Chapter 79, Chapter 10: Four Suburbs and Multiple Bases

The day before setting off, Liu Jun paid a special visit to Suo Lin and Qu Yun to discuss troop deployment and prepare for a possible sudden attack by Liu Yao. He also went to the Secretariat to have a long talk with Wen Qiao, where he gave him a thorough explanation.

The most important thing, of course, was to meet the emperor. Now Liu Jun was quite familiar with the Taiji Hall and arrived at the emperor's bedroom without needing anyone to guide him.

Sima Ye was sitting upright behind his desk, reading the memorial presented by Liu Jun. Upon seeing him, he smiled and said, "I was just reading your memorial on the expedition when you arrived."

Liu Jun bowed respectfully, saying, "I am a lowly person with crude writing skills. How could I dare to compare myself to Zhuge Liang's Memorial on Dispatching the Troops?"

"Speaking of Zhuge Liang, are you going to bring Zhuge Yong along this time?" Sima Ye moved aside, gesturing for him to sit with him.

Liu Jun did not refuse. He slowly stepped forward and sat down to the side of him. "I would like to learn from Zhuge Liang's method of capturing Meng Huo seven times, but unfortunately I lack the wisdom and strategy. I am afraid I will just be imitating him poorly. Take him with you as a bonus."

"When will he be back?" Sima Ye frowned. "Taizhen said you're worried that Pu Hong and Liu Yao are working together from the inside and want a quick victory. How can we capture him cleverly?"

"Winning people's hearts requires a gradual approach, so this time I am not seeking quick results. I only hope that he will not join forces with Liu Yao to attack." Liu Jun saw a tangerine that was almost dried up and reached out to peel it for him, but Sima Ye pressed his hand down, "Leave it for now."

Liu Jun was puzzled. "The tribute from Liangzhou just arrived in Chang'an a few days ago, and I remember that there were quite a few tangerines among them. Your Majesty need not be frugal."

“This one is different from the others,” Sima Ye gently stroked the back of his hand, “This was a gift from Mao Tou, and I cherish it even more.”

Liu Jun was taken aback, then easily broke free by flipping his hand. He quickly peeled the orange and personally fed two slices to the emperor's mouth. "Your Majesty is incompetent, even making you hesitate to eat an orange. In the future, when the world is unified, I will continuously offer you grapes and rock honey from the West, and longan and lychee from the South, not to mention... this Mu Nu."

Sima Ye felt his ears burning from what he said, and the orange in his mouth tasted even sweeter. "The journey ahead will be fraught with danger, so I must give the general a proper send-off."

Just after midnight the next day, Liu Jun slowly opened his eyes. Seeing that Sima Ye was still fast asleep, he quietly got up, dressed himself, and hurried out of the palace.

He hadn't taken more than a few steps when he suddenly turned around, bowed deeply to Sima Ye Zhenxiu on the couch, and then strode away.

As he descended the jade steps, Sima Ye, who should have been fast asleep, sat up straight, looking at his retreating figure with an inscrutable expression, and sighed softly.

Two months had passed since Liu Jun's last crushing defeat. During this time, Du Dan had received an imperial edict to lead troops to quell the rebellion, but upon arriving in Qin Prefecture, he discovered that he could not mobilize a single soldier. Apart from the private army of the Du family of Jingzhao, he had only managed to recruit a few hundred refugees. In a battle against Pu Hong, after only a few exchanges, he was routed and fled back to the capital in panic.

“Brother, I’ve heard the news. The current leader of the Qiang people is named Yao Yizhong. The year after the Yongjia Rebellion, he gathered his people and declared himself the Protector of the Western Qiang, Governor of Yongzhou, and Duke of Fufeng.” Since Liu Jun risked his life to save him last time, Liu Shu has admired him to the point of obsession. He is overjoyed to see him and wishes he could follow him around all day, serving him tea and water and leading his horse.

"How do the Di and Qiang people get along on a daily basis? Have they ever had any disputes?" Liu Jun carefully examined the files from this period of time, seemingly lost in thought. "Yao Yizhong, could he be Yao Kehui's son?"

