Chapter 110, Part 3: Courage and Ambition

In March of the nineteenth year of Jianxing, Liu Jun, the Minister of Works of Jin, Duke of Yanmen, and Commander-in-Chief of the Military Affairs of the Central and Foreign Regions, led an army of 200,000 westward out of Chang'an. In addition, 10,000 soldiers from Liangzhou, 30,000 soldiers from Yanzhou, 50,000 soldiers from Liangzhou, and 50,000 soldiers from Yuzhou set off from various places. Jingzhou and Jiangzhou, having been pacified for a short time and located in areas prone to conflict, were only ordered to strengthen their defenses and be supplied with provisions.

Surprisingly, even the Di people's Pu Hong sent 10,000 cavalry to participate in the battle, while it was not surprising that the King of Langya in Jiangdong only sent a mere 3,000 men, which was even less than the 5,000 troops that the Qiang people later sent to reinforce them.

"Heh, everyone has their own ambitions," Liu Jun said with a faint smile upon hearing this. "Then we might as well hand over those three thousand men to Governor Xi. He has some connections with the gentlemen of Jiangdong."

"Is there anything else you need to tell me?" Although it was Liu Yuan's first time serving in the army, he was meticulous and thoughtful in his work. Liu Jun was happy to keep him by his side to teach his brother's only orphan. "He is a smart man. There is no need to say more. He knows what he is doing."

After Liu Yuan withdrew, Liu Junsong quickly got down, leaned back, and smiled at Lu Jing, saying, "Looking at him suddenly reminded me of when I first went to the battlefield. I was just a young child, and it was my father who took me under his wing and taught me every day, which led to where I am today."

Lu Jing lowered his head. "My lord is exceptionally brave and skilled in martial arts. Even in his childhood, he remained fearless in the face of danger amidst the chaos of war. If it weren't for my lord's shelter, I would probably be a skeleton in a grave by now."

Recalling the past, Liu Jun also sighed, "You have been with me for almost thirty years, it really has been a blink of an eye. Looking at it this way, it has been twenty-six years since I first met His Majesty."

He looked at the Flying Sword hanging in the tent and said slowly, "If we can achieve complete success this time, I intend to be promoted to a higher rank."

He is now a duke, and if he were to be promoted one more rank, he would become a marquis. Lu Jing's breath hitched, and he listened intently.

"Lord Wei, what do you think?" Liu Jun said with a smile. "Bingzhou is originally part of the Three Jin regions, so you are worthy of the title Lord Wei."

"But what then?" Lu Jing finally couldn't help but ask, "Wouldn't calling him the King of Wei offend the taboo of the previous dynasty?"

Liu Jun smiled regretfully, "The Prince of Wei is indeed quite good, but unfortunately he is somewhat out of step with the times. What about the Prince of Zhongshan?"

“Our lord is a descendant of Prince Jing of Zhongshan, a noble imperial lineage, and naturally deserves the title,” Lu Jing said hesitantly. “But this title was used by that scoundrel Liu Yao…”

"That's fine. It's a good reminder to the world what it means to cultivate virtue with the power of metal!" Liu Jun lifted the tent flap, put his hands behind his back, and looked at the endless camps and the cloud of fierce warriors, his heroic spirit soaring to the clouds.

When news of Liu Jun's 350,000-strong army attacking arrived, Shi Le, who was already ill, was greatly alarmed. He immediately forced himself to get up from his sickbed and began to mobilize his troops.

What made him most uneasy was that, although he controlled the entire territory of Youzhou, most of Jizhou, and most of Yanzhou, in addition to Liu Jun who was sharpening his sword, there were also the Xianbei people in the north who were eyeing him covetously, and in the south there were also refugee leaders who refused to cross the border and stubbornly resisted.

In contrast, Liu Jun had Guanzhong, Hanzhong, and Yuzhou under his control, and Jingzhou and Jiangzhou were also in his grasp. Although the Jin people in the south were ambitious, they had been suppressed by Liu Jun for years and dared not speak up. The Di and Qiang tribes in the west were bribed by him and even sent troops to help him. Not to mention that Liangzhou was his wife's hometown. In the southwest, Li Xiong was hiding in a corner and dared not resist the court.

What's worse is that Liu Jun is only thirty-five years old this year, in the prime of his life, yet he has already spent half his life in the military, while I am old and frail, and none of my sons and nephews are outstanding. After I die, who can withstand Liu Jun's fierce and ruthless power?

