Jinting Han people

Chapter 225: The King's Army Enters the Pass (4k)

On September Xinmao of the sixth year of Yuankang, the court finally announced the generals who would enter the pass to quell the rebellion.

As Jia Mi and Zhang Hua had previously discussed, the court decided to recall Sima Lun, Prince of Zhao, and to convict Sun Xiu, but retain his post and release him from prison. Sima Rong, Prince of Liang, was then reappointed as the Grand General of the Western Expedition, Xiahou Jun, the Minister of the Imperial Household, as the General of Anxi, Zhou Chu, the Chief Censor, as the General of Jianwei, Lu Bo, the Chief Clerk of the Prince of Liang, as the General of Zhenwei, Suo Jing, the Prefect of Jiuquan, as the General of Dangkou, Fu Zhi, the Duke of Lingzhou, as the Commander-in-Chief of the Western Expedition, and Wang Quan, the Magistrate of Liyang, as the Assistant Commander-in-Chief of the Western Expedition. These individuals formed the new Western Expedition Army's commanding officer, and were sent to suppress the Wannian of Qi.

Upon the release of this news, all parties within the court were deeply displeased, yet they were helpless. After all, these individuals all had impressive resumes, and each possessed strengths in their own right. Most importantly, each was renowned for their integrity, and several were completely impeccable. Attacking this list would likely lead to accusations of jealousy.

But in fact, many people could see the intention of the Hou party. For example, Zhou Xi discussed this matter with Wang Dao privately:
"Qi Wannian swept through Guanzhong in just six months, making him a truly renowned general. How could any ordinary general stand up to such a force? If we're going to use someone, we need to use a truly exceptional general! If we can't use the Duke of Shanggu (Meng Guan), we should at least use General Ningshuo (Liu Hong). At the very least, we should let Zhou Chu and Suo Jing take charge, allowing them to do whatever they want. The current arrangement, aside from shutting up officials and members of the imperial family, is completely useless."

But since there was nothing to blame, the plan was set. In the following period, the court deployed troops and prepared supplies in Luoyang.

According to the military report sent back by Jie Xi in Chang'an, Qi Wannian has now gathered the Qiang and Hu people from Yong, Qin, Liang and Liang states. His tribe has swelled to over one million, and his army has reached more than 100,000, which is an extremely terrifying number.

However, a careful investigation reveals that despite Qi Wannian's sudden rise in Guanxi, his preparations were hastily completed, leaving his troops with extremely limited armor, weapons, and fodder. His so-called armed forces were largely plundered from prefectures and battlefields. Even with the support of the Qiang and Hu peoples of the four states, his truly armed and combat-ready men were likely limited to the 30,000 Tiele people he had at the time of his rebellion.

But this is indeed a number that cannot be underestimated.

After discussion in the Secretariat, considering that there were still 40,000 remaining troops in Chang'an, more than enough to protect themselves, it would be more appropriate to send 50,000 elite troops.

Normally, these elite troops should have been drawn from the Luoyang Imperial Guard. However, last year, in the fifth year of the Yuankang reign, a fire broke out in the Luoyang armory, destroying a large quantity of armor and weapons. Among the lost items were heirlooms like the Han Dynasty Snake-Slaying Sword, Wang Mang's head, and Confucius' clogs, among countless other treasures. This made it difficult for Luoyang to gather such a large number of soldiers in such a short period of time.

Fortunately, King Sima Wei of Chu had been stationed in Xiangyang during his stay there, where he had organized his army and prepared for war, leaving behind tens of thousands of soldiers. After careful consideration, Empress Jia agreed to transfer 40,000 infantry from Xiangyang and 10,000 knights from Yecheng to form the main force to suppress the rebellion.

By the time the soldiers from the two places finally arrived and the 50,000-strong army officially crossed Tongguan and entered Guanzhong, it was already late November.

It had been three months since the end of the Battle of Meiyang.

During these three months, after the rapid expansion following the military victory, Qi Wannian's pace of territorial expansion also slowed down.

This was a result of Guanzhong's geographical constraints. To the north, the Qiaoshan Mountains (Ziwuling Mountains) separated it from the north. To the south, the towering Qinling Mountains stretched across the mountains. To the west, the towering Longban Mountains reached the clouds. To the east, the mighty Tongguan Pass stood between a single man and ten thousand. These mountains blocked any invasion and made expansion difficult.

Therefore, after Qi Wannian joined forces with the Qiang and Hu people of Qinzhou and occupied the entire Fufeng County, he had to carefully choose the next direction of attack.

According to Qi Wannian's original intention, he wanted to turn his troops around and attack Hedong and Pingyang, and then seize Tongguan and Wugu Pass. Only in this way could he form a complete four-sided mountain barrier and completely drive the Jin army out of Guanzhong.

