Chapter 295: A River Apart: Between Henei and Luoyang

Gongsun Xun's rank was there for all to see. That the newly emerged Biaoqi General, Chariot and Cavalry General, and the entire set of Three Excellencies—who had only been in office for two months—all sent envoys to pay their respects was only to be expected and proved nothing. But with the military review imminent, quite a few Colonels from the Northern Army and the Western Garden had come here in person, which truly gave one pause for thought.

Clearly, just as Zhang Yang had thought, the Grand General's move was obviously meant to use Gongsun Xun's prestige to draw these people in and pressure them to pick a side. However, Zhang Yang was only an Acting Major, so his thinking was still a bit shallow. In truth, to be fair, He Jin's move was also clearly well-intentioned—using these people to help Gongsun Xun, who had not shown his face for years, steady his footing.

In such a situation, one can only say it is a case of people carrying one another in a decorated sedan chair... Although the sedan chair was still far from mainstream in this era, the principle was the same. And when building momentum, one needs both solid substance and skill in managing appearances; ideally, the two are combined to instantly create an atmosphere that overawes onlookers. Then, striking while the iron is hot, one stabilizes the situation, thus avoiding a major armed conflict.

One can only say that He Jin's move was brilliantly ingenious—or rather, it shows that his staff must now be brimming with talent.

However, while He Jin and Gongsun Xun faced each other across the river, their coordination resonating and momentarily shaking Luoyang, the Son of Heaven's reaction was also extremely swift and forceful. He actually made a prompt decision and immediately dispatched an envoy to see Gongsun Xun... One wonders if a man, upon sensing his death is near, always becomes this clear-minded and decisive.

"Sure enough, there's excitement to be had!"

The moment Cao Cao stepped off the boat, he saw the envoy's procession blocked outside the encampment by Mengjin Ferry. He laughed again, then narrowed his eyes and stroked his beard as he squeezed through the crowd of envoys. Wisely, he made his way to a raised plot of ground beside the ferry, where he could look down from above and observe up close... This sort of thing was clearly something he had been accustomed to doing since childhood.

As for the others beside him, although they instinctively followed and squeezed through as well, not to mention that Liu Bei, Zhang Yang, Zhang Liao, and the rest were naturally not of the right level and hardly understood the subtleties involved—even Xu Rong and Lu Bu were baffled by this, and somewhat uneasy besides... These men were not like Cao Cao, who had grown up mingling in Luoyang and was widely experienced; they were born with a deep reverence for the word "imperial authority."

Moreover, this time the imperial envoy was no ordinary one.

"I am Zhang Wen, Colonel-Director of Retainers. By the Son of Heaven's command, I bear an edict for the Marquis of Ji. I request that he come out swiftly to receive the decree." As it turned out, the imperial envoy sent to see Gongsun Xun this time was none other than Zhang Wen—former Grand Commandant, former Chariot and Cavalry General, and current Colonel-Director of Retainers. That is, the very man who had once commanded a hundred thousand troops on the western campaign.

That this man was sent as envoy can only mean that the Son of Heaven in the Northern Palace indeed regarded Gongsun Xun with the utmost importance.

And yet, despite Zhang Wen's status, and despite his arriving bearing the imperial credentials, the small stockade Gongsun Xun had erected on the open ground beside the ferry remained shut, offering no response.

Under ordinary circumstances, any imperial envoy at this point would have hardened his expression and directly executed the guards at the gate... But the man before them was none other than Zhang Wen, Grand Commandant Zhang, who was single-mindedly devoted to high office and smoothing things over. Back when he held a hundred thousand troops in his hands, he had been unwilling to sour relations with his subordinates—how much less so now, at this delicate moment, when facing a figure like Gongsun Xun?

And so, after waiting a moment, Zhang Wen could only step forward in person and announce his name.

It must be said, the dual authority of Colonel-Director of Retainers and imperial envoy carried immense weight. The several guards standing with hands on their swords before the simple camp gate instantly found it hard to hold their ground. The one in the lead, left with no choice, immediately turned and headed for the main tent in the camp, only a few dozen paces away.

