Chapter 82, Chapter Thirteen: War and Peace
During the day it was a battlefield where life and death were at stake, but by night bonfires had been lit, and soldiers were collecting the remains of their comrades while cooks were preparing a sumptuous feast.
On the riverbank where the crescent-shaped formation had been arranged earlier, Liu Jun simply set up a few seats and sat opposite Pu Hong.
“I heard that Your Excellency previously agreed to the Qiang people’s request…” Pu Hong carefully chose his words.
Liu Jun understood his unspoken meaning; he was clearly afraid that Yao Yizhong would accuse him of being untrustworthy, which would at least damage his reputation.
"Guangshi, you're overthinking it. You probably don't know this, but before I set out with my troops, I contacted him, hoping he would send troops as well. However, he didn't go here as agreed. Instead, he secretly circled around to Panzhong Mountain behind both armies, where my troops ambushed him and caught him red-handed. Now he's been detained. In this uprising, besides the Di people, the Qiang people also participated. I gave him a chance to repent and redeem himself, but he remained stubborn and sought his own death. He broke his promise first, so what fault do I have?"
Pu Hong nodded and sighed, "In truth, if one could survive, who would want to rebel?"
"After I return to Chang'an, I intend to petition His Majesty to reduce the taxes and corvée labor of the Di people, so that they can eventually be treated the same as the Han people." Liu Jun cupped his hands in the direction of Chang'an. "His Majesty is a wise and virtuous ruler who has always been open to advice. He should not refuse."
Pu Hong rose and bowed, saying, "I have been misled by treacherous people and have fallen into such a disloyal and unjust situation. I am ashamed beyond measure."
"Guangshi, there's no need to be too harsh on you. This isn't your fault." Although Liu Jun said this, he didn't believe it at all—didn't he have ambitions? Didn't he want to be a powerful official or even rule the whole country?
Both men knew perfectly well whether the purpose of their efforts in gathering disaster victims and recruiting scattered soldiers was truly to guard their homes, but they simply chose not to expose it.
“The messenger was Zhang Bin’s messenger,” Pu Hong said, taking a large gulp of wine. “He said that Liu Yao would soon attack Chang’an and wanted me to restrain the court.”
“We previously guessed that Shi Le was going to attack Bingzhou, but now it seems that’s not the case…” Liu Jun frowned, casually raised his cup and clinked it with Pu Hong’s, looking up at the boundless starry sky. “I guess, after we take Chang’an and destroy the Great Jin, we’ll ask you and him to continue our pincer attack on Liu Yao?”
Pu Hong looked somewhat embarrassed. Seeing this, Liu Jun laughed and said, "You have already pledged allegiance to Liu Yao, and you have been secretly exchanging gifts with Shi Le. Now you are having a very pleasant conversation with me. You are quite adept at social maneuvering. May I ask..."
His gaze was like a knife, and his voice, though not loud, was extremely cold: "Can I still trust you?"
Pu Hong was not angry. He earnestly said, "The Xiongnu and Jiehu are powerful, and the Great Jin is showing signs of revival. Our Di people are sparsely populated and only have a small area in Guanzhong. Everyone can boss us around, and we can't afford to offend anyone. If we don't mediate, we Di people will probably have been wiped out in this chaotic world!"
“You don’t need to play the victim. If it weren’t for Yongjia, would you have been able to command 100,000 troops? It’s just that the times made heroes.” Liu Jun raised his cup. “I will trust you one more time. I don’t need you to issue a proclamation that makes you irreconcilable with Shi Le and Liu Yao, nor do I need you to send troops immediately.”
Pu Hong sat up straight. "Please make the next steps public."