"Your Majesty, I have heard that Liu Jun's envoys have visited the Tuoba clan of the Xianbei in the north and the Murong Xianbei in the west of Liao. The Murong Xianbei have always considered themselves subjects of Jin..."

“The Tuoba Xianbei had a long-standing relationship with his father,” Shi Le sighed.

"Indeed, Liu Jun sent envoys to pay tribute to Tuoba Yilu, and also buried a jade pendant that his father had owned near the tomb."

Shi Le chuckled: "The legacy of Duke Zhongmin extends to this place."

"In addition, Pu Hong and Yao Yizhong both went on the expedition with the army and were respectively appointed as General Longxiang and Duke of Xiping, and General Guanjun and Duke of Tianshui."

After pondering for a while, Shi Le said with a wry smile, "Summon the Crown Prince, the Prince of Qin, and the Prince of Nanyang together."

During the march, the lights in Liu Jun's tent burned almost all night. Besides keeping a close eye on the gains and losses of each city and region, he was also making careful preparations for the future. As the army marched, in addition to Liu Jun's troops, the soldiers from Liangzhou, Yuzhou, and Yanzhou also flew the banners bearing the name "Liu." Later, even the troops from Liangzhou and the Di and Qiang tribes added an extra "Liu" banner to their own flags.

Before the expedition, someone suggested making a banner with the character "Liu" on it, but Liu Jun resolutely refused. Therefore, the banner still had the character "Jin" on it.

However, he ordered his men to change his own gate flag. Although it was not as tall as the banner, it was longer and wider, and it was changed to black background with gold characters, making it very eye-catching.

The central army's gate flag was written by Liu Jun himself. Afterwards, Liu Dan even sent someone to make a copy. Soon after, the other generals came one after another to ask for his calligraphy, which bothered Liu Jun a lot. Later, after making some inquiries, he learned that as he became more and more prominent, his calligraphy and painting skills also rose accordingly, and he had long surpassed those of Pan Yue and Lu Ji in the Golden Valley Garden. These people asked for his calligraphy to show their respect and loyalty, and also to collect his calligraphy and paintings.

Upon hearing this, Liu Jun was both amused and exasperated. He then wrote more than ten "Liu" characters in one go, along with "Ji," "Pu," "Yao," "Xi," "Zhang," and so on. At a glance, the uniform black banners resembled rolling dark clouds that blotted out the sun, a sight that inspired fear.

The first battle took place in Shangdang. After careful consideration, Liu Jun decided to send Ji Dan to fight.

As Ji Dan dismounted and entered the camp, he saw Liu Jun personally waiting for him at the gate. "My lord!"

Liu Jun stepped forward and saw that although he looked weathered, he was still healthy and had a loud voice. He helped him up and said with a smile, "It's been many years since we last met. You are still in good spirits and have a graceful figure. It is truly admirable."

“In two more years, I’ll be an old man in my sixties. How can I talk about elegance?” Ji Dan looked at Liu Jun, who was becoming more and more like a great ruler, and was also filled with emotion. “My lord is the one with the bearing of a dragon and the grace of a phoenix.”

Ji Dan looked at Liu Jun and suddenly burst into tears.

Liu Jun helped him sit down and personally poured him tea, sighing, "Speaking of which, you are practically my uncle."

“Yes, back then, when Tuoba Chanyu was defeated, I followed the eldest son to Bingzhou and have been serving under the former Minister of Works ever since, for twenty years now,” Ji Dan wiped away his tears, “but the Duke of Zhongmin and his son have also passed away for ten years, and I have yet to avenge them…”

"This time, I want to give the credit to you, and after the success, you will surely be granted the title of Marquis!" Liu Jun said in a deep voice. "In addition, I would like to entrust my youngest son to you. Although he is unruly and undisciplined, he is intelligent and perceptive. If he is properly taught, he will be a good prospect. Please discipline him strictly and teach him more real skills."

Such a profound message moved Ji Dan to tears of gratitude.

Liu Jun handed him the token, saying, "The Hu people all say we are easily defeated. After so many years of preparing for war, it's time to show the Jie Hu the cavalry of our Chinese people!"

His voice was low and his words were nuanced: "These are not the cavalry of the Great Jin Dynasty beneath Ningping City, but the mighty Han cavalry that marched straight into Longcheng and swept away the Xiongnu!"