Jinting Han people

Time has passed. Twelve years ago, at the height of the Qi Wannian Rebellion, Meng Guan defeated Qi Wannian at the Battle of Chenmayuan with Shanggu Camp. The Qiang, Di, and Xianbei tribes were terrified and fled directly from Guanzhong to Longshang. They then held a conference in Lueyang to decide their future, and finally surrendered to Liu Xian.

And who could have imagined that the Han army would encounter the same situation again when it marched up Longxi? Only this time, the scale of the forces involved and the impact on the political situation of the world far exceeded those of twelve years ago.

Yang Nandai actually overestimated the intentions of Pei Bao and his group. Given the complexity of the current situation in Guanzhong and Longyou, Pei Bao lacked substantial military achievements and sufficient means to lead a separatist regime in Longyou, making it difficult to gain popular support. His purpose in organizing this conference was indeed to unite the forces and negotiate with the Zhao army. Even if a new leader was appointed, he would simply remain as the deputy, still holding a high position and great power.

However, this only applies to Pei Bao. The reason this matter was approved and publicized extensively in Longyou was because there were indeed quite a few people who coveted the position of Governor of Qinzhou, and they were secretly pushing things along, hoping to fulfill their dreams of becoming regional warlords.

Among them, the most anxious and hopeful person was Chen An, the Yamen General.

As a prominent figure from Longxi who was recommended by Yan Ding to Sima Yong, the Prince of Hejian, during the same period, Chen An had a very high starting point. Upon entering officialdom, he was appointed as a Yamen General, commanding two thousand elite cavalrymen in Chang'an. However, after Yan Ding came to power, he excessively favored scholars from Guanzhong, causing Chen An, who came from a humble background, to stagnate in the officialdom. After six or seven years, he was still only a Yamen General.

However, this did not prevent Chen An from enjoying extremely high prestige in the army, because he had two major advantages:
Firstly, he himself was exceptionally brave and was recognized as the number one warrior in Longshang. Over the years, he had repeatedly resisted the Zhao army in the Western Army and made outstanding contributions. As a result, his defeat in battle against Ping Xian greatly demoralized the entire army.
Secondly, Chen An was proud of his superiors but not of his inferiors. In an era of great disparity between superiors and inferiors, Chen An often ate and lived with his soldiers, which was already extremely rare. What was even more rare was that during this great famine, Chen An actually drank vegetable porridge and wore thin clothes with his soldiers. As the saying goes, time reveals true character. Chen An was able to persist to this extent, which was far beyond what other generals of the Western Army could match.

However, as the saying goes, those who can do what ordinary people cannot do, and endure what ordinary people cannot endure, mostly possess ambitions that are unmatched by ordinary people. Chen An was able to achieve this without any other desire than to become a king and a regional lord.

The Lueyang Conference at this time was the best opportunity he had ever encountered in his life. With Yan Ding assassinated, Jia Pi unable to return, Zhao Ran fleeing north, Guanzhong completely lost, and the people of Longxi in a state of panic, it was the perfect time for a strongman to step forward and call for action to save the situation. In the current circumstances, who but himself could take on this responsibility?

Therefore, even after suffering a defeat at Huangbai City, Chen An remained spirited and vigorously promoted the Lueyang Conference, hoping that all parties would come to meet and elect him as the new governor of Qin Prefecture. To this end, he privately discussed the matter with his brother Chen Ji, analyzing the situation as follows:
“Aji, given the current situation in Longshang, the only ones who can compete with me for this position are Han Zhi and Pei Bao. The rest are mediocre and not worth worrying about. Moreover, Pei Bao has shown weakness towards me. Now it seems that the only one I need to worry about is Han Zhi.”

Chen Ji also agreed. He understood his brother's concerns and then offered a suggestion: "Brother, Han Zhi has been guarding Longxi for many years. He has many brave Qiang and Di people under his command. His country is the richest and has the most cavalry. Most importantly, he is very senior and arrogant. If he comes to Lueyang, he will definitely compete with you for this position. Should we ambush him on the way and kill him directly?"

Although Chen An was known for his bravery, he was no less intelligent than others. He shook his head and said, "No, with Han Zhi's cunning, how could he not have guards by his side? I have heard that his son Han Pu is very brave, similar to Zhang Chun. In addition, he has four hundred armored cavalry. Even if he only has one hundred armored cavalry with him to attend the meeting, he will still be very troublesome. An ambush will probably not be effective."

"So what should we do?"

Chen An rubbed his chin, pondered for a moment, then revealed a sly smile that was completely out of character. He said, "Han Zhi is too far away to be stopped by us, but we can spread some rumors that are hard to distinguish between true and false, let him scare himself, and then everything will fall into place."

"What rumor?"