But firstly, this plan was extremely risky and might cause a strong reaction from the Jin Dynasty; secondly, at this time a considerable number of Qiang and Hu people from Qinzhou had joined the team, and they had the idea of seizing their homeland, so Qi Wannian had to consider the wishes of these people.

Taking all this into consideration, Qi Wannian decided to split his forces into two groups. He himself would march north to attack Anding County, consolidating the northern border and preventing the Tuoba Xianbei from taking advantage of the opportunity to advance southward. The other group, commanded by Hao Duyuan, would lead the Qiang and Hu tribes that had defected to Qi to plunder territory southwestward.

By the time news reached Qi Wannian of the Jin army's entry into Guanzhong, Qi had already conquered Anding County and had also reaped rich rewards from the Qiang and Hu tribes heading south. After months of continuous fighting, even the Tiele people were exhausted and retreated to Fufeng Yong County to rest and recuperate. By this time, their forces were distributed as follows:

Tiele leader Hao Duyuan occupied Tianshui County;

Pu Huaigui, the leader of the Lueyang Di tribe, occupied Lueyang County;

Yao Kehui, the leader of the Chiting Qiang, occupied Nan'an County;
Peng Dangzhong, the leader of the Lushui Hu, occupied Anding County;
Dou Shou, the leader of the Lushui Hu, occupied Xinping County;

Tufa Wuwan of the Longxi Xianbei occupied Longxi County;
Li Xiang, the leader of the Di people in Lueyang, occupied Wudu County;

Yang Maosou, the leader of the Baima Di tribe, occupied Yinping Commandery;
Qi Wannian took charge of Fufeng and Shiping counties.

As with all gains, there are always losses. As the price of his westward expansion, he had to consolidate his power before the Jin army entered the Pass. As a result, he essentially gave up control of Beidi and Fengyi counties. This not only allowed Liu Xian to unexpectedly recapture Beidi, but also made it relatively easy for the King of Liang to regain control of Fengyi County after entering the Pass.

At this point, the situation in Guanzhong has become clearer:

Qi Wannian's expansion has temporarily reached its limit. He must spend considerable time integrating his subordinates and consolidating his rule before he can develop further.

The Jin army, however, had suffered a series of heavy defeats and its morale was low. It was imperative that the Jin army quickly restore morale and completely defeat Qi during this period of rest and recuperation.

The rebels received news that the Luoyang court had sent a reinforcement of 100,000 troops. Qi Wannian had already learned the exact names of the generals from his spies in Chang'an. When everyone learned that Zhou Chu's name was among them, they panicked and whispered:
"Sun Xiu, Jie Xi, and the others are all mediocre. We are not afraid of any number of troops. However, Lord Ziyin's military tactics are unpredictable. If he were to lead the troops, could Your Majesty still win?"

By this time, Qi Wannian had already proclaimed himself emperor, but neither the name of the country nor the reign title had been determined. His subjects also had different opinions on how to address him. Some called him "Your Majesty," others "Sir," and still others "Great Chanyu." Regardless of the change in title, he remained a deeply respected figure.

In response to this comment, Qi Wannian publicly commented on the Jin army's reinforcements, saying, "The Jin army always likes to bluff, claiming to have a force of 100,000. But Guandong just suffered a devastating disaster this year, and the imperial court needs to provide disaster relief in the south. How can they possibly produce such a force? I think it's no more than 50,000."

"As for Zhou Chu, if he were the commander-in-chief of the Jin army this time, I might not be able to resist him. But now he's just a deputy general, and without Zhang Gui's support, he's like a tiger with its claws ripped out. A tiger without claws is no better than a lamb letting loose. Why should I fear him? Who knows, this time, I might even be able to capture him alive!" Despite all the talk, Qi Wannian remained on high alert for King Liang's reinforcements. He called on all his troops to converge on Fufeng, while leading them to Haozhi County to deploy their troops and prepare for the next battle.

Meanwhile, as the Liang army arrived in Chang'an and drove out the Hu people occupying the Wei Bridge, the residents of Chang'an were cautiously observing the actions of the Jin army. After five years of torture under Sun Xiu, the people's trust in the imperial court had reached an all-time low, and rumors were spreading everywhere:
"——What will happen in the end?"

"——There don't seem to be that many people coming! Can they really defeat the rebels?"

"——If the imperial court is defeated again, will Guanzhong still truly belong to the imperial court?"

"—Don't overthink it. It's good enough that things don't get worse! If the nobles who come here want to make money like Sun Changshi, we might as well join the rebels!"

"--Alas, if that's the case, then I'd better die early. I bought two land purchase tickets. Maybe there really is a paradise after death?"

