Chapter 107: Arrival in Chang'an

At noon, Liu Yao listened as Guo Jia recounted the entire episode of their recent journey to Mount Tai. The traveler from the Road of Hearts could only break into a cold sweat upon hearing the twists and turns of their mission; he had not anticipated such complications. Fortunately, Guo Jia had suspected Sun Guan and his companions were up to no good, which allowed them to narrowly escape disaster. Of course, Liu Yao was unaware that Sun Guan and his ally had never intended to harm Guo Jia in the first place.

This revelation explained much to Liu Yao. No wonder two of Cang Ba’s four brothers were missing—they had been killed. As for the five thousand Mount Tai bandits, Liu Yao held them in contempt. These scattered troops were inferior even to the worst soldiers from Youzhou under his command. Nonetheless, recognizing it as a token of Cang Ba’s loyalty, Liu Yao could not bring himself to dismiss them and reluctantly accepted them into his ranks. Consequently, his army now appeared somewhat uneven in quality.

In the days that followed, although Liu Yao had resolved the bandit problem at Mount Tai, he remained stationed there, unwilling to move until Ma Jun arrived. After all, staying put incurred little cost, and the Prefect of Mount Tai was naturally responsible for ensuring all provisions were in order. Upon hearing that Liu Yao had quelled the bandits, the prefect was overjoyed and began to flatter him eagerly. Liu Yao, however, had no fondness for such sycophants and always sent Shi A to dismiss them. Yet to Liu Yao’s surprise, the prefect was remarkably persistent, visiting him daily—a feat that left Liu Yao both amused and exasperated by the man’s unwavering determination.

Then, on the third day of the second month, news from Luoyang disrupted Liu Yao’s plans.

Han Sui of Liangzhou had rebelled. Emperor Ling of Han, Liu Hong, dispatched Huangfu Song with fifty thousand troops to quell the uprising, but Huangfu Song had suffered a defeat, losing more than five thousand men. Now, he was holed up within the city walls of Chang’an, relying on the fortifications to withstand the attack of a hundred thousand Qiang tribesmen.

Emperor Ling learned from the memorial submitted by the Prefect of Mount Tai that Liu Yao was engaged in suppressing the Mount Tai bandits in Taishan Commandery. Upon receiving this intelligence, the emperor immediately ordered Liu Yao to lead his troops to Chang’an to assist Huangfu Song and put down the Qiang rebellion.

Receiving this directive, Liu Yao reluctantly abandoned his wait for Ma Jun. He left five hundred of his personal guards and Yin Li behind to protect Mo Tian and Mo Yu, confident that with Mo Tian’s help, they could recruit the Ame troops to their cause. He planned to send his personal guards to Luoyang to await his return, after which they would advance together to Youzhou.

Liu Yao himself, accompanied by Guo Jia, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, and five thousand men from the assault battalion, along with Cang Ba’s five thousand irregular troops, marched without pause toward Chang’an. En route, he dispatched two guards to Luoyang—one to report his situation to Emperor Ling and the other to the Cai residence to assure Cai Yong, Cai Yan, and Diao Chan of his safety, so they would not worry.

Chang’an, the capital of the Western Han dynasty, had witnessed the reigns of twelve emperors. However, when the throne passed to the young emperor Ruzi Ying, Wang Mang usurped the throne and established the Xin dynasty. Wang Mang’s chaotic reforms brought misery to the people, giving rise to the Green Forest and Red Eyebrow rebellions. Eventually, a distant descendant of the Han royal family, Liu Xiu, reunited the Central Plains and established the Eastern Han dynasty. Due to the upheavals, Chang’an was ravaged by war and left in ruins, overgrown with weeds. It was for this reason that Emperor Guangwu Liu Xiu relocated the capital to Luoyang, marking the beginning of the Eastern Han.

Within Chang’an, Huangfu Song had been overwhelmed these past days. Following his defeat, he was confined within the city walls. Fortunately, as an ancient capital of the Han, Chang’an’s fortifications remained strong enough to resist the relentless Qiang assaults.

Huangfu Song had long sent urgent pleas to the court, requesting Emperor Ling to recall Liu Yao to replace him as commander. In Huangfu Song’s estimation, among the many generals serving Han, only Liu Yao possessed the capability to defeat the Qiang.

Yet a month had passed with no word from Liu Yao, and Huangfu Song grew increasingly anxious. He could not be certain how much longer he could hold out. Should Chang’an fall, Luoyang would be vulnerable and even Emperor Ling’s safety could be at risk. Moreover, as the ancestral seat of the Han dynasty, the loss of Chang’an was intolerable to Huangfu Song, a steadfast supporter of the Han.

“Report, my lord! Scouts have sighted over ten thousand troops twenty miles outside Chang’an, flying the banner bearing the character ‘Liu,’” a young officer under Huangfu Song burst into the council chamber, breathless with excitement.

“The banner of Liu,” Huangfu Song exclaimed, his heart pounding with hope. “Quick, come with me to greet them! It must be His Highness!” Without hesitation, he led the charge outside. Considering that Liu Yao was still over twenty miles away and burdened with five thousand infantry, even at forced march pace, it would take at least an hour to arrive—such was Huangfu Song’s eagerness and anticipation.

Outside the city, after a grueling forced march, Liu Yao finally reached Chang’an in mid-February. Before he could present his orders to the gate commander, the city gates had already been opened wide, and Huangfu Song and his officers awaited the arrival of Liu Yao’s army. Liu Yao couldn’t help but curse under his breath, “Is Huangfu Song not afraid the Qiang will attack at this moment?”

Indeed, if the Qiang had launched an assault then, it would have been tantamount to Huangfu Song surrendering Chang’an with his own hands—a sin he could scarcely atone for.

“Your humble servant, Huangfu Song, pays respects to His Highness,” Huangfu Song greeted Liu Yao with a bow.

Liu Yao, however, responded coldly, “General Huangfu, why are the city gates of Chang’an so wide open? What if the Qiang attacked at this moment? What would you do?”

Huangfu Song broke out in a cold sweat. The past few days’ ordeal had left him exhausted. Overcome with joy at Liu Yao’s arrival, he had forgotten the Qiang threat entirely.

“My negligence, Your Highness. Please forgive me,” Huangfu Song apologized sincerely.

Liu Yao understood Huangfu Song’s eagerness to welcome him and, seeing that no harm had come, said, “This time I’ll let it pass, but I don’t want to see it happen again.”

“Understood,” Huangfu Song replied earnestly.

Satisfied, Liu Yao nodded and said, “Now, tell me about the Qiang situation.”

“This is no place to discuss such matters. Please, Your Highness, allow me to escort you inside the city,” Huangfu Song said, leading the way.

Liu Yao followed, leaving the arrangement of the ten thousand troops behind him to others.

At the Chang’an garrison headquarters, Huangfu Song reported, “To resist the Qiang, I had no choice but to dispatch twenty thousand troops to various counties in Guanzhong for defense. Each county is heavily guarded, so the Qiang cannot split their forces and must concentrate their attack on Chang’an. Because of this, our numbers have dwindled to thirty thousand, far fewer than the Qiang. Moreover, the Qiang leader Han Sui commands a general whom I cannot overcome, which led to our defeat.” His voice grew softer, laden with shame.

“Oh? And who is this general?” Liu Yao inquired curiously. Whoever could confound Huangfu Song was surely no minor figure.

“This man is Yan Xing, Han Sui’s son-in-law,” Huangfu Song replied respectfully.