Zhang Wen instantly breathed a sigh of relief.

However, what followed left everyone dumbstruck. Before the eyes of the crowd and in the presence of envoys from every prominent faction in Luoyang, the guard, after entering the tent, was practically driven out again almost immediately... Clearly, Gongsun Xun was still paying no heed.

The onlookers wore complicated expressions, but someone like Cao Cao, who thrived on chaos and feared no escalation, simply laughed outright.

Zhang Wen stood before the simple camp gate, only a few dozen paces from the main tent. He saw this scene with perfect clarity, and he heard the whispered murmurs behind him and the snickers around him just as clearly... In that instant, he was so mortified and indignant that he nearly wanted to turn and leave.

But how could he possibly leave? He had clearly come to deliver an imperial decree... And he refused to believe that Gongsun Xun could be so arrogant as to go this far. If he truly and openly refused the Son of Heaven's envoy at his gate, even He Jin probably couldn't shield him, could he? Besides, with everyone watching now, Zhang Wen might fear losing face, but didn't Gongsun Xun fear earning himself the name of a treacherous minister and rebel behind his back?

Just as Zhang Wen was burning with shame and indignation, over on the other side, as the reporting guard was driven from the tent, a man emerged from within and, as he did so, had the tent flaps rolled up.

"It is Xi Zhong of Yingchuan," Liu Bei first identified the man by name without changing expression, but then he suddenly paused, slightly startled. "So my elder brother is conducting a sacrifice."

It was not only Liu Bei. As Xi Zhong had the tent flaps rolled up, nearly everyone saw the scene inside—Gongsun Xun had actually prepared the three sacrificial animals and was conducting a ritual sacrifice.

At this, even Zhang Wen settled down, turning to wait quietly for the other party to finish the sacrifice. Only Cao Cao narrowed his eyes further, then stroked his beard and chuckled silently.

The sacrifice concluded in due order. Gongsun Xun, showing no intention of delay or evasion whatsoever, came out in person, crisp and efficient. Then, just inside the camp gate, he faced Zhang Wen, performed the proper rites, and received the decree.

The decree was very simple: appoint Gongsun Xun as Specially Advanced and Grandee of the Palace, and summon him to enter Luoyang.

To be fair, based on this decree alone, Gongsun Xun's assessment of the Son of Heaven's response this time rose yet another notch. This was because it was a decree with ample leeway, yet restrained, and at the same time highly effective... Simple, reasonable, neither carrying any intent to force Gongsun Xun to pick a side, nor adopting a condescending posture. Yet ultimately, it demonstrated his influence as the Son of Heaven. If Gongsun Xun were to accept the decree and enter Luoyang, then the momentum he had brought with his light cavalry to bolster He Jin would inevitably be dissipated by sixty or seventy percent.

Therefore, Gongsun Xun could not accept this decree.

"Your servant dares not accept," Gongsun Xun said, rising to his feet and speaking with a solemn expression.

Zhang Wen was silent for a moment. Although he was Colonel-Director of Retainers, he had absolutely no desire to get involved in such a major matter concerning military power—especially with the Son of Heaven's health growing worse by the day, and given the laughably short lifespans of the emperors of this dynasty. He could basically conclude that the Son of Heaven had few days left... And according to the traditions of the Han house, once the Son of Heaven died, the outer relatives, the scholar-officials, and the eunuchs would once again slaughter each other in a tangled mess.

But that said, Zhang Wen did have his duty. He had come here by the Son of Heaven's command to deliver this decree. To simply return without any clear explanation would be far too ridiculous.

No matter what, he had to get the matter clarified.

"May I ask the Marquis of Ji," Zhang Wen pondered for a moment, then inquired in as mild a tone as he could manage, "what exactly is the reason for this? An imperial decree cannot be refused without cause. Is it that you are unwell?"

Upon hearing these words, Gongsun Xun not only showed no relief at being given an easy way out, but his expression suddenly turned stern, and he immediately fixed the other man with a cold stare.

