Chapter 315: Marching, Pondering, and Receiving News Along the Way

In early March, at Lulong Fortress, the White Horse Banner fluttered atop the Wangri Tower in the spring breeze, while inside and outside the fortress, amid the green mountains and clear waters, the area had long since transformed into an enormous military encampment.

"How many men do we have now?" Gongsun Xun walked past the Wangri Tower with his hand on his sword, followed by a host of military officers and civil officials, including Lou Gui, Han Dang, Gao Shun, Han Hao, Tian Yu, Yang Kai, Wei Yue, and many others.

"Around twenty thousand," Han Hao, who was in charge of central army administrative affairs, answered immediately. "Mainly because my lord gave the order that the mobilized forces from the three Guangyang commanderies should prioritize the western area under Commandant Cheng of Yuyang. Therefore, the conscripts arriving at Lulong Fortress now are mostly from Youbeiping and Liaoxi commanderies. However, there are also a great many wandering swordsmen, sons of respectable families, and scions of noble houses from various commanderies who wish to follow my lord in winning glory and establishing themselves, which is why we have such a large force."

Gongsun Xun frowned slightly at these words. "If we were talking about single riders or small-unit operations, these men would naturally be the best. But if tens of thousands of troops are to march beyond the frontier, it is better to rely on ordinary conscripted commoners. Only then can orders be strictly enforced, the great army remain disciplined, and no weaknesses be exposed."

"That is the principle," Lou Gui interjected casually. "But a full-scale mobilization cannot be rushed — there is no helping it. It is not just the men; the weapons in the various local armories and the grain supplies at Changping all need time. On the contrary, it is these wandering swordsmen, sons of respectable families, and scions of noble houses, who come with their own mounts, weapons, and rations, who can arrive more quickly. And then there are those people beyond the frontier..."

Hearing this, Gongsun Xun halted his steps and looked north from the Wangri Tower. There, indeed, were also quite a few military camps stretching out in patches. But compared to the already somewhat chaotic encampments south of Lulong Fortress, the camps here were even more disorderly, tattered and broken, utterly shapeless.

These were actually the Hu soldiers who had come to "pledge allegiance" to Gongsun Xun.

It must be understood that the saying "a hundred tribes beyond the frontier" has existed since ancient times. And here on the border region of Liaoxi, where the spheres of influence of the Xianbei, the Wuhuan, and the Han intersected, these mixed Hu peoples — whose bloodlines and origins were utterly impossible to clarify — naturally appeared even more complex and concentrated.

Returning to the matter at hand, no matter how weakened the Han house might be, the Han people were still the foremost of the three great powers in the Liaoxi region. And no matter how little Gongsun Xun prioritized affairs beyond the frontier, he was still a native-born leader of the Liaoxi Han gentry, and his influence was undeniable. So when these mixed Hu heard that Gongsun Xun was personally mobilizing a great army to campaign against the Wuhuan, it was only natural that quite a few tribes would voluntarily come to attach themselves. Or rather, if these mixed Hu had not come, that would have been the strange thing.

"If those wandering swordsmen and sons of respectable families behind us are barely worth using, then these people are utterly worthless!" Gongsun Xun could only reach this conclusion after staring for a long while. "Once we march beyond the frontier, we can only make use of their familiarity with the terrain to serve as guides, or scatter them as scouts to protect the flanks."

The assembled men all nodded in agreement.

"If we wait for the full mobilization of the three commanderies, how many more days will it take?" Gongsun Xun returned to the original topic. "Can we have them mobilize in batches according to their home commanderies? To take Guanzicheng in the early phase, we may not actually need such a large force."

"My lord should still be cautious," Lou Gui urged earnestly. "Even if Guanzicheng is easy to take, Liucheng will be a hard bone to crack. When this campaign ends will be determined by the taking or losing of Liucheng."

Gongsun Xun naturally had nothing to say in response.

