Jinting Han people

The April sun may be a bit too hot for Chengdu, but it's just right for Zitong County right now.

Zitong, as its name suggests, is a city nestled amidst a towering catalpa forest and bordered by the Tong River. The city is situated within a vast catalpa grove, with Wolong Mountain (named after Zhuge Liang) to the west and the wide Tong River flowing to the east. This picturesque landscape, with its verdant mountains and clear waters, makes the sunlight feel gentle and warm. People here experience a tranquil and peaceful feeling, free from the heat and humidity, finding a sense of serenity and contentment.

This was the perfect season for hunting. When Liu Xian first ascended the city wall of Zitong, he saw apricot blossoms covering the ground to the south of the city and the green river to the east. Recalling the smooth progress of the offensive over the past month, he was in high spirits. So, taking advantage of the army's rest, he ordered his ministers to go hunting outside the city.

It was called a hunt, but it was more like a spring outing. Everyone rode their horses up the mountain, not in a hurry to find prey. When they saw an ancient tree or a strange rock, they would often stop to discuss it, commenting on the local customs and traditions, and talking about all sorts of strange tales from ancient times to the present. For several hours, the group strolled for miles through the mountains and forests, and most of them ended up chatting and empty-handed.

However, this was something Liu Xian was happy to see happen; as the saying goes, "Xiang Zhuang's sword dance was aimed at Liu Bang." His real intention was not to hunt.

After all, during this period, with the victories in the war and the rapid expansion of territory, a large number of new faces suddenly appeared in Liu Xian's mansion. Some of these people were recruited into the mansion by Liu Xian when he was in Hanzhong; some were active volunteers from various ethnic groups in Bazhou during this southern campaign; and some even led their followers to defect after Liu Xian captured Zitong. Only after Liu Xian temporarily stopped in Zitong a few days ago did the number of people in the mansion temporarily stabilize.

This wasn't because Liu Xian didn't want to press his advantage, but because he deeply understood that after the expansion of his government, the new and old officials didn't know each other well, their roles weren't clearly defined, and cooperation was naturally difficult. Even Liu Xian himself, who was always proud of his memory, found it hard to quickly grasp the habits and preferences of his new subordinates. Therefore, he planned to take this opportunity to let his government officials get to know each other better and understand him more, in order to prepare for the upcoming administrative reorganization.

"Lai Gong, are you still able to walk?"

Liu Xian picked up the pheasant he had shot down and handed it to Meng Tao, who was accompanying him. He then returned to the stream, a tributary of the Tong River, and spoke to Lai Zhong, who was resting on the ground.

"Your Highness is too kind. Of course I can still walk."

Lai Zhong rubbed his lower back, stood up from the grass, and struck a pose that suggested he was in good spirits. Then he casually took the longbow from the saddle, naturally drew it to its full extent, and then put it back in its original position, demonstrating that his strength was still there.

Seeing this, everyone around applauded and cheered. Zhang Guang also sincerely praised, "Lai Gong is indeed very skilled. When we went around to Jiange earlier, he led the way for us to climb the mountain. It was us who couldn't keep up."

Lai Zhong's contribution to the victory in the Battle of Jiange was truly immense. The Hanzhong army attacked Jiange in two routes. One route, personally led by Liu Xian, pressed the attack from the front, while the other, led by Zhang Guang and guided by Lai Zhong, took the Lai Su Trail, launching a surprise attack on the south side of Jiange and setting up an ambush along the way. The result was a great success. In this battle, the Hanzhong army beheaded more than two thousand people and captured more than ten thousand elite soldiers from the Chengdu Kingdom. It was truly the first major victory since entering Shu.

After this battle, everyone said that when the news reached Chengdu, Li Xiong would surely be terrified. And after this incident, the entire army held Lai Zhong in the highest esteem.

