Jinting Han people

Winter had deepened, and the plum trees adorning both banks of the Niuqu River had already unfurled their pure white blossoms, blooming majestically on the river's surface like goddesses.

When Liu Yao crossed the Longban Pass, he was riding high. He hadn't expected the ascent to be so smooth. Looking back from Niuquchuan at the towering and treacherous Longban Pass, he could see hundreds of countless snow-capped peaks stretching out before him. The road he had come by looked like a series of winding earthworms. It was hard to believe that the Zhao army had managed to overcome this almost insurmountable obstacle in just one month.

Emperor Liu Cong of Zhao Han did not have high hopes for Liu Yao's conquest of Longban. He instructed beforehand: "Emperor Guangwu attacked Longban with a million troops for three years but failed. Perhaps we need not rush. We can first deploy troops to show our might and force them to submit. After we have settled Guanzhong, we can then pacify Longyou next year. That is not impossible."

Liu Yao initially thought the same way. When he saw the Liupan Mountains pointing angrily at the sky like a coiled dragon, he felt a great sense of fear, especially after learning that the Han army had appeared in Chencang, which made him even less willing to continue westward. However, a newly recruited scholar from Longyou changed his mind.

This man was named You Ziyuan. He came from the You clan of Jincheng and had previously served as a military officer in Yan Ding's army. He was also a close relative of You Kai, the prefect of Jincheng. In Huangbai City, he was caught up in the chaos of the rebellion and, because of his frail appearance, was taken captive as a slave by Zhao's soldiers. Midway through his journey, he attempted to steal a horse to escape, but was discovered by the guards, who bound him and brought him before Liu Yao, intending to use him as a public example of justice.

In his despair, You Ziyuan composed a final poem, comparing himself to a plum blossom: "In the past, I vied for spring's favor; now I sing in the snow. My steadfast branches are easily broken; my delicate skin has long been ravaged. How could I not fear the wind and snow? Yet my pure heart has strayed from what I admire. Life is like morning dew; my withering begins from this moment."

Upon hearing this, Liu Yao was greatly surprised and ordered his men to release You Ziyuan so he could discuss Confucian classics and politics with him. He was delighted to discover that You Ziyuan was truly a man of great talent, not only proficient in Confucian classics but also skilled in law and astronomy, and possessing an encyclopedic knowledge of the customs and traditions of the Guanzhong Plain. Liu Yao had never encountered such a person before, and immediately pardoned all of You Ziyuan's crimes, appointing him as the Chief Clerk of the King of Shiping, entrusting him with all the important affairs of the household—a treatment comparable to that Liu Bei had shown to Zhuge Liang.

You Ziyuan was deeply grateful and devoted himself to serving Liu Yao. He analyzed the situation in Longyou for Liu Yao, believing that the people of Longyou were unsettled and that it was advisable to take advantage of the chaos to pursue them deeply. This led to his strategy of feinting to the east and attacking the west while secretly crossing Chencang. Now, it had indeed worked, and the Zhao army successfully crossed Longban and entered Lueyang City.

What followed was smooth sailing. On the very first day after entering Lueyang City, several thousand people surrendered to Liu Yao. At the same time, the five major clans of Lueyang—Pu, Yuan, Guo, Qiang, and Gou—all sent envoys to surrender to Liu Yao and offer hostages. Liu Yao appeased them while inquiring about the whereabouts of Chen An and his forces. After learning that Chen An and Pei Bao had led their troops south to Linwei County in Tianshui Commandery, he once again led his army south and besieged Linwei City.

Chen An's army was now reduced to less than eight thousand men. He had no choice but to abandon his hopes and send an envoy to Liu Yao to surrender. However, Liu Yao was now unwilling to let Chen An surrender. After pondering for a while, he said to his trusted confidants, including Huyan Qingren, "Chen An has a high reputation in Longyou and is ambitious. If we keep him alive, he will surely become a great threat in the future! But if we kill those who surrender, I am afraid I will be criticized. What do you think we should do?"

Huyan Qingren immediately said, "In that case, why not simply refuse to surrender? We are willing to be the vanguard of our king and capture and kill Chen An honorably. This will establish our authority and also deter these petty villains in Longyou!"

