Chapter 264: When Grasses and Trees Wither and Fall, the Geese Fly North (Part 2)

Gongsun Xun fell silent, for he understood Wang the Daoist’s meaning almost at once.

On one hand, although this man hailed from the Wang clan of Taiyuan, his features were ugly, and from youth his path to officialdom had been cut off, so he could only study some heterodox arts and then drift through the rivers and lakes — beyond doubt a typical deviant heretic whom the world could not tolerate.

On the other hand, though Wang Xian sought nothing from rebellion or the like, the Huang Jin Army and the Way of Great Peace had nonetheless given him a reason to live and the dignity of being a man.

And now, the Huang Jin Army was about to be annihilated, and those willing to respect him, those one might even say needed him, would soon be gone as well. In such circumstances, rather than drag out a wretched existence in a world under the azure sky that could not tolerate him, he might as well set out on the road together with these people of the Yellow Heaven who needed him… just as on that road from Handan to Yecheng several years ago.

At this thought, Gongsun Xun’s heart stirred unbidden… How could he still not understand? In truth, when that group of people traveled south from Handan years ago and encountered refugees on the road, this Wang the Daoist had already made today’s choice — he parted ways with everyone, headed north alone, and chose to merge into the refugees as a priest of the Way of Great Peace.

That day, he himself had not stopped the man, so today’s outcome was already sealed.

“Untie him,” Gongsun Xun gestured with a wave, then straightened his expression and asked, “Do you have any last words? Having known each other, I will not fail any trust you place in me.”

“None at all!” Wang Xian, his bonds loosened, first bowed with utmost respect to Gongsun Xun, Lou Gui, Han Dang, Guan Yu, and the other old acquaintances in a full circle to express his thanks, then spoke frankly. “You are all men who do great things. A mere heretic, with no ties and no attachments — what trust is there to speak of? If you must ask me, it is nothing more than hoping you will all strive to eat well and take care of your health. That is all.”

With these words, the man did not look back. He straightened the yellow headband on his brow, turned north, and walked away staggering. Compared to his figure north of Yecheng several years ago, he was far more resolute now, and there was even a hint of urgency in his steps.

Although Wang the Daoist had always been somewhat crazed, he was so utterly harmless that he posed no threat to man or beast, and he was moreover uncommonly possessed of a charitable heart. For this reason, most of the old acquaintances from Handan had regarded him with a measure of pity. Now, seeing him walk so calmly toward his death, even men like Guan Yu, Han Dang, and Lou Gui, who were long accustomed to life and death, found themselves deeply shaken and at a loss for words.

Gongsun Xun sat upright on his camp stool atop the small slope, watching the man disappear into the chaotic riverbank, then closed his eyes once more.

A short while later, however, Qian Zhao suddenly came to report that a captured minor Huang Jin commander claimed to be an old acquaintance and requested an audience with the Lord; he had already been brought over bound.

With Wang the Daoist’s example fresh in mind, Gongsun Xun took the matter seriously, but when he opened his eyes and looked at the bound man on the ground, he frowned for a moment.

“Who are you, and why do you falsely claim to be an old acquaintance of mine?”

At these words, Qian Zhao, who had brought the man over, simply drew his blade, ready to end this audacious wretch on the spot.

“This commoner dares not claim to be an old acquaintance of the Grand General!” The plain-featured middle-aged minor Huang Jin commander hastily dropped to his knees and threw himself to the ground with a thud, then explained in a fluster. “It is only that without doing so, I truly could not gain an audience with the Grand General to ask clearly about my younger brother’s fate…”

Gongsun Xun was still baffled, but Han Dang understood at once and directly raised his hand, using his scabbard to block Qian Zijing.

Seeing Han Dang’s reaction, Gongsun Xun also instantly grasped the situation, but then immediately flew into a towering rage. He actually rose to his feet and hurled the camp stool he had been sitting on hard into the man’s face. “You still have the face to ask about your younger brother’s fate?! If not for you turning bandit, why would Jia Chao have had to die?!”

The man on the ground — Jia Ping, Jia Chao’s elder brother — was struck squarely but seemed not to notice. He only knocked his head against the ground, as if in answer to Gongsun Xun’s rebuke, and as if muttering to himself: “So it is true, then. The one who carried the banner alone to his death beneath the walls of Guangzong that day was indeed my younger brother. The villagers all said it looked like him, but I refused to believe it…”

The matter of Jia Chao was what Gongsun Xun resented and regretted most bitterly after leaving Dong Commandery. Now, seeing Jia Ping before him, so utterly spineless and devoid of any trace of his younger brother’s spirit, his blood surged up in a rare fury, and he actually drew his blade. Yet, seeing Han Dang suddenly drop to his knees with a thud beside Jia Ping, Gongsun Xun finally gave a cold laugh and sheathed his sword.

