Northern Prefecture Rivers and Mountains

Chapter 389 Sacrifice

Liu Daogui sent a letter urging them to withdraw their troops as soon as possible.

The army that was conquering Shu had lost its fighting spirit. In their current state, food and reinforcements were meaningless. The more Liu Daogui sent, the more heads they would lose.

This expedition to Qiao and Shu was more politically significant than practically significant.

Such a foolish arrangement was likely the result of compromises among various factions within the court. They thought that conquering Shu would be a natural progression, and they could easily claim a piece of the spoils. However, they did not expect the Shu people to resist so resolutely.

Luoyang was much more desolate than Xuchang. Along the way, there were no people for hundreds of miles, and skeletons and desolate graves could be seen everywhere.

Liu Daogui's mood immediately plummeted. "Are there any tombs of ancient sages nearby?"

Feng Kai said, "The tombs of Emperor Ming of Han and Emperor Zhang of Han are located on the banks of the Yi River."

Luoyang was not only the capital of the Wei and Jin dynasties, but also the capital of the Later Han dynasty. Emperor Ming of Han ushered in the Ming and Zhang era of prosperity, but he has a very low profile in history and is the most underestimated emperor.

During his reign, he defeated the Northern Xiongnu, recovered the Western Regions, annexed the Ailao Kingdom, and brought more than a hundred countries on the Kangzang Plateau under his rule. He also suppressed meritorious officials and powerful clans, solved the Yellow River flood problem, and left benefits that continue to this day.

People at the time praised it, saying: "The mighty Han Dynasty trembled in fear among all nations."

If such an emperor with such great achievements knew this in the afterlife, I wonder what he would think.

"I won't go to Luoyang; I'll pay my respects to Emperor Ming of Han."

It seems to be the will of Heaven that Emperor Ming of Han was surnamed Liu, and Liu Daogui was also a descendant of the Liu family. Although he came from the lineage of the King of Chu, he was still of Liu blood.

Since we're passing by, we might as well pay our respects, as a way of remembering our ancestors.

"Take orders."

The warhorse neighed and galloped westward.

The mountains and rivers remain the same, the green hills are still there. After hundreds of years of wind and rain, only a mound of earth with a radius of more than a hundred square meters remains. The stone tablets on both sides of the spirit path have long been broken and fragmented. If you look closely, you can still recognize patterns such as the sun, moon, birds, turtles, dragons, tigers, connected walls, and crescent moons.

“The scouts searched the area for sixty or seventy miles, but found not a single household and could not obtain any sacrificial offerings.” Meng Ganzhi was filled with shame.

"Sacrifice the white horse."

The guards quickly brought a white horse, beheaded it, and presented the horse's head.

Liu Daogui bowed towards Xianjie Mausoleum, saying, "With the ancestors of the Han dynasty above, if I, Daogui, am blessed by Heaven in this life, I will surely restore the Chinese nation!"

The mountain wind howls, and spring is in full bloom.

The grass and trees on the burial mound rustled as if in response.

The Milky Way shines in the sky, and the heavens are filled with light; to the east is Venus, and to the west is Venus.

The soldiers silently gazed at Liu Daogui, their eyes seemingly filled with something indescribable.

The most important matters of state are sacrifice and war, and sacrifice represents inheritance and orthodoxy.

"We will camp here tonight."

Seeing that it was getting late, Liu Daogui didn't want to leave anymore. There were no houses for dozens of miles around, so he might as well stay there.

The soldiers set up camp at the foot of the mausoleum.

For some reason, Liu Daogui slept exceptionally well that night, without even a dream. He slept soundly until dawn, and when he woke up, he felt refreshed, as if all the fatigue from years of fighting on the battlefield had vanished.

In just one night, many wildflowers bloomed on Xianjie Mausoleum, their red and yellow hues dotting the green grass and swaying gently in the morning breeze.

Just then, a dozen scouts rushed in from the southeast, reporting that Liu Jingxuan, Sima Rongqi, Liu Fan, and their armies were advancing westward in an attempt to capture Ziyang and seize supplies. However, they fell into Qiao Daofu's trap, and the naval commander Wen Zuo and the vanguard commander Shi Yanzu were killed in battle. Fortunately, they were rescued by Sima Xiuzhi and managed to break through the encirclement. The military advisor retreated to Badong. Except for Sima Xiuzhi's troops, all the armies that were conquering Shu suffered heavy casualties.

In the end, they still lost.

Liu Jingxuan's personality was very similar to Liu Laozhi's; both were impulsive and reckless, and neither could remain calm.

"Return to Xiangyang immediately." Liu Daogui went back to clean up the mess.

Upon reaching Wancheng, scouts brought another battle report: after defeating Liu Jingxuan, Qiao Shu's morale soared, and they assembled 60,000 troops to prepare for a counterattack on Fuling and to recapture Yong'an Baidi.

Although the Shu Kingdom was small, its desire to attack was not small, and it had never stopped in recent years.

Liu Daogui didn't even have a chance to rest and recuperate.

