Jinting Han people

After descending the Beishui River, the climate along the way changed abruptly. Although it was the transition between spring and winter, and the Yuexi County area still felt somewhat chilly, after crossing the Lesser Liangshan Mountains, a warm and pleasant feeling arose. The spring breeze was like a veil, continuous yet without any lingering feeling; the sun shone brightly, and the sky was clear, but not dazzlingly harsh. As people traveled along the mountain roads, they could occasionally see clouds and mist swirling among the mountains. There was no howling and piercing sound of the high winds of Longshang, only a thorough refreshing feeling that brought a sense of tranquility.

Upon entering Zhuti County, the snow had cleared, and the land was lush and verdant with spring blossoms. Towering trees lined the roads, covering the hillsides, while strange and wonderful fungi grew in the grass. Passing through wetlands, one could see grey cranes, bar-headed geese, and black-necked cranes—birds never seen before—dancing gracefully in the marshes, a truly breathtaking sight. Even the Yi people encountered along the way mostly lay reclining in the grass and shade of trees, letting their cattle and sheep roam freely on the hillsides.

This relaxed and leisurely atmosphere gave Liu Xian the illusion that he had left the mortal world and entered the celestial hall described by the Celestial Masters.

This atmosphere was no illusion. When Liu Xian passed Tanglang Mountain, the local Tanglang Yi people had already received advance notice and gathered several thousand of their people to block his path on the mountain road. Upon seeing this, Liu Xian intended to engage the enemy in battle, but Li Xiu stopped him, saying they would pass by in a moment. As expected, by evening, these Yi people dispersed, having gone home for their meal.

The barbarians also sent a messenger to inform Liu Xian that he should wait where he was, and that they would have a proper fight the next day. But Liu Xian had no intention of waiting. That very night, he crossed Tanglang Mountain and traveled day and night towards Jianning.

However, this incident left a deep impression on Liu Xian. While traveling at night, he said to Li Xiu with emotion, "Everyone says that the South is a barren land, but that's not true. I think if Laozi and Zhuangzi came here, they would probably praise it and say that even the rule of the Three Dynasties was no better than this."

For Li Xiu, although her ancestral home was Guanghan, Ningzhou was her true hometown. Upon hearing Liu Xian's praise of the place, she immediately smiled and nodded in response: "Your Highness is right. Among the Yi and Yue people in Ningzhou, the smaller tribes have several thousand households and are called Sou, while the larger ones are called Kun. But there are only about ten thousand households in total. The tribes are not much different, but there are indeed no kings or nobles. The people are simple and honest. This is the small country with few people that Laozi and Zhuangzi envisioned."

Guo Mosu had never read books and didn't understand anything about small countries with few people. Hearing Liu Xian and Guo Mosu's conversation, he interjected, "If the people are so honest and simple, why has the chaos spread to several counties?"

Upon hearing this, Li Xiu felt slightly embarrassed, but he quickly calmed down and slowly replied, "General, you are unaware that it is precisely because the people are simple and honest that such great chaos has arisen. These barbarians do not observe etiquette and music, do not consider the long-term consequences of their actions, and are indifferent to life and death. Their words and deeds are all impulsive, and they do not care about the law, only about personal relationships. This is like a child, who can be said to be simple and honest, but will repeatedly cause trouble."

"And it is for this reason that, despite the large number of Yi people in the south, the real force in Ningzhou is not these Yi tribes, but the powerful clans of the south that have intermarried with the Yi people."

Li Xiu had said these things to Liu Xian before, since a major reason for the unrest in the south was the infighting among the gentry in Ningzhou. But Liu Xian only gained a more vivid understanding after actually arriving in the south and witnessing these phenomena firsthand.

According to Li Xiu, when local Yi people marry into prominent Han families, they are called "Huangye"; when Yi people do not marry into other families, they are called "Ziyouye"; and when there are generations of marriages between Han and Yi families, they are called "Baishi Huangye".

In the south, it is not difficult to deal with the simple scholar-official families, nor is it difficult to deal with the simple Yi people, but the most difficult to deal with are the Huangye Yi people.

These Huangye barbarians formed a defensive alliance with the scholars who came from the north. Normally, the scholars would advise the barbarians, secretly engaging in illegal activities such as plundering, smuggling, and seizing land and wealth. In return, the barbarians would support the scholars. If either side's illegal activities were discovered, or if they suffered losses due to government suppression, the Huangye barbarians would either instigate unrest to support them, either waiting for the scholars who had married into the barbarians to act as government envoys to quell the unrest, or simply sheltering those scholars being pursued by the government.

The current chaos in the south was caused by the powerful Zhuti clans of Li Rui, Li Meng, and Mao Shen, who, seeing the Jin dynasty's decline and being suppressed by the local government, decided to establish their own independent regime and overthrow the government. Although Li Yi beheaded Mao Shen, Li Rui and Li Meng escaped and, together with the three Huangye Yi tribes they had married, continued to resist the government. Meanwhile, other prominent Han Chinese clans, seeing Li Yi's serious illness, also seized the opportunity to join forces with their respective Huangye Yi tribes to rebel and establish their own independent regimes, thus igniting a massive rebellion that swept across the entire Ningzhou region.

