Jinting Han people

For the local people of Yi'an, the fourth year of Qiming was indeed an unforgettable year.

So many joyous events occurred throughout the year. At the beginning of the year, the King of Han undertook a major renovation of the city, rebuilding the capital and paying homage at the Guan Yu Temple before officially moving the imperial court to Chengdu. By mid-year, the Xiangnan army had returned in triumph, singing victory songs, offering sacrifices at the ancestral temple, and lavishly rewarding his officials. Even after these events, various activities and celebrations continued unabated.

The first thing completed was the official completion of the Yi'an Dam. Although the river rose rapidly in April, thanks to the hard work of the laborers, it was completed on time in June and successfully withstood two flood peaks. Afterwards, Liu Xian went to the Gong'an Temple to fulfill his vow.

Then the Imperial Academy was completed. The foundation and building materials for the academy had actually arrived long ago, so the repairs were completed quickly. Liu Xian moved all the doctors and students who were originally from Shu to Yi'an and attended the first lecture at the academy. Many scholars from the north who were originally idle also came to participate. Everyone discussed the Book of Poetry and the Book of Documents, and compared the Zheng School and the Wang School, making the atmosphere extremely lively.

In addition, Liu Xian respected local customs and held the Dragon Boat Festival and Qixi Festival for the first time to get closer to the people of Jingzhou.

However, the most eye-catching of these events was undoubtedly the wedding of Liu Lang, the Duke of Longxi, and the daughter of Zhang Gui, the Governor of Liangzhou.

To demonstrate his attitude and strength, in late April, Liu Xian ordered Yang Nandi, the governor of Yizhou, to lead a thousand men into Liangzhou as a special wedding procession. The gifts presented to Zhang Gui included: five thousand bolts of Shu embroidery, two thousand pearls, three hundred catties of crystal, three thousand taels of gold, a quantity of tortoiseshell, a quantity of ivory, a quantity of miscellaneous medicines, and a quantity of rock candy made from sugarcane.

These gifts were quite luxurious, amounting to a considerable sum. Zhang Shi, on behalf of his father Zhang Gui, entertained them with the Sogdian Whirl Dance and the Samo Zhe dance performed by women from the Western Regions. However, the group did not return immediately, but stayed in Guzang for more than ten days before finally receiving the bride. The reason was simple: Zhang Gui had heard about the situation in the Central Plains and knew that Liu Xian was about to clash with Qi and Han, requiring a large number of horses. Therefore, during this period, he searched the Roman Garden and transferred more than 50,000 fine horses from the vicinity of Guzang as part of the bride's dowry.

By mid-July, the grand caravan arrived in Yi'an, a sight never before seen by the people of Yi'an. Countless horses of various colors grazed and drank in the Jiangnan region, practically covering the riverbanks – a truly imposing sight. Messengers along the way continuously reported the arrival of the wedding procession, five times a day. Even King Liu Xian of Han personally inquired about the progress and prepared for the occasion.

People said, "Zhang Shijun's daughter is truly comparable to a princess. When General Du returned with his victory, he didn't have much of a show of force." So people privately called her Zhang Zhenzhu (Zhang the True Lord).

After receiving the bride, there was another three-day grand banquet. Liu Xian personally examined his first daughter-in-law. His first impression was that Zhang Shouxin was beautiful, but she was very reserved. Perhaps it was because she had heard of Liu Xian's reputation since she was a child. When she and Liu Lang bowed to Liu Xian together, she was so nervous that she almost couldn't stand up.

Unexpectedly, he later learned that she was actually a very strong-willed woman. Not only was she skilled at horseback riding, but she was also an excellent archer. At home, she often brandished swords and knives, leaving Liu Lang speechless. But that's another story.

After the wedding, Liu Xian ordered General Li Ju and General Du Tao to assemble an elite cavalry force, using horses primarily from the bride's dowry. In previous battles, Liu Xian had few horses left, leaving him with only about ten thousand fully armed cavalry. Zhang Gui's support was a significant contribution; with these horses, Liu Xian could rearm at least twenty thousand cavalry, perfectly suited for campaigns across the Central Plains.

