Jinting Han people

In the mountains of early autumn, the summer heat gradually dissipates. The air in Longyou is crisp and dry. Along the way, maple forests gradually turn yellow, and yellow flowers blanket the ground. You can also see the winding Longchuan River, elk drinking water, and the golden millet in the mountain fields. It is a truly delightful scene.

But the soldiers returning to Long were in no mood to appreciate the scenery. Having suffered defeat, they felt depressed and uncertain about their future. Even the beauty of the scenery could hardly dispel their inner sorrow, or rather, it only exacerbated a heartbreaking feeling that vanity was hard to leave behind.

For whom were these mountains and rivers created? Who will be admiring them here next year?

Along the way, countless Hu people fled. Lacking food and clothing, and having to climb the mountain, they could only use scavenged branches as crutches. After days of tireless travel, many had their boots and robes worn to pieces, their hands covered in blisters. Looking up, they saw the mountains looming, and recalled their high spirits during their descent. Then, looking around, they saw starving, indifferent strangers everywhere. How could this not bring despair? Many others leaped from the cliffs, ending their lives.

But the majority of people survive.

After enduring hardships, the rebel generals finally returned to Lueyang. By this time, scattered figures were visible from Jieting to Shuiluochuan. It seemed that the armies that had fled down the mountain for the decisive battle were gradually gathering together. Upon hearing of Qi Wannian's defeat, the people of Fanxu, Guanlong, and Jitou Roads were distraught, fearing that the Jin army would seize the opportunity to attack, and so they fled to the mountains for safety.

Fortunately, Pu Guang, Pu Tu, and other Pu clan leaders responded quickly, gathering the defeated soldiers at Jieting and building fortifications there, thus initially stabilizing order. After a few days, seeing that no Jin troops were pursuing them, the Hu people on the Longshan Mountains gradually relaxed their minds and began to discuss the next major event.

While Qi Wannian couldn't truly exercise direct control over his tribes, he also didn't completely let them run their course. In fact, once a tribe pledged allegiance to him, Qi Wannian would insert a small number of his trusted associates into that tribe as supervisors, ensuring his orders were carried out to a minimum. On his way to Chencang, Qi Wannian issued orders to the various supervisors, directing the various counties in Qinzhou to swiftly recruit able-bodied men and establish a reinforcement force to resist the Jin army.

Pu Guang and the others knew the situation was urgent, and they dared not neglect it. While defending the Longban Pass, the military supervisor, Chi Nuluo, sent messengers to contact the various tribes within the county, ordering their leaders to come to Lueyang for a grand meeting. This was to determine the food and manpower each tribe would send, as well as future plans.

Because this matter was of great importance and required the participation of all tribes, they had to postpone the time a little, and finally set it on July Bingchen, which was the 20th day after the Battle of Chenmayuan.

During the waiting period, the leaders of various tribes arrived in Lueyang one after another, but before the conference was officially held, private discussions could no longer be stopped.

First, Wang Du of Taishichuan went to Deng Lin of Fanxukou to learn more about the situation. He asked, "What on earth is going on? I remember that in early spring of this year, Your Majesty recruited young men from across the county. Why is he conscripting again now?"

Deng Lin replied, "What else could it be? Your Majesty has suffered a crushing defeat, with heavy casualties. Now Your Majesty is desperately awaiting reinforcements at Chencang, and needs us to raise a new army and come to their rescue!"

Everyone was shocked upon hearing this. In their minds, Qi Wannian was supposed to be a peerless hero, invincible in every battle, yet he could actually be defeated? They hurriedly sought details from the front lines. It would have been better if they hadn't inquired. The Hu people, who had experienced the bloody battle of Chenmayuan, couldn't accurately judge the situation themselves, and only knew how to exaggerate the terrifying power of Meng Guan and the Shanggu cavalry, immediately causing panic in Lueyang.

"——The Jin people seemed to be blessed by the gods. They were invulnerable to swords and spears, and with only a thousand men they defeated an army of 100,000."

"—Not only that? It's said that the new commander of the Jin people, Meng Guan, is the reincarnation of Bishamonten, known as the God of War! Whenever he goes on the battlefield and glances at his opponent, they become paralyzed and their limbs become powerless."

"—I heard he's still besieging Your Majesty?"

"-Yeah, what's going to happen if this continues? Can we really stop him?"

"——What else can we do if we don't stop them? They're cannibals. If we don't resist, are we just going to be eaten?"

These rumors grew increasingly outrageous, and finally, Lueyang Governor Chi Nuluo had to intervene to put a stop to them. He stated that the decision would be made at the meeting, and that anyone who continued to discuss the matter would be charged with espionage. Even so, the rumors continued to spread privately. After all, rumors were born of fear, and until the threat was resolved, such talk was unavoidable.

