Chapter 350: Let No Evil Dwell Within the Heart

In short, the battle in which Jia Xu and Lu Bu joined forces was, from a tactical standpoint, nothing more than eight words: burn the camp, slay the general, rout the enemy, subdue the masses. Refined further, it was merely four words: a complete and total victory.

And in terms of the battle's direct outcome, it was no more than the crushing of the one man among the nearly forty anti-Dong-Zhuo lords who was closest to Luoyang — that is, smashing the forces of Henei Grand Administrator Wang Kuang in a single engagement, and in passing, riding up to flaunt their might right in the face of the Guandong coalition's leader, Yuan Shao.

However, in terms of its subsequent repercussions, the shock this battle delivered to the realm was something words could not directly express.

Because this battle was, since Dong Zhuo's usurpation of power, since the formation of the three great anti-Dong-Zhuo coalitions of Hebei, Guandong, and Xuyang, since the simultaneous rise of the realm's lords, the very first genuine, politically motivated "formal military engagement"!

Gongsun Xun raised his troops the fastest, and the scale of his war seemed the largest, but fighting a group of northern Shaanxi Xiongnu scraping out a living in Shanxi — what difference was there from suppressing bandits and brigands? As for his subsequent attack on Jinyang and the killing of Grand Administrator Yang Zhong, or Sun Jian's earlier killing of the Jingzhou Inspector and Nanyang Grand Administrator on Yuan Shu's behalf, those were more akin to internal political purges riding on the prevailing tide, and could not be called proper wars.

Only this time, a night raid carried out between the openly arrayed anti-Dong-Zhuo coalition and Dong Zhuo's forces, unequivocally proclaimed the arrival of chaotic military struggle in a troubled age!

From this day forward, the partition of the realm by feudal lords and the melee of warlords officially commenced!

Speaking of which, Jia Xu, who became renowned throughout the realm after Cao Cao at Suanzao, stunned by his orchestration of this battle, cried out "Bringer of Chaos," could be said to have truly earned his title!

In a certain sense, it was indeed this Jia Wenhe who made the unprecedented move of bringing chaos.

Of course, in the final analysis, Jia Wenhe merely happened to be at the right place at the right time.

Those who truly understood knew that the realm had come to this state step by step: first, there was a fundamental problem at the nation's root, which then fell into the vortex of political games, sliding step by step into the abyss; second, if one had to choose a person responsible for the current situation, Gongsun Xun had made it very clear in his anti-Dong-Zhuo proclamation — it was the evil wrought by that autocrat, Emperor Ling of Han; and finally, even the phrase "Bringer of Chaos" — it was that scoundrel Dong Zhuo who, using pure military force and violence, tore away the last fig leaf of the Han imperial house... what did it have to do with Jia Wenhe?

Jia Xu, as Commandant of Xiaopingjin, was originally under orders to strike at Yuan Shao and Wang Kuang — was this not his basic duty? What he did, at most, made him a vanguard of the era.

Cao Cao, with his perpetually small eyes and big mouth, habitually speaks in grandiose terms, and it was he who forcibly pinned the charge of "Bringer of Chaos" on the man.

But all that said, no matter what, this battle was fought too brilliantly, too fiercely, too spectacularly!

Jia Xu's grasp of his two opponents' psychology, Lu Bu's unmatched valor, combined with five thousand iron cavalry armed from the Luoyang arsenal, rampaging through the night, sweeping all before them... coupled with the stage effect of Henan and Henei, the very center of the realm — it would have been difficult not to shake the entire realm!

In response, Dong Zhuo, who always dealt out rewards and punishments with clear distinction, naturally would not remain indifferent. And when the New Year's Day festival arrived and the court changed the era name to Chuping, Jia Xu and Lu Bu were indeed recalled to Luoyang and lavishly rewarded!

Among them, Lu Bu was enfeoffed as General of Tiger Might and Marquis of Wen.

