Houmo and Li Zhi led a Qiang cavalry brigade and a combined cavalry-infantry force advancing north in coordination, heading toward Daqiu Stronghold that the enemy army had established in southern Qinzhou.
The Qiang cavalry brigade consisted of three thousand elite troops, while the combined cavalry-infantry force numbered only fifteen hundred men. As vanguard forces advancing first, they swept toward Daqiu Stronghold on the left forward flank of the Pingxia Qiang cavalry’s encampment.
The Pingxia Qiang cavalry excelled at mounted combat but not at constructing fortifications or defending cities. The Daqiu Stronghold they had built among the hills and mountains of southern Qinzhou was quite crude.
For the convenience of cavalry deployment and access to water, Daqiu Stronghold was located on the southern side of a stream valley. Before the stronghold stretched a large expanse of sloping ground with open terrain—the fortified camp was small, and a considerable number of cavalry assembled there had pitched their tents outside the stronghold for rest and reorganization.
As the Longyou army’s cavalry and infantry galloped forward, the Pingxia cavalry garrisoning Daqiu Stronghold and several nearby simple fortifications also boldly deployed.
Dense masses of cavalry formed battle lines at the foot of a stone mountain covered in ice and snow, resembling several distinct torrential flows gathering momentum, ready to surge forth at any moment.
Scouts and patrols from both sides were already riding through grasslands and stream valleys, drawing their longbows and crossbows to exchange volleys.
Li Zhi led the combined cavalry-infantry force and halted about six or seven li from Daqiu Stronghold. After the heavily armored infantry dismounted, they formed five wedge-shaped assault formations in a valley angling toward Daqiu Stronghold and advanced forward under pressure.
Houmo led three thousand Qiang cavalry clad in dark blue-black armor, divided into five units maneuvering through the low mountain slopes and valleys on the flanks.
At this moment, the enemy cavalry also boldly deployed. Squadrons of cavalry spread their battle lines left and right like a flood spreading across three to four li of slopes and valleys.
By deploying in this manner, the enemy cavalry intended to use their superior numbers to directly surround the vanguard forces of the Longyou army, then leverage the terrain to launch continuous assaults until they tore this advance unit of the Longyou army to shreds.
However, the enemy commander clearly overestimated his side’s will to fight.
Houmo, surrounded by only about a hundred escort cavalry, positioned himself alongside Li Zhi at the center of the heavily armored assault infantry formation. As the command flags changed, the cavalry on both wings quickly dispersed toward the rear flanks.
The established tactics were simple—to avoid at all costs letting both sides’ cavalry become entangled in chaotic combat.
Facing the enemy cavalry deploying in full force, the cavalry on both wings contracted along the slopes, valleys, and mountain ridges toward the rear flanks, actively exposing the heavily armored infantry formation in the center to meet the enemy cavalry’s charge with large shields and heavy crossbows.
Once the heavily armored infantry and cavalry in the center held firm like bedrock, containing the enemy cavalry’s fierce assault like a torrential flow, the cavalry on both wings would then attack from the flanks.
The longer they could keep the enemy cavalry engaged at this point, the more thoroughly the heavy crossbows of the heavily armored infantry formation could demonstrate their proper effectiveness.
West of Long Mountain, though the terrain was described as relatively open, this area was located at the edge of the Loess Plateau, interlaced with the branch ridges and remnant ranges of Long Mountain and Min Mountain, making the mountainous terrain quite pronounced.
Without using the ancient post roads constructed over thousands of years—which had also been severely damaged by the enemy beforehand—war chariots and the cumbersome spring-arm bed crossbows and scorpion crossbows could not be dragged into the ravine-crossed shallow gullies and low valleys for combat.
For heavily armored infantry to advance through ravine-crossed terrain without the aid of military horses, climbing mountains and crossing valleys for a full day would exhaust men and horses alike, making it extremely difficult to cover even twenty to thirty li in straight-line distance.
