Chapter 85, Chapter Sixteen: Decisive Action

The two envoys Liu Jun sent out were surprisingly divided. The envoy who had gone to Shi Le returned first, saying that because Liu Kun had been kind to him in the past, he had treated him as an honored guest and had not been treated harshly in the slightest, so Liu Jun could rest assured. While his words were polite, he still made some outrageous demands, directly asking for the two provinces of Youzhou and Yanzhou, and also urging Liu Jun to lift the siege of Yecheng as soon as possible. Finally, he changed his tone, saying that a wise bird chooses a good tree to perch on, and that both Liu Kun and his son were outstanding individuals; if they surrendered, he would immediately grant Liu Kun the title of Minister of Works and also the title of Duke.

Liu Jun was so angry he almost laughed. Along with the letter came a poem, "Expressing My Feelings and Presenting It to My Son Jun." He only read the first few lines before turning it over and placing it on the table, not daring to look at it again.

He feared that if he continued watching, he would forget his unfulfilled ambitions and his aspirations for an imperial career, and think of the family happiness amidst the splendor of Luoyang and the filial piety between father and son in the thorny thickets of Jinyang, and that he was still a living, breathing human being.

He feared he would risk everything to save his father.

The siege of Ye City did not ease in the slightest. Shi Hu was trapped in Ye City, his food supplies were running out, and it was the dead of winter. The people were hungry and cold, and people resorted to cannibalism.

Shi Hu was tyrannical and led the way in cannibalism. His soldiers followed suit, and within a month they had eaten all the prisoners. He then began to eat the prostitutes who accompanied the army. It is likely that within two months, he will turn his attention to the people in the city.

Thousands of miles away, the battle in Guanzhong went back and forth several times. Suo Lin and Qu Yun were both skilled warriors who fought the Xiongnu to a standstill. Guo Mo, Li Ju and others in the surrounding counties were also responsible for defending their land. As Liu Jun had predicted, the enemy army in Qiao State did not exceed a thousand, which was obviously a feint sent by Shi Le.

Meanwhile, Liu Dan arrived with 20,000 elite troops, who, upon dismounting, hurriedly entered the tent and knelt on one knee. "The Jie barbarians are rampant! Please give the order, my lord, that we may launch a surprise attack tonight to rescue Sikong!"

Now that he is over thirty, he is no longer as impulsive as he used to be. His words surprised Liu Jun. After thinking about it, he realized that in the Holy Dynasty, filial piety is the most important virtue. If he did not act this way, he would be criticized by the people of the time.

So Liu Jun bit his cheeks hard, tears streaming down his face, and helped him up. “Jingdao is very kind, but we have not yet received the imperial decree. Even if I want to save my father, I dare not send troops lightly.”

Regardless of how much Lu Chen and other former subordinates of Liu Kun secretly criticized Liu Jun for delaying, they had to admit that from Liangzhou to Linzhang and then to Pingyang, Liu Jun truly used the emperor's name and always had an imperial edict in hand when he launched his military campaigns. However, those with discernment knew that the court was now divided into three factions: Suo Lin, Liu Jun, and Du Dan. The so-called imperial edicts were merely the result of these three men's arbitrary decisions, which were then simply passed through the emperor's mouth.

Liu Dan had known him for many years. Seeing that he looked haggard but his eyes were bright, he knew that he had his own ideas. So he said, "Then I will let the soldiers rest first and await your orders at any time."

The two entered the tent hand in hand, and Liu Jun sighed, "Even you have heard about it. It seems that everyone in the world knows that the Minister of Works of the Great Jin is now in Shi Le's hands."

"What do you think the court will decide?" Liu Dan felt this matter was quite thorny.

Liu Jun leaned back, his mind filled with worry. "The Jiehu are treacherous. I fear that if we send them to Linzhang, they will never return to my father."

Liu Dan leaned closer and lowered his voice, "Actually, there's another way..."

"Oh?" Liu Jun had a vague feeling in his heart.

Liu Dan scooped a spoonful of soup from his own bowl and pushed it towards him.

