Chapter 334: Old Generals Must Be Divided into Left and Right Armies

In the sixth year of Zhongping, because of the matter of deposing and enthroning, Chancellor of State Dong, who held sway over Luoyang, did not inaugurate a new reign title for the new Son of Heaven. Instead, he abolished the two reign titles used during the brief reign of Liu Bian, the Prince of Hongnong, and reverted to Emperor Ling’s reign title, so it remained the sixth year of Zhongping.

And on the twenty-second day of the seventh month of that very year, the alliance called for by the Grand Marshal and Governor of You Province, Liu Yu, was formally established. Under the direction of Dong Zhao, the Grand Administrator of Changshan, the participants together performed sacrifices to Heaven and Earth at the Northern Sacred Mountain, Mount Heng, smeared their mouths with blood to seal the covenant, and then jointly acclaimed the General of the Guard, Gongsun Xun, as the alliance leader, raising troops to punish Dong.

This time, the lords who directly joined the alliance, or who sent envoys because of the great distance, numbered as many as fourteen, namely:

General of the Guard Gongsun Xun;

Grand Marshal and Governor of You Province Liu Yu;

General of the Right and Grand Administrator of Liaodong Zhao Bao;

Grand Administrator of Changshan Dong Zhao;

Grand Administrator of Zhongshan Feng Xin;

Grand Administrator of Julu Li Shao;

Chancellor of Zhao State Shen Pei;

Grand Administrator of Dai Commandery Wang Ze;

Grand Administrator of Shanggu Gao Yan;

Grand Administrator of Zhuo Commandery Cui Min;

Grand Administrator of Guangyang Du Ji;

Grand Administrator of Yuyang Chang Lin;

General Who Establishes Might and Grand Administrator of Liaoxi Cheng Pu;

General Who Sweeps Away Bandits and Grand Administrator of Youbeiping Gongsun Fan…

There were, of course, many points of note here.

For instance, after killing Yan Rou and Xianyu Fu, placing Liu Yu under semi–house arrest, expelling the Grand Administrator of Changshan and replacing him with Dong Zhao, Gongsun Xun had further torn away all pretense, thoroughly annexing the heartland commanderies under his complete control, and openly installing Du Ji, Chang Lin, Cheng Pu, Gongsun Fan, and others as Grand Administrators with a full two-thousand-dan rank.

This was a commendation, a kind of probing, and even more, a necessary path forward.

For another instance, of the nine commanderies and states of Ji Province, four Grand Administrators and State Chancellors actually came. Among them, the most unexpected was Li Shao, the Grand Administrator of Julu. After receiving the summons from Han Fu, the Governor of Ji Province, this Grand Administrator Li still took the initiative to come to Changshan to join the alliance. Moreover, during the alliance, his stance was resolute, and he maintained unconditional support for Gongsun Xun from beginning to end — truly a tremendous and pleasant surprise!

Of course, as for Governor Han Fu, he was probably once again muttering to himself about how many commanderies and states he had left.

Another example: Zhao Bao was, after all, the father-in-law. Although the two of them often did not see eye to eye, at the critical moment, even though the distant lands beyond the frontier were too far to arrive in time, he still, in accordance with Gongsun Xun’s earlier letter of request, dispatched his own Major, Taishi Ci, leading eight hundred elite cavalry, to come to Changshan as an envoy and reinforcement.

This was a political gesture that left no room for argument.

Of course, there were also matters that could not be seen from the list alone, but which actually existed.

For example, Gongsun Xun’s clansman, Gongsun Bogui, who, with Yuan Shao not taking up his post, actually controlled the real power in Bohai, the largest commandery in Hebei, yet he did not come to the Changshan alliance.

In reality, perhaps because Bohai had a population of a million, with flourishing trade and economy, a single commandery matching four or five in You Province, that elder brother Gongsun, far off in Nanpi, had clearly become swollen with pride… At the instigation of his trusted aide Guan Jing, Gongsun Zan not only did not come to Changshan, but also refused the envoy sent by Yuan Shao, the Grand Administrator of Bohai, to coordinate troops, horses, provisions, and fodder.

According to unreliable hearsay, Guan Jing’s suggestion was that Bohai’s strength was supreme in Hebei, so they could perfectly well assume a posture and wait for the highest bidder… At the very least, they should demand a generalship from Gongsun Xun and an official seal of Grand Administrator from Yuan Shao.

