Chapter 182 All Belong to the Xianbei.

Chapter 182: All Fall Under Xianbei Rule

Everyone was startled, and Tuo Baxiao instinctively reached out to pull her up, but his hand stopped midway.

As if reading her mind, he understood the meaning behind her kneeling.

Though she had completely severed ties with Liang State and chosen to lead the Xianbei in unifying the realm, it did not mean she was indifferent to all that had happened.

At this moment, those who had followed Jiang Congyan back to Chang’an were visibly moved. Even the Xianbei soldiers nearby sensed a profound and solemn emotion.

The Han people’s so-called patriotism now materialized vividly before their eyes.

Everything fell silent, save for the gentle breeze brushing Jiang Congyan’s face and hair—like a whisper from the dead.

Jiang Congyan hadn’t intended this, but the sight of the city in ruins, contrasted with memories of its former prosperity, moved her deeply.

“Let’s enter the city,” she said, turning slightly toward Tuo Baxiao.

The procession resumed, but the scene just witnessed was seared into everyone’s memory.

Chang’an’s devastation was clear from outside the walls, but only upon entering did they realize the full extent of the destruction.

Many houses had long been reduced to ashes, and collapsed walls were everywhere, leaving only faint traces of the past.

Though the corpses in the city had been cleared, the sweltering heat left a lingering stench of rot hanging in the air.

Chang’an was now a ghost town.

The fire in the Taiji Palace had turned the imperial palace into a heap of charred rubble. In contrast, the residence of the King of Chu, though looted by the Xiongnu, still retained its basic structure. With some cleaning, it became barely livable.

Jiang Congyan decided to return to the King of Chu’s residence.

This campaign south meant they would not return to the royal court for some time. They had brought many belongings, and A Fei arranged for Jiang Congyan’s old courtyard to be cleaned first.

After so much, she had finally returned here.

Night had fallen, and they settled in hastily for the evening.

Noticing her gloom, Tuo Baxiao didn’t pester her that night. He just held her close and fell into a deep sleep.

After a good night’s rest, Jiang Congyan awoke the next day with fresh vigor and began the work of reconstruction.

She first ordered the Xianbei Army to scour the city and surrounding areas, ensuring all corpses were cleared away. In such heat, leaving the dead to rot would risk an outbreak. At the same time, she directed craftsmen and laborers to repair the palace and city walls.

The Guanzhong region had suffered severe depopulation, so Jiang Congyan issued proclamations encouraging displaced civilians to return home.

The mountain of work was complex and demanding, while also requiring efforts to reassure and address the needs of people across the land. From the moment she began, Jiang Congyan did not rest for a single day.

By October, the last Xiongnu forces had been completely annihilated. The Xianbei forces occupied Hanzhong, while Luoyang, Yuzhou, Qingzhou, and other regions also fell under Xianbei control.

In November, the Xiongnu royal court was overrun, and the remaining factions were forced to flee north or west.

From then on, the former territories of the Xianbei and Xiongnu, along with Liangzhou and half of Liang State, were fully merged. North of the Huai River, from the Western Regions to the Bohai Sea—all belonged to the Xianbei.

This placed immense pressure on the newly established court in Jiankang.

At the start of the year, the aristocratic clans had fled south. After much political maneuvering, they finally established a small court in Jiankang. Huan Jun, following his original trajectory, rose to become the Minister of Finance, overseeing national administration, military expenditures, land taxes, and household levies. Yet this time was different—his power was immense, and with the young emperor in his grasp, he faced few restraints.

Xie Shao was promoted to Grand General of Huainan, commanding an army of one hundred thousand.

Together, the two controlled the entire southern court.

The northern aristocratic clans, having nowhere to settle, were naturally unwilling and engaged in fierce conflict with the local clans.

They controlled vast wealth, books, and skilled artisans, and the people they brought with them were numerous, giving them enough leverage to challenge the local clans. However, Huan Jun kept both sides in check, ensuring neither gained the upper hand. Taking advantage of their rivalry, he exploited their conflict to strip away privileges, imposing restrictions on their landholdings and tax benefits.

