Jinting Han people

Chapter 185: The Flag of Fu'an Wei Le (4k)

This day is Wuchen, May of the fourth year of Yuankang.

In the morning, the sky in Fenyin area was dark and covered with thick clouds. The mountains and ridges in the distance were covered by dark clouds, as if a huge curtain was covering the whole area.

Xia Yang ordered Liu Xian to lead a thousand light cavalrymen to disembark at the east bank of Longmen Ferry and assemble on the riverbank. Meanwhile, across two hillocks, a flurry of voices drifted downwind. Liu Xian understood: the first wave of refugees from Pingyang had arrived in Fenyin. The county magistrates in Fenyin were working hard to maintain order, hoping to prevent widespread chaos.

But the refugees' panic was not so easily calmed. Amid the clanging gongs and hoarse shouts of the Fenyin County soldiers, the people still crowded forward regardless of everything. They had witnessed absolute violence, and in the face of the fear of life and death, no one could maintain their composure.

Liu Xian watched the river flowing southward and the boats plying on it, listened to the voices of people and the sound of gongs from far and near, and thought to himself:

"The war is about to begin!"

On the third day of Shangdang Hao San's rebellion, Li Sheng received the news in Gaodu. Before the Xiongnu could flee westward, following Liu Xian's instructions, he rushed into the Qinshui River Valley, galloping at full speed. The 300-li journey, including 100 li of mountain roads, took him a day and a night to reach Xiayang. This, as Liu Xian had planned, gave him nearly two weeks of response time.

But for the past two weeks, Liu Xian had been having troubles. He reported the news to the Western Expeditionary Army Headquarters in Chang'an and simultaneously notified all surrounding counties, advising them to prepare for defenses and to evacuate troops if they were short of manpower. However, his voice was insignificant and he received no response.

Perhaps Sun Xiu suspected Liu Xian of ulterior motives, or perhaps he believed the Shangdang turmoil wouldn't affect Hedong. His military report fell on deaf ears, with no further news. Although the surrounding county magistrates believed in Liu Xian's credibility, they were filled with concerns and, before the order from the Western Expedition Command arrived, they dared not take any responsibility.

The result was that, even though they had received the news in advance and Hao San had launched a surprise attack, large counties like Jiangyi and Linfen, with over 10,000 households, still fell into the hands of the Hu people.

When the urgent military report reached Chang'an, Sun Xiu became anxious and immediately mobilized troops and selected generals within the Western Expedition Army Headquarters to discuss countermeasures. However, this was not something that could be accomplished overnight. Moreover, before the troops could move, food and fodder had to be sent first. Sun Xiu needed several days to mobilize food and fodder before he could send troops.

Therefore, Sun Xiu sent another letter to Fengyi prefect Ouyang Jian, ordering Ouyang Jian to reorganize the troops in Fengyi County first, and to find ways to stop the Xiongnu army in Hedong and delay it until the reinforcements from the Zhengxi Army arrived.

This order spread quickly; Ouyang Jian received it only three days after the fall of Linfen. Fengyi County had a considerable number of county soldiers, approximately three thousand men, but compared to the approaching Xiongnu, it was clearly a drop in the bucket. What should be done? Faced with Sun Xiu's unreasonable order, Ouyang Jian was truly troubled.

It was at this time that Liu Xian made a decision. He wrote to Ouyang Jian, arguing that relying solely on Fengyi County to resist the Xiongnu in the rear was a foolish dream. However, the situation had reached a point where no other solution was needed. He was willing to lead his troops to Hedong to delay the Xiongnu's advance, buying time for the Western Expedition Army. This would also buy more time for the refugees in Hedong and Pingyang counties.

But relying solely on the Xiayang County soldiers was definitely not enough, so Liu Xian asked Ouyang Jian for 400 light cavalry, led by Fengyi Bingcao Yuan Cai Fang, to gather a total of 1,000 men. Then, he brought enough dry food for five days and finally set foot on the land of Hedong.

Looking at the peaceful Longmen Ferry, several soldiers were still tying the ropes to the boats. The reeds beside the ferry were the same color as the water, their tips swaying back and forth in the summer breeze, like magnificent and mighty waves. Liu Xian looked for a while and said to the soldiers around him:
"Since I took office in Xiayang, we have experienced many great events, which led to the peaceful situation in Xiayang. But now, there is chaos in Hedong, and many people can't sleep at night. I believe everyone knows the truth that if the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold. Although we are not from Hedong, if we do not help today, not only will our good days be gone, but if we encounter difficulties in the future, I am afraid no one will lend a hand!"