However, Liu Xian was also worried about the war in Guanzhong, so he inquired about the details from Zhang Mao, the second son of Zhang Gui, who had come to escort the bride. Zhang Mao replied, "The situation in Guanzhong recently is neither good nor bad."

"how do I say this?"

Zhang Mao said: "The Xiongnu sent King Liu Cong of Chu to lead the army again, with 100,000 troops, making a great show of force. However, Liu Cong did not attack Chang'an. Instead, he divided his troops into three routes. He ordered King Liu Yao of Shi'an to contain the western army and invade Hongnong, King Liu Can of Zhongqiu to lead his army south to attack Shangluo, and he himself led the main force to attack the counties of Beidi, Anding, and Xinping."

Liu Xian was intimately familiar with the terrain of Guanzhong. Zhang Maoyi said he quickly deduced Liu Cong's intentions:

"The Xiongnu had only recently acquired Shuofang, and after just two years, their morale was low. They wanted to attack Chang'an with a motley crew and fight the Western Army to the death, but it was unlikely to succeed. Therefore, Liu Cong had a long-term plan. He wanted to first cut off Guanzhong from the rest of the country. Liu Yao locked Tongguan, Liu Can locked Wuguan, and he attacked from the north, then cut off Guanzhong from Longyou."

"In this way, with the four strategic passes of Guanzhong lost, Liu Cong can take the opportunity to integrate the various tribes of Shuofang, march south to Chang'an, and use his superior numbers to overwhelm the weak, greatly increasing his chances of victory. Hmm, as expected of him, he's quite shrewd."

Zhang Mao nodded in agreement, saying, "Your Highness is wise; it seems so indeed. However, as things stand, Liu Cong is leading his army in battle against the Westerners, and Jia Hu's army is engaged with them; he hasn't gained the upper hand several times. But..."

"Just what?"

"The Xiongnu have plundered many people, and the Western Army can only defend and not attack. This is probably not a long-term solution."

Liu Xian shared the same idea, but he didn't have high expectations for Yan Ding and the others. He just wanted them to hold out for another three or four years, and with the support of Liu Kun and Yang Nandi, not to lose Chang'an, until he could stabilize the situation in the Central Plains.

He then asked Zhang Mao, "Has Shiyan's health improved?"

Zhang Mao shook his head sadly and said, "It's hard to say, Your Highness. Right now, all the prefectures in Liangzhou have their own agendas. Although my master is the governor of Liangzhou, he is actually only in name and is just barely holding on because of his relationship with Your Highness. Your Highness, if anything happens to Liangzhou, I'm afraid we will need your help."

According to him, the Zhang family of Jinchang, the Jia family of Wuwei, the Fan and Xie families of Dunhuang, and even the Qu and You families of Jincheng in Qinzhou, all coveted Liangzhou. The Zhang family of Jinchang, in particular, was a powerful and influential clan in Liangzhou; the prefects of Jiuquan and Xiping, Zhang Zhen and Zhang Yue, were both from the same family. Although Zhang Gui tried his best to appease them, clashes still occurred frequently. Currently, a prophecy was circulating in Liangzhou: "The Zhang family receives the divine seal, and will dominate Liangzhou, succeeding Jinchang." It was quite clear who was secretly stirring up trouble.

Upon hearing this, Liu Xian hesitated. This meant that war had already broken out in Guanzhong, and internal strife might be brewing in Liangzhou. Given his current military strength, he could likely only help one side. Logically, Guanzhong should be far more important than Liangzhou, but his friendship with Zhang Gui far surpassed that of the powerful clans of Guanzhong. After much deliberation, Liu Xian made his decision and promised, "I have known Shi Yan for almost twenty years. He promoted and valued me back then, and I can never repay that kindness. If Liangzhou is in trouble, I will certainly not stand idly by."

