Jinting Han people

When news of Liu Yuan's ascension to the throne reached Chengdu, it caused a great stir throughout the court and the country, and had many repercussions.

Since ancient times, declaring oneself emperor has been a momentous matter concerning legitimacy and the Mandate of Heaven. The saying goes, "To claim the rightful mandate of Heaven and receive the destiny of the emperor." Under Heaven, there can only ever be one legitimate ruler, one Son of Heaven, one emperor. Anyone who claims the imperial throne undoubtedly demonstrates their ambition to unify China and their determination to eliminate all other separatist regimes in the land. During the Three Kingdoms period, three emperors coexisted, and Prime Minister Zhuge Liang famously said, "The Han and the traitors cannot coexist; the royal cause cannot be achieved through partial peace." General Jiang Wei used this as his motto, which conveyed the same meaning.

Now that the Sima clan is in decline, everyone says the Jin dynasty is doomed, and that foolish emperor in Xuchang is certainly not the true emperor. Therefore, throughout the land, all discerning people are eagerly awaiting the outcome, wanting to observe the changing situation and identify who will truly unify the country. Liu Yuan, as the leader of the anti-Jin alliance in the north, has raised the banner of the Han dynasty and formally ascended the throne, undoubtedly gaining a preemptive advantage and stirring up a new storm throughout the land.

From the perspective of the Chengdu court, Liu Yuan's ascension to the throne would inevitably attract attention and scrutiny from various factions, making him a target of attacks. This would reduce the pressure on Liu Xian, allowing him to focus on consolidating his military strength and expanding in other directions.

However, from the perspective of what is unfavorable to the Chengdu court, it is difficult for public opinion to accept that Liu Xian, as a descendant of Shu Han, did not take the lead in declaring himself emperor, but instead fell behind in terms of title. Moreover, who is to say that he will necessarily face difficulties after declaring himself emperor? Although Liu Ni's previous attempt to declare himself emperor was met with attacks from various sides, didn't he also receive support from the five provinces of Jing, Jiang, Yang, Xu, and Yu?

If Liu Yuan were to use the emperor's name to recruit a large number of talented individuals, things might get out of control. As his power grows, the legitimacy of the throne might gradually shift from Liu Xian to Liu Yuan.

Therefore, discussions about Liu Xian becoming emperor quickly arose throughout the court and among the public, urging him to do so as soon as possible to demonstrate legitimacy.

The first person to make this suggestion was Yang Nandi, the governor of Langzhong. After learning the news, he couldn't wait to submit a memorial to Liu Xian. It is unknown where he found a scholar with passable writing skills, who wrote a long and eloquent treatise for Liu Xian.

In his memorial, Yang Nandi asserted that Liu Yuan's claim to the throne should not be underestimated. Firstly, Liu Yuan "traveled extensively in the capital, frequented scholarly circles, and discussed matters of state with great insight, earning him the reputation of a brilliant talent," demonstrating his early prestige. Secondly, he "secretly plotted to seize the throne, secretly laid traps, and tirelessly waged war, determined to succeed." To gain control of the empire, Liu Yuan exhausted every means possible: marriage alliances, promises, alliances, surprise attacks, and annexations. Thus, he "rebelled in You and Bing, falsely claiming the Mandate of Heaven," effectively becoming the banner of rebellion against the Jin dynasty in the north, attracting a continuous stream of refugees to his side.

Now that Liu Yuan has declared himself emperor, the situation has reached an extremely critical point. If Liu Xian continues to sit idly by and allow the other side to claim the Han lineage, the world will surely consider Chengdu incompetent and disgraced to their ancestors, and will inevitably look down on Liu Xian. Moreover, Liu Yuan has just acquired Shuofang and is very likely to march into Guanzhong, launching a two-pronged attack from Hedong and Shuofang. Yan Ding and his allies will be overwhelmed and unable to stop him. Once Liu Yuan seizes Guanzhong first and then takes Luoyang, the ancestral homeland of the two capitals will fall into enemy hands. At that time, even if Liu Xian is a descendant of Liu Bei, he will not be able to compete with Liu Yuan for legitimacy.