Now, although it was early winter, the weather was not very cold. In particular, the direct afternoon sunlight was still quite warm and pleasant. Yet, being glared at from such close range, Zhang Wen actually felt a chill run through his entire body.

"General of the Guards," almost out of an instinct for self-preservation, Zhang Wen immediately gritted his teeth and stepped half a pace forward, attempting to speak in a low voice. "I..."

"May I ask the Colonel-Director of Retainers, what is the meaning of your words? Could it be that you intend to follow the example of that imperial envoy who hounded our lord's late friend Sima Zhi to his death, and now hound our lord to his death as well?" At that moment, a scholar standing behind Gongsun Xun suddenly spoke out in rebuke, and Zhang Wen's face instantly drained of all color. "Do you not know who it was that our lord was just mourning inside that tent?! And do you not know that after Sima Gong's death, our lord swore an oath that he would never, in this lifetime, pay a single coin to the eunuchs to purchase office?"

Zhang Wen felt his head buzzing. Only now did he recall that Sima Zhi had committed suicide right at this very place—and the reason for his suicide was precisely that he had feigned illness to decline an official post, only to be hounded by an imperial envoy... With the other party taking this stance, he truly had no recourse.

However, before Zhang Wen could explain, the scholar actually drew his sword and directly confronted him with a question: "As Colonel-Director of Retainers, you monopolize the heavy authority of the capital province, yet you hint at this again and again. What exactly do you mean? Could it be that if our lord says today that he is unwell, you intend to arrest him on the spot?!"

"How is that possible?!" Zhang Wen dared not let the situation deteriorate further and immediately denied it, seeking to extricate himself. "How could I ever do such a thing?!"

"How could you not do such a thing?" the man continued, raising his voice in interrogation. "Everyone under Heaven knows that you, Zhang Wen, became one of the Three Excellencies by paying wealth to the Western Garden... You have always curried favor with the eunuchs of the Northern Palace! The realm is in such turmoil precisely because of the eunuchs. As a man from a renowned Nanyang lineage, do you not fear being ridiculed by all under Heaven?"

Zhang Wen was so shocked that he lost his voice.

After all, the scene before him was precisely what he had most worried about and most feared.

First of all, Zhang Wen, and Cui Lie before him, were both standard scholar-officials at heart. In their bones, they were still typical members of renowned classical-study lineages, and their hearts were still aligned with the scholar-official class.

But who could blame them for encountering such an eccentric Son of Heaven?

And who could blame them for being just a tiny step away from the position of a ducal minister in Luoyang?

Faced with this gap in rank, and faced with the eunuchs who controlled the vital points of the Northern Palace, some—like Chen Qiu, the former patron of Shen Pei—chose to plot against the eunuchs, only to end up dead with their clans nearly exterminated. Not only that, there was also Wang Yun's earlier imprisonment and Yang Qiu's brutal death, each one demonstrating the eunuchs' ruthless power... So later, when men like Cui Lie and Zhang Wen reached this threshold, they chose to compromise, to offer a measure of sycophantic accommodation.

But it was precisely at this moment, with the Yellow Turban Rebellion, that a new generation of young scholar-officials rapidly rose to prominence. The Partisan Prohibitions were lifted. Yuan Shao in Luoyang, Gongsun Xun in Youzhou, and those who had survived over a decade of the prohibitions—all now grasped blades and brandished swords, shouting for blood, clearly determined to use military force to declare an irreconcilable stand against the eunuchs.

Men like Zhang Wen dared not do such things, but they also dared not oppose them. And more importantly, they ultimately cared about the judgment of others. They wanted to save face!

Take Cui Lie a few years ago, for example. After being openly mocked by Gongsun Xun on the southern bank of the Yellow River, he returned home brooding and restless. He then asked his son about his reputation in Luoyang. As it turned out, his son Cui Jun had long since lost all face among the young scholar-officials of Luoyang because of his father's purchased office, and so he mocked him bluntly. This drove Cui Lie, in his shame and fury, to try to beat his son—only for the son to escape, so the beating never happened. In the end, he could only cover his face and sigh at home.

And when the story got out, it became yet another joke.

