Chapter 48, Chapter Fifteen: Heroes Cherish Each Other
Liu Jun did not immediately refuse or agree, but slowly said, "Things are unpredictable. Although the situation in Guanzhong and Hanzhong is very good now, and the Xiongnu have suffered heavy losses, their foundation has not been damaged, and they could launch a counterattack at any time. I believe that the priority at present is to consolidate the prefectures and counties..."
Seeing Sima Ye's immediate dejection, Liu Jun hesitated and said, "Although Ju and Suo are rampant in the court, their troops are concentrated in Chang'an. Compared with Guo Mo and Jia Pi, they are not particularly powerful. Their current arrogance is merely due to the weakness of the court. In the future, if we pass through Chang'an and use our powerful troops to intimidate and punish them, they will surely restrain themselves."
He leaned closer to Sima Ye and whispered in his ear, "How many Imperial Guards does His Majesty control? If the Imperial Guards are loyal, even if they rebel in Chang'an, His Majesty can remain safe and await the arrival of the army to come to the aid of the emperor."
Sima Ye took a deep breath, his eyes red as he looked at him, "Surrounded by wolves, I am truly uneasy..."
Liu Jun was at a loss and sighed, "Even if a pottery jar is broken, it takes time to put it back together, let alone this land. Your Majesty should keep a low profile and bide your time. There will come a day when you will rise to the top."
Sima Ye listened with his head bowed to his pale words of comfort, then glanced at the longevity thread under his sleeve. Suddenly, he looked up at him with a mischievous smile, "They all told me that Maotou has become a man and a father. Now look at him, he has indeed been reborn and has quite the mature and magnanimous demeanor."
Liu Jun raised an eyebrow. "Although I am not talented enough to offer Your Majesty a world-saving strategy like the Ten Victories and Ten Defeats or the Longzhong Plan, I have only managed to offer my humble consolation. It is one thing for Your Majesty not to appreciate my hard work, but to actually make fun of me is truly disheartening!"
He glared at him coldly, but Sima Ye was not afraid. He laughed for a while, then leaned lazily against him and said softly, "No matter how clever or flattering the officials are, none of them can put my mind at ease as much as Maotou."
Liu Jun put one arm around his shoulder, thinking to himself that Chang'an was indeed not very wealthy, and even the emperor was so thin and not very tall. But he said, "As long as I am alive, I will protect Your Majesty."
He secretly made a decision: no matter how he dealt with the Sima family in the future, he would definitely spare the life of the person in front of him.
Before leaving Chang'an, he sent visiting cards to both Ju and Suo, but both declined, citing their busy schedules.
Liu Jun could actually guess their thoughts. With the prestige and military strength of Liu, Shi, father and son, plus Wen Qiao's years of assistance and Liu Jun's childhood friendship, if they wanted to enter the court, where would they have a place among the Three Dukes?
Liu Jun had little interest in these two men. He first went to Pingyang to visit Liu Qiao and his son Liu You, who were leading their troops to guard Liu Cong's former territory. He also sent a letter and gifts to Guo Mo in Puban. After making sure he had taken care of things, he hurriedly went to Bingzhou.
Unexpectedly, while in Hancheng, I encountered someone I never would have imagined. The man was dressed in plain clothes on a black horse, eight feet tall, with tiger-like whiskers and eagle-like eyes. Even without uttering a word, his presence was impossible to ignore.
Just as Liu Jun was admiring the man's heroic spirit, the man was also secretly observing him—he had long heard that Liu Kun had a son who was as outstanding as a phoenix and a unicorn, who served his grandfather in the army at the age of six, guarded Jinyang with his father at the age of eight, rushed to the aid of Ningping City at the age of fourteen, and entered Chang'an to defend the emperor. At the age of seventeen, he took advantage of the situation to seize Liangzhou and became the governor of the prefecture. At the age of eighteen, he avenged his grandparents and coordinated with Bingzhou to launch an attack on Liu Cong from the rear...
I had expected him to be a fierce general like Lü Bu or Guan Yu, but he turned out to be a tall, slender, and refined young man. His elegant demeanor, in particular, was out of place on this dusty battlefield; he seemed more suited to the imperial palace.
"I am Jia Pi, and I have been waiting for Governor Liu for a long time."