"Jiange is nothing! This is just the beginning!" Lai Zhong laughed twice, then turned to Liu Xian and recounted, "Back when General Jiang Wei was alive, we marched through the Western Sea Snow Mountain in the Qiang region to attack Longxi. The peaks there are thousands of feet high, and the snow never melts, making it even more dangerous than Jiange. Some people, on their first attempt, couldn't even catch their breath halfway down, and we had to carry them down."

"From then on, there was no mountain in the world that we couldn't climb. Even if the Wei army had horses, as long as they were traversing mountainous terrain, they couldn't actually catch up with us..."

Perhaps it's because old people always like to reminisce about the past, but once Lai Zhong started talking, he couldn't stop. He told Liu Xian about Jiang Wei's most triumphant battle at Taoxi, where he annihilated tens of thousands of Wei troops in one battle. Then he talked about the defeat at Duangu against Deng Ai, cursing Hu Ji for missing the deadline halfway. At first, everyone listened with great interest, but as Lai Zhong talked for a long time, it became a monologue, and most people got tired of listening, which made Lai Zhong very unhappy.

Lai Zhong continued to ramble on to Liu Xian, saying, "Your Highness, the young people these days are really not as good as they used to be. Look closely, how can they compare to us back then?"

His words, seemingly inherited from his father Lai Min, immediately displeased the group of young people. Fortunately, Li Sheng, who was standing nearby, was very perceptive and immediately stood up, saying that he wanted to ask Lai Zhong for advice on archery. This interrupted the old man, pulled him aside, and quieted the scene down again.

After watching Lai Zhongyuan leave, Liu Xian clapped his hands and smiled at the crowd, saying, "Lai Gong is an old man who has made great contributions. Everyone should be more accommodating to him." After everyone nodded, he continued, "Although we have won the battle, everyone should not be too happy yet. The battle is not over yet. Winning before does not mean that we will definitely win in the future. After the battle is over, it will not be easy to govern a peaceful region."

Seeing that many of his staff members seemed to disagree, Liu Xian then pointed to one of them and said, "Dazhi, if I were to appoint you as the magistrate of Hanshou, tell me, how do you plan to govern Hanshou?"

The Dazhi Liu Xian mentioned was Chen Jie, a cousin of Chen Shou. After learning that the Hanzhong army had advanced into Bazhou, he, along with Chen Fu, Chen Li, and several other brothers of Li Sheng, led a group of servants to seize Anhan County and hand it over to the Hanzhong army led by Li Ju. Now that they were in the Anle Duke's mansion, Liu Xian was pondering how to settle these people.

Most of those present showed delight upon hearing Liu Xian's words. In their eyes, this was undoubtedly a message: the Duke of Anle was already considering how to govern Bashu. Everyone present was a loyal subject who had followed the emperor, and how to shape a new order was a matter of vital interest to them, something they were all deeply concerned about.

Upon hearing this, Chen Jie was delighted. Hanshou was Jiameng, and Liu Xian had reclaimed it and changed its name back to its original name, which showed how much he valued it. After a brief mental preparation, Chen Jie replied, "Your Highness, I believe the key to good governance lies in leniency."

“Wide? What does ‘wide’ mean?” Liu Xian asked.

Chen Jie said, “Of course, it is benevolent governance. When Emperor Gaozu entered Guanzhong, he abolished the harsh laws and punishments of the tyrannical Qin Dynasty and made a three-point agreement with the people. Only then did he win the hearts of the people and sweep across Guandong, achieving victory after victory. Li Xiong was able to establish his country in the past few years in the same way. He abolished the laws of the Jin Dynasty and made a seven-point agreement with the people, which was also quite effective. Therefore, Your Highness must do better than them in this regard in order to allow the people to recuperate, recover their strength, and win the hearts of the people.”

