Chapter 187: Heaven's Will Pities the Lonely Grass

Everything has two sides, and everything has its immediacy.

Take these mountain bandits, for example. When they were exploited by corrupt officials, slippery clerks, and powerful magnates until they had nothing left, and had no choice but to abandon their homes and flee into the Taihang Mountains to become bandits and refugees — at that moment, they were undoubtedly the most innocent and pitiable people under heaven.

However, once they were forced by hunger to descend the mountains and plunder, the matter — and the people themselves — changed in nature... At that point, one could only say they were pitiable souls, the kind whose life and death are left to fate.

And later still, when they gradually sank into being habitual bandits and began using the very methods the powerful magnates had used against them to prey upon the common people — at that moment, one could only say their deaths would be more than deserved!

Therefore, in the eyes of Gongsun Xun, who held to this view, those who refused amnesty and merely clung to their mountain dens could already be exterminated without any misgivings — let alone bandits who had made such a naked counterstrike.

For bandits who had clearly developed this level of organization, there was no need whatsoever for mercy!

And so, in his towering rage, Gongsun Xun disregarded the darkening sky and immediately summoned all his trusted aides to discuss countermeasures.

Yet, though he spoke of summoning, the only trusted aides remaining in the county at that moment were Lu Fan, Lou Gui, and Wang Xiu — and Lu Fan had already been in the rear courtyard of the county office for half the day.

"The enemy's situation is unclear, and the intelligence is incomplete. We only know that bandits may be coming from Xiangguo County to the north, but we do not know where they are," Lou Gui, who had just arrived, analyzed while stroking his beard. "For now, we should first send men to notify the villages and hamlets outside the city, so they can be on strict guard. Then we should send scouts to ascertain the bandits' numbers and the origin of their leader. Finally, we must also send word to Xiangguo County, to coordinate a pincer attack..."

This, in fact, was precisely the crux of the problem.

First, the intelligence was unclear. All they knew was that a band of brigands seemed to be heading toward Handan, and even that news had come through unofficial civilian channels. As for the bandits' numbers, weaponry, or any other intelligence — they knew absolutely nothing; even their movements had yet to be clarified. Second, the matter involved Xiangguo County to the north. Although Gongsun Xun was very "domineering," and although the magistrate of Xiangguo was merely a lowly county magistrate of the five-hundred-dan rank, he still had to be shown the most basic respect.

And very soon, Gongsun Xun discovered yet another predicament of his own.

"The magistrate of Xiangguo County — I recall his name is Zhen Du, is it not?" Gongsun Xun raised his head and asked Wang Xiu, who had long since arrived upon hearing the news. "Quickly, have the county office draft an official dispatch to contact him."

"Yes," Wang Xiu answered at once.

"Wait," Lu Fan, who had remained silent all this while, suddenly interjected with curiosity. "This Magistrate Zhen — is he not connected to the Zhen clan of Zhongshan?"

"There is no connection," Wang Xiu explained calmly. "Brother Ziheng may not know, but when our lord passed through that area, he too was curious and specifically inquired into this man's background... Although this county magistrate bears the surname Zhen, he is unrelated to the Zhen clan of Zhongshan in Hebei. He belongs to the Zhen clan of Yingchuan."

Lu Fan was momentarily taken aback upon hearing this. "The Zhen clan of Yingchuan?"

"Yes. Brother Ziheng diverted to Julu just after entering the borders of Xiangguo County, so it is only natural that you were unaware of this man's circumstances."

"That is not what I meant," Lu Fan said, shaking his head with a smile. "I am from Runan, and I have heard the great name of the Yingchuan Zhen clan... though it is not a good reputation. You may not know, but that family was originally a second-rate gentry house. Yet thirty years ago, a scandal of monumental proportions occurred, and they have never recovered. To see one of them serving as an official again now is truly cause for lament."

Wang Xiu was momentarily bewildered, but Lou Gui, beside him, pondered carefully and then suddenly understood. "Could it be that Zhen Shao, renowned throughout the realm?"