Zhang Wen was the same... As a typical old-school scholar-official, he too especially feared losing face. It was just that his official rank was too high, and everyone usually gave him face, so no one had ever had the chance to mock him.

But Gongsun Xun? Would a man like Gongsun Xun give him face?

And now, with the Son of Heaven in poor health, weren't all the young scholar-officials who held blades stirring restlessly?

For a moment, as the imperial envoy, Zhang Wen burned with shame and indignation, yet could not explain himself. Instead, all he wanted was to flee in haste.

"A few years without seeing him, and Lou Zibo has indeed sharpened his tongue into a fine blade," Xu Rong remarked with emotion.

"Clearly, this was prepared well in advance," Liu Bei stated flatly.

"A dignified Colonel-Director of Retainers, bearing imperial credentials to confer office, and yet he is the one who feels shame?" Zhang Yang, though possessing some political awareness, ultimately found it hard to comprehend.

"That was a freely given Grandee of the Palace!" Lu Bu also sighed, speechless. "To think that since the Yellow Turbans, we have been practically cast aside and left unused, unable to advance a single step for years... And the General of the Guards didn't even think twice before directly refusing this Grandee of the Palace."

Unexpectedly, Cao Mengde, who had been wearing an obvious smile all along, now gradually turned solemn: "That is the charge of currying favor with the eunuchs. Even for someone of such high rank as Zhang Wen, how could he possibly bear to have it pinned on him?"

The people around fell silent one after another.

Zhang Liao, who had just come of age, could not understand a word this group was saying... he only felt that they, like the two sides confronting each other inside the encampment gate over there, all seemed very formidable.

But a moment later, Gongsun Xun, who had barely spoken all along, immediately let the young Zhang Liao know what true formidability was.

"General of the Guard, this talk of currying favor with eunuchs is utterly false and slanderous, and I had no intention of coercion in coming here." Zhang Wen barely managed to steady himself, not daring to look at the scholar who was speaking so sternly, and could only strain to offer some explanation to the silent Gongsun Xun. "When I return today, I will certainly explain matters clearly to the Son of Heaven..."

"The Colonel-Director of Retainers comes in such haste, and departs in such haste." Gongsun Xun finally spoke coolly, his hand resting on his saber. "Those who do not know better might think I have been so overbearing that I have wronged you!"

"I dare not... truly I dare not!" Zhang Wen had no choice but to retreat several steps, coming behind the imperial staff and bowing deeply. "Today's matter stems from my own lack of clear understanding; I brought this humiliation upon myself... I had truly forgotten that Sima Gong passed away at this very place."

"You know it now?"

"That is only natural!"

"What do you intend to do?"

"I beg leave to return to Luoyang, and dare not inquire further into the Lord Marquis's official duties..."

"Should you not go inside and pay your respects to Sima Shuyi before you leave?" Gongsun Xun suddenly questioned calmly.

"..."

Zhang Wen was utterly distraught, yet had no choice. He could only have the imperial staff put away and stumble into the tent, where he bowed his head and performed the rites of mourning. However, when he walked out of the tent, under the dazzling sunlight of that winter afternoon, he suddenly discovered that he was completely surrounded by over a hundred tall, imposing warriors bearing swords.

Unexpectedly, whether his mind was somewhat dazed at that moment or for some other reason, Zhang Wen did not feel afraid, only muddled and somewhat lost.

"Gentlemen." Gongsun Xun, unhurried and calm, stood behind these warriors with his hands clasped behind his back and spoke in a clear voice. "If one were to say that this Colonel-Director of Retainers, Zhang Gong, came here intending to coerce me, I would not believe it either, because the man lacks the courage. But to say that such a man cannot harm others would be self-deception... My younger brother, Fu Xie Fu Nanrong, died last year in Jicheng, Hanyang. Those who killed him were, first, Zhao Zhong; second, Geng Bi; and third... this very man! Had Zhao Zhong not been jealous of Nanrong, Nanrong would not have been driven to a place like Hanyang to serve as Grand Administrator; had Geng Bi not been arrogant and rashly sent troops, provoking the entire Liangzhou into rebellion, Nanrong would not have been besieged; and had this man not led a hundred thousand troops on a massive campaign only to return in utter defeat, how could the events that followed have ever occurred?"