"My lord!" At that moment, Xi Zhong suddenly emerged from the central courtyard of Lulong Fortress in the distance and hurriedly ascended the tower, calling out from afar. "Chief Clerk Lü has sent an urgent letter... you must read it."

Han Dang, seeing this, almost instinctively halted his steps and turned to walk back, a move that forced the many military officers and civil officials behind him to retreat as well, quickly leaving a large space for Gongsun Xun and Lou Gui. Without any particular concern, Gongsun Xun took the letter from Xi Zhicai's hand, skimmed through it, and, showing no change in expression, directly handed it to Lou Zibo behind him.

However, after reading it, Lou Gui's expression did shift slightly. "Liu Zhoumu heeded Xianyu Fu's counsel, changed course at Leishui, and instead went to Shanggu. Moreover, he intends to win over Yan Rou and recommend Protector of the Wuhuan Colonel Gongsun Qichou for an official post in Luoyang, so as to vacate the position for Yan Rou?"

"Most critically, before Liu Yu turned back toward Shanggu, he openly and aboveboard sent his own son to Changping to inform Ziheng of his entire plan. This left Ziheng, who had originally intended to seize the families of Yan Rou and Xianyu Fu, not knowing what to do, so he could only send word here at top speed." Xi Zhong spoke helplessly. "Liu Boan is truly..."

"Liu Boan is truly idle," Gongsun Xun sneered, gripping the hilt of his sword and cutting off his trusted aide. "Salted fish and cured meat — can he even stomach such things?"

"My lord..." Lou Gui, after a moment's thought, put the letter away. "This matter is actually not worth worrying about; perhaps it is even a good thing. After all, this way, Kebineng of the Xianbei will inevitably be thrown into confusion. And once my lord has leisurely taken Liucheng, put an end to the rebellion, and returned with the great army, places like Dai Commandery and Shanggu will be nothing more than minor situations. Whatever my lord decides to do about them will be effortless. The only thing worth considering is, while we are still at war, can Yan Rou be trusted?"

"He can be trusted," Gongsun Xun said lightly. The reason was not only his personal understanding of Yan Rou, but also his vague recollection of Yan Rou's conduct in his mother's stories — the fellow had actually been quite loyal and devoted to Liu Yu.

"Then we can ignore him for now?" Lou Gui grew even more at ease.

"Ignore him, and make no statement either. Only in this way can we leave no grounds for criticism, and after the war we can deal with it as we please." Gongsun Xun clearly had a firm opinion from the very beginning.

"Be that as it may," Xi Zhong could not help shaking his head, "if my lord cannot react, I fear the hearts of the people in Youzhou will waver. Who could have previously imagined that the Xianyu clan, right in our heartland, would have the audacity to directly throw in with someone else? Who could have imagined that Yan Rou, whose family and parents are all right under our noses, would dare to disregard my lord and covet a two-thousand-dan post through others? Such people existed in the past, exist now, and will certainly exist in the future!"

"I know," Gongsun Xun glanced at Lou Zibo beside him before nodding. "But at this moment, we must prioritize the battle before us. How can we divide our attention to deal with Shanggu and Dai Commandery? Zibo is right — after the war is won, when we carry our great victory and lead the great army to handle this matter, won't we be free to act as we please?"

"But we can first take Guanzicheng and kill Zhang Ju to display our authority," Xi Zhicai suggested, raising his head. "Political matters should be met with political responses. Liu Yu in Shanggu can at most win over Yan Rou, and at the very most, make Kebineng turn back to the Han house, turning an enemy into an ally. But Zhang Ju, who is garrisoned at Guanzicheng, has not only presumptuously declared himself Son of Heaven, but also hails from a great clan of Yuyang. If my lord can personally take Guanzicheng and immediately execute this wretch, sending his head throughout Youzhou... then whether they are Youzhou officials or local powerful families, they will all be forced to recognize reality."

Gongsun Xun hesitated for a moment — after all, he had just discussed this matter with Lou Gui.

But...

