Chapter 305: The Han Troops Charge Swift as a Thunderbolt

"We can fight!"

Gongsun Xun returned to the Han army camp together with Dong Zhuo and Huangfu Song. Before they had even taken their seats, Dong Zhongying, the Front General standing in the tent, changed his expression and came straight to the point. "The rebel army is full of hidden agendas — we can break them in a single battle!"

"Indeed." After this incident, even Huangfu Song, who had previously opposed a swift battle, changed his stance. Now his face was full of contempt. "This old man has seen clearly today: those people are all petty men. Even Han Wenyue has no ambition to dominate the realm. They are merely raising the banner of punishing the eunuchs, seeking to carve out a territory and enjoy temporary ease."

"Petty men" — perhaps a cut above "wretched brats," but only just a cut above. And for someone as steady as Huangfu Song to openly mock and revile them showed that those on the opposing side truly did have the stature of petty men.

"I think the same," Gongsun Xun said unhurriedly, nodding slightly. Then he smiled and looked toward Jia Xu. "No wonder Wenhe left home to avoid disaster back then, and no wonder Yan Zhong would rather take his own life than follow them... Aside from carving up territory and fighting among themselves, what can these people bring to Liangzhou? Liangzhou's affairs must ultimately be resolved within the framework of the realm's affairs. In other words, the only path is to return to the jurisdiction of the central authority."

With the three generals present, Jia Xu merely nodded slightly and did not interject.

The three generals continued their discussion for a while, exchanging specific intelligence, and became increasingly certain of the opposing side's disunity and various intolerable weaknesses.

First, as Dong Zhuo and Huangfu Song had said, after several years of back-and-forth, the Liangzhou rebel army was long past the situation where the common people of Liangzhou could not survive and the upper and middle classes faced repeated discrimination, leading them to rise up in fury... Several years of military conflict and complex internal mergers had caused the rebel leadership to rapidly degenerate and become corrupt.

This corruption was not determined by the personal morals of any individual rebel leader. In fact, from what everyone observed today, Han Sui still had some ability, depth, and strategy, and Ma Teng himself still maintained a basic, simple moral character... Ultimately, this was a corruption of the entire system: those above fooled those below, those below flattered those above, each had their own territory, each had their own ideas, no one could make a real decision, no one could truly control the situation. The entire rebel organization was like a multi-headed monster that had lost its reason, acting only on instinct!

As for the rebels' large-scale march out of Liangzhou into Guanzhong this time, it was in fact a direct consequence of this very problem.

One must understand that the rebel army now consisted of five main factions.

Among them, Wang Guo held Hanyang Commandery; Han Sui held Jincheng and Wuwei Commanderies; Li Xiangru was originally the Grand Administrator of Longxi; Huang Yan was originally the Grand Administrator of Jiuquan. Only Ma Teng, a man from Fufeng, had long resided in Longxi and then rebelled as a Major under Geng Bi, leading the Hanyang troops... So how to settle Ma Teng was a major problem!

Under the grand coalition, annexation was not easy to carry out, because it would make everyone fear for their own safety.

Besides, Ma Teng was no pushover. Not to mention that he had rebelled leading the province's elite troops, his father, when serving as a minor official in Longxi, had been forced by poverty to marry a Qiang woman (Ma Teng's own mother). It was even said that the mother of Ma Teng's current eldest son, Ma Chao, was also a Qiang. Thus, he enjoyed strong support from the Qiang tribes of Longxi... Trying to annex such a power player would likely break one's teeth.

And what about giving him territory?

Would Li Xiangru agree to let him return to Longxi to unite with the local Qiang? Or would Wang Guo be willing to let him remain in Hanyang with a force of elite troops?

Therefore, after much deliberation, they simply suggested that Ma Teng return to his ancestral home, Fufeng in Guanzhong — which was precisely the battlefield before them now.

Of course, this situation only determined the will to fight of the various rebel factions. Ma Teng was especially eager for battle; he truly wanted a territory of his own. Li Xiangru and Wang Guo were next; they genuinely wanted to push Ma Teng out. Han Sui and Huang Yan were the most perfunctory. Coupled with everyone's desire to preserve their own strength, this was what led to the prolonged failure to capture Chencang.

But, as it happened, they could not withdraw either... because without any achievements, the officers under them would not permit a withdrawal!

Liangzhou was very poor, and Guanzhong was very wealthy. It was no easy feat for everyone to come out this far, and with such a massive force gathered here, who exactly was there to fear? They couldn't just waste all that provisions and grain and return empty-handed, could they?