Liu Yao was overjoyed and refused Chen An's surrender, choosing instead to launch a frontal attack on Linwei City.

Linwei City is truly a dead end in Longyou. It is isolated in the southeast corner of Longyou, and the city is not particularly formidable. As long as we proceed step by step, Liu Yao estimates that a month will be enough to take down the city.

While attacking Linwei City, he was not idle. Instead, he dispatched General Xing Yan, who was in charge of conquering the enemy, and General Liu Feng, who was in charge of guarding the north, each to lead two thousand troops to Tianshui and Nan'an, and to recruit soldiers and Qiang and Hu people from various places as much as possible.

Liu Yao's schemes didn't stop there; he had even begun planning how to target Hexi and the Southern Han. To this end, he deliberately sealed the head of Zhu Shuang, the governor of Fufeng, in a box and sent it to Guzang, demonstrating his formidable military prowess while also subtly threatening Guzang. His unspoken message was: We have established order in Longyou; you are now isolated and helpless. What will you do next?
He also sent his eldest son, Liu Jian, to the Shanggui area, claiming that he was about to recapture Lucheng, attempting to confuse the public and force the Han army in Chencang to withdraw to Hanzhong. Of course, considering the current situation, Liu Yao had no intention of engaging in a direct war with the Southern Han. This was mainly a bluff to guide public opinion and popular sentiment in favor of Zhao Han.

"The tripartite division of the world is about to begin again, Ziyuan," Liu Yao said with a smile, while You Ziyuan beside him smiled but remained silent.

"The Qifu Xianbei have also begun to surrender to us. This year has truly turned the tide!" Liu Yao boasted to You Ziyuan, holding up a letter of surrender.

The letter of surrender in his hand came from the Qifu Xianbei, a powerful Xianbei tribe residing in the Gaopingchuan region, between Longyou and Hexi, with over 100,000 households and 40,000 to 50,000 soldiers. Whether it was the Tufa Shujineng rebellion during the Taishi era or the Qi Wannian rebellion during the Yuankang era, the Qifu Xianbei remained unmoved, freely roaming the valleys between Xihai and Lingwu, and no one could truly rule them.

Unexpectedly, since September of this year, Zhao Jun has been advancing with unstoppable momentum, from Pingyang to Lueyang. Even Qifu Shuyan, the leader of the Qifu Xianbei, was taken aback when he learned of this and sent an envoy to deliver a letter of surrender.

Although this letter of surrender was merely a formality and did not signify that the Qifu Xianbei would truly obey Zhao Han's orders from now on, the thought of how Zhao's army had been like mice before a cat when they encountered the Tuoba Xianbei and Duan tribes on the battlefield three or four years ago, and how the situation had now been so drastically reversed, made Liu Yao feel incredibly proud.
However, You Ziyuan did not show any particular joy after reading the letter. He simply lowered his head and stroked his beard in deep thought. Seeing this, Liu Yao asked, "Why is Ziyuan silent?"

You Ziyuan put down the letter in his hand and said to Liu Yao, "Your Highness, it's nothing. I was just thinking that we should reduce our scale a bit."

"Oh?" Liu Yao asked, slightly puzzled. "Is something bothering you?"

You Ziyuan shook his head and said, "Your Highness, it's not because things are going badly, but because everything is going too well."

"What could be worse than this?" Liu Yao laughed. "This just proves that Heaven blesses our great Han Dynasty, and that our dynasty is destined to sit firmly on the throne!"

“Your Highness’s words certainly have some merit.” You Ziyuan did not refute, but changed the subject and asked Liu Yao, “However, Your Highness, do you think that Liu Xian’s decision to not rush north to attack the Qi people after unifying the south, but instead reform the system in Jiangnan, was a foolish move or a brilliant one?”

Liu Yao, who had been closely following the situation in Jiangnan, immediately laughed upon hearing this, saying, "It's neither a foolish move nor a brilliant one; it's simply a matter of the times. His attempt to swallow up the lower reaches of the Yangtze River in one fell swoop, weakening his foundation, will likely lead to internal strife if he doesn't consolidate his base and allow the region to recover..."

At this point, he suddenly realized what he was saying and changed his words, saying, "So Ziyuan was advising me to know when to stop! Why beat around the bush like that?"