“Indeed, brother, you are truly knowledgeable and have a remarkable memory,” Liu Shu replied. “Both of these tribes are Western Rong, with adjacent territories and mixed settlements. Although their customs are somewhat similar, they are also different. For example, the Qiang people live by herding sheep, while the Di people mostly farm…”

"Oh?" Liu Jun looked up upon hearing this. In his memory, the Qiang people were known for their cunning and opportunism. They had been wavering between Shu and Wei for a long time, only deciding to help Wei destroy Shu when Zhong Hui attacked Shu, and ultimately obtaining an official position in Cao Wei. He had no impression of the Di people at all. Now it seemed that the Di people were like the Han Chinese, cultivating the land and farming, and their leader was quite knowledgeable in history and strategy...

If the Central Plains declines and allows it to grow stronger, it will eventually have the ambition to covet the Central Plains.

If the Central Plains is strong, it will submit and become the most obedient subject, until the next time the Central Plains is in turmoil and the opportunity arises.

In an instant, his initial desire to recruit them faded, and he wanted to quickly and decisively exterminate all the Hu tribes. But he quickly calmed down—the Xianbei were now like loyal subjects of the Great Jin, but who could guarantee what would happen in ten or a hundred years? If future generations were not capable and could not govern the world well, what would be wrong with others wanting to take their place?

"Very well, this plan is somewhat risky, but let's give it a try." Liu Jun picked up a pen and paper from the side and, almost without thinking, began to write in a flourish.

Liu Shu saw it clearly; it was actually a letter to Yao Yizhong. The style was unfamiliar, yet it was indescribably elegant and pleasing to the eye.

Seeing his curiosity, Liu Jun continued writing, “This format is taken from the lunar calendar written by Suo Jing, the father of Suo Gong, and all my subordinates use this format.”

"Yes, after that, I ordered everyone in Yongzhou to learn it." Liu Shu then exclaimed in surprise, "Now that the two armies are about to clash, how dare Yao Yizhong attend a banquet at this time? Brother, do you perhaps intend to use the Qiang troops to launch a pincer attack?"

Liu Jun smiled. "A pincer attack? No, I want to use their strength against them."

"What do you mean by that?" Liu Shu asked, bewildered. "Would the Qiang people willingly be driven by their elder brother?"

Liu Jun blew away the ink stains and stood up leisurely. "Back then, when Zhuge Liang pacified the south, Ma Su, who later became a laughing stock after losing Jieting, proposed a strategy: 'The mind is the best, attacking the city is the worst; psychological warfare is the best, military warfare is the worst.' Now I plan to first show favor to the Yao family and intimidate Pu Hong. This may also result in three outcomes: best, middle, and worst."

"Upon that, Pu Hong pulled back from the brink, realized his mistake, and submitted to the Great Jin."

In the middle, it was Yao's gratitude that led him to send troops to jointly defeat Pu Hong;

"The Yao family refused to send troops, remaining on the sidelines to watch the fire burn, while I faced Pu Hong alone."

"But all of this assumes that Yao won't join forces with Pu Hong against us?" Liu Shu hesitated. "If the two of them join forces, wouldn't we be even more stretched thin?"

"In the fourth year of Yongjia, Pu Hong appointed himself Protector of the Di, Governor of Qin Prefecture, and Duke of Lueyang. Six years later, Yao Yizhong followed suit and gave himself a series of titles, even going so far as to appoint himself Duke of Fufeng, trying to surpass Pu Hong. These two are both heroes of their time, with high aspirations. Two tigers cannot share one mountain... Moreover, I have already informed the Zhang family of Liangzhou that if the Di and Qiang are truly determined to rebel, they will come to our aid."

Although Liu Jun spoke with certainty, he was not entirely confident in his heart. In order to guard against Liu Yao, most of the main force of the Jin army was left in Guanzhong. This time, he only brought 10,000 soldiers. Although they were all elite troops, it would be difficult for them to resist the two tribes.

All we can say is that at this point, we are surrounded by enemies on all sides, and we can only try to deal with whatever comes our way and offer our encouragement and support.