Chapter 88, Chapter Nineteen: Forged in Fire
Liu Jun had no interest in dwelling on the posthumous honors bestowed upon Liu Kun after his death. The reason was simple: Shi Le had decided to abandon Shi Hu and brazenly launched an attack on the two prefectures of Bing and Ji.
This harassment was different from the previous strong attacks and did not cause much casualties. However, it was unbearable that it was unexpected, and the soldiers burned, killed, and looted. When the Jin army heard the news and went there, they would scatter like birds and beasts. They were like snakes, insects, rats and ants, which was extremely annoying.
Liu Jun listened to the reports and suddenly laughed, “This is not a difficult matter. I suddenly remembered what my ancestor did in Liangzhou. Perhaps it is more suitable for the Central Plains.”
He looked at his advisors and asked, "I asked you to take stock of how many fortified villages there are in Yuzhou, Bingzhou, Yanzhou, and Jizhou. How many of them have submitted to the court, and how many have surrendered to Shi Le?"
"Reporting to my lord, the forces in Yu, Bing, Yan, and Ji are approximately 1,500, 800, 2,000, and 2,300 respectively. Of these, about 70% still submit to the court, while 50% have surrendered to Shi Le."
"So, at least 20% are both Jin officials and Hu slaves? Listen to this, gentlemen, what does it mean to be two-faced?" Liu Jun sneered. "These fortified village lords have been carving out their own territories since the Han Dynasty. Each of them has tenants and private soldiers, and they spend their days engaging in lofty discussions. No matter whether the emperor's surname is Liu, Cao, or Sima, as long as they can still be recommended for the civil service examination, they can thrive in the court. If they fall out of favor, they can resign and retire to the mountains and forests, and still gain a reputation for being pure and refined."
He rose leisurely, looked at the densely packed fortified villages marked on the map by his advisors, and said coldly, "Go and investigate. All the fortified villages that have surrendered to Shi Le should be wiped out. These fortified villages should be used by the court, their property should be confiscated and used to build fortifications. If the enemy attacks, we should fortify the walls and clear the fields. Apart from that, Jingdao."
Liu Dan, who was suddenly called out, subconsciously stood up and said, "Yes."
Both of them were originally governors, and Liu Dan often called him "Lord," which inevitably drew criticism for being obsequious. Now that Liu Jun had become one of the Three Dukes, it was perfectly legitimate for him to call himself a subject.
"Here are some more horses and servants for you. After you return, you can build up Hulao City. They will definitely be of great use in the future."
Liu Jun drew his Flying Sword and pointed at the map. "Shi Le is still hesitant to leave. Does he think I can't defend Bingzhou or Jizhou? If so, I will stay here and observe mourning to comfort my father's spirit in heaven!"
Recalling the karmic debts Shi Hu had committed in Ye City, Liu Jun's expression instantly turned sinister. He said indifferently, "Aren't we still negotiating with Shi Le? To show our sincerity, send some of Shi Hu's things over every now and then. Remember, don't let him die."
Thus, Liu Jun, dressed in mourning clothes, stood on the front line and confronted Shi Le for a full year and a half. During this time, he strengthened his military and encouraged agriculture and sericulture. The refugees who had fled gradually returned to their hometowns and began to cultivate and fight.
Furthermore, Liu Jun ordered Liu Qi, who remained in Liangzhou, to continue trading with Cheng Han and surrounding tribes, and to continuously sell the Shu brocade produced in Liangzhou, along with gems, jade, and fine horses obtained from various Hu tribes, to the south. It seems that the gentry who migrated south were not fundamentally weakened. Although they claimed to be conquering the Central Plains, they had already been softened by the warm breezes of Jiangnan, lost in the soft Wu dialect, and their carefree conversations in the bamboo groves were still fresh in people's minds, yet they had already secretly donned fine silks and satins and adorned themselves with precious stones.
Thanks to this, Liu Jun's previously meager military supplies and provisions became much more plentiful, at least he no longer needed to rely on the impoverished imperial court for aid.
