Chapter 845: The End of the Guanzhong Incident

At this point, the failure of the Xiliang army was already inevitable, and it seemed certain that they would be wiped out by Cao Cao.

After Liu Xie failed to pardon Li Jue and others during their last encounter, he had been plagued with guilt for a long time. This time, he considered pardoning Li Jue for his contributions to Guanzhong. However, under the persistent opposition of Dong Cheng and others, he ultimately issued an order for their execution.

Around this time, Li Fan arrived in Chang’an from Yanzhou and stayed for a while with Liu Ye, posing as Li You’s steward. Afterward, he traveled to Fufeng, to the area around Mei County, which was the ancestral home of Fazheng. There, following the rites of a marquis, he restored the dilapidated Fazheng family estate.

Although Fazheng did not personally visit Fufeng, everything that symbolized his status had already arrived. At such a young age, having been ennobled as a marquis before the age of twenty, this was enough to make the Jiang and Wang families in Fufeng deeply regret their previous actions. However, the past could not be undone, and with their statuses now worlds apart, looking back, they could only see how laughable they had once been.

There was no mockery, no disdain—Li Fan simply instructed his men to repair the Fazheng family estate according to the standards of a marquis. Even though Fazheng did not appear in person, the men of the Jiang and Wang families felt their faces burning with shame and, behind that, a rising fear.

More than a year ago, when Fazheng’s cousin, Fa Yan, came to marry Jiang Ying and the Wang family’s daughter, he had left in bitter disappointment. Now, not a single member of the Fazheng family had come to this place, and no words of scorn or ridicule were spoken. Yet, those who had mocked the fallen Fazheng family now bowed their heads in awe.

After Li Fan departed, the Jiang and Wang families found themselves in internal conflict over the broken engagement from more than a year prior. In the end, it remained unresolved, and with no word from Jiang Ying and Wang Yi for so long, the families could only conclude that they had done their best.

As for Fazheng’s marriage to Jiang Ying, no date had been set yet, and naturally, no invitations had been sent. The Jiang and Wang families had neither the face nor the courage to raise the issue again. They had made their move first, and now Fazheng could repay in kind at his discretion.

Perhaps the only one with any real regret was the Wang family’s daughter, who had missed her chance to transform from a sparrow into a phoenix.

What Li Fan had done was simply to help Fazheng vent some frustration. He had more important matters to attend to.

When Li Fan appeared outside the temporary camp where Li Jue was stationed and was spotted by Guo Si, Guo Si was nearly scared to death.

But that fear quickly turned into overwhelming joy. In such a desperate situation, seeing Li You’s old steward filled him with hope. As long as Li You was alive, the Xiliang army would still have a fighting chance against the various warlords. The Xiliang soldiers were never short on courage and strength; all they lacked was a spiritual leader.

After elevating Li Fan to a position of honor, Li Jue, Guo Si, and Fan Chou gathered the Xiliang officers who had previously encountered Li Fan to seek his counsel.

To be honest, despite the dire situation, the Xiliang officers were not demoralized. Back when they followed Dong Zhuo, they had faced even more harrowing circumstances. At least now they had enough food to last for more than three months. Moreover, the Xiliang army was united as one.

"Lord Li, it has been many years. How is the strategist?" Li Jue and the others bowed deeply to Li Fan.

The officers, upon seeing Li Fan, were overjoyed. Li You was the spiritual pillar of the Xiliang army, and seeing Li Fan, whom they had thought dead, brought them immense relief. With Li You still alive, they had no reason to fear any enemy.

"The strategist is well. He sent me to deliver this to the general," Li Fan said, handing a letter to Li Jue.

Li Jue opened the letter and, with just one glance, recognized Li You’s handwriting. The other officers, most of whom were illiterate, crowded around and nodded repeatedly, confirming that it was indeed from Li You.

After reading the letter, Li Jue folded it and said to Li Fan, "You may leave now. I will remember the strategist’s words. After defeating the Qiang, I will not interfere in Yong and Liang without his orders."

Li Fan said no more. He left quietly, returning to Yanzhou, and then headed back to Mount Tai. After that, he rarely appeared in public again, continuing to serve as Li You’s shadowy steward.

Although Li Jue had some doubts about everything written in Li You’s letter, he ultimately chose to follow the instructions to the letter.

Soon after, Li Jue launched a campaign against the Qiang tribes, including the Jiangrong, Xianling Qiang, Shaodang Qiang, Zhong Qiang, Lejie Qiang, Beinai Qiang, Dangjian Qiang, Han Qiang, and Qiedong Qiang. He won victory after victory, eventually securing the Han dynasty's borders. Although the Qiang tribes resented him, they were powerless to resist.

After severely weakening dozens of Qiang tribes that had been encroaching on the borders of the Han, Li Jue’s Xiliang forces also suffered significant losses. Following this, Hua Xiong took command of eight thousand of the finest Xiliang cavalry and many wounded soldiers. In a shocking turn of events, the emperor demoted Li Jue, Guo Si, and Fan Chou to the rank of Wuji Colonels and ordered them to take up positions in the Western Regions.

Thus, Li Jue, Guo Si, and Fan Chou quietly led the few remaining Xiliang cavalry out of Yong and Liang and headed for their new posts in the Western Regions.

This outcome was the result of intricate political maneuvering and compromises between Han Sui, Cao Cao, Yang Biao, and others. However, the one who reaped the greatest rewards was Hua Xiong. The true elite of the Xiliang army, aside from the four thousand cavalry under Zhang Xiu’s command, had been entrusted to Hua Xiong before Li Jue’s departure.

After Li Jue left, Hua Xiong, Liu Ye, and Yu Jin swiftly withdrew from Guanzhong. Xun Shen, after seeing Xun Yu enter Guanzhong through Hangu Pass, also led his forces toward Bingzhou.

Leaving Guanzhong was easy for Xun Shen, but for Hua Xiong, it was fraught with danger. The eight thousand elite Xiliang cavalry, along with over ten thousand injured Xiliang soldiers, represented the seeds of some of the most formidable troops in the land. If given the chance, even Cao Cao would have preferred to keep them from leaving under Hua Xiong’s command.

However, Guanzhong had only just stabilized, and Ma Teng, after Li Jue’s crushing victories over the Qiang tribes, had successfully united the once fragmented Qiang into a single force, greatly increasing his own power. Naturally, he wasn’t satisfied with a mere marquis title as compensation.

And so, despite traveling through treacherous terrain, Hua Xiong managed to lead his forces to safety in Yanzhou without suffering any losses. There, Chen Xi awaited the arrival of his officers, preparing to cross the Yellow River from Jiyin to Puyang and march north to Ye City.

"You’ve returned!" Chen Xi, riding on horseback, watched as a long black line stretched toward the horizon from outside the camp. Zhang Fei was by his side. The eight thousand elite Xiliang cavalry approached from a distance, their charge shaking the earth with an unstoppable force that left everyone breathless.

The most formidable army in the land had arrived in Yanzhou, and only the vast plains could accommodate such an awe-inspiring military force.

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