In the last few days, the leaders of the Qiang and Hu tribes from other places had already arrived, and were basically waiting for the leaders of the Linwei County tribes. But unexpectedly, the leaders of Linwei did not arrive, and instead they received a shocking news:

"The Jin army has taken the narrow road from Chencang to Long and has forced the five tribes of Linwei to surrender. They are now preparing to march north to attack Lueyang."

This news caused panic among the leaders present at the meeting, but what made them even more confused was that this news was brought by the Jin people themselves.

A negotiation team of more than ten people led by Li Ju has entered Lueyang City openly. Due to the current chaotic situation in Lueyang City, no one would have noticed his abnormality if Li Ju had not taken the initiative to introduce himself and asked to participate in the meeting.

Being forced to the door by the Jin people, Chi Nu Luo and others did not dare to be careless. He placed Li Ju and his group under house arrest, and then immediately ordered the leaders of various tribes who had been waiting in Lueyang to gather together, and said to everyone:

"Since the defeat at Chenmayuan, I have been ordered to defend Longshang against the Jin invaders and to recruit a new army. Unfortunately, my shortsightedness has failed to live up to the trust placed in me. I failed to anticipate the Jin army's use of the narrow Chencang Pass, allowing them to seize Linwei. And yet, we have yet to gather our forces. I have failed to complete both tasks Your Majesty has entrusted to me, and I feel ashamed. But now that things have come to this, how can I give up so easily? I ask you all to pool your wisdom and strength to overcome this difficult time together."

Everyone immediately started discussing the matter. Someone said, "How are we going to fight this? If Linwei is lost, Qingshui will be defenseless. Can we hold Lueyang City on our own?"

Someone else said, "Don't panic. Let's send people to Tianshui Commandery. The old leader, Lord Hao, is there. He still has 20,000 troops, right? Let's abandon the city and flee. We can fight the Jin army in the mountains and forests until they come. Who knows, we might be saved."

Someone nearby said, "Who knows who the Jin general is? If it's Meng Guan, then Your Majesty can't defeat him, so how can Lord Hao win?"

There were many different opinions at the time, and everyone had their own opinion, and no one could convince anyone else.

At this time, someone gently pulled Chi Nu Luo's sleeve and whispered in his ear:

"General, your Excellencies are already in a state of disarray, unable to offer any effective suggestions. This isn't a solution. You should release the imprisoned Jin people. Since they dared to come, they must have made the necessary preparations. We might as well listen to their terms first. Even if they refuse, we can feign compliance and delay the negotiations for a while, which will give us room for maneuver."

Chi Nuluo looked back and found that the person who spoke was a teenager. He was very young and his body had not yet fully developed, but he was about seven feet tall, with strong and sturdy hands and feet, and his eyes were bright. You could tell at a glance that he was a very opinionated person.

Seeing that it was him who was speaking, Chi Nu Luo immediately softened his expression and said, "Since it is Master Pu who said it, that's fine."

It turns out that this young man is the current patriarch of the Pu clan, Pu Hong.

Pu Hong was the only son of the previous clan leader, Pu Huaigui. Due to a lack of information, the Jin army believed that Pu Huaigui was still alive. In fact, Pu Huaigui had fallen ill and passed away the previous year. Afterwards, after discussion within the clan, Pu Hong, who was less than thirteen years old, inherited the position of clan leader.

This wasn't due to the other uncles' modesty, but rather Pu Hong's strength. Pu Hong had been extremely intelligent since childhood, fond of reading and martial arts, and renowned in the tribe for his strategic prowess and prowess in riding and shooting. When Pu Huaigui returned from Chang'an, Pu Hong, just twelve years old, supported his father's initiative in the uprising and personally led the troops to capture Lueyang City. From then on, he became a resounding success, and no one dared to underestimate him.

Pu Hong was only fourteen years old, but his position in the organization was close to that of the chairman. In fact, in Lueyang at the moment, if Pu Hong did not approve of something, no one would be able to accomplish it.

Seeing that he showed that he wanted to meet the Jin envoy, Chi Nuluo felt a little dissatisfied, but he did not show it. Instead, he waved his hand and asked Li Ju and his group to come in. After Li Ju stood firm and the leaders of the meeting were quiet, Chi Nuluo said with a cold face:
"Who are you? Who sent you here?"

Li Ju was unhurried. He first glanced at the faces of the surrounding Hu people, then clasped his fists to each of them. Then he said, "I am Li Ju, the lower guard commander of the Jin Dynasty's Western Expedition Army. I have come to negotiate with you leaders on the orders of Liu Xian, commander of the Western Pacification Army." Everyone breathed a sigh of relief when they heard that it wasn't Meng Guan who had come. Unexpectedly, Pu Hong suddenly asked, "You said you were here on Liu Xian's orders. So, your commander-in-chief is Liu Xian?"

