Jinting Han people

Chapter 63: Prince Taiyuan is a Xiongnu (4k)

After the four of them greeted each other, they took their seats one by one. Liu Xian had just sat down when he heard A Fule say with a smile, "Why are you all so polite? I only introduced you two because I saw you were relatives!"

Relatives? Liu Xian was a little puzzled. Although there were quite a few people in Anle Mansion, it was not to the point where Liu Xian could not remember them all.

He has seven elders and twenty-four clansmen. Including the family of Juancheng, he has only six relatives, all of whom are either in Luoyang or in Chengdu. How could he be related to the Xiongnu people in Bingzhou?
"What kind of joke are you kidding?" Liu Cong patted A Fule with his feather fan, as if he were a superior or a subordinate, scolding him as a matter of course. Then he turned around and smiled brightly at Liu Xian, saying leisurely, "I heard from this kid that he has been under your care these days. I'm really sorry."

"Ah... nothing." These were just minor details. Liu Xian had not yet figured out the relationship between the young men in front of him.

Liu Cong was quite natural. He first called over the waiter from Huiganfang and ordered some food and drinks that Liu Xian had rarely heard of. Then he asked Liu Xian kindly, "Does Huai Chong have any dietary restrictions?"

Liu Xian shrugged and said with a smile, "There are many things you shouldn't eat, and you won't know until you've tried them."

Liu Cong also laughed and said, "But if we only eat the food we have eaten, then our life will be boring."

When the waiter brought a pot of milky drink, the elegant young man poured a cup himself and handed it to Liu Xian, saying, "This is a common drink we Bingzhou people drink. It's called buttermilk. In the whole of Luoyang, only this wine shop sells it. Come and try it."

There was a strong smell of cattle and sheep in the milk. If it were three or four years ago, Liu Xian would probably have vomited at the smell, but now, he was calm and drank it all in one gulp.

The taste isn't bad, though. The fermented milk flavor and the salty tea create a savory aroma, but the unpleasant smell doesn't make up for it.

Liu Cong had originally intended to tease Liu Xian, but unexpectedly, Liu Xian remained calm. He couldn't help but ask in surprise, "Has Huai Chong ever drunk this yogurt before?"

"No, it's my first time."

"Can Huai Chong bear it?"

"A true man should rule the world, how can he be deterred by a cup of wine?"

Liu Cong laughed when he heard this. He pointed his finger at Liu Yao and said, "Yongming, did you hear that? You get drunk as soon as you drink. This is not what a real man does."

Liu Yao felt a little embarrassed when he heard this, and lowered his head and said, "Fourth brother, I just rarely drink, so I won't stop until I'm drunk."

"You'll definitely suffer from this in the future." Liu Cong turned his gaze nonchalantly back to Liu Xian and said, "I heard from that kid Afule that you, Huai Chong, are the prince of Anle and the great-grandson of Liu Bei?"

Liu Xian smiled and said, "It is the real deal. I am indeed the Prince of Anle."

"Does Huai Chong know who I am?"

"I was about to ask for advice."

"My father was the commander of the left wing, one of the five Xiongnu commanders. His surname was Liu Yuan. I wonder if Huai Chong has heard of him?"

It turned out to be Liu Yuan's descendant! Liu Xian suddenly realized, no wonder he could teach such an outstanding junior!
If we ask who among the scholars in Luoyang in the past twenty years has the best literary and military strategies, everyone has actually always had a recognized answer, but this answer is very embarrassing. He is neither Du Yu who presided over the destruction of Wu, nor Zhang Hua who was known as Wang Zuo, but a Hun who had not achieved any success.

He is Liu Yuan.

Liu Yuan, whose courtesy name was Yuanhai, was born into the Xiongnu royal family, the Luandi clan. However, during the Eastern Han Dynasty, the Southern Xiongnu migrated south to Bingzhou. Because of the marriage alliance between the Han Dynasty and the Xiongnu in the early years, the Xiongnu royal family had many descendants of the Liu family, so they simply took Liu as their surname.

Later, Cao Cao recovered Bingzhou and divided the Xiongnu into five tribes. Liu Yuan's father, Liu Bao, moved to Taiyuan Zishi, where he had tens of thousands of households and became the core of the five Xiongnu tribes.

Therefore, he was deeply suspected by Cao Wei, who later established a rule that required all the commanders of the five Xiongnu tribes to send their royal family members to Beijing as hostages. Liu Yuan was a Xiongnu hostage of the previous generation.

Liu Yuan stayed in Luoyang for fifteen years. During this period, he entered the Imperial Academy and made friends with famous scholars. Everyone he met was impressed by him. Even General Wang Hun, who was from the Wang family of Taiyuan, sent his son Wang Ji to make friends with Liu Yuan.

