Jinting Han people

On the way back, Liu Xian received news that Qi Wannian had been defeated.

During the six months that Meng Guan was trapped in Chencang, Qi Wannian realized that things were not going well as reinforcements had not arrived. He began to frequently send scouts out to gather information, and eventually learned that the Longshang Road had been captured by the Jin army and that the various tribes on the Longshang River had surrendered to the Jin army.

Qi Wannian knew the situation was hopeless. Continuing to hold on to Chencang would be like imprisoning himself, waiting for death. So, he led his men in a nighttime breakout attempt, taking the opposite approach and attempting a breakout eastward. Meng Guan's remaining army, numbering less than 10,000, was incapable of completely encircling Chencang, allowing Qi Wannian to succeed for a time. However, once he realized what was happening, Meng Guan's light cavalry pursued and eventually caught up with Qi Wannian's main force.

Seeing the Jin army approaching, the rebels scattered like monkeys, with Qi Wannian's generals either surrendering or fleeing. But Qi Wannian refused to give up. Even though the situation seemed hopeless, he led the remnants north to Shuofang. Meng Guan sent his general Zhang Lin in pursuit. In the twelfth month of the eighth year of the Yuankang reign, Zhang Lin caught up with Qi Wannian at Huanglong Mountain and captured all his remaining followers.

Qi Wannian and a dozen of his closest confidants attempted to circumvent the Jin army in the mountains and forests, but their morale was low and their associates unreliable. Unable to endure such hardships, his subordinate Liang Ju colluded with Wang He and others to assassinate Qi Wannian while he slept. Also killed were his clansman Qi Gui and others. To prevent his body from rotting, they cut open Qi Wannian's stomach, removed his internal organs, and sprinkled them with salt.

When Qi Wannian's body was sent to Chen Cang, it was exactly the third day after Liu Xian led his troops back.

Seeing Qi Wannian again in person, Liu Xian felt a mixture of emotions. The last time they met, Liu Xian remembered him as a middle-aged man a few years older than himself, ambitious and full of aspirations. His optimism had particularly left a lasting impression on him. But he hadn't expected that the next time they met, he'd become a pale corpse.

After being salted, Qi Wannian's body looked pale and old. Liu Xian had thought that a man like him would die in a spectacular way, either setting himself on fire like King Zhou or committing suicide by slashing his throat at the Wu River like Xiang Yu. At the very least, he would have left behind some inspiring last words.

Unexpectedly, he died so quietly in the end. Liu Xian stared at his dying face, which was so peaceful and natural.

If he could still speak, Liu Xian really wanted to talk to him about why he had caused such a chaos and why he chose to escape instead of dying with dignity.

There were no answers to these questions. After the generals had examined the corpse, Meng Guan beheaded Qi Wannian. The head was circulated throughout the counties of Yongzhou before being boiled, lacquered, and placed in the armory. This was a treatment reserved for those who had caused great harm to the state, a tribute to the nation's military prowess. The remaining remains were ground to dust and scattered into the Wei River.

Thus, the great Hu hero who dominated Guanxi and Longyou finally ended up with no remains left, reduced to ashes. The black flag with red crows that he created also disappeared into the abyss of history.

As a result, the remaining remnants of the rebels were unable to offer any resistance. Zhang Gui, still in Longxi at this time, was conducting a final round of pacification. After he spread the news, the remaining Hu people offered hostages, and people like Yao Yizhong and Tufa Wuwan surrendered to Zhang Gui with money. At the end of the first month of the ninth year of the Yuankang reign, Zhang Gui officially reported his victory to Meng Guan, announcing the complete recovery of the Qinzhou counties. This also marked the official end of the Qi Wannian Rebellion, which had lasted for nearly three years.

But it must be said that the price of suppressing the rebellion was too heavy. Since the Hao San Rebellion in the fourth year of the Yuankang reign, Guanzhong had not experienced a single year of true peace. For five years, the war had spread to the four prefectures of Yong, Qin, Liang, and Liang. Once a land of prosperity, painstakingly cultivated by the Sima clan, and rivaling the Hebei and Central Plains in prosperity, the chaos spread, leaving fertile fields overgrown with thorns, cities reduced to rubble, thousands of miles of barren land, and countless people dead.

The once-prosperous Jin Dynasty had suffered a significant blow in its northwest. While peace had nominally returned, in reality, the power of the Hu people in Guanzhong had completely overwhelmed the Han. Restoring pre-clash conditions was uncertain.