"Today, I'm leading everyone across the river to fight the bandits. This is both a way to save others and a way to save ourselves! I won't say I expect you to be completely selfless, but I do hope you understand that the lives of many others rest in your hands. I hope you won't let me down!"

Liu Xian's voice was not loud, but it contained emotion, compassion, and heroism, which deeply moved the officers and soldiers around him. Sun Xi said:

"County Master, don't worry. We brothers have been training so hard for the past six months, isn't it all for the sake of achieving great things? Now that the opportunity is right in front of us, we are overjoyed. How could we retreat? Even though we are outnumbered now, I know that those thieves are even more of a mob!"

Liu Xian looked at him and nodded gently, expressing his deep belief that the soldiers' morale was high and that they would surely defeat the enemy with fewer troops. He then ordered a county sergeant to raise two flags, and everyone's eyes turned to them.

One of them is a familiar white tiger banner, symbolizing the emperor's position. The imperial court established a system whereby each of the four military headquarters used a different flag to identify its position: the Western Frontier used the White Tiger Banner, the Eastern Frontier used the Azure Dragon Banner, the Northern Frontier used the Black Tortoise Banner, the Southern Frontier used the Vermillion Bird Banner, and the Capital Frontier used the Yellow Dragon Banner. This white tiger banner symbolized the Western Expeditionary Frontier.

The other side was different. It was hung with a two-meter-long flag with black patterns on a red background, fluttering in the wind. The characters on it were written in the wild goose script, with eight large characters: "Overcome danger and resolve difficulties, support peace and happiness."

Since many of the soldiers were illiterate, Liu Xian specially used the wild goose script on the flag. That is, every vertical and horizontal stroke, every stroke and every stroke of the script resembled flying wild geese. Then, when the entire flag was unfurled, it looked like a flock of wild geese, with a sense of elegance.

Zhang Gu, standing by, looked up at the flag and couldn't help but sigh, "What a great idea, Bi Ji! Everyone treats the three characters 'Duke Anle' as a joke and a disgrace. I never thought that by writing it this way, not only would everyone know it was you, but it would also have a unique charm."

Liu Xian looked at the banner, a thousand emotions welling up in his heart. The three characters, "Duke Anle," were a disgrace bestowed upon his grandfather by Sima Zhao, and a mark upon the entire family. This mark had driven his father mad and brought back many unpleasant memories of his childhood.

But this mark cannot be erased. It is history, a fact that has already happened. No matter what, the humiliating history of national destruction will never disappear.

So, ever since he came of age, Liu Xian had always had an idea: to rewrite the meaning of these three words. Now he had set up a banner, announcing to everyone in the world who knew Anle Gong that he would use his own way to rewrite this shame into glory.

Start now.

After the flag was raised high, the temperament of the entire team did change greatly, it was completely new, as if something in the sky was watching them. Everyone subconsciously straightened their backs, and the military appearance became more neat.

Then, guided by the flags, they finally began to move eastward.

When the flag and the troops crossed the riverbank and over the two hillocks beyond the ferry, they officially appeared before the refugees from Hedong. The noise suddenly died down. This was the first time the refugees had seen imperial officers and soldiers. Although they were few in number, they had a clear organization and a stable military spirit, which was enough to comfort them, and thus there was no more shouting or crying.

Who was the leader of this cavalry? Everyone now turned to this question. Many literate people examined the flags, trying to decipher their meaning within this strange goose script, and couldn't help but feel a bit puzzled. After all, it should have been the district flag, or the general's surname, but this flag didn't have that.

Yet they easily guessed the leader's identity. After all, writing the words "An" and "Le" on a military flag was too abrupt. It was indeed a shameful title, but at the same time, everyone in the world knew who these two characters belonged to, and of course only Liu Bei's descendants had the right to write them.

Liu Xian was actually mistaken in one respect. As the Second King and the Third Ke, apart from being from Luoyang, the honor inherent in this was far beyond the reach of even a single emperor's ridicule. There were perhaps 20,000 to 30,000 people present, and at the foot of the hill, the sheer number was alarming. And yet, all eyes were fixed on them. The knights felt a sense of pressure, and even as they marched, they began to whisper among themselves:
"Wow, so many people! They're all looking at us!"

"These are all refugees, right? How could there be so many of them?"

"This is just the first wave. There are 100,000 households in Hedong and Pingyang counties. Add in the hidden households and the Hu people, and there are at least 500,000 people. We don't know how many more there will be!"

"Stand up straight, everyone. Don't lose face for the county lord at this moment."