To be honest, this reward left Lu Bu exceptionally satisfied and excited. Previously he had been a General of the Household, but this time he was a formal, titled general, and even the second general among the officers in the entire Dong Zhuo camp, second only to Dong Zhuo's own younger brother Dong Min, the General of the Left, and higher than Dong Zhuo's son-in-law Niu Fu, who was a General of the Household. What more could he want?

As for Marquis of Wen, that was even more extraordinary, far exceeding Lu Bu's imagination.

After all, previously Lu Bu had been Marquis of Duting, which was already a very distinguished noble rank, because at that time only the two brothers, Dong Zhuo and Dong Min, had been enfeoffed as marquises. And now, Marquis of Wen directly skipped the rank of Township Marquis, elevating him from his previous Village Marquis to the apex of the marquisate, the County Marquis level. How could he not be overjoyed?

A word of explanation here: the "Wen" in Marquis of Wen is not the "Wen" for warming wine, but the "Wen" of Wen County in Henei. Using Wen County as his fief further demonstrated Dong Zhuo's intent to commend him, because the Henei side of the Yellow River's three fords, where Lu Bu had so mightily displayed his prowess this time, belonged precisely to Wen County. Not only that, Wen County had always been a top-tier county in Henei; the Sima, Yang, Chang, and Zhao clans of Henei were all renowned families... capable figures under Gongsun Xun's command, from Chang Lin, the Grand Administrator of Yuyang, to Wang Xiang, who could draft documents leaning on a horse, all hailed from Wen County.

In summary, Lu Bu was genuinely moved to tears of gratitude.

As for Jia Xu, he was merely changed from Commandant to Captain, barely promoted half a rank, and received no noble title at all... This was not because Dong Zhuo was unfair in his rewards and punishments, but rather the result of Jia Xu himself deliberately declining and shifting the credit onto Lu Bu.

"So, you are unwilling to accept a noble title?"

In the center of the Chancellor's main hall, Dong Zhuo sat alone on an oversized Grand Commandant's chair, while the many court officials and subordinate clerks around him merely sat on mats, making Chancellor Dong appear plainly taller than everyone around him.

"My aspirations do not lie here," Jia Xu bowed deeply, his attitude resolute.

"I understand," Dong Zhuo was not angered, but instead seemed quite understanding. "You scholars think about things differently from us. Take that fellow Wenyou, for example — I wanted him to be Grand Coachman, but he only wished to continue as this dog-fart Erudite, saying a lifetime as one Erudite is enough for him?"

Li Ru, standing at Dong Zhuo's side, had no choice but to force a smile: "Father-in-law, the Erudite is not dog-fart."

"As you wish, as long as it doesn't delay your work," Dong Zhuo continued laughing, then pointed to another person among those seated. "And there's Cai Bojie. Bojie has always been sincere with me and never once showed disrespect. Yet today, when he was supposed to come to my place for a banquet scheduled for the afternoon, I asked him to arrive an hour early, in the morning, to draft a document for me, and he actually arrived late, just getting here now. I asked him why, and he said he heard someone playing the zither on the road and simply could not move his legs..."

Cai Yong, who was sitting to one side writing something, upon hearing this could not help but raise his upturned nose and laboriously force a smile at Dong Zhuo.

"And Xun Ciming," Dong Zhuo continued, pointing to another person — an elder with graying hair seated first on his left-hand side, to whom Jia Xu also hurriedly bowed deeply. "Ciming is about my age, an honest man I befriended back in Yingchuan in my youth. I asked him yesterday if becoming one of the Three Excellencies fulfilled his lifelong wish. He told me that he was naturally grateful for my bestowal, rising from commoner to the Three Excellencies within a hundred days, but the most satisfying achievement of his life was his commentary on the Zhou Yi back in the day..."

The current Minister of Works, Xun Shuang, first gently stroked his beard and smiled at Jia Xu in acknowledgment, then helplessly turned back to Dong Zhuo and reiterated his view: "Chancellor, for a pedantic Confucian like myself, writing a commentary on the Zhou Yi is indeed the most satisfying achievement of my life."

