The Rebirth of Han Yuxi

Chapter 0657 Han Jianming Arrives In The Northwest

Yun Qing was reading the military report delivered by Feng Dajunʼs men when he heard his guard, Gao Song, inform him, ”General, Madamʼs Dage is here and says he wants to see you.” In the northwest, the title ʼDuke Hanʼ was less effective than the identity of Yuxiʼs elder brother.

It was also because Gao Song had met Han Gao at the Yun residence before; otherwise, it wouldnʼt have been so easy for Han Jianming to gain an audience with Yun Qing.

Putting down the military report, Yun Qing said, ”Please bring him to the main hall.” Yun Qing now lived in the governor-generalʼs mansion. Rebelling had always been about becoming the Governor-General of Shaanxi and Gansu, and now, his dream had finally come true.

When Yun Qing walked into the hall, he saw that Han Jianming looked extremely weak. Yun Qing asked, ”What happened?” He recognised Han Jianming — despite not having seen him for over ten years, he still remembered his face.

Although Han Jianming was weak, he still spoke fluently. ”When I was in Shanxi, we encountered bandits. They killed all the guards I brought with me, as was the eunuch sent by the Emperor. Only two of my personal bodyguards and I survived.”

Just thinking about it made Han Jianming seethe with anger. After entering Shanxi, he ordered everyone to disguise themselves as ordinary people. However, the eunuch accompanying him insisted on staying at an inn and refused to camp outdoors. As a result, their identity was exposed at a relay station.

The next day, they encountered a fierce gang of bandits on the road. Thankfully, he had a good horse and, under the protection of his guards, he managed to escape; otherwise, he really would have died under the banditsʼ blades.

Yun Qing instructed Gao Song, ”Go get Physician He.” The bandits in Shanxi were notoriously vicious — surviving an encounter with them was a matter of luck.

Han Jianming interjected, ”Itʼs just a minor injury. No need to call a physician.” But clearly, no one listened — Gao Song still went out.

Yun Qing asked, ”Dage, what brings you to the northwest?” Despite Han Jianyeʼs foolish mistakes, Yun Qing always had a good impression of Han Jianming.

Han Jianming didnʼt hide anything from Yun Qing, explaining why the Emperor had sent him there.

Yun Qing chuckled. ”Dage, the Emperor sent you here to die.” Fortunately, thanks to Yuxi, he had a good impression of this Dajiuzi — under normal circumstances, if someone came to persuade him to surrender, he would simply cut them down with a single sword.

However, Han Jianming didnʼt dwell on the Emperorʼs intentions, instead asking, ”How are Yuxi and the children? Are they all right?” Ever since the news of Yun Qingʼs rebellion reached the capital, Han Jianming had kept his doors tightly shut, only secretly sending people out to gather information.

But news from the northwest was not easy to come by.

Yun Qing nodded slightly and replied, ”Yuxi and the children are all doing well. She just misses her mother terribly and often laments that she married too far away and canʼt fulfil her filial duty to her.”

Han Jianming smiled weakly. ”As long as she and the children are doing well, that is the greatest form of filial piety towards her mother.”

These words brought Yun Qing comfort. ”I received news yesterday — Yan Wushuang has rebelled in Liaodong. Half of the military power there is now in his hands.” The couple had anticipated Yan Wushuangʼs rebellion, so Yun Qing wasnʼt surprised at all.

Han Jianmingʼs face lit up with joy. ”Since Liaodong has rebelled, the Emperor will surely transfer troops from Hebei and other regions to suppress them. This is an opportunity for you, Meifu.”

Yun Qing shook his head and said, ”After all these years of war, the population of the northwest has already dropped by more than 40%. If it continues like this, all the young, able-bodied men in every city and county will be conscripted, leaving only the elderly, the weak, women and children behind.”

Han Jianming understood the meaning behind Yun Qingʼs words and asked, ”Are you thinking of compromising with the Imperial Court?” Although this was indeed the purpose of his trip to the northwest, hearing Yun Qing say it brought him no joy. In fact, he thought Yun Qing was being foolish. After all, if he took over more territory, he could replenish his forces.

Yun Qing nodded. ”You can submit a memorial to the Emperor and tell him I only want jurisdiction over Shaanxi, Gansu and Xihai. I think the Emperor will agree at this juncture.” Yun Qing originally only wanted to be governor of Shaanxi and Gansu, but Yuxi added Xihai.

Yuxi knew Yun Qingʼs temperament, and getting him to continue attacking Henan or Sichuan was impossible. In Yun Qingʼs mind, wiping out the Northern Barbarians was the top priority, and territorial expansion had to take a back seat. The troops he had were intended to deal with the Northern Barbarians.

After a moment of silence, Han Jianming asked, ”Have you made up your mind?” Seeing Yun Qing nod, he couldnʼt help but ask, ”What about Yuxi? What did she say?”

Yun Qing answered, ”Yuxi said the people need time to recover and recuperate.” Her agreement had actually come after careful consideration. Those who rebel first are often the ones who die the fastest. A starved camel is still bigger than a horse — if the Emperor truly decided to crush them, they would have no chance of escaping. Therefore, it would be better to compromise with the Imperial Court, for now and spend a few years properly governing the northwest.

Gao Song entered and announced, ”General, Physician He is here.”

Physician He first examined Han Jianmingʼs wound and then checked his pulse, before saying, ”Youʼve lost too much blood, and you havenʼt rested properly, which is why youʼre so weak. Iʼll prescribe some medicine. Take it for three days, and Iʼll come back to check on you.” After writing the prescription, he cleaned and re-bandaged the wound, left some replacement medicine, and departed with his medicine box.

