Chapter 374 - 368: Prince East Sea Sends Troops
Liu Yuan was disappointed and his gaze fell on Zhao Hanzhang and Fu Tinghan. Unable to hold back, he invited them: "General Zhao, Mr. Fu, if both of you are willing to come to my Han Kingdom, I will definitely welcome you with open arms."
He shared a piece of news, "Mr. Fu might not be aware, but Fu Zhongshu led troops to support Yu State, yet was blocked halfway by the Prince East Sea’s forces. The Prince East Sea is brutal, and no one knows what he might do to Fu Zhongshu."
Fu Tinghan and Zhao Hanzhang both had a change of expression.
Liu Yuan sighed loudly: "With such a court, how can it still be worthy for you righteous men to serve?"
Zhao Hanzhang finally stopped observing quietly, sitting up straight on horseback and looking across the river at Liu Yuan with piercing eyes, she loudly asked: "Liu Chanyu, you recruit us because the Jin Court owes us, using us naturally puts you at ease, but why are you also so assured in using Wang Mi?"
She continued: "One must know that the Jin Court never wronged Wang Mi, his relationship with the Wang Family was perfectly harmonious. Such a person who does not think of serving the country but only of causing chaos, aren’t you afraid he will turn against you one day?"
Liu Chanyu’s face darkened and he harshly replied: "General Zhao, I’m sincerely inviting you, why do you sow discord between me and my worthy ministers?"
Zhao Hanzhang sneered internally, but outwardly appeared indifferent, replying loudly: "How is that sowing discord? Clearly, I am kindly reminding you; if you don’t believe me, then forget it."
Liu Yuan felt stifled, irritated by Zhao Hanzhang once again.
Yet Zhao Hanzhang had opened a Pandora’s box, addressing Liu Yuan loudly: "Liu Chanyu, the Central Plains will never recognize the Xiongnu Khanate as the heir of the Shu Han, do you know why?"
Liu Yuan’s gaze darkened; he claimed to be a descendant of Shu Han for legitimacy, and Zhao Hanzhang’s direct denial was far from pleasing.
But he genuinely wanted to know why because he knew Zhao Hanzhang spoke the truth.
Zhao Hanzhang raised her chin proudly and said: "Because neither Chanyu nor his followers have ever truly considered themselves as descendants of Shu Han!"
Zhao Hanzhang turned her horse, leaving behind a remark, "Only when Liu Chanyu can truly let himself and his subordinates inwardly believe that they are descendants of Shu Han, will your Han Kingdom be the Han Kingdom of the Central Plains."
Fu Tinghan silently turned his horse to follow, while the Zhao Family Army rushed off with them.
Beigong Chun didn’t linger, having nothing to say to Liu Yuan; he chased them just to ensure they were truly retreating and wouldn’t return.
Zhao Hanzhang reined her horse in, waiting for Beigong Chun to catch up before she was about to invite him to look for Fu Zhi together. Beigong Chun had already spoken first: "General Zhao, we’ll part ways here."
Zhao Hanzhang paused and asked: "Where is General Beigong headed?"
Beigong Chun gave her a peculiar look and said: "Naturally back to Xiliang. Now that the Xiongnu have retreated, both Luoyang and Yu State have been relieved. We’ve accomplished our mission, it’s time to return to Xiliang."
"Precisely because the turmoil of Luoyang and Yu State has been resolved, you should stay," Zhao Hanzhang said, "I still need to give General a commendation; in repelling the Xiongnu, General Beigong is the foremost contributor."
Beigong Chun was aware of his own merit; he knew his own prowess, but in repelling the Xiongnu, he truly wasn’t the foremost, so he shook his head and said: "The foremost is General Zhao, next is Gou Xi, my contribution is really negligible."
He wanted to return to Xiliang, and the Xiliang soldiers behind him were also eager to go home, so none wished to stay.
