Jinting Han people

Of course, these are not the only elderly people here. In fact, there are nearly 10,000 people in this Peach Blossom Basin.

To understand the origins of this paradise, we must recount their journey. When Nian Zhong and his troops left, the Jin army couldn't encircle them because they took an unconventional route, venturing along the Yinping Trail. The Jin army was preoccupied with plundering Chengdu and hadn't anticipated their daring journey on this deserted path. After pursuing them for only half a distance, they abandoned them due to the arduous journey, allowing Nian Zhong to escape and successfully reach the remote plateau west of Wudu and Yinping.

There, Li Mi, Chen Shou, and Lai Zhong had a heated argument. Chen Shou believed that the country was already lost, and an army without a ruler was pointless to fight, let alone have supplies; they should surrender. Li Mi, on the other hand, believed that the Han army should not surrender, but they truly had no other way out. In order not to disappoint the general's instructions, they should disperse. Lai Zhong, however, firmly opposed this, arguing that they should not give up under any circumstances, as there might always be a chance to restore the country.

In the end, the three parted on bad terms, each seeking their own way out, leaving only Lai Zhong to continue holding the line, and the army he led gradually dwindled to less than ten thousand. Although the Jin army made several attempts to search Wudu, it had been the Han army's stronghold, had the support of the local people, and was familiar with the terrain. Lai Zhong led his remaining troops in circles there, and surprisingly, they were never caught.

After enduring six months of this, Lai Zhong realized it wasn't a sustainable solution. He made a drastic decision: to use the narrow path from Hanzhong to Jiameng, bypassing Yangping Pass and Jiange, to enter Hanzhong undetected. From there, he would travel south along the Micang Ancient Road to hide in Bazhong. The Jin army never dreamed they would dare to outflank them in Bashu. Furthermore, Bazhong was indeed a deserted area, and the fact that Chen Shou and Li Mi were both from Bazhong allowed them to remain hidden until now.

For the past forty years, they had completely given up any hope of restoring their kingdom, clinging only to their last shred of defiance. Thus, in the ten years before arriving in Bazhong, Lai Zhong used his connections in Bazhong, along with the cover of Li Mi, Chen Shou, and others, to gather people from all over who were unwilling to submit to the Jin dynasty after the fall of their kingdom. This numbered in the thousands, which at one point aroused the vigilance of the local Jin army.

Fortunately, during those years, the biggest troublemaker in Shu was Wang Fu, Tuoba Shujineng was causing chaos in Guanzhong and Longxi, and Eastern Wu was frequently clashing with Luo Xian in Badong. The Jin army couldn't possibly focus its main efforts there. At most, they would send a small team north along the Dangqu River to scout the situation. After investigation, Lai Zhong placed the garrison in such a secluded valley, several miles from the riverbank. How could the Jin army possibly find it? In the end, they could only return empty-handed.

But this golden age was short-lived. After the Jin army destroyed Wu, these good times came to an end. With Wu gone, there was no room for chaos in Shu, and the Han army's situation deteriorated to an unprecedented degree. Li Mi was forced to send someone to inform Lai Zhong, ordering him to cease all activity and cease all contact with outsiders to avoid betrayal by the various tribes of Shu. Although Lai Zhong was somewhat unwilling, he ultimately trusted Li Mi. After more than a decade of management, Taoyuan was able to barely achieve self-sufficiency, so he completely closed off the area and withdrew from external affairs. In the blink of an eye, more than twenty years had passed.

Today, this idyllic place has over four thousand households, equivalent to a self-sufficient county town. It's just that it's isolated from the outside world and lacks any notable city walls. But after forty years, fewer than two thousand elderly people are still alive.

Liu Xian followed Lai Zhong to the hillside behind the mountain, where they found it densely planted with willow trees. Lai Zhong told him that this was their custom over the years; every time a comrade-in-arms passed away, they would plant a willow in remembrance. Forty years had passed, and more than five thousand people had died here; many of the new willow trees were just planted.