"I know what my lord and Zibo are considering, but this matter has nothing to do with military affairs; it is purely political," Xi Zhong immediately added. "And I have thought it through. According to our original plan, we would only march beyond the frontier to attack Guanzicheng once a large army was stationed here as rear support. But if you think about it, with reinforcements now continuously streaming in behind us, by the time we take Guanzicheng, the reinforcements here will certainly be fully assembled, and we need not fear the Wuhuan responding in force. The only difference is that my lord will likely need to personally go to Guanzicheng first, then return according to plan, and thereafter lead the great army to attack Chengde."

Gongsun Xun glanced again at Lou Gui, but the latter merely stroked his beard in silence, showing no intention of rebutting. This immediately set the former's mind greatly at ease.

"In that case," Gongsun Xun responded with a cold laugh, "let Yigong hold the fortress, make Gao Suqing the vanguard, and I will follow behind and make the trip."

"We should still use a fair number of troops," Lou Gui finally spoke to urge, though he did not oppose it — after all, from a military standpoint, there was indeed no reason to object. "We must ensure absolute safety."

Gongsun Xun naturally agreed wholeheartedly.

With the plan settled, the men no longer dwelled on it, but immediately moved into action according to Gongsun Xun's new orders.

First, the Han wandering swordsmen, sons of respectable families, and scions of noble houses who had come to enlist with their own mounts and weapons were organized into companies and battalions according to their native places. Then, a large amount of fodder and provisions was delivered to the mixed Hu encampment outside the fortress. And what stirred these men even more was that that very evening, Gongsun Xun personally hosted a banquet within Lulong Fortress, entertaining the leaders of the sons of the various commanderies who had come to enlist early, as well as the leaders of the mixed Hu north of Lulong Fortress.

Among these events, there were many words of comfort and reassurance, and many gestures of courteous treatment toward the worthy — matters that need not be repeated or elaborated upon.

Three days later, Gongsun Xun formally appointed Han Dang and Lou Gui as garrison commanders to guard Lulong Fortress and instructed them to prepare to receive the subsequent mobilized forces from the various commanderies. He also appointed Gao Shun as the vanguard commander, with Wei Yue as his deputy, leading Gao Suqing's own elite core of one thousand men, all mounted, plus two thousand specially selected cavalry, to advance directly toward Guanzicheng, two hundred li beyond the frontier.

Finally, Gongsun Xun himself raised the White Horse Banner, took the imperial staff of authority he had just received, and, accompanied by Xi Zhong, Han Hao, Yang Kai, Tian Yu, and other officers, led seven thousand newly organized cavalry, with over ten mixed Hu tribes beyond the frontier guarding the two flanks. He personally followed behind the two commanders Gao and Wei, advancing neither hastily nor slowly toward Guanzicheng.

In the spring days, beyond the frontier the grass grew tall and the wild geese returned, with gentle breezes blowing steadily. Moreover, with Chengde Fortress to the west effectively blocking off this two-hundred-li corridor, the entire march was as relaxed as a sightseeing excursion through the hills.

After traveling along the Liaoxi corridor for just four days, covering roughly one hundred sixty or seventy li, a report suddenly arrived from the front: Gao Shun and Wei Yue had already taken Guanzicheng and captured Zhang Ju!

Gongsun Xun was overjoyed and astonished. Upon careful inquiry, he learned that Gao Shun and Wei Yue, after a forced march of two hundred li in three days, had arrived at Guanzicheng to find Zhang Ju's forces there extremely weak and completely unprepared. They immediately dismounted and joined battle, catching Zhang Ju utterly off guard. And although Guanzicheng itself was a small fortress-style city originally built to contain the Xianbei and Wuhuan, Zhang Ju's own forces were mostly ordinary Han commoners he had plundered and coerced. Even the household retainers and clients of his own clan who had followed him in rebellion had never imagined that the wretch would be so depraved as to declare himself Son of Heaven. Thus, he had long since lost the hearts of his men, and they inevitably scattered at the first clash!