“Stop your muttering!” Even after sheathing his blade, Gongsun Xun’s anger still seethed. “For your brother’s sake, go home on your own!”

Although Qian Zhao was not entirely clear on the matter of Jia Chao, seeing the situation before him, how could he hesitate? He immediately moved to untie Jia Ping.

Unexpectedly, once untied, Jia Ping came back to his senses. He first kowtowed on the spot, then slowly shook his head. “To be honest with the Grand General, this commoner no longer has a home. And it is not that I did not know my younger brother had been following and serving the Grand General all along…”

“Since you knew, why did you still become a Huang Jin? You could have simply escaped at the time and sought out your brother!” This time, it was Lou Gui who stepped forward and rebuked him publicly. Lou Zibo was clearly afraid that this man who did not know when to advance or retreat would thoroughly enrage their lord, making things even more difficult for Han Dang, so he forcibly intervened.

“Sir,” Jia Ping shook his head in distress, “my home lies on the border between Anping and Julu. In the second month, suddenly the entire village, the entire county, the entire commandery had become Huang Jin. If I had not become a Huang Jin, how could I have protected my wife? She was over seven months pregnant at the time, and all my previous children had died in infancy. How could I dare to flee? So when the local priest of the Way of Great Peace sought me out, citing how he had once given talismanic water to my mother and my children who died young, and how he had helped cover up my legal case, and used these things to pressure me into becoming a Huang Jin, how could I dare refuse?”

Lou Gui sighed and glanced back furtively at Gongsun Xun, then waved his hand weakly. “Go quickly. Go home, take your wife and children, and go to Handan or Yecheng to find the Anli Trading House. Give them your brother’s name and have them escort your entire family to Liaodong… Never come back again.”

Jia Ping kowtowed once more, but also let out a sigh, leaving Lou Gui quite speechless.

Over on the other side, Qian Zhao Qian Zijing shook his head for a moment and could not help but remind him: “Master Zibo, this man already said earlier that he no longer has a home…”

Lou Gui exchanged a glance with Han Dang, who was still kneeling nearby, and felt his scalp go numb.

“At the time, the Great Worthy Teacher summoned Huang Jin from all over to go to Guangzong. The minor commander from a local wealthy family in our area did not want to go, so he used my wife, who was about to give birth, as leverage to force me to become a minor commander and lead men to Guangzong… I had no choice but to go. Who could have known that on the way, my wife would have a difficult labor? The child was stillborn. When we reached Guangzong, she missed the child so terribly that within a few days, she too died… The only reason I clung to life was to endure until afterward and then seek out my brother. If I could see him established with a family and a career, I would be content.” By this point, Jia Ping’s face was streaming with tears, and he could only kowtow repeatedly. “In truth, when the villagers said back then that the one who died beneath the city walls was my brother, I already half-guessed it, but I just dared not believe it. Now that I know for certain, I have nothing left to hold on to!”

“Then go!” Gongsun Xun felt a tightness in his chest as he listened. He could only turn away, hand on his sword, and urge him on with his back turned. “Why keep rambling on and on here?”

“I must still thank the Grand General, and Commander Han here, for your kindness and grace.” Jia Ping’s tears still flowed unceasingly, as did his kowtows. “If not for you two, everyone in our family would have died out seven or eight years ago. And I also inquired in Guangzong — that old eunuch Ma was killed by the Grand General as well… So it was not in vain after all!”

At this, the man once more prostrated himself on the ground and kowtowed to each person before him in turn, then rose and walked north. Han Dang stood up, took a couple of steps north after him, but ultimately stopped, utterly dejected.

Seeing the matter come to a close, Liu Bei, who had been waiting below the slope, cupped his hands and stepped forward. “Elder Brother, just now I…”

“Another old acquaintance?” Gongsun Xun demanded without turning his head.

“Exactly so,” Liu Bei forced a dry laugh. “Elder Brother once held office in Handan, so it is only natural that there are more old acquaintances here… I have already questioned him clearly. This man claims to be Li Ming Li Yizhi, the former Assistant Clerk of the State of Zhao. His words are precise and certain; it is unlikely to be false.”

Gongsun Xun still faced away from everyone, sighed facing south, and said, “This one truly is an old acquaintance. Dong Gongren also told me that when the rebellion broke out back then, he did indeed go to join Zhang Jiao… In truth, Zhang Jiao had been operating in Hebei for a long time. The moment he rose up, four or five out of every ten households in the surrounding commanderies and kingdoms were emptied. Even Chu Yan, had I not arrived in time, would probably have joined the rebels as well.”