At these words, both Wang Xiu and Gongsun Xun were momentarily stunned, and then they too recalled this famous figure.

In truth, the deeds of this world-renowned Zhen Shao of Yingchuan were quite simple to recount.

At the time, Zhen Shao was serving as county magistrate of Yecheng, and the man in power was the "Domineering General" Liang Ji. Zhen Shao happened to have a close friend who had offended Liang Ji and came to him seeking refuge. And what was the result? Zhen Shao, while offering kind words of comfort and taking the man in, secretly reported the matter to Liang Ji, causing this friend to be directly arrested and executed... This is a classic case of betraying a friend for personal gain.

Subsequently, Liang Ji rewarded him for this deed, granting him a two-thousand-dan post. But just then, Zhen Shao's mother happened to pass away. In order not to affect his official career, he secretly buried his mother in a stable, first haughtily accepting the appointment to secure the office and rank, and only then did he hold funeral rites for his mother... There is also a saying for this: coveting office while burying one's mother!

As for the outcome for such a man... Later, after Liang Ji died, colleagues who knew the full story encountered him on the road to Luoyang. They swarmed him directly, smashed his carriage, stripped off his robes, gave him a beating, and finally wrote eight characters on this wretch's back: "Flattered the noble, sold out his friend; coveted office, buried his mother." They then dragged this man to stand in the main street and recounted his vile deeds to all passersby.

When the central authorities heard of it, they immediately decreed that he was never to be employed again.

The matter was actually very simple — just the story of a true scoundrel. But alas, this wretch's actions clashed so utterly with the traditional values of the Great Han that his infamy was immense, so much so that even after thirty years, people from all corners of the realm still remembered him.

"Let us set aside what his ancestors did," Gongsun Xun said, waving his hand after running through the matter in his mind. "Quickly, do as Zibo suggested: first notify all the villages, hamlets, and watch-posts to prepare their defenses against bandits. Then send a dispatch to that Zhen Du, requesting him to dispatch men to intercept this band of brigands. We ourselves must also send out a force to patrol north of Handan city..."

"Reporting to my lord," Wang Xiu waited until Gongsun Xun had finished before cupping his hands in reminder, "we have no manpower at present."

At these words, Gongsun Xun was jolted into alarm. Indeed — the foundational strength he had long relied upon, the most powerful force in his hands, namely those two hundred battle-hardened Volunteers, were at this moment almost entirely absent from Handan!

Not only that, but even the mobile armed forces within Handan city — the county troops and the commandery troops — were also all gone.

These men, along with a small number of retainers and able-bodied conscripts provided by local magnates, had all been integrated with the Volunteers and then dispersed, assigned respectively to Shen Pei, Han Dang, Wei Yue, Yang Kai, Qian Zhao, and others. At this very moment, they were deep in the Taihang Mountains, dividing up sectors and laboriously rooting out bandit dens!

The commandery and county troops remaining in the city now were barely enough to guard the walls and maintain order. Even the county office where Gongsun Xun resided had only a dozen or so Volunteers left behind, serving both as guards and as messengers.

"It seems this band of brigands intended from the start to strike while we were vulnerable," Lu Fan observed, having also realized this point, and could not help shaking his head. "They were simply biding their time, seeing that our most effective forces were bogged down in the Taihang Mountains, and then avoiding the strong to strike at the weak, thrusting straight at our heart..."

"Should we recall all the men from the mountains?" Wang Xiu could not help suggesting. "The bandits in the Taihang Mountains can be dealt with slowly, but if the heartland of Handan is ravaged — not to mention the damage to my lord's prestige — the common people would be innocent victims, would they not?"

Gongsun Xun remained silent for a moment.

"No!" After a pause, it was still Lu Fan who spoke again, easily rejecting this proposal. "If we do that, not only would all our previous efforts in the bandit-suppression campaign be wasted, but I fear they would simply withdraw upon hearing the news and then repeat their old tricks, making it impossible for us ever to eradicate the bandits... Shuzhi, think about it: did this group of Taihang Mountain bandits from within Xiangguo County's borders descend the mountain precisely because they sensed that when the lips are gone the teeth grow cold, and sought to employ the tactic of besieging Wei to rescue Zhao?"

