Chapter 199

In the “Sagi Bongseon” chapter, Sima Qian says:

Since ancient times, emperors who received the Mandate of Heaven have always performed the Fengshan ritual.

If one is an emperor who has received the Mandate of Heaven, how could they not perform the Fengshan ritual?

While few may know about sacrificial rituals, many are aware of the Fengshan ritual.

The Fengshan ceremony, where the emperor ascends Mount Tai to announce to the heavens and earth that he has received the Mandate of Heaven, is the most crucial event to prove the legitimacy of the emperor.

Upon closer examination, the Fengshan ritual is divided into two separate ceremonies: Feng (封) and Shan (禪).

Feng involves building a circular altar with earth to offer sacrifices to heaven, while Shan involves leveling the ground to offer sacrifices to the earth.

Thus, the Fengshan ritual is a combined ceremony honoring both heaven and earth.

Feng is performed atop Mount Tai, while Shan is conducted on the flat land of Yangfu Mountain to the south of Mount Tai.

But why Mount Tai? It’s not particularly high. This is because the cradle of civilization and the historical stage was the Yellow River basin.

In the Central Plains of that time, Mount Tai was considered the center of the earth. Thus, emperors offered sacrifices to heaven from the center of the earth.

However, as time passed and the historical stage expanded, the center shifted from the Yellow River basin to Guanzhong, leading the emperors of the Qin and Han dynasties to face a problem.

Mount Tai was too far from Guanzhong. Yet, performing the Fengshan ritual on another mountain was not feasible.

This led to the emergence of the Jiaosi ritual, a suburban sacrifice. Jiaosi refers to sacrifices performed outside the capital city, within a hundred li.

The southern suburban sacrifice, performed on the Yuanqiu Altar, honors the heavenly emperor, while the northern suburban sacrifice, performed on the Fang Altar, honors the earthly deities. These replaced the Fengshan ritual.

The Yuanqiu Altar at Huiyu Mountain is the southern suburban altar, used to announce the emperor’s ascension and the unification of the realm to the heavenly emperor.

And now, Liu Bei is performing the Jiaosi ritual there?

“By holding the enthronement ceremony in Chang’an, the capital of the Former Han, and performing the heavenly sacrifice in Luoyang, the capital of the Later Han, what greater justification for the unification of the realm could there be?”

Pang Tong did not merely focus on performing the Jiaosi ritual.

He accurately grasped that the key was to make the people aware of this.

“Since Grand Chancellor Wang Mo is in Chang’an, summon him to prepare the ritual and announce to the world that Your Majesty will perform the Jiaosi ritual at the Yuanqiu Altar on Huiyu Mountain.”

Although Pang Tong mentioned that the Grand Chancellor was in Chang’an, would a high-ranking official easily leave the capital, Chengdu? Everyone present was certain that Pang Tong had already considered this.

“If they do not stop Your Majesty from performing the Jiaosi ritual and thus truly inheriting the Mandate of Heaven, they will surely collapse from within. If they try to stop Your Majesty’s ritual by coming out, they will be destroyed from without.”

“Hahaha! The Grand Commandant’s words are truly clear!”

Liu Bei laughed heartily, as if a toothache had been relieved.

Having successfully drawn them out, Liu Bei moved to the next step.

“Then the battlefield will be between Henan and Luoyang.”

“I heard that Cao Pi’s advisor, Zhong Yao, is with him. He is familiar with the Luoyang area and will likely seize key points before our army arrives.”

“Zhong Yao… such a talent is wasted under Cao Pi.”

Liu Bei muttered bitterly. Knowing it was neither the time nor place to lament the talents of the enemy, he quickly shook off his regret and refocused on the campaign.

“Huiyu Mountain is south of the Luoshui River. Should we cross the Luoshui or proceed directly to Henan County?”

At Liu Bei’s question, all eyes in the military council turned to one place.

Everyone racked their brains to answer the emperor’s question sincerely. And I was no exception.

‘If we truly intend to seize Huiyu Mountain and perform the Jiaosi ritual, we should move as quickly as possible. But since the ritual is just bait to draw them out of Luoyang, if the main goal is a decisive battle, it’s better to gather in Henan County and move from there.’

In that case, it would be better to head directly to Henan County without crossing the Luoshui.

“Your Majesty, it is advisable to march immediately.”

“To cross the Luoshui?”

“Yes.”

Once again, Pang Tong and I had differing opinions.

‘Pang Tong certainly prefers bold tactics.’

I was of a similar mind, favoring adventurous operations and aggressive attacks.

But the reason I couldn’t follow Pang Tong’s judgment in this war was that I still hadn’t erased the memory of the Yiling Disaster, the worst event in Han history, from my mind.

‘This is no good. I’m shackling myself by being too cautious.’

