Chapter 353: Meeting on Horseback, No Paper or Brush at Hand

On the twenty-seventh day of the first month, Gongsun Xun, who was stationed at Jiexiu, received the message passed on by Xi Zhong, and could not help but be overjoyed — the man was clearly elated that such a simple scheme of driving the tiger to swallow the wolf could so easily seize a commandery… Yet as events proved, the simplest trade-offs and the most direct distinctions of strength and weakness are the easiest to persuade an opponent with, and the simplest stratagems are the most flawless.

Thereupon, Gongsun Xun hesitated no longer and immediately dispatched his forces.

Among them, Wei Yue led four thousand cavalry, immediately turned back toward Qixian, and then under the banner of welcoming Lu Zhi, advanced along the main corridor between the Taiyuan Basin and the Shangdang Basin straight toward Niexian; meanwhile, Gao Shun led three thousand infantry, setting out from Jiexiu to directly cross the northern Yangtou Mountain which Zhang Yang had stripped of defenses, and then easily slipped behind Niexian.

As for the remaining matters, Gongsun Xun did not intend to personally oversee them… It was nothing more than, on the southern side at Zhangzi, Huguan, and Boxian, how Qian Zhao would exchange territories with Zhang Yang; and at Niexian, whether Yufuluo, caught between two pincers, would fight or surrender.

However, Gongsun Xun still did not set out for Hedong.

There were three reasons:

First, although the Fen River had thawed, it was now the spring planting season — the whole year’s plan lies in spring. Delaying here for ten-odd days, though it wasted considerable military supplies, might well spare both Taiyuan and Hedong commanderies a year of famine. The accounting here had to be calculated from a higher vantage… In practice, at Jiexiu, Gongsun Xun even had his soldiers assist with farming, and throughout the entire process he dispatched military clerks everywhere to oversee the spring planting affairs in Taiyuan;

Second, Hedong was a great commandery under Heaven — on the surface it had twenty counties and six to seven hundred thousand people, but in reality it likely held numerous passes, small towns, and ancient citadels; the saying that it was girdled by mountains and rivers was no empty boast. And now, not only did the Bobo Bandits hold a hundred thousand troops there, but great aristocratic households supported the Hedong Grand Administrator Wang Yi in clinging to a few cities, and Dong Zhuo’s forces faced them across the river at Hongnong… Military intelligence was unclear, the political situation complex — he needed a unified military, political, and strategic plan;

Third, Gongsun Yue and his party had truly exceeded Gongsun Xun’s expectations. It was only now that he realized with astonishment that this clan cousin of his had not only brought Lu Zhi — according to Xi Zhong’s report, those who could enter Jin territory together this time should also include the Hebei renowned scholar Yue Yin, the former general Qian Zhao, Tian Chou — the leader of the White Horse Volunteers with whom contact had likewise been lost earlier, the former Henei garrison commander Cheng Lian, and even He Jin’s family dependents…

As for the arrival of these people, to say nothing of the rest, the three commanders Qian Zhao, Tian Chou, and Cheng Lian alone were enough to let Gongsun Xun, who had previously been somewhat stretched thin, breathe a long sigh of relief… He urgently needed these three commanders, along with Gongsun Yue, to help him complete his personnel structure both in the army and in the local administration.

Besides, there was still Lu Zhi!

And there were still the five thousand Xiongnu royal court cavalry of the brothers Yufuluo and Huchuquan!

These were enough to make him halt at Jiexiu and wait for a time.

However, Gongsun Xun did not have to wait long. From the end of the first month, good news came one after another: first, scouts reported back that Gao Shun and Wei Yue had successfully surrounded Yufuluo at Niexian! Then, Zhang Yang, abiding by their agreement, led his troops south on his own, while Cheng Lian, together with Qian Zhao, Tian Chou, and others who had remained at Boxian, led two thousand men north into Shangdang — Shangdang was essentially settled… As for the Mount Taihang bandits who had been plaguing Shangdang so severely, they could be dealt with gradually.

And it was worth noting that, probably because the situation in Henei was unclear, it was said that a great number of Boxian’s common folk actually followed Qian Zhao north, preferring to go reclaim wasteland in a mountain hollow like Shangdang rather than remain in their homeland.