Zhao Hanzhang intended to persuade further, but a scout rode up to report, "General, Prince East Sea has assembled troops in Yu State, confronting General Gou. Both sides are about to start fighting!"
This scout belonged to Zhao Hanzhang, her lips curled into a subtle smile, thus halting her words of persuasion.
Beigong Chun’s smile also faded, and he asked: "Have they started fighting?"
Scout: "Not yet, but it looks likely."
Though anticipated, Zhao Hanzhang couldn’t help tutting, "Prince East Sea is quite quick this time."
Moreover, he intercepted Fu Zhi.
Beigong Chun pursed his lips, even more unwilling to stay. He directly bid farewell to Zhao Hanzhang, "General Zhao, my soldiers from Xiliang have been away from home for a long time and are homesick, let’s forego the celebration, just have General Zhao and Mr. Fu drink to the Xiliang Army a cup on my behalf."
Zhao Hanzhang realized Yu State was fraught with disputes, truly unable to properly host Beigong Chun. Feeling slightly regretful, she then nodded and refrained from further insistence, "Alright, I’ll accompany General Beigong for a while."
She led her troops to escort Beigong Chun to the road ahead where they would part ways; he headed west toward Xiliang, while Zhao Hanzhang headed south to Yu State, still needing to find Fu Zhi along the way, unaware of where he was intercepted by Prince East Sea...
Zhao Hanzhang greatly admired Beigong Chun, finding him one of the few pure individuals she’d encountered in this era, and precisely because she admired him, Zhao Hanzhang refrained from making things difficult for him.
She said, "General Beigong, should you ever have need, feel free to come to Yu State to find me. If there is anything you require, Hanzhang will certainly endeavor to assist."
Upon hearing Zhao Hanzhang say this, Beigong Chun couldn’t help but show a big smile, nodding: "I ask General Zhao to provide me a letter, to facilitate passage through the various checkpoints."
Actually, he could travel without it, but having a letter from the Yu State Governor would make the journey much smoother.
Zhao Hanzhang agreed. Although she hadn’t received an official appointment, she held the Inspector seal given by He Ci Shi.
This was purposely given to her by He Ci Shi when she decided to set forth from Chen County, to ease her mind.
Though she didn’t need it for peace of mind, having it did indeed comfort her.
Beigong Chun knew of the Yu State Inspector seal in her possession having seen her use it to issue military orders.
Zhao Hanzhang wrote him a pass letter on the spot, and when handing it over, couldn’t help but advise once more, "General Beigong, you are valorous and wise, a rare excellent general. Among all the soldiers I’ve seen, you rank foremost. If ever confused and uncertain of your direction, you can come to Yu State."
She sincerely stated: "I do not seek your assistance, only hope to help you in some way; that alone would satisfy me greatly."
Beigong Chun looked at her surprised, for quite a while, unable to resist a glance at Fu Tinghan standing behind her.
Her words carried a double meaning, and most crucially, she appeared to genuinely admire him – well, did Fu Tinghan truly not mind?
Beigong Chun couldn’t help shivering, quickly replying: "Thank you, General Zhao, I’ll remember. It’s getting late, you need to stop Prince East Sea and Gou Xi from fighting, and also find Fu Zhongshu, I’ll set off now."
Zhao Hanzhang nodded and watched him leave.
Fu Tinghan noticed her regaining her composure and asked: "Will he be unable to return?"
Zhao Hanzhang shook her head: "I don’t know, but I know returning to Xiliang won’t be easy for him, so I left him an alternative path, hoping that should he find it difficult to return, he would come to me."
"Historically, where did he go and whom did he seek?"
Zhao Hanzhang replied gloomily: "He ended up being detained in Chang’an, and followed Sima Mo."
"He and Sima Mo together surrendered to Liu Cong."
Fu Tinghan said: "Now, Chang’an is managed by my grandfather."
Zhao Hanzhang blinked, indeed, Fu Zhi had just recruited troops from Chang’an, in a certain sense, he wielded significant influence there.