"I did not kill Fu Nanrong..." Zhang Wen said in a panic.

"Yet Nanrong died because of you!" Gongsun Xun replied sternly. "To hold high office while incompetent — what difference is there between that and a bandit?! To bribe one's way to high office without merit — what difference is there between that and throwing in one's lot with the eunuchs?"

Zhang Wen stammered, at a loss for words.

"That day at Changshe, when I routed a hundred thousand Yellow Turban rebels and saw that Sun Wentai was exceptionally brave and fierce, I summoned all officers from Army Major and above to come observe his bearing and appearance. Today I have brought several hundred sons of Youzhou south, yet never expected to first encounter a man like you." At this point, Gongsun Xun, unable to contain his fury, turned to his Volunteer Followers and shouted. "Listen well! In the past, when I taught you the Book of Songs at Changping and spoke of 'Even a rat has its skin,' it was men of this ilk I meant! If any of you cannot bear the sight, remember this man's face, name, and official post! Then keep it firmly in mind and take it as a warning!"

Over a hundred Volunteer Followers roared their assent in unison.

The people around, standing several dozen paces away, were so shocked they cried out involuntarily. Zhang Wen suddenly came to his senses, immediately snatched the imperial staff from his already stupefied attendant, and then, holding the staff aloft to clear a path with one hand while covering his face with the other, fled in utter panic.

When the man reached the ferry and boarded the boat, he threw himself face-down in the bottom of the vessel, ignoring whether his attendants had followed, and urged the boatman to row south back to Luoyang as fast as possible.

The onlookers were dumbstruck and drenched in cold sweat.

Watching Zhang Wen flee in such disarray, the many envoys and officials who had been brimming with excitement moments before now found none among them dared to move.

"My lord has a declaration!" Lou Gui, still holding his sword, walked to the encampment gate and raised his head to address them. "It is said that scholars and eunuchs cannot stand together... If any scion of the eunuchs is present here, he shall not enter this gate, lest blood be spilled within five paces; if any who previously went out of their way to curry favor with the eunuchs of the Northern Palace are here, they too shall not enter this gate, lest they bring humiliation upon themselves!"

Having spoken, Lou Gui actually called for someone to come and hang that sword above the encampment gate as a public proclamation!

Only after Gongsun Xun and Lou Gui had returned to the tent did the area before the encampment gate stir with commotion once more. The first to enter was naturally the Grand General's Chief Clerk, Wang Qian, who walked straight in with his head held high, not glancing sideways, passing directly beneath the sword's blade. Next, however, the envoy of the General of Agile Cavalry, Dong Zhong, heaved a long sigh, turned on his heel, and left. An interesting thing happened with the envoy of the General of Chariots and Cavalry, He Miao... This envoy hesitated for a moment, then removed the official seal marking him as Chief Clerk to the General of Chariots and Cavalry and entered in plain white robes!

It turned out that this man was none other than Gongsun Xun's old acquaintance from Handan, the mentor of Qian Zhao, the celebrated scholar of Anping, Yue Yin! On one hand, he could not deny He Miao's close association with the eunuchs; on the other, as a scholar faced with such a choice, he had no alternative but to simply abandon his post and enter as an old friend, rather than as the envoy of the General of Chariots and Cavalry.

Next came the newly appointed Three Excellencies, all pure Confucians who had just been promoted, so they posed no problem. After the envoys of the Three Excellencies had entered... Cao Cao strode in with his head high and chest out, his expression perfectly normal, bringing the group behind him along as they blended in.

Though it was called blending in, among the five hundred Volunteer Followers in this small encampment, there were after all two hundred veterans. How could they not recognize Cao Mengde? Short in stature, with squinting eyes — his features were that distinctive.

Even Lu Bu Lu Fengxian, Xu Rong Xu Bojin, and Liu Bei Liu Xuande were all old acquaintances.