And finally, on the first day of the second month, summoned by the call, Gongsun Yue himself rode ahead of the rest and arrived at Jiexiu to pay his respects to his clan cousin.

“Wenchao!” Gongsun Xun led his retinue out of Jiexiu city to welcome him, and upon seeing the man arrive, his joy was truly heartfelt, delight spreading across his brow. “Half a year ago you were in Luoyang, I was in Changping, each moving in opposite directions — who could have imagined we would meet in Taiyuan?”

Gongsun Yue had ridden alone, and now he dismounted and bowed reverently right outside the city gate: “Elder brother, your use of troops is divinely martial — the other feudal lords all stamped their feet and halted, suffering defeat after defeat. Only you, elder brother, wielded troops across a thousand li, and now have even reached Sili. After this affair, I fear all under Heaven will know who is truly the one to settle and pacify the realm!”

These words scratched Gongsun Xun right where he itched, and moreover they were indeed the truth, so the man could not help but throw his head back and laugh proudly.

Of course, after laughing, Gongsun Xun did not forget to raise the other up, and with a solemn expression spoke earnestly: “Ninety li is but halfway in a hundred-li journey — how much more so when a two-thousand-li road has only been traveled a thousand-odd li? The road ahead still needs you, Wenchao, to support me along the way… When we were young, our mother taught us that when brothers are of one heart, their sharpness can cut through metal… We brothers must never learn from Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu, whose faces are in harmony but hearts at odds.”

Gongsun Yue dared not be remiss; disregarding that his arms were still held by the other, he bowed deeply once more: “The road ahead is long and far — Yue is willing to render the labor of a dog or horse for elder brother!”

Gongsun Xun was overjoyed, and disregarding that they were still outside the city, after raising the other up again he directly asked: “In that case, can A-Yue hold Jinyang for me and pacify Taiyuan?”

Gongsun Yue was silent for a moment, but then nodded heavily: “I am entirely at elder brother’s command — only I worry slightly that my own ability is insufficient, and beg elder brother to make more arrangements.”

“That is only natural.” Gongsun Xun thought nothing of it.

And hearing these brothers speak so bluntly, many people around them, from the Taiyuan aristocratic families to the Youzhou military officers, nearly all breathed a sigh of relief — at the very least, no one voiced any opposition or misgiving.

There was no helping it — this was the special function of clan brothers, or rather blood ties, in the era of familial rule over all under Heaven. As long as Gongsun Xun expressed trust in Gongsun Yue, then Gongsun Yue would immediately receive from Gongsun Xun a portion of the authority that originally belonged to him as General of the Guard… In other words, everyone’s acceptance of Gongsun Yue holding Jinyang and pacifying Taiyuan did not come from his having been Lu Zhi’s student, nor from his many years as a Gentleman of the Yellow Gate, but from the fact that his surname was Gongsun — that he was Gongsun Xun’s clan cousin.

This was the same as Gongsun Xun placing his wife and eldest son in Changping and thereby allowing Lu Fan to manage the overall situation there; the same as Lady Gongsun paving the way for her Anli Trading Company behind Gongsun Xun’s back without any hindrance; even the same as He Jin previously being able to hold real power over the realm… In essence, it was all the same principle.

The only difference was that the former relied on the concept of clan to share, extend, and protect power, while the latter relied on blood ties.

And one could imagine that before the concept of clan was eliminated, such things would continue to be taken for granted; and before the concept of family was eliminated, the latter would not easily vanish from history.

Returning to the matter at hand, the two brothers had been companions since youth and had not seen each other for many years, so after walking hand in hand back from outside Jiexiu city, and after holding a banquet to introduce Gongsun Yue to Tian Feng, Zhao Yun, Taishi Ci, and the many Taiyuan aristocratic families, that very evening Gongsun Xun simply pulled his clan cousin to his lodgings and carefully inquired about everything that had happened since they parted.

And Gongsun Yue naturally recounted it all from beginning to end, omitting no detail.

“So, after reading my letter, you actually gave He Jin a warning on my behalf?” Gongsun Xun, half-drunk, reclined on the couch with a faint, ambiguous smile. “But the man still died a violent death?”