It was precisely while these men were bickering and deadlocked that Gongsun Xun suddenly arrived before them with fifty thousand Han troops.

The three generals reached a consensus, all agreeing that this battle was feasible. Huangfu Song and Dong Zhuo had nothing more to say on military matters... After all, military authority now rested in Gongsun Xun's hands, while they themselves commanded only ten thousand infantry, so they could not be bothered to say much. In any case, when the time came, it would probably just be a military order for their units to follow behind the cavalry and assault the camps and strongholds. Both were veteran generals; how could they possibly cause any mishap?

In fact, the three generals sat casually in the tent and continued the idle topics of conversation from the daytime.

"Come to think of it, had it not been for Nanrong's sacrifice, this battle might not have been so easy," Huangfu Song suddenly remarked with emotion.

Most fell silent, and even Dong Zhuo had nothing to say... One must understand that Fu Nanrong's martyrdom was not simply a matter of his own death. It was because the Fu clan was the preeminent lineage of Beidi Commandery. His such fierce act made the Fu clan's stance unalterable. Thus, although the rebels nominally unified Liangzhou, they were fundamentally unable to effectively control Beidi.

Before the battle began, those ten to twenty thousand miscellaneous Hu who supposedly left the rebels and returned north were in fact the Qiang and Xiongnu people from Beidi Commandery and the neighboring Xihe region of Bingzhou... Without a truly prestigious figure to lead them, and with the former Grand Administrator of Beidi, Huangfu Song, now on the opposing side, they naturally chose to return north and avoid the fight.

Conversely, if Fu Xie had truly shown a moment of weakness back then, what they faced today would likely be a genuine army of one hundred thousand.

"In this battle, we must use the blood of the rebels to make an offering to Fu Nanrong's spirit, and also to the fierce integrity of Yan Shude," Gongsun Xun could only say this after a long pause.

Everyone nodded in agreement and was about to speak further when suddenly another person dressed as a Volunteer Attendant hurriedly entered. The man was utterly exhausted, clearly having come from afar. The moment he entered the tent, he knelt and presented a letter.

Gongsun Xun took the letter, exchanged a glance with Han Dang, signaling him to personally take the man to the rear tent to rest. Then, after the man had left, he did not even look at it, instead stuffing the letter into his boot.

Dong Zhuo watched coldly from the side and let out a scoff: "Is Wenqi not convenient to open it in front of us? Earlier, when Gai Yuangu brought your personal guards from Chang'an, you hastily made the decision to go to war. Now another personal guard has labored to deliver a letter, and you do not read it either... Could it be that you think I, Dong Zhuo, am like those rebels across the way, growing suspicious the moment I see a letter delivered from Luoyang?"

Gai Xun, seated below, remained expressionless and utterly unmoved.

Gongsun Xun immediately shook his head: "Their suspicions arise on their own. That letter during the day was merely a minor trick, a small embellishment, of no great use. As for this letter that Lord Dong speaks of, it is in fact not about Luoyang matters. It is a private letter sent by fast horse from Youzhou. What Brother Yuangu carried earlier was a private letter sent by fast horse from my wife at home. This one should be a message sent in the name of my Chief Clerk's office by my Chief Clerk... hence it arrived a few days later."

As he spoke, Gongsun Xun retrieved the letter from his boot, placed it on the small table between himself and Dong Zhuo, and said slowly: "It is merely that another whelp has been added to my household."

Dong Zhuo glanced at the wax seal on the letter on the table, then directly picked it up. But once he saw clearly that beneath the seal was indeed the signature of Lu Fan, he could not help but laugh wryly and put it back: "How could I not trust Wenqi... If Wenqi's resolve is set, then issue the orders today and swiftly settle the enemy before us."

Gongsun Xun neither picked up the letter nor issued any orders. He merely nodded slightly, showing no intention of making an immediate decision.

Dong Zhuo and Huangfu Song found this dull and each left with their trusted aides. But Gai Xun was called back — Gongsun Xun still remembered the Qiang chieftain who had given him the divine steed, the white horse. He had specially selected a bolt of brocade and two jars of fine wine, asking Gai Xun to use his connections to deliver the return gift.

No one had anything more to say.

When evening came, the entire army had its meal before sunset as usual. Then, early on, the watch was strictly set and patrols were tight. Ordinary soldiers naturally stayed in their tents to shelter from the spring chill, chatting in low voices as they quietly awaited sleep. As for the army's senior officers, they could light candles in their private tents and do some personal things, such as reading a book or writing a letter home, and so on.