Zhang Mao returned home overjoyed. It seemed that with Liu Xian's support, Zhang Shi and his group were planning to strike first against Zhang Yue, Zhang Zhen, and the others. No wonder Zhang Gui was so generous this time; the struggle was a matter of life and death, and no one could afford the consequences of defeat.

It was late July again, and Zhang Guang sent news from Xiangyang that the Qi and Han dynasties in the north had officially held their enthronement ceremony.

On the day of Wushen in that month, Liu Baigen ascended the throne in Suiyang, offering sacrifices to Heaven and the gods of the land and grain, and establishing seven ancestral temples, following the precedent set by Liu Yuan. He then recounted his achievements in destroying the Jin dynasty to Heaven, formally proclaimed himself emperor, and changed the era name to Tianci. He subsequently appointed Wang Mi as Grand General, Wang Zhang as General of Chariots and Cavalry, Liu Zhongdao as General of the Guards, Wang Yan as General of the Flying Cavalry, Liu Tun as Minister of Works, Miao Bo as Minister of Agriculture, and Cao Yi as Grand Commandant. Below him were also Ju Peng, Commandant of the Capital Region; Chen Zhi, Grand Secretary; Zhuge Quan, Minister of the Imperial Secretariat; and Liu Ne, Chancellor of the Imperial Secretariat, among others.

This was not unexpected. Judging from the current situation, before capturing Xuchang, the Qi-Han army had essentially controlled the Central Plains north of the Huai River and, nominally, had gained the allegiance of Shi Le and the Duan Xianbei, effectively controlling the Hebei region. On paper, their strength surpassed that of Shu Han. After capturing Xuchang, they captured a large number of high-ranking officials and scholars, and with their help, they had the conditions to establish a system of governance. At this point, declaring themselves emperor was a natural and inevitable outcome.

However, it must be noted that Qi and Han have two distinct characteristics.

First, they bore a very strong Taoist influence. Although they still called themselves Han, they emphasized that "Han, though an old state, has a new destiny." Under the workings of Heaven, the Han dynasty's mandate had shifted from the element of fire to the element of wood, hence their preference for blue flags. Furthermore, unlike Li Xiong and Liu Xian, who, while also relying on the Celestial Masters sect, were not genuinely interested in it, Liu Baigen himself was a Taoist priest of the Celestial Masters sect and deeply versed in Taoist scriptures. Therefore, his coronation ceremony was rife with superstitious and shamanistic practices.

His general, Wang Mi, even staged a performance of being possessed by the Heavenly Emperor, publicly declaring him the Son of Heaven and bestowing upon him the imperial crown, which was nothing short of laughable.

Secondly, it has a rather distinct regionalist character. This is probably because the Celestial Masters sect has been rooted in the East China Sea for many years. Most of their generals are from Qing and Xu provinces. Therefore, although they heavily relied on many scholars from Qing and Xu provinces when they captured Xuchang, they almost wiped out all the other prominent scholars from other places. This seems to have a negative effect on winning over the hearts of the people in the Central Plains.

However, it can be seen that in order to control the Central Plains as much as possible, they still left Qing and Xu and chose to establish their capital in Suiyang. The reason for this choice was that Xuchang was in ruins, Luoyang had not yet been captured, and both were too close to the south and west, making them difficult to defend. Suiyang, on the other hand, was the former capital of the Song state, originally named Shangqiu, located in the middle of the Grand Canal between the Huai and Yellow Rivers, which allowed them to control all directions. Moreover, the fact that Qi and Han renamed it Daxing when they established their capital there clearly shows their ambition.

What is most concerning is that Qi and Han have already launched a propaganda offensive against Shu Han.

During the coronation ceremony, the Heavenly King of the East Sea made a special mention of something, claiming that Liu Xian was not actually a descendant of Liu Bei.