What is truly terrifying is that this may not be the end. The foundation of the Hou Party's rule in the court has been shaken, the Prince Party and the princes are ready to make a move, and a new bloody coup is brewing in Luoyang. No one can say how far this coup will go, whether it will be the end or the beginning of a new round of coups.

But that's all in the past. At least now, the chaos has come to an end and it's time to celebrate.

On the 23rd day of the second month, Zhang Gui led his army back to Chang'an, where the Jin army finally reunited. It was spring, and flowers were in full bloom. Meng Guan ordered a three-day banquet at Kunming Lake west of Chang'an. Fu Zhi, who was in charge of logistics, specially brought in a thousand pigs, a thousand deer, and five thousand jars of wine from Guandong to provide the soldiers with food and drink.

Although the drinks were rather bland and lacking in seasoning due to the large number of people present, the peaceful atmosphere still managed to infect everyone. Everyone raised their glasses and drank, chatting about the near-death experiences they had experienced during the wars over the years. Some burst into laughter, while others wept bitterly, their faces buried in their hands, as they recalled some heroic deeds or heartbreaking events.

Liu Xian didn't have so many thoughts. He sat together with his friends and subordinates such as Li Ju, Xue Xing, Zhang Guang, and Zhuge Yan, chatting briefly about family matters and their plans for the future.

"The war is over. The country no longer needs so many troops. Now it's time to govern the people. I guess many officers and lieutenants will be transferred to become local civil officials."

Liu Xian strung a string of pig hearts on bamboo sticks, flipped them on the grill over the campfire, and then asked Li Ju:
"Shihui, have you ever thought about what kind of official you will be in the future?"

Li Ju sighed and said, "Brother, to be honest, I'm a little discouraged and want to go home to serve my mother."

"What's wrong with Shihui? You actually said such depressing words."

"Over the years, I've seen too much intrigue and deception in officialdom. I think I might not be suited to being an official. If I were a soldier, I might be of some use, but if I were an official, I would probably be useless."

As he said this, Li Ju glanced at the Ever-Victorious Sword at Liu Xian's waist and sighed, "Even a good man like Lord Zi Ya could be framed and killed. I doubt I'd have a good ending if I continued in office."

Speaking of Zhou Chu's death, everyone present felt regretful. A soldier's honor should be that he dies for a good cause, but Zhou Chu's death was obviously not the case.

"You really don't want to be an official? I can use my connections to recommend you to be the governor of a large county." Liu Xian persuaded. He felt that it was a pity that Li Ju did not want to be an official. There were only so many official positions in the world. If a good person did not take it, others would take it, which was not worth it.

Li Ju had made up his mind. He said to Liu Xian, "If my brother needs my help, I will certainly not refuse. But as for me becoming a governor, I'd rather not do so."

When Liu Xian heard this, he realized that it was useless to say more, so he patted Li Ju on the shoulder to express his understanding. Then he asked Xue Xing:

"Jida, what are your plans? With your military achievements, I think being a prefect is a bit of a stretch, but being a captain is no problem."

Xue Xing was also a little depressed. Like Li Ju, he had longed to enter the officialdom. However, since he entered the officialdom, he had experienced many intriguing storms, which made him feel scared and had some doubts about whether to continue to pursue careers in the officialdom.

He thought for a moment and replied, "Sir, I don't plan to enter the government anymore, but I think I can't waste the many friends I've made in officialdom, so I plan to do business in Hedong."

"Business? What kind of business are you planning to do?"

"Right now, Guanzhong is in ruins and the land is cheap. With the Xianbei coming to the north, I'd like to buy some land in Guanzhong and build some horse farms, focusing on horse breeding. I'll also use some land to grow beans to make fermented black beans and vinegar. In the winter, I'll sell these to Guandong. In the spring, I'll go to Jingzhou to buy some tea and bring it back to Guanxi to sell. What do you think?" This was actually Liu Xian's business policy in Xiayang, and Xue Xing was just copying it. Liu Xian thought it was a good idea and encouraged him, saying, "This kind of thing probably can't be accomplished by one person alone. You can find more fellow villagers to join in. That way, your business will expand, and officials along the way won't dare to arbitrarily intercept you."

Xue Xing had never thought about it from this perspective, but after hearing this, he suddenly came to his senses and nodded in agreement.

Liu Xian then asked Xue Xing, "Jida, how much capital do you have?"

Xue Xing answered truthfully, "My family has accumulated about two hundred gold coins."

Liu Xian thought about it and said, "That's really not much. I'll lend you two thousand gold as the principal."

