Chapter 343: The Old Dragon Sleeping in Repose Understands the Horse's Intent

The former Governor of Yanmen, Guo Yun, once in his prime, was now a man in his forties or fifties. Given his status and position, he had by all accounts lived a life of comfort and privilege for many years.

Yet even so, when Guo Yun saw that blood-soaked, ice-cold horse head halfway down the road, he still abandoned those pigs, sheep, and clan attendants. Braving the bitter cold and frozen ground, he hurried along with Zhao Ping and his own nephew Guo Hu to Gongsun Xun's encampment... From his limping gait, one could tell he must have taken quite a few tumbles along the way.

"Lord Guo has arrived. Quickly, serve Lord Guo a bowl of dumplings." Seeing an old friend visit, Gongsun Xun remained as amiable as ever, as if the two had not been separated for ten years, but had only been chatting and gazing at the river together by the banks of the Hutuohe just yesterday. "Tiger meat filling — truly a rare treat."

It was evening, and the vast central army tent seemed rather empty at the moment. Not only were few officers or guards in sight, but even among the renowned 'military advisors' and 'strategists,' only Xi Zhong was present... This posture indeed carried a certain air of meeting an old friend in a private chamber.

Of course, how could Guo Yun dare to overthink things now? Seeing several armored soldiers with fixed gazes sealing the tent entrance, and his nephew Guo Hu and that Zhao Ping being led away — leaving only Gongsun Xun and Xi Zhong in the tent with him — his heart pounded with fear. He hurriedly performed the proper salutations and then hastily took his seat.

And just as he sat down, unsure of how to begin speaking, an attendant indeed swiftly brought over a steaming bowl of dumplings... but without any chopsticks?

Guo Yun was momentarily stunned, but then immediately recalled many historical anecdotes from the Great Han dynasty. His scalp tingled with dread, and stiff as a puppet, he rose again, returned to the open space in the center of the tent, and stood with his hands clasped.

"Does Lord Guo feel rather wronged?" Gongsun Xun swallowed a dumpling and took a sip of hot broth before asking softly. "You made the arduous journey to present provisions to the army, yet I, an old friend whom you once cared for in so many ways, have repeatedly made things difficult for you, even to the point of harshness?"

Guo Yun dared not be negligent and immediately bowed in salute: "In reply to General of the Guard, I truly harbor no resentment. It is simply that I genuinely did not realize the General meant this, and thus I was somewhat remiss..."

"What did I mean?" Gongsun Xun looked up and glanced at the other man, then lowered his head again to continue eating his tiger-meat dumplings.

"Did the General of the Guard not wish for me, and for our Yangqu Guo clan, to follow the General's horse-head standard?" Guo Yun asked with effort, standing in the tent. "It is not that we are unwilling to lend our strength to the General. It is only that when we previously heard the General had won a great victory against the Xiongnu at Mayi, my two elder brothers and I merely assumed the General of the Guard had ample troops and brave soldiers, and that Taiyuan was free of war..."

"It seems Lord Guo still feels he has been wronged." Gongsun Xun suddenly interrupted Guo Yun with a smile, but these words were clearly addressed to Xi Zhong, who was eating with relish beside him.

"Of course Lord Guo feels wronged." Xi Zhicai also chuckled, holding his wooden bowl. "A dignified official of the two-thousand-dan rank, and a leading figure of the Yangqu Guo clan... In Taiyuan, and even throughout Bingzhou, the Yangqu Guo clan is second only to the Wang clan among the great houses. As the saying goes, 'Wang and Guo of Taiyuan' are always mentioned together... My lord, I am from Yingchuan and know little of Taiyuan's circumstances — have I remembered correctly?"

"You have remembered correctly." Gongsun Xun set down his bowl and solemnly explained to Xi Zhong. "In Bingzhou, the hereditary two-thousand-dan official families are almost all in Taiyuan, and I know of seven or eight of them. But among them, only the Wang and Guo clans are the most flourishing... The Wang clan of Taiyuan is renowned throughout the realm, so naturally there is no need to elaborate. Whether the Wang of Jinyang or the Wang of Qixian, both have produced talents generation after generation, with countless members reaching the two-thousand-dan rank. Even Governor Wang Ze, who serves as my deputy general in our army, is actually of Taiyuan Wang origin. The Guo clan likewise produces famous lineages. Currently, those presiding over Guo clan affairs in Yangqu City include not only this Lord Guo Yun before us, but also Lord Guo Xun, who once served as Inspector of Youzhou, and Lord Guo Hong, who served as Inspector of Liangzhou... As for the Guo clan's other branch in Taiyuan, the Guo of Jiexiu, although their official careers have faced some obstacles, the former scholarly leader Guo Linzong alone is enough to make them the pride of the realm."