Before arriving, Liu Xian had some concerns. He was overly cautious, but how could he restore long-term peace and stability to the south, and how could he manage the Huangye barbarians and re-establish a clear relationship between the Han people and the barbarians? Military might alone wouldn't be enough; it would be best to implement laws and education. However, laws hadn't even been implemented in Bashu yet, so how could they be implemented among the barbarians? This left Liu Xian somewhat uncertain.

But after several days, Liu Xian couldn't help but feel ashamed to realize that he had overcomplicated things. What was so scary about such a loosely organized and undisciplined tribe, no matter how many people they had? No wonder Li Xiu kept saying that only ten thousand elite troops would be enough to quell the rebellion; this was not an exaggeration. It was just that Li Yi's forces were too weak to even muster those ten thousand elite troops.

Before February arrived, Liu Xian successfully bypassed the Wumeng Mountains and was the first to arrive at Yuwu County. The county magistrate, Cuan You, who was from the Cuan clan of Jianning, still obeyed Li Yi's orders. When he saw an army without banners coming from afar, he was somewhat afraid, thinking that some barbarian army had come to attack the city again. But when he saw Li Xiu calling his name from below the city, he realized that the army that had come was the reinforcements that Li Xiu had invited.

He was greatly encouraged. He opened the city gate to welcome Liu Xian and the others, and complained to Li Xiu, "Shuniang, why are you so late! The barbarian bandits besieged the city a few days ago and almost broke through it several times! They only lifted the siege a few days ago. Also, why didn't you carry any banners? When I first saw them, I thought the barbarian bandits had returned."

During this time, Jianning County had been besieged by the Yi army, cut off from all communication. Cuan You had not received any news from the north for more than half a year, and was unaware that Ba and Shu had been unified. Seeing Liu Xian's extraordinary demeanor, he assumed he was a general under Luo Shang, and turned to ask Liu Xian, "May I ask, General, what is your relationship with Commander Luo? How many men did you bring?"

Liu Xian joked, "I'm not a general. You can just call me Liu Xian, Lord Cuan. There are 7,424 people who came with us this time."

"Seven thousand men are not enough?!" Cuan You was greatly dissatisfied upon hearing this and was about to continue sighing when he remembered the name Liu Xian. He was startled and belatedly realized what was happening. He then cautiously looked Liu Xian up and down and asked in a low voice, "Are you the Duke of Anle?"

Scholar Li pointed out from the side, "Your Highness is no longer the Duke of Anle. Four months ago, Your Highness had already proclaimed yourself king."

Only then did Cuan realize the earth-shattering changes in the north. He was stunned for a moment, and it took him a long time to recover. He nodded repeatedly and said, "Good, good, so it's Your Highness!" He immediately changed his demeanor and awkwardly flattered Liu Xian, saying, "Your Highness was able to cross the abyss and soar into the sky, which shows that Heaven blesses the Han Dynasty! The four families and five sons of Jianning will be overjoyed upon hearing the news. Who in the south does not remember the benevolent rule of Prime Minister Zhuge Liang!"

Seeing that Cuan You's flattery seemed to be going on and on, Liu Xian was getting a little overwhelmed and regretted his vanity earlier. He quickly interrupted the other man and asked, "Military affairs are of utmost importance. Lord Cuan, let's get down to business. How much food is left in the city?"

Upon hearing this, Cuan You immediately looked troubled. He had realized that if Liu Xian led his army to take over Ningzhou, it would inevitably lead to a reorganization of the forces in the south, which might not be a good thing for officials who originally belonged to the Jin Dynasty system. Cuan You was still unsure of his clan's attitude and even less aware of Liu Xian's true strength, so he was unwilling to directly reveal the true situation in the city to Liu Xian.

Li Xiu immediately saw through Cuan You's thoughts and couldn't help but feel indignant. The reason why the situation in the south had evolved into what it was now was not only due to the rebellion of the Huangye Yi people; many officials also had their own problems.

They enforced the law under the guise of government authority, but in reality, they sought to profit from the situation and create trouble out of nothing. Many issues that could have been resolved peacefully instead resulted in unnecessary chaos. The relationship between the two sides was not a simple black-and-white one, but rather a pure power struggle. Li Xiu was fully aware of this, but because his power base was not deep, he had no choice but to cooperate with these people.

With Liu Xian's support, Li Xiu had no qualms and immediately warned Cuan You, "Lord Cuan, the Han dynasty is now being revived and the pseudo-Jin dynasty is nearing its end. Your Highness is the chosen one of Heaven. What doubts do you still have? Haven't you suffered enough at the hands of Yu Lingcheng? Or are you hoping for people from Jiaozhou or Guangzhou to come?"

