Chapter 282: Thus Did the Former General Record Spring and Autumn with an Upright Brush (Part One)

Lady Gongsun once told her son that when you stand in the wind’s mouth, even a pig can fly. Zhong Yao also said that the great tide of events is like the sea — a person in it is like a boat on the waves, tossed and turned without cease… These both mean the same thing: they speak of the dialectical relationship between the individual and the momentum of the age.

Seen this way, if Gongsun Xun and Cao Cao in the second year of Zhongping sensed the surging of the waves and chose to abandon the momentum, stepping back to cultivate their reputations and preserve themselves, then correspondingly, Yuan Shao was gathering strength and biding his time, waiting in Luoyang for the greatest and best moment, ready to leap up in one bound.

However, compared to those two, the one who truly soared to the heavens this year because of the momentum of the age was the Purple Mountain bandit Zhang Yan — he was precisely that pig standing in the wind’s mouth.

There was no helping it, truly no helping it… In Hebei in the second year of Zhongping, the sole dominant theme was the collapse of the lower levels of social order. After a hundred years of accumulated internal contradictions, the survival of the common people at the bottom had already reached a precarious state, and then suddenly a Yellow Turban rebellion that swept across more than half of Hebei erupted.

Great battles involving hundreds of thousands of men dragged on for over half a year, and after the war came a great epidemic that could not be stopped at all, additional taxes that made people utterly despair of the government, and a famine that was the hardest of all to endure. Under blow after blow, the already fragile social order shattered at a touch like a thin eggshell… By the summer of the second year of Zhongping, with the Liangzhou rebellion and Huangfu Song leading his troops away — or rather, with the central government selectively and temporarily abandoning efforts to restore order in Hebei — the entire region, as a matter of course, fell into complete disorder.

For bandits, was this situation anything other than a mighty wind?

Consider Zhang Yan: earlier, as soon as he turned bandit, Huangfu Song drove him out of Yingtao like chasing a rabbit, and he fled in utter disarray. Moreover, during that flight, a brutal internal power struggle broke out — one leader died, and the group split apart. Yet what left people speechless was that no matter how chaotic it got, no matter how many defeats he suffered, this former Magistrate of Yingtao’s strength swelled with incredible speed. In less than two months, he had practically brought the entire thousand-li stretch of the Taihang Mountains under his control, and with an absolutely superior force he in turn cut off the routes between Changshan and Zhao.

Of course, Zhang Yan understood that such an opportunity was a matter of chance and could not be sought after, so once he had his subordinates somewhat under control, he swiftly offered his surrender, and sure enough, he became the General of the Household for Pacifying Difficulties — something he had never dared even dream of before.

This offer of amnesty, though a great loss of dignity and, institutionally speaking, a massive blow to the authority of the Han house, nevertheless gave the disaster-ridden land of Hebei a rare chance to catch its breath… At the very least, officials could barely muster the courage to maintain order beyond the city walls, roads could become passable, messages could be relayed once more, and the common people fleeing disaster could finally stop worrying about encountering too much violence on the road.

It was in this atmosphere of having survived a calamity that Gongsun Xun, once again bearing the seal of General of the Guards, led his five hundred White Horse Volunteers and escorted his family as he began to travel toward Liaoxi.

Yet throughout this journey, Gongsun Xun and his party still found it somewhat taxing, because from the moment they set out again from Bairen County in Zhao, refugees had begun to follow behind them.

“Young lord!”

At noon, when the sun was at its hottest, shortly after crossing the boundary marker between Hejian and Anping, Yang Kai suddenly rode up from behind. “The young mistress sent me to ask you — would you like to return to the carriage and rest a while, to get out of the sun?”

“Is she really asking after me?” Gongsun Xun gave a snort of laughter and directly handed his eldest son, Gongsun Ding, who was drowsy in his arms, over to the other man on horseback. “Take this boy back… Earlier it was she who wanted the child to ride with me, and now it is she who worries.”

As Yang Kai carefully reached out to take Gongsun Ding, he smiled helplessly. “It is not that the young mistress worries — it is simply that outside, not only is the sun scorching, but the roadside is also full of things too dreadful to look upon.”