"This I know!" Xi Zhong set down his wooden bowl, first wiped his mouth, then slapped the table. "Who does not know of Guo Linzong? As the saying goes, 'Xu of the South, Guo of the North.' In the south, scholars rely on Xu Shao's monthly character assessments to gain renown; in the north, it was this Guo Tai, Guo Linzong, whose single word decided a man's reputation. I have heard that back then, Governor Wang Ze and his elder brother Wang Rou gained fame throughout the realm and smooth official careers precisely because of a single word from Guo Linzong. And when Guo Linzong died, people from all over the realm, heedless of Bingzhou's remoteness, came to his funeral in numbers reaching ten thousand... My lord, is this true?"

"Exactly so."

"If that is the case, my lord, then your subordinate must offer a remonstrance!" Xi Zhong suddenly straightened his face and spoke with cupped hands. "The Guo clan is such a renowned lineage, yet my lord repeatedly makes difficulties for this Lord Guo Yun. Do you not fear gaining a reputation for 'harsh treatment of famous clans'? It is a tradition of our dynasty, for many years now, that any official who 'treats famous clans harshly' never lasts long in office!"

Guo Yun tried to speak but could not get a word in.

"Moreover, the great clans of Taiyuan are densely concentrated, some having been passed down for a hundred years, even a thousand. These families intermarry and form a self-contained entity — prospering together, suffering together..." Xi Zhong continued earnestly. "So, my lord, by treating Lord Guo so discourteously today, do you not fear offending all of Taiyuan tomorrow, causing all the clans of Taiyuan to defect to Dong Zhuo? And a man like Dong Zhuo already has strong troops and horses, lacking only popular support. If he were to gain the full backing of Bingzhou's great clans tomorrow, then the day after, he might well depose the emperor again and ascend the throne himself! It matters little if my lord's own reputation is ruined, but if the four-hundred-year foundation of the Great Han is thereby destroyed, would that not be my lord's fault?"

Gongsun Xun sighed upon hearing this: "So it seems it is indeed my fault? I thought that by raising troops from Youzhou, personally carrying firewood to pave the road, and laboriously marching south to suppress Dong Zhuo, I could be considered to have not failed the realm. I never imagined I must also not fail these famous clans of the realm, or else I would be destroying the Great Han's rivers and mountains..."

"My lord is far too self-righteous in this!" Xi Zhong continued with a cold sneer. "Do you not understand? In the eyes of these renowned and prestigious clans, they themselves are the realm! What is Dong Zhuo? What is my lord? How can a general from a border commandery order these great figures about? That Lord Guo could brave the ice and freeze to come more than ten li out of the city to welcome my lord is already giving you tremendous face..."

The two played off each other, exhausting their capacity for mockery, and Guo Yun truly could not bear to listen any longer. Helplessly, he interrupted Xi Zhong from below, earnestly defending himself: "General, see clearly — Yun, the Yangqu Guo clan, and even the various clans of Taiyuan, have absolutely no intention of defying the General... In truth, were it not for Dong Zhuo's lack of Dao, how could we have all abandoned our posts and returned home one after another? Please rest assured, General, on such matters of great right and wrong, we would never waver!"

"Then why did you only come to see me today?" Gongsun Xun, who had been sneering coldly, suddenly changed expression and questioned sternly. "Do you know that I waited for you, Guo Yun, at Yuanping for three full days? For this, an army of twenty thousand wasted three days and even encountered a snowstorm?"

Guo Yun knew he could no longer evade this matter, so he also forced himself to look up and answered with a solemn expression: "General, we truly did not realize this was what you meant... Had you spoken earlier, would I, Guo Yun, or the Yangqu Guo clan, truly have hesitated? Whether donating our family wealth for the state, or sending our sons and younger kin to follow you — it is all a matter of a single word from you!"

"Is that what I'm talking about?!" Gongsun Xun suddenly could not contain his fury, and a wooden bowl along with several dumplings went flying and overturned right in front of Guo Yun as his anger erupted. "What are you pretending with me?! The Guo clan of Taiyuan, at Yangqu and Jiexiu — in your households right now, you have one of the Nine Ministers, two Inspectors, and one Governor, each one an outstanding talent of the realm... Do you truly not understand what I mean?!"

Xi Zhong stole a glance at Gongsun Xun, and upon realizing the other man was truly enraged, he was somewhat startled himself.

"The realm is collapsing, Dong Zhuo usurps governance, and the feudal lords rise together!" Gongsun Xun continued, his face dark, enunciating each word.