"I admire it immensely too!" Dong Zhuo looked utterly disdainful, but Li Ru's face lit up with excitement, and he couldn't help but interject.

Xun Shuang, who had just been extremely amiable toward Jia Xu, gave a dry laugh and said no more, and Li Ru also tactfully shut his mouth... Everyone present knew full well that a few days prior, Li Ru had been ordered to go and poison the deposed Son of Heaven, Liu Bian. Although this matter counted for nothing under the current circumstances, it still left everyone somewhat uneasy.

"In summary," Dong Zhuo, not noticing the slight discord between his son-in-law and his old friend, made the final arrangement for Jia Xu. "I understand Wenhe's intent. Then I shall not grant you a noble title. In a couple of months, when we reach Chang'an, if the war at the front goes smoothly again, it would be fine for you to become a Minister or an Erudite... Granted!"

Jia Xu was slightly moved: "Many thanks for the Chancellor's consideration, it is just that..."

"Just what?" Dong Zhuo did not take it seriously.

"It is just that, observing the lords east of the mountains, most are useless nobodies. With the Chancellor's divine martial prowess and our army's skill in battle, we could completely sweep through and crush them," Jia Xu said cautiously, standing in the hall. "Why is it still necessary to move the capital?"

"Fighting wars is fighting wars; moving the capital is moving the capital!" Dong Zhuo replied with a slight frown. "The two are unrelated... And besides, recently the White Wave Bandits in Hedong have been stirring restlessly, while Gongsun Xun has already fought his way to Taiyuan and reportedly even plundered Zishi's family home. Guanzhong is my base and must be strictly defended! Especially Gongsun Xun — though he has only twenty thousand troops, he must absolutely not be underestimated!"

As Dong Zhuo's expression hardened, everyone in the hall instinctively looked toward the second person on Dong Zhuo's left-hand side, the current Minister over the Masses and Prefect of the Masters of Writing, Wang Yun, Wang Zishi.

Wang Yun, however, put on a slight pose and said with a serious expression: "Actually, Gongsun Xun's plundering of my family home may not be out of greed for wealth. I fear the roads in Bingzhou are difficult to travel, and the millions of mountain bandits in the Taihang Mountains have cut off the connection between Youzhou, Jizhou, and Bingzhou. With his logistics unsupported, he was thus forced to plunder extensively..."

"Perhaps! But no matter what, we must return to Guanzhong as quickly as possible to guard against him, and the matter of moving the capital cannot be delayed any further," Dong Zhuo shook his head repeatedly, his expression growing even more serious. "Since we are on this topic today, I will tell you more about the affairs in Bingzhou. It is not that I fear Gongsun Xun, but that this kid is indeed a renowned general of the realm, and his perseverance and decisiveness surpass the ordinary. We must guard against him."

The atmosphere in the hall instantly grew solemn. Not to mention the Xiliang-born subordinate clerks and officers on Dong Zhuo's right, even those on his left, from Xun Shuang to Wang Yun, all adopted grave expressions. Even Cai Yong, for some unknown reason, suddenly stopped the brush in his hand.

"Calculate it yourselves. From the time he came of age, over these ten-plus years, whenever the realm fell into turmoil, was it not fifty to sixty percent of the time solely due to his efforts? And the recurring border threats of this dynasty — none more severe than the Xianbei, Wuhuan, Xiongnu, Western Qiang, and Goguryeo in the north — were three of these five not eliminated by this man single-handedly? Such a figure, the quieter he is, the more strictly we must guard against him!" Dong Zhuo continued to lament from his seat, hands on his belt. "I recall back in Bingzhou, when I had just arrived in Jinyang to assume the post of Inspector, he, a mere Detached Division Major, dared to come alone to meet me, and immediately opened his mouth to say he would eliminate the Grand Administrator of Yanmen, Zhang Qi, for me. At that time, I knew he was a great hero! If not for the fact that he was already betrothed to Zhao Bao's daughter, I would almost have killed my two useless sons-in-law and bundled both my daughters off to him. Why would I have only given him a single saber? And why would I only be able to preside over the court now?"