As for the central army command tent, it naturally remained brightly lit all night long... Gongsun Xun had long had the habit of delegating specific military arrangements to Lou Gui and the most outstanding men among his Volunteer Attendants.

With a great battle imminent, they naturally had to perfect the military plan as much as possible.

However, probably because the enemy's flaws were too numerous, the military plan was quickly completed and approved by Gongsun Xun. Not long into the evening, the lights in the central army command tent also dimmed, leaving only a faint glow from the rear tent where Gongsun Xun himself rested.

Interestingly, Jia Xu, the Army Major in charge of military law, also had not slept. That evening, after dealing with a few soldiers who had violated military regulations, he neither read nor wrote anything. Instead, he sat blankly in his tent, pondering the events of the day while seemingly waiting for someone to arrive.

Sure enough, at the second watch, an officer from the White Horse Volunteers — Jia Xu vaguely remembered his name was Zhang Nan, from a prominent Youzhou clan — suddenly came to request his presence, saying that the Lord Marquis was summoning Major Jia to his tent.

Jia Xu's expression remained as usual. He still thanked the man for his trouble, and only then did he calmly follow him to the rear tent of the central army command tent to meet the commander of the fifty thousand troops here, the General of the Guards, Gongsun Xun.

"Wenhe, please sit," Gongsun Xun said. He had placed a small table on his couch and was bent over it writing something. Seeing Jia Xu arrive, he merely gestured casually, indicating that he should sit on the couch. "Wait until I finish writing this reply."

Jia Xu bowed and quietly sat sideways on the couch, ultimately not daring to casually remove his shoes and climb onto the couch the way Lou Gui and Xi Zhong did. Moreover, he kept his eyes fixed straight ahead the entire time, not looking at what Gongsun Xun was writing.

After a long while, Gongsun Xun finished the letter, set down his brush and ink, and only then raised his head. By candlelight, he looked at the man before him and then asked a somewhat strange question: "Wenhe, do you think we can fight?"

Even though Jia Xu had been prepared, he was somewhat bewildered: "Why does the General ask this? Lord Dong, Lord Huangfu, and Lord Gai all say we can fight. Lou Zibo and Xi Zhicai also urged battle early on... The General himself sees clearly, and today there was even a stratagem of sowing discord and the formulation of military strategy. Why ask me?"

"When the lives of tens of thousands are at stake, one always wants a bit more confidence," Gongsun Xun said, unable to help but laugh at the sight. "You are the most brilliant strategist I have ever met in my life. If you do not say we can fight, my heart will remain uneasy."

"How dare I claim to be the foremost strategist in the army?" Jia Xu lowered his head awkwardly. "Not to mention that those who discuss battle do not necessarily need great strategic brilliance — Lord Dong and Lord Huangfu, one with heroic spirit, the other with authority and virtue, are both renowned generals. Even speaking purely of strategic brilliance, within the army there is Lou Zibo, who organizes military strategy with perfect order, and Xi Zhicai, who perceives the shape of situations with clarity — both can be called talents of the age... Even setting aside these two, at this very moment, within this very tent, the General's own wisdom and talent far surpass mine."

"How is it that I did not know my strategic brilliance surpasses yours?" Gongsun Xun replied with a laugh.

"The General perceives the human heart. Today's stratagem of smearing the letter to Han Sui was truly the most exquisite scheme I have ever witnessed..."

"I said before, that was a minor trick. Han Sui and the others generate their own suspicions; with or without that letter, they would not unite as one... What is called brilliant strategic wisdom lies in perceiving the human heart and the shape of the situation, and then formulating the optimal strategy based on the situation and the opponent." Gongsun Xun disagreed. "That is what is truly called strategic brilliance."

"If that is so," Jia Xu said, sitting sideways on the couch with his hands folded, "then today, when My Lord observed the enemy's true state on the battlefield, can that not also be called brilliant strategic wisdom? Why must you ask your subordinate once more?"

"Because you, sir, are indeed a person of supreme strategic brilliance. With one word from you, I can make my resolve," Gongsun Xun replied very crisply.

Jia Xu smiled bitterly: "Then we have come full circle again... I still do not understand. Why does the General think so highly of me? Is it only because Yan Shude praised me to the General once back then?"

"I also do not understand... Wenhe." Gongsun Xun's expression turned solemn with emotion upon hearing this. "I am sincere and earnest toward you. Why do you repeatedly feign ignorance? Why did you even hint something to Dong Zhongying earlier when seizing military authority? In what way am I inferior to Dong Zhuo? Is it only because he is your fellow townsman from Liangzhou?"