And Gongsun Zan deeply agreed with this.

Of course, whether there were deeper plans was hard to say, and it no longer mattered. In any case, Gongsun Xun was thoroughly disgusted. Upon hearing the news, he took the seal and cord of General Who Inspires Might, originally prepared for Gongsun Zan, and instead handed them to Shen Pei, intending for Shen Pei to deliver them to Guan Yu at Zhaoge when he returned to Handan.

And the final hidden point of note in the list was precisely these privately recommended general titles. Clearly, Gongsun Xun was not prepared to play empty games; he truly intended to immediately organize his forces, carry out military deployments, and then launch military operations.

The alliance concluded, and as word spread, Yuan Shao intensified his liaising, and the so-called Guandong Coalition Army now also had a rough core framework:

General of Chariots and Cavalry and Grand Administrator of Bohai Yuan Shao;

General of the Rear Yuan Shu;

Governor of Ji Province Han Fu;

Inspector of Yu Province Kong Zhou;

Inspector of Yan Province Liu Dai;

Grand Administrator of Henei Wang Kuang;

Grand Administrator of Chenliu Zhang Miao;

Grand Administrator of Dong Commandery Qiao Mao;

Grand Administrator of Shanyang Yuan Yi;

Chancellor of Jibei Bao Xin;

Grand Administrator of Guangling Zhang Chao;

Grand Administrator of Changsha Sun Jian;

Acting General Who Displays Martial Might Cao Cao, along with Zhang Yang, who had proclaimed himself Grand Administrator in Shangdang… a total of fourteen lords, all agreeing to participate.

Among them, Zhang Chao was too far away and probably truly could not make it in time, but the rest were all powers in the vicinity of Luoyang, all capable of immediately organizing troops and horses to join the alliance.

Correspondingly, Tao Qian’s Xu-Yang Alliance also received a broadly positive response:

Inspector of Yang Province Zhou Gan;

Chancellor of Langya Yin De;

Chancellor of Donghai Liu Kui;

Chancellor of Pengcheng Ji Lian;

Chancellor of Beihai Kong Rong;

Chancellor of Pei Yuan Zhong;

Grand Administrator of Taishan Ying Shao;

Grand Administrator of Runan Xu Qiu;

Grand Administrator of Jiujiang Fu Qian… together with Tao Qian himself, and the Cavalry Commandant Liu Bei, who had already dispatched troops, totaling eleven lords.

Three alliances, thirty-nine forces in total, stretching from Liaodong in the north to Jiujiang in the south, from Beihai in the east to Shangdang in the west… It could be fully said that whether the Hebei Alliance could not reach Dong Zhuo for the time being, or whether the Xu-Yang Alliance’s formation was more for self-preservation and existed in name only, the situation of punishing Dong across the realm had already become a fact.

Moreover, because the grand situation of the Guandong, Hebei, and Xu-Yang Punish Dong campaign had taken shape, envoys came and went ceaselessly, and before the lords had even raised their troops, the list had already become completely public… When word reached Luoyang, it spurred one most direct event.

“Although Luoyang is the capital, it lies in Guandong. If Gongsun Xun leads the Hebei Coalition Army south and seizes control of Meng Ford, Xiaoping Ford, and Wushe Ford; Yuan Shao leads the Guandong Coalition Army in a frontal assault, attacking Xuanmen Pass and Huanyuan Pass, while holding Xingyang and Chenggao; and then the Xu-Yang Coalition Army serves as Yuan Shu’s rearguard, advancing from Nanyang to take Dagu Pass and Yique Pass… then even if Luoyang holds heavy troops, it can only fall into imminent peril, or even collapse on its own!” The speaker was Dong Zhuo’s Chief Clerk, and also historically Dong Zhuo’s true military advisor, Liu Ai. His words, from a military perspective, hit the nail on the head.

“It will not come to that.” Li Ru almost immediately shook his head. “If they were of one mind, militarily it would indeed be such a situation. But with nearly forty lords, if they were truly of one mind, why could they not form a single alliance together? Why instead split into three alliances?”

"And what does Wenyou think?" Liu Ai asked, momentarily curious.

"In purely military terms, the Xu-Yang alliance can be ignored," Li Ru immediately shook his head. "The Hebei alliance can also be set aside for now… because as long as the Guandong alliance still draws breath, they will never let Gongsun Xun reach Luoyang so easily."

