Chapter 246: Yangzhai City, Zibo Summons the Worthy

The sound of phoenix flutes stirred, the light in the jade cup turned, a night of fish and dragon dancing.

When Gongsun Xun woke in the army tent the next day, his head felt as if it would split open, utterly devoid of the carefree abandon of the night before. He vaguely remembered that last night Liu Bei had sung a song, Cao Cao and Sun Jian had danced with swords, and then he himself, thinking Liu Bei's lyrics were too awful, had taken the initiative to supply some rather mischievously fitting lyrics, made the three of them go through it again, and only then let loose and drank!

During all this, it seemed Fu Xie had come to urge him not to drink to excess, and he, already seven or eight parts drunk, had apparently pulled out another poem stolen from his own mother to respond, winning a round of applause... what was it again?

"Fine grape wine in a luminous cup, about to drink, the pipa urges from horseback.

Lying drunk on the battlefield, my lord, do not laugh — since ancient times, how many have returned from war?"

It seemed to be that one, right? It wasn't too out of line, after all — he hadn't shouted out in public, "Of all the heroes under heaven today, only so-and-so and so-and-so count!" Right?

At this thought, Gongsun Xun shook his head and laughed ruefully, sobering up a few degrees, then forced himself to rise, lifted the tent flap, and walked out.

Yet the moment he stepped out of the tent, in the next instant, this General of the Household of All Purposes was left somewhat dazed by the sweltering heat, the croaking of frogs, the clamor of voices, and the smell of char in the air. In fact, his smile swiftly vanished and his expression even froze — because as he looked up, the plain east of the camp was everywhere filled with black smoke and an endless stream of soldiers, laborers, and captives coming and going.

Clearly, this was the army burning corpses on a massive scale to prevent plague... in the great battle two days before, from Changshe to the Qishui River, over these several dozen li, who knew how many Huang Jin corpses had been strewn?

Faced with such a scene, Gongsun Xun naturally had nothing to say, but his good mood could no longer exist; after all, everything before his eyes reminded him that romance and abandon were only fleeting, and that brutal war was the current main theme.

"Wenqi." Lu Fan approached from the side, and at first glance saw his lord's rigid face. "The corpses in the Qishui have been fished out clean. If you are weary, you might as well go wash."

"No matter." Gongsun Xun shook his head repeatedly. "If there is business, speak of it."

"Lord Huangfu and Lord Zhu came this morning to take their leave. Seeing Wenqi sleeping soundly, they departed directly." Lu Fan spoke with a serious expression. "They said we are to sweep the northwest of the commandery, while they take Bo Cai's head to sweep the various cities south of the commandery. They also left all the captives and wounded soldiers with us, saying they are to assist us in burning corpses and cleaning the battlefield... Also, Fu Nanrong and Sun Wentai each took their own troops and left; they too came to take their leave, but seeing Wenqi lying drunk and unable to rise, they simply bid farewell and departed."

Gongsun Xun pondered briefly, then understood.

It must be said, in this Huang Jin upheaval, of Yingchuan's seventeen counties, only the three counties east of the commandery were spared. And the so-called northwest of the commandery was merely Yangcheng and Lunshi, two county towns bordering Mount Song. Meanwhile, the Yingchuan south that Huangfu Song and Zhu Jun led troops to had a full ten-odd counties, all of them well-known large and wealthy counties like Kunyang, Yancheng, Yingyang, and Xu County (later Xudu).

So, with the overall situation already decided, Huangfu Song and Zhu Jun's move did not really carry much significance in terms of merit; it seemed more like seizing spoils of war for their subordinates... This was unavoidable — in these times, even regular armies relied on this to maintain morale, and as had been said before, this was a "benefit" for military personnel tacitly approved by the imperial court.

However...

"This is a good thing." Gongsun Xun sighed. "At the very least, by doing this they have no intention of contending with us for the spoils of Yangzhai City... Yangzhai is the commandery seat, and was Bo Cai's previous main base; the gains from one city will be enough. Besides, having three Staff-Bearing Generals of the Household crammed together is never a good arrangement anyway."

"I thought the same." Lu Fan said frankly. "That being the case, does Wenqi have assignments to make?"

"Let Yang Kai and Qian Zhao, those two worry-free men, go take Lunshi and Yangcheng, so as to swiftly open the passage to Luoyang!"

"Aye!"

"You draft a formal memorial to the throne for me, explaining this battle in detail... On the broad level, follow the tacit understanding with those two, and credit the achievement to Zhu Gongwei, saying only that this battle was entirely under his overall command. But as for the merits of the officers below, there is no need to conceal anything."