Jia Xu's expression also immediately became solemn. After a long pause, he finally responded: "A man is not made of grass and wood. How could I not know the General's magnanimity and generosity toward me? But precisely because a man is not made of grass and wood, when one is powerless to act, one can only act according to closeness and distance, layer by layer... That day was my fault. But please, General, understand clearly: I did not have the slightest intention of betraying the General or doing anything detrimental."

As he spoke, Jia Wenhe actually stepped down from the couch, bowed deeply to the ground, and made a grand prostration in apology.

Gongsun Xun shook his head and laughed. "Get up. I didn't pursue it that day — would I still be clinging to the matter now? Sit back down, let's continue."

"General, do not laugh," Jia Xu said, sitting back down in the distance, but he could not help sighing. "I am a man who has left his homeland. Of these forty years, half were spent in Liangzhou, which is where my native soil lies; half in Sili, where I received the Han's grace and took office, traveling as an official there... These two places — General, you are certainly divinely martial, but can you truly accomplish anything there?"

"Why can I not accomplish anything?" Gongsun Xun put away his smile, was silent for a moment, then asked in return.

"I spent several years in the Army Section of the Grand Commandant's office. Although I idled away my time, I was still able to gain some insight, and General's arrangements are naturally crystal clear to me... Youzhou as the foundation, pieces laid in Jizhou — this time when General enters Luo, is it not to seize something amid the chaos, to plot the affairs of Jizhou, and then to command the lands north of the Great River, forming your own strategic position?" Jia Xu asked softly in return. "In all of this, is there any matter of Liangzhou? Any matter of Sili? As for Lord Dong... General, in the affairs of Liangzhou today, if it is not Lord Huangfu then it is Lord Dong, and Lord Huangfu already has no heart for advancement — is Lord Dong not the only choice?"

"But your Lord Dong, that day when he was suppressed by me, only stared blankly at Lu Bu, that man of mere courage, and regarded you, the one who had warned him early, as nothing... A man like that, once he gains power, can he truly accomplish anything?" Gongsun Xun sneered in reply. "Moreover, am I not here today precisely for the affairs of Liangzhou and Sili? Surely you don't think that because those petty men like Han Sui are your fellow provincials, I am instead your enemy?"

Jia Xu shook his head for a moment. "It would not go that far... But General need not deceive me. Today's battle, though it can drive off the rebel army and bring peace to Guanzhong for a time, the affairs of Liangzhou — how can they be settled in a single battle? One must set the greater situation in order, then turn back and deal with it."

"In the future, I will certainly deal with it." Gongsun Xun answered loftily.

Jia Xu immediately shook his head. "General is about to leave — how can you still deal with it?"

"How do you know I am leaving?" Gongsun Xun said dismissively.

"If not for a sudden change in Luoyang, why would General have suddenly switched from slow to urgent?" Jia Xu said dismissively. "Earlier, Gai Yuangu and the Marquis's trusted messengers arrived together, and today there is another letter... You must be about to strike swiftly and leave."

"Why must it be a matter of Luoyang?" Gongsun Xun grew even more curious.

"It cannot be a matter of Youzhou, can it?" Jia Xu spread his hands and asked in return. "If it were so, General would have handed the commander's seal to Lord Huangfu long ago, would he not? How would he have the spare energy to arrange the decisive battle here?"

"I never thought that Jia Wenhe could also misjudge a person." Gongsun Xun stared at him for a moment, then suddenly turned and pushed over the letter he had just finished writing in front of him. "Earlier, when Gai Xun and my personal followers arrived, they said that the Wuhuan and Xianbei in Youzhou had rebelled, cutting off Liaodong. As for Luoyang, on the contrary, all is well — the Son of Heaven is clear-headed, the Grand General is steady, and there is no major incident."

Hearing this, Jia Xu did not even look at the letter, only stared blankly at the person before him, clearly a rare moment of discomposure.

"Wenhe." Gongsun Xun shook his head and sighed. "The current situation is obscure and hard to name; future affairs, I fear, will be far worse than you imagine. A man like you, who prioritizes self-preservation, layer by layer using closeness and distance to deduce your stratagems — it is certainly beyond reproach, but please do not underestimate the people of the world... I, Gongsun Xun, am certainly no man wholly devoted to the public good, but neither am I the kind of person who would harm the world for private schemes! Youzhou is my foundation, and I am naturally burning with impatience, but if I cannot defeat the enemy before me and bring peace to Guanzhong, what face would I have to handle the affairs of the world in the future?"