“Then… shall I have him brought in to see you?” Hearing such secrets about a colleague, Liu Bei grew even more awkward.

“I do not know either,” Gongsun Xun still did not turn his head. “If he is worried about being casually executed and is using the name of an old acquaintance to seek surrender, then seeing him for the sake of our past connection would be harmless enough. I only fear that he, too, has come to bid farewell — that would be truly hard to bear…”

Liu Bei lowered his head and said nothing.

“Yet, thinking about it the other way,” Gongsun Xun continued with a cold laugh, “if he seeks surrender, then seeing him or not makes no real difference. But if he has come to bid farewell, how can I refuse to see him simply because it is hard to bear?”

Liu Bei nodded slowly from below the slope, then withdrew directly. A moment later, he led over a man with a yellow cloth wrapped around his head. Because the ropes had been untied directly, the man was merely made to stand at a distance below the slope.

Gongsun Xun exhaled deeply, forcing himself to set aside the matter of Jia Chao for the moment, and composed his expression. Only then did he turn back, look down from his elevated position, and gaze expressionlessly at Li Ming.

“So, you too have come to bid farewell?”

Li Ming had been a commandery clerk, so compared to Jia Ping’s rambling earlier, his speech and manners were naturally far more crisp. The man immediately cupped his hands and bowed. “Indeed! Were it anyone else before me, there would naturally be no need for this extra gesture. But back then, my lord, you effectively governed the State of Zhao, and to some small degree, there was a bond of lord and subject between us. Moreover, those one or two years were the most satisfying days this humble clerk ever lived. I could not but come to take my leave.”

“You were a commandery clerk, after all. Why must you…” Gongsun Xun started to speak, then stopped, and could only point north with his hand.

Where he pointed, the Zhang River was unfathomably deep, and faint sounds of wailing drifted over on the wind. It was only because Gongsun Xun had sensed something in his heart and deliberately avoided the riverbank early on, choosing this more distant spot, that he was spared from clearly seeing the scene over there.

“Back in the day, there was the Assistant Clerk of the State, Wang Ran. Does my lord still remember this man?” Li Ming did not answer directly but asked a question in return.

“Of course I remember,” Gongsun Xun laughed ruefully. “Wang Ran, Wang Qiming. Back then, it was the two of you laboriously guarding that commandery temple overgrown with weeds. The first time I went in, I tripped and fell flat… It was because of that incident that I remembered you both so vividly. He was a bit older, you were a bit younger, right? I heard from Dong Gongren that he, too, joined the Huang Jin back then?”

“It is rare that my lord’s memory is so good.”

“I wish my memory were not so good,” Gongsun Xun sneered again. “Where is he now?”

“Dead,” Li Ming sighed softly. “Just now, Wang Ran and I were fighting alongside the General of the People. I was somewhat cowardly and deliberately lagged behind to avoid battle, but he, because he had always felt deeply grateful for the General of the People’s recognition and patronage, charged to the front — and so was beheaded by a single saber stroke from my lord’s white-horsed cavalry… In a way, he brought it upon himself. Others might not know my lord’s White Horse Volunteers, but how could he not? In any case, Lord Wang is indeed dead. I was fleeing at the time, and when I glanced back, I saw it all with perfect clarity.”

“So, by that logic, the blame lies with me?” Gongsun Xun clasped his hands behind his back and laughed again. “To meet old acquaintances with blades drawn.”

“My lord should not harbor such thoughts!” Li Ming’s expression suddenly turned solemn. “When two armies clash, it is kill or be killed. After victory or defeat, death and the destruction of one’s clan are simply the consequences one brings upon oneself. A general may hold a heart of compassion, but he must not entertain thoughts of self-reproach! As for Brother Qiming’s death… the fault lies with me… It was I who misjudged the situation that day and strongly urged him to join me in serving the General of the People, which led to him facing a man like my lord on the battlefield. And today, it was again I who shrank back from the fight and could not die alongside him!”

“Your counsel — I have duly received it,” Gongsun Xun nodded at once. “I will certainly bear it firmly in mind.”

“That is good! In that case, Ming wishes that my lord may soon take the reins of the realm and govern all within the four seas. Thus, in the future, people like myself and Brother Qiming will not meet a similar fate again!” With these words, Li Ming meticulously prostrated himself in a grand bow of farewell.

When he raised his head and saw that Gongsun Xun had accepted his salute with head held high, neither declining nor yielding, he let out a long breath, then likewise adjusted the yellow headband on his brow and walked north on his own as well.