This region was typically the domain where cavalry ranged freely. Qiang warriors skilled in mounted archery, riding excellent warhorses, could maneuver and weave through slopes, valleys, ridges, and peaks at great speed, coming and going like the wind.
The Longyou army would not entangle with enemy cavalry in the ravines and mountain valleys. Infantry mounted on horses with cavalry escort headed straight for enemy fortifications to form battle lines. If the enemy chose to fight, they would be met with large shields and heavy crossbows; if they chose not to fight and the army pressed forward to the fortifications, they would similarly be met with large shields and heavy crossbows.
The heavy crossbows equipped by the heavily armored infantry were the weapon Li Zhi, Houmo, and other generals relied upon for victory.
The heavy crossbows equipped by the heavily armored infantry could no longer be called hand-drawn crossbows. Because the crossbow arms were too strong, even robust soldiers found it quite laborious to cock them by stepping on the crossbow with their feet. They mainly used gear-driven winches to cock the crossbows, making the firing rate somewhat slower than traditional hand-drawn crossbows.
The weight of these hand-drawn crossbows was also quite impressive—over thirty jin. Even the most robust soldiers found it very difficult to control reins and guide horses with one hand while single-handedly lifting and accurately shooting enemies with the crossbow. Cocking and loading arrows was also more complex and cumbersome compared to the light crossbows equipped by cavalry.
However, the power of the infantry heavy crossbows was strong enough to pierce through ring mail armor at two hundred paces, an advantage sufficient to compensate for its many shortcomings.
Sword and shield troops held large shields to protect the front flanks. Heavy crossbows exposed their sharp armor-piercing arrowheads through gaps in the large shields, watching for enemy cavalry to attack and then shooting them head-on. Dense volleys of crossbow bolts could always bring down more than ten men and horses to the ground.
When enemy cavalry tried to take advantage of gaps in the heavy crossbow firing to swarm forward and assault the shield formation, cavalry on both wings would charge forward bravely, delaying their attack speed from the flanks, reducing the pressure on the shield formation, and buying more time for the heavy crossbows to be drawn and loaded with arrows.
Even if the enemy cavalry feared no casualties and charged into the ranks of the heavily armored infantry, even though they had the advantage of height while mounted, the war sabers they wielded could hardly break through the protection of heavy shields and sturdy armor to seriously wound the infantry of the Longyou army. Yet they only had leather armor protecting their bodies, and facing the heavy blows of long spears and horizontal sabers, they suffered heavy casualties.
After several rounds of contact, the enemy cavalry saw they could gain no advantage. They dispersed to both wings and dared not continue entangled combat, while Houmo and Li Zhi commanded their coordinated cavalry and infantry to press toward Daqiu Stronghold.
In relatively open valley terrain, the Longyou army did not have numerical superiority in cavalry and found it difficult to fight a war of annihilation against enemy cavalry of this scale. However, the Longyou army’s campaign objectives were straightforward and clear.
They would first capture the fortifications the Pingxia Qiang cavalry had built one by one south of the Wei River, forcing them to lose their foothold among the plateaus and hills south of the Wei River and be compelled to withdraw from the mountain valleys south of the Wei River.
As long as the Longyou army could capture the southern Qinzhou region and advance to the banks of the Wei River, they could block Wang Xiaoxian’s forces’ westward escape route along the Wei River valley toward the plateau region west of Long Mountain from the western flank, completing their assigned combat mission.
Aside from the occasional Pingxia cavalry general whose blood ran hot in battle, most Pingxia cavalry commanders fought quite conservatively. Typically, after engaging for a while and seeing no opportunity to exploit, they would assemble their forces and withdraw. None of them thought to retreat and defend the crude fortifications.
As for those Qiang generals whose blood rushed to their heads in battle, they were bloodied before the Longyou army’s shield formations, crossbow formations, and coordinated cavalry-infantry tactics. Finally, seeing no reinforcements coming up to fight alongside them, they had no choice but to withdraw with their remnant and defeated troops.