“An overly fond mother raises worthless sons.” Gongsun Xun’s expression turned stern at these words. “There are plenty of dreadful things in the world; sooner or later he must learn to look at them!”

Yang Kai immediately shut his mouth, and seeing that Gongsun Xun made no further move, he carried Gongsun Ding and rode back toward the carriage behind.

“My lord is too harsh,” Lou Gui, beside him, only now ventured to remonstrate once the man had left. “The eldest young master is still small — even by the standard of beginning his studies as a young child, he should only start his education next year. And the things by the roadside are indeed somewhat unbearable.”

“I was not singling him out; I was lamenting the state of the world.” Gongsun Xun, on horseback, glanced at the corpses lying dead by the roadside and shook his head helplessly, then turned toward Han Dang on his other side. “Has Shuzhi sent anyone to report whether the number of refugees following us today has increased again?”

“It has indeed increased again.” Han Dang had grown increasingly taciturn over the years, but today even he could not help speaking a few extra words. “My lord, with so many refugees following us all along, will something go wrong? When we left Zhao, only a few hundred followed; by the time we reached Julu, there were over a thousand. Now, having passed Anping and entered Hejian, their numbers have vaguely reached the scale of ten thousand… It is not that I fail to understand my lord’s benevolent heart, nor that I cannot grasp why you gentlemen are unwilling to damage my lord’s reputation. But with so many people, if a disturbance breaks out, what is to become of the young mistress and the young masters? We have horses and carriages in full — we could simply abandon them and speed away.”

Gongsun Xun and Lou Gui beside him both turned their heads to look at the endless line of refugees behind the convoy, sighed together, but did not say much more about it.

And Han Dang, knowing the moment, promptly shut his mouth and did not bring up the matter of abandoning the refugees again.

In all fairness, as the commander of the escort, Han Dang’s opinion was entirely correct. Quantitative change leads to qualitative change; when the refugees following the party reached the order of magnitude of nearly ten thousand, even with five hundred cavalry as guards, the cohesion of the procession ultimately seemed on the verge of collapse. In such a situation, safety, sanitation, and speed all became precarious, and with the slightest carelessness, a disturbance or plague could indeed break out… In truth, when they had only been followed by a thousand or so people, Han Dang had not been seen to say a word more than necessary.

But Gongsun Xun was, after all, not merely an ordinary man returning home. He was General of the Guards, Marquis of Ji, one of the notable figures of Hebei — how could he possibly do something like driving away or abandoning the refugees? Moreover, both he and most of his subordinates were people who still harbored some sense of responsibility toward family, state, and the realm. From the moment they left Bairen in Zhao and refugees began to gather behind them, they had instinctively sought to maintain order and provide proper guidance… At the very least, to keep them from turning to banditry, right?

And from another perspective, the reason these refugees chose to follow Gongsun Xun was not that they had ignorantly and aimlessly stumbled upon him, but that they had recognized him from the very start — five hundred White Horse cavalry were exceptionally distinctive on the Hebei plains.

In other words, people had come specifically for Gongsun Xun! At a time like this, to abandon them — what would that even count as?

“Let us endure it a while longer.” Gongsun Xun rode slowly forward as he pondered for a moment, and finally spoke to make his formal position clear. “Earlier, Shuzhi and the others already asked and found out — these people did not just blunder into us. They are all honest folk who, for two years running, have had no harvest because of war and bandit chaos, and have had no choice but to abandon their property and flee with their entire families toward Youzhou to escape famine… They were going the same way anyway. Now that we have passed Anping and entered Hejian, is it not just a journey of two or three days to reach Youzhou? By then, the crowd will gradually disperse on its own.”

“Indeed, Youzhou is vast and sparsely populated,” Lou Gui added consolingly from horseback, stroking his beard. “The local magnates are, to some degree, not as rapacious as those here in Jizhou. When the time comes, whether the government settles them on the spot or allows those magnates to absorb them, it will still be better than having nowhere to turn, wouldn’t it?”

Hearing these words, Gongsun Xun not only showed no joy, but grew even more somber.

