Jinting Han people

Seven years have passed, and Mengguan has undergone great changes.

Liu Xian still remembered very clearly that when he was in Luoyang, Meng Guan often had an unhappy look on his face. Although he was full of strategies, due to his low status, his words and deeds were full of caution.

But after overthrowing Yang, he was granted the title of Duke of a County, a rank higher than any other official. Everyone knew of his wisdom and courage, and they held him in high esteem. This had profoundly transformed Meng Guan's demeanor. While his appearance remained unchanged, his every move lacked the restraint of his past. His once calm and resolute demeanor had morphed into one of self-assurance, while his pride in his abilities had also led to a more casual demeanor. He now exuded nobility and dignity, a complete absence of his former anguish, and his smile became even more infectious.

Meng Guan didn't say much during the parade. At the welcoming banquet after the ceremony, he drank a few glasses of wine before advising the King of Liang to end the feast, citing the nation's crisis as a time for lavish celebrations. This would have been unimaginable for the older Meng Guan.

However, Meng Guan still had some traits that hadn't changed; he still cared about old times. Time hadn't made him cold. After greeting Liu Xian at the parade, he saw him at the banquet and casually walked over, as if they were still at the Prince of Chu's palace. He said, unconcerned,
"Huai Chong, I have something to tell you tonight, remember to come early."

Liu Xian nodded and wanted to exchange a few polite words with Meng Guan, but Meng Guan had already left, attracting the attention of everyone around him.

As night fell, when Liu Xian went to Meng Guan's house, a well-dressed young man stood at the door. He was holding a lantern and saw Liu Xian coming from a distance. He quickly came up to him and said:
"Hello, Lord Liu, nice to see you at last."

Liu Xian looked at the young man's face and found that he was about 60% similar to Meng Guan and Meng Ping, but he looked much more immature. He remembered that Meng Guan had three sons, and this should be one of them.

As expected, the young man introduced himself: "My name is Meng He, courtesy name Zimu, I am sixteen years old and the third child in my family."

He then added, "Please go in quickly. We have been waiting for you since the master came back!"

After saying that, he led the way in a hurry. Liu Xian couldn't help but be speechless. While following Meng He, he thought to himself: What an impatient child.

After entering the mansion, I soon spotted Meng Guan in the side room. He wasn't in the main hall, but sitting by the well. He'd stripped off his armor and military uniform, sitting on a stool, wearing only a single layer of clothing. He was meticulously sharpening his sword on a gray-blue terrazzo. Amidst the clacking sound of metal grinding against stone, he occasionally sprinkled water, the sharp edge of the sword reflecting off the dripping water and the moonlight and lamplight.

Hearing the footsteps, Meng Guan put down his sword, and his tall figure stood up like a pine tree. He picked up a wet towel, wiped his hands, turned around and said to Liu Xian:
"Ziheng's visit to your place didn't cause you any trouble, did he?"

Meng Guan started chatting casually, breaking the awkwardness between them with just one sentence. As he spoke, he pulled out a stool from beside him and motioned for Liu Xian to sit down.

Liu Xian did not refuse and sat down and said, "Ziheng is a dedicated person. He works very seriously and has performed very well. He has not embarrassed you."

Meng Guan waved Meng He away and complained to Liu Xian, "You don't need to say so many nice things. I know Dalang's personality. He's serious about his work, but he lacks talent and a poor understanding, so the results are always unsatisfactory. I asked him to stay by my side, but he's not happy about it. He's young and doesn't understand his parents' feelings!"

Liu Xian smiled and said, "There's nothing we can do about it. Children have their own blessings. Parents can't discipline their children forever. Children will always have to do things on their own. Let them fly high and fly. After experiencing it themselves, they will grow up."

"You don't need to comfort me." Meng Guan waved his hands and sighed to Liu Xian, "I've come to terms with it now. He'll inherit the title sooner or later. With the title, he doesn't need to achieve anything. Just being safe and sound is good enough. So now I'm leaving him in your care."

At this point, Meng Guan changed the subject and said to Liu Xian, "Forget it, let's not talk about this anymore. So, do you have confidence in suppressing the rebellion this time?"

Liu Xian said slowly, "I have confidence in you, but not in the court."

Meng Guan immediately understood what Liu Xian meant. He was worried that he would be constrained by the rear party and would not be able to devote himself to suppressing the rebellion.

