Jinting Han people

Liu Yuan declared himself King of Han around June of the fourth year of the Tai'an era.

In late February, he remained in Ye City, witnessing firsthand the disastrous defeat of the Northern Expeditionary Army at the Battle of Ye. Seeing Lu Zhi's army annihilated south of the city, panic gripped Ye City. With Sima Ying, the Prince of Chengdu, leading the escape, the remaining generals lost their courage and fled Ye City like an avalanche. At this point, no one noticed that the nearly ten-year surveillance of Liu Yuan had quietly come to an end.

Liu Yuan thus regained his freedom. He led Ping Xian and others to escape Ye City amidst the chaos, but instead of fleeing north with the main force, they went straight to Huguan. At that time, there were refugees everywhere, their faces filled with despair. They did not know where they would go in the future, nor where they should settle down now. They only knew that their peaceful past was gone forever, and so they cried all the way.

Faced with the cries of the people, Liu Yuan was inevitably moved, his eyes filled with sorrow, but even more so, a surge of ambition rose within him. He said to Ping Xian and the others, "The Sima clan has lost its heart and is destroying itself. What have the common people done to deserve this? They have plunged the people into misery, burning the land to ruins—it is utterly hateful! I have spent my life studying classics and history, practicing both literature and martial arts, and I have a heart set on serving my country, but I have had no opportunity to use my talents. I thought I would live out my days in mediocrity, accomplishing nothing. But now I have regained my freedom—Heaven has taken pity on me! I will end this chaotic world and spread virtue with my heart!"

So Liu Yuan and his party trekked through the Taihang Mountains, encountering chaos and numerous hardships along the way, including bandits and outlaws. Even with Ping Xian as their protector, Liu Yuan had to proceed with extreme caution. He feared that someone would recognize him and discover him again by Jin Dynasty officials, so he took the most remote and treacherous mountain paths, walking for nearly fourteen days before finally crossing countless mountains and arriving at his hometown—Lishi.

When Liu Yuan returned to Lishi and revealed his identity to the locals, the Xiongnu people barely recognized him. This white-haired, weary old man was none other than their once most revered Left Wise King. When Liu Xiong, Liu Cong, and others came to verify his identity and wept as they knelt before Liu Yuan, a brief silence fell, followed by a deafening roar of cheers that echoed throughout the Lishi valley.

Liu Yuan was escorted by the Xiongnu into the Zuoguo City, which he had once established. Liu Xuan, 127 years old, came to see him leaning on a cane. Liu Xuan slowly asked him, "Yuanhai, are you at ease returning home today? You are over fifty, you know your destiny, you can retire here in peace." Liu Yuan smiled and said, "Fourth Uncle, Chong'er was sixty before he ascended the throne, and then he respected the king, repelled the barbarians, established alliances, and dominated the feudal lords, thus achieving the fame of Emperor Wen of Jin. Today, Liu Yuan is only fifty-three, how can I be considered old!"

He then summoned his clansmen in the city of Zuo and said to them, “Today, disaster isfalling us. Jin is not cultivating virtue, just like a great building about to collapse and a torrent of water breaking through. As a result, heroes from all over the world have risen up and are vying for power. Although they are nominally affiliated with the Jin dynasty, they actually want to emulate Cao Cao, first holding the emperor hostage and then plotting against the state. Such deceitful and self-serving behavior is hardly the act of a hero. A true man should wield his three-foot sword to rescue the people from their dire straits, fight against the wicked and promote righteousness, and ultimately achieve unparalleled merit!”

Having said that, he drew his sword in front of everyone and said generously, "The world is in chaos, with fire and water everywhere. When the nest is overturned, how can the eggs remain intact? Rather than sitting and waiting for the swords to fall, why not rise up and fight to seize the mandate of heaven! The mandate of heaven is unpredictable. Yu the Great came from the Western Rong and King Wen was born in the Eastern Yi. This shows that the will of heaven is sincere and the hearts of the people are devoted to it. It is only because of virtue that it is bestowed."

"I now command over 100,000 men. If commanded properly, each one could be worth ten Jin soldiers. A swift march would crush Jin with ease! We could achieve the greatness of Emperor Gaozu of Han, or at least remain a dynasty like Wei. Although the Jin people may not agree with us, the Han dynasty has ruled for generations, its benevolence is deeply ingrained in the hearts of the people, and they still hold a glimmer of hope. Li Chen, who supported Han, swept through four provinces in just half a year, which is clear evidence of this. My family has been related to the Han dynasty by marriage for generations, and has been called Liu for decades. Why not revive the Han dynasty and win back the hearts of the people?"

