Jinting Han people

Returning to Hanzhong, Liu Xian had some awareness of the rapid changes in the political landscape. However, Hanzhong was a remote place, and the situation was unclear; he only received vague rumors.

Such rumors include: the current emperor is seriously ill, allegedly due to a powerful minister's secret witchcraft plot; a foot-long piece of white jade was unearthed in Hebei, inscribed with "The Emperor is gone, the Emperor is gone, Zhao Chang is defeated," implying that a new emperor might emerge from among those who participated in the campaign against Zhao; a recent southern children's rhyme says, "Five horses float across the river, one horse transforms into a dragon," coupled with the unusual celestial phenomenon of four stars—Mars, Venus, and others—aligning in the east with the constellations of the Dipper and the Ox, suggesting that a king might be born in Wu and Yue…

These are undoubtedly all nonsense, but they do reflect the current turbulent political situation: the central authority has plummeted, and many are restless, waiting for an opportunity to establish their own power. However, for Liu Xian, the situation in Guandong is not yet a major concern; his primary focus is on the several forces surrounding Hanzhong.

As things stand, Liu Hong and Luo Shang's responses were entirely expected. Their ambiguous subtext can undoubtedly be interpreted as neutrality. Although this neutrality is temporary and will change in the future as power shifts, there's no need to worry at least for now.

The movements of the prefects of Qin Prefecture were exactly what Liu Xian had planned. After Zhang Shi returned to Liang Prefecture via Didao, the Longxi and Jincheng armies indeed withdrew from the siege. With Yang Nandi's advance from Qishan to besiege Lucheng, the prefect of Tianshui, Feng Shang, was inevitably caught off guard. Huangfu Chong seized the opportunity, unexpectedly breaking out from the northwest corner, then circling back, successfully heading south along the Qishan Road, where he met up with Yang Nandi in Lucheng. Thus, Liu Xian successfully occupied the southern gateway to Longyou, and the prefectures of Qin Prefecture dared not act rashly for the time being.

But that's a minor detail; the real importance lies in the movements of Zhang Fang and Li Xiong.

After Liu Xian discerned the signs that Zhang Fang was preparing to attack Sima Yong, he had been closely monitoring the situation in Guanzhong. He had hoped that the two sides could reach a stalemate, but unfortunately, the situation turned out the worst he had anticipated. Sima Yong was caught off guard, allowing Zhang Fang to swiftly and decisively capture the Western Expeditionary Army Command.

Knowing Zhang Fang's personality, he would inevitably become arrogant once he gained power. Liu Xian knew that Zhang Fang would be eager to launch a war, targeting either him or the Northern Army. Therefore, upon learning of Zhang Fang's takeover, he immediately went to the various mountain passes of Hanzhong to inspect the fortified cities and strongholds he had acquired, in preparation for defense.

Fortunately, shortly after the coup, Xi Jian's scouts reported that a large amount of grain and troops were being moved from Chang'an to the Tongguan area, clearly a signal of an eastern expedition. Upon hearing this news, Liu Xian breathed a sigh of relief; it seemed the situation in the north remained peaceful. However, he immediately pondered whether Zhang Fang's choice to launch an eastern expedition presented an opportunity for him to intervene in Guanzhong.
But he soon realized that his idea was unnecessary. Li Xiong, who had just established his country in the south, was already showing signs of taking action to the north.

Liu Xian previously lacked sufficient understanding of the situation in Bashu. Although he received some battle reports from Bashu during the reign of the imperial court, his knowledge of the specific details was only superficial. When he left the court, Chengdu was still in Luo Shang's hands, and Liu Xian believed that Li Xiong merely held the strategic initiative. However, after entering Hanzhong, he discovered that Li Xiong had already gained an absolute strategic advantage and had established a grand kingdom.

As intelligence was gathered, Liu Xian realized that Li Xiong's establishment of a nation was not the same as Li Chen and Liu Ni's empty-headed nation-building.

Li Chen and Liu Ni certainly had their merits. Li Chen's political acumen was exceptionally sharp. He saw through the ambition of the King of Xinye to amass power and recognized the decline of the court and the widespread discontent. With extraordinary courage, he raised the banner of restoring the Han dynasty and supporting Liu Bei, igniting the fury of the entire Jing and Yang regions. In less than a year, he expanded his territory by more than twenty commanderies. His momentum surpassed even the Yellow Turban Rebellion at the end of the Han dynasty.

This formidable force, however, was crippled in less than six months by a single defeat. After another year of repeated losses, it was ultimately annihilated. Ultimately, the problem lay in Li Chen's inability to build a nation; he only knew how to destroy.
The Restoration Army relied on extortion of officials and civilians to sustain its forces, yet it lacked discipline and military oversight. While it had numerous officials, appointments were based on seniority and superiors' preferences, not ability. Local administration lacked systems and laws, let alone any efforts to promote agriculture. Given all this, what good was its military prowess? Once the offensive faltered even slightly, the situation would crumble like a house of cards, beyond repair.