"Aye."

"Demou cannot possibly receive any further rewards; his achievements can be distributed in part to others..."

"...Understood."

"Then urge the entire army to finish burning the corpses quickly, and drive the captives along, all to assemble at Yangzhai." Gongsun Xun looked at the black smoke everywhere before him and could not help shaking his head again.

"That is only natural." Lu Fan also glanced back at those columns of smoke, equally helpless.

"Right." Gongsun Xun suddenly thought of another matter. "Don't forget to send a messenger to Shen Zhengnan, telling him to take out some gold, silver, coins, and silks — things easy to store and transport — in advance, to prepare for use as rewards. Once we reach the place, we will reward the troops generously... When the time comes, once Lunshi and Yangcheng fall and the road is open, the soldiers from Henei, Bingzhou, and even Youzhou can safely send their rewards home again. This will also ease the logistics somewhat; otherwise, what kind of situation is it when every man marches carrying several bolts of cloth? Be sure not to delay this matter, because we never know when an imperial decree might arrive."

"Wenqi, if the army's rewards are too abundant, and we parade them ostentatiously through the vicinity of Luoyang, won't it provoke criticism?" Lu Fan could not help frowning in suggestion. "Previously, when we were encamped north of the Weishui River, you sent men to escort the rewards of the Henei and Bingzhou soldiers and laborers home. As they passed through Chenliu in an unending stream, there was already incessant talk."

"Let them talk." Gongsun Xun shook his head. "At this moment, army morale is paramount. Besides, letting the central court think I am greedy for wealth, and that my virtue is inferior to Huangfu Song's — isn't that just perfect? Dong Gongren..."

At this point, Gongsun Xun suddenly froze on the spot. He had clearly recalled again the reality of his own "lack of virtue," yet Dong Zhao had once advised him to cede virtue to Huangfu Song? And he himself had actually agreed with this all along until now — why was that?

The word "virtue" truly defies simple explanation.

"What is Wenqi thinking about?" Lu Ziheng naturally noticed Gongsun Xun's demeanor.

Gongsun Xun would certainly not hide anything from someone like Lu Fan, so outside the tent he candidly laid out his inner doubts to the other man.

Upon hearing this, Lu Fan could not help but laugh: "Wenqi is indeed not yet sober from the wine!"

"What do you mean by that?" Gongsun Xun was momentarily puzzled.

"Virtue is judged by men." Lu Fan shook his head and smiled. "Wenqi... the 'virtue' that Dong Gongren told you to yield is the kind of virtue directed at the central court; the 'virtue' you yourself feel lacking is the kind directed at the scholar-officials; and now, the wealth you bestow as rewards upon the soldiers — is that not also 'virtue' directed at the soldiers? However..." At this point, Lu Ziheng's expression suddenly turned solemn. "The real problem is that for different people, sometimes 'virtue' is shared, and sometimes it is simply contradictory. How to grasp the proper measure within this, and make choices according to the circumstances of the times — that is what you, Wenqi, should pay the most attention to."

Gongsun Xun was dazed for a moment, then abruptly came to his senses: "Worthy indeed of Ziheng! I had thought Zibo was growing more and more accomplished, but now it seems his growth is only in military strategy; in matters of fundamental principle, he still falls a step short of you, Ziheng."

Lu Fan laughed again: "Did I not say? 'Virtue' differs from person to person. Perhaps it is simply that Zibo's 'virtue' differs from mine. If Wenqi were to ask yet another person, I fear the answer would be different again!"

"Thus it is said," Gongsun Xun raised his head and sighed, "the more wise and resourceful men one has around, the better, of course — yet the one in the superior position must recognize his own needs and make choices accordingly... But this in itself is a contradiction."

"Wenqi, do sober up from the wine!" Lu Fan shook his head and walked away.

Several dozen li west of the Qishui River, by the banks of the Yingshui, lay Yangzhai City.

Under the escort of several dozen White Horse riders, Lou Zibo, who had halted his horse on the street, suddenly could not help but sneeze under the scorching sun, then continued riding forward.

The several dozen cavalrymen dared not be negligent and once again set out, escorting him.

Indeed, Lou Gui was not at the military camp at all at this moment; he had been ordered yesterday to come to Yangzhai City, specifically to summon Zao Zhi and Xi Zhong... Gongsun Xun, fearing these two might come to harm amidst the chaos of war, had, on the very day they left Changshe, while he went with Huangfu Song to rendezvous with Zhu Jun, dispatched Lou Gui to lead several dozen riders directly to Yangzhai to find them.