Zhang Liao, however, even exchanged a greeting, sharing a smile with a Volunteer Follower who spoke with a Bingzhou accent, and then entered with perfect composure — which made Zhang Yang secretly startled and suspicious.

Stepping into the tent, Gongsun Xun had long since cleared away the mourning arrangements. And after this General of the Guard had perfunctorily met with the envoys of the Three Excellencies and the Nine Ministers, the vast tent gradually emptied out according to the closeness of relationships.

In the end, even Zhang Yang managed to step forward and exchange a few words with Gongsun Xun. And, one must say, the man was utterly different from those high officials in Luoyang — he had no airs whatsoever, and none of that maddeningly frustrating regional prejudice!

After a brief conversation, Gongsun Xun actually offered Zhang Yang a few words of encouragement, and even had someone fetch a saber, which he personally girded upon the man.

Zhang Yang had just witnessed the other man reduce a former Grand Commandant, the current Colonel-Director of Retainers, to such a state, and his heart had been quaking. How could he have expected such treatment? As he walked out of the encampment gate with his head held high, feeling as if he were floating on air, he could not help but sigh inwardly... For all his rank and reputation, the General of the Guard truly was still a man of the border commanderies at heart!

As for how this Acting Major of Bingzhou only noticed, after boarding his boat and crossing halfway over the Yellow River, that Zhang Liao had not followed him, and grew increasingly suspicious — that is a story for later.

On the northern bank of the Yellow River, Gongsun Xun continued to converse and socialize with his visitors... As the various irrelevant people departed one after another, and after he had earnestly exhorted and inquired after men like Xu Rong, letting them cross the river and return to camp without further ado, in the end, only one man remained in the tent: Liu Bei Liu Xuande.

"Where has Meng De gone?" Gongsun Xun asked, having just seen off the thoroughly satisfied Wang Qian. Returning to the tent, he first inquired about another person.

"To answer my elder brother," Liu Bei, who had been standing behind a low table the entire afternoon like an attendant, stepped forward respectfully and replied. "Elder Brother Meng De has dragged Elder Brother Zibo outside to watch the sunset over the Yellow River."

"Does he hold me in such contempt?" Gongsun Xun laughed in spite of himself, then casually sat back down in the main seat within the tent. "Xuande, please sit."

Liu Bei hesitated for a moment, but ultimately sat down in an empty seat with his expression as composed as ever.

"Why must you be like this?" Gongsun Xun answered with a laugh. "Do you think I would make things difficult for you the way I did for Zhang Wen?"

Liu Bei sighed, but remained silent.

It must be said that the previous month, seeing Gongsun Xun lying low in Guangyang for years without making a move, while the situation in Luoyang grew increasingly treacherous and murky — and moreover, with Wang Fen having died under his jurisdiction, which had exposed him to many inside dealings — Liu Bei had ultimately been unable to suppress his ambition and great aspirations. He had thus stepped forward, believing in his heart that he had wronged no one.

But who could have foreseen that Gongsun Xun would suddenly emerge from seclusion? And that the moment the man arrived here, he would shake the capital and alter the entire situation, turning Liu Bei's previous painstaking efforts into bubbles and a laughingstock.

More importantly, if that was the case, what did Liu Bei's earlier actions amount to? If Gongsun Xun harbored resentment, given the relationship between the two of them, how could he face him?

However, Liu Xuande was by no means a man who dared to act but not to own up to his actions. That was why, at the very first opportunity, he had come with the other old acquaintances from the Luoyang Imperial Guard to pay his respects.

Liu Bei's heart was open and resolute, while Gongsun Xun, sitting across from him, felt both strange and deeply moved.

To be honest, at this moment Gongsun Xun understood Liu Bei's state of mind exceptionally well, because the man before him now was just like himself several years ago. He could even say on Liu Bei's behalf all those words about not failing the world, and could even imagine what reasons the other man had used to convince himself to make such a move.

But then again... he had placed so many people in Jizhou, in Henei, in Luoyang. Why had everyone else been able to hold back, willing to trust him, Gongsun Xun, yet Liu Bei was unwilling? Was it that the others had no doubts? Or were all the others merely ordinary, mediocre men?