Wang Xiu nodded helplessly, but then shook his head repeatedly. "If that is so, then what is to be done? The enemy's situation is unclear, the matter involves two counties, and the key point is that we have neither troops nor men."

"In truth, there are still troops within the kingdom," Lou Gui, who had been silent for a long while, suddenly chuckled. "And moreover, if we use these troops, even the matter of negotiating with Xiangguo County can be dispensed with..."

Everyone was momentarily taken aback.

Then, Lu Fan was the first to react. "Could you be referring to the garrison troops under the Prince of Zhao's command?"

"Since my return, I have had nothing to do and have merely been wandering about everywhere each day," Lou Gui said with a light laugh. "And I have heard quite a few things... I hear that the Prefect of the Gentlemen of the Palace, Zhao Ping, is a clever fellow. Why does my lord not appoint him as commander and deploy the Prince of Zhao's garrison to suppress the bandits? At worst, we could send a reliable man to accompany the army and provide some guidance."

"Excellent!" Gongsun Xun could not help but brighten.

The idea Lou Gui had proposed was truly outstanding!

First, Zhao Ping was the Prefect of the Gentlemen of the Palace, a kingdom office. If he led troops out, he could disregard territorial boundaries, which would naturally spare them the awkwardness of offending Magistrate Zhen of Xiangguo County on a point of face.

Second, although the Prince of Zhao's garrison had a somewhat ornamental feel to it, how strong could mountain bandits possibly be? Besides, the Prince of Zhao, as an enfeoffed king, possessed a large number of carts and horses. So if this garrison could truly be deployed, it would undoubtedly be a mobile military force — which could not be more convenient for locating and exterminating bandits on the plains.

Of course, just as Lou Gui had said, Zhao Ping was merely a nominal figurehead and a banner. They would certainly need to send a trusted man to exercise direct command.

Yet, upon thinking this over, the choice of that person was also very troublesome.

After all, this kind of cross-regional bandit-suppression operation was different from the campaign in the Taihang Mountains. The person leading it not only needed combat experience but ultimately also needed the political acumen to deal with neighboring counties. At the same time, he had to be able to represent Gongsun Xun and keep Zhao Ping in check... In other words, he needed to be capable in battle, capable in negotiation, and of sufficiently high status.

"I shall go!" Lu Fan rose and volunteered. "I am a Merit Evaluator of the commandery and a man from a commandery neighboring Yingchuan. When I meet that Magistrate Zhen, I can handle him with composure... As for marching and fighting, I have also managed the general affairs of a large camp for many years. At the very least, I can restrain the troops and enforce strict military discipline. A few bandits should not be beyond my ability."

The others looked at one another. Wang Xiu had been assisting Gongsun Xun in managing county affairs all along, so the only people who could truly be dispatched at this moment were Lu Fan and Lou Gui — and Lu Fan was perhaps indeed the more suitable choice.

"Let Zibo accompany Ziheng, then," Gongsun Xun said crisply after a moment's thought. "And take the dozen or so remaining Volunteers from the county office with you..."

"That would be rather..." Lu Fan hastened to decline. "These dozen or so men are meant to protect my lord's safety."

"I simply will not leave the city," Gongsun Xun said dismissively. "You, on the other hand, are going out to fight. On the battlefield, nothing can be taken lightly. Those palace garrison troops are mostly for show — what if the bandit leader happens to be a man of real ability? So, Ziheng and Zibo, aside from complementing each other's strengths and weaknesses, these dozen or so men are to serve as officers. With them at the core, you will be able to command effectively!"