Xue Xing was about to decline when Liu Xian said, "Just do it well. Consider it a way to help me make some money. If I didn't have a debt to repay when I return, I'd leave the entire ten thousand gold in your hands! But remember, Ji Da, don't let small profits get in the way of greater principles. If you anger the people by hoarding goods, you'll be courting disaster."

Zhang Guang, listening in, thought they were exaggerating and jokingly said, "I think you're all just being overly pessimistic. The court has suffered enough from the Guanxi turmoil this time, so how could they make such reckless appointments like before? They'll be more cautious, otherwise why would they re-employ Shi Yangong? I think the chaos in the officialdom over the past few years should improve in the coming years."

"As long as we act uprightly and do our duty to the people, and in accordance with the conscience of heaven and earth, what do we have to fear?"

Liu Xian admired Zhang Guang's attitude towards life, but after all he had experienced, he now knew the reality of the situation. Compared to other factors, the type of leader was the most important. So, Liu Xian asked, "Brother Jingwu, who do you think will be the next vassal king to govern Guanzhong?"

After a moment's consideration, Zhang Guang replied, "It's either the Prince of Donghai (Sima Yue) or the Prince of Hejian (Sima Yong)."

Just as the two were about to evaluate the candidates' merits and demerits, someone unexpectedly came over, took Liu Xian's arm and said:

"Ha, isn't this the hero who helped us put down the rebellion? Why has he been hiding in the corner instead of drinking with us?"

It was Meng Guan who spoke. Without waiting for Liu Xian to decline, he immediately pulled him to the bonfire in the center of the banquet, raised his wine cup and said to everyone:
"Gentlemen, look who's coming?"

Everyone's eyes flicked over. Lu Bo, Zhang Gui, Suo Jing, Li Han, Huangfu Shang, Huangfu Zhong, Jie Xi, Hu Yuan...all the high-ranking officials from the Western Expedition Army gathered there. Some of these people were known to Liu Xian, some were unknown to him. Some had favors for him, some had grudges. But at this moment, they all shared the same admiring expression, either genuinely or falsely complimenting him and cheering:

"Running horse on Longnan Road, helping the people Liu Huaichong!"

Where did this reputation come from? Liu Xian was a little amused when he heard this. He cupped his hands and said, "You are all too kind. I am ashamed."

"Hey, don't say that!" Meng Guan dragged Liu Xian in front of the crowd and laughed, "Huai Chong, I know it hasn't been easy for you along the way. We all see it. Who is right and who is wrong is in the hearts of fair people."

"Today's banquet isn't for the imperial court, but for the righteousness of heaven and earth, for the spirits of those who died, and for our fellow civilians. We'll honor whoever has made the greatest contribution!"

After saying this, Meng Guan released his hand, spilled the wine in the cup into the soil, and said loudly:

"This first cup is dedicated to the Heavens and Earth, and all the gods in the sky!"

He poured the wine again and then splashed it onto the ground:
"This second cup is for the conscience of heaven and earth!"

Soon, Meng Guan spilled the wine again:
"The third cup is for the martyrs who sacrificed their lives on the battlefield!"

"The following wine is for our heroes who have made great contributions!"

Having said this, he handed the wine cup filled with wine to Liu Xian, who slowly took it. He looked around and found that everyone had already raised their wine cups, and all kinds of faces were looking at him with attention and greetings.

Meng Guan picked up another glass of wine and slowly aligned himself with Liu Xian. He smiled slightly and said loudly, "Gentlemen, toast to Commander Liu!"

Everyone present raised their glasses in unison and said, "Cheers to Commander Liu!"

After that, drink it all in one gulp.

This wasn't the only time Meng Guan toasted at the party; senior figures like Sima Rong, Suo Jing, and Zhang Gui had also been toasted. But many years later, those who had experienced the banquet and were still alive mostly remembered this single moment. This was the first time Emperor Wen of Han, Liu Xian, stood at the center of the crowd, the center of attention, as he would later become accustomed to. Therefore, everyone regarded this moment as a significant turning point.

At that moment, Liu Xian was indeed thinking the same thing. He felt like he had been walking in the darkness for a long time. He actually had no idea where the road ahead lay, relying only on his instincts, wisdom, and a faint glimmer of history as a guide.

Liu Xian believed that the starlight of history illuminated him and guided him. But as time passed, he discovered otherwise. The galaxy served not only as a guide but also as a witness. Witnessing his long and arduous journey, he became a part of the starry night, a part of history.

If people are all asleep, why does the starry night exist?

But no matter what, the long starry night is about to end, but we still need to wait for dawn.

(End of Starry Night) (End of this chapter)