Therefore, Yang Nandi wrote to Liu Xian, urging him to promptly obey popular demand, ascend the throne, and launch a northern expedition against Guanzhong. Now that Zhang Fang is gone, the remaining figures in Guanzhong, such as Yan Ding, are nothing but clowns, utterly incapable of resistance. They even dared to detain the emperor's father and members of the imperial clan—truly audacious and deserving severe punishment! Once the main army has pacified Xijing and established a powerful Qin dynasty, and then Liu Yuan is defeated, who in the world can stand against the Han army?
After the memorial was submitted to the Ministry of Personnel, it was then discussed at the court assembly. All the officials agreed that Yang Nandi's words were indeed true.

Former Shu Han officials like Lai Zhong, Zhuge Jing, and Xue Yi had long believed that Liu Xian should declare himself emperor. Now that he had restored the former territory, it was only right for him to do so. Furthermore, officials from the Hedong Army and Sili Prefecture, who believed that wealth and honor should not be taken for granted, were eager to return to Guanzhong and their hometowns. Why shouldn't they do this? The former subordinates of the Chengdu Kingdom, many of whom were refugees from Guanzhong and Longxi who had fled south to Bashu due to the Qi Wannian Rebellion, were even less likely to object.

Even the members of the Celestial Masters sect were no exception. Since they claimed Liu Xian was to become the True Lord of Peace, they naturally hoped that Liu Xian would become emperor as soon as possible. Fan Ben even regarded the fairy mountain he had encountered in Yunnan as an auspicious omen, believing it to be a great sign of Heaven's praise for the King of Han.

In short, the entire court was in agreement, with no one opposing it whatsoever.

This even included Li Feng, who had advised Liu Xian to advance eastward. Yang Nan could not resist this suggestion, which actually went against Li Feng's established strategy. When Liu Xian was in charge of affairs at the Ministry of Personnel, he took this memorial to Li Feng for his opinion.

Li Feng was an extremely intelligent man, and he immediately knew the true thoughts of the King of Han: Liu Xian did not actually want to become emperor at that time.

The reasons for this are easy to analyze. At present, the relationship between declaring himself emperor and the Northern Expedition is interconnected and inseparable. If he wants to declare himself emperor, it is impossible not to launch the Northern Expedition. As Yang Nandi said, how can there be two emperors standing side by side in the world? The Han and the traitors cannot coexist; it is bound to be a fight to the death.

The problem is that, compared to the eastward expansion strategy, the northward expansion strategy has significant flaws.

Firstly, the powerful clans of Guanzhong are caught between Liu Yuan and Liu Xian. Whoever attacks Guanzhong first, the powerful clans led by Yan Ding will naturally side with the other to maintain their independence. Liu Xian might be confident of victory if he were to fight the powerful clans of Guanzhong alone, but now that Liu Yuan has gained the support of Shuofang, the difficulty is incomparable.

It is crucial to understand that supplying Guanzhong during a northern expedition would be extremely difficult. Once the army is bogged down in a fortified city, the biggest problem would be a shortage of provisions. Based on past battles and Liu Xian's personal experience, the loss rate of grain transported from the Qinling Mountains was excessively high. Liu Xian had calculated that if an army of 70,000 marched north, approximately every three years' worth of provisions would only be enough for a single six-month campaign. If the entire Guanzhong region could not be captured within those six months, and only one or two prefectures were occupied, a retreat would leave the Guanzhong Plain defenseless, forcing the army to relinquish all captured cities. Ultimately, this would result in a wasted supply of provisions and nothing gained.

Another point that must be considered is that if a stalemate develops between the north and south of Guanzhong, allowing the Jin dynasty to recover, or if someone gains control of Hebei, wouldn't that create a situation where two tigers fight and a third party benefits? This is something a wise person would not do.

Analyzing the eastward advance further, with the Yangtze River as the hub and the canal supplying supplies, the campaign would be longer but would consume less food and provisions. Moreover, the enemy forces would be weaker, and once a city was captured, the surrounding mountains and waterways would make it easier to defend. As long as a competent navy was trained, there would be no risk of retreating and losing the city.