Everyone except Li Ru listened with rapt attention.

And having spoken to this point, Dong Zhuo suddenly recalled something: "Speaking of which, my granddaughter, little Bai, is just thirteen this year, only three years older than Gongsun Xun's eldest son, Gongsun Ding. It is not impossible to arrange a marriage. And if Gongsun Xun could agree, with him taking Jizhou and me taking the Central Plains, could the realm not be settled into peace from this?"

"Chancellor," Wang Yun hurriedly reminded from his seat. "The White Wave Bandits, Zhang Yang, and the various Xiongnu tribes have cut off the roads. Even messages get through only intermittently. How can we discuss marriage? Moreover, Gongsun Xun will certainly not agree."

"You are right!" Dong Zhuo sighed slightly. "Gongsun Xun will certainly not agree! Even Yuan Shao, after this defeat..."

Dong Zhuo stopped abruptly, causing everyone in the hall to grow puzzled.

"After this defeat, Yuan Shao," Dong Zhuo suddenly laughed, "might perhaps harbor thoughts of ceasing hostilities... We could take advantage of the New Year's festival and send court ministers, using the change of the era name as a pretext, to go and persuade him to surrender!"

This time, no one said much of anything.

And after rambling about these various matters, Dong Zhuo looked up again and saw Jia Xu still standing in the hall. He couldn't help but laugh and waved for him to withdraw. Jia Wenhe had no choice but to return to the seat reserved for him on the left-hand side.

However, Chancellor Dong was, after all, clear in his rewards and punishments. Since Jia Xu had refused the noble title, he then issued another order: for the entire first month, whenever officers from various locations sent spoils of war to the Chancellor's residence in Luoyang, regardless of whether they were treasures or beautiful women, two-tenths were to be set aside — one-tenth for Jia Xu, and one-tenth for Wang Yun, whose family property had been lost, as compensation and consolation.

And after these instructions were given, Cai Yong had just finished writing the document. Dong Zhuo immediately ordered servants to set up tables and pass around dishes and fine wine, commencing a grand banquet... On one hand, naturally, to celebrate the New Year's festival; on the other, to celebrate this great victory in Henei!

However, shortly after the banquet began, suddenly, military dispatches arrived from outside the hall. A soldier entered and reported directly that General of the Household Li Jue had sent a military report: the earlier mission of Captain Xu Rong and Li Meng to capture the Grand Administrator of Yingchuan, Li Min, had been successful.

Now, Li Meng and Xu Rong were at Yangdi, the administrative seat of Yingchuan Commandery, and had already followed Chancellor Dong's direct military order to set up a large cauldron and publicly boil Li Min alive! The reason it had gone so smoothly was that Li Jue had also intercepted Sun Jian's troops attempting a rescue at Yangcheng, reportedly beheading several thousand! All the severed heads had already been dispatched by Li Jue to Luoyang!

It must be said, Li Min was originally appointed by Dong Zhuo, but after Yuan Shu arrived in Nanyang, he had been making eyes at him. Dong Zhuo considered him a traitor and thus deeply hated the man. Coupled with a desire to intimidate Yuan Shu, he had specifically issued the military order to boil him alive... Upon hearing this news now, he could not help but burst into hearty laughter. As for the several thousand severed heads being specially delivered, he could not be bothered to pay them any mind.

And among those seated, their reactions mirrored Dong Zhuo's: the several thousand battlefield beheadings elicited little feeling. Only when the words "boil alive" were uttered did some reaction arise, but it was sharply divided... The Xiliang officers and clerks on the right, mostly veterans of the battlefield long accustomed to bloody affairs, though the act was cruel, it was but a single human life, so most thought nothing of it, and some even took the initiative to laugh along. But among the many court officials on the left, aside from a few elders who had witnessed the horrors of plague, famine, and war and could remain composed, the vast majority instantly turned pale and lost their composure!