Jia Wenhe seemed about to speak, then stopped.

"So be it!" Gongsun Xun sighed even more deeply. "You have your way of conducting yourself in the world, and I have my own way. Today I will not make things difficult for you. But please remember, your wisdom and stratagems are a rare treasure in this world. As the world descends into turmoil, one plan from you could prosper a state, one plan could plunge martial order into chaos... For any strategy, if it seeks self-preservation, naturally nothing can be said. But you must never, for personal sentiment or closeness, bring disaster and chaos upon the world! After all, the one who will handle the affairs of the world in the future, and thereby the affairs of Liangzhou, cannot be a man of Liangzhou — it can only be me, Gongsun Xun! And if that is so, when you and I meet again, I fear it will be rather awkward."

Jia Wenhe stepped down from the couch, bowed deeply, and then made to leave in confusion.

"Are you not forgetting something?" Gongsun Xun called after him from behind. "In the current situation, can we fight or not?"

"At this point, why must the Marquis still ask me?" Jia Xu turned back helplessly.

"Am I asking you for my own sake?" Gongsun Xun faced him sternly. "If I were not worried that a hasty decisive battle would leave disaster for the soldiers and people of Guanzhong, why would I be so cautious?"

Jia Xu calmed down. A moment later, he turned, bowed formally before the couch, cupped his hands, and answered with a serious expression: "Marquis! Today I saw clearly before the lines — the Marquis's command ability far surpasses Wang Guo's, your ability to employ men and make deployments far surpasses Han Sui's, your ability to seize the moment and make decisions far surpasses Ma Teng's. Moreover, the enemy does not hold the advantage in troops, nor in morale, nor in terrain... So, do not hesitate — decide it in a single battle!"

Gongsun Xun waved his hand in dismissal, and Jia Xu immediately retreated with hurried steps.

And just as he left, a person hurriedly entered from a side door in the shadows, came before the couch, and the candlelight shone clearly upon him — it was none other than Gongsun Xun's trusted advisor, Lou Gui, Lou Zibo.

"Marquis." Lou Gui, disregarding all else, asked anxiously. "Is it not that the Son of Heaven in Luoyang is critically ill? How has it become a crisis in Youzhou?"

"It is precisely a crisis in Youzhou." Gongsun Xun lowered his head, put away the letter, then as he took the candle and dripped wax to seal it, he answered calmly. "I did not tell you before, fearing it might unsettle the army's morale..."

Lou Gui seemed about to speak, then stopped.

"Do not tell Zhicai. Hearing this, he will inevitably blame himself." Gongsun Xun instructed.

"Aye." Lou Gui answered helplessly.

"Also." Gongsun Xun suddenly added. "Immediately pass orders to every camp — tomorrow at the fourth watch, prepare meals early, and before noon, we shall have the decisive battle!"

Lou Gui cupped his hands and withdrew.

Early the next morning, Han Sui, Wang Guo, and the others were still suspicious and bewildered over that letter, and the mid-level leaders were still discussing the bearing of the three opposing generals from the day before, when suddenly, scouts came to report that the Han army's entire camp was filled with unending cooking smoke — clearly preparing for a great battle. But because the rebels' de facto leader, Han Sui, was still in a position of suspicion, these men had not yet managed to coordinate properly whether to fight or defend before it was already late morning.

And at this moment, scouts hurriedly and once again came to report in panic, informing every leader clearly: the Han army had already marched out in full force, their battle line stretching fifteen li unbroken, advancing westward in great force...

The entire rebel army was instantly thrown into disarray!

—————— I am the miscalculation dividing line ——————

"The Grand Ancestor held against the Liangzhou rebel army at the Wei River. Battle was imminent, yet he was undecided. The Grand Ancestor then summoned Xu at night and asked what strategy to employ. Xu said: 'Your Lordship surpasses Wang Guo in clarity, surpasses Ma Teng in valor, surpasses Han Sui in employing men, and surpasses the entire enemy army in decisive judgment. With these four superiorities and yet no settled strategy, it is only because you seek absolute perfection. You must seize the moment decisively, and it can be settled in an instant.' The Grand Ancestor said: 'Good.' The next day, he combined his forces and marched out, forming a line fifteen li long facing west. The rebel army was terrified." — Old Book of Yan, Volume 70, Biographies 20

PS: Thanks to the new Alliance Leader, Perhaps the Future... Everyone's energy is really vigorous in the new year...

(End of Chapter)