By the end of the ninth year of Jianxing, after repeated confirmation, Shi Le had no choice but to withdraw his troops, leaving only a small force to harass Liu Jun. Only then did Liu Jun feel relieved and decided to return to the capital soon.
Before that, he did three things.
Firstly, he formed an alliance with Xi Jian and other leaders of displaced people, and even petitioned the court to appoint Xi Jian as the governor of Yanzhou.
Secondly, he reorganized the shogunate, breaking up Liu Kun's old subordinates and his own original team, selecting the elite to be deployed in the prefectures and counties under his actual control, and choosing the most reliable people to lead them separately.
Thirdly, Liu Kun was buried in the midst of a war, while Liu Jun was campaigning in the south and north. He only held a simple funeral, and even the mourning was extravagant.
But now he is about to return to the capital, while his father, along with his grandparents and mother, will remain here forever, never to return to the golden valley of Luoyang where he once lived a life of luxury and poetry, nor to his once glorious and prosperous hometown of Zhongshan.
They all stayed in Jinyang, the place where Liu Kun had squandered half his life, lost all his relatives and friends, and finally gained glory in life and sorrow in death.
People at the time took mourning very seriously. Since the Han Dynasty, it was not uncommon for people to observe mourning for twenty years. Liu Jun was neither like those gentlemen who sought fame and fortune by resigning their posts to observe mourning, nor like Ruan Ji who got drunk and sat with his legs spread wide without weeping. He admired the Confucian saying, "Eat every three days, bathe every three months, and practice meditation every week; do not let death destroy your nature, and do not let death harm your life." Therefore, he neither observed mourning nor indulged in drinking and merrymaking, nor did he get involved in sensual pleasures. Later, he was busy with governance and warfare all day long, and he couldn't even find time to grieve.
Only when he occasionally woke up in the middle of the night and saw the official seal of the Minister of Works on his desk did it repeatedly remind him that the once majestic mountain had finally fallen.
In October of the ninth year of Jianxing, Liu Jun, dressed in full armor, knelt before the grave, silently watching the white banners fluttering in the sky. Liu Dan, who had joined the clan, had already returned to Yuzhou, Liu Qi was in Liangzhou, and Liu Yi was in Qinzhou. The once flourishing Liu brothers now had only Liu Yin by their side.
The two knelt and bowed in silence. Liu Jun then took some libation wine and sprinkled it before the grave, softly reciting: "My achievements were yet to be made, the setting sun suddenly flows westward. Time has not been with me, it has gone like floating clouds. Red fruits fall in the strong wind, abundant blossoms wither in the autumn. The narrow road overturns the canopy, the startled horses break their axle. How could the steel forged a hundred times be turned into the softness that wraps around my finger..."
When Lu Chen brought the letter, he dared not look at it too much, only thinking that if he could rescue Liu Kun, they could then drink and talk about poetry together. Little did he know that this letter was the last letter of Liu Kun, this unparalleled genius.
Liu Yin wiped away his tears, "Brother, you have strategized and fought countless battles, and finally drove the Jie people out of Bingzhou. Uncle's spirit in heaven will surely be smiling in the afterlife."
"Perhaps." Liu Jun's eyes were red, but he forced himself not to shed tears.
“But brother, sometimes I wonder, if Father and Uncle had never left Zhongshan, never gone to Jingu Garden, or if Uncle had later led our entire clan south, would they still be alive today?” Liu Yin choked up as he spoke.
Liu Jun looked up at the vast sky and said, “My father believed in the principle of ‘better to die a glorious death than live a life of dishonor.’ I think he would rather die as a great hero than as a mediocre rich man.”
"And you, brother?" Liu Yin couldn't help but ask, looking at Liu Jun's profile, which appeared even more cold and hard due to his thinness.
Liu Jun looked at the inscription on the tombstone and wiped the familiar name with the handkerchief on his body again and again. "I would rather be crushed to pieces than live a life of dishonor. I am the same."
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