"But as a Han subject..." Now that the matter was being laid bare, Guo Yun instead mustered his courage.

"I did not tell you to rebel against Han!" Gongsun Xun again sharply interrupted him. "I am merely telling you that the age of great contention has already arrived — armored horses and metal spears, the heroes rising together... At such a time, with your abilities and strength, if you rose to contend, I would actually have nothing to say! But since you do not contend, and I have led troops here, then at this moment, if you are not used by me, you are my enemies before my face. That is all!"

"General!" Gongsun Xun was furiously enraged, but Guo Yun was also somewhat indignant. "No one here in Taiyuan truly wishes to be your enemy! In the current situation, as long as you speak and act, if everyone does not follow you, would they follow Dong Zhuo instead? Is Wang Ze, Wang Jidao of Jinyang, not right here in your army? Although I did not go to Yuanping, have I not come here as well? Why must it be so harsh? I do not believe that the General of the Guard could treat people this way and still have the power he holds today! What is the reason, after all?! Could it be that you feel ashamed because you once personally served me a bowl of wheat rice back then, and now, holding such weight in the realm, you find it humiliating?"

"Lord Guo!" Gongsun Xun, seated behind the host's table, let out a scoff but could not help shaking his head. "Were it not for our past friendship, why would I be so magnanimous, giving you leeway time and again? Do you believe that if it were anyone else, what was delivered today would not have been a horse's head, but the head of your nephew Guo Hu? And tonight's meal of dumplings would likely have been enjoyed in your own household."

"How could it come to that?" Guo Yun was increasingly terrified and bewildered.

"Who asked you to be the great clans of Taiyuan?" Gongsun Xun sighed, then slowly rose and gave an answer that only deepened the confusion. "Were it anywhere else, I would naturally treat the great clans with courtesy, humbling myself before the worthy, and then taking people as the foundation. But in Taiyuan, I can only use overwhelming force to press people down..."

Guo Yun was indeed even more perplexed: "May I ask, General, what exactly is the difference between the great clans of Taiyuan and those elsewhere?"

"There is no other meaning. It is simply that there are too many great clans in this place, Taiyuan. Almost every county, every town has a great clan, and some have even migrated to establish separate branches... In other words, they are so numerous they overflow!" Gongsun Xun said, pacing forward with his hands behind his back. "So numerous that even powerful local magnates cannot gain a foothold in Taiyuan."

"Is that not a good thing?" Guo Yun argued strenuously. "The General has also governed localities for many years. Do you not know that magnates are greedy, corrupt, and lawless? Whereas the great clans, whatever else, have family traditions passed down. At the very least, they would not oppress the common people or disrupt administration..."

"I also do not think they oppress the common people. I know quite a few figures from these famous Taiyuan clans — Wang, Guo, Wen, Sun, Linghu, Guan, Tian... At the very least, their virtue and talent are all quite notable." Gongsun Xun nodded slightly, but as he walked to Guo Yun's side, he suddenly asked, "But disrupting administration... Lord Guo, what is the registered population of Taiyuan?"

"Two hundred eighty thousand registered!"

"And Yanmen?"

"Previously two hundred forty thousand. Because of the Xianbei disturbances back then, it gradually dwindled to one hundred twenty thousand. But after you and I investigated the magnates, took in refugees, and with the death of Tanshihuai in recent years, it has gradually recovered to one hundred seventy or eighty thousand!"

"Then what is the actual population of Yanmen?"

"Even without counting the Mount Taihang bandits, it must be at least two hundred thousand, right?" Guo Yun was, of course, perfectly clear on this.

"What is the actual population of Taiyuan?" Gongsun Xun stopped behind him and suddenly pressed the question.

Guo Yun was momentarily tongue-tied. But the man was, after all, a person of talent and virtue, and would not stoop to concealment. So after a brief pause, he still answered solemnly: "Taiyuan is more stable than Yanmen, has twice the counties and towns, and surpasses Yanmen in arable land and transportation... I estimate the total population must be four hundred thousand!"

"Taiyuan does not have many magnate households. Who has hidden all these people and farmland?" Gongsun Xun asked unhurriedly.

Guo Yun was speechless.

"I am not using this to harshly judge you." Gongsun Xun sighed behind him. "The realm is in chaos to this extent. Never mind that Bingzhou, this mountain hollow, is naturally good at hiding population — in any case, is it not better than letting these people go to Mount Taihang to become the Purple Mountain Bandits, or to Hedong and Shangdang to become the Bobo Bandits? I merely wish to tell Lord Guo one principle: the realm has decayed to this state because the problem lies at the root. It is the same everywhere. In other places, it is those magnates of low family status who have swallowed up these people and fields... In your Taiyuan, there is no place for magnates to survive, but that does not mean no one is disrupting administration over land and population! In fact, the most likely culprits are precisely you great clans of Taiyuan, who possess both the name of great clans and the substance of magnates."

