Three Kingdoms: I am not Liu Bian

Chapter 207 Since we can't get into Luoyang through the exam, then we'll fight our way into Luoyang!

Liangzhou, the capital of Hanyang Commandery was Ji County.

The crimson military flag with its black border fluttered in the wind. Huangfu Song sat astride his horse, with the clanging of armor and the snorting of warhorses behind him, as they slowly advanced towards the city walls to the beat of the drums.

The governor of Hanyang, Gai Xun, dressed in armor, led his officials and local gentry to line up and greet him.

The original governor of Hanyang Commandery was Fan Jin. Zuo Chang, the governor of Anding Commandery, was beheaded by Zhu Jun for embezzling military funds. Afterwards, Zuo Chang petitioned the Crown Prince to transfer Fan Jin to Anding Commandery and to promote Gai Xun, the chief clerk of Hanyang Commandery, to governor of Hanyang Commandery.

Gai Xun was from Dunhuang County. His family had been in the rank of 2,000 shi (a unit of grain measure) for generations, but they had all only reached the rank of 2,000 shi prefect in various counties of Liangzhou and had never stepped out of Liangzhou.

Zhu Jun, the governor of Liangzhou, made a promise to Gai Xun on the day Gai Xun took over as the prefect of Hanyang.

If Ji County is not lost, I will go to the capital to serve as an official!

Yes, Zhu Jun meant that as long as Ji County still existed, it didn't matter if all the other parts of Hanyang Commandery were lost!
Who could blame them when Ji County was the capital of Liangzhou!

During the Han Dynasty, the capital of Liangzhou changed frequently due to military and political factors. It moved between several places, including Guzang in Wuwei Commandery, Lintao, Xiangwu, and Didao in Longxi Commandery, and Ji County in Hanyang Commandery.

The purpose of governing Wuwei Commandery was to consolidate the newly established four commanderies in Hexi.

The purpose of governing Longxi Commandery was to supervise the various Qiang tribes in southwestern Liangzhou, including the Baima Qiang, Zhong Qiang, and Canlang Qiang.

The eventual relocation to Ji County in Hanyang Commandery was a compromise by the Later Han court to the Qiang rebellion in Liangzhou. The court had no choice but to move its administrative center further back, which resulted in the court losing most of its control over the four commanderies in Hexi.

As the current capital of Liangzhou, the significance of capturing Ji County to the Liangzhou rebels is self-evident. At that time, the morale of the rebels will be greatly boosted, and they will eventually swallow up the entire Liangzhou and invade the Three Auxiliary Regions.

Gai Xun did not disappoint Zhu Jun's expectations. The Xianling Qiang of Beidi Commandery launched a surprise attack on Hanyang Commandery via Fengyi Mountain in the northern part of Anding Commandery.

Gai Xun personally led 1,500 soldiers from the prefecture and kingdom, and recruited 2,000 servants and able-bodied men from various powerful clans in Hanyang Prefecture to Ayang County. With a small force, he repelled more than 10,000 Xianling Qiang soldiers in 27 attacks, severely damaging their morale and forcing the Xianling Qiang to temporarily retreat and regroup.

Although Gai Xun temporarily repelled the rebels, the rebels were powerful, and no one could guarantee that Gai Xun's small force would win every time.

At this time, the imperial army arrived in Hanyang County.

Of course, we should welcome the king's army with food and drink!

Huangfu Song dismounted, and the officers behind him, seeing that their commander had dismounted, naturally had no reason to presume to remain on horseback.

Huangfu Song dismounted, his military boots kicking up a cloud of dust as he strode forward. He warmly grasped Gai Xun's hand, his calloused palms, calloused from years of wielding weapons, gently patting the back of Gai Xun's hand. He said, "Yuan Gu, the preservation of Hanyang is all thanks to you!"

"General, you flatter me. Since I am receiving the Han salary, I should do my best to serve the public. Defending Hanyang County is just fulfilling my duty." Gai Xun bowed slightly, but raised his eyebrows with a hint of sternness. He pointed to the officials and powerful families behind him and said, "As for success, without the unity of the officials, people and gentry in the county, even if Han Bai were to be resurrected, he would be powerless."

Huangfu Song laughed heartily, took Gai Xun's arm, turned to the generals, and said, "Gai Xun is a truly magnificent gentleman!"

The generals did not refuse Huangfu Song's request and all echoed his praise of Gai Xun as a gentleman.

Such respect and courtesy made Gai Xun feel flattered, but he did not humbly decline Huangfu Song's praise.

Gai Xun was a truly sincere gentleman. He felt that the credit for defending Hanyang County belonged to everyone, not just him, so he humbly declined the offer.

But Huangfu Song praised him as a gentleman, and he truly believed himself to be one. Confucius said, "When it comes to benevolence, one should not yield even to one's teacher."