Liu Jun sneered, "I never swore brotherhood with Shi Le. He dared to cook my father alive. In the future, I will slaughter every last one of his Jie barbarians. Besides, he doesn't have Xiang Bo. If he really replied like that, I'm afraid my father would lose his life immediately."

Liu Dan sighed, "The affairs of the world are unpredictable, and those who serve the world do not care about their families..."

Those who serve the world disregard their families… Liu Jun pondered these words several times, feeling a bitter taste in his mouth, and remained silent, clutching the wine vessel in his hand.

After an unknown amount of time, just as Liu Dan was about to take his leave, Liu Jun slowly spoke up, “Opportunity knocks but once. Shi Le’s army is unusually quiet; perhaps they are also observing our actions. Actually, what you said earlier is right. Why don’t we lead some men to raid the camp first? If we can rescue my father, that would be ideal. If not, we have the debt of saving my mother. If Shi Le makes a move, it would be a breach of morality.”

Liu Dan stood up, knelt on one knee, and said, "I request to lead the troops from Yuzhou!"

Liu Jun helped him up. “The kindness of parents is as boundless as the heavens. My father is in danger, and I have no choice but to do this myself. Otherwise, how can I appease the public? Besides, it’s not that I’m arrogant, but I’m afraid only if I go will he have a sliver of hope to escape.”

“But it’s not just Bingzhou, the entire Central Plains needs your help to turn the tide. If something goes wrong, wouldn’t that be abandoning the people to their doom and disregarding the nation?” Liu Dan said anxiously.

Liu Jun stared at him intently. “I have been away from Bingzhou for a long time. There are some people I am not familiar with now, and some people have changed. Here, Jingdao is the most senior and holds the most prominent official position. He is also the closest to me. Only by entrusting the entire Bingzhou to you for the time being can I feel at ease.”

Knowing that his mind was made up, Liu Dan stopped trying to persuade him and simply nodded with tears in her eyes.

"Summon Liu Yin." Liu Jun pressed his forehead. "I have thought this matter over and over again, and I still think it should be handed over to my brothers. Ji Dan is quite talented, and I will also keep him to assist Jing Dao in case of any unforeseen circumstances."

"What is the imperial decree..." Liu Dan thought of the possible attacks from those famous scholars in the court and couldn't help but feel worried.

Liu Jun thought of Sima Ye and shook his head, "The emperor is kind and benevolent, and a filial son. I'm afraid he really would agree to give up a prefecture."

"He is a filial son who went to avenge Emperor Huai and wipe away the shame. What does that have to do with you, Your Excellency?" Liu Dan asked, puzzled.

Liu Jun was speechless. "Respecting the elderly as one would one's own parents is the way of a wise ruler. However, what I am worried about is not Your Majesty, but Wen Taizhen."

Wen Qiao's affection for Liu Kun was no less than that for Lu Chen, and it's possible that his concern led him astray. He was very respectable in front of Sima Ye and served as the Director of the Imperial Secretariat. Perhaps the imperial edict to cede territory to save Liu Kun had already been issued by this time.

"Time waits for no one," Liu Jun said, watching Liu Yin enter. "Taizhen is most fond of dice games. Although I am not very good at them, I know the principle that the winner is king and the loser is a bandit. Disgrace and ruin, or even being beheaded, are all fate's will, and I will accept it calmly."

On the sixth day of the twelfth lunar month in the seventh year of Jianxing, Shi Le captured Liu Kun alive and demanded the two provinces of Ji and Yan. On the tenth day of the twelfth lunar month, Liu Jun led three thousand light cavalry to launch a night raid on the camp.

Hidden in the grass, Liu Jun squinted as he listened to the scout recount how Shi Le set up camp. Sure enough, it was quite organized, with sentries, patrol teams, and even a dog sentry every few camps, rotating every twelve hours to ensure no one would attack.

"With such tight defenses, what should we do?" Liu Yin, a seasoned general, was also somewhat intimidated upon hearing this.

Liu Jun raised his hand, signaling everyone to hold their breath. He then quietly looked at the camp, the maps he had repeatedly drawn over the years swirling in his mind. Finally, his gaze settled on Puwu and Dingxiang, and his spirits lifted. He gritted his teeth and smiled.