Chapter 226: A Cup of Wine to Sacrifice to the Yellow River

Gongsun Xun led six or seven thousand cavalry eastward along the northern bank of the Yellow River. Even though he had to attend to the supply line on the river — a great number of boats carrying an incalculable amount of provisions and armaments downstream, supplying the army along the way — they still swiftly reached Dongjun and caught distant sight of the Yellow Turban banners.

There was no talk here of "moving swift as the wind"; it was purely because Dongjun was too close to Henei. Or rather, the two commanderies barely bordered each other across the Yellow River! Of course, the Right Gentleman of the Household, Zhu Jun, had it even worse — he marched a few dozen li east from Luoyang, and the moment he left the pass, he spotted traces of the Yellow Turbans.

Returning to the matter at hand: directly south of Zhaoge City at the easternmost edge of Henei Commandery, just across the Yellow River, was actually Yanxian at the westernmost stretch of Dongjun, which had already fallen by this time. Further east from Yanxian lay Baima and Weixiang.

Among them, Yanxian and Baima were county seats, while Weixiang was a township, but it had an especially sturdy ancient citadel to rely on. Yanxian lay to the west, Baima to the northeast, and Weixiang to the southeast. The three formed a triangular formation on the southern bank of the Yellow River, firmly guarding what lay further east of them — Puyang, the capital of Dongjun, likewise on the river's southern bank. Correspondingly, this also formed a solid iron-triangle defense zone at the westernmost edge of the Dongjun Yellow Turbans, meant to confront the Han army facing them from Luoyang.

The Yellow Turban banners that Gongsun Xun and his subordinates saw actually came from Baima City on the southern bank of the Yellow River... The two characters "Huang Tian" soared high, planted atop Baima City, while the Han army passed along the great embankment on the northern bank, the two sides distantly visible to each other across the river.

"This Yellow River cuts right through Dongjun, splitting the commandery into a northern and a southern half — hard to say whether that is good or bad." Cavalry Commandant Cao Cao, wearing armor and a greatcloak, led a large group of central army staff officers as he accompanied Gongsun Xun in dismounting and pausing atop the great northern embankment of the Yellow River. He then gazed at the Yellow Turban banners on Baima City on the southern bank, sighing with emotion for a moment.

Cao Mengde was one of only two two-thousand-bushel officials in the army, his status prominent. The moment he spoke, the surrounding officers naturally began discussing the matter along the lines of his remark.

Some said that the Yellow River stretching across the commandery was indeed unfavorable for their own cavalry to exploit its superiority in Dongjun;

others said that while it was certainly difficult for their own cavalry to cross the river, it was even harder for the Yellow Turban rebels to cross by comparison, so it was actually advantageous to their own side... Thus, by sweeping downstream, first clearing the eight cities of northern Dongjun on the Yellow River's northern bank, then crossing the river to sweep the cities on the southern bank, they need not worry about the Yellow Turbans on the two banks supporting each other.

And very quickly, probably because the two superior officers, Gongsun Xun and Cao Cao, were both standing there, the second view rapidly gained the upper hand. For a time, everyone believed — or at least professed to believe — that the Yellow River's presence was advantageous to the Han army, and that under the leadership of General Gongsun and Commandant Cao, they were bound to sweep through northern Dongjun, exterminate the Yellow Turbans, and win merit and renown!

Seeing that the moment was about right, Cao A Man narrowed his eyes, gave a dry cough, and then addressed Gongsun Xun, who stood with his hand on his sword facing south, silent against the wind: "Wen... Gentleman of the Household!"

"Wasn't it 'General' just a few days ago at Mengjin?" Gongsun Xun remained motionless, merely sneering as he asked.

"General." Cao Cao had no shame to spare — in truth, Gentleman of the Household was itself merely a rank between General and Captain. "What does the General think?"

"What could I think?" Gongsun Xun did not even glance at him, only answering with a wry smile. "Before we left Henei, Brother Mengde spent all day whispering incessantly with your Lieutenant Xiahou Yuanrang. After leaving Henei, you've been glued to my side, talking about this and that. And now you seize the moment to stir everyone into saying such things... I suspect you are about to propose some stratagem?"

Cao A Man's eyes narrowed even further: "The General's divine foresight is truly miraculous!"

