Jinting Han people

Chapter 222 Liu Xian's Secret (4k)

On the other side, Liu Xian was mobilizing the northern scholars in Niyang County.

This was no easy task. While Liu Xian successfully recaptured Niyang and stabilized the situation, displaying impressive skill and grace, there's a saying that goes "too much is as bad as too little." No matter how exceptional a person's talents, there are limits to what they can achieve.

In terms of military prowess, no one has ever surpassed Xiang Yu, yet faced with an ambush from all sides at Gaixia, Xiang Yu was forced to commit suicide by slashing his throat at the Wujiang River. In terms of wisdom, Zhuge Liang was universally acknowledged as the world's best seventy years ago, yet, facing the country's disadvantageous national strength, he still suffered the fate of being killed at Wuzhangyuan.

Therefore, experienced people like to say "do what you can." This means that a successful life is about not being lazy enough to waste your energy and talents, but also about not blindly striving for something impossible. This way, you won't achieve nothing, nor will you hurt yourself because of blindness.

Now that Niyang has just been stabilized, Liu Xian wants to organize his army to fight a decisive battle with Malan Qiang to rescue Zhang Guang. In the eyes of everyone, this is obviously something that is beyond his ability.

It is not difficult to understand that the stability of Niyang was achieved by expelling some Qiang and Hu people and recruiting some Han refugees. Although the situation in Niyang was stable, the situation in Beidi County was still not optimistic:
The county government's structure was not yet fully established, and Fuping County to the south was still in Tiele hands. The elite county soldiers had been largely eliminated, and the Han refugees they had recruited were mostly ordinary county residents who had been expelled. They had little military training, and while they might be useful for fortifying the city walls and firing arrows from the city walls, they were likely no match for the naturally belligerent Qiang people in a field battle.

If they win, it would be fine, but if they lose, the hard-won Niyang City will be abandoned again, which is undoubtedly something the scholars do not want to see.

Therefore, when Liu Xian first proposed the idea of rescuing the group at the banquet, he was quickly opposed by everyone.

Zhu Qiu, a well-known local elder from Shichuan Village, said:
"My Lord, do you know that Niyang is one of the most fortified cities in Guanzhong?"

Liu Xian said, "I'm new here and don't know much about the geography of the north. Could you explain it to me?"

Zhu Qiu then gave Liu Xian a lengthy speech, specifically introducing the dangers and importance of Niyang:
"Although Niyang City has a small population, its terrain is strategically located. To the northeast lies the Zimalan Mountains, to the northwest lies the Ziwuling Mountains, and to the southwest are the two mountain plateaus, the Cu'eyuan and the Qingheyuan. It can be said to be a place surrounded by mountains on all sides. If Guanzhong is compared to a dragon vein, then Niyang is the dragon's spine. If Guanzhong is secured, all four limbs are intact; if Guanzhong is lost, both ends are in jeopardy."

"The imperial court is well aware of the importance of this place. Therefore, to defend against the Qiang and Hu peoples of the northern region, they have painstakingly built it for sixty years. There are two outer trenches, seven feet deep and ten feet wide, behind which stands an outer wall, both forty feet high. There are also eighteen watchtowers, and two inner city walls, supporting each other on both sides. It can be said to be a great defense for the country. Only thirty or four thousand soldiers are needed to stop an army of one hundred thousand or even a million."

Liu Xian had been well-versed in history and military books since childhood, so he understood what Zhu Qiu said without him having to explain it. However, he pretended to be confused and asked:
"Mr. Zhu means that Niyang is an extremely strong city. I only need to leave a few hundred people inside the city, and you can hold it?"

"That... is certainly not what I meant."

Zhu Qiu coughed twice, looking a little embarrassed. He quickly explained:
"My point is, Your Excellency, having reclaimed Niyang is already a great achievement. The most urgent task is to ensure that Niyang is not lost again. Your intention to rescue Captain Zhang is commendable, but if you lose Niyang due to a lack of troops after leaving the city, that would be a disaster, a loss of the greater for the smaller!"

This sentence is the voice of all the scholars in the north. After learning that Liu Xian had recaptured Niyang, the surrounding scholars were ecstatic. Not only did the scholars from Niyang come to pledge their allegiance, but scholars from Fuping, Chiyang and even Pinyang also came to watch. In just four or five days, more than two thousand Han people had gathered in Niyang City, and there were more than thirty people discussing matters in front of Liu Xian. Moreover, it was visible to the naked eye that this number would continue to grow in the future.

Liu Xian laughed and said, "Lord Zhu is worrying too much. I was just discussing with everyone. I haven't left the city to fight yet and I'm still investigating the enemy situation. Why do you all think I'm doomed to fail?"

"That's not what I meant."

Just like a relay race, Zhu Qiu just said that he didn't mean that, and Liang Yan from Fuping immediately said:
"Forgive my intrusion, but you are a master of both civil and military skills. You are a natural genius to have been able to recapture Niyang. However, if you want to go out of the city and fight in the open, it is indeed beyond my ability."