Nestled among these willow trees, they built a shrine on the mountainside, which was the most magnificent building in the area. The beams were painted vermilion, the walls were inlaid with pepper, and it featured carved railings, flying eaves, stone steps, and gray tiles. Although it could not be described as luxurious or exquisite, it was clear that the craftsmen had put a great deal of effort into it.

Led by Lai Zhong, Liu Xian slowly entered the hall. Looking around, he saw hundreds of memorial tablets standing like two high mountains on either side, each bearing countless names he had heard of or had not, completely surrounding the hall. In the very center of the hall stood eight memorial tablets, each bearing one of eight names: the three ancestors and five founders of the Han Dynasty.

Then Liu Xian began his offerings, and this was the first time in his life he had ever formally worshipped the Han dynasty and its people. Back in Luoyang, he was merely the heir apparent to the Duke of Anle, and by right, he could only offer sacrifices to his grandfather and uncles. At Maoling, although he had offered sacrifices to Emperor Wu of Han, he hadn't raised any banners, so it wasn't considered formal, and felt somewhat awkward. But here, a warm feeling welled up within him, and he felt that everything was perfectly justified. He sensed that many people were watching him; though he couldn't see them, they stood within the ancestral hall, whispering in his ear.

This silent whisper instilled in Liu Xian a sense of inescapable responsibility—a duty he had to perform the sacrifice, a promise he had to keep, a duty that this unworthy descendant should fulfill. What is the state? It is, in essence, the glorious past. What is the sacrifice? It is the hope of restoring that glory. All sacrifices throughout history have been less prayers and more promises. Only after making such a solemn and profound promise can both the living and the dead find peace.

After the ceremony, Liu Xian nodded gently to Lai Zhong, whose eyes were brimming with tears, and stepped out of the ancestral hall, disappearing into the swaying willows. Looking around this idyllic place, he promised Lai Zhong, "I will never fail the martyrs' last wishes."

Lai Zhong naturally believed it; belief is a skill, and this was precisely what he excelled at. He smiled and said, "I know that Li Lingbo came to see me nineteen years ago. He told me about Your Highness, saying that you are a rare talent who can be entrusted with the affairs of the state. He has already made arrangements for his connections. As long as you enter Sichuan from here and raise the banner of righteousness, you will surely receive the support of the elders."

Li Sheng listened with curiosity, as he was not entirely aware of Li Mi's arrangements, and couldn't help but ask, "Has my master been here before?"

Lai Zhong nodded and sighed, "Yes, he was old back then, and he told me a lot of things about reminiscing about the past and regretting his past actions. From then on, every winter, someone would secretly come here to give us some rare salt and iron, so we didn't have to go out to smuggle them anymore."

"Didn't this leak information?"

"No, the people who came didn't know the exact location either. They just brought the supplies, placed them by the river, lit a fire as a signal, and we'll retrieve them after they leave."

Speaking of the secluded location of this valley, Lai Zhong was quite proud, as it was his masterpiece. He introduced it to Liu Xian, saying, "Your Highness, I found three such valleys here, which are mutually supportive. I also found some iron ore in them. Apart from a little salt, we have almost nothing. Over the years, we have lived here, with men farming and women weaving, and only two groups of people have ever come into our village."

"Who else besides the teacher are in these two groups?"

Lai Zhong glanced at Zhuge Yan, then said to Liu Xian, "It's Wang Qi. He's really capable; he actually figured out that we were here. He spent half a year here before finally finding this place."

"Really?" Liu Xian was surprised to hear this. He really didn't know that Wang Fu had been here.

"Yes, he tried to get us to join forces with Eastern Wu and go out to continue our conflict with him, but I refused. I asked him to stay, but he refused me too, saying he was going to Luoyang to ask His Majesty for a token."