One in the north, one in the south; one difficult, one easy. Liu Xian had fought for many years and could tell which strategy was the best.

But when he came to question Li Feng, Li Feng was well aware that Liu Xian had already made up his mind. Why then did Liu Xian not express his opinion directly, but instead come to ask him? This involved a struggle for legitimacy; Liu Xian could not nominally abandon legitimacy, and with everyone united in their will, it was difficult to go against the will of the people. He needed someone among his ministers to stand up and raise objections.

Knowing is one thing, but times have changed, and Li Feng's thoughts have also changed.

His previous suggestion to Liu Xian to advance eastward stemmed from his urgent desire to secure a place in the Chengdu court. Now that he had successfully entered the central government, further advancement would be difficult in the short term, and his fervent desire for merit had diminished. Instead, he had to consider whether publicly opposing the move would provoke public anger. Advocating for the ascension was in everyone's interest, and Li Feng didn't want to do something that would offend people unnecessarily.

Therefore, Li Feng subtly advised Liu Xian: "Your Highness, it is now inevitable that you will become emperor. Since Liu Yuan has already become emperor and is vying with you for the Han throne, and you are highly respected by the people, wouldn't it be disheartening to not become emperor? I think it is better to become emperor as soon as possible."

Liu Xian glanced at Li Feng but didn't say much. Only when he returned to the palace did he complain to his wives. He said to A Luo, "I really don't understand. Since I became king, not only have I fewer friends, but there are also fewer people willing to think about the big picture."

A'Luo was an understanding woman. She listened silently for a while, and only after Liu Xian had calmed down did she slowly say, "Biji, I also have a question I don't understand." "Since you left Luoyang, how many women in this palace do you plan to keep?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Xian immediately understood that A Luo was complaining about his marriage to Li Xiu. After returning to Chengdu, the matter was brought up again, and the two would officially marry after Li Xiu's mourning period ended.

He was somewhat surprised, because his wife had never expressed any objection before, and said, "You think this marriage is not good?"

Cao Shangrou could certainly understand Liu Xian's affection for Li Xiu. While Li Xiu's talent was undeniable, it didn't actually surpass her or Lü Zhu's by much. However, when someone is bedridden and suffering unbearable pain, having someone with excellent medical skills who can care for them meticulously is more valuable than anything else; anyone would feel a sense of goodwill towards such a person. If this person were a man, they would become friends; if a woman, they could very well become lovers. Moreover, their marriage would effectively increase the cohesion of Ningzhou.

But understanding is one thing, feeling is another. A'Luo said, "Of course it's good, but can't I complain? When you married me, I thought you would only marry me in your life."

Liu Xian was speechless for a moment. He saw his wife sitting up straight and continue, "Don't even mention me. What about the other two? Didn't they have other thoughts in their hearts? They just didn't want to say it directly in front of you."

This is an undeniable fact. Green Pearl is outwardly gentle but inwardly strong, and Ah Die is also very opinionated. The reason why the ladies remain calm and harmonious in front of Liu Xian is undoubtedly for only one reason: as the founding emperor, Liu Xian possesses an extremely strong side that others dare not disobey, thus subtly concealing many conflicts. This is a situation that even if Liu Xian reflects on himself every day, he cannot resolve.

Only then did A'Luo bring the topic back, saying earnestly, "Biji, you're complaining here that no one cares about the big picture, but have you forgotten that when you were living under someone else's roof in Luoyang, didn't you also have to be mindful of others' feelings? Back then, how many of your friends told you the truth?"

Liu Xian then realized that his wife was using the situation in the palace as a metaphor to advise him that if there was no other way, he should not act unilaterally, but should follow the will of the people.

Upon further reflection, Liu Xian realized his wife was right. He had long understood this principle: no one is born a ruler, nor is one who can do whatever they want. Since he had already recruited such a group of subordinates and had no way to persuade them, going with the flow wasn't a bad thing. Moreover, declaring himself emperor was indeed advantageous to him. Although the Northern Expedition to Guanzhong was difficult, the current situation was at least better than under Prime Minister Zhuge Liang, and there was still a chance of victory.