The southern clans were naturally unwilling, but Huan Jun privately argued with the northern clans that curbing the southern clans was their only path to stability.

The northern clans truly had no other choice. People resent others having what they lack—that’s human nature—and this is far more unbearable than if neither side possessed anything.

In the end, the northern clans decided to support Huan Jun’s reforms, and they finally obtained a share of land and benefits.

Just as the small court had barely stabilized, Jiang Huai arrived.

His appearance sent shockwaves through the court.

The first thought that crossed everyone’s minds was—he actually survived?

The second thought—was he here to seize power?

It was no wonder they thought so. Upon seeing Jiang Huai again, everyone noticed he bore no resemblance to his former drunken, aimless self.

His gaze was clear, his demeanor dignified, reminiscent of the refined and upright imperial grandson Jiang Huai from twenty or thirty years ago.

Back then, he had once eclipsed even Jiang Ming in brilliance, which was why some of the old ministers had sought to support him.

If Jiang Huai were to seize power now, it wouldn’t be impossible. He carried the blood of the Founding Emperor and Crown Prince Zhaowen. With Jiang Ming dead and only a young prince remaining, didn’t this mirror the past?

Most crucially, he had a powerful daughter.

His daughter was Tuo Baxiao’s wife, and Tuo Baxiao’s Xianbei forces had now reached their peak. With his daughter’s support, seizing the throne would be effortless.

Jiang Huai was welcomed into Jiankang, and though he noticed the varied expressions of those around him, he pretended not to notice, merely stating that after the city fell, he had barely escaped the Xiongnu’s grasp and fled south for months before he could finally rest.

“Has Your Highness the King of Chu not heard?” Wang Gui asked.

“Heard what?” Jiang Huai acted completely clueless.

“Tuo Baxiao’s Xianbei army has already conquered the entire north.”

Jiang Huai was startled. “Truly?”

He even seemed somewhat regretful—had he known earlier, perhaps he wouldn’t have come south.

His reaction left everyone guessing—was he truly unaware, or was this an act?

In any case, Jiang Huai settled in Jiankang.

Outwardly, he made no moves, but unease spread. Many secretly approached him, probing him with veiled suggestions, while others outright offered to help him seize the throne. Jiang Huai acted oblivious every time, insisting he only wanted to survive.

When Huan Jun heard the reports, a glint of suspicion passed through his eyes. Finally, he went to see Jiang Huai alone.

He didn’t believe Jiang Huai had come to Jiankang just to idle around, like he said.

Jiankang was crowded, with little land to spare, and every household lived in cramped conditions. Though Jiang Huai was the King of Chu, he was only allotted a cramped two-courtyard house—a far fall from the lavish Chu Palace he once had. Fortunately, he had few servants, so it was manageable.

When Huan Jun arrived, Jiang Huai was playing with a big white bird.

The bird was enormous—almost unheard of.

For a moment, he forgot why he had come and stared at the majestic creature. "Is this your pet?"

"No, it saw food here and landed in the courtyard, refusing to leave," Jiang Huai said with a straight face, spouting nonsense.

Lingxiao seemed to understand and gave a disgruntled squawk.

A bird of prey like this could intimidate just by standing there, and its sudden cry startled Huan Jun, who just barely kept his cool.

After tossing the last strip of meat, Jiang Huai clapped his hands and turned to Huan Jun.

"I heard you've done quite well these years."

So he’s finally done playing dumb, Huan Jun thought.

"Just doing my part."

"So, what will you do next?" Jiang Huai pressed.

Huan Jun replied, "I can only try to hold together the situation in Huainan."

"You mean to maintain the remnant court and oppose the Xianbei in the north?"

Huan Jun remained silent.

Over the years, he had done everything within his power. The south was generally stable now, but to confront the Xianbei—truthfully, he wasn’t delusional enough to think that possible.

"Silence means you haven’t decided yet. Then think it over. But remember, what rests on your shoulders isn’t just your own fate, but that of millions."