In other words, the battle beneath Guanzicheng and the capture of Zhang Ju could be said to have taken no more effort than blowing away dust.

Of course, Gongsun Xun was, after all, a veteran of many battlefields. Even in his excitement, he did not forget caution and prudence, and continued to march with strict discipline.

However, on the evening of the fifth day after marching beyond the frontier, when Gongsun Xun arrived at Guanzicheng — a city he had passed countless times in his youth — and saw the captured Zhang Ju with his own eyes, he was finally completely at ease. There had been no schemes or tricks; Zhang Ju, who had declared himself Son of Heaven, had been captured in a single battle, and Guanzicheng, a critical node for attacking Liucheng, had been taken in a single battle.

"Why did you declare yourself Son of Heaven?" Facing Zhang Ju, who was prostrate on the ground and trembling uncontrollably, Xi Zhong could not help asking curiously. This question also stirred the curiosity of the vast majority of officers in the city, and even the common soldiers. "Looking at you like this, are you even qualified to call yourself Son of Heaven?"

"It wasn't my idea!" Zhang Ju raised his head and answered with a mournful face. "But both Qiuliju and Tadun said that since we had lost three battles in a row, it would be better to declare myself Son of Heaven to bolster the army's morale. And they said that by doing so, we might also be able to deceive the mixed Hu beyond the frontier into pledging loyalty..."

"And so you declared yourself Son of Heaven?" Xi Zhong was utterly speechless. "You were once a two-thousand-dan official and come from a great clan of a border commandery. How could you be so worthless, believing whatever others tell you, without the slightest thought of your own?"

"It wasn't quite that," Zhang Ju, still sprawled on the ground, suddenly turned his head toward Gongsun Xun, who had remained silent all along, and his tone grew urgent. "General of the Guard... my presumptuous declaration as Son of Heaven was certainly laughable, but it was also driven by the times. Do you remember? The year before last, a woman in Luoyang gave birth to a two-headed infant. When the news reached Youzhou, everyone debated it, saying it was a sign that the house of Han was in decline, and that the world would have two masters... General of the Guard, my presumptuous declaration as Son of Heaven was certainly laughable, and my defeat today certainly proves that I, a sinner, do not possess the Mandate of Heaven. But the house of Han can absolutely never be revived!"

"What exactly are you trying to say?" Seeing that Gongsun Xun would not even glance at the man on the ground, Xi Zhong interjected and asked with curiosity.

"General of the Guard! Marquis of Ji!" Zhang Ju's eyes were full of anticipation as he repeatedly kowtowed. "I understand now! The Mandate of Heaven is not with me, but with you! 'Gongsun Bingyi shall be established'... it does not refer to Emperor Xuan, but to you, General! Now, I yield the position of Son of Heaven to you, and only beg for my life. What do you say?!"

At these words, the faces of all the officers and soldiers in the city who had gathered to watch the "Son of Heaven" changed color. After all, even a commoner would at least understand that the meaning of this wretch's words was that Gongsun Xun was the one destined to become Son of Heaven. And those with some education were even more shocked and bewildered!

It must be understood that although Zhang Ju was spouting nonsense, he had nonetheless brought up something quite intriguing — namely, that phrase "Gongsun Bingyi shall be established."

This phrase was not fabricated. It referred to a strange event that truly occurred during the reign of Emperor Zhao of Han, the son of Emperor Wu of Han. It was said that in the Shanglin Park, aphids ate the leaves of trees, and by gnawing, they actually carved out these five characters on the leaves, causing an uproar throughout the empire.

Of course, this matter was later interpreted as referring to Emperor Xuan of Han, namely Liu Bingyi, the direct great-grandson of Emperor Wu who was then living among the common people. The most reliable interpretation was that there were remnant factions loyal to Emperor Wu's deposed crown prince Liu Ju within Shanglin Park, who deliberately created this to build momentum for Liu Bingyi.