Liu Jun dismounted and bowed, saying, "This humble one, Liu Jun, greets the Duke of Jiuquan."
He treated Jia Pi with great respect, primarily because his ancestor Jia Xu had made significant contributions to the Wei dynasty. In addition, Jia Pi himself was one of the few generals of the time who excelled in both virtue and ability.
Seeing that he was well-mannered, Jia Pi's impression of him improved even more. He immediately dismounted and helped him up, saying, "Many years ago, I sat at the same table with Your Excellency in Luoyang. At that time, he spoke of his youngest son's precocious intelligence with great pride. Now, you have made numerous military achievements at the young age of twenty. Your Excellency is truly blessed."
Liu Jun smiled and said, "The kid is unruly and gives me quite a headache."
As he spoke, he bowed solemnly, "I have not yet thanked the Duke for his military assistance!"
Jia Pi stepped aside to avoid the greeting, saying, "Bingzhou is strategically important, serving as the gateway to Guanzhong. Even if you and your son hadn't sent out proclamations to the prefectures and counties, we would have seized the opportunity. Moreover, driving Liu Cong out of Pingyang was for the greater good of the court. Helping you and your son avenge their family is a small token of our camaraderie. There's no need for thanks."
Liu Jun was moved. He already had a good impression of him, and now he admired him even more. "I wonder what brings you here, Your Excellency? Is there anything I can do to help you?"
Jia Pi said worriedly, "I heard that Liu Cong is deploying troops and intends to attack Pingyang, but I don't know if the news is true, so I came here to check it out myself."
He changed the subject, "Young master, are you going to Bingzhou to guard against Shi Le?"
Liu Jun felt relieved talking to a smart person and sighed, "The barbarians are eyeing us covetously, and there has never been a moment of peace! However, in my opinion, Liu Cong is not a concern; Shi Le is the real threat!"
Jia Pi exclaimed with delight, "Great minds think alike! Shi Le has gained You and Ji, while Liu Cong has lost Guanzhong. Perhaps soon Shi Le will launch a counterattack under the banner of loyalty to the emperor. At that time, not only Pingyang and Jinyang, but even Chang'an will be in danger!"
"If the people were of one mind, what would these barbarians be worth?" Liu Jun sneered. "It's just a pity that the Rebellion of the Eight Princes threw our dynasty into disarray, leaving nine out of ten households in the Central Plains devastated, and now we are being humiliated by the barbarians."
He glanced quickly at Jia Pi's face and said indignantly, "During the Cao Wei period, while fighting against Shu and Wu, they spared troops to attack various Hu tribes. The Xiongnu were divided and ruled, the Wuhuan were wiped out, and the Xianbei collapsed. Shu subdued the southwestern barbarians, and Wu pacified the mountain Yue without lifting a finger. As for the mighty Han, General Wei Qing launched a surprise attack on Longcheng and recovered Hebei. Huo Qubing sealed the Wolf Mountain and drank wine at Jiuquan. Dou Gu and Dou Xian defeated the Xiongnu and inscribed their achievements at Yanran. Marquis of Dingyuan Ban Chao roamed the Western Regions and all nations came to pay tribute. How magnificent! In just a hundred years, the people are still the same people, and the land is still the same land. Why are we suddenly so afraid of the Hu? Not to mention, during the Yongjia era, your cousin Jia Yin also defeated Liu Cong and beheaded Huyan Hao in Luoyang. If that's the case, why should we be afraid of Liu Cong?"
These were words Jia Pi had secretly considered before, having served as a minister of both the Han and Wei dynasties, but had never spoken them openly. Today, however, he found himself in a congenial relationship with Liu Jun and couldn't help but reminisce about his passionate youth. He felt even more that Liu Jun was extraordinary and said solemnly, "Your Excellency once said that one should be prepared for battle at any moment, and I should follow that example. If you and your son ever need to wage war against the various barbarian tribes, send a proclamation to the prefectures and counties, and I will certainly send troops to assist you and help save the nation!"
Liu Jun bowed in gratitude, "Your Excellency is truly virtuous!"
The two sat together at the same table, using tea as ink and lacquer as a canvas, discussing important matters of the world. Before they knew it, they had been talking all night.
The following day, as Liu Jun rode his horse back to Liangzhou, he felt an unprecedented sense of peace.
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