"Well said!" Dong Zhuo, who had been squinting the entire time, finally opened his eyes slightly and cut off his confidants' analysis. "Those people all harbor their own schemes. If they were truly united in purpose against this Chancellor of State, why would they have split into three? Take that old fox Tao Qian, for instance — the only reason he formed his own alliance is that he refuses to be subordinate to anyone. And all those in his alliance are men separated by a thousand li, who dare not truly cross swords with me. They merely raised their banners to protect themselves… Otherwise, why not follow Zhang Chao's example and march a thousand li to attack?"

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"And then there is Gongsun Xun's Hebei coalition." Dong Zhuo rose and began pacing slowly, sneering without pause. "If the Xu-Yang alliance was formed because Tao Qian refused to be subordinate to Yuan Shao, and my own act of deposing and enthroning was because I refused to be subordinate to Grand Tutor Yuan, then Gongsun Xun's posturing now is because he refuses to be subordinate to me… Look at the men who joined his alliance — all former subordinates and neighbors. Most of those so-called lords are mere puppets making up the numbers. His aim is clearly to use this opportunity to carve out Youzhou for himself, while striving to annex neighboring commanderies and expand his territory. Nothing more!"

"Father-in-law has hit the nail on the head!" Li Ru nodded slightly. "Gongsun Xun's actions are driven more by private ambition than public duty."

"In that case, we need only deal with the Guandong coalition before us?" Liu Ai immediately breathed a sigh of relief. "If so, we can actually take our time in this fight… After all, our troops are all elite, we hold the Luoyang armory, and the Chancellor's generous rewards have secured the soldiers' morale. Though the enemy is numerous, they are mostly raw recruits — we can break them at our leisure!"

"Those Guandong whelps are naturally beneath my notice." Dong Zhongying placed his hands on his belt and sat back down in the Grand Commandant's chair. "At this stage, a battle is inevitable… But given the current situation — Guandong in full revolt, the Bobo bandits of Hedong and the Xiongnu repeatedly harassing Guanzhong — why must I remain in Luoyang, a place hemmed in on three sides? Tell me, if Luoyang cannot link up with Hebei or the Central Plains, then what precious things does this place hold, apart from the Son of Heaven, the ministers, the population, the armory, and some wealth? And these very ministers are exchanging flirtatious glances with those rebels in Guandong."

Li Ru and Liu Ai looked at each other, bewildered. Even Cai Yong, Jia Xu, and the other newly promoted men standing to the side were equally perplexed… This was not a matter of intelligence, but of whether one dared even entertain such a thought.

In truth, how could any normal person possibly think along the same lines as Dong Zhuo?

"Forget it, let us observe a while longer." Seeing their expressions, Dong Zhuo frowned for a moment. "Let us wait until the Guandong lords have gathered and assess their condition. If they prove extremely weak, there will be no need for such trouble… Besides, Jingzhou has yet to show any sign of revolt, so it would be unwise to abandon it lightly."

The hall fell silent; no one dared speak further.

Meanwhile, at the end of the seventh month, after the covenant assembly, Changshan was also plunged into a massive dispute… Specifically, a deep rift had emerged among Gongsun Xun's staff officers, the various allied lords, and his appointed subordinates regarding the coalition army's next move.

This was normal, even inevitable, because it was the end of the seventh month and the autumn harvest was imminent. There was no possibility of marching immediately anyway — this was precisely the time to discuss strategy. In fact, the same was true for the Guandong coalition to the south and even for Dong Zhuo in Luoyang. In an agricultural era, no one could defy the seasons… With the autumn harvest at hand, military matters had to be set aside, unless one planned to deploy only a small standing army.

Gongsun Xun was naturally no exception.

Moreover, given Gongsun Xun's awkward geographical position and his unequivocal political slogans, the question of strategic direction was indeed a vexing one.

"…Looking at the situation today, the balance of power in the realm rests not with Dong Zhuo, but with the two Yuans, Tao Qian, and you, my lord. Therefore, I propose that after the autumn harvest, my lord should march the entire army south, strike directly at Henei with the speed of a thunderbolt, absorb Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu, then take Luoyang to settle the greater situation."