"Exactly."

"Is he the great-grandson of the Shu Han emperor, the one who once ranked first in the examinations among the counties in Guanzhong, defeated Hao San, and even defeated Your Majesty at the Battle of Niyang, Liu Xian?"

"good."

"What's your relationship with him?"

"Because I am his sworn brother, I have the honor of being sent as an envoy."

Li Ju had previously asked the local Hu people for details about Lueyang. Looking at Pu Hong, he guessed his identity and replied with interest:

"Unexpectedly, someone in Longyou also knows the name of our commander."

Pu Hong laughed and said, "I heard from my father that this person is very dangerous, so I naturally remembered this name."

With just these few words, the atmosphere on the field became tense again. Everyone had been feeling relieved that Meng Guan hadn't come, but now they realized that this Jin commander was not someone to be trifled with. This thought made them feel uneasy again.

Li Ju also noticed this, and he said calmly:

"Since you've heard of our coach's name, you should know that he's not a warmongerer."

"I have been ordered to come to Lueyang this time to discuss something with you."

Everyone listened attentively after hearing this. Li Ju said:

"After two years of war, the people of Guanlong have suffered utterly, and countless lives have been lost. Our Marshal does not wish to witness this scene again, so he has decided to execute only the ringleaders and leave the rest alone, just as he did with Hao San of Shangdang."

"As long as you are willing to supply our army with rations and draw a clear line between us and the Qi bandits, we can forgive the past two years."

"This opportunity is extremely rare. I come here with the seeds of peace. I hope you will not be stingy with your kindness and let it wither."

After these words, Chi Nuluo's expression suddenly changed. He looked around and saw that many of the Hu leaders attending the meeting were excited. He thought to himself that something was wrong. He looked back at Pu Hong beside him, but saw that the corners of his mouth were half-smiled, and his eyes were glancing at him intentionally or unintentionally. How could Chi Nuluo not understand? This kid next to him must have thought about changing his allegiance!
Without further ado, Chi Nu Luo immediately stood up and loudly refuted Li Ju:

"Ridiculous! When have the people of Jin ever kept their word? Do you think I don't remember? A few years ago, we were supposed to pay a tax of one bolt of cloth per household per year, but then it inexplicably tripled. Did they ever give us an explanation?"

"If it were just taxes, it would be fine. But how much money and goods do the Jin people extort from us at road checkpoints? It's driving the people into poverty. Do they want us to live in such a humble way again?"

"Everyone, don't forget. We've been fighting for two years. How much blood feud do both sides have? We can forget it, but can the people of Jin forget it? Did those compatriots who died die in vain?"

Chi Nu Luo said these words with righteous words. When everyone present recalled them, they either lowered their heads in silence or gritted their teeth. No one tried to stand up and refute him.

Seeing the atmosphere like this, Chi Nu Luo felt that the time was right. He cast his gaze again on Li Ju and his group and said:
"Your Majesty is still fighting in Chencang. How can we surrender first? Come, kill them and sacrifice..."

Just as he was shouting angrily, he didn't notice that behind him, Pu Hong drew the long sword from his waist and swung it forward in an instant.

"clatter!"

A tearing sound was heard in the tent, which was completely inconsistent with Pu Hong's temperament.

A four-foot-long sharp blade flashed by, and Chi Nu Luo's head was thrown into the air.

A moment later, blood spurted out like a rainbow. Chi Nu Luo's body fell to the ground. The surrounding Hu leaders were stunned. Some bystanders, such as Deng Lin, were furious and pointed at Pu Hong and cursed:

"Are you crazy? You actually attacked and killed the governor? Is this what a warrior would do?"

"With the governor dead, who will take charge of the situation?"

However, facing these accusations, Pu Hong remained calm. He swung his sword, splashing the blood on the blade. He then sheathed the sword and said calmly, "Fools who don't know their place can only be considered dead, right?"

"I am the master here. Qi Wannian has to look at my face a little bit. How can he, a lackey, have the right to speak?"

As he spoke, Pu Hong's eyes scanned the surroundings, revealing a clear and pure murderous intent that immediately made everyone afraid to speak. He then calmly sat down on the chair, which still retained the warmth of Chi Nu Luo.

Pu Hong pointed at the corpse on the ground and said:

"This idiot actually said the court was insincere. Ha, he can't see it, but I am not blind."

Pu Hong cast his gaze towards the man beside Li Ju, smiled, and said slowly, "I didn't expect Envoy Liu to visit me. It truly brings honor to my humble home! If you have anything to say, just talk to me."

Everyone present was shocked upon hearing this. (End of this chapter)