"Of course, it's because those involved are often blinded, while bystanders see things clearly!" You Ziyuan earnestly advised, "Your Highness, you have already crossed Longban and occupied the strategic location of Lueyang, giving you an absolute advantage. It's just a matter of defeating them one by one. There's no need to rush. You can first repair the defenses at each key point and reorganize the troops. Then, you can proceed slowly next year. By then, you won't have to worry about your rear and you can prevent any unforeseen events."

"Haha...I see." Liu Yao nodded heavily, took out a gourd from his waist, opened the lid, and poured wine into the kettle on the brazier. In an instant, the tent was filled with the aroma of wine. As he was boiling the wine, Liu Yao said, "Ziyuan, tell me, what unexpected things might happen?"

You Ziyuan looked at Liu Yao and slowly said, "Currently, our army's strength is too scattered. Although 50,000 troops is not a small number, they are scattered in various places."

"Let me do the math for Your Highness. You left eight thousand men to occupy Wating, Fanxukou, and Jitoushan, didn't you? After entering Lueyang, you left another six thousand men to guard the prisoners. Then Your Highness ordered the General Who Conquers the Barbarians, the General Who Guards the North, and the Crown Prince to each lead troops out to show off their power and accept surrenders, which brought you to about nine thousand more soldiers." "How many men does Your Highness have in Linwei right now? Less than thirty thousand, and you still have to besiege Linwei." At this point, You Ziyuan paused and emphasized, "Military strategy says that the key to warfare is to use the strong to bully the weak. But Your Highness is now using troops everywhere, so you are lacking everywhere. If someone were to rise up and lead an army to gather those remnants of the Western Army to suddenly attack Your Highness, it would be a grave mistake, and it would be too late to regret it. I urge Your Highness to think carefully."

Upon hearing this, You Ziyuan's words were undeniably earnest, even moving Liu Yao to some extent. However, after a moment's thought, he quickly smiled and said, "Don't worry, Ziyuan. I'm not a fool. After more than a decade in the military, even if I'm not a famous general, I can still be considered a capable one."

He explained his plan: "The most worrying thing right now is Hexi, so I didn't send anyone across the river to provoke Zhang Gui and his son. The second most worrying thing is Han Zhi in Longxi County. I didn't make any moves to alert him either. I just wanted to recruit as many talents as possible. I didn't intend to let Liu Feng and the others stay outside for too long. Since you say so, then I will issue an order that they must withdraw their troops and return to Lueyang before the end of this year."

"I have only been in Longxi for a little over ten days. Even if someone wants to unite the gentry, commoners, Qiang and Hu peoples of Longxi to oppose me, it will take at least a month! If you also include the time for raising an army and marching, it will take more than two months. By then, I will have already gathered the entire army and captured Linwei. How could I possibly give them any opportunity to take advantage of me?"

You Ziyuan was about to say something more, but Liu Yao waved his hand and said, "I already listen to Ziyuan without question, what else can I change? Come, let's take advantage of this beautiful time and drink some wine!"

At this point, Liu Yao had already poured himself a cup of hot wine and was holding it in his hand. He then poured another cup for You Ziyuan and recited leisurely: "Let us drink and sing, for how short is life? It is like morning dew, and the days gone by are many. Let us be generous and magnanimous, for sorrow is hard to forget. What can dispel sorrow? Only wine."

Having finished his recitation, he downed his wine in one gulp and exclaimed, "When life is going well, even the wine tastes better!"

You Ziyuan stopped dwelling on the war and instead offered a tactful piece of advice: "Your Highness, drinking alcohol is harmful to both your health and your mind. It would be best to drink less."

“Hey! Ziyuan doesn’t understand.” Liu Yao poured himself another cup of wine, swaying as he said, “We warriors fight on the battlefield, not knowing when we will be born or when we will die. If we can’t drink to relieve our sorrows, how can we face life and death with a smile? Look, Emperor Wu of Wei wrote this poem well. He was also a man of this kind!”

“Living a life of debauchery is not the right path!” You Ziyuan shook his head and said, “In my opinion, Cao Cao made mistakes repeatedly because of this poet’s habit. Even with extraordinary talent, it would be difficult for him to unify the world.”