However, during the chaos of Wang Mang's usurpation at the end of the Former Han, a separatist warlord named Gongsun Shu arose in Shu. Clinging to this prophecy, he stubbornly believed that "Gongsun" referred to himself... and so he simply declared himself emperor in Shu.

Later, Emperor Guangwu Liu Xiu unified most of China and even wrote a letter to Gongsun Shu, the gist of which was: the realm is in chaos, everyone is contending for supremacy, and your declaring yourself emperor at that time was somewhat forgivable. If you surrender, you can spare people from death, and I will ensure you a lifetime of peace and wealth. Yet somehow, Gongsun Shu actually used this prophecy to debate with Liu Xiu, insisting that he was the man of destiny.

And Liu Xiu, who also placed great stock in prophecies, actually engaged in a long-distance debate with Gongsun Shu in order to contest for legitimacy. The two debated back and forth, and the final result was the removal of Gongsun Shu's entire family's heads, proclaiming Emperor Guangwu's glorious victory.

In short, after this debate, the phrase "Gongsun Bingyi shall be established" became practically the second most famous prophecy concerning the house of Han, second only to "The one who replaces the Han shall be Dang Tu Gao." Of course, while the latter was still being debated and yearned after by the ambitious, the former had at last gained a universally accepted interpretation — it referred to Emperor Xuan, Liu Bingyi. That wretch Gongsun Shu had used the lives of his entire family to tell the world that this prophecy was not about someone surnamed Gongsun.

But returning to the present, since the Yellow Turban rebellion, the realm had been in turmoil and unrest. The entire province of Liangzhou had rebelled, the Qing and Xu Yellow Turbans had risen again, bandits in the Taihang Mountains had gathered in the millions, half of Bingzhou was in utter chaos, and now even Youzhou had rebelled, the entire province split in two... In such a situation, to say that everyone was a fool or madman like Zhang Ju would be to look down on people. Yet it was also impossible that no one harbored private misgivings!

And so, the assembled men all turned their astonished gazes toward Gongsun Xun.

Gongsun Xun froze for a moment, and it took him a long while to grasp what the other party meant… Come to think of it, this was the first time anyone had ever urged him to face south and proclaim himself sovereign!

Should he reward the man for this?

And so, acting on the principle of out of sight, out of mind, General of the Guard Gongsun Xun waved his hand repeatedly, signaling Wei Yue to behead the man at once! Then, taking the severed head, he was to ride through the night back to Lulong Fortress, to have it displayed across Youzhou as a warning to set the record straight.

Zhang Ju, hearing this, knew he could hardly escape death, yet driven by the instinct to survive, he still begged ceaselessly for mercy, utterly losing all dignity in the moment.

However, with a single stroke of Wei Yue’s blade, Guanzicheng fell silent at last.

Afterward, Wei Yue naturally departed with the severed head, while Gongsun Xun remained at ease in Guanzicheng with the rest of his men. On one hand, he meant to seize the chance to draw in more of the surrounding mixed Hu tribes; on the other, he needed to repair and fortify Guanzicheng for defense, and also to gather military intelligence… According to plan, once Han Dang and Lou Gui had everything ready back at Lulong Fortress, the General of the Guard would immediately lead his troops back, march west, join forces with Cheng Pu to take Chengde City, and then turn around to capture Liucheng.

Yet after only two days in Guanzicheng, before any word arrived from Han Dang and Lou Gui behind him, a message came first from Duan Riyuming.

“My lord!” The messenger, verified by a cousin of Duan Riyuming serving among the Volunteers, was indeed from the Duan tribe. The moment he saw Gongsun Xun, the man kowtowed at once, and then spoke words that stirred the heart. “My lord, my master bids me tell you: Liucheng is empty and can be taken in a single battle!”

“Explain,” Gongsun Xun said, his curiosity piqued.