"Let's hear it, then." Gongsun Xun's eyes remained fixed on the Yellow River ahead, or on Baima City on its southern bank, but he still gave Cao Cao some face with his words.

"General." Cao Cao could not help but speak with a serious expression. "The part of Dongjun on the Yellow River's northern bank — the very first city facing us at the westernmost edge is none other than Dunqiu, where I formerly served as county magistrate..."

It was not only Gongsun Xun who showed sudden understanding; the vast majority of the Northern Army officers present, and even the old subordinates Gongsun Xun had brought from Youzhou, all had the same realization... After Cao Cao beat the uncle of Jian Shuo to death while serving as Commandant of the Northern District of Luoyang, he had been reassigned as Prefect of Dunqiu. In other words, he had a base of support there.

"Does Mengde mean to say that you have inside help waiting at Dunqiu?" Lou Gui, an old friend of Cao Cao serving as an army advisor, could not help but ask outright.

"Exactly!" Cao Cao could not hide his pride. "I won't deceive you, Zibo — not only Dunqiu, but also Weiguo County behind Dunqiu, I can accomplish something there as well!"

"May I ask, Commandant Cao, exactly what preparations have you made?" Gongsun Yue inquired seriously.

Cao Cao glanced at Gongsun Xun, who seemed utterly indifferent, still staring southward without pause, and could not help feeling somewhat deflated. He quickly explained: "I won't hide it from the General and my colleagues — when I was Prefect of Dunqiu in the past, I had a capable subordinate, surnamed Yue, given name Jin, courtesy name Wenqian..."

Gongsun Xun finally turned his head slightly to glance at the man.

And with that one look, Cao Mengde immediately swelled with confidence again: "Wenqian is a man of considerable courage and daring, fiercely valiant. His family was originally from Yangping in Dongjun, later moved to Weiguo west of Dunqiu, and I recognized his talent and recommended him as a subordinate officer in Dunqiu County. Because of this, he enjoys considerable renown throughout the northern part of Dongjun. Now that our great army is about to march on Dongjun, I thought of him at once and sent someone specifically to contact him... He replied that if the army is about to reach Dunqiu, he can lead his own clansmen and local partisans to enter the city ahead of time and act as inside agents! And in my view, if the stratagem is employed properly, we might first take Dunqiu with Wenqian as the inside agent, and then have him feign a ruse to trick and seize Weiguo!"

The crowd buzzed with discussion, but most were pleasantly surprised and voiced their agreement without end.

Gongsun Xun also nodded repeatedly: "This plan is absolutely feasible. That Yue Jin, Yue Wenqian — just his name alone sounds like a man who can get things done."

Cao Cao was finally overjoyed: "In that case, we should hasten the march and head for Dunqiu at once, lest the Yellow Turban rebels discover anything and send reinforcements."

Gongsun Xun shook his head again: "There is no rush in this matter."

Cao Mengde could not help but choke: "Military affairs are urgent as fire — how can there be no rush?"

"I won't hide it from you, Brother Mengde." Hearing this, Gongsun Xun sighed and pointed at the great river before them. "Today, observing this great river surging like a dragon, I suddenly recalled a certain person... Do you know who?"

Although the superior officer had asked, not only Cao Mengde but nearly everyone else was utterly baffled.

"Tell me," Gongsun Xun grew even more emotional at the sight, even somewhat indignant, "shouldn't all of you, who can stand by this river and sigh today, offer some thanks to that man Wang Jing, Wang Zhongtong?"

Cao Cao was speechless beyond measure, and the rest of the crowd looked at each other in dismay... It was not that they did not know who Wang Jing, Wang Zhongtong was. On the contrary, it was precisely because most of them knew exactly who this man was that they were so speechless! They were on the march, about to go into battle, and you, the army's commanding general, instead of thinking about how to plan and employ stratagems, are here paying homage to the ancients?!

So who exactly was Wang Jing, Wang Zhongtong?

The answer is: this man was born in Pingrang and served as Grand Administrator of Lujiang during the early Eastern Han. However, the reason his name resounded for centuries thereafter was neither his birth nor his official career, but because he was the greatest water conservancy engineering expert of the entire Han dynasty — bar none.