“Yes.” Gongsun Yue, seated on a campstool below the couch, lowered his head and answered. “He died before the forbidden steps of the Jiade Hall in the Southern Palace.”

“And then, in my name, you kept Tian Chou and those hundred-odd wounded Volunteers in Luoyang, and relying on them you aided Teacher Lu, forced Zhao Zhong to his death, rescued the Empress Dowager, and also seized He Jin’s family?” The smile on Gongsun Xun’s face grew increasingly strange.

“Exactly so!” Gongsun Yue still answered with his head lowered.

“Is there anything else I do not know of?”

This time Gongsun Yue merely lowered his head, but actually dared not make a sound.

“Raise your head!” Gongsun Xun impatiently rebuked him. “Do you dare to act but not to own it?”

“Please, elder brother, punish me!” Gongsun Yue finally lifted his head and said.

“Why would I punish you?” Gongsun Xun, lying on his side on the couch, seemed rather listless. “Every single thing you did was on your own authority — but which one brought me any harm? And which one violated law or virtue? Which one was for your private gain? If we are to speak truly, it was you who glossed over my faults and whitewashed my misdeeds, so that I did not have to feel too guilty… I am not some intolerant autocrat, nor am I a muddled and benighted man who cannot tell right from wrong.”

Gongsun Yue lowered his head and said nothing.

“You said earlier that He Jin’s son was killed by Dong Zhuo? And that at the time only his wife and pregnant daughter-in-law remained?” Seeing that pressing him was inadvisable, Gongsun Xun casually turned to another trivial matter. “And that Lady He, anxious and uneasy the whole journey, kept wanting to marry her daughter-in-law, Lady Yin, to me as a concubine, in order to preserve the He family line?”

“Exactly.” Gongsun Yue hastily answered.

“I called He Jin brother — how could I marry his daughter-in-law?” Gongsun Xun shook his head repeatedly. “And moreover, I am at the front managing military affairs, with a great battle imminent — what would it mean to suddenly take a concubine?”

“It would only be in name.” Gongsun Yue could not help but urge. “Just as I married Senior Brother Zhen’s widow… Has she not lived perfectly well in Zhongshan with her children? Neither interferes with the other.”

“That still is not good.” Gongsun Xun still felt it was awkward. “How old is this Lady Yin? How many months along is her pregnancy?”

“Seventeen… The child has already been born at Boxian.”

“Quite pitiable — no wonder Lady He is so uneasy.” Gongsun Xun sighed, then casually instructed: “How about this — why don’t you marry her instead? In any case, it is only to set Lady He’s heart at ease… You have your own favored concubines, do you not?”

Gongsun Yue immediately shut his mouth and said nothing; the room fell silent for a time.

After a long while, it was Gongsun Xun who, still leaning on the couch, suddenly laughed in spite of himself: “Actually, A-Yue, I am truly grateful for these things you have done for me… Yet one matter, two matters, three matters — every single one shows you in the right. Does that not instead make it seem that I am not as righteous and benevolent as you?”

“No one else knows that these things were done on my own authority — they all believe they were done by elder brother!” Gongsun Yue carefully rose to face him.

“Sit! I do not mean to hold you to account for this.” Gongsun Xun said dismissively. “It is only that between you and me as brothers, if I feel discomfort and still keep it buried in my heart, would that not be worse? And since you did these things, you must have anticipated my reaction, no?”

Gongsun Yue helplessly lowered his head and sat back down.

“As for no one knowing?” Gongsun Xun continued dismissively. “The others might be one thing, but how could it be concealed from Teacher Lu? In his eyes, I am afraid I will once again earn the assessment of being calculating and scheming… Though that would not be wrong, either.”

“…”

“Why do you not speak?”

“I truly do not know what to say.” Gongsun Yue answered in a low voice. “I only feel that Teacher Lu has now abandoned his post and left — he may not necessarily be so harsh anymore.”

