws was his narrow-mindedness and terrible temper; he couldn't stand anyone pointing out his faults, and if anyone offended him, he would hold a grudge.

For example, Zuo Si, a general under Luo Shang, was a formidable warrior who had distinguished himself in battle. However, Luo Shang was extremely greedy, not only withholding rewards but also delaying even basic rations. This infuriated Zuo Si, who, in a fit of rage, left a letter cursing Luo Shang before fleeing back to his hometown to observe mourning for his mother. Luo Shang repeatedly ordered him to return, but Zuo Si refused. Finally, Luo Shang, enraged, exclaimed: "Without Zuo Si, can I not win battles?" and ordered Zuo Si's execution. Upon hearing this, Li Xiong's entire army celebrated.

If Zuo Si's death was partly due to his own faults—being too arrogant and unwilling to compromise—then Zhang Xin's death reveals another fatal flaw of Luo Shang: jealousy.

Zhang Xin, the magistrate of Pi County, was once a formidable enemy of Li Xiong. He was known for his impartiality, selflessness in leading troops, and high reputation among the people. Whenever Luo Shang fought against Li Xiong, Zhang Xin would spontaneously come to his aid, causing Li Xiong considerable trouble. However, his reputation also aroused Luo Shang's extreme jealousy. As a result, when Li Xiong led his troops to attack Pi County, Luo Shang remained inactive, leading to Zhang Xin's death in battle.

In summary, Luo Shang's actions have truly chilled the hearts of his generals. As a result, over the years, the situation in the Bashu region has steadily deteriorated, ultimately leading to its current state.

However, Luo Shang was always arrogant and self-important. After suffering such a great loss, his anger was understandable. At this time, his troops had not yet recovered, and the time for a counterattack was not yet ripe. To vent his anger, he could only resort to hunting.

Among the officials of the Jin Dynasty, few were frugal, while many were extravagant. Generally speaking, the most extravagant was the General of the Northern Expeditionary Army. Sima Ying had hundreds of concubines in the Ye Palace, and his gardens were filled with all sorts of rare and exotic animals, such as elephants from Jiaozhou and bamboo bears from Xichuan. The expenses for feeding these pets alone each year were enough to support an army of ten thousand.

Luo Shang, greedy for wealth, whose power, meticulously amassed through plunder in Yizhou, rivaled even the extravagance of Yecheng. Yizhou was renowned for its silk and brocade, so he had colorful flowers and trees planted around the city of Jiangzhou, and then spread colorful embroidery on the ground. This immediately evoked the legendary tale of Shi Chong and Wang Kai's ostentatious display of wealth in Luoyang.

With such extravagance, hunting in the countryside would naturally not be too shabby.

He rode a silver-brown hare, a silver horn bow in his hand, clad in bright yellow armor, a brocade cloak over which his whip was inlaid with jade, and his saddle adorned with pearls. He roared to his men, galloping swiftly against the wind, truly like a god descending to earth. His generals, his elite elite troops, followed his commands, sometimes gathering in one place, sometimes scattering like birds through the mountains. These mere dozen or so men possessed a force no less imposing than a hundred-man cavalry unit.

Startled, a deer rushed out of the woods, looking around in confusion, unsure of what to do. It turned around, leaped over the bushes, and fled towards the distant stream.

"Eldest brother goes to the left, second brother goes to the right!"

The "eldest son" Luo Shang referred to was his eldest son, Luo Yu, the Commandant of the Imperial Carriage, while the "second son" was his second son, Luo Yanshou, the Commandant of the Cavalry. Both had been trained by Luo Shang from a young age and were extremely brave and skilled in battle, often serving as the vanguard in campaigns against Li Xiong.

Upon hearing the order, Luo Yanshou immediately sprang into action, shouting and spurring his horse in pursuit. Luo Yu followed closely behind, carrying only a lasso instead of a bow and arrow, flanking from the other side. Seeing itself surrounded on both sides, the deer unleashed its full potential in its desperate escape, leaping and darting about, sometimes stopping, sometimes leaping, making it difficult to catch for a moment.