In contrast, the Kingdom of Chengdu was a nation that had withstood the test and had already taken root in Bashu.

By this time, Li Xiong had established a system that had largely separated military and civil affairs. Although the army was owned by the Li clan, it was not allowed to interfere arbitrarily in civil administration; instead, it was handled by officials appointed by the kingdom. The kingdom also had laws, and officials adjudicated cases based on a concise seven-chapter code, collected taxes according to the inner court's instructions, and restored the salt and iron monopolies in Shu. Furthermore, he extensively recruited scholars from Shu as officials, appointing them only after passing a face-to-face examination.

Most importantly, the country even has a religion. After receiving the support of the Celestial Masters sect of Qingcheng Mountain, Li Xiong has raised the banner of the Taiping Zhenjun, which has won the hearts of the people.

Of course, many aspects were still quite rudimentary, even rudimentary. For example, officials in the country did not receive fixed salaries; they could take whatever they wanted directly from the imperial treasury. Among members of the royal family, the military was almost equivalent to a fiefdom, and non-Li family generals were not allowed to be involved. As a result, the ranks of officials were rather chaotic; although each person's responsibilities were clearly defined, it was unclear who was superior and who was inferior. Even Li Xiong himself did not possess much imperial authority in court, allowing officials to make a ruckus.

However, Liu Xian had already realized that Chengdu was a real country, not an opponent like Hao San or Qi Wannian that could be easily defeated in a single battle.

Li Xiong was indeed a man of extraordinary composure. After discussing with Yan Yu, he made up his mind to go to war with Liu Xian. However, instead of choosing to launch a surprise attack, he first sent an envoy north to inform Liu Xian before making any moves.

To demonstrate Li Xiong's high regard for the matter, the envoy he sent was none other than Li Long, the Prince of Qin of Chengdu, who was the eldest son of Li Liu, the previous patriarch of the Li clan.

Li Long was slightly younger than Liu Xian, but he had a broad face and a dignified appearance. In fact, neither his clothing nor his appearance showed many Di characteristics, and he looked no different from an ordinary Han Chinese. However, the scars on his face and the two missing fingers on his right hand indicated that he was a warrior who had experienced countless life-and-death situations and whose men had lost many souls.

When Liu Xian sent men to welcome the envoy, all the generals of the Duke's mansion had already arrived. Upon hearing the envoy's identity, they naturally assumed he was a spoiled young master who didn't know the value of poverty, and planned to intimidate him with a menacing demeanor. However, upon seeing the envoy's numerous wounds, they all unanimously abandoned this idea. They knew that such methods were ineffective against battle-hardened veterans.

After Li Long stood still under everyone's gaze, Liu Xian calmly walked out of the study. The two had met during the Qi Wannian Rebellion, and both were now vastly different people. Li Long had originally planned to show a tough attitude first, but upon seeing Liu Xian, he recalled Liu Xian's past achievements, so he bowed and said, "Lord Liu, it's been a long time."

Liu Xian sat down very naturally, and asked the guard to hand him a bowl of tea, saying, "Was the journey smooth?" Although they were only two or three years apart in age, Liu Xian's words seemed to be those of someone treating a junior.

Li Long said, "Thanks to the magistrate, the scenery along the way has been quite spectacular, but it still can't compare to Chengdu."

"How is the King of Chengdu?" To Li Long's surprise, Liu Xian immediately acknowledged Li Xiong's self-proclaimed throne. "Your Highness has not been in power for long, and he is preoccupied with state affairs every day, and also reprimands us."

"Oh? That's truly rare. When I was in Chang'an, I met the Prince of Chengdu a few times, and I only remember him as a very gentle person..."

Liu Xian sized up Li Long, trying to discern the demeanor of the Chengdu army, and gently touched upon the key topic, saying, "So, what is the purpose of the King of Chengdu sending you here?"

"The purpose is simple." Li Long clasped his hands in a fist salute, his expression very serious, and everyone present listened attentively. "Now the court is in turmoil, the world is in chaos, and the people are suffering. This is the time for wise men to save the people. Your Excellency has long been renowned and is a recognized sage, while my king is the destined ruler of peace. As long as Your Excellency is willing to join hands with my king, what need is there to worry about the world not being peaceful and in turmoil?"

At this point, almost everyone could not believe their ears: Li Long's trip was actually to persuade them to surrender!
The saying goes, "A subject dies for his lord's honor." The crowd was instantly enraged, feeling utterly humiliated. Many immediately launched into a tirade against Li Long, some accusing him of overestimating his abilities, others mocking Li Xiong's delusional fantasies.