"Take Zhang Yue, the prefect of Xiping in Liangzhou, for example. He also covets Qinzhou and plans to send troops to participate in the Lueyang Conference. What do you think?"

Chen Ji was taken aback at first, but quickly recovered and exclaimed with delight, "Brother, what a brilliant strategy! Everyone knows that Zhang Yue has always been ambitious to annex Liangzhou. If he wants to attend the Lueyang Conference, he will definitely have to pass through Longxi first. How could Han Zhi dare to let him pass through? He must be preparing his army to prevent Zhang Yue from stealing the city! How could he dare to come to Lueyang!"

Chen An was naturally very pleased, but after laughing heartily, he quickly put on a serious face and said, "Don't be too happy yet. If I want to keep my position as the governor of Qin Prefecture, it's no easier than going to the battlefield to kill the enemy!"

"What did my brother say?"

"It's very simple. I come from a poor family and have suddenly risen to a high position. There must be countless people who are dissatisfied with me in private. They might not put up any effort when we go into battle. Also, I am still recovering from my injuries. If we really fight against Zhao's army, I probably won't have much of a chance of winning."

At this point, he recalled his confrontation with Ping Xian, and couldn't help but glance at the wound on his right chest. He then muttered under his breath, "You damned bastard! If I hadn't been starving and weak lately, how could Ping Xian, a mere Tu Ge barbarian, have really hurt me!"

Then Chen An brought the topic back and slowly said, "To put it bluntly, if I want to truly stabilize Longyou, I have to dance on four eggs."

"Four eggs?" Chen Ji was somewhat puzzled.

"To survive in chaotic times, one must be as supple as a prostitute, and borrow as much strength as one has!" Chen An was already used to this and said confidently, "Right now there are four eggs, one inside and three outside. The one inside is called the powerful, and the three outside are Yi'an, Chang'an and Guzang."

"As for Qinzhou, we must say that all three parties want to annex us. In order to preserve ourselves, we must promote self-governance."

"As for Qinzhou, we should say that we are willing to surrender to them because of internal instability. However, if they push us too far, a major war will break out in Qinzhou immediately. It would be better to support me first and then make our move slowly." "With this internal and external checks and balances, we can drag it out for a few years. Once I have quelled the rebellious ministers, I will naturally be able to secure my position in Qinzhou."

"I see, brother, I understand now." Upon hearing this, Chen Ji felt genuine admiration for Chen An, but at the same time, he also felt a bit worried. He said, "But brother, there is something I don't understand."

"Oh? Ah-ji, you tell me."

"If separatism is so troublesome, why did you take on the post of Governor of Qin Prefecture, brother?"

Chen Ji shook his head and sighed sincerely, "Brother said that we have to dance on four eggs. How difficult is that! If we dance well, we can barely gain a state. If we dance poorly, we will offend everyone inside and outside the family. At that time, we will have no way out and our whole family will die without a burial place! Brother, why do you have to do this!"

"That's the opinion of a mediocre person!"

Upon hearing this, Chen An flew into a rage. He angrily criticized Chen Ji, saying, "If a person doesn't accomplish something great in their life, wouldn't it be a wasted life? Confucius said, 'If I hear the Way in the morning, I can die content in the evening!' Even if I, Chen An, am not as great as Confucius, I am still a man of unyielding integrity. Why should I bow down to others and be subservient to them? Even if I can only be the King of Longxi for a year, I will die without regret!"

Having said that, Chen An abruptly changed the subject and earnestly said to his younger brother, "Aji, the reason I've told you all this is so that you can immediately go to Lucheng to find Sun Xi, and then go to Hanzhong to ask for reinforcements. Remember what I said: tell him that Guanzhong is in grave danger, that I am loyal to the Han Dynasty, but it is difficult to stabilize the situation, and that he should quickly send troops to advance into Guanzhong from Chencang. He will come from the south, and I will come from the west. Are you still afraid that we cannot defeat Liu Cong?"

Just moments before, Chen An had been spouting grand pronouncements, but now he was humbly pleading for help. His soldiers probably couldn't believe that Chen Yamen, who was usually so passionate and always led from the front, had such a side to him in private. But Chen Ji couldn't dissuade Chen An in the end, and still took his brother's secret letter and headed south.

But that's just how the world is. Nothing comes for free. If you want to seize power and gain the freedom to do whatever you want, you have to pay a price that ordinary people can hardly bear. Principles and dignity are just things that must be given up in the process.

Meanwhile, Chen An was also carrying out his plan in an orderly manner.

