Jinting Han people

As a key town in southern Jingzhou, built from scratch by Emperor Zhaolie Liu Bei, Jiang'an County naturally possesses a complete defense system, which can be divided into three areas.

The main city of Gong'an County, needless to say, is the most magnificent and complex. Its terrain is strategically important, surrounded by water on three sides: the You River to the west, the Yangtze River to the north, and a vast lake several miles wide called Donghu (East Lake) to the east. Because the Yangtze River frequently flooded, Zhuge Liang, to prevent the river from overflowing and inundating the fields, built dikes on three sides of the riverbank in the Jiang'an section of the county. These dikes acted as a natural outer wall around Jiang'an City. Beacon towers and fortified villages were then built on the dikes, forming a double-city structure that prevented flooding and relieved Jiang'an of the direct threat of naval attacks.

Of course, with dikes on the east, west, and north sides, the defenses south of Jiang'an County were somewhat inadequate. To compensate for this deficiency, Liu Bei built a small city on the road between the south of the county and Chanling County as a southern barrier. Because he and Lady Sun were at odds at the time and he did not want them to live together, he had Lady Sun stay in this city temporarily, and the city was thus called Lady Sun's City.

After obtaining Nan Commandery from Sun Quan, Liu Bei needed a convenient ferry crossing to connect with Jiangling. He then built a fortified village called Matouwu on the west bank of the You River. Later, when Lu Kang and Yang Hu were locked in a standoff, Matouwu underwent a large-scale renovation to strengthen communication and support with Jiangbei, and was renamed Cheng (City). This created a three-city structure with Gong'an, Furen, and Matouwu forming a mutually supporting network.

A direct attack on such a city, regardless of the army, would inevitably result in heavy casualties. Therefore, Liu Xian led the Han army to besiege Jiang'an City. Although their camps stretched for over ten miles, they had not actually captured any of the three cities, remaining in a state of siege without direct assault. Meanwhile, the place he was heading to to accept the surrender was the main city of Jiang'an.

Five li north of Lady Sun's city, the group saw a city with a circumference of fourteen li. The city was quite large, but still smaller than Jiangling City. However, the market to the south was quite large, almost the same size as the city, but due to the great battle, it was now deserted; all the merchants had left. Liu Xian rode through it, seeing only withered willows and footprints scattered on the ground. In the bleak autumn wind, many green flags fluttered, and dust and withered leaves swirled, emitting meaningless groans.

At this time, Liu Xian had about a hundred knights by his side, all brave warriors selected from the Imperial Guards, most of whom were orphans of previous martyrs. They were led by Wen Shuo, the General of the Imperial Guards, and were an absolutely trustworthy elite force. In addition, to show their sincerity in accepting the surrender, more than ten high-ranking officials of Shu Han, including He Pan, the Grand Commandant of Han, Li Sheng, the Grand Secretary, Liu Shen, the General of the Left, and Yan Zuan, the Grand Herald, accompanied Liu Xian to accept the surrender.

Despite the bleak weather, Liu Xian was in high spirits. Wearing a narrow-sleeved deerskin coat, he looked at the abandoned market before him, already envisioning the future. He turned to the crowd and asked, "After we take Jingzhou, if I make this place my new capital, do you think it will feel a bit cramped?"

This was the first time he had expressed his idea of ​​moving the capital to the crowd. The accompanying officials were mostly taken aback and then fell silent. After all, the location of the capital meant that the region would enjoy a large amount of the country's resources. Moreover, most of the people on this eastern expedition were from Shu. Whether or not they were content with their small fortunes, they all had feelings for their hometown. Therefore, most of them did not want to see the capital moved, or at least not so soon.

Of course, some people echoed this sentiment. General Liu Shen of the Left said with a smile, "Your Highness, the importance of a capital city lies not in its size, but in the residence of the monarch, which can reveal his ambition. Pan Geng moved the capital to Yin to control the floods, and King Ping moved the capital to Luoyang to avoid the Rong tribes. Because the monarchs had different ambitions, one prospered and the other declined. If Your Highness wants to move the capital to Jiang'an, you must understand whether you are moving the capital here to conquer the world or to indulge in pleasure."

"If you are only seeking temporary comfort, you need not go to such great lengths. Jiang'an is prone to flooding, often causing disasters every three or four years. It requires a great deal of effort to control the floods, making it far less stable than Chengdu. However, if you are aiming to conquer the southeast and win the hearts of the people, Jiang'an is located at a crucial point between the north and south of Jingzhou and is also the place where the illustrious ancestor rose to power. If Your Highness establishes the capital here, you can diligently control the floods, eliminate bandits, spread benevolence throughout the world, and the whole country will submit to you."