After Sima Yan met Liu Yuan in person, he praised him personally, saying, "Liu Yuanhai has a distinguished appearance and a brilliant mind. Even Yu Yu and Jin Midi cannot compare to him."

But logically speaking, how could such a highly respected person not have achieved anything? Liu Yuan's talent and reputation were so high that even the emperor was wary of him.

When Sima Yan was considering how to attack Wu, Wang Hun had recommended Liu Yuan. Later, when the Xianbei in Liang Province were in chaos, Li Xi from Shangdang also recommended Liu Yuan as the commander. However, Sima Yan rejected both of them. The reason was very simple: he was afraid that once Liu Yuan joined the army, he would be like a dragon entering the sea, and it would be out of control.

But even so, some people still find it difficult to sit still.

King Sima You of Qi was known for his kindness, but when he happened to see Liu Yuan at Jiuqu Bank, he was immediately horrified and rode to the palace at full speed, begging the emperor to execute Liu Yuan immediately for the sake of the Jin Dynasty and the people.

In the end, Wang Hun used his entire fortune as a guarantee, and the emperor, considering his own reputation, saved Liu Yuan from disaster.

Liu Yuan was truly an unprecedented figure, as he was so talented yet could attract such suspicion.

But unfortunately, when Liu Xian was about six years old, Liu Bao passed away, and Liu Yuan returned to Bingzhou to inherit the position of the Left Commander, resulting in him missing the chance to meet Liu Bao, which made Liu Xian deeply regretful.

Unexpectedly, at this time of day, he actually met Liu Yuan's son. Perhaps he was also a new generation of hostage of the Xiongnu! Liu Xian looked at Liu Cong, trying to picture Liu Yuan's appearance in his mind.

It is no wonder that Afule would seek out Liu Cong. Nominally, the Jiehu were subordinate to the Xiongnu, and Liu Cong, a Xiongnu prince, was also obligated to protect the Jie tribe from wind and rain.

Liu Xian smiled at Liu Cong and said, "This is truly a revelation. I heard that your tribe claims to be the descendants of the Han Dynasty. I wonder if that's true?"

In front of Liu Xian, the legitimate heir of the Zhaolie Rebellion, Liu Cong smiled calmly and said, "Whether it's true or not, it's all from our heart."

"Mind?"

"Respect for the glorious history." Liu Cong's expression had turned solemn.

"The greatest fear in life is a meaningless existence. Therefore, people yearn for glory like moths yearn for the flame of a lamp; they would rather turn to ashes than be confined to darkness. And because of this particular reluctance, we changed our surname to Liu." "In fact, whether we are Hu or Han, from high or low families, we all share this desire, it's just a matter of varying degrees. Don't you agree?"

Faced with Liu Cong's questioning, Liu Xian could not help but agree. He nodded and said, "This is the teaching of the sages. Confucius edited the history books and wrote the Spring and Autumn Annals. In fact, he wanted people to respect history and then cultivate their character."

Liu Cong continued, "But some people in this world don't understand this truth. They kill innocent people simply for the sake of their own enjoyment. They truly deserve to die!"

This brought the conversation back to the point. Liu Cong looked at Liu Xian with a sharp gaze and said, "But I really don't understand why someone of your status like Huai Chong would be willing to get involved in this mess. Aren't you afraid?"

Liu Xian smiled and said, "In one's lifetime, one should respect the heavens and the earth, the spirits and gods, and finally one's conscience. The rest is nothing to fear."

"In comparison, I'm curious about Xuanming." Liu Xian began to take the initiative in the conversation, pointing at Afule and asking:

"Xuanming probably didn't know him before, right? As a Xiongnu official, you're probably even more suspected than I am. If you get involved in this, you'll be in greater danger than I am, right?"

"Danger..." Liu Cong smiled meaningfully, his demeanor not at all like a young man of only seventeen or eighteen years old:

"Everything in life is dangerous. If I give up because of danger, then life will be too boring... If I have to endure a boring life, I'm afraid it will be no different from waiting to die."

Being boring means waiting for death. Liu Xian saw that this was a person who despised danger, so he himself would become a danger.

"But then again," Liu Cong turned back to look at Afule and said with a smile, "If it were just you, kid, looking for me, I wouldn't really have any interest in helping you get revenge. I hate being boring, but I hate being unwise even more. Carrying out a revenge that is doomed to fail is like throwing a stone at the sky; there's no point in getting involved."

But Afule was full of confidence and said calmly, "But now it's not just me."