Lu Fan and Lou Gui were about to protest further, but Gongsun Xun waved his hand again, his tone turning stern. "This is not the time to argue over this. You both know the overall policy of my governance in Handan — it is a chain of interlocking links. And as the saying goes, everything is hardest at the beginning. So, just as Shuzhi said earlier, we absolutely cannot allow this band of brigands to wreak havoc in Handan. Losing face is a small matter; losing the hearts of the people we have only just begun to rally is a grave matter! Therefore, on this mission, you two must not only swiftly capture this band of brigands but do so cleanly and decisively, so as to pacify and stabilize the people's hearts!"

These words were both reasonable and penetrating. Thus, Lu Fan and Lou Gui exchanged a glance, no longer declined, and together cupped their hands in salute.

The croaking of frogs continued as before; the night passed without a word.

Early the next morning, Gongsun Xun summoned Zhao Ping to the county office and gave him a thorough set of demands and exhortations, forcing the man to swear by heaven and earth. First, he agreed to immediately deploy all three hundred of the palace garrison and the horses and carts privately belonging to the Prince of Zhao. Then, he repeatedly guaranteed that in all matters he would defer absolutely to Lu and Lou. Only then was he allowed to beat a hasty retreat and go directly to mobilize the troops.

As for how this man discussed the matter with the Prince of Zhao, that was no longer Gongsun Xun's concern.

By noon, just as all preparations within the city were complete, the messengers and early warnings had all been dispatched, and the three hundred chariots and horsemen were fully assembled and ready, Gongsun Xun's side also received an express courier report from Magistrate Zhen of Xiangguo County.

In truth, though it was called a report, Xiangcheng County only knew that a band of Taihang mountain bandits had surged out from the mountains, attacked a Zhang clan estate midway, presumably taken some grain, gold, and silver, and then headed south toward Handan County — beyond that, they were still completely in the dark about the specifics.

Of course, Gongsun Xun did glean something else from the official dispatch… This man was clearly extremely uneasy that such an incident had occurred under his jurisdiction and that it now involved Gongsun Xun's territory.

Though it was unclear whether his unease was directed at this band of brigands, or at Gongsun Xun himself?

But regardless, the matter had been further verified, and the three hundred horse riders no longer hesitated, setting out directly from the city to head north of the county and intercept this band of brigands.

In the days that followed, there was no word for one day, and no word for two days. The village pavilions north of Handan city discovered no trace of these bandits, who were capable of burning down an entire estate. Meanwhile, Lu Fan and Lou Gui, having confirmed there were no brigands within Handan County's borders, sent word back while proceeding according to the original plan, leading their troops into Xiangguo County's territory.

However, it was precisely at this moment that Gongsun Xun began to grow somewhat worried.

"My lord, could it be that you are worried about the movements of this band of brigands?" The one asking was not Wang Xiu, but the idle Ju Zong. That morning, amid a steady drizzle, this man was keeping Gongsun Xun company, sitting idly under the eaves of the official residence's rear courtyard, watching the rain and playing a game of Go. "Given the situation, could they have returned to the mountains?"

"In truth, I won't hide it from you, Gongtiao." Gongsun Xun's brow was tightly furrowed, his mind clearly not on the board before him. "I guessed the same. But for some reason, the more I thought about it, the more uneasy I became. It's not really worry about how difficult they'd be to suppress if they returned to the mountains, but rather a general misgiving about the whole affair. Yet I can't put my finger on it — which is precisely why I asked you to come, Gongtiao…"

"Please speak, my lord." Ju Zong, who had nothing to do all day, was as relaxed as ever.

"Tell me, if this band of brigands robbed one place and then went straight back to the mountains, wouldn't that mean they are nothing but a disorderly mob?"

"They were a disorderly mob to begin with, weren't they?" Ju Zong interjected casually.

"But if that's the case, how did they come down from the mountains in the first place?" Gongsun Xun set down his Go stone and asked with a serious expression. "Thinking on it now, the bandits in the Taihang Mountains should be extremely scattered and disorganized. A large band of brigands capable of burning down a Zhang clan estate was clearly assembled from various places within the mountains… I ask you, how could the person who gathered these bandits — each owing allegiance to none of the others — simply sit back and watch them scatter in a single uproar?"