The Zhang River was hazy. Moved by the man’s counsel, Gongsun Xun no longer deliberately avoided looking. Yet, as he stood on the slope with his hand on his sword, facing north for a long time, no more old acquaintances came to bid him farewell.

By noon, the sunlight shone straight down, and the autumn wind swept broadly. Looking down from the slope, the area from before him to the Zhang River, several li away, was all clearly visible. Gongsun Xun saw with his own eyes that the riverbank had finally grown still.

In other words, from the second month until now, the Huang Jin Rebellion that had swept across more than half the realm had come to an end here.

"My lord!" After pausing briefly, Chu Yan suddenly came to report in person as well. "Dust is rising on all sides to the south — it seems General Huangfu has personally led the infantry here."

Gongsun Xun was unimpressed. He nodded slightly, then turned around to head south while calmly issuing orders: "Pass the word down — the battlefield must be swept clean and the surrendered soldiers gathered and accounted for before Lord Huangfu arrives. And tell... tell the Army Protector Major Gongsun Yue that I once had an old friend who died by the banks of the Zhang River. Since we are here, have him privately perform a small rite on my behalf and conduct some sacrifices by the river."

Naturally, no one dared be remiss, and Guan Yu even directly requested leave, saying he would go accompany the Army Protector Major in the sacrifices... There was naturally nothing to object to.

However, as Gongsun Xun descended the small slope and mounted his horse, he suddenly froze.

The generals around him did not understand his meaning and could only halt as well.

"I have a private word to speak with Zibo," Gongsun Xun said then.

The generals dared not be remiss and all obediently withdrew. As a group of retainers cleared an open space, the sole outsider, Fu Nanrong, was pushed back over a hundred paces. Only then did Lou Gui, unable to hold back, speak with a serious expression: "My lord, please speak."

"There is no need to probe Huangfu Song," Gongsun Xun said with an odd expression, as if wanting to laugh but not quite. "He will certainly not rebel, and our probing is utterly meaningless at this moment."

"Why is that?" Lou Zibo glanced left and right, unable to resist asking in a lowered voice.

"The Yellow Turbans rose in haste less than a year ago. Zhang Jiao used wicked arts and sorcery to draw people's hearts, yet along the Zhuo River, the Qing River, the Zhang River, so many people still went to their deaths for him and the Yellow Turbans for all sorts of reasons... The House of Han has blazed brilliantly for how many years? How many people do you think would be willing to die for it? This reasoning — others may not know it, but does Huangfu Yizhen, who is best at reading the situation, not know it?"

Lou Gui pressed his lips together and was silent for a long while, then could not help shaking his head: "By that reasoning, the House of Han is destined to stand towering and unshaken?"

"Not at all!" Gongsun Xun, who knew how events would unfold in the future, shook his head repeatedly, then directly reined his horse toward the anxiously waiting Fu Xie. "Though I am not entirely clear on exactly how it will happen, there is absolutely not much time left... Did those willing to die for the Yellow Turbans not all die off in half a day? For now, let us watch those willing to die for the House of Han die off one after another... I estimate it will be within the next two or three years!"

Lou Zibo pondered for a moment, gritted his teeth, and followed. Han Dang and the White Horse riders also set off once more.

Behind the five hundred White Horse retainers, deep amid the weapons of war, the autumn wind was ruffling the surface of a great river.

A poem says: All my life I never cultivated good deeds, only loved to kill and set fires.

Suddenly the golden cords snap open, here the jade locks are torn away.

Ah!

By the riverbank, one farewell after another — only today do I know that I am I.

—————I am the dividing line where autumn leaves have fallen—————

"In autumn, the ninth month, the Grand Ancestor fought Zhang Jiao's younger brother Bao at Xia Quyang and utterly routed him. That same month, Huangfu Song approached Guangzong, encountered Jiao's death, and fought Zhang Jiao's younger brother Liang at Guangzong, also utterly routing him. Just then the Grand Ancestor again brought the troops from Xia Quyang, and Liang grew even more fearful. He therefore secretly mustered his troops by night and galloped toward Julu Marsh. The two generals immediately dispatched troops, using infantry to break the city and sending cavalry to cut Liang off at the Zhang River. They fought until late afternoon, each achieving a great rout. Liang was beheaded. Jiao had previously died of illness; his coffin was opened, his corpse desecrated, and his head sent to the capital. At Guangzong, over thirty thousand heads were taken in total, and some fifty thousand men perished in the river. The realm was thus pacified." — Excerpts from the Canon, Yan, annotated by Pei Songzhi

End of Volume

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