"Since the disastrous defeat in the Wannian War, the county's veteran soldiers have been wiped out. The Lord has now recruited refugees as county soldiers, but they have no armor, few qualified generals, and even fewer who understand military orders. Leading such a motley crowd into battle, how can the Lord, no matter how talented, truly display his abilities?"

"Although I'm not very talented, I'm aware of the precedent from the Warring States Period. Lian Po became a renowned general when he led the Zhao army, but fell into obscurity when he led the Chu army. Did his talent change? No, it was the quality of his soldiers that limited his performance."

"The same is true for you, my Lord. Without any real soldiers under your command, how can you truly achieve victory? Your Excellencies are dissuading me from this perspective. I hope you will accept my advice."

These words, with their citations to classics and analysis of the current situation, were highly persuasive. The scholars, upon hearing them, felt they were in line with their own opinions, and so they all echoed their sentiments. Liu Xian watched coldly from the sidelines, noting that, aside from Hu Mogen and the others he had brought with him, only Fu Chang did not echo his opinion.

He praised it in his heart and thought to himself: Young people still have the courage to overcome difficulties.

But the current situation still needed to be calmed down. Liu Xian coughed twice, signaling everyone to be quiet, and then said:
"What Lord Liang said does make sense, but this matter is not that simple. According to military law, if the court does not issue a special order and you fail to help your comrades in need, you can be charged with desertion."

"It would be fine if we hadn't received the news, but now that we have, we have to express our feelings. Otherwise, if we are investigated later, I'm afraid our merits and demerits will be difficult to offset."

Sometimes, the situation is not enough to overcome the national law. Liu Xian brought up the national military law, and everyone was stunned for a moment, not knowing what to do. After all, no matter how much they feared war, no one wanted to be charged with violating the national law.

But keeping silent does not mean agreeing. Liu Xian knows very well that he cannot do without the support of these scholars. If he lets them go like this, he may never be able to save Zhang Guang.

Still need to use some strategy.

Liu Xian thought for a moment and said, "How about this? Let's rest in the city for a few days. When we have more people, we can take the three thousand men out for a walk. Halfway through, if we see a few Qiang people, we can fire a few arrows and then withdraw. This way, we can make a show of ourselves and give an explanation to the court. What do you think?"

Everyone present immediately relaxed upon hearing this proposal. After discussing it for a while, Fu Xi stepped forward and said, "Your Excellency is right, but we should first decide on a location. We can't just walk all the way into Malan Mountain without meeting the Qiang people, right?"

Someone immediately suggested, "How about setting it up at Xiaolei Pavilion? It's ten miles from Malan Mountain, and the terrain is open and flat, so it won't be difficult to walk there."

Liu Xian immediately nodded and smiled, "Then it's settled. Let's set the date for ten days from now."

At this point, Liu Xian and the scholars had reached a consensus, and the military meeting was successfully concluded. After bidding farewell to Liu Xian, the scholars left the Beidi County government one after another, and soon only Liu Xian was left.

It was already 3:00 PM, far from dinnertime. Liu Xian tidied up the papers on his desk and went to the gate to enjoy the autumn breeze, hoping to dispel the weariness of his mind.

Standing in the center of Niyang City, Liu Xian looked north and immediately saw the Ziwuling Mountains beneath the vast sky. Most of the trees in the mountains had already withered, leaving half the mountaintops bare. The remaining greenery consisted of the familiar bamboo, pine, and cypress forests. Even though the mountains were covered in fallen leaves, they could no longer cover the endless expanse of bare rock.

"Winter is almost here. After rescuing Brother Jingwu..." Liu Xian pondered deeply as he looked at the late autumn scene. After a long period of training, Liu Xian had learned to plan ahead. By September, he was already thinking about the end of the year and even the next year.

But at this moment, he heard a mischievous voice behind him, asking, "When will the Lord of the Mansion give me a reply?"

Liu Xian turned around and saw Fu Chang's ambiguous expression. It was obvious that the reply he was making was a reference to the proposal he had made when he first arrived in Niyang: marrying Liu Xian's cousin and becoming Liu Xian's in-laws.

"Haha, the world is really no joke." Liu Xian admired Fu Chang very much, so when he thought of this, he couldn't help but smile and said:

"I do know that your brother, Fu Xuan, is the current prince consort to the current queen's daughter, Princess Hongnong. He is currently serving as a secretary in the Ministry of Chancellery and has a promising future."

"According to the Duke of Lingzhou (Fu Zhi), the future of the world will either be an alliance with a vassal king or marrying the daughter of a duke. Why would he choose my family for fun?" Upon hearing this, Fu Chang replied fluently, "Isn't the Duke's family also a duke's family? Logically speaking, your family and mine are a perfect match!"