This display of lofty ambition moved everyone present. However, Liu Xuan raised a slight doubt: "Now that the Han dynasty has an heir, with the Duke of Anle in the south and the Duke of Shanyang in the north, taking the Han dynasty name as their title, is this overstepping their bounds? I fear it will invite criticism."

Liu Yuan laughed and said, "Emperor Shizu restored the Han dynasty, but he was from a remote and collateral branch of the family. His official rank and position were not as legitimate as Wang Chang's. What difference does distance make to me? My restoration of the Han dynasty is to follow the will of the people and express my determination to quell the rebellion. It is not to limit myself! However, using the name of the Xiongnu is indeed inappropriate. We can follow Lu Fang's example and return to the Han dynasty!"

Lu Fang was a warlord in Bingzhou during the Xin Dynasty. He claimed to be Liu Wenbo, the great-grandson of Emperor Wu of Han. His great-grandmother was the sister of the Xiongnu Gulihunxie King and had been Empress Wei Zifu, the wife of Emperor Wu of Han. Wei Zifu had three sons. During the witchcraft scandal, the crown prince was executed, the empress died, and her youngest son, Huiqing, fled to Zuogu. Huiqing had a son named Sunqing, who in turn had a son named Wenbo, who was Lu Fang.

Lu Fang thus gained the support of the local Han Chinese and Xiongnu people, and ruled over northern Bingzhou for more than a decade. He was later recognized by Emperor Gengshi (Liu Xuan). After Emperor Guangwu (Liu Xiu) re-established the dynasty, he campaigned against Lu Fang several times, with victories and defeats on both sides, but ultimately could not eliminate him. Finally, Liu Xiu enfeoffed Lu Fang as the King of Dai, acknowledging his status as a member of the imperial clan, and entrusted him with the responsibility of pacifying the Xiongnu. Although Lu Fang later felt uneasy and fled Dai to the Xiongnu, he ultimately died a peaceful death.

Centuries have passed, and the Later Han Dynasty no longer exists, but Lu Fang's deeds have left behind many legends in the area. To this day, some people still believe that a branch of Han descendants once integrated into the Xiongnu and became the Xiongnu royal family. Moreover, Liu Xiu, despite mobilizing the entire nation, was unable to suppress them, which shows that they were favored by Heaven and were on par with the legitimate dynasty.

Liu Yuan then decided to capitalize on this legend. He didn't directly imitate Lu Fang, as Lu Fang's account had too many flaws. Instead, he claimed to be a descendant of Emperor Gaozu of Han, a great-great-grandson of Emperor Xuan of Han. He claimed that during the chaos of the Xin Dynasty, he fled to the northern frontier and entered the Xiongnu territory. The Xiongnu, being relatives of the Han imperial family, supported him as their Chanyu (ruler), namely Liu Wenbo, a position recognized by Emperor Guangwu, which he held until the present day. In this way, Liu Yuan fabricated a Han imperial lineage that could withstand scrutiny. In fact, as a descendant of the Xiongnu royal family, Liu Yuan did possess the seal of the Prince of Dai that Emperor Xiu had bestowed upon Lu Fang.

At this point, Liu Yuan, on the one hand, issued orders in the name of the Great Chanyu of the Xiongnu, actively gathering his followers and recruiting scholars and commoners in preparation for declaring himself king and raising an army; on the other hand, he sent a message to the Jin court, claiming that he would attack Zhang Fang, thus lulling the court into a false sense of security. For a time, scholars and commoners from Bingzhou flocked to join him. In addition to various Xiongnu tribesmen and Han people, there were many famous scholars and gentry such as Wang Yan of Xihe, Fan Long of Yanmen, and Zhu Ji of Shangdang.

Finally, in May of the fourth year of the Tai'an era, Liu Yuan, having gathered over 100,000 followers, formally ascended the throne as King of Han in Lishi. Under the pretext of restoring the Han dynasty, he sang praises to his people for the glorious achievements of the four-hundred-year-old Han dynasty. He then posthumously honored Liu Shan, the last ruler of the Han dynasty, as Emperor Xiaohuai, and offered sacrifices to Emperors Gaozu, Wen, Wu, Xuan, Guangwu, Ming, Zhang, and Zhaolie as the Three Ancestors and Five Ancestors. He also granted a general amnesty, established the reign title Yuanxi, made his wife, Lady Huyan, queen, appointed Liu Xuan as prime minister, and Liu He as crown prince, and established officials according to the Han system.

