Chapter 262: When Grasses and Trees Wither and Leaves Fall, the Wild Geese Fly North (Part One)

To understand this cryptic clash between Gongsun Xun and Huangfu Song, one must first know a premise: every clear-sighted person under heaven understood that Liangzhou had long been disloyal and estranged from the Han throne.

Years ago, before Gongsun Xun had even come of age or taken office, he had already sensed something from Han Sui; and gradually, after becoming an official and being exposed to more and more, he grew ever more aware of the loathing and fury toward Luoyang felt at every level in Liangzhou. He also understood more and more what the central government’s neglect and discrimination against Liangzhou signified.

Looking at it another way, in another time and space, the Yellow Turban Rebellion was swiftly suppressed in under a year — so why is it universally acknowledged as the omen of a coming age of chaos?

The answer is simple: as revealed when Gongsun Xun and Yan Zhong clashed, it made everyone realize just how hollow and rotten the Great Han truly was, and just how many people under this heaven were discontented with the azure sky above.

After this rebellion, for those heroes harboring great ambitions or possessing extraordinary talent, they would begin to question and doubt: why can those people occupy high and illustrious positions, while I can only fight tooth and nail for a paltry six-hundred-dan or thousand-dan post — or even no proper rank at all?

For those ambitious men who had always been discontented with the Han, the message was even more direct: a mere terminally ill cult leader like Zhang Jiao could rally the realm with a single cry, raise three to four hundred thousand troops, and throw the world into turmoil — so why can’t I? Have I been too cautious before?

And where were the people most discontented with the Han? Naturally, Liangzhou.

With the Yellow Turban Rebellion on the verge of a swift conclusion, Gongsun Xun had to consider and probe the situation ahead. In the view of him and his trusted aides, aside from the same old drama between the Son of Heaven, the eunuchs, and the scholar-officials at the center, the situation in Liangzhou — and martial men like himself and Huangfu Song — would undoubtedly be the greatest variables in the coming period.

Hence today’s move of throwing a stone to test the waters, using the most sensitive Liangzhou issue and the present decline of the Han to probe and provoke Huangfu Song.

Interestingly, Huangfu Song himself, wily and seasoned, did not take the bait — but suddenly a Yan Zhong emerged.

Of course, even though he succeeded in verifying certain things, you could beat Gongsun Xun to death and he probably still wouldn’t dare believe that Yan Zhong, Yan Shude, would be so impatient… Or rather, one must credit Lady Gongsun for this — for who could have known that in another time and space, this Yan Zhong was already a radical among the Liangzhou scholars, who needed no prodding from Gongsun Xun to urge Huangfu Song to rebel!

The men of Liangzhou truly could not wait any longer.

Inside the tent, where only two men remained, Huangfu Song sat stunned on the Grand Commandant’s chair in the center, unable to recover his senses for a long while. On a side table, a stick of incense burned gently in its censer, filling the tent with a faintly sweet, exotic fragrance.

Yan Zhong’s words could not have been clearer:

First, the men of Liangzhou, having endured the central government’s discrimination and unjust treatment for so long, had long desired to rebel and would not let this golden opportunity slip away.

Second, this famous scholar of Xiliang had not spoken on a momentary impulse, but after deliberate calculation; nor did he speak for himself alone, but on behalf of many men of Liangzhou.

Yet the interesting thing was, for Huangfu Yizhen, who bore the hopes of Liangzhou, what truly shocked him was not these two points — for he had long seen through certain improprieties in this advisor of his, merely turning a blind eye. As for the situation in Liangzhou, from his perspective, he saw it with perfect clarity.

The real problem was this: if Liangzhou was going to rebel in the winter, then the plan Yan Zhong spoke of was actually feasible! At the very least, from a military standpoint, it had a high probability of success!

Once winter arrived, just as the rebellion here was quelled, Liangzhou would rise in revolt. With the troops in Luoyang hollowed out, as long as he, Huangfu Song, could hold onto the army in his hands, he could easily march straight on Luoyang on any pretext. If he could then link up with the Xiliang rebels… he could truly overturn the Han realm without the slightest effort.