Liu Xian was speechless. Fu Chang's words were correct. Duke Anle was indeed a duke officially recognized by the Jin Dynasty, but dukes were not the same as dukes. In terms of political influence, Liu Xian's political influence was basically equal to that of the entire Anle Mansion. He could be said to be the most humble duke in the Jin Dynasty. But seeing Fu Chang repeatedly bring up this matter, Liu Xian also became a little serious and asked:

"Is the world serious?"

"Of course I'm serious."

Fu Chang walked up to Liu Xian, bowed solemnly, and said, "I sincerely admire you, Lord, and wish to marry you."

The implication is that he is very optimistic about Liu Xian's future.

"Oh? That's really a great honor." Liu Xian asked, "But I don't know why you think so highly of me."

"Of course I saw the secret of success in the mansion master."

"The secret to success?"

This made Liu Xian curious, and he asked again:

"Tell me, what's the secret?"

"Six words: wisdom, courage, and tolerance."

Seeing Liu Xian's encouraging look, Fu Chang said slowly:

"My Lord, when he arrived in the North, he first assassinated the bandit leader, then used a spy scheme to recapture Niyang. He then staged a banquet to deceive the Qiang and Hu people, buying time to stabilize the situation. Now, he's fabricating stories to trick everyone into sending troops. It seems like he can come up with a plan in a split second. It's truly astonishing."

"This is the Lord's wisdom and strategy, or rather, the best wisdom and strategy in the world."

"But if you only have strategy but no courage, it's hard to implement. The reason your strategy is always successful is because you're braver than others, or rather, you're more demanding of yourself. You use your life as a bargaining chip in almost every step, as a key element in your strategy. Others don't do that, and instead are intimidated. Naturally, they'll lose to you."

"This is the Lord's extraordinary courage. This is also the lesson I have learned from him these past few days: wisdom without courage becomes mercenary."

"What impressed me most was your generosity."

"In many cases, you actually understand everyone's difficulties. Everyone only sees their own immediate interests, but not the long-term benefits, so they are unwilling to cooperate. As a result, many simple things have become very complicated."

"Your Excellency takes all of this into consideration, accommodating everyone's stance with a tolerant attitude, devising one scheme after another, even sacrificing yourself to achieve your ultimate goal, thereby gaining everyone's support. I'm truly curious: how did you develop such a habit?"

Hearing this, Liu Xian had to look at Fu Chang with new eyes. He originally thought that he had valued this young man enough, but he didn't expect that he was even smarter than he imagined.

This is indeed an excellent seedling. If it grows up, it will probably become a big tree, which can share some of the wind and rain for me. I should leave my mark here.

Thinking of this, Liu Xian replied, "Because a few years ago, I misjudged someone."

"Wrong person?"

"Yes, I was very self-righteous in the past. Of course, I still am now, but it was even worse back then."

Liu Xian recalled Li Zhao and said with some sadness and bitterness:

"I used to think that other people's mediocre choices were simply due to their lack of intelligence. But in reality, I never understood them. Until one day, I suddenly discovered that the person I once looked down upon actually saw through me very easily, but he just didn't expose it. Then I realized that I was actually the fool."

"Perhaps everyone is a fool, because you can never understand the heart of another person. You will never know what kind of storm is hidden under his dull expression."

"Since then, I have never looked down upon anyone's heart. Maybe they won't make the same choice as me, but their eyes must be bright and their hearts must have made a judgment."

At this point, Liu Xian paused and asked Fu Chang, "Speaking of the world, can you understand why I would take the risk, even if it means lying, to rescue Captain Zhang?"

Fu Chang shook his head blankly.

"The reason so many refugees are coming to Niyang is because I'm doing things for the people despite taking risks. The people have made a judgment and believe that I'm a trustworthy person."

"If I let Captain Zhang die without rescuing him, they would also make a judgment and think that I am untrustworthy and abandon their previous judgment."

Liu Xian sighed, "Even a renowned general like Wu Qi, who had never been defeated, said that a country cannot be defended without the dangers of mountains and rivers. If I lose this trust, and the Qiang bandits truly attack, even if Niyang City is impenetrable, how can it be defended if the people are unwilling to fight to the death?"

"That's what I'm saying. Believe that people have sharp eyes. They may change their minds from day to day, or make stupid mistakes, but they will never miss a single thing you've done."

After hearing Liu Xian's words, Fu Chang felt a sense of enlightenment, yet at the same time, he was also confused. He couldn't help but ask, "Why didn't the Lord tell these things to my second brother and the others?"

"Because people only believe what they want to believe. They simply don't want to fight, and their reasons for refusing are endless. If I were to say this, the debate would just go on forever. It's better to prepare early."

After saying that, Liu Xian continued to look towards the direction of Malan Mountain. Although he seemed so calm on the surface, he was actually not very confident about whether he could win the next battle.

Perhaps this is the charm of war.

　Please vote! Please subscribe! Please support me! Your support is my motivation to update!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)