Guo Yun fell even more silent.

"In Zhongshan, I have seen powerful magnates joining hands to suppress declining great clans. In Henei, I have seen famous scholars of great clans so poor they owned only two pairs of trousers and tilled the land themselves. In Yanzhou, I have seen great magnates with tens of thousands of people under them who could easily field several thousand troops... But no matter what, in those places, great clans are great clans, and magnates are magnates. The great clans sit high above, gaining official careers and prestige; the magnates dwell below, gaining land and population... Only in your Taiyuan, on the surface, it appears the great clans have forced the virtueless magnates out of existence, but in reality, the great clans and magnates are one and the same, possessing both name and substance! Lord Guo, tell me honestly — from top to bottom, is Yangqu City not entirely under your Guo clan's control?"

"So the General of the Guard is treating us as local magnates who bring disaster to a region?" Guo Yun finally had some realization. "Would it be enough if we simply handed over the population, land, money, and grain?"

"I already said, you are both great clans and magnates." Gongsun Xun sighed. "Therefore, I must be as sharp and fierce as a winter wind, as when dealing with magnates, yet also face squarely the abilities, talent, and virtue of you people — judging matters on their merits, taking people as the foundation, and treating the virtuous and capable among you like a spring breeze..."

Having said this, Gongsun Xun bent down, picked up the chopsticks he had just thrown from the ground, and placed them into Guo Yun's hand: "Lord Guo, we have a friendship of over ten years. Back then, your clansman Lord Guo Xun, as Inspector of Youzhou, visited me in the middle of the night, and the first thing he said was that he was your clansman. And since we are old friends in this way, there will always be a bowl of food for you here! But after you finish eating, go back. Go and tell Lord Guo Xun and Lord Guo Hong, who are still in the city — do not try to fob me off with a few cows and sheep... Back then in Yanzhou, when I demanded troops and grain from that magnate household, I told him: do not think I dare not exterminate a clan... The realm has changed!"

"What does this count as?" Guo Yun held the pair of chopsticks, shaking his head repeatedly.

"This counts as nothing at all." Gongsun Xun answered loftily, hands behind his back. "You only need to remember: tomorrow, when I approach the walls of Yangqu City, there will only be two distinctions — friend or foe... There is no third path!"

"Why tell me this?" Guo Yun was increasingly helpless. "With the General's depth of mind and wisdom, this matter could have been handled much more cleanly!"

"Did I not say? Who asked us to be old friends?" Gongsun Xun asked in return with emotion. "Eat this bowl of dumplings, and then hurry back!"

Half a shichen later, Guo Yun left the central army tent, took his nephew, and hurried back to Yangqu through the night. Gongsun Xun, meanwhile, continued discussing the situation in Taiyuan with Xi Zhong.

"My lord, is it truly unnecessary to involve the two military advisors in this matter?" Xi Zhong looked at the empty table and could not help asking once more about something that had already been discussed several times.

"Zibo excels at military affairs, and Yuanhao excels at grand strategic situations. This matter is mainly about manipulating people's hearts... Having you to consult with me is enough. Why let them ask more questions?" Gongsun Xun was unconcerned.

"In the final analysis, it may not even be about people's hearts." Xi Zhong gathered his sleeves and sighed deeply. "The main thing is that the situation is changing too fast... Just as my lord questioned in his anger earlier — how could such outstanding talents not understand the situation? Moreover, of the three men now steering the Guo clan, Guo Xun and Guo Yun have both worked quite a bit with my lord in the past. Even if others do not understand, how could they not understand my lord's capability and temper? It is simply that they have not yet turned the corner in their minds."

"You are right — they simply didn't have time to change course." Gongsun Xun nodded slowly. "And this time I did indeed err somewhat by resorting to deceit... but I had no choice. Time waits for no one. The roads were difficult enough, but information from the front was also cut off. I knew nothing of the situation in Luoyang, and even less whether the other lords had any intention of rallying local forces to uphold the way of sovereign and subject... I could not afford to wait, nor could I afford to care about these things."

Xi Zhong nodded slowly.

"In short," Gongsun Xun continued with a sigh, "this time in Taiyuan, I must strike them hard across the face with the back of the blade, to sober them up. The world is no longer the world of old. What I, Gongsun Xun, want is the reality of sovereign and subject — bowed heads and obedient ears — not some so-called colleagues aiding me in a shared righteous cause! I do intend to take the world, but I am not taking it for them!"