It must be said that in previous years, the famous ministers and good officials of the Han had all taken the suppression of powerful magnates’ land annexation as a mark of political achievement. Gongsun Xun himself had long recognized that the root of the Han’s peril lay in the annexation by powerful magnates. And now, he was actually supposed to encourage magnates to gather up refugees and absorb the population?

This was utterly absurd!

And yet, what else could be done if not this?

As for the refugees behind him, a family of several mouths mostly carried only a few worn-out clothes and a dozen days’ worth of dry provisions; they had virtually no livestock or farm tools. Those slightly better off might have a single-wheeled pushcart; those worse off had even fashioned their shoulder poles from freshly cut wood. Of course, thanks to Lady Gongsun, refugee families nowadays universally also carried an iron pot — an essential item on the escape route, convenient and durable, and for many families the most valuable possession they had.

In such circumstances, if the magnates did not take them in, they would soon either band together and become bandits, or truly turn into corpses starved by the roadside. When that time came, never mind the iron pot — even the clothes on their bodies would be stripped away by others.

And speaking of those roadside corpses stripped of their garments, or even gnawed by wild dogs, their rotting bones exposed — it was no wonder that Zhao Yun had initially hoped Gongsun Ding could grow closer to his father, but now instead wished to keep the child shut inside the carriage.

“Let us simply toil a little harder!” After a half-day of chaotic thoughts, Gongsun Xun could only say this. “Detach another two hundred cavalry and give them to Shuzhi, Bohuai, and Wengong in the rear. Tell them they must strictly enforce order in the procession… Also, send more men ahead to scout the road. Tell Yuansi to stop looking for overnight campsites by the method of setting up a military camp, and not to get too close to the cities and towns, lest he cause panic. Open ground next to a grove of trees is best — convenient for gathering firewood to boil water. If a grove truly cannot be found, then a spot by a flowing river or stream is preferable; drinking running water is always cleaner than stagnant water! And Wei Yue — have him ride ahead to the county towns and fortified manors to buy grain, and be sure to report my name!”

The many trusted followers and volunteers around him all took orders and acted accordingly — some leading troops to the rear to find Wang Xiu and Chang Lin, others heading forward to find Han Hao and Wei Yue. And Lu Fan, Yang Kai, and Xi Zhong, who were guarding the family members in the rear, understood Gongsun Xun well enough that they did not even send anyone to remonstrate with him… It must be understood that Gongsun Xun had already sent a hundred riders to Wang Xiu, Chang Lin, and Zao Zhi in the rear to help maintain order among the refugees. Now, with another two hundred riders given to them, and counting the men sent ahead to open the road, scout, and purchase grain, the number of men left to guard Gongsun Xun and the family convoy behind him was basically reduced to a mere few dozen riders.

“My lord!”

Just like that, as Gongsun Xun forced himself to rally and issued a string of orders, this party carrying over ten thousand refugees seemed to take on a renewed sense of purpose. Yet barely half a quarter of an hour later, Han Dang suddenly spoke again. “We must pick up speed — trouble is already here.”

For a moment, neither Gongsun Xun nor Lou Gui reacted, merely looking behind them instinctively, but they saw no sign of any excessive disturbance.

“It is going to rain!” Han Dang helplessly pointed toward the eastern horizon in warning. “Quickly find a place to shelter from the rain. Now we can only hope the rain is not too heavy, or else tonight the refugees may not be able to start a fire.”

Gongsun Xun and Lou Gui both looked to the sky, and both changed color at once… Sure enough, dark clouds were already faintly visible on the distant horizon, though they were still too far away to make out any clear details.

Summer rain comes urgently. The dark clouds that had been on the horizon earlier were already pressing overhead half a shichen later, and although the procession was somewhat flustered, the increased number of patrolling riders around them barely managed to hold the line. However, as the raindrops came splattering down and visibility was obstructed, panic spread uncontrollably nonetheless. Some people inevitably lagged behind, while others impatiently shoved and scrambled for the path, which in turn sparked disturbances.

