Chapter 186

"Ribbit...!"

In the afternoon, with the abrupt cessation of a frog's croak, Gongsun Xun kicked a frog flying by the pond in the rear courtyard of the government office; it tumbled three or five times through the air before splashing into the water with a plop.

Immediately after, he turned back under the eaves of the corridor, sat cross-legged behind the low table again, and picked up his brush, only to find his literary inspiration still utterly dried up... perhaps it was the fault of the cicadas' droning?

So Gongsun Xun rose once more, first went to find a bamboo pole, then begged a lump of leftover dough-gluten from the kitchen, preparing to go catch cicadas himself.

However, before he could stick down a single cicada, someone behind him under the corridor let out an amused laugh and spoke:

"Wenqi, you're in fine spirits."

"What fine spirits? I'm purely vexed by Tian Yuanhao — half a day and I've only written five characters." Hearing this, Gongsun Xun sighed helplessly, set down the bamboo pole in his hand, and turned back to sit and talk with Lu Fan... ever since he was enfeoffed as a marquis, his authority had grown daily, and even in private, only this Lu Ziheng dared address him by his courtesy name.

"Isn't this your own fault?" Lu Fan sat down casually under the corridor, then glanced lightly at the nearly blank paper on the low table, finding it equally amusing. "A man who is a Provincial Talent of a whole province, and who has served a term as an Attendant Censor — yet you invited him here to help... did he come as a guest, or as a county clerk?"

"Then why didn't Ziheng warn me beforehand?" Gongsun Xun countered helplessly. "Instead, you still delivered the letter for me?"

"Now Wenqi is being unreasonable," Lu Fan said faintly. "Had Tian Yuanhao not been so indignant after opening the letter, how would I have known its contents? Besides, even if I had guessed the letter's meaning that day, given your mood at the time, would you have listened if I told you?"

Gongsun Xun was momentarily speechless... how could he not understand now? The other man had been waiting right here for him all along!

"This matter was indeed my own presumption," after a long while, Gongsun Xun finally said with a serious expression. "It was hard on Ziheng, making a fruitless trip on my behalf."

"It can't be called entirely fruitless." Lu Fan crossed his legs and gazed at the little pond drifting with green duckweed, also lost in thought. "At the very least, Wenqi, your eye for talent is beyond reproach. Back in Luoyang, with so many matters pressing, I never had close contact with that Tian Yuanhao. These past few days, staying at his home and discussing current affairs and historical precedents with him, I could indeed see that this man is a strategist of the highest order. One might say his words always hit the mark, his judgments always decisive — it's just..."

"Just that his temper is rather poor, and he doesn't like to spare people's pride." Gongsun Xun pointed at the paper on his table. "He actually mocked me in his reply letter, saying my selfish motives and stray thoughts are too many, that what appears high-sounding is in truth merely gathering talent solely for my own use — truly laughable... leaving me genuinely at a loss as to how to reply to him!"

"Isn't that precisely hitting the nail on the head?" Hearing this, Lu Fan couldn't help laughing either. "No wonder you don't know how to reply — has he struck a sore spot? How about we simply ignore him?"

"One province, nine commanderies — only one Provincial Talent chosen each year." Gongsun Xun was also deeply moved. "If not from a high clan, then a man of outstanding talent. And Tian Yuanhao and Ju Gongyu are Provincial Talents among Provincial Talents, the top strategists of Hebei. I truly cannot bear to let go..."

"Then find a way to muddle through." Lu Fan shook his head repeatedly. "However, I came to find you today not to discuss Tian Yuanhao... you invited him, he won't come, and there's nothing more to say on that. I wanted to speak with you about another famous scholar of Hebei."

Gongsun Xun, who had just been about to set brush to paper again, felt his heart stir slightly and once more put down the brush: "Which one does Ziheng mean? That Great Virtuous Teacher, or Shen Zhengnan?"

"I meant to speak of Shen Zhengnan's matter," Lu Fan immediately frowned. "But from Wenqi's manner, it seems you regard that Zhang Jiao and his Way of Great Peace with more gravity? Earlier, you secretly sent Zibo and Yigong to Julu to gather information, and even brought back this Daoist priest of the Taiyuan Wang clan... had I not happened to encounter them on the road back, I wouldn't even have known of this matter. Is it necessary to be so solemn?"

"I won't hide it from Ziheng," Gongsun Xun said, pressing his hand on the table with a solemn expression. "Zhang Jiao will certainly rebel!"