Two men were riding alongside Luo Shang, bows drawn, ready to shoot the deer. But Luo Shang immediately held his longbow across his hand, pressing down their arrows and stopping them. He then said, "It's not a tiger. What kind of skill is it to kill it? If you're going to catch it, catch it alive!" The two men were Xiang Fen, the military advisor for pacifying the west, and Zhang Luo, the general in charge of the vanguard. Both were famous generals under Luo Shang.

Luo Shang and his group, being numerous and powerful, reached the stream and firmly surrounded the deer. A dozen or so magnificent warhorses snorted and circled the deer, raising dust and splashing water. The deer was terrified, unsure where to go, jumping left and right, making Luo Shang laugh heartily.

Luo Yu caught up, threw the lasso in his hand, and ran towards the deer's neck. The deer, however, widened its eyes, twisted its antlers, and escaped to the other side. Everyone exclaimed, "What a pity!"

Just then, seven or eight men simultaneously drew their bows. Before they could even fire, an arrow silently struck the deer's hind leg. The deer, in its leap, lost its balance and fell to the ground. The crowd cheered and turned to see that the archer was a man in his early twenties, of unremarkable appearance. He wore ordinary blue military attire, used a black bow, and fired common hunting arrows. He rode a blue-maned horse. Seeing the arrow strike the deer, he quickly spurred his horse forward, dismounted with the grace of a gust of wind, grabbed the deer by the leg, and effortlessly lifted it up.

This deer weighed about two hundred pounds. A living creature is different from a dead one; if it struggled fiercely, it would be harder to lift than a five-hundred-pound stone. Yet this man lifted it with one hand, effortlessly. Seeing his incredible strength, the crowd was even more impressed and exclaimed in unison, "General Qiao, what martial prowess!"

He rode back to Luo Shang, dropped his bow and arrows, dismounted again, and presented Luo Shang with a deer antler in one hand and a deer leg in the other, saying, "I was reckless and injured the deer's leg with my arrow. Please don't blame me, Uncle."

Luo Shang reined in his horse, dismounted, and quickly helped the man up, saying, "Nephew Qiao, why be so modest? Shooting a deer is most difficult when it comes to the legs. You were able to capture it alive without harming its life. You can say that you are the bravest among us!"

Upon hearing this, everyone echoed in agreement, except for Luo Shang's son, Luo Yu, whose smile seemed somewhat forced. After all, compared to this man, he had just failed to catch a deer, making him appear rather embarrassed.

The young man was named Qiao Deng, the grandson of Qiao Zhou, a famous minister of the Shu Han state. Upon hearing Luo Shang's praise, he released the deer, removed his hunting arrow, and let it limp away. The crowd was puzzled to see him release his prey, and then heard him say, "What use is bravery if one cannot avenge one's father?"

"Uncle, I intend to bid you farewell and head to Jingzhou to request reinforcements from the Duke of Xuancheng."

Qiao Deng's words immediately caused everyone's expression to change. Six months prior, Qiao Deng's father, Qiao Xian, had been killed by Ma Tuo, a subordinate of Li Xiong. He had come to join Luo Shang seeking revenge. For the past six months, he had repeatedly requested permission to fight, but Luo Shang had consistently declined, citing the army's incomplete preparations and insisting he wait. Now, his departure from Luo Shang was tantamount to expressing doubt about Luo Shang's ability to avenge his father and his loyalty to the court.

Luo Shang's face flushed red and then turned pale, caught off guard by Qiao Deng's sudden question. If it were anyone else, he would probably have already flew into a rage. But since the fall of Shu Han, the Qiao clan of Bazhou had become the most powerful clan in Bashu, and Qiao Zhou was also the teacher of his adoptive father, Luo Xian. From any perspective, he couldn't do without Qiao Deng's support, and he certainly couldn't afford to lose his temper with him. So he forced a smile and said, "Nephew, your eagerness for revenge is commendable, as is your loyalty and filial piety, but there's no need to be in such a hurry."

"How can I not be anxious to avenge my father?"

Luo Shang said earnestly, "Jingzhou is in great turmoil and has just been pacified. It is unlikely that many troops can be mobilized in a short period of time. Nephew, it will take at least half a year, or even several years, before there will be any results. By then, the situation in Shu may have changed drastically, and Nephew will have missed the opportunity to take revenge."

