Jinting Han people

Chapter 172: On Famous Generals (4k)

When choosing a restaurant, Li Ju once said that many officials from the Zhengxi Army came to dine at Woyunju, which was really true. Liu Xian did not expect that it was just a banquet, but he could meet so many high-ranking officials from the Zhengxi Army here, including many famous people.

For example, Zhang Gui, commander of the Western Expedition Army, was a renowned scholar in Longyou who had been famous for decades. Even before Liu Xian was born, he was already highly regarded by Zhang Hua, who believed that Liu Xian, suppressed by the local Zhongzheng, was actually a talent of the Second Rank, or even a poor description of the Second Rank. The implication was that he should be rated as a Zhuoran Second Rank.

However, he was also favored and promoted by Yang Yao, and after the Three Yangs fell, his career was also affected. Now, after five years as the commander of the Western Expedition Army, there is still no sign of promotion.

However, before Sun Xiu arrived, he had been the real operator of the Western Expedition Army. The court and the public all agreed that after Tufa Shuji's death, there had been no more major rebellions in Guanzhong, and Zhang Gui's contribution was invaluable.

However, now that Sun Xiu has taken power, Zhang Gui has become a figurehead with no substance, but fortunately he doesn't care. Liu Xian met Zhang Gui for the first time today and saw that he exuded a carefree and carefree air, as if he had no burden at all.

Suo Chen, the magistrate of Haozhi County, was a young talent. He was twenty-six years old, a descendant of the Suo family of Dunhuang, his father being Suo Jing, the prefect of Jiuquan.

The Suo family in Dunhuang was not a prominent family, so Suo Chen had real talent and knowledge. Like Liu Xian, he entered the officialdom through the path of the scholar-shooting exam and was recognized as a versatile civil and military talent of the younger generation.

For example, Jia Kan, the Protector General of the Western Expedition, and Huangfu Chong, the military official of Yongzhou, were from the Jia family of Wuwei and the Huangfu family of Anding respectively.

These are all great families that have produced such legendary generals as Jia Xu and Huangfu Song, and their family traditions are incomparable to ordinary people.

Perhaps because they all came from Guanxi, they lacked the unrealistic, romantic airs of the Luoyang scholars. Despite their varying ages, they all seemed quite open-minded. They didn't look down on Liu Xian just because he was a county magistrate, nor were they overly enthusiastic because he was a princeling. Instead, they treated him like ordinary friends. And it was precisely this ordinary warmth that made Liu Xian feel very comfortable.

What people need is simple and difficult at the same time. In fact, it is this simple equality of personality that is often unattainable.

Zhang Gui was the oldest person, almost twenty to thirty years older than everyone else, yet he was incredibly approachable. After everyone introduced themselves, he stroked his beard with one hand and poured drinks for each of the young people present with the other.

He laughed as they fell, and asked, "You two were so cheerful just now, what were you discussing?"

A toast from an elder is a solemn affair, but Zhang Gui acted relaxed, and the recipient naturally relaxed as well. Li Ju took the cup and said with a smile, "Mr. Zhang, it's nothing special. We were just discussing which other famous generals are there in China today."

Discussing famous generals is perfectly natural. After all, power is achieved through competition, and thousands of years of history have etched competition into an unstoppable instinct. After the fall of the Han Dynasty, the question of who was superior, Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang, or Emperor Shizu of Han, Liu Xiu, has been debated for centuries, with no definitive conclusion to this day. Doesn't the official Nine-Rank System also categorize talent into different levels?
Zhang Gui smiled and said, "Have you come to a conclusion after discussing this?"

Yang Nandi showed no sign of fear. He said bluntly, "We were just discussing who was better, Zhang Junsi or Ma Xiping."

Zhang Gui couldn't help but laugh when he heard this. He said, "How can I compare to Ma Xiaoxing? Back then, Ma Xiaoxing pacified Liangzhou and defeated Tufa Shuji Neng. He was a nationally recognized general. How could I possibly have such achievements?"

"Why should Mr. Zhang be so modest?"

Apparently, Li Ju was the one who claimed that Zhang Gui was stronger than Ma Long. He now argued:
"Mr. Zhang simply suffered from bad luck and wasn't entrusted with important tasks. You excel at directing the troops and stabilizing the people. Mr. Ma excels at confronting the enemy and bravely killing them. There's no difference in superiority; it's just a matter of strengths. If you were to pacify Liang Province, I believe you could defeat the enemy without fighting, and you wouldn't let Mr. Ma take all the credit!"

"Okay, okay, okay, haha, I didn't expect Shihui to think so highly of me. I'll borrow your good wishes then."

With Zhang Gui's introduction, the rest of the topic naturally expanded. Everyone continued to talk about other famous generals in the world with great interest.

