Jinting Han people

Chapter 16: The Triumphant Return of the Wu Army
In May of the first year of the Taikang reign (280 AD), Liu Xian was still studying with Chen Shou, marking his third year of enlightenment. As spring passed and autumn returned, he had unnoticed, reaching a stature of five feet. While not particularly impressive among his peers, his temperament was exceptional. Barely reaching the age of a teenager, Liu Xian had already shed his childish air, emerging instead as a gentle, humble, and refined figure.

This is all due to Chen Shou's careful cultivation.

Starting in the second year, Chen Shou began teaching Liu Xianli etiquette: Everyday behavior, including sitting, standing, and moving, must be performed in accordance with proper etiquette, even the most elaborate details being memorized. For example, if the teacher summoned him, he must walk quickly with small steps, a practice known as "qu" (referring to a qu or "walking"). If an elder was present in a room and wanted to leave first, he must turn his back to the door and bow while clasping his hands. Even if he was walking alone in a room, he must face south before proceeding. This was because the monarch and his parents were both in the south, and he had to show respect.

Of course, Chen Shou continued to teach Liu Xian history. However, as his studies progressed, he no longer needed to teach him how to read or carefully select books for him. Instead, he let Liu Xian read from his own bookcase, and Chen Shou would answer his questions whenever he encountered any. Later, when Chen Shou became busy compiling the "Records of the Three Kingdoms," he simply asked Liu Xian to help organize the materials.

As Chen Shou sorted through historical materials, he piled together important sources like "Dongguan Hanji," "Xiandi Chunqiu," "Yongxiongji," "Zhuge Liang Ji," "Yun Biechuan," "Wei Lue," and "Fei Yi Biechuan." Liu Xian would search through them, looking like a massive boulder. Liu Xian had the privilege of being the first reader of each chapter of Chen Shou's biography. By this time, the historical changes of the past century were no longer a secret to Liu Xian.

This turbulent history captivated him, and the experiences of his great-grandfather and grandfather also made him sigh with regret. But generally speaking, apart from the bloody incident at his doorstep when he was five years old, Liu Xian still couldn't truly feel the specific impact of the people in the book. After all, it was a story he read, and the characters were just characters in the book. As he became accustomed to the current situation, Liu Xian began to gradually forget the scene of that day.

That's their story, and I have mine. Liu Xian subconsciously thought so. As for how to write his own story, the nine-year-old boy hadn't figured it out yet.

Just as he was immersed in this peaceful reading time, a messenger suddenly burst into Chen Shou's thatched cottage one day, delivering an invitation. Liu Xian was very surprised. In the three years he had studied with Chen Shou, apart from the maid Ananda who brought Chen Shou clothes and food, there were only a few visitors to the cottage, only five or six in total, and they were all occasional travelers passing through. For quite a while, Liu Xian believed that Chen Shou had no relatives or friends.

But this time the messenger was very serious. After Chen Shou finished reading the invitation, he bowed and said, "Sir, my master has specifically instructed that this gathering be of great importance. It's a rare occasion for us all to get together once every ten years. I hope you won't refuse."

Chen Shou frowned, then closed his eyes and thought for a while before replying, "I understand. Go back and tell Chaozong that no matter what Li Shulong thinks of me, I will attend the gathering in ten days."

After the messenger left, Liu Xian asked Chen Shou, "Teacher, what meeting are you going to?"

Chen Shou put down the invitation in his hand and said with a smile, "These are all some of my old friends and juniors. I haven't seen some of them for almost ten years, but now, by chance, they are all arriving in the capital, so a friend suggested that we find a place to get together."

"Old friend?"

"Most of them are my classmates. We all studied under Master Qiao back then. It's been more than 20 years now."

Liu Xian asked, "Then why are you in Luoyang again?"

Chen Shou replied, "Didn't the imperial court send troops to destroy Wu this year? The navy led by Wang Jun, who arrived at Shitou City to accept the surrender of the Wu lord, was a large army trained by the people of Shu. General Wang Jun's staff are also mostly from Shu, and most of them are old acquaintances of mine. In three days, the prince will return with his troops in triumph, and they will also come to the capital to present the captives, so I thought we'd get together."

"Huh?" Liu Xian suddenly became interested. He also wanted to meet his teacher's friends and learn more about their past. "Can I go with you?"

Chen Shou shook his head and said with a smile, "This is just a private party. Your status is sensitive, and if you go there, I'm afraid it will cause a lot of trouble."

Liu Xian was very disappointed, and Chen Shou felt a little sad looking at his disciple's expression. He then comforted him, "Having said that, the royal army's triumphant return and presentation of gifts is also a rare grand occasion in the world. You might as well go with me to watch. It is said that you can see the King of Wu in Jiangdong!" Only then did Liu Xian cheer up.

Three days passed in a flash, and at noon that day, Chen Shou appeared at the Anle Mansion as promised. Under Zhang Ximiao's arrangement, about a dozen children and teenagers, including Liu Xian, followed Chen Shou to watch the fun.