Li Long, however, was unaffected by the noise, as he had no intention of succeeding in persuading Liu Xian to surrender. This was actually a provocation, a ploy to provoke Liu Xian into leading his army away from Yangping Pass and engaging the Chengdu army in a head-on decisive battle. The two sides would fight in the mountains, and the Chengdu army was confident of defeating him. If used properly, they might even be able to press their advantage and enter Hanzhong, capturing Yangping Pass in one fell swoop.

Therefore, Li Long remained unfazed by the insults from the crowd, staring at Liu Xian's face and saying calmly, "As long as you are willing, my king is still willing to confer upon you the title of Duke of Anle."

These words caused another uproar, and the crowd became even more intolerant. Although Liu Xian wanted to reverse the reputation of the Duke of Anle, everyone knew that Sima Zhao's original intention was to mock him. Li Xiong actually wanted Liu Xian to surrender and then be granted the title of Duke of Anle again? Wasn't this the ultimate humiliation?
Faced with these words, Liu Xian's expression remained unchanged. He waved his hand, and everyone immediately fell silent. Then, with a faint smile, he nodded and said, "The King of Chengdu has great ambition. In the past ten years, I have encountered many opponents, but he is the first one who dared to persuade me to surrender before the battle."

"And what was the magistrate's reply...?"

“There are two kinds of people in this world. One kind of people long to have a lord so that they can use him to display their talents. The other kind of people do not have this desire. The King of Chengdu and I probably belong to the latter. We would rather die than be someone else’s subject.”

Liu Xian slowly said, "During this time, I have heard about the deeds of the King of Chengdu. He has brought peace and prosperity to the region and his people, which is truly remarkable. If it were a peaceful time, I might have been friends with him. But now, I can only be his opponent."

Faced with Li Xiong's humiliation, Liu Xian's reaction greatly surprised Li Long. Not only was he not angered by the attempt to persuade him to surrender, but he even praised his opponent. This attitude, on the surface, appeared respectful, but upon closer examination, it's easy to see that it contained more of Liu Xian's confidence as a strongman. After so many years of fighting, he had long since passed the stage of proving himself by belittling his opponents.

Faced with this astonishing silence, Li Long felt a strange sense of unease. He wondered, could this person have already seen through His Highness's thoughts?
The thought had barely crossed his mind when he heard Liu Xian ask in return, "When does the King of Chengdu intend to challenge us? How many troops will he send? And where?"

Upon hearing these questions, Li Long was startled again: Liu Xian had actually seen through their intentions! His first thought was to deny it, saying there was absolutely no such thing. But then he reconsidered; if he denied it outright, wouldn't it make him appear even more cowardly and hypocritical if he wanted to start a war later? So he didn't beat around the bush and told the truth:

"If Your Excellency is willing, on the fifteenth of the twelfth month, I, Grand Commandant Li Ligong, will lead an army of 20,000 out of Jiange, and the two armies will fight a decisive battle outside Yinping County. What do you say?"

Although his intentions had been noticed, Li Long remained brimming with confidence. This was because the establishment of the Chengdu Kingdom was the result of countless battles and bloodshed.

Since four years ago, they have been fighting every year, and at the most difficult times, they have been fighting every month and every day. Of the five brothers of Li Te's generation, four have died in battle, leaving only Li Xiang. Li Xiong's own brother, Li Dang, also died on the battlefield, his body never recovered. Even Li Xiong himself has more than ten penetrating wounds.

Having reached this point, what could possibly frighten them? They were already battle-hardened veterans, ready to die for their cause. Liu Xian's so-called formidable reputation was utterly insignificant to these desperate men.

Upon hearing this, Liu Xian sensed the murderous intent in the man's voice and realized that the enemy he was facing this time was different from any of his previous opponents.

In Liu Xian's past encounters, his adversaries were mostly cunning and treacherous, lacking in magnanimity and the ability to face death with equanimity. War, in the end, is fought with swords and spears, and Liu Xian's victories often stemmed from his greater courage on the battlefield, forcefully thwarting their plans. However, this approach was clearly ineffective against the Chengdu Kingdom, founded by the Li clan of Lueyang. Their opponents were equally courageous, a courage that even the death of their leader could not break.

It seems that the only option left is to confront them head-on and see who is truly superior. Liu Xian nodded to himself. He had originally planned to refuse the challenge, because regardless of victory or defeat, it seemed unlikely to affect the overall situation, and Liu Xian disliked such pointless wars. But now, it might be worthwhile to use this opportunity to probe the other side's strengths and weaknesses.

So he turned around and said to Zhang Guang in a nonchalant tone, "That's perfect, Brother Jingwu. Back then, you fought ten thousand men on Mount Malan by yourself. Now I'm giving you ten thousand men. Do you dare to accept the challenge?"

Zhang Guang readily agreed, saying generously, "The world is in turmoil because there are so many arrogant people. I will surely execute this fellow for the Marshal!"

The formal war between the two sides began with this challenge. (End of Chapter)