On one hand, he described the current predicament of Longyou to Guzang, explaining the interdependent relationship between Longyou and Hexi, and claiming that he was irreconcilably opposed to Zhao Han, attempting to gain the approval of Zhang Gui and his son and obtain some assistance. On the other hand, he wrote to Liu Yao in Qian County, exaggerating that most of the forces in Longyou deeply hated the Zhao army and advocated continuing to fight against them, while he had long admired Zhao Han. Therefore, he requested Liu Yao's support to become the governor of Qin Province. In return, Chen An could nominally switch allegiance to Zhao Han and pay a certain amount of taxes to Chang'an every year.

Of course, the most important thing was to make connections within Lueyang. Whenever someone responded to the call and came to Lueyang, he would find an opportunity to talk to them in detail, discuss the current situation of the world, advocate that the continued autonomy of Longyou was the best policy, and express his willingness to devote himself to Longyou until his death, in order to win the favor of all parties.

Half a month passed quickly, and it was already December of the fifth year of Qiming. After several snowfalls, the entire Longyou region was covered in a blanket of white snow. The sun had disappeared, and the sea of ​​clouds in the sky churned and rose in layers, surging out from the desolate borderlands like raging waves in a vast ocean. Wherever the clouds passed, the earth appeared dark and gloomy, and Lueyang City, like a small boat on the sea, was instantly swallowed by the shadows.

The north winds in Longyou were fierce. Under the howling gale, the bare trees on the mountaintops were easily broken like withered grass. There were often only two or three hours of rest a day, and going out felt like wrestling with someone. But this situation made the people of Longyou feel a little more at ease. Others said that by this time of year, the Zhao army had not yet reached Longyou. If they attacked now, it would probably be too late. They should also be celebrating the New Year.

Chen An didn't think that way, but the situation in Lueyang was indeed gradually moving in his favor. After a period of painstaking communication, among the 40,000 troops who had marched east with Chen An, Liang Zong and Zhu Hui both expressed their willingness to support him as the governor of Qin Prefecture. Local figures in Lueyang, such as Pu Hong, also adopted a friendly attitude towards him. This gradually increased Chen An's confidence and made him more optimistic about the future. Now he only needed to wait for responses from the external parties; if they also became hesitant, Chen An's vision would likely be realized.

The first to reply was naturally Liu Yao's side. Liu Yao's response was very tough; he boasted about his military might, claiming that Longyou was simply no match for him, and that Chen Anruo's stubbornness was tantamount to throwing an egg against a rock. Therefore, if Chen Anruo wanted to become the governor of Qin Province, he had to cede Lueyang County before any negotiations could begin.

Liu Yao's words were extremely forceful, but Chen An thought it was probably just a bluff. At least Zhao's first attack on Fanxu Road had failed, and scouts who went to investigate Qian County found the entire city under martial law, but there was no sign of another attack. This indicated that Liu Yao did not really intend to launch a military campaign; both sides were simply making exorbitant demands and waiting for the other to bargain.

Chen An now only hoped that news would come from Guzang that they would acknowledge their alliance, which would give them leverage to continue negotiations. Unexpectedly, just as he was waiting for news, a shocking piece of bad news arrived from the north: Wating Road had fallen!

The commander guarding Wating Road was Zhu Shuang, the Prefect of Fufeng, who had 6,000 troops under his command. Given the strategic location of Wating, he could have blocked the Zhao army's path. However, due to the recent howling snow and the news that the main force of the Zhao army was stationed in the Qian River area and should not pass through this place, he lowered his guard.

"The main force of the Zhao army is undoubtedly in Qian County, even if a small number of troops come..." Zhu Shuang originally thought so, but when four thousand Zhao cavalrymen braved the wind and snow to appear in Wating, he was caught off guard. From the mountains, these four thousand cavalrymen surged in like a black torrent, and under the leadership of their chief Huyan Qingren, they piled up snow into mountains and climbed the city walls. As the wind howled and their sleeves billowed, the defenders were unable to draw their bows and shoot, and they were plunged into a bloody melee. The Zhao army quickly gained the upper hand and stormed into the city.

It turned out that not only Yang Nandi saw through Chen An's delaying tactic, but Liu Yao also saw it. He chose to play along, ostensibly failing to attack Fanxukou, and then negotiating a truce with Chen An, establishing a standoff in Qian County. In reality, he sent Huyan Qingren with his troops on a long route, from Anding Jingshui up the Long Mountains, to launch a long-distance flanking maneuver and attack Wating. This proved to be a resounding success, opening up the passage to the Long Mountains.

When the news reached Lueyang, the various garrison forces gathered there were greatly alarmed. Despite Chen An's best efforts to stop them, the various armies refused to linger. They abandoned all the key routes up the Longshan Pass, sending envoys to surrender while simultaneously retreating, showing signs of a complete rout. Meanwhile, Liu Yao joined forces with Huyan Qingren, and his 50,000-strong army successfully crossed the Longshan Pass and entered Qinzhou territory. (End of Chapter)