The calculations based on Liu Xian's birth date indicate that his mother, Zhang Ximiao, became pregnant during the mourning period for the first Duke of Anle, Liu Shan. Logically, the old Duke of Anle, Liu Xun, would not have been intimate with Zhang Ximiao at that time. Previously, people believed the old Duke of Anle was immoral and thus committed this illicit act. However, the Heavenly Emperor now tells him that Liu Xun was actually infertile, and his wife, wanting a successor to the title, had an affair with a Taoist priest, resulting in the birth of a false son, Liu Xian. Liu Xian was not a descendant of the Han dynasty at all, but rather a bastard child who appeared out of nowhere.

As the saying goes, good news doesn't travel far, but bad news travels fast. People love gossip and scandals, and not long after Qi Han ascended the throne, such rumors spread like wildfire throughout the Central Plains. When Zhang Guang heard this news, he didn't know whether he should report it or not. After much hesitation, he included it in a letter and told Liu Xian about it.

Upon receiving the letter, Liu Xian was truly enraged. He was nearly forty years old, no longer the timid boy who couldn't withstand the slightest threat from Jia Mi, and rarely reacted to ridicule and insults with anger. But Wang Mi dared to insult his mother, something he could not tolerate in the slightest. He immediately flew into a rage, threw the letter to the ground, and cursed, "This scoundrel is like a snake, his tongue is poisonous! If I catch him, I will help him scrape the bone to remove the poison!"

Upon hearing this, the civil and military officials and generals of the Yi'an court were filled with righteous indignation and submitted memorials expressing their willingness to lead the vanguard against Qi and Han. Zhou Yi, upon learning of this, immediately went to the palace to meet Liu Xian and advised him: "Your Highness, the most important matter at present is in the southeast, and the new army is not yet fully trained. How can you change your plans and start a war with the Qi bandits because of some verbal disputes? Your Majesty should not raise an army out of anger; this would only fall into the trap of the Qi bandits and give them ammunition!"

Liu Xian had calmed down by now, and he smiled at Zhou Yi, saying, "Bo Ren is joking. How could I be such a reckless person? Of course I would not be so hasty."

However, he still said with some indignation, "Wang Mi must have inherited three-tenths of Sun Xiu's true skills. To be able to do something so despicable is truly extraordinary."

Seeing that Liu Xian had no intention of heading north directly, Zhou Yi breathed a sigh of relief and laughed, "This shows that the Qi bandits are afraid of Your Highness's reputation. Without such despicable means, they probably won't be able to fight against Your Highness. The most urgent task is to take Yangzhou and Huainan as soon as possible, lest things get complicated."

“That’s true.” Liu Xian nodded, then fell into deep thought.

After more than half a year, I have now basically stabilized the order in Jing and Jiang provinces. Although Xiang, Jiao and Guang provinces are not completely stable yet, and there are still some local bandits and outlaws, they cannot shake the overall situation. Judging by the time, it is time to advance eastward and take over Yangzhou and Huainan. Otherwise, if it drags on for too long, Wang Yan and others will defect to Liu Gen and Wang Mi. If I fail to obtain Sima Zhong and the Imperial Seal, then it will be a loss.

This is considered the final battle against the Jin dynasty. If it is successfully completed, it will symbolize that Liu Xian's legitimacy is unshakeable, so no accidents are allowed. During this period, in order to ensure that nothing goes wrong, Liu Xian has been discussing and deducing plans with Li Ju, Li Feng, and others. The plan has been largely finalized, with only a few minor details remaining to be finalized, mainly concerning the appointment of middle-level personnel. This requires the opinion of the commander-in-chief of this eastern expedition.

With the scheduled departure time fast approaching, Liu Xian said to Jiang Quan, the Gentleman Attendant at the Palace Gate, "Go and invite Grand Commandant He over. Tell him I need to trouble him again!"

Without a doubt, looking across the court, the most suitable candidate for this eastern expedition is only one person: Grand Commandant He Pan. Previously, Liu Xian appointed him as Governor of Yangzhou, General Who Conquers the East, and Governor-General of the three provinces of Qing, Xu, and Yang, all for this very purpose. (End of Chapter)