From the Yangquan Liang Stronghold the Longyou army had constructed over the past two years to the Qinzhou prefectural seat of Shanggui (Tianshui) was only about a hundred li. However, systematically clearing out enemy strongholds in southern Qinzhou, forcing enemy troops to retreat north, combined with ancient post roads severely damaged by the enemy, the main army had to climb over ravines or repair roads and build bridges all along the way. Enemy cavalry would occasionally take positions on the opposite banks of streams and ravines to hold ground and intimidate. It was only in early March that the twenty thousand infantry and cavalry advanced to the foot of Shanggui city.
During the Xia and Shang dynasties, the land on both banks of the upper Wei River belonged to Yongzhou. The Ying clan ancestors of the Qin dynasty earned merit by raising horses for the Zhou royal house and were enfeoffed at Qin Pool north of the Wei River at the western foot of Long Mountain—this was the earliest place name in Qinzhou to appear in historical records. Later, as Qin territory expanded southward, Gui and Yi counties were established in the upper Wei River region, also the earliest two county-level administrative divisions established in history.
Gui County was present-day Shanggui County where the Qinzhou prefectural seat was located. During Emperor Wu of Han’s reign, Tianshui Commandery was established. During the Northern Wei period, the commandery was changed to a prefecture, and Qinzhou was first established, continuing to the present day. As the location of the prefectural seat, the two county names of Shanggui and Tianshui have been used interchangeably to this day.
Li Zhigao stood with his whip on the southern bank of the Wei River, gazing north.
Qinzhou was divided by the Wei River with distinctly different terrain—mostly mountainous to the south, with thick rolling loess hills to the north, while the valley region in the middle and upper reaches of the Wei River had fertile soil deposited by the Wei River and its tributaries.
The valley region of Qinzhou had long experienced warfare, but even at this time, it still nurtured and sustained over one hundred thousand Han people skilled in agriculture, demonstrating its prosperity.
However, no matter how prosperous and fertile the valley region was, Li Yuanshou ultimately did not dare risk the family foundation accumulated by three generations of the Pingxia tribe for this granted piece of meat. Before the Longyou army arrived, he led over ten thousand Qiang cavalry to abandon Shanggui, crossed the Wei River, and withdrew toward the depths of the Loess Plateau to the north.
Previously, without the Liang army assembling a large force to attack the heartland of Yongzhou from the eastern flank, Wang Xiaoxian and his subordinate officials still held a thread of optimistic view of the situation, believing that after enduring two years and the Mongol army recovering its strength, they would ultimately be able to recapture the Fen River valley from the Liang army and drive the Liang army out from north of Xiangshan and Wangwu Mountains. At the same time, Wang Xiaoxian’s solitary temperament and inner pride made him unwilling to flee without fighting or submit to serve the Qiang barbarians.
At this time, Chai Jian, Zhou Tong, Hao Zixia, and others had already led forces through the Qinling Mountains, approaching the southern Fengxiang region. Since Wang Xiaoxian was unwilling to abandon Fengxiang and flee west to submit to Li Yuanshou, and lacked the strength to divide forces to defend Shanggui, he could only watch helplessly as Li Yuanshou led the Pingxia Qiang cavalry in northern withdrawal. Shanggui and other cities west of Long Mountain and north and south of the Wei River fell into the hands of the Longyou army without bloodshed.
Wang Xiaoxian now concentrated his forces at Jiequan, situated between Long Mountain and the Qinling Mountains, hoping to use the strategic terrain there to block the gateway for the Longyou army to advance eastward along the Wei River toward Fengxiang…
The Western Han established Henei Commandery south of the Taihang Mountains, east of Wangwu Mountain, and north of the Yu River. During the Wei and Sui dynasties, commanderies were changed to prefectures, and Henei Commandery was divided among Meng, Huai, and Wei prefectures, governing nineteen counties. Since the fall of the previous dynasty, this had been one of the most fiercely contested battlefields between the Liang and Jin powers. Who knew how many soldiers’ bones were buried here? Every late spring, grass grew thick and orioles flew, making it extraordinarily fertile.