Then, with Hebei and the Central Plains — the very foundations of the Han — utterly exhausted, he could effortlessly lead the warriors of Yong and Liang, using the wealth of Sili, to sweep through both regions with ease.

But…

“My lord!” Seeing the other man’s silence, Yan Zhong knew this famed general of Liangzhou was already wavering, and he promptly knelt straight down. “What Heaven bestows, if not taken, will surely bring calamity… Have you forgotten the fate of Han Xin? Gongsun Xun’s words today clearly show he too is uncertain about the future — win him over, and the realm will truly belong to us men of Liangzhou! Or do you mean to say you would die in loyal service to that fatuous wretch in the Northern Palace?”

Huangfu Song remained silent.

“My lord!” Yan Zhong cried out in a low roar, and actually kowtowed until his forehead bled.

“Get up,” Huangfu Song said, still reclining on the Grand Commandant’s chair in the tent, and then let out a long sigh. “Shude… that this Han house is about to collapse — having campaigned from the Central Plains to Hebei, how could I not see it? Do you take me for a fool?”

Yan Zhong, momentarily overjoyed, hastily scrambled up from the ground.

“Moreover, that our Liangzhou is about to erupt in chaos — even if no one else under heaven knew, how could I, a man surnamed Huangfu, be unaware?” Huangfu Song continued slowly. “And this Son of Heaven, who has always lacked virtue and proper conduct, will inevitably suppress me, Gongsun Wenqi, Zhu Gongwei, and the rest after the war… You all know this. Even Gongsun Wenqi knows to throw a stone to test the waters — how could I not know?”

Yan Zhong grew even more elated, his breathing noticeably heavier.

“But Shude,” Huangfu Song suddenly smiled, and slowly removed the helmet from his head, revealing a head full of graying hair. “Look at my age — I can’t even sleep without incense to calm my mind. Can I truly take the realm?”

Yan Zhong was abruptly stunned, wanting to speak but stopping himself.

“Don’t tell me that Emperor Gaozu raised his army at forty-eight and took the realm in seven years. Ask yourself honestly: do I possess Gaozu’s authority and virtue? Do you have the abilities of Xiao He, Han Xin, or Zhang Liang? Is the present realm in the same state as the late Qin?” Huangfu Song countered with a faint smile. “Let us not deceive ourselves, shall we? The realm will indeed descend into chaos, and the Han house will indeed collapse — but a decrepit old man like me cannot possibly be the one ordained by Heaven. Unless you can obtain some elixir of immortality and make me as young as Gongsun Wenqi, Cao Mengde, Sun Wentai, and that generation… otherwise, it is absolutely impossible. Do you still remember their Gathering of Heroes by the River Qi? Those men are the ones who will settle the realm’s fate in the future. From the very day of that banquet, I understood this in my heart and severed all lofty ambitions.”

Yan Zhong gritted his teeth and forced out: “Even if my lord will not act, given the Huangfu clan’s renown in Liangzhou, we would surely rally behind my lord’s eldest son…”

“He is even less capable,” Huangfu Song said, placing his helmet on the side table before him. “For the survival of our clan, the more you rally behind me, the less I can join you! Shude, the situation now is this: I lack the capacity to advance; if I forcibly launch a rebellion, nine times out of ten I will only bring disgrace upon myself. But if I can remain calm and steadfast, and be a loyal minister of the Han, I may yet leave my name in history for a thousand ages… I have long thought through this calculation. As for today’s matter, I shall pretend I never heard it. Say no more.”

Yan Zhong was utterly speechless. He staggered away, but just before the tent entrance, he could not help turning back in grief and indignation: “General, do you truly mean to abandon the men of Liangzhou?!”

Huangfu Song finally turned stern: “Shude, are you truly qualified to ask that on behalf of the men of Liangzhou? If there truly were not a single loyal minister in Liangzhou, why don’t you go seek out Fu Nanrong and ask him to rebel with you? And do you think that when the moment comes, Gongsun Xun would really be swayed by your talk of carving out a domain in You and Yan?! The affairs of the realm are not to be decided by self-righteous armchair strategists like you!”

Yan Zhong, overcome with shame and fury, immediately fled in disarray.

