Chapter 301: Do Not Disdain the Old Defender of Yunzhong

To be fair, anyone placed in Dong Zhuo's or Huangfu Song's position would likely feel some resentment.

After the Yellow Turban Rebellion, Huangfu Song became General of Chariots and Cavalry and Governor of Jizhou. Even if both titles were discounted, they were still General of Chariots and Cavalry and Governor of Jizhou, were they not?

And then what? Then, to make room for others and reclaim the General of Chariots and Cavalry seal, Luoyang kicked him aside with one foot. He went from General of Chariots and Cavalry to a man idling at home, from a County Marquis of eight Battalion Commander to a Township Marquis of two thousand. Now that they need him again, they drag an old man like him out of his house with a single edict to keep risking his life... yet he must stand shoulder to shoulder with those he once looked down upon and become the subordinate of former colleagues. Who could stomach that?

Dong Zhuo was even more aggrieved.

Because, just as he himself said, ever since Huangfu Song was dismissed that day, he alone had been turning the tide in the entire Liangzhou campaign!

When Huangfu Song was dismissed, he alone defended Fufeng with all his might;

When Zhang Wen campaigned west, it was he who fought with all his strength to win a great victory and drive away Han Sui;

When Zhang Wen returned in crushing defeat and the entire army routed, he was the only one who brought his troops back intact and preserved his forces;

Later, that defeated general Zhang Wen rolled back to Luoyang and went on being a high official, while he, Dong Zhuo, alone led twenty thousand troops here, tirelessly defending against the rebels month after month, year after year...

And now, with hostilities renewed, he actually cannot be made Regional Commander. On what grounds?!

Of course, Dong Zhuo knew perfectly well on what grounds, and he even said it aloud... because he did not study the classics, because he was a mere military man from Liangzhou. So in the eyes of the lords back in Luoyang, he, Dong Zhongying, becoming General of the Vanguard, being enfeoffed as a Township Marquis, and leading twenty thousand troops was already the ceiling. From now on, unless some heaven-shaking calamity occurred, they would never grant him higher authority!

Huangfu Song was also from Liangzhou, but he studied the classics, so in the eyes of those great figures in Luoyang, he was a grade above Dong Zhuo. Gongsun Xun was also from the frontier, but he not only studied, he also ran schools and taught, and he also executed eunuchs, and he was also Liu Kuan's designated political heir. Therefore, in the eyes of the central government, his ceiling was vaguely a grade higher still — which was why the Son of Heaven never confiscated his seal back then!

And now, by leveraging his personal friendship with the Grand General, he had entangled himself in Luoyang's disputes, so he was regarded even more highly.

Dong Zhuo understood all these subtleties perfectly well. The intelligence his younger brother sent only verified everything with airtight precision. But the more this was so, the more indignant Dong Zhongying became!

On what grounds was he not allowed to advance one step further?

On what grounds must he stop here?

He clearly possessed both merit and toil!

"If my son were still alive, even if my heart could not be at peace, how would it have come to this?" That evening, before retiring, Dong Zhuo spoke thus to his two sons-in-law.

At this, Li Ru and Niu Fu, for once, simultaneously understood their father-in-law's state of mind.

After the bitter cold and ice and snow of the eleventh month, the entire twelfth month in Guanzhong was clear and pleasant.

Therefore, not long after Gongsun Xun arrived in Chang'an, after a brief rest and reorganization, he set out again from Chang'an toward the Qian River main camp where Dong Zhuo and Huangfu Song were stationed.

This leg of the journey was merely a distance of two hundred li, and the Guanzhong Plain was a smooth road all the way along the Wei River. Thus, the ten-thousand-plus Imperial Guards under Gongsun Xun marched west for only three days. By the morning of the fourth day, they could already distantly make out the location of Yong County — which later gave Yongzhou its name. Han army patrol riders under Dong and Huangfu had even appeared within the army's field of vision, and the two sides immediately established contact and interaction.

After another short half-day, under the clear winter blue sky, the vanguard had reached the designated position and immediately began setting up camp and erecting fortifications. At the same time, from the two large camps to the left and right, General of the Vanguard Dong Zhuo and General of the Left Huangfu Song had each led their own officers and captains to come here and receive him.

At this moment, the army's Regional Commander, Gongsun Xun, also halted several li before the camp, then led his officers and captains to dismount by the roadside to rest briefly and adjust their attire.

At the same time, he also summoned the Army Major Jia Xu and proactively sought his counsel.