Of course, Wang Xiu was a capable official tempered by experience, and he immediately hardened his heart to restore order. The cavalry, at his single command, dismounted and intervened directly, drawing blades and killing men… The gleaming knives, the severed heads of able-bodied men who had forced their way ahead, displayed as a warning, plus word suddenly arriving from the front that they were only five li from Zhongshui County in Hejian.

All of this, in the end, calmed the procession down once more. And so, the old and weak held iron pots over their heads to block the rain, while the able-bodied shouldered what little property they had and quickened their pace, lending this bizarrely composed party a strange sense of order amid the downpour.

Of course, five li was a lie told with open eyes — the true distance was ten li.

Moreover, with a refugee procession of nearly ten thousand people, not only was it impossible for Zhongshui County to open its gates and let them in, but Gongsun Xun himself could not possibly permit them to enter the city… Even if they entered, how would they be housed? Given the current state of affairs, if a small city suddenly gained over ten thousand refugees, it would likely be only a matter of days before that city too was swept up and thrown into disorder by them.

In truth, the real place for them to settle was merely an open patch of ground outside the city, right next to the city wall, with the hope that the summer downpour would not last too long and would stop by nightfall, and that the city could provide some dry firewood to start fires.

“My lord!” Wei Yue, who had been sent ahead to scout, was the first to ride out from the city gate tunnel to greet them, and behind him was a young man with a black silk cord and bronze seal — clearly the Magistrate of Zhongshui County. “A fortunate coincidence! This Magistrate of Zhongshui County turns out to be my lord’s student from Zhao — that cheap clansman of mine, Wei Chang! He has agreed to everything regarding dry firewood and grain. Let us enter the city and rest first!”

“Wei Chang?”

Soaked like a drowned rat, it was only when Gongsun Xun reached the shelter of the city gate tunnel that he could clearly see the person who had just stepped forward to support him. Looking closely, it was indeed an old acquaintance from Zhao — Wei Chang, Wei Zhongmao, son of the former Chancellor of Lu, Wei Song, and someone with whom he had a quasi-teacher-student relationship.

“It is I! This student greets his teacher.” Wei Chang hurriedly cupped his hands and briefly explained. “This student was appointed Magistrate of Zhongshui after the Yellow Turban rebellion last year… Teacher, rest assured, this student will do his utmost to gather firewood and some grain. Please, teacher, quickly bring the mistress into the city and rest in my official residence! As for teacher’s volunteers, I will immediately have the prominent families and the various wards in the city prepare accommodations and do my best to free up space.”

“Zhongmao.” Gongsun Xun was in a sorry state, but upon hearing this, he merely shook the water from his clothes and for a moment broke into a rueful smile. “I am certainly very glad to have met you on the road, but with the rain still pouring down like this, I fear this is not the time to go inside… Have your teacher’s wife take the women and children into the city. I still have matters to attend to.”

Wei Chang, Wei Yue, and even Lou Gui and Han Dang, who had just arrived, were all utterly baffled.

“Yigong,” Gongsun Xun asked with a smile, “did you notice that small platform outside the city that we passed just now?”

Han Dang immediately nodded.

Wei Chang also hurriedly interjected: “That is the sacrificial platform our county used to calm the people during the previous plague. It is two zhang high and was only built this spring; now only the earthen mound remains.”

“I was just thinking what a coincidence it was, facing the road junction directly like that,” Gongsun Xun said, his smile growing. “Yigong, quickly bring out all my regalia, the ceremonial canopy, and the White Horse banner. Pick a few men who are strong and not prone to falling ill, and set them up for me on the platform. I want to watch until the entire procession has settled down on the open ground before the city.”

“My lord!” Before Han Dang could speak, Wei Yue was already beside himself. “That canopy is so tall — it is clearly meant to block the sun. How can it keep off the rain? It will likely just soak through and then pour water right onto your head!”

Gongsun Xun paid him no heed whatsoever, merely urging Han Dang to do it, and with a laugh he shook off his sleeves and strode out of the city gate tunnel, urging the carriages carrying the womenfolk to quickly enter the city amid the rain.

Han Dang felt somewhat helpless and could only comply, though before leaving he couldn't help casting a pleading glance at Lou Gui.