Back at the encampment, the Han army had labored hard to erect the camp, which had only barely taken shape by nightfall. Afterward, Cao Cao, Xu Rong, Zou Jing, Gongsun Zan, Lu Bu, Fu Xie, and others came in succession to pay their respects, air grievances, and so on…

Gongsun Xun naturally had to host a banquet for them.

Yet after three rounds of wine, Gongsun Zan was the first to grow sullen and resentful, his jealousy flaring toward Gongsun Yue, whose official rank was destined to overtake his own. Then Guan Yu and Lu Bu clashed, nearly coming to blows. No sooner had these men been pacified than Cao Cao grew drunk and, in his cups, wept bitterly, lamenting that he had no face to make offerings at the tomb of Qiao Gong… which stirred Gongsun Xun’s own emotions as well.

After all was said and done, did he not also feel a measure of gratitude, and a measure of complicated sentiment, toward Qiao Xuan?

Still, Gongsun Xun could not compare to Cao Cao, to the point of getting drunk in camp over it — and events proved that his caution was entirely correct. That very night, sometime after the third watch and approaching the fourth, the entire Han camp was suddenly thrown into commotion. Huangfu Song’s men hurriedly sent word: there was unusual movement within Guangzong City!

Without even needing to look, Gongsun Xun immediately understood: this had to be Zhang Liang, seizing the chance to flee after Huangfu Song had ordered the withdrawal of the siege lines on three sides that afternoon.

It had to be admitted that Zhang Liang’s move was a very reasonable and correct response — even commendable.

His elder brother was dead, his army had lost over half its strength, morale was low, the city’s defenses had collapsed, and the situation was a death trap. At this moment, Huangfu Song had opened the siege on three sides, yet the reinforcements — including a large contingent of cavalry — had just arrived from afar, not yet entrenched and utterly exhausted. This was quite simply the only good chance to flee far away!

In all honesty, if that wretch were allowed to cross the Zhang River and enter the Julu Marshes, later generations might well have coined a phrase like, “Who knows if the Yellow Heaven might not rise again?”

But as things stood, neither Gongsun Xun nor Huangfu Song would let him have his wish.

“I pay my respects to the General of the Household of All Purposes!”

Huangfu Song was a battle-hardened veteran. This time, Gongsun Xun did not even need to ask for the Qiang tribesmen. Whether it was Li Jue, leading the Xiliang cavalry and Qiang horsemen, or Gongsun Zan and Fu Xie, who had been guests here last night — all of them now heeded Huangfu Song’s orders and, following closely behind the messenger, came directly before Gongsun Xun. They were all cavalry commanders under Huangfu Song’s command.

“Military intelligence is urgent as fire — no need for further words!” Amid the chaotic camp, Gongsun Xun, lit by torchlight, could not be bothered with formalities. He drew his blade and gave the order directly. “The infantry in camp is to be placed under Cheng Demou’s unified command to follow Lord Huangfu in storming the city. All cavalry commanders are to take their own troops and set out with me immediately to pursue Zhang Liang. Inform every soldier: this is the final battle of this Yellow Turban rebellion. I want no heads, no plunder — only the total annihilation of Zhang Liang’s force! Whoever bungles this will be executed without mercy!”

The assembled commanders all listened with awe and accepted the order.

—————I am the dividing line that has finally taken its medicine—————

“Gongsun Zan once went on official business to receive the Grand Ancestor, with Yue at his side serving as Protector-Aide. Zan, seeing that Yue’s official rank was equal to his own, grew displeased and his expression turned hostile. Yue, sensing the ill will, shifted over to him during the banquet, took hold of his arm, and consoled him, saying: ‘We are as brothers — why judge by official rank?’ Zan brushed his hand away and said: ‘The ninth month is cold; your hand is cold as a ghost’s, yet you force it upon a man’s arm!’ The Grand Ancestor, hearing this from the seat of honor, quietly removed his own purple cord and golden seal, and Zan was greatly shamed.” — A New Account of the Tales of the World, Chapter on Irascibility

PS: Wrote this after waking up last night, forcing myself to get one chapter out… so I don’t get scolded again if I fall asleep tonight.

Also, there’s a reader group, 684558115 — feel free to join if interested.

(End of Chapter)