"He already rebelled once." Lu Fan spread his hands. "Wenqi, as I see it, many of the great clans and powerful houses of Hebei harbor resentment toward the central government — he's hardly the only one."

Gongsun Xun immediately fell silent, because he knew Lu Fan's words were not empty; especially after these days of deeper contact with the powerful and influential households of Handan, he recognized this assessment all the more.

As everyone knew, Hebei and Nanyang were the two great bases upon which Emperor Guangwu, Liu Xiu, achieved his great enterprise, and among them, Hebei's weight was even greater. This could be clearly seen from the fact that Liu Xiu pretended his first wife Yin Lihua did not exist, and instead married the daughter of the great Hebei Guo clan, making her his empress.

Yet by the same logic, from Liu Xiu's later deposing of the Guo empress and reestablishing Yin Lihua as empress, one could also see that this Han Shizu was consciously suppressing Hebei's power.

This was of course understandable, for setting aside Liu Xiu's own origins and personal feelings, just from the relative size and weight of Hebei and Nanyang, one could imagine that Hebei's foundations and strength far exceeded Nanyang's, and an emperor could not permit any single regional faction under his command to dominate.

However, although Liu Xiu, while alive, used his outstanding personal charisma to complete this series of suppressive measures, once he breathed his last, the contradictions that followed grew increasingly fierce, ultimately triggering the Prince of Chu's rebellion case — a case that implicated nearly half of the Hebei meritorious official faction.

And thereafter, the relationship between the central government and Hebei grew ever more delicate... On one hand, Hebei was a core region of the empire's governance and had to be managed as its very heartland; on the other hand, political tradition, regional rivalry, and Hebei's own profound political, economic, and cultural foundations caused the central government — which had gradually become one with Nanyang — to unconsciously suppress Hebei's political power.

And ultimately, with the rise of Classical Studies, Hebei's traditional political forces finally split in two.

A small portion, especially those in the border commanderies of Youzhou, chose the path of military office. These people took the border commanderies as their foundation and military posts as their tradition, evolving a large number of border aristocratic clans. Without studying the Classics, they could hold hereditary offices at the two-thousand-dan rank, but rarely could they exceed this limit... This group was initially represented by the Geng clan behind that 'Master of the Northern Lands' Geng Yan, and as it developed later, it became the present-day Tian clan and Gongsun clan.

When Yuan Feng said Gongsun Xun had the stature of a Master of the Northern Lands, there was indeed political substance to it, for from the perspective of origin, there was inherently a sense of political lineage here.

The other portion — the majority of Hebei people who were more populous and stronger, those not from the border commanderies — very naturally chose to transform through Classical Studies.

Of this portion, one cannot say no one succeeded: Teacher Lu of Zhuo Commandery, the Cui clan of Anguo, and even the Wei clan of this very Zhao State were all successful among them. But compared to the population, area, and number of powerful households in all of Hebei, they were inevitably far too few.

This point, viewed from two angles, appears exceptionally clear and beyond doubt.

First, from the central government's perspective: the Three Excellencies were the most honored among all ministers. Yet from the time of Emperor Zhang of Han onward — that is, after Classical Studies had fully risen — Hebei scholars, who possessed enormous political potential, produced only a mere handful who reached this rank! One of them was even driven out by Gongsun Xun and Yang Qiu... Zhang Hao, who relied on his elder brother, a Regular Palace Attendant, to obtain the position. After he was driven out, his brother nearly fell ill and died in Wancheng, and it was Wang Xiu who saved his life.

Fate works in strange ways!

Second, from the local situation in Zhao State: in the entire Zhao State, the only truly stable aristocratic clan was the Wei clan alone; the Handan clan counted as half; the Li clan was more of a makeweight. Yet among the powerful households below, those with a century of standing and deep foundations numbered no fewer than a dozen or so.

In all honesty, these dozen or so families were all desperate to hold office — otherwise they wouldn't have been so utterly bewitched by those two Filially Devoted and Incorrupt positions!

In summary, it was an obvious fact that Hebei's political power was severely suppressed after the rise of Classical Studies in the Eastern Han.

But then again, this was also unavoidable. After all, the discursive authority over Classical Studies lay in the hands of Ru, Ying, Wan, and Luo, and Luoyang was, in the end, south of the Yellow River... the intensification of the Old Text versus New Text conflict in this dynasty was not without deep underlying causes.

So, returning to the matter at hand: since in the vast non-border regions of Hebei, everywhere there were powerful households desperate for office yet unable to obtain it, the local sentiment toward the central government could well be imagined.