And Lou Zibo, having rested for the night, had begun his labors early this morning.

He first inquired into the residences of Zao and Xi, then sent men to the county offices where Shen Zhengnan was stationed to demand a large sum of money and goods, while also dispatching men to the commandery offices to "fetch" some official carriages — clearly intending to put on a full display of proper form... However, after waiting on the street for half the day, the money from Shen Zhengnan's side had long since arrived, but the official carriages were nowhere to be seen!

Thus, Lou Zibo's current trip was to go to the commandery offices to find out what was going on.

A group of several dozen riders, swords at their waists and mounted on horses, drew sidelong glances from the passersby on the street, and even caused some alarm... It must be understood that Yangzhai had been recovered for only a day or two, the bloodstains in the city not yet dry. While many people were certainly hurrying out to visit relatives and friends and inquire after their safety, facing groups of armed and mounted soldiers still inspired fear in people.

But there were those who did not fear!

"General." Inside the commandery offices, a man who did not even have a proper official seal and sash — clearly a petty clerk of the lowest rank — stood with head high and a solemn expression, blocking a group of fully armed cavalrymen, utterly unafraid. "The official carriages in the commandery offices are all commandery property, not your spoils of war. You cannot simply seize them like this."

Only then did Lou Gui understand what was going on: it turned out he had encountered a dutiful watchdog! Of course, the city had been recovered, Yangzhai was a great city under heaven, and it was close to the capital; Lou Zibo was also unwilling to stir up any trouble for Gongsun Xun.

So, after pausing for a long while, he stepped forward and tried to explain: "It is not seizure, it is requisition! My general is the Staff-Bearing General of the Household of All Purposes. Now, with the commandery governor absent from the city, only my general's subordinate, Major Shen, administers this city under martial law — is it not only natural for us to requisition the carriages?"

"Do you have a written order?" The young petty clerk still would not relent.

Lou Gui was momentarily tongue-tied, then speechless: "Yangzhai has just been recovered; who would have thought someone would be here in the commandery offices to guard it so soon?"

Seeing that the other party was willing to reason, the petty clerk immediately bowed and saluted: "General, your discernment is clear. I am not making trouble without cause, nor am I trying to be some stubborn official — otherwise I would not have waited until the city was recovered to come perform my duty. But today, I am truly the only one here in the commandery offices, and thus I bear the authority and responsibility of the watch. Therefore, I absolutely cannot allow public property to vanish so inexplicably... What is more, it is a full ten official carriages."

"Then what do you want?" Lou Gui grew somewhat impatient. "I have proper business to attend to, as ordered by my general!"

"I must ask the General to obtain a written order — even an order from Major Shen in the city would do. When the time comes, I will certainly grant passage!" The petty clerk promptly offered a solution.

Lou Zibo grew even more speechless. He tilted his head back to look at the blazing sun overhead, then glanced at the equally helpless volunteer riders, and finally waved his hand in exasperation: "Tie him up, and drive the carriages away!"

The surrounding volunteer riders had long since lost patience... They had traveled far and wide and seen everything; being blocked here by a lowly petty clerk was not something they would willingly accept. Thus, the moment Lou Gui's words fell, they immediately took action, and their methods were inevitably somewhat rough.

The minor clerk, pinned down by others, grew frantic: "General, why go this far? Was I wrong to simply do my duty? It was clearly just a matter of one document!"

"You were not wrong!" Lou Gui replied helplessly, stepping forward. "But neither were we... Just wait a little. Once I finish my business today, I will have Adjutant Shen make up a document for you. How about that?"

"What if the General leaves and never returns?" The young minor clerk, even tied up, still had a stubborn tongue.

"Then what do you propose?" Faced with such a person, Lou Zibo was truly at his wit's end.

"Please tie me to the carriage, General!" the minor clerk said indignantly. "I will go with the General, and after the matter is concluded, you can give me the document. How about that?"

"Oh, you should have said so earlier!" Lou Gui suddenly saw the light. "In that case, there is no need to tie you up. Come with us... Afterward, I will take you directly to see Shen Zhengnan! How about that?"

Several retainers once again helplessly untied him. The minor clerk, his clothes torn, turned his head away and said nothing.

And so, having obtained the cart, the party set off at once. The minor clerk did not climb onto the cart, but actually followed on foot behind the horse column and the cart convoy. Lou Gui ahead was still annoyed with him, and therefore ignored him.