When things are going well, people often become overly optimistic and hopeful, but when things are tough, they become overly pessimistic and develop unnecessary fears.

But this wasn't the common people's fault. After all, after the devastating defeat, Chang'an's military discipline had deteriorated to a breaking point. Soldiers would often plunder the city's citizens to vent their anger, and many wounded and disabled soldiers, left unattended, lay dead in the streets. The stench of disorder permeated the streets, a symbol of the precarious rule of the imperial court within the city.

Fortunately, things didn't develop as people expected. Even someone like Jia Mi knew that exhausting the resources was unsustainable. The army might have had some problems, but at least in terms of discipline, it had reached an unprecedented level.

This certainly doesn't mean that the army and soldiers were completely free of evil, which was simply impossible in that era. But at least the leading generals made great efforts to rectify the situation.

On the first day the army entered Chang'an, most citizens remained locked up as usual, even more apprehensive than ever, fearing any mishap. But unexpectedly, that night was remarkably peaceful.

Although someone quietly opened the door and looked out the next day, they still spent the day in anxiety.

So it was on the Gengyin day of the eleventh month, and after about four days, people on both sides of the Chang'an streets opened their doors and gathered together, whispering:
"How is it? Have there been any other cases of women or property being taken away?"

"Hmm! I don't think I've heard of it! It's so quiet around here, it actually makes people feel a little weird."

"Huh? Could it be that there are some famous officials among the people sent by the court this time? The discipline is so strict?"

"Yeah! Let's go take a look. It reminds me of the legend of Zhuge Liang's military leadership!"

At this time, the citizens of Chang'an looked around and were surprised to find that these new soldiers not only did not rape or plunder, but also cleaned up all the streets of Chang'an and cleared away the remains of corpses that had previously been left exposed in the streets and alleys without burial.

When they inquired further, they found out that King of Zhao Sima Lun and King of Zhao's Chief Clerk Sun Xiu had already been dismissed and left, and the person who was now managing Chang'an was the former Xinping Prefect and current General Jianwei Zhou Chu.

As the vanguard, Zhou Chu crossed the Wei Bridge and saw dead bodies everywhere in and around Chang'an, as well as soldiers committing violence against the people. He was furious:

"Protecting the country and the people is a soldier's duty. Look at what you have become!"

Immediately after this, he posted notices at the thirteen gates of Chang'an, announcing that any soldiers who harassed civilians would be severely punished: looters would be caned with eighty strokes of the cane, while those found guilty of rape and murder would be hanged north of the city. He also ordered his troops to gather all the bodies within the city and bury them at Longshouyuan in the south to prevent an epidemic. Finally, without obtaining the consent of Sima Rong, Prince of Liang, he took the initiative to open granaries in Chang'an and build thatched huts on the outskirts of the city to provide porridge to the refugees who had fled from all directions.

This made people suddenly remember Zhou Chu's past achievements and gave them hope for the future.

"Have you heard? Among the ministers sent to quell the rebellion is Duke Zhou Chu, known as Duke Ziyin! He lives in the West Market, north of the city. It's said that anyone, regardless of their background, even the humblest peddler, can approach him if they have a grievance. Duke Ziyin will meet with everyone and investigate the injustice. Even if a jar is lost, he'll help find it. Duke Ziyin is truly a very kind person!"

"Really! I've also met Ziyin Gong. He's quite old, probably over sixty, with a white beard! He speaks with a bit of a Jiangnan accent, but he's a really nice guy. My family had a lot of food stolen this year, but the robbers disappeared long ago, so there's no evidence. But Ziyin Gong still gave us the food as I asked, and even asked if I had enough seeds for next spring's plowing. If not, he'd lend me some, interest-free!"

"Really? I only heard that he was a famous general who conquered the barbarians in Xinping. I didn't know he was such a good official!"

"That's right! But according to Master Ziyin, the generals sent by the court this time, such as General Fu and General Wang, are all well-known honest officials of the court! They will definitely do their utmost to maintain peace in this area!"

"Really? Are there still so many good officials in the court?"

"Yes! Yes! It seems that the emperor is still wise and sage. He was previously deceived by treacherous ministers like Sun Xiu. Our Great Jin has only been established for more than 30 years, and we still have a long way to go!"

Amidst these rumors, not only Zhou Chu, but the entire Western Expedition Army's reputation soared in Chang'an. It was precisely because of these measures that the morale of the Chang'an garrison improved significantly, and order in Chang'an was completely restored, even to a certain degree of peace. People said, this might be the true king's army.

That is, on the Xinmao day of November, Liu Xian led Li Ju and more than ten people, and was ordered to come to the court to meet the new General of the Western Expedition, King of Liang Sima Rong.

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(End of this chapter)