"My lord, with Shuzhi managing things behind us, there will absolutely be no mishaps," Lou Gui said helplessly as he walked out from the city gate tunnel to offer counsel.

"No mishaps happening and setting people's minds at ease are not the same thing," Gongsun Xun disagreed. "The rain is quite heavy now, and no one knows when it will stop. Those refugees have no shelter from the rain — that is indeed beyond anyone's control — but what they fear more is drifting out in the open with nothing to rely on, not knowing if they can survive this, and not knowing what lies ahead... And since they followed me out of admiration for my name, they must know who I am. If I stand on high ground waiting for them all to arrive, and then wait out the rain together with them, lighting bonfires, then tonight their hearts will surely be at ease. Besides, with me outside the city, those powerful families inside the city won't dare to hold back their assistance."

"My lord, you even intend to spend the night out there with them?" Wei Yue was utterly speechless. "Is this really necessary?"

Gongsun Xun glanced at Wei Yue, then gave a cold laugh: "Wei Zidu, you must understand that all things and all affairs take people as their foundation. If I had not treated you Wuyuan migrants with such sincerity back then, how would you and Cheng Lian have followed me this far?"

Having said this, seeing that Han Dang had begun preparing the ceremonial regalia on the platform not far away in the rain, Gongsun Xun paid no heed to anything else and walked straight over through the rain.

In truth, what even confidants like Lou Gui did not know was that Gongsun Xun would never abandon these ten thousand people under any circumstances — and not merely for practical considerations. More importantly, from the very moment people began following him, our General of the Guard had recalled that old acquaintance from the stories, the "General of the Left" who was so "good at winning people." In other words, Gongsun Xun simply refused to believe that after ten years of hard work, he could not match the virtue of that historically homeless stray dog Liu Bei.

Moreover, back then that fellow Liu Bei had Cao Cao's blades at his back and a hundred thousand people around him — what was this by comparison? If he abandoned people so lightly now, what face would he have left to contend for the realm in the future? He might as well truly return to Liaoxi and never come back!

On the other side, Wei Yue, hearing these words, felt a rare flush of shame, yet he lowered his head with a sigh and then hurried forward to follow.

As for County Magistrate Wei Chang, he actually let out a sigh as well, then glanced at Lou Gui, wanting to speak but holding back.

"Magistrate of Zhongshui, please go and toil within the city," Lou Gui said dismissively. "Find Lu Ziheng in the city and assist him in doing his utmost to allocate supplies — that is the best place for you. You need not concern yourself with us."

Having said this, Lou Gui also braved the rain and headed toward the platform.

Summer thunderstorms came in bursts. On the small platform, Gongsun Xun was battered by the rain until he was utterly disheveled, yet he remained in full ceremonial regalia with banners, bearing his paired purple corded seals of gold, seated high above looking down from the platform. Behind him stood Lou Gui and Han Dang, along with Wei Yue and Han Hao, who had rushed over upon hearing the news, leading several dozen warriors standing guard in layered ranks with swords at their waists.

This scene, truly, was like a commanding general seated immovably within his army, as steady as a mountain.

And just as Gongsun Xun had guessed earlier, the panicked, bewildered columns of refugees, upon reaching this place, all halted one after another — and then, miraculously, all restored order one after another. Even though they were forbidden from entering the city, there were remarkably few complaints.

Not only that, but among the refugee columns were not just destitute paupers — there were also sons of good families who had been forced to abandon their homes by the incessant bandit chaos. Passing through this place, many stepped out of line and bowed in salute.

And Gongsun Xun, all the while, kept a smile on his face, raising his hand in acknowledgment to each and every one who stepped forward to pay respects.

Summer rain, after all, does not last very long. Before evening even arrived — in fact, before the straggling column of over ten thousand refugees had even fully assembled — the sun suddenly reappeared.

The city sent out dry firewood and delivered some grain to Wang Xiu, who was in charge of managing the refugee column. At the same time, dragonflies flitted about everywhere, drawing many children to chase after them. At the small river outside the city, when people went to fetch fresh water, they discovered frogs, fish, and shrimp stirring. Quite a few able-bodied young men who still had some strength left went off to catch frogs for their evening meal.