So he picked up the sword, examined its edge with his eyes, and said slowly to Liu Xian:

"You should have heard of it."

Liu Xian asked, "What did you hear?"

"I knelt before the Duke of Lu and begged for permission to go to war."

Liu Xian did not answer immediately, but glanced at Meng Guan. He saw that Meng Guan was not looking away, and his eyes seemed to show great determination. Then he said:

"I did hear about it, but I thought it was just a rumor."

"It's not a rumor." Meng Guan sighed and said, "I did ruin my reputation as an official, but Duke Lu also promised me that the subsequent suppression of the rebellion will be fully entrusted to me. His Highness Prince Liang will not interfere, and the court will also do its best to cooperate."

Liu Xian was silent for a moment, but couldn't help asking, "Can I ask why?"

Meng Guan placed the sword in his hand across his knees and said slowly, "Huai Chong, although I am a warrior, I am also a descendant of Confucian scholars. I pursue more than just wealth and honor."

Liu Xian understood most of what was said after this. Meng Guan was already thinking about his reputation after death.

Sure enough, he continued, "Back then, when Yang Jun was overthrown, I made some contributions and was lucky enough to be awarded the title of Duke of Shanggu. But who doesn't know that it was a false accusation? Yang Jun certainly made mistakes, but they weren't this serious. If these were all I did in my life, future generations would inevitably call me a traitor and a flatterer."

"If His Royal Highness the Prince of Chu had succeeded in gaining power, I would have led the way and established a peaceful world, perhaps washing away these stains. But now that His Royal Highness the Prince of Chu has lost power, I have no other options."

"At my age, I have no worries about food and clothing, and I have wealth and status. Dignity and ambition are no longer important. All I have left is the desire to live. I want to take this opportunity to do something practical for my country and its people, so that when future generations mention me, they won't say that Meng Guan was only good at coups d'état."

"So, I just kowtowed to Duke Lu a few times. Isn't that too ridiculous?"

Liu Xian felt quite sad after hearing this. He wanted to make some contribution to the country, which should have been an upright thing to do, but now he felt ashamed to say it. This was really sad. But he also understood this hardship and said to Meng Guan:

"Brother Shushi, as long as you are wholeheartedly serving the people, even if you are humiliated, so what? That is their shame, not yours. And Jia Mi, who loves to humiliate others, will surely not have a good end in the future."

Meng Guan smiled upon hearing this and said, "You haven't changed at all. You're still as disrespectful as ever. But I admire that about you." Liu Xian laughed heartily and replied, "A dignified Duke of Shanggu wouldn't come complaining to an old friend in the middle of the night, would he?"

After the two talked for so long, they felt like they were back in Luoyang, where they could open their hearts to each other.

Meng Guan finally got back to the point. He said, "Anyway, I now have the support of Duke Lu and the Queen. I'll discuss what to do with you."

"Just the two of us?"

"Before coming here, I've already discussed the situation with Zhang Shiyan. As for planning, I'll tell you a secret. If you're not undecided, don't convene a military meeting without authorization. This will cause confusion among the various divisions. The battlefield is not the court, and time is of the essence. Decisive execution is actually better than thorough planning."

As he spoke, he pulled Liu Xian into the mansion's study, where a long, scrolled map of Guanzhong lay spread out on the central table. Lighting the candle, it revealed a detailed description of the mountains and rivers of Guanzhong, densely marked with markings. It also showed Qi Wannian's deployment of troops throughout the various counties of Guanzhong, as well as the distribution of the various Jin armies within the region.

Meng Guan changed into a robe and walked with Liu Xian to the map, where he began to explain his thoughts directly:

"I have received your letter. In it, you praised Zhou Ziya's strategy and wanted me to follow suit. I think it's a good idea, but there are still some areas that can be improved."

"Oh?" Liu Xian couldn't help but be a little surprised when he heard this. He thought Zhou Chu's plan was already quite perfect, but unexpectedly, in Meng Guan's eyes, there were still areas that could be improved?

Meng Guan stated, "Zhou Ziya believes that instead of engaging the Qi bandits head-on, it would be better to split our forces into two groups. One group can confront the Qi bandits' main force, while the other group can advance deep into Qinzhou and destroy their base. This way, we can win without fighting."

"It's a good idea, but there are two things that are not well thought out."

"First, a battle between two armies consumes not only food and supplies, but also morale. To engage in battle before it even begins is to the soldiers' perception that they are at a disadvantage. This will affect the morale of the entire army."