At this point, Lai Zhong turned his gaze back to Zhuge Yan and laughed, "You're Wang Qi's son, aren't you? One look and I can tell you look like him. He's amazing; he was able to send you to His Highness's side, something we couldn't do."

Zhuge Yan was stunned for a moment, unsure of what to say, then lowered his head, gritted his teeth, and remained silent. Liu Xian, on the other hand, suddenly realized why he had taken such a great risk to go to Luoyang to find the Duke of Anle's mansion back then. So that was the reason.

At the same time, he felt a pang of sadness again: too many people made sacrifices for this dream, but did not live to see the day it came true.

That noon, Liu Xian and his companions had lunch with Lai Zhong. Lai Zhong took the opportunity to introduce him to the descendants of some of his colleagues: such as Ju Fu's grandson Ju Tan, Jiang Bin's son Jiang Quan, Wu Ban's grandson Wu Hu, Shangguan Yong's grandson Shangguan You, and so on. Of course, this included Lai Min's descendants. He was seventy-eight years old. His son had died earlier due to accidentally being poisoned by a snake. Now he had two grandsons, one named Lai Ping and the other named Lai Guang, both in their early twenties.

The group was dressed in coarse linen clothes and ate wild leeks and beans. They were also served some local wild game, but overall, their diet was rather meager. Seeing this, Liu Xian pondered in his heart that now that he had come here, perhaps he should build a city here.

After all, the river valley basin along the Dangqu River is wide enough to accommodate these thousands of households. Now that there is no external threat to consider, there is no need to hide anymore. Building a city can improve people's lives, open up the Micang Ancient Road, serve as a supply point for the army, and strengthen Hanzhong's influence on Bashu. It can be said to be a win-win situation.

Perhaps sensing Liu Xian's distraction, Lai Zhong suddenly began to mutter quietly to himself, "After the meal, Your Highness, please accompany me to another place. I have some things I'd like to show you." Liu Xian readily agreed, thinking that these were probably some belongings of an elderly person to be entrusted to him. In his mind, taking care of these people was simply his duty; he hadn't really considered what he could gain from it. That afternoon, Lai Zhong led them to a large courtyard behind the fortified village. The buildings here were similar in scale to the fortified village, but larger, built on a small hill. There was no flowing water around, suggesting it wasn't inhabited, but drainage was in place. The surrounding trees had been cleared away, and the warm sunlight shone on the gate. Several guards stood watch there, and upon seeing Lai Zhong approach, they were all very respectful and orderly.

"Your Highness, this is the culmination of our hard work," Lai Zhong emphasized solemnly to Liu Xian as he pushed open the door. He opened the door, and Liu Xian and his entourage entered, immediately greeted by a strong smell of hay. Looking closer, they saw four large warehouses inside. Lai Zhong stood in the courtyard, took out four keys, and inserted one into the keyhole of the first door. The sturdy warehouse door creaked open.

"Please come inside."

Liu Xian had no idea what Lai Zhong was going to show him, so he bent down and went inside. "Huh?" He couldn't help but widen his eyes. The ground was covered with a layer of dry straw, and on top of the straw were piles of fish scale armor like small mountains.

“Your Highness,” Lai Zhong said calmly, “there are eight thousand fish-scale armors here. They were brought out by us back then. Each one has been repaired and maintained. We dared not lose them until our dying day, and they are still usable now.”

“As long as you don’t mind that a dead person walked through it,” he added.

"How could this be?" Liu Xian examined the coarse linen clothes Lai Zhong was wearing, then looked back at the heavy yet exquisite fish-scale armor in the warehouse. The contrast was something he could never have imagined: "Just how much effort did it take to make this?"

“We have been preparing all along, and have never forgotten or relaxed our efforts. Please do not think we are joking, Your Highness.”