"Dong Gong and Huangfu Gong are indeed lamentable, and I respect them as veteran generals of the army. But now, with a great enemy before us and military affairs fraught with peril, I cannot afford to care about much else." Gongsun Xun stood by the roadside, donning armor and fastening his belt with the help of his Volunteer Followers as he came straight to the point. "Wenhe, I have always deeply agreed with Yan Shude's words. Ever since we met that day at Mengjin, I have regarded you as one akin to Zhang Liang or Chen Ping. Today, you must tell me — how should I unify military authority?"

Jia Xu was silent for a moment, then glanced at the dozen or so Guanzhong grandees who had followed from Chang'an by the roadside... He did not believe Gongsun Xun lacked a plan or preparations, nor did he believe that Xi Zhong, who had studied Legalist doctrine for many years in Yingchuan, had not thoroughly analyzed the situation for his lord. But since the other party was his superior and had asked thus, he, Jia Xu, could only answer once more.

"General." After a moment's thought, Jia Xu bowed slightly and said, "At present, there is no brilliant stratagem, for there are ultimately only three paths to take..."

"Tell me."

"The foremost is that you, General, have come bearing the imperial staff of authority, and you hold Luoyang's explicit written mandate. Dong Gong and Huangfu Gong are your deputy commanders... This is the greater righteousness — open, aboveboard, and perfectly justified!"

"Indeed."

"Secondly, the General of the Vanguard and the General of the Left both have old ties with you, my lord. Moreover, at the rank of the three of you generals, surely it will not come to open conflict? One might appeal to personal relations, to old friendships, to military necessity..."

"In other words, treating them with courtesy — the soft approach?" Gongsun Xun replied with a wry smile.

"Precisely." Jia Xu also lowered his head slightly.

"And what else?"

"What else is that, if absolutely unavoidable, one can only use authority and force to overawe the two of them." As he spoke, Jia Xu once again looked toward the dozen-odd Two Thousand Shi officials accompanying the central army, then faced him with a solemn expression. "After all, these are vital military affairs of state... However, I believe that when it comes down to it, given Huangfu Gong's and Dong Gong's integrity, no one will misjudge the situation."

The three commanderies of Guanzhong — three Grand Administrators, three Commandants — except for Gai Xun, who remained in Chang'an to secure the rear, all the rest were here. Add to that the army's original three Colonels, one Cavalry Commandant, and one nominal Six Hundred Shi who was in fact equivalent in rank to a Two Thousand Shi, or even slightly exceeded it — the North Army Overseer Liu Biao — ten men in total. All of them now obediently accompanied Gongsun Xun's central army here... This was what Gongsun Xun had purchased four days ago in Chang'an with the heads of the eunuch scion and Chang'an County Magistrate Yang Dang, as well as the entire Gao clan, a local Chang'an magnate family connected to the trusted eunuchs of the Imperial Prince Liu Bian.

The purpose of this move was self-evident: to have these men serve as decorative vases, thereby setting off the majesty of Gongsun Xun, the General of the Guards, and perhaps also to use this to assert dominance and establish authority.

And Jia Xu's meaning was also very clear... do not start by doing this kind of thing that wounds feelings.

Gongsun Xun had long since finished donning his attire. As if he had not seen the other's gaze, he merely continued to ask with keen interest, "So this is what is meant by 'first courtesy, then force'?"

"Indeed." Jia Xu collected himself and continued, "The rebels only have Liangzhou; their supplies are scarce, and attacking the Sili region as rebels, they are ultimately ill at ease... Now that they are blocked at Chencang, it is not we who should be anxious. Our side is truly in no hurry."

Gongsun Xun showed neither pleasure nor anger, neither approval nor disapproval, merely nodding slightly.

Immediately, several Volunteer Followers suddenly came forward, presenting a fine brocade robe with an inner lining, intending to help Jia Xu change into it. Jia Wenhe was clearly somewhat unaccustomed to this and actually dodged away several times in succession... Thereupon, Gongsun Xun stepped forward and actually took the initiative to help the other man put on the brocade robe.

The people around all turned their heads to look, but Jia Wenhe instead calmed down... He understood Gongsun Xun's meaning. The other party did not expect to win him, Jia Xu, over with such petty tricks. But if he did not do such things, how else could he directly and bluntly express that he truly regarded him, Jia Wenhe, as a figure like Zhang Liang or Chen Ping?

Once everyone had finished adjusting their attire, they remounted and hurried toward the main camp ahead.

Although the main camp there was still under urgent construction, because light cavalry had arrived earlier to announce Gongsun Xun's coming, and the rough outline of a new main camp had been marked out between the two existing camps, Dong Zhuo and Huangfu Song — however poorly they got along — were still professional enough to have people help set up some chevaux-de-frise and the like.