Li Xiong said, "Ma Xiping is now very old and is said to be on the verge of death. Du Wuku has passed away, and Wen Yang and Wei Guan were unjustly killed. The world is peaceful now, and there are very few generals who can be called famous."

"Almost all the famous generals who attacked Shu have died. The only ones left are probably the famous generals who attacked Wu!"

Suo Chen continued, "I know you're talking about Wang Hun, Wang Rong, Luo Shang, He Pan, and the others. While these individuals possessed some talent, they were far inferior to their predecessors. Besides, some renowned Wu generals surrendered and survived. Tao Huang, who defeated the imperial army in Jiaozhou, is probably still alive. I feel none of these individuals are as good as Tao Huang."

This is indeed the truth. In people's eyes, famous generals must of course be legendary. The word "legend" is more or less linked to the fate of the country. There is indeed a lack of such people at the moment.

Huangfu Zhong felt a little emotional. He asked, "So, does that mean there are no more famous generals in the world?"

Zhang Gui smiled and consoled him, "There's nothing we can do. The country is peaceful now, and even the most talented people can't be recognized. We can't just create something out of nothing. The court has never lacked talented generals. Our lamenting here is a blessing for the people of the world."

At this time, Qi Wannian interrupted and asked, "Then why don't you tell me, General Zhang, who in the court has the potential to become a famous general? Since we can't talk about the famous generals of the moment, why not talk about the famous generals of the future?"

This question quickly piqued everyone's interest, even more so than before. After all, while the current generation of famous generals was certain, the future generation was unknown, and this challenge would test everyone's discernment and connections.

Zhang Gui hadn't wanted to answer this question, but Huangfu Zhong, already quite interested, spoke first, "We have many talented people in Liang Province. I once met a brave man in Chengji named Chen An. He's truly remarkable! He's only seven feet tall, yet he can wield two powerful weapons from horseback: a seven-foot broadsword and a ten-foot-long snake spear. He's as fierce as Guan Yu and Zhang Fei! If there's trouble on the border in the future, he'll surely make a name for himself!"

There's such a person? Everyone was surprised when they heard this, and those who practiced martial arts were even more eager to make a move, especially Yang Nandi. He unconsciously clenched his fist and muttered to himself, "I wonder who is stronger, him or me?"

Qi Wannian laughed again and said, "That's truly remarkable. However, I heard that Commander-in-Chief Liu Yuan of the Left Army also has a fierce warrior named Pingxian. He can lift a thousand pounds (about 250kg in modern times) and is particularly skilled at seizing weapons from horseback. I wonder who is stronger between the two?"

Everyone present was in an uproar again. Lifting a thousand pounds? Wouldn't that mean he was as strong as Xiang Yu? Liu Xian couldn't help but wonder, who was stronger, this Pingxian or that giant?

But seeing the topic veer towards a discussion of martial arts, Jia Kan, who wasn't particularly skilled in the art, was unconvinced. He said, "Leading troops in battle means only charging into battle and charging headfirst. That's just a battle of generals. A true commander should be like Wei Wu, mastering the art of planning and responding to emergencies."

Qi Wannian said, "In your opinion, where can we find such a person?"

Jia Kan couldn't say it was him, so he said, "No one knows people better than General Yang Hu, the Southern Zhen General. Before his death, he said that the only one who could succeed him would be Liu Hong and Ji Gong. Now Liu Hong is in charge of Youzhou as General Ningshuo. He is truly powerful and has eradicated bandits and brought all the barbarians to submission. He is the pillar of the imperial court. If a war breaks out, the court will send him there, and he will surely achieve immediate success!"

Everyone present had heard of Liu Hong's name, but they didn't seem to believe him. After all, no matter how capable he was at pacifying the country and comforting the people, without any representative battle works, he wasn't enough to convince people.

Seeing everyone's expressions, Zhang Gui affirmed Liu Hong and said, "Liu Heji is indeed a prodigy. His biggest problem right now is that he has no connections in the court. If being the governor of Youzhou wasn't such a tough job, he wouldn't even be able to hold this position. We should not be too harsh on him."

Li Ju asked, "So, in Zhang Junsi's opinion, who are some other famous generals?" Zhang Gui, unable to refuse, replied, "In my opinion, I would probably have to mention Duke Zhou Chu. Five years ago, when I first took office, he served as the prefect of Xinping. He helped me pacify the six rebellious Hu tribes and resolved the chaos on the border. I am truly grateful to him."

Speaking of Zhou Chu, everyone was a little surprised. He was also a recognized hero, but two years ago, he had to go back home to mourn his elderly mother, so he had not been heard of for a while, so everyone had forgotten him.