Liu Xian didn't interrupt his men's discussion, believing it would ease their nervousness about their first battle. In truth, he himself was a bit nervous. Back when he'd engaged in a clash in the Eastern Palace, the combined forces on both sides had only been around a thousand men. Now, thinking about facing tens of thousands, and being their leader, he struggled to overcome his trepidation.

So he joined in the casual chat with his subordinates.

Liu Xian first asked Cai Fang, the military official from Fengyi who was accompanying him, "Cai, do you think the Xiongnu can fight?"

Cai Fang and Liu Xian had never met before. He was only temporarily assigned by Liu Xian under Ouyang Jian's orders, so he was still a little reserved and replied slowly:

"It's hard to say, County Lord Liu. Logically speaking, after decades of peace, these Xiongnu shouldn't have fought. However, they do have some hunting traditions. The so-called battle formations themselves developed from hunting. Thanks to this, the Xiongnu soldiers should also know some tactics."

"What kind of tactics would be developed from hunting?"

"It should be a tactic that relies on the speed advantage of light cavalry, outflanking left and right, and firing back and forth."

"You mean, the Huns are good at fighting in ambush, but not at fighting bravely?"

"That's pretty much what it means."

"Haha, that's perfect." Liu Xian pointed at his men and laughed, "Many of my county soldiers are bandits who surrendered. They're good at both casualties and desperate fights. It seems at least we won't be at a disadvantage."

After saying this, he turned to look at Xue Xing and asked, "Jida, you are from Hedong. Are you familiar with the terrain of Hedong?"

Liu Xian's original intention was to use the conversation to analyze the strengths and weaknesses of his own side and the Xiongnu rebels, and then to explain his advantages in terms of time, place, and people, and then further boost morale. He wanted to talk to Xue Xing because he wanted to start with the geographical advantage.

Unexpectedly, after he said this, Liu Xian found that Xue Xing was staring at a place in a daze. He looked in the direction of his gaze and saw a convoy at the foot of the hill, lying across the crowded crowd. Among them were two young men, waving at Xue Xing from a distance.

Liu Xian patted Xue Xing on the shoulder and asked with a smile, "Jida, is this your family?"

Xue Xing finally realized what was happening and replied to Liu Xian, "Ah, County Lord, yes, those waving are my brothers, and the one behind them on the ox cart is my master."

"Ah, I'm so sorry." Liu Xian also waved to the young people. Looking back, he saw the vague figure of an old man, who seemed to be looking in his direction. He turned to Xue Xing and smiled, "It seems that I have to make you learn from Dayu and pass by his own door without entering."

"You're joking, my Lord. This is military discipline and it's for their own good. What's there to apologize for?"

Although he said this, Xue Xing's expression was somewhat heavy. It was obvious that this great turmoil had caught him off guard, and the disaster in his hometown made him even more sad.

Of course, there was another reason, which was that he also had a premonition that he had made a wrong choice.

Xue Xing had originally planned to work in Xiayang for another six months before seeking another career. That was to avoid disaster, a legitimate reason, nothing to be ashamed of. But now, with chaos raging in Hedong, many people were displaced, and his family was forced to cross the river to Xiayang for refuge. Many of his relatives and friends had become dependent on the county lord, which made the situation completely different.

Looking up at the flag beside him, Xue Xing thought that if he left again, he would probably become an ungrateful person.

How would his father and brothers treat him then? The thought of this made Xue Xing feel negative. But on the other hand, the matter was done. Could he really give up on his previous agreement with Wang Wan?

He was struggling with the future and morality, the times and the individual, values and destination. After weighing them over and over again for a long time, he felt confused about the future again.

Liu Xian could see that Xue Xing was worried, but he didn't take it to heart. In this day and age, not just Xue Xing, but everyone has their own worries. As a leader, his role was to dispel his subordinates' confusion through his own actions and will, so he didn't press them.

After crossing the hills, Liu Xian whipped his horse forward quickly, leading his men on their first expedition. He needed to quickly ascertain the current situation of the Xiongnu in the rear; only then could he decide what countermeasures to adopt.

It looked like it would rain at any moment, so they had to hurry. After crossing the valley where the first wave of refugees had been, they immediately crossed Fenyin City and headed east. From time to time, they saw refugees with their families along the road. It was obvious to the naked eye that:
The Longmen Ferry may enter an unprecedentedly crowded period in the future.

This was just the prelude to war. Liu Xian couldn't help but look back at the flag he had raised and said to himself silently: Liu Huaichong, I hope you live up to these words.

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(End of this chapter)