After declaring himself king, Liu Yuan suddenly led his army south to attack Pingyang. At this time, the defenses of Guanzhong were weak, and Yan Ding was doing his best to supply Zhang Fang with provisions. Unexpectedly, a large Xiongnu army suddenly appeared from the north, easily defeating Song Zhou, the governor of Pingyang. They then marched south, taking all of Hedong, and then had the momentum to send troops out of Puban and sweep through Guanzhong.

Upon receiving the news, Yan Ding immediately dispatched Jia Pi, the Prefect of Anding, to resist the attack. Jia Pi accepted the mission in this critical situation, forming a sworn brotherhood with Peng Dangzhong, the leader of the Qiang and Di tribes. He borrowed 30,000 Qiang soldiers and advanced eastward, cutting through the mountains from Xiayang. They then swept south along the Yellow River, sweeping through the ferry crossings and cutting off the retreat of the Han army entering Guanzhong. At Linjin, they decisively defeated Liu Qin, a general under Liu Yuan. With Liu Qin defeated, the remaining Han troops panicked. Liu Yuan's brother, Liu Jing, believed the time was not yet ripe to conquer Guanzhong and retreated to Hedong. However, Jia Pi was unable to cross the river to recapture Hedong, and the two sides remained locked in a stalemate. Liu Yuan then moved the capital to Puzi and discussed the next steps in the military campaign with his officials. General Liu Cong, the General Who Pacifies the Army, offered a strategy: "The culprit of all the crimes in the land is undoubtedly Zhang Fang. Why not use the pretext of punishing Zhang Fang to advance eastward to Shangdang and display our military might at Yecheng? This would be a perfect opportunity to demonstrate our righteousness and let the world know of our Han Dynasty!"

This strategy was approved by Liu Yuan, who then appointed Liu Cong as marshal, commanding six armies. They turned east to attack Shangdang, where they encountered Gou Xi's army, which was crossing the mountains at Changzi. Neither side was prepared, but both needed to win, resulting in a fierce battle. Arrows rained down, and the fighting was brutal.

Gou Xi's troops were elite and their fighting strength surpassed Liu Cong's. However, Liu Cong was extremely tenacious, forming a long line to thrust at the charging cavalry and maintaining his formation. Several times he nearly collapsed, but he reorganized his lines each time. Meanwhile, Liu Yao and Liu Can led light cavalry to harass Gou Xi from both flanks. Gou Xi could not advance and was harassed while retreating. In the end, he fought until he was exhausted and could not hold on any longer, so he had to lead his troops to retreat.

Taking advantage of the situation, Liu Cong occupied Shangdang County and rested at Huguan. Together with the Hebei allied forces, he surrounded Ye City from three sides, causing Zhang Fang's strategic situation to deteriorate rapidly. Now everyone knew that Zhang Fang's defeat was only a matter of time.

However, at the same time, a similarly noteworthy disturbance also broke out in Qingzhou, namely the Qingzhou Rebellion.

It should be noted that after Zhang Fang captured Ye City, the Xuchang court initially appointed Sima Chi, the Prince of Yuzhang and Governor of Qingzhou, as the commander-in-chief to quell the rebellion. However, the Hebei war had been raging for more than half a year, and all the forces except Wang Yan had arrived, yet Sima Chi, as the commander-in-chief, was unable to join the battle. The reason was actually quite simple: the Celestial Masters Rebellion had broken out in Qingzhou.

Qingzhou had always been a stronghold of Taoism, but in the late Later Han Dynasty, it was the base of the Way of Great Peace (Taiping Dao). After the Yellow Turban Rebellion was quelled, the Way of Great Peace largely declined throughout the land, but the one in Qingzhou remained deeply rooted and refused to surrender to the Han Dynasty. Later, when Cao Cao subdued the Yellow Turbans in Qingzhou, the Way of Great Peace reciprocated by claiming that Cao Cao was the "Yellow Heaven Immortal" who proclaimed, "The Blue Heaven is dead, the Yellow Heaven shall rise." Cao Pi's first reign title after becoming emperor was thus called "Huangchu."

However, in its subsequent development, the Taiping Dao (Way of Great Peace) became leaderless. Zhang Sheng, the fourth Celestial Master who moved to Luoyang, seized the opportunity to absorb the concept of the Jiazi Great Calamity and developed the Zhongmin Xiantang (Cultivation of Immortals Hall) doctrine, thus incorporating the Taiping Dao and uniting the two major sects of the late Han Dynasty into one. Qingzhou thus became one of the four major districts of the Celestial Masters Dao. Compared to the other three districts, the Donghai District was the most independent and differed from the mainstream Celestial Masters Dao doctrines. Its Grand Priest was elected locally, without even needing to report to the Celestial Master; Sun Xiu became the Grand Priest of the Donghai District in this way.