Liu Shen's words, ostensibly advising Liu Xian, were in reality a speech on behalf of the King of Han, aimed at resolving the internal controversy surrounding the relocation of the capital. Liu Xian was quite pleased to hear this. Holding his riding whip, he pointed at Liu Shen and laughed, "Daozhen speaks well! In that case, once the war here is over, I'll trouble you to take charge of this place."

The implication is that after the war in Jingzhou ends, Liu Xian intends to promote Liu Shen to the position of governor of Jingzhou, so that he can be in charge of rebuilding the new capital.

Liu Shen is indeed the most suitable candidate under Liu Xian at present. Previously, when he was under the command of Qi King Sima Jiong, he was ordered to go to Jingzhou to recruit soldiers and learn about the details of Jingzhou. Moreover, he is loyal, righteous, resolute, and devoted to Confucianism and Taoism. He loves the virtuous and capable and can be selfless. Not only does Liu Xian trust him very much, but most officials in the court also respect him very much and call him "Divine Lord".

As they chatted and laughed, the group drew ever closer to Jiang'an City. After passing through the market, they saw the city gate, slightly ajar, with about twenty people standing before it. Among them, a dozen or so wore relatively expensive silk robes, and another dozen wore gleaming iron armor, indicating different social statuses—civilian and military—but none carried swords. The city walls were completely empty, with no fortifications or soldiers in sight.

Xie Kun, who had come to visit the previous night, was among the welcoming crowd. Upon seeing the King of Han from afar, he led a group of people to greet him. Among these people, a burly man walked at the front. He was tall and strong, with a wild beard and piercing eyes. He was probably around thirty years old. As soon as he saw Liu Xian, he said, "I have long heard of the King of Han's illustrious reputation. Today, your humility in coming here makes me feel extremely ashamed."

As soon as he spoke, Liu Xian knew that this was probably Deng Yue, the city's commander. He exchanged a few pleasantries and then introduced his entourage to Deng Yue. But when he introduced Li Sheng, he had barely started by mentioning that Li's surname was Li when Deng Yue interrupted, praising him, "I know, I know! Everyone says that General Li is a hidden gem from Hedong, a famous general who rose from humble beginnings to become a hero, comparable to Deng Ai. I've always wanted to meet him, and today my wish has finally come true."

These words made Li Sheng's face stiffen. It turned out that Deng Yue had mistaken him for Li Ju. His attendants quickly corrected him, saying, "This is Li Zhongshu of the Han Dynasty."

Upon hearing this, Deng Yue showed no embarrassment. He simply smiled calmly, patted his forehead, and muttered "Forgive me" a few times. He then waved to the servants behind him, and seven or eight men came forward, each carrying a box slightly larger than those usually used by women for dressing. When the lids were opened, the glittering contents inside were a sight to behold.

Deng Yue said, "This is a small gift for Your Highness and all the gentlemen. Please accept it."

The atmosphere became even more awkward. Lu Zhi had only promoted the examination system a few months ago; wasn't this blatant bribery in front of the King of Han? However, this matter hadn't yet reached Guandong, and the Jin people were probably unaware of it. Liu Xian politely declined, saying, "Minister Deng, you might as well put it in the treasury; we can count it after we enter the city."

Upon hearing this, Deng Yue once again revealed a fawning expression. He nodded repeatedly and said with a smile, "Your Highness is right. I have already prepared a banquet in the city, and the treasury has been tidied up. We are just waiting for you to come in and take inventory!"

“There’s no need to rush.” Liu Xian shook his head slightly and pointed outside the city. “I plan to take a good look at the northern dike first. If you don’t mind, could you show me the way?”

This was Liu Xian's spur-of-the-moment idea. He had heard from Liu Shen that the area was prone to flooding, even more so than Sichuan and Chongqing, so he wanted to go to the dam first to take a look. Deng Yue was taken aback when he heard this, clearly not expecting Liu Xian to answer in this way, which was beyond their plans. However, after exchanging a few glances with Xie Kun and the others, he could only nod helplessly.

So the group didn't enter the city, but instead bypassed it, first going up the western dike, and then walking along the dike, which was as high as the wall, until they reached the northernmost point where they could see the Yangtze River directly. Along the way, Liu Xian asked about the dangers of previous years, but Deng Yue and the others couldn't answer. Their emotions became somewhat unstable, and they lost patience in their conversation.

Liu Xian sensed their unease and changed the subject, saying, "Speaking of which, do you know about the war in the north?"

Seeing that the other party seemed puzzled, Liu Xian emphasized again, "I was referring to news from the Central Plains."

Since entering Jingzhou, Liu Xian's intelligence network had become somewhat lagging. Following the original route, news from the Central Plains had to pass through Guanzhong, then through Bashu, and finally reach Jingnan. This long detour meant military intelligence would take almost a month to arrive, and even then, its accuracy was uncertain. And now, with the Battle of Luoyang raging, Liu Xian urgently needed to know the situation on Zu Ti's side.