After he finished speaking, the scholars present nodded frequently; this was indeed the mainstream approach to governance at present. Especially in Sichuan and Chongqing, unlike the rest of the country, it had not experienced nearly four years of large-scale warfare. Looking across the country, only the chaos in the capital region could be compared to this, but how big is the area surrounding the capital? How large is Sichuan and Chongqing? The people were already suffering terribly; if they did not implement benevolent governance now, when would they?
Unexpectedly, after saying this, Liu Xian remained noncommittal. After observing the reactions of the crowd, he continued to ask, "Dazhi, what you said is too broad. I hope you can be more specific about how to implement lenient policies."

Chen Jie said, “The key to lenient governance lies in having the right people. I have heard Your Highness often say that we should uphold righteousness. In that case, we should make good use of the local virtuous and respected families, be lenient in punishment and simplify the administration, and follow the example of Taiqiu Gong of the Later Han Dynasty. We should try our best to influence the people with virtue and settle them down. Apart from encouraging agriculture and sericulture and building water conservancy projects, everything else can be put on hold for the time being.”

"As time goes by, Your Highness's benevolent reputation will spread throughout the land, while the Nine Provinces will be in turmoil and other regions will be embroiled in constant conflict. At that time, Your Highness will lead the royal army out of the pass, either to the north to attack the old capital or to the east to the Yangtze and Han Rivers. Scholars from all over the world will flock to you with food and drink." Upon hearing this, Liu Xian continued to scan his surroundings. Seeing that most people's expressions were in agreement, he couldn't help but feel somewhat disappointed.

Chen Jie's words, in essence, were about continuing the old strategy of the Jin dynasty: prioritizing harmony. This involved constant exchanges of benefits, delegating power to these aristocratic families, and bringing as many as possible into his inner circle. With the support of the aristocracy, he could then effectively govern a region.

But Liu Xian could not accept this idea. He shook his head and said, "Da Zhi's words are just like Fa Zheng's back then. He only knows one side of the story and not the other!"

“National administration has always emphasized a balance between leniency and severity, avoiding excess or deficiency. This is like managing floods: if you only block them, the floods will inevitably overflow; but if you only dredge them, the river channels will be damaged, causing unnecessary floods.”

"Emperor Gaozu adopted lenient policies because the Qin dynasty's harsh laws and punishments had become extremely severe, causing immense suffering to the people. Liu Zhang also adopted so-called lenient policies, which resulted in the emperor lacking authority and his ministers acting arbitrarily, ultimately making it difficult to even resist Zhang Lu. When Prime Minister Zhuge governed Shu, he established the 'Shu Code' to clarify the rule of law, punishing those who violated it and rewarding those who made contributions. Only then could the country become wealthy and prosperous, enabling the Northern Expeditions against Guanzhong and Longxi, wasn't that right?"

Upon hearing this, the newly recruited scholars mostly looked troubled. They all understood that Liu Xian's administration intended to emulate Zhuge Liang by reforming the laws and governing the country. However, they had grown up under the Jin dynasty for a long time and had become accustomed to its laxity. Changing this habit in a short period of time was not only difficult, but they also didn't know where to begin.

Of course, some people had another malicious thought that they didn't voice: if Zhuge Liang's governance of Shu was truly effective, why didn't the restoration succeed in the end, and why did the Sima family gain the throne instead? But because Zhuge Liang had an extremely high reputation among the people, they couldn't say it out loud.

At this moment, Li Mi's eldest son, Li Ci, stepped forward and proactively expressed his opinion to Liu Xian: "What my lord says is absolutely right. However, establishing laws and credibility is probably not something that can be done in a short time. We must proceed step by step. May I ask my lord to indicate what we should prioritize at the moment?"

Li Ci's words pleased Liu Xian greatly. He slowly said, "The matter of legislation will take time, and I will not make too many demands for now. However, since the Jin dynasty is lenient at the top and strict at the bottom, which has caused the world to boil over, I hope you all can understand that I will do the opposite and change it to strict at the top and lenient at the bottom."

"Zongshuo is right. Legislation must first establish credibility. The most urgent task is indeed to establish credibility. Many of you here will soon be governing a county. I hope you will be careful in your words and deeds, start with small things, treat everyone equally, and prioritize fairness."