Many might wonder why the Han dynasty's commanderies and kingdoms, which generally used mountains and rivers as natural boundaries, became such a mess in Dongjun and Pingyuan — these two large commanderies were both split in two by the Yellow River (Dongjun, to be precise, was actually split into three), making it impossible to say clearly whether they were south or north of the river.

In fact, during the early Eastern Han, these two commanderies were indeed standard territories south of the river, and their northern boundaries all used the Yellow River as a natural dividing line.

However, at that time the Yellow River frequently flooded and encroached upon the Bian River, causing untold suffering to the people of three provinces and several commanderies along its course. And it was Wang Jing who was dispatched by Emperor Ming of Han to repair the Yellow River. Under Wang Jing's management, the lower reaches of the Yellow River were comprehensively dredged and rerouted, and a sturdy Yellow River embankment was built. The strange geographical condition of Dongjun and Pingyuan being pierced through their bellies by the Yellow River was artificially shaped by Wang Jing at that time.

And after the river channel and embankment were rebuilt, Dongjun and Pingyuan leaped to become famously prosperous regions under heaven — and more importantly, from that point on, throughout the entire Han dynasty, the Yellow River never caused any major trouble again!

Of course, Gongsun Xun was still underestimating Wang Jing... What he did not know was that, historically, the Yellow River channel renovated by Wang Jing operated smoothly for nearly eight hundred years! For eight hundred years, the Yellow River produced no major disasters due to channel problems, and even breaches were rare! This achievement would put to shame who knows how many later generations!

"Wang Zhongtong..." Cao Cao paused for a long moment and could only manage a strained agreement. "Wang Zhongtong has indeed bestowed his legacy upon the world for over a hundred years — truly worthy of being called a renowned official of his era."

Gongsun Xun shook his head repeatedly: "More than just a renowned official of his era. I once built a small Xia embankment in Handan and know deeply the hardships and benefits of water conservancy, and I have often taken pride in it, quite self-satisfied. But today, arriving in Dongjun and seeing Wang Zhongtong's Yellow River embankment, I finally realize how insignificant my own achievement is... Brother Mengde, when we pursue merit and establish our careers, we must still distinguish what is truly worthwhile. No matter how great our achievements in storming cities and seizing territory, how could they compare to even a tenth or a twentieth of Wang Zhongtong's accomplishment?"

Cao Cao was quite speechless. Had he not known this man before him for so long, he would almost have thought him a petty, envious man who, simply because Cao Cao had proposed a brilliant plan to take the city, was deliberately speaking out here to rebuke him.

"Then Wen... then what does the General think we should do?" Cao Cao asked helplessly. "Should we wait until after we take Dunqiu and then erect a stele for Wang Zhongtong? You and I could jointly compose an inscription?"

"No need." Gongsun Xun waved his hand at once. "A century-old embankment endures far longer than any stele inscription... I intend to halt the march tomorrow and offer a sacrifice in the river to honor Wang Zhongtong!"

Cao Mengde was truly speechless... In that instant, he genuinely began to suspect that the man before him was deliberately suppressing him!

He had clearly told the man that he had arranged inside agents in Dunqiu, yet the man now wanted to suddenly halt the march to offer sacrifices to some renowned official of the dynasty?!

Even if you raise your voice high and speak with reason, we are at war right now, are we not? Several thousand cavalry, along with the boats and civilian laborers on the river — probably over ten thousand men in total — all to stop for an entire day just because of your whim?

A sacrifice?! When we marched out before, you already stirred up trouble, chopping off a man's head and killing his horse... and now you want to go into the river to perform a sacrifice?!

Yet Cao Cao was, after all, Cao Cao. Though he had his doubts and was even momentarily indignant, he ultimately recalled the legendary battle records of the man before him, as well as their personal friendship, and managed to maintain his composure.

However, most of the others present probably truly believed that Gongsun Xun was deliberately putting Cao Cao in his place, preventing the latter from easily achieving merit! In fact, Xiahou Dun had already widened his eyes and fixed them on Gongsun Xun! It was just that Zhang Fei, attending nearby, had also fixed his eyes on Xiahou Dun, so this Xiahou Yuanrang, who had killed a man at the age of ten-odd, did not dare to react.