At this point, Zhang Gui suddenly changed the subject and turned to Liu Xian, asking, "Why isn't Huai Chong speaking? We, the people of the countryside, only have a limited understanding of the imperial court. At most, we only know a few of the great men of Guanxi. You're from Luoyang, so you should know the most about the talents in the court."

Liu Xian was stunned when he heard this, then he laughed a little. He said, "No, no, I just don't know the heroes of Guanxi. I was a little stunned for a moment when I heard everyone talking about it."

But after Zhang Gui said this, everyone's curiosity was aroused. They raised their glasses and cheered together. Lu Quyang also said, "I have never heard the county lord say that!"

"Alright then!" Liu Xian thought about it and decided to say something that might sound off-key but came from the heart. "Then I won't go by relationships or connections, but will just talk about military strategy and some of the geniuses I know!"

"Among the people I know in Luoyang today, there are three who are equally outstanding. If they could lead an army independently, they would definitely become famous generals who will be recorded in history."

This statement was so high-profile that it perked up all the audience present and made them listen attentively. Even Zhang Gui couldn't help but ask:

"Who's the first one?"

"The first one is Meng Guan, Duke of Shanggu."

Seeing the noncommittal expressions of the crowd, Liu Xian knew that, as the chief contributor to the coup against Yang, Meng Guan was often seen as a conspirator, not a renowned general. However, he sincerely admired Meng Guan and publicly defended him, saying:

"None of you know Meng Guan, but I know him. He's a brave general, daring to achieve victory through surprise and fighting in person. On the battlefield, I'm afraid no one can match him."

"At the same time, he is also good at training soldiers. He can share the hardships with his soldiers, and they are as close as father and son. When they discuss military exercises, the whole army is united. Even if the three armies advance and retreat, he can still dominate the world!"

"Unfortunately, he is a member of the King of Chu's faction, just like me. Unless the situation is critical, he will definitely not be given a high position in the future."

Liu Xian spoke sincerely, and his words were naturally convincing. Everyone nodded repeatedly, and Zhang Gui even said, "If that's the case, I should make some friends when I report to Luoyang at the end of the year."

Then he asked, "Who is the second person?"

"The second person is my good friend, Zu Ti, the Chief Clerk of Sizhou."

No one had ever heard of Zu Ti's name, so they were inevitably confused. Liu Xian also knew this, so he picked out the most important part and introduced him:

"It doesn't matter. Although Zu Shizhi is unknown now, you will definitely remember him in the future!"

"I tell you, even though Zu Ti comes from a humble background, he possesses a wealth of strategic strategies and possesses the extraordinary integrity to save the world from the ravages of time. No one would want to face him on the battlefield."

"If you say Meng Guan is courageous and willing to take risks, then there's still the consideration of the right and wrong. But Zu Ti's personality is such that he'll fight to the death, using any means necessary. Unless you kill him, he won't retreat a single step."

"Two years ago, I was imprisoned, and it was he who persuaded His Royal Highness Prince Liang to get me out of jail."

After this introduction, everyone present was moved and they all remembered the name Zu Ti.

Li Juze, who was listening in on the conversation, leaned over impatiently and asked, "My Lord, who is the third person?"

Liu Xian said, "The third person is also a good friend of mine, but you may have heard of his name. He is Lu Ji and Lu Shiheng."

"Lu Ji is now world-renowned for his writing, but this was not his original intention. He was a man of both literary and military talents, but because he was born in Wu, he was not trusted by others, so he could only rely on his writing to make a name for himself."

"In terms of military strategy, he inherited the true teachings of his grandfather Lu Xun and his father Lu Kang. He prioritized military discipline, first making himself invincible, then seeking to defeat the enemy."

"If you underestimate him just because he's a scholar, you've fallen into the trap of Lu's military acumen. His greatest strength is his ability to show his enemy weakness before striking them dead with a single blow."

"Unfortunately, I don't know if he'll ever have the opportunity to use this ability in his lifetime. He carries too much of a burden. Even if someone were to use him, I'm afraid he wouldn't be able to gain their trust."

At this point, Liu Xian sighed, feeling somewhat disillusioned. The country wasn't short of talent; the problem was that most of it wasn't being utilized.

If the country continues on its current course, what positions will his friends ultimately hold? He can't say. He can't say where he himself will end up.

The soldiers present also felt sympathetic, with only a few Hu people remaining calm. Qi Wannian even laughed and asked, "Mr. Liu, in your opinion, are you considered a famous general?"

Liu Xian's eyelids twitched, and he looked around. He found that everyone was looking at him. He felt a chill in his heart, but on the surface, he smiled happily and said, "Of course I am!"

"Everyone here, I think you will all be famous generals in the world in the future!"

Everyone burst into laughter, then avoided the topic and started talking about local customs and culture instead.

The guests and hosts enjoyed themselves for a while.

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(End of this chapter)