In the final analysis, beyond all the doubts, it was simply that Liu Xuande had carried a streak of ambition in his heart ever since he was a child!

A true man born into this world — how can he long remain subordinate to another?!

Gongsun Xun believed that Cao Cao, who was outside watching the sunset at this very moment, and Lu Bu, who had earlier taken his leave with such deference, perhaps both harbored those very words in their hearts!

So what was to be done?

Find an opportunity to kill them? Kill everyone?

Why kill them? Kill them because they have ambition? Then wouldn't he, Gongsun Xun, truly be seen as a monster by all under Heaven? And does this world lack men of ambition? If he killed Cao Cao, would the wars and chaos of the Central Plains claim significantly fewer lives? And earlier, when he killed Han Sui here in Henei, did that stop Liangzhou from rebelling?

And if it is not because of ambition, then should he kill Cao Cao because he is clever? Kill Liu Bei because he is charismatic?

It is utterly laughable!

Momentum is momentum, and men are men. What Gongsun Xun has pondered most over these years is precisely this.

As for the specific matter before him, in truth, on the way here, after receiving Shen Pei's message, Gongsun Xun had already thought it through very clearly.

If he himself could scourge the realm and pacify the rivers and mountains... then whether it was Liu Xuande or Cao Mengde, they would naturally be nothing to worry about! And men like Cao Cao, who are clever and open-minded, or men like Liu Bei, who possess benevolence, righteousness, and charisma — leaving them out in the world to fill the space would always be better than leaving out men like Lu Bu and Yuan Shu, wouldn't it?

To set the rivers and mountains in order, should one not rely on one's own strength and virtue — must one rely on one's opponents being utterly worthless?

"Xuande, you need not take it to heart." After letting his thoughts wander for a while, Gongsun Xun suddenly laughed and spoke. "You serve me as an elder brother, and I regard you as a younger brother. We are both Han ministers — must we also regard each other as lord and vassal? Even if you truly were my subordinate, it has always been that one only speaks of virtue when facing upward; facing downward, there is no hindrance... The realm is in turmoil, and if you have a stirring heart and step forward, I would only be glad."

Liu Bei gazed steadily at Gongsun Xun, and seeing that the other showed no sign of pretense, he rose, bowed his head, and prostrated himself: "Elder Brother above, from the time I bound up my hair, I have received Elder Brother's gracious favor. Though we are not lord and vassal, it is still the bond of brothers and the grace of recognition... Bei here makes a vow: though the court may be treacherous, in this life Bei shall never stand against Elder Brother. If I break this vow, may my blood run dry and I perish!"

Gongsun Xun laughed again: "I do not ask for this vow of yours now; I only ask that in the days to come, you do not betray the resolute intent you hold in your heart at this moment."

"The rolling great river!" By the riverbank outside the tent, Cao Cao clasped his hands behind his back and sighed. "Zibo, do you still remember the grand words we spoke in our youth?"

"I don't remember!" Lou Gui immediately retorted.

—————— I am the dividing line that never forgets the original intent ——————

"In the sixth year of Zhongping, winter, Grand General He Jin sent word to the Grand Ancestor, speaking of the loss of military authority and the possible hindrance to the matter of punishing the eunuchs. When the Grand Ancestor heard this, he personally led his private troops and light cavalry to Henei. Among the Northern Army of Luoyang and the Western Garden Army, many were the Grand Ancestor's former subordinates, and they came in succession to pay their respects. When the eunuchs in Luoyang heard of this, they were all alarmed, and so they spoke to Emperor Ling, issuing an edict to the Colonel-Director of Retainers Zhang Wen, ordering him to detain the Grand Ancestor and bring him into Luoyang. When he arrived, the Grand Ancestor hung his sword at the camp gate to show his true heart. Zhang Wen saw this and sighed, and then, ashamed, he departed." — The Old Book of Yan, Volume 1, Annals of the Martial Emperor, Grand Ancestor

(End of Chapter)