The triumphal ceremony was to be held five miles south of Luoyang City, on the southern bank of the Luo River. As Liu Xian exited Pingchang Gate, he was greeted by a vast crowd, so vast it stretched as far as the eye could see. Once he joined the throng, he couldn't see another person, yet he could feel the breaths of more than one person at his neck. The crowds were so dense, shoulder to shoulder, there wasn't even room to turn around.

This was Liu Xian's first time seeing so many people; the scene of Ma Long's expedition two years ago couldn't even begin to compare. It was also the first time he felt, amidst the crowd, how insignificant and yet so vast humans were. Perhaps all it took was a single shout to send the crowd into chaos, trampling countless lives.

Fortunately, Chen Shou still held an official position in the court. After he took out his official certificate, guards cleared a path through the crowd and led them to continue south. Gradually, the noisy sounds were left behind, and the bustling crowds disappeared. A wide square suddenly appeared on the bank of the Luo River.

In the center of the square stood a terrace, from which the altar and its canopy could be seen from afar. Below, hundreds of officials in court robes stood on either side, and over a thousand imperial guards were arrayed, swords drawn. Directly south of them, a road over twenty feet wide had been cleared, leading directly to the invisible plain to the south.

It can be imagined that the emperor was sitting on the terrace at this time, and the triumphant army would march forward to present his victory under the solemn gaze of hundreds of thousands of people.

Liu Xian and his companions were led to the southwest side of the square, where officials and their relatives, invited to observe the ceremony, gathered. Across from them sat renowned Confucian scholars and hermits. As soon as they had settled, Zhang Gu pointed to two carriages facing each other on the terrace and whispered to Liu Xian, "Biji, look! Aren't those your fourth and seventh uncles?"

Liu Xian looked closely and saw that among the imperial guards stationed in front of the terrace, there were indeed Liu Zan and Liu Qu. Looking further ahead, wasn't there his ninth uncle, Liu Ji? Why were they here?

He asked Chen Shou, who replied, "The three marquises all hold the rank of Zhonglang (Secretary General) in the imperial court, and are subordinate to the Guanglu Xun (Grand Officer of the Imperial Household) and the Imperial Guard. Whenever the emperor travels, they are obliged to accompany him."

Liu Xian blinked, then suddenly remembered that he hadn't seen his father Liu Xun today, and asked again, "What about my father?"

"My lord, you are a duke, so of course you will come to such an important event. However, I'm afraid you won't be in the audience, but beside the emperor."

As they spoke, a melodious blast of trumpets echoed from the terrace, followed by the sound of celebratory gongs and drums, signaling the start of the triumphal procession. The cavalry surged forward, the first eight hundred mounted on pure-colored steeds, clad in military uniforms and covered in red brocade robes, bearing banners shaped like tigers and bears. The banners fluttered in the wind, and the horses' hooves clattered past with a resounding clatter. Another eight hundred, also mounted on fine horses and clad in brocade robes, advanced with horns blaring. Then, two thousand elite cavalrymen advanced in a single column, each wearing iron helmets and bright armor, wielding spears and halberds. Their mounts were covered with iron veils and draped in cowhide armor. Like gods descending from heaven, the long column galloped by with a majestic aura.

Then, countless knights, armed with swords and spears, surged forward. Under the summer sun, the cold gleam of their iron blades dazzled the eyes. Behind them, six chariots, richly engraved with dragon and tiger carvings, raced forward. Aboard each chariot stood the Jin army's chief general and staff. Some wore gilded armor, while others held fans and wore Confucian robes. Their imposing presence was like a rainbow cloud embracing the sun, inspiring awe and admiration.

"That's the prince!" Chen Shou pointed to one of the lanes. Liu Xian followed suit and saw an elderly man with white hair and beard, but an upright figure. He held a chopping knife and was conversing with his staff. Beneath the creases of his eyes, which looked like a rock, he looked both kind and majestic.

Wang Jun's staff and lieutenants, some in their twenties and thirties, and some in their thirties and forties, were all tall, sturdy, and had stern expressions. Chen Shou introduced them to Liu Xian one by one, saying, "The one on the far left is He Pan, the slightly taller one in the middle is Qiao Deng, the one closest to the prince is Luo Shang, and the one on the far right is Li Yi. They are all prominent figures in Shu, and all old acquaintances of mine."

As soon as he finished speaking, the crowd suddenly erupted in cheers and applause. The shouts of hundreds of thousands of people were like an endless tsunami, drowning out all other noisy sounds.

It turned out that the prisoners from Eastern Wu had arrived.

Sun Hao, the King of Wu, and hundreds of important officials of the royal family, all dressed in plain clothes, were held hostage by countless soldiers armed with bows and arrows and spears. They stood on carriages pulled by slow horses and slowly passed through the road.

As Liu Xian's gaze swept over the captives, he was immediately drawn to Sun Hao, the ruler of Wu. Sun Hao was thirty-nine years old, yet he looked very youthful, with fair skin. His eyes were fiercely sinister, as if harboring a restless ghost. The moment Liu Xian locked eyes with him, he felt as if he had been stabbed.