Since the Mongol invasion southward, they had completely gained control of Jin territory. The three Henei prefectures also belonged to the Mongols. Among them, Mengzhou overlooked Liang and Bian to the south, locked Heluo to the east, and guarded Zhiguan and Taihang passes at its head, making its strategic position most important.
Since the first year of Taihe, Mengzhou city had been repeatedly repaired. The city walls were solid and the moat deep, with fortifications connected in continuous rings and moats interconnecting. At the same time, unmarried or widowed women were forcibly conscripted from Heshuo and Zelu to be married to Shu soldiers, farm military lands to strengthen the military household system. Therefore, despite the long warfare, Mengzhou still governed over three hundred thousand military and civilian people.
Mengzhou city, with its garrison and civilian households totaling eighty to ninety thousand people in the city districts, had not directly experienced the devastation of warfare for over twenty years, making it count as rarely prosperous in the contemporary world.
Yao Xishui sat beneath a locust tree, watching new buds emerge from the branch tips, adorned with dots of green. She lightly plucked the strings of the qin before her, producing unmelodious tinkling sounds. At this moment, the sound of armor and weapons stirring came from the courtyard.
Unable to suppress her startled alarm, she raised her head, but her view was blocked by thick courtyard walls. She didn’t know if it was merely the troops surrounding them outside the courtyard changing guard, or if Zhao Mengji had remembered them again.
At this moment, Zhou Yuan walked into the courtyard. Not knowing what he wanted to say, he merely stamped his feet, then shrank back and returned to the wing courtyard where he resided.
Yao Xishui did not call out to him either.
The Wanhong Tower they had worked so hard to rebuild in Mengzhou had once again been completely uprooted. Most of the disciples newly recruited in recent years were either directly dismissed or conscripted into the army as laborers. The core personnel led by Lu Qingxia, Zhou Yuan, and Yao Xishui—over thirty people plus Zhou Yuan’s family members—were all imprisoned by Zhao Mengji’s men in this five-courtyard, three-section compound.
A full month had now passed.
During this month, Zhao Mengji had not shown his face once, nor had he directly arrested them and thrown them in prison. Apart from having people deliver food and fresh water daily, they were completely cut off from the world.
The front, rear, and side gates of the residence had all been blocked from the outside. Food was merely passed through an opening knocked into the side wall.
They were currently unclear whether Zhao Mengji had steeled his heart to completely submit to the Liang state, nor were they clear whether Taiyuan, after learning of Zhao Mengji’s abnormal behavior, had dispatched troops from Taiyuan, Zelu, Heshuo, and other places to suppress him.
A series of chaotic sounds came through, as if someone was clearing the obstacles blocking the courtyard gate.
Perhaps hearing the commotion outside the courtyard, Lu Qingxia, over sixty years old with a full head of silver hair, was now helped by someone to walk out from indoors. Standing under the eaves, she stared at the sandalwood courtyard gate.
After a short while, the courtyard gate slowly opened. Two squads of soldiers filed in, bringing Zhou Yuan and others into this courtyard as well—more than ten men wearing black short narrow jackets walked in. Under the command of a gaunt man, they brought out shackles and locked the hands and feet of Lu Qingxia, Zhou Yuan, Yao Xishui, and others one by one.
Lu Qingxia stared at the gaunt man leading them and asked: “You come from Luoyang?”
Yao Xishui observed that these dozen or so black-clad men did not seem to be Zhao Mengji’s trusted subordinates, and the shackles binding their hands and feet were extremely ingenious, clearly not crafted anywhere outside Luoyang.