And that was not all. As Dong Zhuo's laughter continued unabated, growing drunk with pride, Liu Yan's eldest son, the Left General of the Household Liu Fan, could not hold back and actually vomited on the spot in public!

Jia Xu, sitting opposite, saw it clearly: just moments before, Liu Fan had been gnawing on a ginseng-stewed chicken. No wonder he lost control so completely.

"Don't spoil everyone's mood — get out!"

Dong Zhuo had nearly been moved to kill when he first saw someone vomit in public, but once he made out it was Liu Fan, he understood to some degree that this man could not be killed recklessly, so he waved him out.

Liu Fan could not have wished for more. With a strained salute, he fled the hall in panic under the envious gazes of quite a few people.

And once the man was gone, Dong Zhuo's great joy returned. Citing the victory at Yingchuan to the south, he called on everyone to drink and celebrate... Below the hall, none dared refuse.

And so the banquet continued for a full several shichen. By dusk, only when the blood-red setting sun had satisfied Chancellor Dong did it finally end.

The military officers went on drinking and making merry, while court officials such as Xun Shuang, Wang Yun, and Cai Yong took their leave one after another. Of course, although Jia Xu was a true man of Xiliang and the protagonist of this banquet, he too disliked such occasions and also took his leave at once... Yet, whether it was because Jia Wenhe was present or not, this group, though outwardly cordial and polite, all kept well apart from one another, and with hearts full of private concerns, they walked out of the Chancellor's residence together.

The sole exception was Xun Shuang. Beside him, personally supporting him, was a taciturn man in his thirties — his grandnephew, the Gentleman Attendant at the Yellow Gate, Xun You, styled Gongda. Xun Shuang himself appeared quite genial and cheerful, and all the way out, it was his jokes and laughter that everyone heard.

However, by sheer ill chance, just as the group was enduring the stiff atmosphere and had reached the gate, about to hold their noses and bid farewell to disperse, they ran headlong into the most dismaying sight... Over a thousand Xiliang cavalry, more than half of them Qiang riders with disheveled hair, clearly Li Jue's troops, parading swaggeringly through the streets!

And hanging from the warhorses of these cavalrymen, in varying numbers, were severed heads... plainly the "spoils of battle" that Li Jue's messenger had spoken of earlier!

The group had no choice but to stand beneath the gate and wait for these men to pass. Yet as it happened, when these soldiers reached Dong Zhuo's residence, they all had to dismount and proceed on foot. Some even recognized Wang Yun and Jia Xu and made a point of saluting them, which only deepened the helplessness and awkwardness.

But worse awkwardness was yet to come. The column of cavalry flaunting their "spoils" had probably only passed halfway when someone from the Chancellor's residence behind them came hurrying after. Several armored soldiers were sent to deliver to Wang Yun and Jia Xu, respectively, scores of women — quite comely, yet terrified and bewildered, their clothing still stained with blood. They were described as "spoils of war" just sent by Li Jue, and by the Chancellor's order, the plunder of the first month was to be shared with these two gentlemen.

Neither Wang Yun nor Jia Xu dared refuse. They could only steel themselves and have these armored soldiers stand with the women before the gate, continuing to wait for the cavalry to pass.

But before long, another incident occurred... Suddenly, as a Xiliang cavalryman dismounted to salute, a woman dashed out from behind Jia Xu. Without a care for anything, shrieking in piercing grief, she threw herself straight at the warhorse behind that rider!

The several great men saw clearly: she was not trying to seize the horse, but was actually trying to snatch the severed head hanging from it!

Jia Xu turned ice-cold all over and opened his mouth to speak. Yet before he could utter a word, the armored soldiers from the Chancellor's residence behind him caught up. With a flurry of blades, they cut the woman down in the street and directly tossed her onto that very horse, plainly meaning for the rider to dispose of the corpse as he went — and they did not forget to turn back and apologize to Xun Shuang, Wang Yun, Jia Xu, and the others.

After this incident, the women before the Chancellor's residence dared make no further rash moves; even their weeping could not be too loud. And the many pillars of the court standing in front, every one of them, turned pale as ash, and not a single one uttered a sound.