Gai Xun believed that he had saved the people of Hanyang County from slaughter, which was an act of "benevolence," so there was no need for him to humbly decline the title of "gentleman."

Afterwards, Huangfu Song ordered 13,000 good men from the He River region to enter the city and garrison it, taking over the city's defenses.

Ultimately, Huangfu Song was also from Liangzhou and knew the tricks behind the Qiang rebellion in Liangzhou. His trust in Gai Xun did not mean that he trusted the other powerful families in Liangzhou in the city.

The remaining 50,000 troops were housed in barracks outside the city built by the powerful clans of Hanyang County. The barracks were well-equipped, with uniform cowhide tents that were warm in winter and cool in summer, except for the slight smell of cowhide. They were also provided with bedding, military boots, and other supplies.

The supply depot was fully stocked with provisions, with bundles of cured meat hanging on wooden racks, and piles of fruits and vegetables stacked high.

For Gao Shun's infantry captain's unit and Cao Ren's Imperial Guard Left Cavalry, such an environment was almost comparable to the barracks of the Luoyang Imperial Palace, not to mention the other soldiers from good families, commanderies and kingdoms, and auxiliary troops.
This place is simply a paradise on earth!

Cao Ren, the Left Cavalry Commander of the Imperial Guard, unsaddled his horse and took out a handful of feed from a sack beside the manger. Seeing that it was a mixture of soybeans, rice husks, and fine hay, he raised an eyebrow and exclaimed in surprise, "Good heavens, the powerful families of Liangzhou are so extravagant?"

Han Yue stroked his beard and sneered, "Those who offer unsolicited favors are either treacherous or thieves!"
He didn't know what kind of people the four families of Hanyang, Jiang, Yan, Ren and Zhao, were. Could these guys who secretly funded the Liangzhou rebels really be so generous in entertaining the imperial army?
Outsiders may not know, but Han Yue knows all too well what kind of anthropomorphic creatures the powerful clans of Liangzhou are.

In the past, during the Qiang rebellions, when were there no powerful clans in Liangzhou secretly colluding with each other?
However, there was nothing that could be done. The imperial court and powerful families in the Central Plains discriminated against and ostracized people from Liangzhou. Even if someone was recommended for the position of filial and incorruptible official and sent to Luoyang, as long as they were unwilling to swear allegiance to the scholars and lords of the Central Plains and become their dogs, they could forget about being approved as a strategist!

Who can blame them when the final interpretation of Confucian classics rests in the hands of the scholars and officials of the Central Plains!

Then, suddenly someone from the powerful families of Liangzhou stepped forward and said he had an idea!
If we can't get into Luoyang through the exam, then we'll fight our way into Luoyang!

We, the people of Liangzhou, will make Liangzhou great again!

The slogans were inspiring and made people's blood boil. Then someone suggested that everyone should just do it and rise up in rebellion!
Once they entered Luoyang City, they robbed money, grain, and women!
The powerful clans of Liangzhou: Are you crazy?!
While their slogans were loud and clear, when it came to actually raising an army in rebellion, they began to hesitate and look back. After all, capturing Luoyang was no easy feat, and if they failed, their entire family would be wiped out.

After the initial enthusiasm cooled, some of the powerful clans in Liangzhou suggested that they should wage a proxy war!

Give them money, food, and weapons!

As a result, the powerful families of Liangzhou began to provide substantial financial assistance to Han Chinese officers who were frustrated but brave in various counties of Liangzhou, and to promote Han-Qiang mixed-race individuals and win over various Qiang and Hu peoples. In this way, even if the rebel army attacked Liangzhou, they would not attack them.

If these peasants are defeated, it is the Liangzhou rebels who are defeated. These powerful lords are also victims of "plundering". What does it have to do with them?
If these peasants win, and if they want to govern the new territory and consolidate their gains, won't they have to rely on these local tyrants?

If we don't rely on them, should we rely on illiterate peasants, or on the scholars from the Central Plains who have always looked down on the people of Liangzhou?

Later, the powerful gentry of Liangzhou felt that this matter was still not safe enough, so they decided to sponsor another group of Liangzhou people who wanted to take the exams in Luoyang, so that if they became successful, they could also help their own descendants.

As for how they became successful?

Isn't there a group of rebellious peasants?

As long as the powerful lords exert their efforts, cut off their logistics, and sell them intelligence, everything will be fine!
The rebels used intelligence from powerful clans in Liangzhou to behead government troops and gain influence within the rebel ranks. In turn, government troops used intelligence from powerful clans in Liangzhou to behead rebels and advance their ranks. Anyone who disobeyed would be the next to have their head chopped off.

But during the time Han Yue was on his way to Luoyang, the strategies of the powerful clans in Liangzhou took a complete 180-degree turn!

The sun is up, why bother with proxy wars!
(2547 words)
(End of this chapter)