The Classic of Great Peace that Zhang Jiao studied had, in fact, once imitated those Old Texts dug out of walls and been presented to the central government... Of course, the New Text Excellencies of the central government quickly pronounced their verdict, deeming it 'demonic, absurd, and unorthodox,' thereby completely cutting off the path to office for this group of Daoist Classical scholars.

Thus, quite naturally, as a recognized non-mainstream Classical scholar — especially the legitimate transmitter of the Classic of Great Peace — it seemed ordinary enough that Zhang Jiao, like other Hebei powerful houses, harbored some discontent toward the central government... It was just that, before he actually rebelled a few years ago, no one had imagined this Classical scholar would be so extreme.

But thinking of it this way, the court's pardon of Zhang Jiao back then might not have been entirely without a sense of deliberate appeasement.

"My meaning is actually quite simple." Seeing Gongsun Xun remain silent for a long time, Lu Fan spoke bluntly. "Wenqi, I do believe Zhang Jiao has rebellious intent. You sent Zibo and Yigong to investigate in detail, and even brought back a Daoist of the Way of Great Peace from the Taiyuan Wang clan — presumably you know even more of the inside story. But even so, does it necessarily amount to much? The Way of Great Peace rebelled once before and was easily suppressed, was it not? In the end, if the powerful houses of Hebei are unwilling to aid him, how could his Way of Great Peace alone stir up any waves?"

"The court is gradually losing the people's hearts. If they were unwilling to aid him a few years ago, how do we know they won't be willing a few years later?" Gongsun Xun still paused for a moment before speaking. "Moreover, in this world, besides the central government, besides the aristocratic clans, besides the powerful houses, there is yet another force. This force rarely stirs, but once it does, it will raise heaven-toppling waves! And according to what that Daoist Wang Xian told me last night, this Zhang Jiao and his Way of Great Peace, whether by sincerity or by accident, have already faintly touched upon this force..."

"How so?" Lu Fan frowned and asked.

"After the Way of Great Peace was pardoned for its last rebellion, Zhang Jiao established thirty-six divisions, large and small, with disciples spread across all thirteen provinces of the Great Han... At first, it showed no effect, but then a plague broke out in Jingzhou, and the Way of Great Peace gained over ten thousand followers there; last year, a plague in Dong Commandery also allowed the Way of Great Peace to open up a situation there; and this year, just as summer begins, have you heard? A seasonal epidemic has already appeared in Yuzhou!"

"Is Wenqi speaking of the Mandate of Heaven?" Even for someone as exceptionally perceptive as Lu Fan, his face could not help but show shock.

"I am speaking of the common people. But the common people are sometimes the Mandate of Heaven."

"How can the common people..."

"Ziheng, do not ask further about this matter." Gongsun Xun suddenly sighed deeply. "I have my own calculations in mind; just leave it to me to handle. In any case, you never cared much about this matter to begin with..."

Lu Fan gave him a deep look and nodded knowingly.

"Earlier, you wanted to speak with me about Shen Zhengnan?" Seeing that hardy green-skinned frog in his field of vision hop back onto the bank, Gongsun Xun hastily asked again.

"Exactly." Lu Fan also collected his thoughts and spoke frankly. "Regarding Shen Zhengnan volunteering to suppress bandits in the Taihang Mountains — why did Wenqi permit him?"

"Why would I not permit him?" Gongsun Xun immediately countered.

"Shen Zhengnan is a famous scholar of Hebei. In terms of reputation alone, among his peers, he is only slightly inferior to Tian Feng and Ju Shou, is he not?"

"That is only natural." Facing Lu Fan, Gongsun Xun was also candid. "With the achievements I have today, to gain Zhengnan's aid is also a stroke of luck."

"But you are not unaware of the true nature of these so-called bandits in the Taihang Mountains." Lu Fan continued to remonstrate. "Today I saw the documents at Shuzhi's office — it says there are over a dozen bands there unwilling to accept amnesty, some as small as a dozen men, some as large as seventy or eighty. These cunning scoundrels, half-bandit and half-commoner, must indeed be suppressed, but it is ultimately a laborious and thankless task. Let minor leaders among the Volunteers, like Qian Zhao and Yang Kai, each lead some commandery troops or county troops to wipe them out — why use a man of Shen Zhengnan's caliber? Is this not using a butcher's knife to kill a chicken?"

"Is Ziheng afraid that this action of mine will wound the morale of the local gentry?" Gongsun Xun couldn't help but laugh. "To the point that rumors might spread of me mistreating famous clans?"