“Zhang Shimin, Vice Director of the Northern Office of the Great Liang Staff Office, greets Palace Director Lu and Vice Minister Zhou. His Majesty specially invites all of you to Luoyang to reminisce about past events. To prevent incidents during the journey, I must first trouble you all.” The gaunt man cupped his hands and said with a smile.
“Since Zhao Mengji has decided that the realm will entirely belong to the Great Liang, why has he handed us over to Han Qian yet doesn’t dare see us face to face? Could it be that after these years of mutual dependence, there’s no friendship left at all?” Lu Qingxia did not struggle, only tried to rotate her wrists so the shackles wouldn’t chafe her withered wrist bones, asking calmly.
“I don’t know what friendship Palace Director Lu wishes to discuss with me?” Zhao Mengji, wearing plain robes and accompanied by An Jixiang, Gu Mingfu, and others, walked into the courtyard and asked coldly. “If I, Zhao, hadn’t maintained some vigilance, my life would have long been taken by Palace Director Lu. What friendship is there to discuss now?”
After An Jixiang met with Zhang Shimin and others, he found an opportunity after the Lantern Festival to discuss recruitment matters with Zhao Mengji. However, Zhao Mengji still ignored it at the time and even ordered An Jixiang imprisoned.
Although Zhao Mengji had once been a Shu army general who garrisoned Liangzhou and acted decisively in killing, these years leading tens of thousands of Shu soldiers through difficult wanderings and suffering endless hardships had worn away his earlier decisiveness.
After the battle at Zhiguan Ridge, he naturally did not want to be tied to the Mongol army and hang from the same tree unto death. However, the victory or defeat at Zhiguan Ridge carried some element of chance. With the Liang state surrounded by enemies on all sides, victory was not necessarily assured. Zhao Mengji was more inclined to preserve strength in these times without rushing to make a choice so quickly.
What ultimately prompted him to decide to place Lu Qingxia, Zhou Yuan, and others under house arrest was first receiving confirmation that Han Qian did not hesitate to forgo what was near to pursue what was distant, ordering over ten thousand elite cavalry to travel far to Longyou for battle.
From this he could see Han Qian’s far-reaching vision and absolute confidence. Someone else might prefer to let Wang Xiaoxian flee west to Longyou to join forces with Li Yuanshou rather than first ensure the capture of Guanzhong.
The second matter was that although Zhao Mengji had ordered An Jixiang imprisoned, he had not directly beheaded An Jixiang or sent him to Taiyuan for trial. Lu Qingxia determined that Zhao Mengji still had intentions to submit to Liang. In early February, she dispatched assassins to infiltrate the prefectural office intending to kill Zhao Mengji and seize his military authority.
However, the movements of Lu Qingxia and others, including those they had bribed close to Zhao Mengji, were all under surveillance by Secret Office infiltrators. Receiving timely warning from Gu Mingfu, Zhao Mengji set a trap, captured the assassins, and later searched Lu Qingxia’s person to find a secret edict that Wusu Dashi had given her before the new year authorizing her to dispose of his life as circumstances warranted.
Even two of his trusted subordinate generals—particularly one who was the Military Inspector of his personal guard cavalry—had long been bought by Lu Qingxia.
Only at this moment did Zhao Mengji have no choice but to release An Jixiang. With the assistance of Staff Office Secret Office personnel, he purged dissidents in the army and placed Lu Qingxia, Zhou Yuan, and others under house arrest.
The abnormal behavior of Zhao Mengji and the Mengzhou garrison was impossible to completely conceal from the nearby Bianliang and Zelu garrison forces. However, the reason for not directly changing flags and allegiance was ultimately calculated on the fact that neither Wusu Dashi nor Zhu Rang would want to see Wang Xiaoxian flee without fighting.
As long as they still hoped Wang Xiaoxian would remain in Fengxiang to jointly defend both banks of the Wei River with Wang Yuankui, they would not proactively leak to Wang Xiaoxian the news that Zhao Mengji and the Mengzhou garrison had already submitted to Luoyang.