These final words landed on Huan Jun like a ton of bricks.

After leaving Jiang Huai’s residence, Huan Jun walked the streets alone and, without realizing it, ended up at Lu Yun’s place.

Lu Yun didn’t live with the Huan family. After arriving in Jiankang, she had moved out and rented a small courtyard nearby.

When Huan Jun knocked, the door opened, and he was taken aback to see Lu Yun herself answering.

"Come in," she said, stepping aside.

Once inside, Lu Yun closed the door, and the two settled in the main hall. She poured him a cup of hot tea to warm his hands.

"Did you come for something?" Lu Yun asked first.

Huan Jun shook his head. "Nothing in particular. I’m just... stuck."

"Stuck about which path to take in the future?" Lu Yun saw right through him.

Huan Jun nodded.

After a moment’s thought, Lu Yun changed the subject. "I’ve never met Princess You'an, but she’s already saved me twice. On the journey south, I heard some things about her from Yu’er. I think she’s a good person. You’d know her better—you must have an idea of what kind of person she is, what her aspirations and goals are."

Huan Jun’s chest tightened.

——

Jiang Congyan put up notices urging refugees to return home, but few responded. The Xiongnu had left them too scarred, and when they heard that Liang had been conquered by the Xianbei, they feared it was a repeat of the Xiongnu. She had no choice but to send out teams with food supplies to appease the displaced across the land.

In times of chaos, food was life. Even if they were terrified, nothing was worse than starving. Hearing that the government was distributing grain—even if it might be a trap—some came back, figuring it was better to die full than starving.

They expected to die under the Xianbei's blades, but contrary to all expectations, the Xianbei Army maintained strict discipline. Though they might face some contempt, no one dared to slaughter civilians indiscriminately. Moreover, Han Chinese representatives came forward to register them and distribute land.

Was such good fortune even possible in this world?

After several months, some people finally returned to their hometowns. Word spread, and gradually, everyone came to believe that the Xianbei were different from the Huns. Those who had fled south now returned in droves.

But after months of displacement, living off tree bark and dug-up roots, how could they possibly have enough food to last the winter?

Jiang Congyan had congee distributed at the city gates while simultaneously announcing new policies.

Both Han and Xianbei were treated equally. Regardless of whether they had once been commoners or those of low status, as long as they returned to farm under the new policies, they could be re-registered and allotted land.

Land distribution? For former slaves and tenant farmers, this was the greatest blessing imaginable, further galvanizing the people's enthusiasm.

A Mao had been with Jiang Congyan for years and was no longer the ignorant little girl she once was. By now, she could take charge on her own and had led her subordinates in many tasks.

When Jiang Congyan assigned officials to receive the returning refugees, A Mao volunteered for the duty, organizing registrations and setting up cooking stations.

In the line, a woman reduced to skin and bones led an equally emaciated child, waiting for their turn to receive congee. Just as they were about to reach the front, the child suddenly collapsed.

"Xiao Ya! What's wrong? We're about to get congee, Xiao Ya..." The woman knelt, desperately calling her unconscious daughter.

The disturbance caused a stir.

A Mao, who had been overseeing registrations nearby, rushed over and carried the child aside. The girl felt light as a bird in her arms.

"Quick, bring a bowl of congee—she must have fainted from hunger," A Mao ordered.

Soon, the congee arrived. A Mao carefully parted the child's lips and fed her half a bowl.

Before long, the girl stirred awake.

She blinked open her eyes to see, besides her mother, another face—clean and beautiful, unlike any face she'd known.

Still dazed, the girl whispered weakly, "Mama, is this an immortal?"

Hearing this, A Mao felt her eyes unexpectedly prickle. Smiling, she said, "I'm no immortal."

The mother helped her daughter kneel. "Bow and thank her for her kindness," she urged.

A Mao quickly stopped them, shaking her head. "You owe your life to the Princess and King."

She too had been such a child. There were still so many like her in the world. The Princess worked tirelessly so such children would never starve or freeze again.

And A Mao, too, was doing her part to make it happen.