Han Ji

Chapter 176 Activating the Skill, Sleeping with Feet Together

"Where will the aid come from?"

"Jingzhou," Jia Long said. "Prime Minister Ma sent someone to Jingzhou to contact Wang Rui, promising him half of Yizhou in exchange for his troops attacking from both sides."

Guan Yu frowned slightly. He hadn't heard this news before.

"Wang Rui agreed?"

"I don't know," Jia Long shook his head, "but the envoy has been gone for five days..."

Guan Yu placed the silk scroll on the table and tapped it lightly with his fingers: "Does Lord Jia still have something to say?"

Jia Long rose, straightened his clothes, and bowed deeply: "I wish to ask, Lord Liu, did you enter Yizhou solely to quell the rebellion, or... to stay?"

The hall fell silent.

The sound of the wind outside the door and the distant hammering of craftsmen were clearly audible.

Guan Yu did not answer immediately. He picked up his teacup, took a sip, and put it down.

"What does Master Jia think?"

"If your purpose is merely to quell the rebellion and leave once it's over, then I, Jia, will offer my head today as a gesture of goodwill." Jia Long straightened up, his gaze calm. "If Your Majesty wishes to remain in Yizhou to govern Shu and bring peace to the people, then I, Jia... am willing to serve you with utmost loyalty."

Why?

"Because the governor is different," Jia Long said. "After entering Jiangzhou for five days, he did not hold a victory celebration banquet, nor did he appoint officials. Instead, he distributed grain and reassured the people."

His military discipline was strict; he did not disturb the people or kill indiscriminately. Such a ruler had not been seen in Yizhou for a hundred years.

Guan Yu remained silent.

After a long silence, he spoke: "My elder brother will arrive tomorrow."

Jia Long's eyes lit up.

"Would you be willing to stay the night, Lord Jia?" Guan Yu asked. "I'll decide whether to stay or leave after I've met with you, Brother."

"I couldn't have gotten it."

Liu Bei arrived in Jiangzhou at noon on the 24th of March.

He led a main force of 3,000 men, plus surrendered soldiers and refugees gathered along the way, bringing the total to nearly 5,000. His army was even more imposing than Guan Yu's, with brightly displayed banners and complete armor. When they entered the city, the people knelt to welcome them on the streets, not daring to raise their heads.

Liu Bei rode on horseback, dressed in a dark brown cloth robe over an old leather armor, with two swords at his waist. His face was weathered, but his eyes were bright.

Guan Yu greeted them in front of the government office.

"Big brother."

"You've worked hard, Yun Chang." Liu Bei patted him on the shoulder with considerable force. "Well done, Jiangzhou."

"It's what I should do." Guan Yu stepped aside. "There's someone who wants to see my elder brother."

"Who?"

"Jia Long".

Liu Bei paused, his eyes flickering: "He's here?"

"They arrived yesterday, presenting Zhao Zhi's head," Guan Yu said in a low voice, "saying they want to serve them."

Liu Bei nodded, asked no further questions, and walked into the main hall.

Jia Long was already waiting in the hall. Upon seeing Liu Bei enter, he rose and bowed deeply to the ground: "Jia Long of Jianwei greets Lord Liu."

Liu Bei stepped forward to help him up, saying, "Lord Jia, there's no need for such formalities. I've just arrived in Jiangzhou; why don't you come with me to inspect the city's defenses?"

The city walls of Jiangzhou.

Jia Long, Guan Yu, Jian Yong, and others accompanied Liu Bei on an inspection of the city's defenses. The weather was clear, the Yangtze River flowed eastward majestically, its surface wide and its water a muddy yellow. In the distance, verdant mountains rose one after another, while nearby, the city walls stood imposingly.

Jia Long pointed to the river and said, "General, please look. This river is a natural barrier, a perfect shield. In the past, Gongsun Shu relied on this river to occupy Shu."

Liu Bei, leaning on his butterfly, gazed into the distance. The river breeze whipped at his robes. He saw the magnificent mountains and rivers, the vastness of heaven and earth, and a surge of pent-up emotions welled up within him. He remained silent for a long time, then suddenly exclaimed, "Alas! How perilous and high! The road to Shu is harder than ascending to heaven!"

Its sound was like metal and stone, cutting through the wind and disappearing.

Everyone turned to look. Jian Yong immediately took out a pen and silk to record it.

Liu Bei continued reciting, his voice rising: "Cancong and Yufu, how vague their founding of the state! Forty-eight thousand years have passed since then, and there has been no communication between us and the Qin region..."