Deng Yue was indeed aware of this. He carefully replied, "Before Wang Jingzhou went north, he seemed to have received news that ten days ago, the Xiongnu suffered a major defeat in Luoyang. Apparently, due to the lack of supplies, they had to retreat to Mangshan. As a result, their formation was poor, and they were attacked by Zu Yongzhou in the middle of the night, suffering heavy casualties, with more than 10,000 people killed or wounded. In the end, they retreated back to the north of the Yellow River."

"Oh?" Upon hearing this news, Liu Xian was very happy for his friend. He smiled and said, "So, the situation in the Central Plains has improved quite a bit?"

"Not exactly. It is said that after the Xiongnu retreated, the Dao bandits in the east took the opportunity to rise up and take over the forces abandoned by the Xiongnu. The bandit leader Wang Midong plundered to Xingyang, and wherever he went, his forces were routed. He almost occupied the entire Yanzhou, and even most of Yuzhou fell."

At this point, Deng Yue's face showed worry, and he continued, "Prefect Wang told me that there are wolves in front and tigers behind! The bandit armies in the world are simply inexhaustible! It is highly likely that the Daoist bandits' next move will be to besiege Xuchang!"

Liu Xian nodded, then fell silent. This development was completely unexpected for Liu Xian, because he had never taken Qi Han seriously before. Firstly, because Liu Xian had been acquainted with Liu Cong and Liu Yuan, and knew they were no ordinary people, he had always held them in high regard. Secondly, Qi Han was far away and had no outstanding achievements, so it seemed that everything he had done was just luck.

Unbeknownst to many, Qi and Han had already expanded to encompass six provinces and dozens of prefectures. Their vast territory and formidable power seemed to have surpassed that of Zhao and Han. Was this merely a coincidence?

On the stage of vying for supremacy in the Central Plains, any underestimation would come at a heavy price, so Liu Xian dared not be careless. However, judging from the current situation, it seemed his assessment of the overall situation had a glaring flaw. Liu Xian frowned, pondering the specific impact this would have.

Before he could ponder for long, Li Sheng pulled Liu Xian aside and led him away from the crowd, whispering, "Your Highness, have you noticed anything amiss?"

Liu Xian glanced at him and asked, "What do you mean by 'wrong'?"

Li Sheng glanced quickly at Deng Yue, Xie Kun, and the others, and said, "Your Highness, I can tell that these people are very nervous, but it's not because they're welcoming you. On the contrary, it seems like they've planned something and encountered an unexpected situation."

Having said that, Liu Xian naturally understood what Li Sheng meant. He said calmly, "It's normal for these people to be so naive. Deng Yue deliberately led me into the city, and I was even breathing erratically. I knew then that they had ulterior motives. If I'm not mistaken, the city is so quiet because there must be an ambush. Moreover... the mastermind must be someone else."

Liu Xian's judgment was not unfounded. He had practiced martial arts since childhood, reaching a level where he could discern others' intentions through their aura and eyes—a skill he possessed with unfailing accuracy. Although Liu Xian had neglected his martial arts training in recent years due to his political involvement, his keen observation skills remained. This group was definitely up to something, but the mastermind was nowhere to be found. If someone had orchestrated the ambush and dared to oppose Liu Xian, they would be a bold and meticulous individual, at least not displaying such panic. But Liu Xian couldn't fathom who among the Jin army in Jingzhou possessed such audacity. Could it be that Wang Dun had left behind?
However, these are all minor details. The most urgent task is to find a way to leave Jiang'an City unnoticed, avoid this ambush, and then reorganize the siege.

Seeing that Liu Xian seemed to have made a decision, Li Sheng felt relieved and asked, "How does Your Highness plan to extricate yourself?"

"Just a bunch of fools, let's pretend nothing happened." Liu Xian said calmly, "Let's retreat back to the south gate first, and before they react, we'll head straight for the main camp at my command!"

That's what he said, but Liu Xian knew he was in grave danger. The reason the enemy hadn't acted immediately was because they weren't entirely confident. But that didn't mean they weren't confident, much less that he could easily escape unscathed. After all, this was their territory; who knew where the enemy might be lying in ambush? Liu Xian's only consolation was that at least the enemy lacked horses. If he suddenly left in the south of the city, they might not have time to react.

Having made up their minds, Liu Xian and Li Sheng casually retreated back into the crowd, saying that their conversation had been about the military situation in the north. Liu Xian then claimed he was tired and wanted to go to the city for a banquet to rest. Deng Yue and the others were overjoyed, their anxious expressions immediately easing. Deng Yue immediately told Liu Xian that he had not only prepared a feast in the city but also many beautiful concubines, ensuring the King of Han would return satisfied.

Liu Xian remained noncommittal, merely offering a nonchalant smile before the group resumed their southward journey, leisurely retracing their steps. (End of Chapter)