"The situation has changed drastically?" Many people were puzzled by this, since Li Xiong had established the country and the nation was thriving. How could there be any change in the situation?
Luo Shang hesitated slightly. He didn't want to expose this matter, but he valued Qiao Deng so much that he didn't want to let him slip out of his control. Finally, he sighed, took out a letter from his sleeve, and handed it to Qiao Deng, saying, "Nephew, take a look at this letter first."

Qiao Deng was completely baffled, but after receiving the letter, his face immediately showed a look of utter astonishment. He gasped and was stunned for a moment, speechless for a long time.

The crowd around them was also extremely curious. They all dismounted, wanting to see the letter, but dared not overstep their bounds. It was Luo Yanshou who asked, "Sir, what exactly happened?"

Luo Shang glanced at everyone, thinking that he couldn't hide it any longer and it was time to tell them. So he changed his expression and said solemnly, "This is a letter He Pan wrote to me. In the letter, he said that Duke Anle has arrived in Hanzhong and will soon head south to Shu."

This news struck like a thunderbolt, stunning everyone present. The Duke of Anle? Entering Shu? As the generals' thoughts began to race again, they quickly realized what was about to happen. They were both pleased and alarmed. They were pleased because Liu Xian's arrival from the north would inevitably lead to conflict with Li Xiong, meaning Jiangzhou would have more time to regroup. But they were alarmed because another force in Ba and Shu was now vying for supremacy. Was the Jin dynasty truly nearing its end?
Ignoring his subordinates' thoughts, Luo Shang turned to Qiao Deng and said, "Nephew, the next two years will likely be crucial in determining the fate of Sichuan. I need your help."

Qiao Deng did not answer the question. He folded the letter, handed it back to Luo Shang, and asked in return, "Uncle, aren't you tempted?"

What's it that makes your heart flutter?

"The Duke of Xicheng wants you to follow the Duke of Anle and restore the kingdom together. Aren't you tempted?"

This was a sensitive question, and probably everyone else present was curious as well. Most of the hunters on this expedition were young people who had grown up in the Jin Dynasty, except for Luo Shang, who was over fifty and had experienced the Bashu region during the Shu Han period.

Upon hearing this, Luo Shang laughed heartily and waved his hand, saying, "Nephew, you're overthinking it. You've never experienced hardship. Back when my uncle was still the Governor of Yong'an in Shu Han, I followed him. You can't even imagine how meager the salary was in Shu Han!"

“My uncle was one of the four great generals of Shu Han, a position of immense power in the court at the time. Yet, his salary was barely more than that of a county magistrate today, just enough to make ends meet. A serious illness could wipe out all the family’s savings. General Jiang Wei, you know him, the most important minister of the country, had absolutely no savings. Is this the life of an official?”

"The current court is indeed capable, knowing that governing the country relies on scholars. It may not have a good reputation, with accusations of exploiting the people, but what was the result? Didn't it still unify the country? Don't be fooled by this Duke Anle. He may seem skilled in warfare, but in reality, he is completely ignorant in politics. What can benevolence and morality buy? If he were to use the methods of the former Shu Han, he would never achieve anything great. Do you believe me?"

Luo Shang quickly made his stance clear. He patted his golden armor and sighed, "He Pan is truly delusional. The Jin Dynasty is the true legitimate dynasty in the world today. The Han Dynasty can never be restored. How could I possibly suffer for a mere title and abandon true wealth and glory?"

After saying that, Luo Shang laughed again, it was unclear whether he was laughing at He Pan, or at Liu Xian and Li Xiong. Everyone else joined in the laughter, and even Qiao Deng seemed to be smiling.

Qiao Deng, however, did not rush to express his opinion, but continued to ask, "Then, Uncle, what are your plans for the next step?"

"Let these two lads fight it out first, until they're both exhausted. That would be perfect."

Luo Shang's laughter stopped abruptly, followed by a sly look. Although he was old, perhaps due to his impoverished childhood, his eyes still held boundless energy and insatiable desire. He mounted his horse and said, "As for me, I will prepare my horses and wait quietly."

"I'm old, and perhaps not as brave as they are. But I have experience, and I'm better at waiting. As long as I seize an opportunity, I'll uproot them both! Heh, you see, temporary wins and losses don't matter; whoever wins in the end is the real winner!" (End of Chapter)