"Not so. The two Yuans come from a line of four generations of the Three Excellencies and have the merit of exterminating the eunuchs. They are precisely where the hopes of the realm lie — how can they be annexed without cause? If my lord does such a thing, how would he differ from Dong Zhuo? My lord, I believe we should send an envoy to Henei to join hands with Yuan Benchu. Once we have his consent, my lord can personally dispatch the main army after autumn, with our forces holding the northern route and attacking Luoyang directly. Only thus can we live up to the realm's expectations!"

"But what if Yuan Benchu betrays our trust and cuts off our rear? Han Fu, the Governor of Jizhou, is a former subordinate of the Yuan clan and is currently in Wei Commandery. If he severs our lines of communication and traps my lord in a perilous position, what then? Besides, after my lord first raised the righteous army, Yuan Shao pretended ignorance and formed his own alliance — clearly he is deeply wary of my lord. Even if we ask him to yield Henei, would he willingly do so? I fear that by now, General Zhao Ge at Chaoge Pass has already had his communications cut off by him!"

"What if we take Wei Commandery first, then advance into Henei?" another person spoke up. "Governor Han Fu has only recently arrived in Jizhou and does not yet command the people's loyalty. The General of the Guards, however, campaigned against the Yellow Turbans, crushed the Wuhuan, and has served in multiple Hebei commanderies, earning widespread prestige and virtue. Why not contact old subordinates in Wei Commandery, send a surprise force into Yecheng, and force Han Fu to submit? With Hebei unified, we could then march south with full strength to punish Dong Zhuo… Would that not be foolproof?"

"That is the pot calling the kettle black," someone else laughed at once. "Annexing Yuan Shao loses the realm's hearts — does annexing Jizhou without cause not lose the realm's hearts? Ultimately, with Dong Zhuo still in Luoyang and the campaign against him only just formed, no one wants to be the first to commit such a base act… I say again, since we formed this alliance to punish Dong Zhuo, punishing Dong Zhuo must come first."

"What if we first take Anping and Hejian?"

"What about first subduing the bandits of the Taihang Mountains?"

"Yuan Benchu also has his private ambitions. Every one of those lords harbors his own designs — sooner or later, annexation will happen. Since the General of the Guards bears the realm's hopes and cannot be the first to break the rules, why not carefully deploy our forces, consolidate Zhao, Julu, and Zhongshan, then lead the army to Handan to observe the situation? Wait for the Guandong coalition to fall into internal strife, then strike with the force of a thunderbolt?"

"How long would that take?"

"A few days ago on Mount Changshan, my lord smeared his lips with blood and swore a sacred oath to punish Dong Zhuo. If instead of punishing Dong Zhuo we focus on our own territory, not only will we disappoint the realm, but would my lord himself and all you gentlemen in council not be deceiving yourselves?!"

"…"

"…"

"Zhengnan, you have been away from Handan for a long time — is Zhao still stable?" Amid the cacophony, Gongsun Xun, who had been sitting silently at the head seat for a long time, suddenly turned his head toward Shen Pei, whose mouth had gone dry from speaking, and asked an unrelated question. The arguing advisors immediately fell silent.

"My lord may rest assured," Shen Pei, seated first on the right, remained as composed as ever. "Though I was only in Zhao for a few months, Dong Gongren was there for a long time before me, and my lord also left behind virtuous governance there, so the people's hearts should not be a problem. The only concern is that the autumn harvest is imminent, and we previously suffered flooding, so there is indeed some worry… After all, with a great battle approaching, all of that is army provisions."

"Well said." Gongsun Xun then turned calmly to Lu Fan, seated first on his left. "Ziheng, other matters aside, Zhengnan and Prefect Li cannot stay much longer, and even the three commanderies of Fanyang need someone to return quickly and oversee the autumn harvest. This matter cannot be delayed any further… As Chief Clerk of my staff, with overall command of the secretariat, you must confer more with everyone these next few days, compile their opinions, and produce a memorandum. I must make a decision."

Lu Fan did not dare be remiss. He immediately rose and solemnly acknowledged the order.