Xi Zhong felt a stir in his heart, but said nothing more.

The next day, the Youzhou army continued south, marching straight into Yangqu city. This time, the Guo clan of Yangqu also came out in force to welcome them. Among them, Gongsun Xun's former colleague, the leader of the welcoming Guo clan and former Inspector of Youzhou, Guo Xun, came straight to the point, prostrating himself in public and addressing him as "My Lord," offering to donate his family's resources to assist in the campaign against Dong Zhuo and to support the Han.

Thus, the Youzhou army entered the city for a brief rest and resupply, replenishing large quantities of grain, fodder, military supplies, and able-bodied men on the spot, and its military strength grew increasingly formidable.

However, two days later, when the now-powerful Youzhou army took advantage of clear weather to resume its march south, and within a few days took Yu County and Langmeng without a fight, drawing near the Taiyuan basin, they suddenly received utterly preposterous news along the road!

"Is this true?!" Wang Ze, the Grand Administrator of Dai Commandery — nominally a deputy general in the army but in reality a man of leisure — burst straight into the main tent upon hearing the news, yet no one found it surprising. "General of the Guards! Is it true that an unworthy son of my own clan is leading troops ahead, joining the Grand Administrator of Taiyuan, Yang Zhong, in opposing you?"

"It is true." Amid the silence of the assembled officers, Gongsun Xun, seated at the head with an already grim expression, grew even more somber. "This matter is actually my fault... Earlier, when dealing with Guo Yun, because the march was so difficult, I was unavoidably somewhat harsh with him in private. In the end, I let him go to Jiexiu to persuade the Guo clan of Jiexiu... Who could have guessed that this man, likely feeling I had humiliated him and harboring resentment, would stop midway at Jinyang and spread rumors everywhere — saying I intended to punish the Grand Administrator of Taiyuan, Yang Zhong, exterminate the entire Wang clan, and seize all the assets of the Taiyuan noble houses to fund the army... That is what brought this calamity upon us!"

"This sort of thing... I don't know about the rest, but where does this talk of exterminating the Wang clan come from?" Wang Ze was dumbfounded. "Don't they know that I am right here in the General of the Guards' army?"

"I hear it is because of Wang Zishi." Gongsun Xun raised his eyebrows slightly. "To be frank with you, Lord Wang, I did once say to Guo Yun in person that in the current situation in Taiyuan, anyone who does not follow me is simply a traitor of the Dong faction, and traitors of the Dong faction are always to be killed without mercy. But I only learned today that your clansman from Qi County, Wang Yun, Wang Zishi, is now actually the most trusted and important minister under Dong Zhuo... It is said that he holds the post of Prefect of the Masters of Writing, with full control over court affairs, and that the Dong faction's entire position at court is solely his doing... The Wang clan probably doesn't know how to explain themselves, do they?"

Wang Ze was stunned speechless. "Zishi actually followed the villain Dong?"

"Lord Jidao!" Xi Zhong, standing nearby, interjected helplessly. "Is this really the time to be thinking about Wang Zishi? The issue now is that your own clansmen are about to lead troops to oppose our army marching against Dong! Ahead of us lies a strategic pass, the impregnable city of Jinyang, Yang Zhong as Grand Administrator of Taiyuan, and numerous Taiyuan noble houses deluded by Guo Yun... I ask you, Lord Jidao, what is to be done?!"

Even Wang Ze, renowned as a famous minister, could not help but fall into momentary panic.

————— I am the dividing line of erring by deceit —————

"At the end of the Zhongping era, Dong Zhuo deposed and enthroned, and Emperor Xian ascended the throne. Zhuo, having served several times in Bingzhou, relied heavily on men from Bing, and especially valued Yun for his outstanding talent. He appointed him Grand Coachman, then promoted him to Acting Prefect of the Masters of Writing, entrusting all court affairs, great and small, entirely to Yun. And Yun concealed his true feelings and bent his will, always complying and attaching himself to Zhuo. Zhuo in turn gave him his full trust, harboring no suspicion, and thus Yun was able to support the royal house amid peril and chaos. Within and without, ministers and sovereign alike all relied on him. At that time, it happened that the Grand Ancestor attacked Dong, passing through Taiyuan. Not knowing the hearts of the men in Luoyang, he condemned the Wang clan for siding with the rebels. Men of the time sighed over this." — New Book of Yan, Volume 62, Biographies, Chapter 12

PS: On the Nth day of the new year, continuing to kowtow and offer New Year greetings...

The new group is 931557287, those interested can join.

(End of Chapter)