After Sun Xiu's failed attempt to establish the Celestial Masters sect as the state religion, the Eastern Sea Celestial Masters sect fell into a period of leaderlessness. Its remaining followers, as remnants of Sun Xiu's faction, also faced suppression from local government officials, and thus remained relatively quiet for a time. However, this silence was not permanent; they did not completely disappear but waited for a suitable opportunity to rise again. And that opportunity arrived after the Zhang Fang Rebellion.

Upon receiving the imperial edict, Sima Chi immediately led an army of 50,000 to support the Prince of Chengdu in his campaign against Zhang Fang. However, in April, as the army reached the plains, devastating news arrived from behind: Wang Mi, the newly appointed Grand Master of the Eastern Sea Celestial Masters sect, had supported Liu Jiong, the magistrate of Donglai County, in a rebellion. Liu Jiong, a descendant of Liu Yan, the Prince of Fuling of the Later Han Dynasty, had changed his name to Liu Baigen, calling himself Duke of Qi, and appointed Wang Mi as his chief secretary. Wang Mi publicly proclaimed Liu Baigen the True Lord of Great Peace, and created a prophetic image: "Two mouths holding spears cannot be squared, two pieces of gold clashing together unleash divine sharpness."

The character "Liu" is formed by two "mouths" (a type of ancient Chinese weapon). The Jin dynasty considered themselves associated with the element of metal, and the surname Liu also contains the element of metal; the phrase "two metals carved together" implies that the Liu family would eventually replace the Jin dynasty. Furthermore, because the True Lord of Peace (Taiping Zhenjun) was associated with the element of wood, Liu Jiong changed his name to Baigen to respond to this prophecy.

Anyone could see that Wang Mi and Liu Bogen's performance was clearly aimed at something. Although they had not yet claimed to be part of the Han army, their actions were obviously emulating the path taken by Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang, when he became known as the Duke of Pei, and were not much different from restoring the Han dynasty.

Seeing this, Sima Chi had no choice but to halt his expedition and instead focus on quelling the unrest in Qingzhou. This took only a month. When he returned to Linzi and marched towards Donglai County, the Taoist followers within his army openly rioted and deserted, severely damaging the Qingzhou army. As a result, before even reaching Beihai County, the army had already decimated, leaving only four or five thousand men.

In contrast, Liu Baigen and Wang Mi had by this time occupied the two commanderies of Donglai and Changguang, amassing over 30,000 troops. They marched westward with drums beating, winning battle after battle, conquering everything in their path. Sima Chi was utterly unable to resist, and by July, he could only lead his remaining troops out of Qingzhou, heading south to seek refuge with Sima Mao, the governor of Xuzhou. Meanwhile, Wang Mi and Liu Baigen were able to occupy the entire Qingzhou and establish a southward expansion strategy.

Seeing the war had escalated to this point, Sima Mao could no longer afford to fight Zu Ti internally. He immediately sued for peace with Zu Ti and demanded that the court send reinforcements at once to aid Xuzhou and recover Qingzhou. Otherwise, if even Qingzhou and Xuzhou fell out of the court's control, the consequences would be unimaginable!
Upon receiving the news, Zu Ti had no further doubts. He first acknowledged Wang Yan's status as the governor of Yanzhou and hoped he would pacify Qingzhou, but Wang Yan remained unmoved. Zu Ti then turned to Zhu Xugong Liu Tun, asking him to lead 20,000 troops to Langya Linyi to join forces with Sima Mao. Together, they formed an army of 40,000 and marched north to Dongguan County. By this time, it was late September, and Wang Mi and Liu Baigen had already marched south to the Daxian Mountain area, where they reorganized their troops and expanded their forces to over 50,000.

No one could have imagined that the fourth year of the Tai'an era would be such a turbulent year. By October of that year, across the entire land of Kyushu, including Liu Xian's Hanzhong Army, Liu Yuan's Lishi Army, and Liu Baigen's Donghai Army, three regimes had emerged that sought to restore the Han Dynasty.

Suddenly, people seemed to have returned to the late Han Dynasty a hundred years ago, to an era when everyone seemed to want to restore the Han Dynasty. But who was the rightful heir to the Han Dynasty, and who could bring a bright future to the world? This was undoubtedly a thought-provoking and intriguing question.

(Map of the situation in October of the fourth year of the Tai'an era) (End of this chapter)