Once the physician had left, Han Jianming asked, ”Meifu, why do you only want jurisdiction over these three regions?” He really couldnʼt understand — after all, these provinces were all resource-poor.

Yun Qing didnʼt respond directly to Han Jianmingʼs question. Instead, he said, ”I only want the soldiers and the people of the northwest to live good lives.” If the Emperor and his ministers had heard him, they would probably have coughed up blood.

Han Jianming had no idea what expression was on his face at that moment.

Yun Qing didnʼt need anyone to understand him; he just needed to do what he believed was right. Just then, Gao Song came over and said, ”General, a battle report has arrived from Jinzhou.”

Han Jianming said weakly, ”Meifu, go take care of your business. Once Iʼve rested, Iʼll write the memorial and have someone send it to the capital.” If it were just Yun Qingʼs idea, he definitely wouldnʼt write it, but since Yuxi had also agreed to this, that girl must have her own calculations.

Han Gao truly couldnʼt make sense of it and said, ”My Lord, all along the way, we heard that the Northwest Armyʼs momentum was like splitting bamboo.” Having heard so much about the armyʼs invincibility, meeting Yun Qing in person and hearing what he said had left Han Gao feeling disillusioned.

However, Han Jianming merely laughed. ”For someone like him, the fact that Yuxi managed to persuade him to rebel is truly impressive.” No matter what, Yun Qing only wanted jurisdiction over Shaanxi, Gansu, and Xihai. Although this differed greatly from what the Emperor had originally wanted from him, given the current situation, Han Jianming believed that the Emperor would definitely agree.

After taking the medicine, Han Jianming lay down and didnʼt get up again until it was dark. He asked, ”What time is it now?”

When he heard it was the end of the xushi, Han Jianming smiled and said, ”Go find me something to eat.” It had been a long time since heʼd had such a peaceful sleep.

Han Gao walked out into the courtyard and saw two soldiers standing outside. He asked them, ”Our Duke is hungry and wants something to eat. Can you take me somewhere to get some?”

One of the soldiers replied, ”Wait here, Iʼll bring it to you.” Yun Qing held no grudges against Han Jianming, but his subordinates did not feel the same way.

Han Jianming walked into the courtyard and looked up at the sky. It was only the end of the second month, and only a few stars were visible. He smiled, feeling that the sky here was more vast than in the capital.

Han Gao looked up as well and wondered, ”My Lord, why do I feel like the stars are brighter here than in the capital?”

Suddenly, a shooting star lit up the entire sky as it flashed past. However, before they could get a good look at it, it had already vanished into the night.

Han Gao exclaimed, ”My Lord, a falling star — thatʼs an ominous sign!”

Han Jianming paused and responded, ”Even without that ʼfalling starʼ, the world wouldnʼt be at peace anyway.” Yan Wushuang was nothing like Yun Qing — he was a ruthless one. It was time to start planning how to bring his parent, wife, and children to the northwest.

The food arrived quickly.

Han Gao opened the food container and saw a large bowl of red date chicken soup. Smiling, he said, ”My Lord, Si Guye really is thoughtful.” Despite how busy General Yun was with military affairs, he still remembered to have the kitchen prepare chicken soup with red dates to nourish the body — thatʼs certainly a sign of consideration.

Han Jianming, fully aware of his position, countered, ”Thatʼs because of Yuxiʼs sake.” Nevertheless, Yun Qing was indeed considerate of him.

The next day, Han Jianming handed Yun Qing the memorial he had written. ”This is what I wrote last night — itʼs ready to be sent to the capital. Take a look and see if anything needs to be added.” Truth be told, Han Jianming was showing Yun Qing a great deal of respect.

After reading it, Yun Qing nodded. ”Itʼs fine.” Although Han Jianmingʼs writing wasnʼt particularly elegant, it was still better than Yun Qingʼs.

Once the memorial had been sent out, Han Jianming finally asked about Han Jianye. ”Meifu, how is my good-for-nothing younger brother doing?”

Yun Qing used to get on well with Han Jianye, but what happened this time caused him to lose all fondness for him. ”Heʼs staying quietly at the Yun residence right now. Once things have settled down, Iʼll have someone send him back to the capital.” He certainly had no intention of keeping Han Jianye in the northwest.

Han Jianming shook his head. ”He canʼt return to the capital. Itʼs chaotic there at the moment, and given his personality, heʼll definitely be taken advantage of by people with ulterior motives. If you donʼt want him to stay here, then let him go to Sichuan and seek refuge with Lu Gang.” Noticing Yun Qingʼs strange expression, Han Jianming added, ”Iʼll write a letter to Lu Gang about it — I wonʼt make things difficult for you.”

Yun Qing shook his head and explained, ”Thatʼs not it. The one currently leading the assault on Jinzhou is Lu Gang.” Had Han Jianming not mentioned it, Yun Qing would have forgotten that he and Lu Gang were distantly related.

Now, even Han Jianming didnʼt know what kind of expression he should have.

Seeing this response from Han Jianming, Yun Qing said, ”If the Imperial Court agrees to my terms, Lu Gang will definitely withdraw. Dage, do you want me to send troops to bring him over?”

Han Jianming shook his head helplessly. ”No need. Iʼll write a letter to Jianye, and let him find Lu Gang himself.”

Yun Qing felt Han Jianming hadnʼt thought this through, saying, ”Dage, rather than sending him to Sichuan, why not let him go to Fujian? Iʼm sure Lu Gang knows about Yuxiʼs matter — if he goes there, he may not be well received.” Lu Gang was Han Jianyeʼs brother-in-law, and if he knew the whole story, how could he possibly treat Han Jianye kindly?

Han Jianming had his reasons for sending Han Jianye to Sichuan. ”Just let him go to Sichuan. When the time comes, Iʼll send his wife there to reunite with him.