At this point, Gongsun Xun did not even glance at the expressions of the others, but directly turned, mounted his horse, and began issuing orders as he rode onward... Listening closely, every single order was about preparing for the river sacrifice:

For instance, tonight they were to encamp at a place where the river was wide and the current gentle;

also, the river fleet was to offload a good deal of armaments and distribute them, to free up the boats;

furthermore, these boats were to be linked together with iron chains, bound to one another, to form several stable platforms, convenient for him, the General of the Household of All Purposes, to enter the river and perform the prayers tomorrow.

The various measures were numerous and detailed — it did not seem like a joke at all!

The army buzzed with discussion, but the severed head of that thousand-bushel Major from the time they marched out was still vivid in everyone's memory, and no one dared to remonstrate with Gongsun Xun.

The only person with the standing to do so, and who did not fear the staff of authority — Cao Mengde — was, as it happened, in a somewhat sensitive position at that moment and could not easily offer a remonstration.

And so, for a time, these absurd orders were actually transmitted and carried out.

On the southern bank of the Yellow River, atop the great southern embankment north of Baima City, a Yellow Turban junior commander who had come to observe the enemy watched as the Han army's main force on the northern bank — chariots rumbling, horses neighing, the fleet and cavalry both in orderly formation — swept mightily eastward... He was half ceaselessly anxious, and half relieved.

What worried him was that the Han army’s momentum was extraordinarily imposing, and their speed moving downriver was swift — one look told you they were elite government troops. Heading east this time, the several cities on the northern bank of the Yellow River in Dongjun were likely in for bitter fighting. The reason for his relief was even more concrete: with the great river cutting them off, since the Han army had chosen to advance along the northern bank and strike the cities there, his own position would at least be somewhat more secure.

To put it bluntly, ever since the uprising began, the Yellow Turbans in Dongjun had basically scattered at the mere rumor of their approach. Even where some cities put up resistance, they could not withstand the Yellow Turbans simply swarming them with absolute numerical superiority — they had never really fought any truly tough battles. And now, with the court’s finest troops deployed in full force, the reputation of the Three Rivers and Five Colonels was something they had long heard of, so they could not help feeling uneasy. Not to mention, Baima City lay in the interior of their defense zone, and at the moment there were no more than a paltry one or two thousand men in the city!

“Send fast riders to Puyang!” The uneasy junior commander watched the Han army’s main force gradually disappear from sight, finally set his mind at ease, descended from the great embankment, and then hurriedly gave further orders. “Tell Commander Bu — same as the report from Yanxian the day before yesterday: the Han army is vast in strength, their formations immaculate, and they are heading straight for Dunqiu along the northern bank. Ask the old man to make a swift decision!”

The men receiving the order naturally dared not say much, and hastily mobilized several riders to head east toward Puyang. As for Puyang, once they received the intelligence, the Canal Commander Bu Ji, while hurriedly sending to Zhang Jiao north of the river to request a large reinforcement force, also dutifully continued pressing the several cities in northern Dongjun to concentrate their best troops to reinforce Dunqiu… all of which goes without saying.

Back to the Han army. That day, after passing Baima across the river, because the Regional Commander had some mad notion of going out onto the river the next day to offer sacrifices to a worthy of old, the army sought out a place where the current was gentle and made camp by the river in the early afternoon, while the sky was still very bright.

Then, just as Gongsun Xun had ordered, the civilian laborers on the river spared no effort — clearing boats, linking iron chains — bustling nonstop before supper, and still bustling nonstop after supper! The troops buzzed with discussion, but as soon as darkness fell, Gongsun Yue led some armored soldiers on a patrol of the camp, forcing every corner of the encampment to shut their mouths and turn in early.

Faced with this situation, Cao Cao, having confirmed that Gongsun Xun was not merely putting on a show, sat despondently in his command tent, utterly baffled. Moreover, Xiahou Dun beside him was seething with indignation, which only added to his vexation and made him waver! And when midnight came, as ill luck would have it, Yue Jin suddenly sent a man through the night with an urgent message, saying that at Dunqiu, Yellow Turban reinforcements kept pouring in — all of them elite, able-bodied men — and if the Han army did not arrive soon, he would find it hard to make his move.

The arrival of this letter finally pushed the muttering, troubled Cao Cao past endurance, and disregarding the late hour, he actually barged straight into Gongsun Xun’s main tent!