“Perhaps.” Gongsun Xun leaned sideways on the couch and sighed, yet instead seemed somewhat desolate. “Actually, it is not that I resent his harshness, just as it is not truly that I resent you for acting on your own authority… These years, the children at home have grown more numerous, and the older ones have all begun their schooling and entered the academy. Only now have I gradually come to realize: if he had not seen me as the hope for the future, placing his expectations and heavy trust in me, why would he have been so harsh? When he strictly restrained me back then, did he know that the situation would come to this present state? In the end, it was because he harbored the heart to set things right that he and I gradually drifted apart. But now that he has left the court, it shows he has also thoroughly awakened to the situation. That being the case…”

“Taking the Bingzhou route was Teacher Lu’s idea.” Gongsun Yue suddenly interjected. “Originally I planned to go via Zhaoge, Yecheng, and Handan… But Teacher Lu said that Yuan Benchu might harbor petty thoughts, which would put you in a difficult position then, and that at Handan and Zhaoge, Guan Yunchang and Shen Zhengnan are both people you trust deeply — they should have other arrangements as well.”

“This teacher of ours — had he been born twenty years earlier, he would surely have been a renowned Confucian minister under Heaven; had he been born twenty years later, he would surely have been a heroic and gallant figure, a great foe to me.” Gongsun Xun laughed in relief. “Fortunately, he was born neither early nor late, and accomplished nothing…”

Gongsun Yue started to speak, then hesitated.

"If you have something to say, say it," Gongsun Xun said dismissively. "Brothers facing each other after drinking — what can't be said?"

"I thought that Teacher Lu's twenty years of toiling in governance, though he accomplished nothing great, still did not betray his name as a renowned minister of the Confucian school." Gongsun Yue spoke through gritted teeth. "And when the great upheaval came in Luoyang, though he could not turn back the falling sky, he did not lose the heroic spirit of a northern man... Elder Brother, the heroes of this world cannot be judged solely by success or failure!"

Gongsun Xun laughed in spite of himself. Only after a long while did he shake his head and sigh: "So, deep in your bones, you still believe that everything you did in Luoyang was right, that it was all to mend what was broken and fill what was lacking, is that it?"

Gongsun Yue lowered his head and said nothing.

"Where is Teacher Lu now?" Gongsun Xun suddenly asked again.

"When we reached Qixian, I parted ways with them. I imagine he took his young son Lu Yu, along with Yue Yin, Master Yue, and the He family dependents, and went north toward Jinyang first."

"Lu Yu is only seven or eight this year, isn't he?"

"Yes!"

"I recall his mother died in childbirth?"

"Yes."

"No servants followed from Luoyang?"

"No."

"Go outside and summon someone." Gongsun Xun suddenly turned over. "It's already night, and I'm drunk — riding a horse won't do... Have them prepare a carriage."

Gongsun Yue hurriedly rose to support his clan brother, yet was bewildered: "Elder Brother means to go see Teacher Lu?"

"Correct," Gongsun Xun answered bluntly, already beginning to dress.

"Going tomorrow would not be too late," Gongsun Yue hastily urged him to stop. "Besides, a carriage ride is bumpy — if Elder Brother does not rest well, you won't be able to switch horses during the day either... Better to wait until you've sobered up tomorrow and ride light to Jinyang for a meeting."

"The reasoning is sound, but I fear it is already too late." Gongsun Xun knew the other's words were not wrong, so he let out a long breath heavy with the smell of wine and slumped back onto the couch, yet seemed somewhat helpless.

"How could it be too late?" Gongsun Yue was utterly confused.

"I fear Teacher Lu will not enter Jinyang, or if he does, he will at most meet briefly with my mother, entrust something to her, and then leave directly without stopping long." Gongsun Xun spoke frankly. "And once he is gone, it would be improper for me to chase after him. Only this time, when we happened to meet legitimately, could we speak a few honest words face to face."

"Then meeting again later won't be too late either," Gongsun Yue thought it was only the wine getting to his head, so he tried again to dissuade him. "Is Teacher Lu not returning to Youzhou?"

"Meeting again later will be difficult!" Gongsun Xun tilted his head back and lay down on the couch once more, yet was exceptionally helpless. "As his disciple, if I am incapable of achieving anything, how could I face him? And if I do achieve something, I may well trample upon the very things he spent his life defending — how then could I face him?"

Gongsun Yue understood in his heart and could not help but feel dejected.

"After Teacher Liu passed away, I often thought I must not leave regrets in such matters. Who would have thought that the affairs of the world so rarely go as one wishes?" Gongsun Xun waved his hand. "My mood has suddenly turned foul. A-Yue, withdraw for now."