"Exactly." Lu Fan was meticulous. "Especially with the cautionary tales of Tian Feng and Ju Shou before us, I truly do not understand why Wenqi would act in this way."

"What I did was actually quite simple." Gongsun Xun could not help but smile. "It was truly because Zhengnan insisted on having his own way, so I had no choice but to let him go."

"Why is that?" Lu Fan was genuinely confused.

"Shen Zhengnan has the bearing of a celebrated scholar. Since his youth, he has emulated the conduct of the ancients, gradually cultivating a temperament that is fervent and vehement, awe-inspiring and inviolable. But this so-called fervent and vehement, awe-inspiring and inviolable demeanor — to put it another way — is simply being contentious and unwilling to submit to others..."

"I understand now." Lu Fan immediately grasped the point. "Others might be one thing, but this Wang Shuzhi, who is usually so quiet and unassuming, was never taken seriously by Shen Zhengnan. Yet unexpectedly, within a mere ten days, he followed you, Wenqi, in accomplishing such a great undertaking. He is somewhat... somewhat uneasy, isn't he? Moreover, failing to bring in Ju Shou and then bringing in his fellow townsman Ju Zong — I fear there were some calculations behind that as well."

"Those are your words." The corner of Gongsun Xun's mouth lifted slightly, and he could not help but shake his head repeatedly. "If you ask me, it was because he saw me toiling diligently in governance and rising to the challenge... Think about it: now that Wang Xian, Wang Daoren, and Chancellor Xiang complement each other so well, spending all day debating upon the couch, the previously troublesome matter of appointing commandery clerks is no longer an obstacle. In that case, have not the stubborn and unenlightened bandits in the mountains become the greatest sticking point? How could we delay any further? The offer of amnesty has passed; those unwilling to come down are naturally hardened bandits of many years. The time has come to strike ruthlessly and kill!"

Lu Fan also shook his head with a rueful smile.

It must be said, the two had known each other since youth. Although bound as lord and retainer, they were in truth rare friends. And today, as the weather grew warmer, after finishing their official business they did not part ways immediately, but continued to speak of idle matters and the situation in various regions... They talked all the way until evening, not even noticing the sky gradually darkening, let alone that letter with only five characters written on it.

But just as the two were in high spirits, talking and debating without end, a newly appointed county clerk suddenly came to report in a fluster, disregarding all decorum.

Disturbed, Gongsun Xun immediately showed some impatience, and seeing the man so flustered made him even more exasperated:

"What matter causes such panic? Could it be that the Xianbei have fought their way to Handan?"

"Replying to my lord," the man hurriedly bowed and reported. "It is not the Xianbei, but bandits."

"Bandits?" Lu Fan, standing nearby, pressed with curiosity. "How would bandits dare come to Handan?"

"Replying to Officer Lu (the post Gongsun Xun arranged for Lu Fan was Commandant Clerk)," the man hastily explained. "It is said that our clearing of the Mount Taixing bandits within Handan's borders alarmed the Mount Taixing bandits in the northern counties. They have banded together and suddenly burst out from the mountains! Yesterday, they first committed a crime in Xiangguo County to the north, burning a manor belonging to the Zhang clan there, and then they headed straight for Handan's jurisdiction... Clan Leader Zhang Shu, upon receiving the news, dared not be negligent and specially sent someone to report!"

Gongsun Xun was so furious he laughed: "I said it before — the amnesty has passed, and now is precisely the time to kill!"

——————I am the dividing line gradually giving off the scent of blood——————

"Three years later, Hong again met the Grand Ancestor at the Handan government office. The two laughed and spoke of past matters. As they were about to leave, the Grand Ancestor suddenly pointed at the government office and asked: 'Now that Chancellor Xiang is reclining here in lofty ease, can you observe his aura?' Hong answered promptly: 'This man's complexion is red yet shows white; his momentum is not flourishing. If he restrains his mind and body and speaks fewer reckless words, he may return to the ranks of the high ministers. But if he recklessly stirs up affairs, within ten years he will surely perish!' The Grand Ancestor, finding this remarkable, asked further: 'As you speak of a man's fortune, can your words be considered reckless talk?' Hong then fell silent." — Old Book of Yan. Biographies of Alchemists

PS: Book recommendation, "Carrying an AK into the Great Ming." The male protagonist travels back to 1644, just before the fall of Beijing, and turns the tide with 100 AKMs. A light-hearted power fantasy. The Age of Discovery is dawning — it is the best of times, it is the worst of times. It is said the protagonist's goal is global domination...

(End of Chapter)