“Brother Mengde, why are you here instead of resting in your own tent?” Gongsun Xun had already shed his armor and was in the middle of studying his *Taiping Jing*. Seeing who had come, this General of the Household of All Purposes looked neither very surprised nor particularly prepared — merely thoroughly indifferent.

“Wenqi.” Cao Cao, still fully armored, for once spoke with solemn remonstrance. “Military affairs are urgent as fire. Can the sacrifice to Wang Zhongtong not wait until after the battle?”

“Is there some particular reason?” Gongsun Xun remained utterly unconcerned, not even inviting the other man to sit.

“Yue Wenqian just sent a man with a letter, saying that at Dunqiu, wave after wave of elite Yellow Turban reinforcements have entered the city. He fears he may not be equal to the task!”

“That is only natural.” Gongsun Xun closed his *Taiping Jing* and sighed. “Our army marched out of Henei in grand force. When we passed Zhaoge the day before yesterday, the Yellow Turbans at Yanxian would already have known. Then the bandits sent fast riders to Puyang, and Puyang in turn hurriedly ordered the cities north of the river to reinforce Dunqiu. Reckoning the time, bandit reinforcements from places like Weiguo should have arrived in haste yesterday.”

“That being the case,” Cao Cao said urgently, “why still delay? Why not advance swiftly and attack Dunqiu?”

“Would advancing swiftly guarantee victory?” Gongsun Xun sat behind his desk and laughed in retort. “Even if we advanced on Dunqiu at top speed, we could not engage until the day after tomorrow at the earliest. By then, how many Yellow Turban reinforcements would have reached Dunqiu?”

Cao Cao was momentarily speechless, but then shook his head: “Better than slowly marching over and getting bogged down in a siege, surely? Our army is mostly cavalry, ill-suited for attacking cities. And the bandits have over twenty cities stretching continuously south and north of the river, all supporting one another — we need an unorthodox stratagem to succeed… Wenqi, that subordinate of mine is indeed exceptionally brave and fierce; perhaps he can pull it off!”

“I also trust this Yue Wenqian you speak of,” Gongsun Xun replied with a slow smile. “But in such a situation, even if it succeeds, how many casualties would we suffer? Our army numbers six or seven thousand, and with the civilian laborers we falsely claim ten thousand… The bandits hold over twenty cities, numbering far more than a few tens of thousands. If taking one city costs us several hundred casualties, it would be better not to win at all! Besides, when I swore that oath before departing, I said the army was drawn from disparate sources and lacked cohesion — was that false? What if our first battle goes poorly? Wouldn’t that deal a heavy blow to morale?”

Cao Cao tilted his head up, lost in thought, then suddenly narrowed his eyes and asked: “In that case, Wenqi, where do you intend to strike?”

Gongsun Xun smiled without answering.

“Wenqi, the day we swore the oath, you bluffed me into killing Army Supervisor Huan Dian’s mount, using it to assert your authority — I only pretended not to know…”

“Brother Mengde, aren’t you being a little petty?” Gongsun Xun finally rose with a helpless laugh. “The Huan clan’s ancestral home is in Pei — they’re your own countrymen. Why would he bear a grudge against you over killing his mount?”

As he spoke, Gongsun Xun bent down and picked up a cup from beside his desk, then clasped his hands behind his back and walked out with it.

“Where are you going?” Cao Cao grew tense as he watched the other man stride straight out of the tent.

“Since Brother Mengde thinks I am wasting time, I have no choice but to hastily offer my sacrifices to Wang Zhongtong tonight,” Gongsun Xun said, walking out with his hands behind his back, not even turning his head. “Did you think everything I said in the daytime was false? Across a hundred years’ distance, I truly do hold Wang Zhongtong in heartfelt remembrance!”

Cao Cao sighed at this and hurriedly followed him out.

By the light of the star-filled sky and the camp’s lamps, the two men made their way down to the Yellow River embankment. First they fetched a jar of wine, then boarded the boats linked by iron chains… At that spot, men were still working by lantern light, binding the iron chains, as busy as ever.

There were no three sacrificial beasts, no eulogy, and no human head offered up — only a single cup of thin wine that Gongsun Xun poured into the river as a token of sacrifice. Immediately after, dressed in a single layer of thin clothing, he took the cup and strode back with head held high.