He rubbed the old wound on his shoulder and laughed self-deprecatingly, "You're right, people are never satisfied!"

Thinking this, Liu Xian nodded to A Luo and said, "Then I will talk to Shi Hui and the others another day and set this matter at the end of the year, and ascend the throne in the first month, so as to save the country from changing the era name."

A Luo smiled, and Liu Xian chatted with her for a while longer. This time, when the topic turned to the atmosphere in the palace, his wife said to him, "Those who can stay by your side are all sensible people. But how long will you have to endure this life of being alone in the cold palace?"

Ultimately, even after marrying Li Xiu, Liu Xian only had four wives and concubines, which was considered very few in those days. Their biggest complaint was the lack of time spent together. But there was nothing he could do; Liu Xian was a ruler in a chaotic era and couldn't neglect military affairs. He could only comfort his wife, saying, "It's already much better than before, and it will get even better in the future."

A'Luo smiled and nodded, then leaned sweetly on her husband's shoulder. She believed it wasn't a lie. Although the world was in chaos and everyone was following Liu Xian around, Liu Xian still kept all his promises to those around him. Otherwise, he wouldn't have gained such trust and built up his current empire.

The next morning, after having breakfast, Liu Xian immediately went to the Ministry of Personnel. Although he still felt some regret, Liu Xian prepared to inform Li Ju and others to prepare for his ascension to the throne.

It was not yet time for the morning meeting, and only Lu Yun, who was on night duty, was in the Ministry of Personnel.

When Liu Xian entered the palace, he was still formulating the labor plan for the following year. First, he planned to repair the road between Jiange and Yangping Pass to strengthen the connection between Hanzhong and Bashu. Second, he planned to build a canal similar to the Qianjin Canal in the inland waters to concentrate water-powered rice mills. If these two projects could be completed, they would definitely save the country a lot of money.

Liu Xian listened to him and became quite interested. The two discussed the plan for a while. Just then, a guard knocked on the door. He hurriedly knelt down and said that yellow silk had been delivered from Hanzhong.

Apart from Liu Xian's imperial edict, the other prefects used yellow silk, indicating that there was something urgent. Upon hearing that Wei Jun had delivered the yellow silk, Liu Xian dared not be careless and quickly took the silk to examine it carefully.

Lu Yun observed Liu Xian's expression. When the Prince of Han received the yellow silk, his face was grim, his brows furrowed, as if worried something had gone wrong. But after reading it, the Prince's brows immediately relaxed, like clouds parting to reveal the sun, and an undisguised smile appeared on his lips. He put down the silk, rose, paced back and forth, clapping his hands and chuckling softly. Then his laughter gradually grew louder and more uncontrollable, until finally he exclaimed repeatedly, "Good! Good indeed!"

Is it good news? What exactly happened? Lu Yun was slightly surprised upon seeing this. He had followed Liu Xian for six years and known him for over a decade, and he rarely saw Liu Xian so distraught. However, he knew the principle that a subject should remain silent if the ruler does not speak, so even though he was curious, he remained silent and waited for Liu Xian to reveal his thoughts.

After laughing, Liu Xian said to Lu Yun, "Shilong, there is no one else here now. You will temporarily serve as a secretary and issue an edict for me to transfer eight hundred Imperial Guards from the palace to Nanzheng in the north, along with three light carriages and a thousand bolts of brocade, to be under Wei Jun's command."

Lu Yun was even more confused. He asked, "Your Highness, what is the reason for mobilizing troops?"

"Of course, they'll be my guards!" After laughing, Liu Xian raised his eyebrows and said decisively, "The Crouching Dragon has arrived! How can we not offer him a grand welcome?"

What Wei Jun and Huang Bo said was actually only one thing—three days ago, Lu Zhi had arrived in Nanzheng after traveling thousands of miles. (End of Chapter)