For a moment, under the sunlight after the summer rain, the refugee camp outside the city was filled with an indescribable vitality.

"Today I have finally understood!" On the small platform, Lou Gui, who had been standing rigidly for a long time, suddenly spoke.

"Understood what?" Gongsun Xun felt that the smile he had forced onto his face to soothe people's hearts had already stiffened beyond recognition.

"Understood how that scoundrel Zhang Yan managed to gather a so-called million followers," Lou Zibo said with a long sigh. "We have five hundred cavalry, and even so, the journey has been so difficult that we could barely maintain order. One can well imagine that once such refugees scatter and lose order, how could they not turn into bandits? Moreover, things like morale and spirit are as contagious as plague. With our lord seated like this in the rain, setting people's hearts at ease, the people's spirits are so easily calmed. Then by the same reasoning, if no one restrains them, and among ten thousand refugees a few turn to banditry, within days all ten thousand will become bandits... They might even choose a leader and swarm to besiege a city, for all we know."

Gongsun Xun's heart stirred slightly, but he remained silent.

Han Dang, however, perhaps finding the matter of Zhang Yan somewhat hard to accept, could not help but exchange a few words with Lou Gui: "If that is how he gathered a million followers, no wonder Zhang Yan's heart is unsteady — not only did he hastily sue for peace and hastily accept terms, he even wrote a letter to our lord expressing his regards, in the most abjectly humble language."

"That letter of his, with its abjectly humble language, actually shows that the man now has a certain arrogant swagger about him," Lou Gui said to Han Dang, naturally blunt and direct. "However, Yigong, you are right about one thing — a million followers in Zhang Yan's hands are destined to be nothing more than a rabble of bandits. But if our lord, with this attitude of taking people as the foundation, were to hold a million followers... I fear the realm would have long been pacified. Why would he need to go to any Purple Mountain or Gold Mountain?"

Han Dang immediately nodded repeatedly.

On the other side, Gongsun Xun had finally managed to work the stiffness out of his facial expression, but then his face grew slightly solemn: "In truth, I truly never expected that along the way, Hebei would already be in such chaos... In the affairs of the world, it seems the great momentum truly does not bend to any man's will!"

——————I am the line that does not bend to man's will——————

"Xun returned north to Liaoxi, meeting with great chaos in Jizhou — bandits in the millions, men attacking one another, the roads strewn with the dead and dying. Xun traveled with his family and led five hundred volunteer followers, all white-horsed veterans of a hundred battles. At first, it was proposed that with such a sharp force, they should swiftly march north and return. Xun said: 'Amid war, chaos, plague, and pestilence, though they are called bandits, they are in truth refugees. If we return swiftly, many will surely die or be injured. I cannot bear it.' He therefore stationed at Bairen for over a month. When Zhang Yan surrendered and the roads became somewhat passable, he then returned. At that time, refugees streamed endlessly, compounded by bandit depredations. From Bairen onward, many followed Xun, wishing to seek refuge beyond the frontier in Youzhou. By the time they reached Hejian, the crowd numbered in the tens of thousands, with hundreds of baggage carts, advancing barely ten li a day. On the road they met with heavy rain, and all were in pitiful disarray. Someone said to Xun: 'We have both chariots and horses complete — we should travel swiftly. Now a great multitude follows us, short on food and supplies. If at night there is a panic, or if plague suddenly breaks out among them — your children, my lord, are all here, all young and tender. How can you face that?' Xun replied: 'From the time I bound up my hair and began to study, whether from my widowed mother or my teachers, all have taught me that in all things and all affairs, people must be taken as the foundation. Now that people have turned to me, how can I bear to abandon them?' When the crowd reached outside Zhongshui City, all were in pitiful disarray in the rain, and all again urged him to enter the city. Xun then donned his full ceremonial regalia, set up his banners upon a platform, and sat waiting for the tens of thousands to arrive, to show he would not abandon them. It happened that the sky cleared, and the people's hearts turned to him because of this." — Records of Heroes of the Late Han, by Wang Can

(End of Chapter)