Liu Xian rubbed his eyes and looked up again, only to find that Sun Hao was still staring at him, his expression like a wounded, hungry eagle. But this only lasted for a short time; as the team marched on, he was gone from Liu Xian's sight in a moment. Looking at Sun Hao's back, Liu Xian wondered if the eye contact was just an illusion.

After the captives were taken away, the onlookers gradually quieted down. The last troops to enter the battle were the Xuchang garrison troops. They were so numerous that the ground shook with every step they took. Led by their leading officer, they sang a military song in unison.
"The Xianyun rebelled against Heaven's will and stirred up chaos and disturbed the borders of the country. Their war chariots shook the northern plains, and the generals praised the Emperor's might.

The officers and men marched with one heart, and, moved by the principle of righteousness, forgot their selfishness. Their accumulated strength was like a crossbow in a wall, and their arrival at the right moment was like the firing of a bolt.

The roar shook the valley, and the golden light shone brightly. He brandished his spear to crush the powerful enemy, and stepped on the corpses in his steps.

The whale salamanders are all given their heads, and the northern land will always be clear. It used to be a sweltering summer, but now it's snowing.

Soldiers are known for their diligence and hard work, and have sung poems about gathering wild vegetables since ancient times. They receive honor from leaving their posts and are delighted by their triumphant return.

This poem was also written by Zhang Hua, named "Song of Returning Troops". Different from the solemn and generous tune of "Song of Ordering the General to Go to War", this song is majestic yet joyful, passionate yet enterprising, and seems to imply the arrival of a new, beautiful and peaceful era. Quietly, a smile appears on everyone's face. Even the prisoners of the defeated side will have some yearning and desire for peace in their hearts!

As the singing ended, all the tribute-giving troops had arrived, and the emperor finally appeared and received the victorious generals and captives on the terrace.

Because of the distance, Liu Xian couldn't clearly see the emperor's face on the terrace. He only felt that the yellow robe and canopy were beautiful, and the countless guards and weapons surrounding them, like the mountains and forests, further demonstrated the emperor's supreme power and majesty. However, as he accepted the Wu Kingdom's seal, a breeze swept across the terrace, causing the emperor's figure to sway slightly. To Liu Xian, he seemed to have a beauty-like slenderness and fragility, even reminding him of fragility.

But a moment later, Liu Xian noticed his father behind the emperor. Liu Xun was standing in the second row alongside several dukes of the Western Jin Dynasty, his posture slightly hunched. This puzzled Liu Xian. In his mind, Liu Xun might be brutal, but he was incredibly conscious of his image, or perhaps even incredibly self-respecting. No matter where he appeared, he never let on even the slightest sign of desolation. And today, Liu Xian seemed to see a hint of sadness in him.

Many years later, when Liu Xian recalled this scene, he completely understood his father's thoughts.

After all, beside him stood Liu Kang, the Duke of Shanyang, the eldest grandson of Emperor Xian of Han, Liu Xie. Before him stood Cao Huan, the Prince of Chenliu, the grandson of Emperor Wu of Wei, Cao Cao, and Sun Hao, the grandson of Emperor Wu, Sun Quan. They were now offering the imperial seal to the emperor. The descendants of the monarchs of the Eastern Han and Three Kingdoms dynasties now prostrated themselves at the feet of the Sima clan. Did this mean that the glory of the past was finally lost forever? Regardless of whether there would be an answer in the future, at least at the time, Duke Anle certainly had none. He faced only endless despair.

But for the current emperor Sima Yan, his joy could not be concealed.

He had bravely and relentlessly conquered Wu, unifying China with overwhelming success, much to his delight. After the triumphal procession, he refused to send his ministers and generals home, instead hosting a banquet in the imperial palace. The guests drank and reveled throughout the night, enjoying themselves until nearly dark the next day. In just six months, the Western Jin not only eliminated Tufa Shuji, a major threat to Liang Province, but also crushed the decades-long separatist Eastern Wu, completely unifying the empire. This was a feat that had eluded countless heroes over the past century.
Sima Yan had been on the throne for fourteen years, and his decision-making had always been constrained by Jia Chong and other meritorious old ministers. It was only in this year that he was able to truly hold his head high.

He first brought up the appointment of Ma Long, then, under the influence of alcohol, sarcastically remarked, "If I had listened to you, how could the country still have Liang Province?" Jia Chong then, fittingly, stepped forward to apologize, expressing deep regret for his earlier opposition to the invasion of Wu. Sima Yan laughed heartily and, without dwelling on the matter, dismissed the banquet and ordered a jug of wine to be brought to Yang Hu's tomb to offer sacrifices, to appease the Grand Tutor's spirit.

Before parting, he asked Sun Hao to stay with him and pointed to the seat in front of him and said to him, "I have set up this seat for you for a long time."

Unexpectedly, Sun Hao remained neither humble nor arrogant. He looked up and replied, "I, your humble servant from the south, have also set up this seat to welcome Your Majesty."

The attendants were furious and wanted to arrest Sun Hao and force him to surrender. However, Sima Yan did not care at all. Instead, he raised his wine cup and said to Sun Hao with a smile: "Since that is the case, I would like to offer you a glass of wine as a token of my gratitude for your kindness."

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(End of this chapter)