After leaving the first warehouse, Lai Zhong led Liu Xian to the second and third warehouses, which were filled with weapons such as swords, spears, and bows and arrows. He also mentioned another large cellar containing a considerable amount of rice. He said to Liu Xian, "For so many years, we haven't had to pay rent or taxes, so we've always kept enough supplies for three years. To ensure the rice doesn't spoil, we've been eating three years' worth of aged rice, while the cellar contains new rice that can be stored for a long time. Now, all of this is yours..."

Liu Xian was speechless again. He hadn't expected the old man to go to such lengths. These stockpiled supplies could arm an army of ten thousand men at any time and then fight a battle. For this, he had even neglected his own daily life... and all of this was actually for his own sake.

“Lord Lai,” Liu Xian suddenly said.

"Your Highness, please speak." Lai Zhong looked at him.

After a moment of silence, Liu Xian grasped Lai Zhong's wrinkled hand tightly and said, "Lord Lai... I am truly blessed to have such a good minister as you, thanks to the good fortune of my ancestors, and I am extremely fortunate..."

Lai Zhong's shoulders trembled with excitement, and he was coughing violently. Tears welled in his eyes, but his smile was one of extreme pride. He concluded by saying, "I have two more things to give to Your Highness."

"What else?"

"It's in this fourth warehouse."

To Liu Xian's surprise, Lai Zhong's face wore a sacred and solemn expression, exactly the same as Li Mi's gaze upon him twenty years ago. Liu Xian still couldn't imagine what was going on, and he gave up trying to imagine it. He now unconditionally believed the old man; he was right, these must be two extremely important things.

With another creak, the warehouse was empty. At a glance, the vast space contained only a small jujube wood box. Lai Zhong opened the box, carefully took out two neatly folded bolts of cloth, and then slowly walked out, kneeling to present them to Liu Xian.

These two bolts of cloth looked quite old, white with crimson edges, and there seemed to be large characters written inside, though they were not clearly visible. They were covered in dirt and even had holes, and there was even a faint smell of blood.

Liu Xian looked at Lai Zhong with a questioning gaze, and Lai Zhong said, "Please unfold it, Your Highness."

So Liu Xian took the cloth, holding one side and instructing Li Sheng to hold the other. They slowly unfolded it, shaking it up and down to remove the dust, which made everyone cough. Soon, Liu Xian saw the true nature of the cloth—it was an ancient banner.

Under the bright sunlight, the banners unfurled, revealing eight large characters written in bold, silver strokes: "Conquer the Central Plains and restore the Han Dynasty!"

Upon seeing this, everyone was speechless for a moment. Then, Lai Zhong explained the origin of the banner: "Your Highness, this is a banner personally written by Prime Minister Zhuge Liang. It was also the banner that our army always carried during our Northern Expeditions when he was in charge of the government. Haha, even Sima Yi had to temporarily give way in front of this banner."

These eight characters were indeed sharp and full of killing intent. When Liu Xian saw this banner, he seemed to see the setting sun over an icy river, and the sight of iron horses and golden spears.

He folded the banner again and handed it to Zhuge Yan. Then he looked at the other piece of cloth, and at that moment he knew that this must also be a banner.

Lai Zhong indeed said, "Your Highness, this is General Jiang's banner. I remember when the General was alive, he often told me that he was getting old and wanted to see the next generation raise the banner."

Upon hearing this, Liu Xian took the cloth and strolled outside the gate. The air was crisp and the wind was strong, causing his sleeves to flutter wildly. He then took a deep breath, grasped the two corners of the cloth, and with a sudden thud, shook the banner open. A cloud of dust instantly dissipated from it, and the banner fluttered as if released from its cage and regained its freedom. The three-zhang-long banner displayed two dragon-like characters, dancing freely in the mountain mist like swimming dragons.

Liu Xian stared intently at the banner and read it out, word by word:

"The Han and the traitors cannot coexist; the royal cause cannot be achieved through partial peace!"

(End of this volume) (End of this chapter)