However, none of the party were familiar with Yangzhai City. Although they had the address, they turned left and right, expending great effort before finally crowding into the inner gate of the ward where the Zao clan lived together.

The Zao clansmen, much like the other residents of Yangzhai City, were always somewhat nervous at the arrival of soldiers. After a long flurry of confusion, seeing the soldiers dismount one after another and stand at attention, and that the man leading them was generally courteous, the Zao clan finally came out in full to receive this man who claimed to be an envoy of the imperial court.

"My respects." Lou Gui, for once, cupped his hands solemnly, then raised his voice and asked, "May I ask, is this the residence of Zao Zhi, Zao Wengong?"

"My nephew does indeed reside here." The clan elder at their head was clearly caught off guard by the mention of this name. "All two hundred or so people surnamed Zao under heaven live in this very place."

"Then this is the place!" Hearing this, Lou Gui's previous pent-up frustration vanished at once, replaced by great joy. "I have traveled day and night from Changshe expressly for your nephew!"

With these words, without waiting for the Zao clan elder to speak, Lou Gui gave a slight sideways signal. Immediately, several retainers came forward in succession from the cart, bearing who knows how many trays.

Shen Zhengnan's side had been straightforward enough — the trays were not even covered. Gold, silver, brocade, and satin all glittered under the midday sun.

"My General is the former Grand Administrator of Zhuo Commandery, now General of the Household of All Purposes, bearing a staff of authority to oversee the Yingchuan Yellow Turban affairs..." At this point, Lou Gui paused slightly, briefly observing the expressions of the group of Zao-surnamed people across from him, and only then continued with satisfaction. "Two days ago, passing through Changshe, after routing the hundred-thousand-strong rebel army, he lodged at the residence of the former Yingchuan Commandery Merit Evaluator, Zhong Yao. Zhong Yuanchang recommended Yangzhai's Zao Zhi, citing his talent and virtue, to my General. My General rejoices upon hearing of worthies, but unfortunately, the fighting is not yet settled, and he could not come here in haste. Therefore, he has sent me as his envoy, bearing fifty gold, one hundred silver, ten bolts of brocade and satin, three pairs of jade discs, and five carts, to solicit Zao Wengong as a retainer to advise on military affairs! Please, let Zao Wengong come out and meet us!"

The Zao clansmen, hearing these words, first looked at each other in blank dismay, then kept shifting their gazes between those precious goods and those white-horsed riders, and finally turned helplessly to Lou Gui.

Lou Zibo waited for a long while, his brow furrowing tightly: "Whether you consent or not, please have Zao Wengong come out and meet us!"

"Honored Envoy!" The clan elder cupped his hands helplessly in reply. "Wengong has long been a petty clerk of modest means. Now that a noble man has come with such generous gifts and courtesy, this is a tremendous blessing... However, when my nephew saw that the government troops had recovered the city, he put on his clerk's uniform early this morning, ignored all dissuasion, and went directly to the commandery office to attend to his duties. Shall I send someone to call him back?"

Lou Gui stood frozen for a long moment, then, like the many stunned retainers beside him, turned his gaze toward the tail end of the column.

The minor clerk from before, however, was quite straightforward. Ignoring his torn clothes, he strode out boldly from the rear, first cupping his hands toward his clan uncles and the others, then bowing slightly to Lou Zibo, with no hint of posturing: "I have seen the Honored Envoy. I am Zao Zhi!"

Lou Gui started to speak, then stopped.

"I accept the General of the Household of All Purposes' generous offer!" Zao Zhi said, raising his head. "I do this not only for my own prospects, but also because I wish to offer counsel at the General's side... One must understand, if affairs under heaven are done solely by force, they may perhaps be accomplished, but they will not necessarily pacify the hearts of men! Yet if one acts according to law and proper procedure, and then applies force, what affair could not be achieved? Zao Zhi is willing to practice this personally, to remonstrate with the General of the Household of All Purposes and... the Honored Envoy!"

Lou Gui still started to speak, then stopped.

————I am a dividing line that started to speak, then stopped————

"Zao Zhi, styled Wengong, was a man of Yangzhai in Yingchuan. When the Grand Ancestor campaigned against the Yellow Turbans and passed through Yangzhai, he heard of his exceptional character, and so sent an envoy with generous gifts and great ceremony to summon him. Zhi was then serving as a Revenue Clerk in the commandery. Moved by the Grand Ancestor's thorough virtue, he abandoned his post and followed him." — Old Book of Yan, Volume 74, Biography 24

(End of Chapter)