"Yes, it's beyond my expectation." Liu Cong's eyes shifted back to Liu Xian. "You've found someone I can't refuse. Three generations of our family have been surnamed Liu for over sixty years. Now there's an opportunity to work with the Han Dynasty's legitimate empress. If I pass up, wouldn't it seem like my intentions are insincere?"

He paused here and said, "So you asked me for a hundred people. No problem. I promise you."

The tone of his voice was very normal, as if transferring a hundred people from Luoyang was just a piece of cake for him.

Upon hearing this, Afule was overjoyed and immediately started winking at Liu Xian with a smug look that said, "Everything is under control."

"Don't be too happy." Liu Cong blew on his tea and said leisurely, "I can lend you a hundred people, but I have conditions for that."

Hearing that there were conditions, Afule still smiled and asked nonchalantly, "Sir, you go first. I'm listening."

Liu Cong held up three fingers and said, "Three conditions."

"First, I can lend it to you, but for a month at most."

"Second, I won't ask about injuries, but if more than five people are killed, you can keep the head."

"Third, I want 60% of the proceeds from this trip."

In a casual manner, Liu Cong set three clever conditions from the three perspectives of time limit, casualties, and distribution.

A month was neither too long nor too short, enough time for Liu Xian and Afule to formulate a feasible plan and give it a try once, just once. If they failed, there would obviously be no chance to try again.
As for limiting casualties, it was obvious that they did not want Afule to lead the team in a violent attack, but required their plan to be more inclined towards outsmarting;
When they finally asked for the spoils, 60% was more than half, but it was not too harsh, and it also encouraged them to grab more wealth and goods.

These three requests were reasonable and logical, demonstrating both Liu Cong's shrewdness and sincerity. Afule had no reason to object. He nodded and asked, "Then according to the Fourth Young Master's intention, I'm afraid we'll have to send another military supervisor."

"Of course. This matter involves a huge number of things, and my identity is very sensitive. Although I don't think someone will be watching my every word and action 24/7, if my whereabouts suddenly change, disappearing for a while and then suddenly reappearing, it will inevitably arouse too much suspicion. So..."

Liu Cong clapped his hands and called out to Liu Yao, "Yongming, I leave this matter to you! If this Jiehu brat dares to have any evil ideas, you will kill him with one sword."

Liu Yao nodded calmly and said, "Don't worry, Fourth Brother. I've been practicing swordsmanship for twelve years and have never let anyone escape who deserved to be killed."

After saying that, he walked forward to Afule, slowly drew out the long sword from his waist, revealing the sharp edge of the sword, but stopped halfway.

But even so, the room was instantly filled with a chilling murderous aura and a dazzling cold light. What a precious sword! It was the first time Liu Xian had ever seen such a brilliant blade. In the sunlight, its radiance seemed to burst forth from the sword, captivating one's soul!
A Fule was obviously startled, and the smile on his usually carefree face was now a little stiff. Liu Yao stared at him and said slowly:
"I, Liu Yongming, never draw my sword until it's unsheathed. Once it's unsheathed, it kills. Boy, today I've drawn half of my sword to tell you that half of your life is in my hands. From now on, I'll work with you. If you play any tricks, I'll take the remaining half of your life as well!"

Liu Yao was halfway through his words when he glanced from Afule to Liu Xian. His meaning was self-evident: the person he had to look after was not only Afule, but also Liu Xian, who had an extraordinary identity.

After saying this, Liu Yao put the sword back into the scabbard and retreated behind Liu Cong without making a sound.

Liu Xian now looked at the two brothers again, his heart filled with astonishment. Although he knew at first sight that they were not ordinary people, after this encounter, he found that he had greatly underestimated them, simply because they complemented each other so well.

Liu Cong is handsome and sharp, his words change without reason, and his vision is unique and extraordinary. As an opponent, such a person is very difficult to deal with, but correspondingly, as a superior, he is inevitably somewhat unpredictable and difficult to get close to.

But Liu Yao was calm and resolute in his approach. Although his talents were unknown, he was at least not afraid of danger and was willing to take on tasks. This made up for Liu Cong's shortcomings. If these two worked together, there would be nothing they couldn't accomplish!
If I meet them on the battlefield in the future, how can I defeat them?

When such a thought suddenly popped into Liu Xian's mind, he burst out laughing. Now they were all still hostages in Luoyang and didn't even have their own freedom. It was too far-sighted to think about fighting on the battlefield in the future.

What we should do now is to think about the current plan.

Liu Cong obviously thought the same thing at this moment. Seeing that he had frightened the two men, he did not intend to continue beating them. Instead, he straightened his sleeves and urged them to eat, saying, "But today, I can still accompany you for a walk. Come, come, finish this meal and let Huai Chong see the style of a Bingzhou man."

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(End of this chapter)