“First, trouble broke out among the Xianbei Kebineng tribe!” The man kowtowed again and then laid out two developments in succession. “Qiuliju has sent Tadun with over ten thousand troops westward to support Kebineng. Then, the Liaodong Wuhuan under Su Puyan, who had earlier been persuaded to our side, also suddenly called for aid, saying that the former Grand Administrator Zhao of Liaoxi has unexpectedly appeared in Liaodong. The Liaodong Wuhuan have only five or six thousand men and are terrified. Hearing of Grand Administrator Zhao’s return, Qiuliju was likewise greatly alarmed, and has actually led over ten thousand troops in person to go to their aid… At present, only five or six thousand Wuhuan soldiers remain in Liucheng, guarding Qiuliju’s underage son, Louban! And Qiuliju had only just left when word came that my lord had taken Guanzicheng. My master was overjoyed and sent me to seek you out, saying that if my lord can swiftly lead several thousand elite cavalry to the walls of Liucheng, he can either open the gates, or during the battle lead his troops in a sudden strike against Louban — either way, the matter can be settled in a single fight!”

Gongsun Xun believed eight-tenths of it at once… because both the internal strife in the Kebineng tribe and Zhao Bao’s appearance in Liaodong throwing the Wuhuan into panic were things he had anticipated. Even if Qiuliju’s faction wanted to stage a deception, they could not possibly have guessed both of these events correctly at the same time.

Beyond that, Duan Riyuming was a reliable man in Gongsun Xun’s eyes. The Han army’s ability to easily rout the Wuhuan within the frontier had largely depended on this man’s intelligence, passed along amid the chaos… and back then, the very reason Zhao Bao had chosen him as the Han court’s official candidate to support was precisely because of his honest and loyal nature.

Yet even though he believed the messenger, Gongsun Xun was, after all, Gongsun Xun. Over a decade of military life had instilled in him the most fundamental military discipline of a commander. At a time like this, he would not rashly take risks just because the intelligence seemed credible.

It came back to the same point: for the three hundred li stretching north from Guanzicheng all the way to the outskirts of Liucheng, there was no cover or support to speak of… With Chengde City kept under watch, one could only roughly ensure that the two hundred li from Lulong Fortress to Guanzicheng would not be flanked. To avoid being flanked over the next three hundred li, one would at the very least need to have Chengde City firmly in hand first.

And so, Gongsun Xun soothed the man with kind words, then ordered him taken away, still resolved to keep his troops in place for the time being.

But the next day, an urgent letter suddenly arrived from Lulong Fortress — not about military affairs, but an oral message that had cost several horses their lives: the Son of Heaven had passed away.

That Son of Heaven, whom all the world had cursed for so long, had struggled for over half a year from the moment he knew his body was beyond saving, making countless arrangements, yet still could not outlast the mandate of Heaven… He died in this, the second month of the sixth year of Zhongping. It was said that before his death, he was so swollen with edema he could no longer speak, and could only gaze tearfully at Jian Shuo while feebly pointing toward his youngest son, Liu Xie, to entrust him to the eunuch’s care.

A dignified, legitimate Son of Heaven, yet he died as utterly without dignity as a laughable wretch like Zhang Ju.

If he had known it would come to this, why had he done those things in the first place?!

—————I am the deeply ashamed dividing line—————

“The Account says: ‘The imperial mandate is ordained by fate; how could I be worthy to assume it?’ Xiong replied: ‘Heaven’s mandate is not fixed; the common people align with the capable. Let the capable one assume it — why should Your Highness doubt?’” — Book of the Later Han, Volume 13, Biographies Section 3 (protective parentheses)

PS: Ahhh, today two new female Alliance Masters suddenly appeared… Sister Alei Gegewu and sofia ruobing… uh… I’m not sure whether to call you elder sister or younger sister!

But I am immensely grateful… finally twenty Alliance Masters!

Also, there’s a picture in the group chat, from soul artist Liudan Pashui… though it’s terribly drawn, the relationships between Chengde, Guanzicheng, Lulong Fortress, Changping, and Liucheng are clear at a glance.

(End of Chapter)