“These thousand men should all be your trusted confidants. Tomorrow, when you rejoin the main army, stage another scene of your defeated retreat. Afterward, proceed according to the original plan. I will place several people in your army to relay messages; you must obey my orders.” Liu Jun leaned back. “I will inform Wei Xiong that from now on, your Di people's taxes will be the same as the Jin people's, and the court will not forcibly conscript Di people into labor service. In addition, I see that your area has abundant water and grass, and your horses are quite good…”
“I will select a thousand fine horses and present them to you, my lord!” Pu Hong immediately declared.
Liu Jun shook his head and laughed, "That's not necessary. You can choose one or two bolts for His Majesty, and the rest can be traded between the two regions. To be honest, I see that much of the Shu brocade you are wearing comes from Liangzhou. As the saying goes, let's turn swords into plowshares and exchange my Shu brocade for your Hu horses. Wouldn't that be better?"
Pu Hong was naturally delighted.
The two drank heartily for a while, when suddenly they heard the cawing of crows and magpies. Liu Jun glanced over casually and saw a bright starry sky, shining across the universe.
Pu Hong followed his gaze and said, "I've heard that the Xia people like to observe the celestial phenomena at night..."
"Why not mention the people of Jin?" Liu Jun interrupted him.
Pu Hong smiled, his gaze carrying a deeper meaning. "Does Your Excellency prefer the term 'Jin people'?"
Liu Jun smiled enigmatically, “If the Great Jin were prosperous and powerful, you would all rush to claim to be subjects of the Great Jin, just as Liu Yuan falsely claimed to be a member of the Han dynasty.”
“Indeed, Your Excellency is a legitimate descendant of the Han dynasty, and naturally looks down on such barbarians.” Pu Hong said in a low voice, “I can surrender to Your Excellency, but personally, I am unwilling to bow down to the Jin court again.”
“If Guangshi does not reject us, we can become sworn brothers.” After thinking it over and over again, Liu Jun said quietly, “My father once became sworn brothers with the Great Khan Tuoba. In times of crisis, the Great Khan Tuoba repeatedly helped him in his time of need, while my father helped his orphans and remaining clansmen. The two of them truly stood together and helped each other through thick and thin.”
Pu Hong put down his wine cup and was surprised to find his palms slightly sweaty, but he knew he had made the right bet.
"Normally, I don't need you to repay me with the lives of the Di people, but if I am in a critical moment, I don't ask you to send troops, food, or manpower, but at least don't easily betray me. Of course, if you give me your full support, and if I can achieve something great in the future, I will naturally not treat your people unfairly."
Pu Hong rose, knelt facing north, and declared, "I, Pu Hong, am willing to become sworn brothers with Liu Jun, sharing weal and woe, and never betraying him in life or death!"
Liu Jun also stood up, saying, "I, Liu Jun, am willing to become sworn brothers with Pu Hong, sharing our joys and sorrows, and remaining loyal to him for life! Heaven and Earth bear witness to this!"
The two drank the wine and water, then linked arms and laughed before returning to their seats.
"I wonder how my brother plans to deal with Yao Yizhong?"
Liu Jun smiled and said, "I know that Brother Guangshi and he are not on good terms, but with a formidable enemy at hand, let's put aside these personal grudges and work together to overcome this difficult time. Although Yao Yizhong has a grudge against you, he is not a truly wicked person and has submitted to the court. I will certainly reward him accordingly. But he will never surpass you. To guard against Liu Yaoshi, it is not advisable for too many people to know about my alliance with you. I have already sealed this imperial edict and placed it with you for now."
After saying that, Liu Jun took out another piece of yellow silk with the seal on it, and handed it to Pu Hong with both hands, while Pu Hong looked on in astonishment.
Pu Hong received the imperial decree. He had previously heard that Liu Jun and the young emperor had a close relationship, and now that he saw that this was true, he felt even more at ease.
"By the way, I prefer the name Han people to Xia people and Jin people, and I especially like a certain saying."
"I would like to provide details."
Liu Jun strolled leisurely, casually pointing at the bright moon, "Wherever the sun and moon shine, wherever rivers flow, all is Han territory!"
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