It seemed I needed to take some time to seriously reset my mindset.

“If we move slowly, we give them time. If we don’t cross the Luoshui and head to Huiyu Mountain but instead pass through Henan County to Luoyang, we must cross the Chan River.”

The Chan River, a tributary of the Luoshui, flows between Henan County and Luoyang. Though not as wide or deep as the Luoshui, it is still a river.

If the Wei forces set up defenses on the opposite bank to hinder our crossing, it would be quite a struggle.

‘The Qiang Nu and Yuan Rong crossbows have been exposed for some time. The Wei people are no fools and must have devised countermeasures.’

Thus, Pang Tong argued that it was better to safely cross the Luoshui now and head directly to Huiyu Mountain.

“Very well. Then inform the left army, which was to gather at Henan County, to follow behind. The main force will cross the Luoshui immediately!”

As the supreme commander, Liu Bei made the decision, and the army quickly moved into action.

Using only the existing bridges would be too slow, so supply ships were deployed, and floating bridges were set up to facilitate the crossing.

After crossing the Luoshui, I watched as the soldiers crossed one by one, and my subordinates gathered around me.

“The Lanling Army has completed the crossing.”

“What about the Supreme General’s headquarters?”

When I asked about the Supreme General’s headquarters, which had been transferred to my command, Commander Zhao Lu replied.

“My troops are crossing first, and General Guan Ping is currently crossing.”

General Guan Ping was Guan Yu’s son.

Just as the Wei side declared their victory in the battle against Guan Yu, the Han also declared Guan Yu’s second northern campaign a victory.

Although the supreme commander, Guan Yu, had died, the Han had secured four commanderies: Hedong, Hongnong, Nanyang, and Nanxiang. It wasn’t entirely wrong.

Just as Sima Yi was promoted to General Who Pacifies the West, Guan Ping was recognized for his achievements and promoted from a subordinate general to General Who Pacifies the South.

‘To leave the nest only after his father’s death and establish his own standing… a bittersweet independence.’

As the crossing continued, rumors spread among the soldiers that Liu Bei would ascend the Yuanqiu Altar to perform sacrifices to heaven. Of course, these rumors were deliberately spread, even exaggerating that Grand Chancellor Wang Mo was coming with ritual items and clothing for the ceremony.

Although we deviated from the original plan, since we were following the Luoshui River, the impact on supply lines was minimal.

We continued our march along the Luoshui. As we approached Henan County, scouts reported that the Wei army had left Luoyang.

No matter how thorough the verification, with tens of thousands of troops, there are bound to be a few enemy spies. Hearing rumors that we would seize Huiyu Mountain and perform the Jiaosi ritual, the Wei army rushed out.

“Wouldn’t it have been better to secretly occupy Huiyu Mountain without spreading rumors?”

When Bu Chuan asked, before I could answer, Ma Su quickly replied.

“From Luoyang to Huiyu Mountain is only 15 li (about 6 km). No matter how we hide, it would be difficult to secure Huiyu Mountain before them. Thus, we spread the rumors widely to heighten their sense of crisis.”

Although the Wei had implemented a scorched-earth policy, it only applied to a few counties. The counties south of Yiguan Pass and east of Luoyang would have more people.

It wasn’t for nothing that Pang Tong suggested spending resources to hire people to spread the rumors far and wide.

In any case, as we approached Huiyu Mountain and Luoyang, the tension in the air grew palpable.

“Scouts have confirmed the enemy forces. They have brought their entire army, and their numbers are staggering.”

“Cao Pi? Is Cao Pi with them?”

“Yes. Cao Pi’s banner has been confirmed.”

They must have decided that capturing Liu Bei would end it all, leaving Luoyang undefended.

And to match our morale, Cao Pi personally led the troops.

They were determined to stake everything on this decisive battle.

“This is truly the decisive battle that will determine the fate of the realm.”

“It reminds me of the moment at Red Cliffs.”

The Battle of Red Cliffs, where Cao Cao’s dream of unifying the realm hung in the balance.

This time, it was Liu Bei’s turn to test whether he could realize the dream of unifying the realm.

If this moment, like the Battle of Red Cliffs, is a great battle for the realm, then the stage should rightly be shared by three figures.

The Han, the Wei. The Cao and Liu families alone are not enough.

The tripod that supports the realm must have three legs.

Sun Quan’s sudden appearance was inevitable.

“Sun Quan has come?”

“Confirmed. Sun Quan’s military banner has been clearly identified!”

Cao Pi’s trump card and an indispensable figure in the battle for the realm.

Despite Sun Quan’s sudden appearance, Liu Bei and the council remained calm, as everyone instinctively felt this inevitability.

Finally, those who had carved their names into the vast land beneath the heavens gathered in one place.

To determine the true ruler of the realm.