Gongsun Yue took his leave helplessly.

Early the next morning, Gongsun Xun sobered up. He left Gongsun Yue as his acting deputy, with Wang Xiu, Lou Gui, and Tian Feng managing the overall situation, and himself led several dozen light cavalry galloping toward Jinyang. Yet just as he had expected, when he reached Jinyang and saw his mother, he suddenly learned that Lu Zhi had not entered the city at all — he had already left directly, alone with his young son.

"After I received word, I went out of the city to see him. I wanted him to stay and meet you once, but he said such was Heaven's will and one must not force it. I asked him to leave the child with me so I could care for him, but he said a son is raised by his father — that is Heaven's law and Earth's principle. I sent men to escort him to Fanyang; he did not refuse to their faces, but once I returned to the city, he sent them back." Lady Gongsun stood atop the city wall and sighed quietly. "A head of graying hair, looking far older than me. When we first met, I teased him about it, but I did not expect him to be as proud and stubborn as he was in his letters when we were young... At first it was quite infuriating, but thinking on it later, it felt rather poignant. And then I thought, Dong Zhuo has stirred up trouble — it's entered the script, so to speak — but it is no longer the era of our generation."

Gongsun Xun was silent for a moment, unsure how to comfort his mother. In truth, so much time had passed that he could not even be certain of the exact meaning of certain peculiar words in her speech.

"Go to Hedong and fight your war!" Lady Gongsun, seeing this, immediately came to her senses. "Melancholy and nostalgia are melancholy and nostalgia, but they are for others. Your mother here is in excellent health — shouldn't you, as her son, be happy about that?"

Gongsun Xun saw that his mother's spirits were indeed excellent and understood there was some "reason" in this. He could not help but nod in relief, then prepared to turn back and return to Jiexiu.

Yet just as he was about to turn around, he recalled another matter and could not help but stop and ask: "Mother, did Teacher Lu have anything to pass on, or any words he asked you to tell me?"

Lady Gongsun glanced back at her son, then narrowed her eyes slightly: "He praised you... He said, that you could think to delay the campaign for the spring plowing is truly remarkable — neither Dong Zhuo nor Yuan Shao can match you!"

"How did Mother reply?" Gongsun Xun suddenly felt a sense of release, his whole body much lighter, yet he was momentarily curious.

"I said... if my son couldn't even surpass Dong Zhuo and Yuan Shao, he might as well dash his head against the walls of Jinyang and die!" Lady Gongsun spoke unhurriedly, gazing out at the gradually greening wilderness along the banks of the Fen River beyond the city, making no effort to hide her pride. "Hurry to Hedong — that is where the critical matters lie. Do not dwell on superfluous things!"

Gongsun Xun indeed had nothing left to dwell on. He bowed deeply, then turned and descended from the city wall... Without stopping his horse, he turned straight back to Jiexiu.

—————I am the dividing line of having nothing left to dwell on—————

"When He Jin was slain, soon after Dong Zhuo entered Luoyang, again carried out deposition and enthronement, poisoned the Empress Dowager, and exterminated the He clan. The He clan was scattered above and below, all attendants fled, and among their disciples and former officials, not a single person came to their aid. At that time, Yue was in Luoyang, serving as a Gentleman Attendant at the Yellow Gate. About to flee because of the deposition and enthronement, he heard of this and told the Grand Ancestor's subordinate official Tian Chou: 'My elder brother and the late Grand General were friends from humble beginnings. He once wrote to tell me that if things went awry in Luoyang, all others could abandon the He clan, but the Gongsun clan alone must not be abandoned.' Chou agreed, and together they rallied over a hundred followers and turned back into Luoyang. With naked blades they seized the He family dependents in the streets, and then fled. When the scholars and commoners of Luoyang heard of this, though they dared not speak, they admired the Grand Ancestor for not abandoning them, and Yue for his courage!" — Old Book of Yan, Volume 67, Biography 17

PS: Thanks to the book friend Jing Yaoyao, the thirty-eighth Meng has appeared! I will do my utmost to adjust my condition and repay all you great lords.

(End of Chapter)