These words struck Cuan You right where it hurt. He broke out in a cold sweat and hurriedly blurted out, "Shuniang, it's not that I have ulterior motives. It's just that the county is short of food. Last year, we fought for half a year and didn't have time to farm. We relied entirely on the county government's grain reserves for food and clothing. Now, we only have a little over five thousand bushels of old grain left. How can that be enough for the army? The county still has spring planting to do this year. Alas, I was even thinking of asking my clan for help."

Upon learning of Cuan You's dire situation, Liu Xian secretly shook his head, abandoning any thought of stationing himself there. He turned and asked, "What's the news from Wei County?"

When Wei County was mentioned, Cuan You shook his head blankly, then sighed and said, "Yu Lingcheng has led a large army to besiege Wei County for even longer than the siege of Yuwu. There are only about a thousand people in our county. How dare we go to see it? Once we leave the city, the enemy will lead their army to besiege it again. Wouldn't we lose this city as well?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Xian said no more. After replenishing his water supply in the city, he continued his march south. Yuwu County was still two hundred li away from Wei County. After a day's journey, they finally arrived at the central city of Ningzhou at dawn the next day.

Like many cities in the south, Wei County was situated in a small basin, built against the mountains and beside the water. But the scene that Liu Xian saw was one of utter devastation: wooden sheds and watchtowers still stood on the city walls, the surrounding trees had been completely cut down, the fields in the basin were covered with traces of smoke and fire, the ruins of houses were almost completely burned, and there were also uncollected, rotting corpses on the ground, which showed what a fierce battle had taken place.

The fighting spirit of the Wei County garrison was far stronger than that of Cuan You and his men. Upon seeing an army approaching from afar, they opened the city gates and dispatched 500 men to challenge them to battle. The leader was a middle-aged man with a short beard and a long chin. When he saw that it was Li Xiu returning, he was not in a hurry to be happy, but instead inquired about the identities of Liu Xian and the others.

Upon learning Liu Xian's identity as the King of Han, the man showed surprise but remained calm. He then politely but firmly requested that the King of Han wait outside the city while he returned to explain the situation. Only after receiving permission from his lord would he allow Liu Xian and his party to enter the city.

Li Xiu introduced to Liu Xian: "Your Highness, this is Huo Biao, the current head of the Huo family. He is the grandson of Shaoxian Gong (Huo Yi) and commands the most elite Huo family troops in Ningzhou."

Not long after, Huo Biao came out of the city again to see Liu Xian, this time accompanied by five hundred men. However, they were no longer armored soldiers, but officials and staff from Wei County. Zhang Jun, the Prefect of Jianning, personally led Liu Xian's horse, while the five commanders of the city stood on either side, acting as guards to clear the way for Liu Xian, showing the King of Han great courtesy.

Upon entering the city, Liu Xian found the situation even more desolate. Because the timber had been diverted to repair the city's defenses, there were hardly any intact houses left. The people lived in small huts made of bamboo poles, covered with large felt blankets for warmth. Children played in the corners of the city, hunting sparrows, catching mice, and digging for mushrooms. Even the residence of Li Yi, the governor of Ningzhou, was nothing more than a simple, unassuming bungalow.

Then Liu Xian met Li Yi, an old man who was thin and frail, with a face full of wrinkles and a blank expression. It was hard to imagine that he had once been a powerful and influential figure. But when he saw his daughter return safely, he immediately smiled with relief. He took Li Xiu's hand and said to her, "I'm relieved that Shuniang is back."

It was clear that Li Yi was already on his deathbed, clinging to life only because he hadn't heard from his daughter and was worried about her safety. He stared at his daughter for a long time before turning his gaze to Liu Xian, slowly saying, "Your Highness, do you remember when the country fell, I was only thirteen? At that time, amidst the chaos, I switched allegiance to the Jin dynasty, and now more than forty years have passed. The pacification of Wu and the subjugation of the barbarians seems like yesterday, yet in the blink of an eye, all my achievements have vanished. It truly feels like a great dream." With that, he closed his eyes tightly, tears streaming down his face.

The trusted generals and soldiers who had fought alongside Li Yi through countless fierce battles had never seen their lord shed a tear. They were utterly shocked to see him so grief-stricken today.

After a long while, Li Yi stopped crying and sighed again. He slowly said, "Your Highness's restoration of the Han Dynasty truly makes me happy, but I can no longer serve the country. I can only leave this mess to Your Highness. I hope Your Highness will not blame me, make amends for my sins, restore peace to the people of Ningzhou, and take good care of Shuniang so that she can display her talents."

Hearing Liu Xian's promise, Li Yi breathed a sigh of relief, feeling his last breath was about to be taken, and finally revealed a trace of his former heroic spirit. With his last strength, he raised his head and shouted, "How I hate it! I could not serve my wise ruler, eliminate the traitors for the country, achieve merit and avenge my shame! I die with my eyes wide open!" As he spoke, he raised his hand and pounded the bed three times before stopping. When they looked at him again, he had only slightly opened his eyes; he was already dead.

Li Xiu immediately knelt before his father's sickbed, sobbing softly. All the other officials wept uncontrollably, tears streaming down their faces. (End of Chapter)