Ju Zong thought for a moment, then grew serious as well: "Could it be they feared the government troops? Seeing the troops coming to suppress them, they simply took the opportunity to disperse…"

"Leaving that aside for now," Gongsun Xun shook his head repeatedly. "Let me ask you another question — what kind of person could temporarily assemble the mountain bandits?"

"Shouldn't it be a veteran bandit who's been in the mountains for years?"

"If it were someone originally from within the Taihang Mountains, seizing this chance to gather the various bands of brigands, they wouldn't necessarily avoid battle. And even if they did avoid battle, they wouldn't do so without a trace…" Gongsun Xun shook his head again. "Such a person needs victories and plunder to steady people's hearts — otherwise, how would they swallow up the other bands?"

"Then it can only be a local magnate!" Ju Zong stated frankly. "But the local magnates… most of them hold you in awe and fear, do they not, my lord?"

"Not necessarily!" Gongsun Xun lowered his head, placed a stone, then looked up and shot the other man a glance. "The Shen clan was exterminated by me… there may well be fish that slipped through the net, or perhaps friends and old associates of the Shen clan who hate me to the bone! Wasn't Shen Meng formerly a Gongcao? The Gongcao oversees promotions and appointments — who knows how many people owe their careers to his family's favor."

"That is indeed possible." Ju Zong slowly nodded. "The Shen clan was established for a hundred years — not to mention fish that slipped through the net, or friends and old associates, even in Wei Commandery and Julu there are minor branches of the Shen clan. It's not impossible that someone truly came seeking revenge… But if that were the case, it still doesn't add up, because with deep hatred and vengeance, and with the sons of powerful families often possessing considerable means, they would be even less likely to let the bandits they painstakingly assembled simply vanish without a trace, would they?"

"That is precisely what troubles me." Gongsun Xun let out a long breath. "No matter how I look at it, I can't make sense of it… The person who could assemble the mountain bandits, and who chose such an excellent moment to strike, must by any measure be a figure of some capability — they would never end things so feebly, with a tiger's head and a snake's tail! Is there still a follow-up move, or did something go wrong?! I'm also worried for Ziheng and the others."

Ju Zong was likewise at a loss for words and could only offer what comfort he could. And Gongsun Xun, pondering left and right without finding an answer, and with Lu Fan and Lou Gui already out of the city, could only forcibly suppress his unease.

And so, each with an unsettled mind, the two men reluctantly finished their game of Go. With nothing else to do, they cleared the board and began another. Yet they had only just placed two stones when a county clerk suddenly came to report, braving the fine drizzle:

"My lord, Xiangguo County has sent a man with a dispatch, and they have also brought along a surviving retainer from the Zhang clan estate. They say this man knows the inside story of that band of brigands!"

Ju Zong was momentarily overjoyed: "Isn't this a pillow delivered just as one grows drowsy?"

Gongsun Xun held a Go stone in his hand, neither placing it down nor returning it to the bowl, his face for a moment utterly expressionless.

——————I am the shameless dividing line——————

"Zhen Shao of Yingchuan, currying favor with Liang Ji, became Prefect of Ye. A fellow student of the same year offended Liang Ji and fled to Shao for refuge; Shao feigned acceptance while secretly informing Liang Ji, who promptly had the man arrested and killed. When Shao was due for promotion to Commandery Governor, his mother happened to die. Shao stowed her corpse in the horse stable, accepted his appointment first, and only then announced the funeral. After Liang Ji died, Shao returned to Luoyang. Gentleman-remonstrant Li Xie encountered him on the road, had his soldiers overturn Shao's carriage into a ditch, beat him with rods and whips, and wrote in large characters on silk upon his back: 'Fawned on the powerful, betrayed a friend; greedy for office, buried his mother.' He then submitted a memorial detailing Shao's conduct. Shao was thereupon barred from office for life." — Book of the Later Han, Biographies of Li and Du

(End of chapter)