For these reasons, Zhao Mengji had not directly changed flags and allegiance.
At this time, Li Zhigao and Feng Xuan had already led forces to occupy Tianshui and other cities in the middle reaches of the Wei River, blocking Wang Xiaoxian’s westward escape route from the western foot of Long Mountain. The time had come for Zhao Mengji to formally change flags and allegiance.
Lu Qingxia and others were escorted out of the compound where they had been confined. More than ten horse-drawn carriages stopped on the main street ahead. Looking up, they saw a large banner raised from the front courtyard of the prefectural office not far away, bearing the clerical script character “Liang.” Looking further at the military officers surrounding the carriages, though they had not yet changed into Liang army uniforms, they were orderly without the imagined panic, indicating that the generals and officials under Zhao Mengji had already accepted the fact of submitting to the Liang army.
Escorted into the carriages, the windows were not deliberately sealed. Lu Qingxia and the others could still observe the situation outside through the carriage windows along the way.
Besides some infiltrators, Luoyang would also dispatch another group of personnel to handle Mengzhou’s reception and integration matters. Zhang Shimin and An Jixiang were responsible for escorting Lu Qingxia, Zhou Yuan, Yao Xishui, and others to Luoyang—two official ships flying the Luoyang navy battle flags had long been waiting at the Nanguan River dock.
Departing from Mengzhou at dusk traveling upstream, the night was clear with stars filling the sky, suitable for night navigation. They sailed through the night into the Yi and Luo rivers, turning southwest, traveling all the way until reaching the Yique Gate water checkpoint dock in northern Luoyang city. The sun was already slanting west the next day when they stopped and moored.
While other Wanhong Tower personnel and Zhou Yuan’s family members were being escorted to the Supervisory Office prison, the three individuals—Lu Qingxia, Yao Xishui, and Zhou Yuan—were directly escorted to Shangyang Garden by officials Han Qian had sent to wait at the dock.
In recent years, Luoyang city on the southern bank of the Luo River had completed repairs, nearly restored to its appearance before the Heshuo upheaval.
Although it served as the new national capital, newly developed industries such as mining and workshops were mainly concentrated in southern Luoyang, distributed along the Yi and Luo river banks.
Currently, Luoyang city primarily housed military officials, garrison troops, and their families. With Guanzhong, Hehuai, Taiyuan, Zelu, and other regions still not recovered, Heluo’s geographical advantage as the central hub of the realm naturally had not yet manifested. With few merchants and travelers and not many city residents, it was not as prosperous and lively as imagined, giving people a false impression of mediocrity.
Shangyang Garden, where Han Qian handled daily military and political affairs and resided, was also quite simple.
The carriages and horses arrived directly before Lingyun Pavilion. Lu Qingxia, Zhou Yuan, and Yao Xishui were brought down from the carriages. At this moment, more than ten generals emerged from Lingyun Pavilion. They seemed to clearly know the identities of these three people. As they passed by, they examined them several times, but no one came forward to speak with them before leaving one after another.
Xi Ren walked to the front of the hall steps and waved for Yin Peng to bring Lu Qingxia, Zhou Yuan, and Yao Xishui into the hall, also gesturing for Zhang Shimin and An Jixiang, who had merit in recruiting Zhao Mengji, to enter the hall.
The western wall of Lingyun Pavilion had been fitted with glass windows showing a pale green luster. At this moment, the setting sun shone into the great hall, making the interior extremely bright.
Han Qian sat behind the imperial desk wearing vermillion python robes. Now thirty-eight years old, he wore dense short whiskers on his upper lip. His resolute expression revealed the dignified bearing of a sovereign.
Feng Liao, Han Daoming, Chen Jingzhou, Yun Puzi, and others sat in two rows—all could be said to be old acquaintances of Lu Qingxia, Zhou Yuan, and Yao Xishui.