When Gongsun Xun led his entourage to this place, the two men also personally came out of camp to greet him. For a time, the three chatted and laughed pleasantly, speaking only of past events, and not a trace of displeasure showed. After a while, when they heard the attendants ahead report that a sunny elevated spot had been found within the camp, with seats and tables already arranged, inviting the General of the Guards to go rest, and that the staff of authority had been erected and the banners raised... Gongsun Xun even walked arm in arm with the two men, heading straight for that place.

Truly, as Jia Xu had said — even though the mutual dissatisfaction among these three was already plainly visible, and even though the subordinates of Dong Zhuo and Huangfu Song, who had arrived first, had already begun to have friction in private, at the very top level, surface decorum was still maintained.

What else could they do? Have men like Dong Zhuo and Huangfu Song face each other every day and spit at one another?

Even spitting must be done according to the rules.

When the group arrived before the high ground and saw the staff of authority planted and the banners raised... they were supposed to step forward according to their respective official ranks to pay respects to the newly arrived Regional Commander, General of the Guards Gongsun Xun. Yet it was at this moment that most of the subordinates who had followed Dong Zhuo and Huangfu Song discovered with astonishment that on this platform, there was no place for them to stand.

It was not deliberate harassment, but simply that too many grandees had come with Gongsun Xun — a full nine Two Thousand Shi officials, plus one North Army Overseer, surrounding Gongsun Xun as they ascended like a host of stars encircling the moon. Therefore, anyone in the army below One Thousand Shi was simply unqualified to step forward. Even men like Li Jue, Guo Si, or Huangfu Li, if they forced their way up, would have nothing to say... The gap between Two Thousand Shi and the officials below was truly like a natural chasm.

Huangfu Song and Dong Zhuo, who had walked up arm in arm with Gongsun Xun, also noticed this scene. And while they could not be said to have changed color, they could not help but put away their smiles and become somewhat solemn.

As expected, upon reaching the platform, Gongsun Xun released their arms and stood openly and squarely in the center. Most of the military officers who had followed Huangfu and Dong here could not help but bow in salute along with the ten grandees led by Liu Biao.

But Huangfu Song and Dong Zhuo, standing not far below Gongsun Xun, exchanged a glance and ultimately, with stiff faces, turned sideways and stood straight... They would neither accept this salute, nor would they ever bow in salute toward Gongsun Xun!

They still had their dignity!

But at that very moment, Gongsun Xun, standing in the center above, suddenly gave an order:

"Gentlemen, in former days, Huangfu Gong crushed Zhang Jiao and saved the state from collapse — a deed worthy of being called great merit. That he was dismissed under pretext of natural disaster was in truth the work of eunuch machinations, using false words as pretext. Therefore, the mere rank of General of the Left is truly insufficient to manifest his virtue... The court may choose not to reward him, but we cannot pretend to be deaf and blind... Since you gentlemen have rarely had the chance to accompany me here, you might as well pay your respects to Huangfu Gong once more!"

Before Huangfu Song could react, he saw the ten grandees, led by Liu Biao — one of the Eight Steeds of the Partisans — all bow together toward him once more in salute. He could not help but force himself to stand firm, then laugh awkwardly.

After this bow, Huangfu Song's anger did dissipate by thirty percent, but Dong Zhuo instinctively turned his gaze toward Gongsun Xun.

Sure enough, Gongsun Xun, looking down from his elevated position, spoke again: "My lords, for several years now, the affairs of Liangzhou have been sustained solely by Lord Dong. The peace of Guanzhong and Luozhong has also been maintained through Lord Dong's painstaking efforts... Now that a great battle is about to begin, for the court not to entrust him with a regional command is truly a betrayal of Lord Dong. You, who have received his favor, must not fail to bow!"

With these words, those ten high-ranking officials from the army and the Guanzhong region once again obediently bowed their heads and, facing Dong Zhuo, performed a formal bow.

Unlike Huangfu Song, Dong Zhuo let out a sneer at these words, then raised his head and puffed out his chest, accepting the bow with complete composure.

Below the platform, Jia Xu, who had just raised his head, saw this scene. The good mood he had gained from Gongsun Xun adopting his strategy of "courtesy before force" instantly vanished like smoke... He keenly realized that although this fellow townsman Lord Dong's expression was as usual, in his heart he had likely already backed himself into a corner.

PS: Sorry... I've been busy these past few days... My mindset collapsed... On the last day of the year, I will definitely make up for it with a proper, plot-heavy chapter.

(End of Chapter)