At this point, he took out two copper rulers of different sizes from his waist and said to the crowd, “Please look, everyone. These are copper rulers found in the county government office. They were used by Luo Shangshi to collect taxes. They are both one foot long, but they are different lengths. Why? Because when Luo Shangshi collected taxes, he used a small ruler for acquaintances and a large ruler for ordinary people. How can people be convinced by such behavior? I hope you will not do such a mistake.”

"Excellent! Your Highness is absolutely right!"

As luck would have it, Lai Zhong and Li Sheng had just returned when they heard this. Lai Zhong exclaimed in approval, "Your Highness is absolutely right. If we want to restore the Han Dynasty and unify the world, we must do it this way. Otherwise, why should we follow those Wu dogs and just live a life of complacency?"

Mentioning Eastern Wu immediately brought laughter to everyone, easing the somewhat serious atmosphere. Liu Xian then moved on from the topic, plucking pheasant feathers and chatting and laughing along. But what he was thinking in his heart was quite different.

Having navigated the treacherous waters of Luoyang's officialdom for years, Liu Xian knew deep down that winning battles wasn't difficult, nor was gaining power; the real challenge lay in establishing order in the government. This wasn't something that could be guaranteed by the prestige of one's ancestors; rather, quite the opposite, the most difficult task was purifying the officialdom's atmosphere, compared to the various potential future adversaries. A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, and Liu Xian was already prepared to begin, step by step, in the present.

This is something that neither Emperor Gaozu Liu Bang, who inherited the Qin Dynasty order, nor Emperor Shizu Liu Xiu, who revived the Former Han Dynasty order, needed to do, but it was something that Liu Xian had to do.

As he was pondering, Zitong Wenyan approached Liu Xian and said to him, "Your Highness, I have a question I would like to ask you."

Wen Yan was a renowned scholar from Zitong. His grandfather was Wen Gong, a former Prefectural Attendant of Yizhou during the Shu Han dynasty. After the Battle of Jiange, it was he who opened the city gates and surrendered it to Liu Xian. Liu Xian handed the wild pheasant, which he had just bled, to the servant, instructing him to wrap it in mud and roast it. He then wiped his hands with a damp cloth and casually said, "Wen Jun, please speak freely."

Wen Yan said in a low voice, "After listening to Your Highness's words just now, I have some thoughts, but I also have some questions. I wonder if Your Highness knows about the Celestial Masters Sect?"

"The Way of the Celestial Masters?" Liu Xian couldn't help but chuckle upon hearing these three words: "Who wouldn't know the Way of the Celestial Masters?"

Wenyan bowed again and said, "Then may I ask Your Highness another question? Your Highness said that governance should treat everyone equally. Does this include the Celestial Masters sect?"

"Of course it includes."

As soon as Liu Xian uttered the words, he realized something was amiss. He had certainly heard of the Celestial Masters Sect, but because of his dislike of Sun Xiu, he knew nothing about its specific beliefs, organizations, or even its operational methods. Wen Yan's question implied that the Celestial Masters Sect wielded considerable influence in the local area. Liu Xian had only vaguely heard of this, far from having any in-depth knowledge of it.

Thinking of this, he stopped talking, turned around, and solemnly bowed to Wenyan, saying, "I really know very little about the Celestial Masters sect. If you know anything, please enlighten me!"

Wen Yan waved his hands repeatedly and said, "Your Highness is too kind. We are extremely fortunate to have met such a wise ruler as Your Highness. How could we possibly offer any guidance?"

He pointed to the northwest of Zitong City and said to Liu Xian, "I wanted to tell Your Highness that if you are unfamiliar with the Celestial Masters sect, there is a Lao Jun Mountain over there, with a Taoist temple on it. It was a branch of the Gengchu region. Your Highness might as well go and take a look. Seeing is believing, and perhaps you will gain some insights after your visit." (End of Chapter)