"Gentlemen." At this point, Gongsun Xun smiled again at the assembly. "That you are willing to remain here and offer me your counsel shows that you have entrusted your aspirations to me, and I in turn regard you all as trusted confidants… These past days, with preparing the covenant assembly and debating strategy, you have truly labored hard… Let us do this: today and tomorrow, we shall set aside these discussions. Go back and bathe, and tomorrow morning, I invite you all to visit Mount Changshan outside the city once more. We shall ascend the heights, set out wine, and enjoy the crisp autumn air. Incidentally, Zhengnan has brought with him to this assembly a wise strategist from Jizhou — it will be a fitting occasion to introduce him to you all."

Since Gongsun Xun had spoken thus, the numerous civil officials in the hall — including three or four men of the two-thousand-bushel rank, both new and old — naturally had nothing more to say and took their leave one after another.

The next day, the last day of the seventh month, the group set out for the outskirts of the city as agreed. Escorted by numerous cavalry, they soon arrived at a fine spot halfway up Mount Changshan… This was the place where the Northern Peak had traditionally been worshipped, and also the site of the earlier covenant assembly. The ground was broad, with countless sacrificial steles standing like a forest before the mountain. Early autumn yellow flowers bloomed all around. For admiring the scenery, composing rhapsodies, and drinking for pleasure, it was a first-rate location.

However, as everyone took their seats following Gongsun Xun, they noticed that while the order on the right — Gongsun Fan, Shen Pei, Dong Zhao, and the rest — was as usual, on the left, in front of Lu Fan, Lou Gui, and Wang Xiu, there was an empty seat!

At this, recalling what Gongsun Xun had said the day before, they formed some guesses, but could not help growing indignant… After all, from ancient times, newcomers had always been placed behind the old guard. When Emperor Wu of Han did the opposite — "the latecomers surpass the seniors" — he was held up as a negative example.

And besides, times had changed. In the past, when the staff had no clear seniority, it was one thing. But now Gongsun Xun held nine commanderies in the north and had grand designs — he was one of the most prominent figures in the realm, able to appoint a man as general or prefect with a word. For some so-called "wise strategist" to be placed ahead of everyone right from the start — who could tolerate that?

But what was even more intolerable was yet to come.

From morning to noon, the sun overhead gradually reached its zenith. The group sat idly on the mountain, yet that "Jizhou wise strategist" was nowhere to be seen! And Gongsun Xun, for his part, put on a full display of patience, insisting on waiting for the man, so that everyone had fine wine and delicacies before them but could not partake, and musicians behind them but could not listen. Their poetic sentiments and picturesque moods ultimately curdled into sheer fury!

At this scene, even Shen Pei Shen Zhengnan — the very man who had brought this person to Changshan and knew his background — was growing restless, let alone the others.

But finally, as the sun dipped to the west, the man arrived atop the mountain, his face dark, wearing a high cap and Confucian robes. And indeed, several people present recognized his identity on the spot and began whispering among themselves.

Seeing this, Gongsun Xun broke into a laugh. Still showing neither impatience nor anger, he rose on his own initiative to greet him: "Yuanhao, this banquet was arranged especially for you. It is one thing to be angry with me, but why make everyone else wait?"

The thin, dark-faced man neither took his seat nor returned the greeting. He simply stood in the open space with his hands clasped behind his back, his expression cold: "I will not deceive you, General of the Guards. Though the realm is in turmoil, and though I, Tian Feng, know well that your private ambitions run deep, I nevertheless believed that delivering the people from their misery was a task for none but you. That is why I came from afar to join you. Yet in the ten days since I arrived, I have seen you do nothing but host banquets, sing, and engage in lofty, empty talk, unable to formulate a clear strategy or decisive plan. My heart grew disappointed, and I thought of turning back to shut my door and study… That is why I hesitated today over whether to attend this banquet."

Gongsun Xun laughed again: "Must it come to that? If you leave, Yuanhao, will we not simply go back to trading insults by letter, as we always have? Come, come, sit down first and we can talk."

Tian Feng gave a cold laugh and flicked his sleeve in disdain.

The crowd grew even more furious.

—————I am the Furious Dividing Line—————

"After the covenant assembly, some advocated marching south into Henei to threaten Luoyang, while others advocated annexing neighboring territories to secure Hebei. The Grand Ancestor hesitated and could not decide for ten days." — New Book of Yan, Volume 70, Biography 20

PS: Most of the rosters for the Xu-Yang alliance and the Guandong alliance are historically accurate… I only just realized that Kong Rong actually joined Tao Qian's perfunctory alliance, though on reflection it makes sense.

(End of Chapter)