On his way back to Xiangyang from Wancheng, just after crossing the Han River, he was met by Liu Jingxuan and Sima Xiuzhi, who had come to greet him.

"General, we must avenge our fallen brothers!" Liu Jingxuan cried, tears streaming down his face, and bowed to Sima Xiuzhi. His body was wrapped in bandages, his wounds still healing. Of the 1,500 troops he had recruited from Pengcheng, only 500 or 600 remained, and all of them were wounded.

Sima Xiuzhi, standing beside him, was fully armed but unharmed.

"I rushed back precisely for the purpose of destroying Shu!" Liu Daogui helped the two up.

However, he couldn't help but think more highly of Sima Xiuzhi. While the other troops suffered heavy casualties, he alone returned with his entire army and even saved the lives of Liu Jingxuan, Sima Rongqi, and Liu Fan.

After this battle, Sima Xiuzhi will certainly be highly valued by the imperial clan.

"I won't return to the court this time. I'll follow the General into Shu and personally cut off Qiao Zong's head!" Liu Jingxuan was as clueless as ever.

Liu Daogui smiled bitterly to himself, "Victory and defeat are common occurrences in war. Ashou should return to Jinling to recuperate for a while."

"Why go back? By order of the Prime Minister, I will remain in Jingxiang as the Prefect of Nanjun." Liu Jingxuan took out a piece of silk, which indeed bore the seal of the Prime Minister's office, not the seal of the Ministry of Personnel as before.

With the presence of the prime minister, the power of the Secretariat was greatly weakened.

In the second year of Emperor Ai of Han's Yuanshou reign (1 BC), the title of Chancellor was changed to Grand Minister of Works. For more than two hundred years thereafter, there was no Chancellor. During this period, Emperor Guangwu of Han created the Taige system and established the Six Departments of State Affairs. From then on, the Three Dukes lost their power and affairs were handled by the Taige system. The power of the Grand Minister of Works was also taken back.

Liu Yu placed Liu Jingxuan, this rascal, in Jingxiang and appointed him as the governor of Nanjun. Liu Daogui couldn't help but suspect his motives.

The governor of Nanyong Prefecture was Tan Pingzhi, who was stationed in Xiangyang and commanded two thousand troops.

Now another governor of Nan Commandery has arrived, stationed in Jiangling, in addition to Sima Xiuzhi in Wuling to the south, and Liu Yi in Wuchang to the east.

Even if Liu Daogui was politically slow-witted, he couldn't help but think more about it.

The story of Sima Dewen's daughter being betrothed to Liu Yifu had already spread throughout the country thanks to the instigation of certain individuals.

Liu Daogui believed that his elder brother would not do anything foolish, but he couldn't stop the growing number of gentry around him, and his two nephews were no pushovers either.

To some extent, Liu Yu followed the same path as Huan Wen, allying with the gentry and gradually climbing to the pinnacle of power through accumulating military achievements.

Therefore, they always showed some leniency towards the aristocratic families.

When aristocratic families were brought into the prime minister's residence, they indirectly participated in the court's decision-making.

In the arena of power, there are no fathers and sons, nor brothers.

"Then stay, and let us brothers work together to save the nation." Liu Daogui gradually became wary, though these people didn't actually pose any threat to him.

The power to establish their position did not come from the imperial court.

"When brothers are of one mind, their strength can break metal!" Liu Jingxuan laughed heartily.

Sima Xiuzhi glanced at him sideways, then cupped his hands to Liu Daogui, saying, "I have caught a cold and am not fit to go on the expedition. My soldiers are at the command of the General."

Liu Daogui secretly praised this man as a wise one, who voluntarily relinquished his military power and distanced himself from the turmoil.

"Since Ji Yu is unwell, he should return to Wuling to recuperate. I will submit a memorial to the court to request commendation for him."

"There's no need for praise. This campaign against Shu ended in utter defeat. What merit can I possibly have? I am ashamed and have no face to see anyone."

Talking to smart people is so much easier.

Liu Daogui frankly said, "Merit is merit, and fault is fault. They cannot be judged the same. Without your support, I don't know how many soldiers who went to conquer Shu would have returned."

Sima Xiuzhi seems to be someone who can be won over. He is both intelligent and brave, much more reliable than Liu Jingxuan, and not very ambitious. In the past two years, he has been very well-behaved and low-key in Wuling.

Although he was a member of the imperial family, he did not participate much in the internal power struggles of the court.

Anyone with a brain can easily see that the Sima family is beyond saving.

Sima Dewen and Sima Shangzhi's petty schemes were nothing short of suicide in the face of absolute power.

After settling Liu Jingxuan in and seeing Sima Xiuzhi off, Liu Daogui immediately had Yin Zhongwen submit a memorial requesting permission to send troops to attack Shu.

After three or four months of fussing and missing the opportune moment, the campaign against Shu became much more difficult.

However, the Northern Army being in Liu Jingxuan's hands and being in his own hands are two completely different things.

Qiao Shu had reached a point where it had no choice but to be destroyed.

(End of this chapter)