"If we hadn't lost before, this move might be debatable. But after several consecutive defeats last year, repeating this would be a sign of weakness. If the Qi bandits lead their forces to attack our food supply routes, our army would be forced to fight back, but morale would be low. There's a chance we'll end up repeating the tragedy of the Battle of Wuchao."

Liu Xian lowered his head and pondered for a moment, and had to admit that what Meng Guan said was indeed reasonable. He then asked:
"What about the second place?"

"The second reason is that Qinzhou's terrain is complex, with high mountains and dangerous obstacles everywhere. To the west is Longban, to the south is the Qinling Mountains, and there are also national defenses such as Qishan Fort. Although most of the elite Hu people are not in Qinzhou, as long as they occupy the strategic locations, they can protect themselves."

"You know, back then, Duan Qiu fought hard for two years in Longban to quell the Qiang Rebellion, beheading 38,000 people. That was arguably his greatest military feat. The Qiang and Di population in Qinzhou is now ten times greater than it was back then. It's practically impossible to completely wipe them out."

Liu Xian also suddenly realized it. He patted his head and said, "Yes, it seems that I have only seen what is on the map and have not yet truly understood the mountains and rivers of Qinzhou."

After this analysis, Liu Xian was completely convinced of Meng Guan's position, believing him to be the greatest general of his time. Although he had yet to engage the enemy, his ability to cite classics and judge strengths and weaknesses was so incisive that one had to trust his judgment.

"But if that's the case, then this strategy is completely unfeasible?" Liu Xian asked.

"Not really." Meng Guan had been thinking about this for a long time and said:
"If we can defeat the Qi bandits for a while and strike fear into their hearts, this strategy, with some minor modifications, might be feasible."

"This might be difficult to handle." Liu Xian recalled the tactics Qi Wannian had used in the past and explained:

"Although Qi Wannian enjoys risky tactics, he actually prioritizes caution. He uses strategy like a spider weaving a web, preferring to lay layers of traps to confuse his opponent. Once they're ensnared and bewildered, he'll strike with a surprise attack to seal the victory. If you want him to take the initiative, you'll probably have to put yourself in a desperate situation."

It's easy to say "put yourself in a desperate situation", but the word "judi" directly explains the situation. If you are not desperate, no one would be willing to put themselves in a desperate situation, because it means there is no chance of survival.

But Meng Guan laughed. He pressed Liu Xian's shoulder and said, "Huai Chong, you must remember that there is never a truly desperate situation on the battlefield. A good general must learn to take advantage of the situation and use various seemingly dangerous situations to lure the enemy into attacking. Only in this way can he be controlled by others instead of being controlled by them."

"You said Qi Wannian was a spider. The spider might have caught only flies and moths. How could he have caught a real eagle?"

"I will lead the Shanggu Battalion, which I have trained, to attack them from behind from Weinan, trapping them in a tight siege. Tell me, how can he not send his troops to fall into this trap?"

Liu Xian was stunned. This was indeed an extremely bold plan, completely different from the Jin army's previous tactics. Who would have thought that the general would be willing to use him as bait? However, this also meant great risk. If it failed, it would be another disaster for the Jin army.

Liu Xian thought he was brave, but now he had to advise: "Please think about it again. Is there any other way?"

Meng Guan said decisively, "I have made up my mind. I asked you to come here not to discuss it with you, but to ask you to cooperate as much as possible."

Liu Xian should have continued to refute such arbitrary words, but seeing Meng Guanzi's confident expression, he couldn't help but feel relieved and at ease. It was a feeling of support and support that Liu Xian hadn't felt in a long time. Therefore, after thinking it over, Liu Xian finally agreed.

It was already late, and the two decided to leave more details until tomorrow and rest for tonight.

Just as Liu Xian was about to say goodbye, Meng Guan suddenly said, "Huai Chong, I almost forgot, I have some news for you that's neither good nor bad."

This sentence was a bit confusing. Liu Xian laughed and said, "I don't quite understand. What do you mean by news that is neither good nor bad?"

"There are pros and cons. It depends on your perspective." Meng Guan took a candle from the tree and pretended to lead the way for Liu Xian. He walked in front and said slowly:

"Duke Lu told me that he will summon you back to the capital after the war is over."

Return to Beijing? Upon hearing these two words, Liu Xian's entire body froze. (End of this chapter)