The poem flowed powerfully, incorporating the majestic Jianmen Pass, the stone steps leading to the heavens, the yellow cranes and monkeys, and the mournful birds and ancient trees. Guan Yu's phoenix eyes widened, Jia Long's hand stroking his beard froze in mid-air, and the soldiers guarding the city walls held their breath.

When Liu Bei recited the lines, "The road to Shu is harder than ascending to heaven; turning to the west, I can only sigh deeply," his voice echoed in the river breeze, carrying a sense of desolation.

The poem is finished.

The city wall fell silent for a moment, with only the sound of the river continuing.

Jia Long bowed deeply to the ground: "General, your poem is powerful and poignant, fully expressing the rise and fall of Shu over a thousand years. Although I am crude, I feel my heart tremble."

Jian Yong held the still-wet ink on the silk, his hands trembling slightly: "Brother... what should this poem be called?"

Liu Bei withdrew his gaze, his tone returning to calm: "Let's call this a poem written on the spur of the moment, 'The Road to Shu is Hard.' Xianhe, once it's written down, make copies so that the people of Yizhou may know that the imperial army has arrived, and although the road to Shu is difficult, there is eventually a smooth path."

"yes!"

That night, in Liu Bei's tent.

The two sat facing each other. A guard served tea, this time a slightly better kind, prepared by Xun Cai, who hadn't had time to drink it on the journey.

"The poem the general wrote during the day... is not something an ordinary person could compose," Jia Long said first.

Liu Bei did not respond to this, but only said, "I am unworthy of the generous gifts that Lord Jia has given me."

"You flatter me, my lord," Jia Long said. "Zhao Zhi was a scourge to Ba County. I killed him to rid the people of a scourge, not just to present him as a gift."

"I've heard that the Jia family resides in Jianwei, owning thousands of acres of estate and commanding over a thousand private soldiers." Liu Bei looked at him. "Why not hold onto your territory and wait for the division of the empire to become clear?"

Jia Long smiled, but there was a bitter taste in his smile.

"My lord, can you hold out...?" He shook his head. "When Ma Xiang comes, he wants grain and soldiers. When Zhao Zhi comes, he also wants grain and soldiers. Today it's Zhao Zhi, tomorrow it might be Wang Rao, and the day after it could be anyone. Powerful local magnates and their private armies can fight bandits, but to clash head-on with a large army is like throwing an egg against a rock."

He paused for a moment, then said, "So I've figured it out. Rather than waiting for someone else to take it from us, we should find a wise ruler to submit to. At least, that will save our family's lives and our estate."

He spoke frankly.

Liu Bei wasn't angry; instead, he nodded, "Lord Jia is frank."

"Then, my lord..." Jia Long probed, "would you be willing to take me in?"

"I'll take you," Liu Bei said, "but on one condition."

"Speaking."

"Hand over your private soldiers and reorganize them into the government army. Take inventory of your estates and lands, register them, and pay taxes according to the law." Liu Bei spoke calmly, but every word was clear. "Among the sons of the Jia family, those with talent will be given important positions, and those without talent will be given land to cultivate. I will never mistreat them."

Jia Long remained silent.

Handing over private soldiers is tantamount to handing over the handle of a knife. Taking stock of land and property is tantamount to revealing one's entire fortune. These are no small conditions.

"My lord," he said slowly, "if I agree today, and you flee tomorrow, my Jia family will be wiped out."

"I will not be defeated," Liu Bei said.

How do you know?

"Because the people of Yizhou are on my side." Liu Bei stood up, walked to the front of the hall, pointed to the door, and said, "When Lord Jia came, did he see if any of the people of Jiangzhou rebelled? Did any of them flee? They trust me because I gave them a way to survive."

He turned to look at Jia Long: "Ma Xiang can't give me a way out, Wang Rui can't, Liu Yan... can't either. But I can."

Jia Long tapped his fingers lightly on his knee.

The hall was so quiet that you could hear the candlelight crackling.

After a long while, Jia Long looked up.

"Okay," he said. "I agree."

"No regrets?"

No regrets.

Liu Bei walked back and reached out his hand. Jia Long stood up and grasped it.

"Tonight," Liu Bei said, "I will sleep side by side with Jia Gong and discuss the affairs of Yizhou in detail."

Jia Long was taken aback, then bowed deeply: "It is my good fortune."

Night, the back room of the government office.

Only one candle was lit, casting a dim, yellowish glow. The two sat facing each other on the couch, with a small table between them containing a wine pot and two earthenware bowls. The wine was local Jiangzhou wine, cloudy and strong.