"That was no easy feat!" Liu Yao unbuttoned his shirt, revealing a three-inch-long scar on his waist, and said with emotion, "Back then, when I fought a great battle with the Tuoba Xianbei in Jinyang, Tuoba Yulu pierced my armor with a spear and almost ripped me open. Now, whenever it's rainy, this place swells and aches terribly. If I don't drink alcohol, I'm afraid I'll die from the pain."

"When I first met Liu Xian in Luoyang years ago, he didn't like drinking either, but I heard that he has become quite fond of it now. Why is that? Warriors are like arrows, constantly surrounded by swords and spears, and cannot be judged by ordinary standards. If even drinking is forbidden, many soldiers will go mad! Come, Ziyuan, have a sip too! Otherwise, how will you get along with the soldiers in the army?"

Upon hearing this, You Ziyuan was clearly reminded of the battlefields he had witnessed. He remained silent for a long time before finally draining his wine cup. Liu Yao laughed heartily at this, then turned his gaze to the outside of the tent. Seeing the vast night sky over the mountains of Longyou, he summoned a guard and instructed, "It's almost New Year's Day. Go and inform the entire army that after capturing Linwei City, the whole army will have a three-day grand feast!"

After giving the order, Liu Yao turned to You Ziyuan and continued, "That idiot Chen An, he's truly out of his mind. He actually wants to deceive everyone and become the governor of Qin Prefecture. He's really ignorant of his own limitations."

“However, he can be considered a hero.” You Ziyuan said, “According to what Your Highness just said, he was able to rise to the challenge in such a situation, and his courage is probably no less than that of Jiang Wei.”

"Haha, yes, only by defeating such a hero can we show that destiny has been bestowed upon us," Liu Yao laughed.

Speaking of the phrase "destined by fate," Liu Yao suddenly had an idea. He asked You Ziyuan, "Ziyuan, would you like to hear some music? Speaking of which, Pei Bao, being from a noble family, has quite a few singing girls. I won a few after I went to Long. How about we listen to music together under the city walls tonight?"

You Ziyuan was somewhat confused, but since Liu Yao seemed to be in high spirits, he couldn't refuse, so he said, "I will follow Your Highness's arrangements."

That night, although the siege of Linwei City remained, the fighting was completely suspended. Liu Yao erected a screen on an open mound, then laid out mats. Under the vast starry sky, the staff of the Shiping Prince's Mansion took their seats. In the quiet night, there seemed to be only the faint sound of the wind.

At this moment, only two musicians were playing: a man playing the flute and a woman singing and dancing. At Liu Yao's signal, the mournful flute music floated under the soft moonlight, and the singer sang, waving her long sleeves.

"The stream flows from the mountaintop, drifting down to the foot of the mountain. I think of myself, adrift in the wilderness."

I set out from Xincheng at dawn and camped at Longtou at dusk. Too cold to speak, my tongue curled up in my throat.

The stream at the head of the mountain flows, its murmur mournful. Gazing afar at the Qin plains, my heart is broken.

During the day, people fought to the death; after sunset, they laid down their weapons. Amidst the music, the musicians, the singers, and the listeners all fell into a profound loneliness, savoring the sorrow of their battles.

You Ziyuan was drawn to the music. He knew it was the "Longtou Liushui Qu" that the Qin people loved most, and he also understood the intention of King Shiping. King Shiping was imitating Han Xin's ambush from ten sides, using local music to wear down the morale of the defending troops in the city.

Liu Yao was also immersed in the flute and song. As a Xiongnu who had been through many battles, he also had a sentimental and straightforward side, no less than that of ordinary Han people. After a song, he clapped his hands and said, "A fine song should be paired with fine wine! Come, everyone, let's enjoy the music and drink wine at the same time. Isn't that the greatest pleasure in the world?"

So the music was played again and again, but just as the wine was flowing freely, a fast horse galloped from the north. The messenger immediately dismounted, tumbling to the ground, and then hurriedly reported to Liu Yaotong:
"Your Highness, at the hour of Chen today, a force suddenly attacked from the west of Fengtai Mountain, launching a surprise attack on Lueyang. General Yang is fighting a fierce battle. Please return to his aid immediately!"

These words struck Liu Yao like a thunderbolt; his drunkenness vanished instantly, and he abruptly stood up. (End of Chapter)