When they had finally endured until this wave of cavalry departed, Jia Xu, stiff as a wooden statue, hastily turned, preparing to take these women and leave this place for home by the opposite direction. But just as he was about to move, he ran straight into someone.

The man was dressed all in brocade, stumbling and staggering as if drunk, and this collision nearly sent him to the ground... Jia Wenhe hurriedly helped the man up, only to discover it was Liu Fan, who had left early long before.

Liu Fan's eyes were completely red, his face deathly pale. He forced himself to stand, and when he saw clearly that it was Jia Xu, he reacted as though beholding something loathsome, violently shoved the other away, covered his face, and hurried off in pursuit of the cavalry.

Jia Xu felt the chill spreading through his body grow ever harder to bear... It had only just occurred to him: Liu Fan had followed his father Liu Yan to live in seclusion on Mount Yangcheng for eighteen years and had practically grown up there. North of Mount Yangcheng was Xingyang; south of Mount Yangcheng was none other than Yingchuan's Yangcheng — where Li Jue had made his "spoils of battle"!

As for why the man bore such hatred toward him — was it not because Xu Rong and Li Meng's recent sortie to the south had been spurred by the great victory in the north? And was Li Jue's brazen killing of innocents to claim credit not precisely because Xu Rong and Li Meng had succeeded, and he feared losing face?

So, when all was reckoned, the blame had somehow been shifted onto him, Jia Wenhe!

Elsewhere, Ru'nan, Yingchuan, Wan, and Luo were all of one body. Who knew how many important figures like Liu Fan would now be steeled in their resolve by Li Jue's "spoils of battle" this time?

Yet, recalling how he had earlier striven to rally himself, only for Dong Zhuo to still insist on moving the capital, Jia Xu found himself with nothing left to say.

So many realizations and thoughts — in truth, they took only an instant. Even as Jia Wenhe pondered, he still instinctively turned back to try to steady Liu Fan, but found that Xun Shuang's grandnephew Xun You had already caught him. However, once Liu Fan saw clearly that it was Xun You, his face filled with the same loathing. He angrily shoved the other away, even causing Xun Shuang, who stood behind Xun You, to stumble.

Xun Shuang, a grand Three Excellencies and a man famed for his geniality, was thus rebuffed — yet he stood as still as a wooden statue, neither smiling nor angry. And Xun You, ever taciturn, was even more rooted and speechless.

After this collision, Wang Yun, who had clearly also been about to step forward to steady the man, instead halted where he was, his face expressionless, and remained standing there.

For a moment, Liu Fan, still full of unwilling resentment, staggered on in pursuit of those cavalrymen. And behind him, before the Chancellor's residence, the Xun grandfather and grandson, Wang Yun of Taiyuan, and Jia Xu of Xiliang — amid the sobs of scores of women — each went their separate ways in silence, heavy with private thoughts... not one of them daring to look back!

Only Cai Bojie, after riding in his carriage for a long while and at a considerable distance from the Chancellor's residence, suddenly began to tremble like a sieve.

——— I am the dividing line of those who dare not look back ———

"When Dong Zhuo usurped the government, Xu, as an old acquaintance from Xiliang, and Yun, as a scion of a Taiyuan notable family, both received favor. Yet their manner of living at home in Luo was entirely different. Xu set up no bed-curtains, remained as frugal as ever, and shared his salary, food, and drink with his servants, his mind perfectly at ease. When the various generals seized beautiful women and valuables and offered them to him, Xu could not refuse, but placed them in separate quarters, sought out their families, and returned them. Yun was ever given to extravagance — fine food, exquisite utensils, brocade clothes, jade-like fare. Whenever beautiful women and valuables were given to him, he would keep them and settle them in his household. When Xu heard of Yun's conduct, he became firmly convinced: that man intended to plot against Dong!" — New Book of Yan, Volume 62, Biography 12

PS: Thanks to fellow reader Che Dapao for the red-envelope reward... How do you pronounce that character?

(End of chapter)