“Twenty years of tumultuous times have passed in the blink of an eye. Han Qian never imagined he could see Madam Lu, Lord Zhou, and Miss Yao again at this time and place…” Han Qian set down the memorial he was reviewing, observing that Lu Qingxia and Zhou Yuan both had frosted temples, while Yao Xishui, whose appearance had once been at its peak, now inevitably had several fine crow’s feet at the corners of her eyes. He spoke with considerable emotion.
“Matters have come to this point. What more is there to say?” Lu Qingxia tried hard to straighten her wrinkled clothing to make herself look more presentable, saying, “Since you still pay tribute to the Chu court, especially at this time when you still want to continue deceiving the Chu court, you merely want to send us to Jinling for trial to show weakness. With your current status as sovereign, there’s no need to specifically mock us defeated subordinates, is there?”
“Madam Lu shows quite some self-awareness. However, every detail from twenty years ago is still vivid in my mind now. How could I bear to not reminisce about past events before having you escorted to Jinling for trial?”
Han Qian smiled sardonically, then suddenly looked at Lu Qingxia solemnly and asked:
“Thirty-two years have passed since the fall of the previous dynasty. The realm has been divided into four parts. Who knows how many common people have been separated from wives and children, their corpses left in the wilderness? Madam Lu spent the previous twenty-some years lurking within the palace prohibition. Perhaps you couldn’t see how much hunger the realm suffered. But after being expelled from Jinling, these six or seven years of wandering in decline like a stray dog—how much obsession remains in your heart to avenge past grievances, not hesitating to throw the realm into chaos?”
“Today you hold great power. Naturally all words are yours to speak,” Lu Qingxia said.
Han Qian looked toward Zhou Yuan and Yao Xishui. Seeing they both lowered their heads, paying him no attention, he smiled sardonically: “It seems you truly remain unrepentant unto death. Then eat a few days of prison food in my Great Liang before departing…”
Han Qian waved his hand, having Zhang Shimin directly escort them to be imprisoned in the Supervisory Office prison, then granted An Jixiang a seat.
An Jixiang and Chen Ruyi were both disciples brought out by Zhang Ping. Chen Ruyi had willingly let himself be driven by Lu Qingxia, ultimately killed because Lu Qingxia covered up the truth of an assassination—this could also be said to be deserved. An Jixiang was coerced into fleeing Jinling, then driven out of Liangzhou together. Although he followed Lu Qingxia and Zhou Yuan in submitting to the Mongols and served as an official in Mengzhou, it was more a matter of being helpless, going with the flow.
These years in Mengzhou, An Jixiang had not colluded with Lu Qingxia and Zhou Yuan together. Rather, in Mengzhou he struck the bell for one day as a monk for one day—perhaps these times had born pessimistic thoughts in his heart, no longer consumed by fame and profit, or perhaps he still remembered in his heart the kindness with which Zhang Ping and Emperor Yanyou Yang Yuanpu had treated him.
Han Qian inquired about the current situation in Mengzhou, then asked about his future plans—whether he was willing to remain in Luoyang to serve as an official.
“These years residing in Mengzhou, I’ve come to know a few drinking and literary friends. In leisure time, drinking wine and appreciating literature can quite pass the time. I humbly request Your Majesty’s gracious permission to let Jixiang remain in Mengzhou to peacefully spend my remaining years,” An Jixiang requested.
“You’re still a year younger than me. Thinking about peacefully spending remaining years at this time is far too early,” Han Qian said with a smile. “You want to return to Mengzhou, that’s fine. Officials still need to be dispatched there to settle matters of the people’s livelihood. Let Feng Liao arrange a leisurely assignment for you…”
“Thank you, Your Majesty.” After An Jixiang performed the ritual, he took his leave first.
An Jixiang had no residence in Luoyang and no intention of establishing one. Han Qian had Yin Peng first arrange for him to stay at the Duting Courier Station. After Feng Liao became free, the History Office would arrange a suitable assignment and send An Jixiang back to Mengzhou.