And it was at that moment, as he set down the wine jar, that Cao Cao finally realized what was wrong!

The boats on the river — especially those large vessels that had been unloaded of their military stores in the afternoon and early evening — were still bustling with activity even now… But Gongsun Xun clearly no longer needed them linked into a square platform on the river for a ceremony!

“Is this to make a pontoon bridge?” The instant he stepped back onto the northern bank of the Yellow River, a jolt went through Cao Mengde’s mind, and he fully grasped it! “You mean to cross the river suddenly at dawn tomorrow and strike Baima?!”

“Why wait until dawn?” Gongsun Xun, walking ahead, laughed loudly as he answered. “Brother Mengde, tell me — if tomorrow we lead those ‘Northern Army elites’ who have never seen battle straight into Baima City to rest and garrison, what sort of expressions will they wear? Will they still dare to submit outwardly while defying me in their hearts?!”

Cao Cao followed behind him, half tongue-tied, half urgently inquiring: “Marching troops through the night, and sending only your trusted men — who do you intend to send? Shen Zhengnan?”

What he meant by this was that he was already thoroughly convinced by Gongsun Xun’s maneuver, and now simply wanted Xiahou Dun — or even himself — to get a piece of this night raid.

Gongsun Xun shook his head repeatedly up ahead: “Since we are striking Baima, naturally it must be Guan Yunchang!”

As his words fell, the short-statured Cao Cao finally followed him up onto the great Yellow River embankment on the northern shore — and was abruptly met with the sight of a full seven or eight hundred cavalry, including Gongsun Xun’s White Horse Volunteers, drawn up in perfect formation on the bank… Under the lamplight, the two men at their head: one with hawk-like eyes and a thin beard — unmistakably Gongsun Xun’s chief rider, his fellow countryman and trusted man, Han Dang, Han Yigong; the other, red of face and long of beard — was that not the nine-foot giant from Hedong, Guan Yu, Guan Yunchang?

“The spring nights are still a little cool.” Guan Yu stared straight ahead, not sparing Cao Cao so much as a glance, and merely saluted Gongsun Xun with head held high. “My lord, please return to your tent and rest at ease. Tomorrow, simply lead the troops straight to Baima!”

Gongsun Xun laughed at this, then held up the empty cup in his hand and said: “I have already offered wine to Wang Zhongtong. I was just thinking I still had a measure of heroic spirit to lend Yunchang, but I forgot — Yunchang was never short of heroic spirit to begin with… Go, go. Tomorrow, we shall meet again inside Baima City!”

Guan Yu cupped his hands without reply, and directly led Han Dang and these elite Youzhou cavalry — who had long ago been selected and stationed in the camp near the embankment — along with three hundred White Horse Volunteers, lightly equipped, down the embankment and onto the pontoon bridge… The night wind rustled; Guan Yunchang was majestic and extraordinary; the elite Youzhou troops were imposing in their martial bearing. Cao Mengde watched, his spirit transported and his heart stirred with longing, and he actually stood on the embankment for a long while, unwilling to move!

———————I am the dividing line that wards off Mercury retrograde———————

“When the Yellow Turbans rose, Xun was appointed General of the Household of All Purposes, and Cao was made Commandant of Cavalry; together they marched out of Henei to campaign in Dongjun. Reaching Wei Commandery, the army wished to cross the Yellow River to raid Baima. At night, the pontoon bridge was just completed when suddenly a gale and waves sprang up, causing the bridge to pitch and toss, making passage difficult. Some in the army said Zhang Jiao was working sorcery, and for a time there was panic. Cao then adjusted his armor and prepared the three sacrificial beasts to offer to the River Earl. The three beasts entered the water, yet the wind did not cease. Xun then came forward in a single layer of clothing and made a nighttime offering of a cup of wine to Wang Zhongtong. The wine entered the river, and the wind stopped and the waves stilled. All were overjoyed, and the army was calmed. Thereupon he sent Guan Yu and Han Dang with eight hundred cavalry to cross the pontoon bridge by night, race to Baima, and take it in a single assault.” — *Records of Han Heroes*. Wang Can

PS: Mercury retrograde begone… Also, there’s a reader group, 684558115; feel free to join if interested.

(End of chapter)