Chapter 354: By the River, He Hears a Plan to Settle the Realm

Let us turn to Gongsun Xun, who brushed past Lu Zhi and his son without meeting them, then returned to Jiexiu and turned his mind to the matter of advancing into Hedong and suppressing the Bobo bandits.

However, after spending vast manpower, resources, energy, and time during the spring planting season to reconnoiter and explore Hedong, Gongsun Xun and his strategists found themselves at a loss when faced with this famous commandery of the realm.

"To report to you, my lord, apart from the crude stratagem of dividing our forces to go through Shangdang and cut off their rear, we have no other plan," Lou Gui said within the government temple in Jiexiu city, and after speaking these words, he actually showed some shame.

After all, Xi Zhong had previously had a sudden flash of insight, seized the power vacuum in Henei, and with one move of driving the tiger to devour the wolf, easily took a commandery and also collected five thousand cavalry — this inevitably made Lou Gui and Tian Feng feel somewhat inadequate. And even the only feasible plan at this moment, which was what Lou Gui said about going through Shangdang to cut off the rear, was it not in fact borrowing from Xi Zhong's "battle achievements"?

"It is indeed difficult!" Gongsun Xun paid no mind to Lou Gui's expression. In truth, as he looked at the densely packed military intelligence reports and the large volume of private and official correspondence on the desk, his own brow was slightly furrowed. "According to this intelligence, the so-called one hundred thousand Hedong Bobo bandits are not merely a handful of Yellow Turban remnants... it seems more like the entire Hedong, from top to bottom, rising in self-protection and self-governance under the Yellow Turban banner — every city, every town, every village, every hamlet is involved!"

The assembled men nodded one after another.

"I was puzzled before," Gongsun Xun shook his head even more. "Since the Bobo bandits have gathered a hundred thousand men, how is it that Grand Administrator Wang Yi and the Hedong noble clans can still cling to survival around Anyi south of the Sushui River (the later Yuncheng area)? Could a mere Sushui River truly block a hundred thousand men? After all, if we speak of battle strength, Dong Zhuo's troops were all elite warriors from Guanxi, and even they suffered utter defeat... Looking at it today, it seems rather that the two sides were originally one family — the Bobo bandits occupy the Fenshui River on their own, while the rest who do not wish to be bandits stay in Anyi, with a tacit understanding between them!"

"To say they are one family may be going too far," Tian Feng suddenly frowned and said. "In this world, there are not so many dark conspiracies and strange theories; nine times out of ten, it is the general trend that compels things. In my view, it is true that the Bobo bandits arose from the refugees of Xihe, led in revolt by Guo Tai, that Yellow Turban remnant... and then it was simply that at the time the late Emperor's misrule was rampant, the great chaos in Liangzhou to the west required corvée labor from Hedong, and the common people and local strongmen, fearing death, had no choice but to follow. As for the current situation, it is likely because the prominent Hedong clans mostly reside south of the Sushui River, while the banks of the Fenshui River are full of strongmen's estates. To forcefully accuse them of collusion is perhaps too harsh."

Gongsun Xun could not help but laugh: "Yuanhao speaks rightly. I was being too harsh. But in any case, we cannot now count on help from the Anyi side."

"Anyi was never in the plan to begin with," Lou Gui sighed. "It is solely the banks of the Fenshui River — officials, strongmen, and commoners all in revolt... for the Bobo bandits, it is rather like defending home and country. Truly difficult to deal with!"

"That being so, can we not offer amnesty and recruitment?" Ju Zong, standing nearby, could not resist interjecting.

"How can we speak of amnesty at this moment?" Tian Feng still disagreed. "The Bobo bandits may indeed seem like Hedong strongmen and commoners raising the rebel flag to protect themselves, but since they have swept through more than half of Hedong, crushed Niu Fu, and even once invaded Shangdang, who dares say their leaders have not developed ambition? Therefore, amnesty can certainly be achieved, but absolutely not at this moment — right now, their arrogance is at its peak! Moreover, Guo Tai is still a Yellow Turban remnant... how could he possibly let things rest with our general?"

"So, from the perspective of the swift campaign against Dong Zhuo, the only option now is a direct battle?" Ju Zong probed for confirmation.

"Correct," Gongsun Xun nodded, then simply rose and gave the order. "Since the spring planting is over and Shangdang is already in the bag, let us delay no longer. The entire army shall advance along the Fenshui River, go out through Yong'an (present-day Huo County, Shanxi), take Yang County (Hongdong), and approach Xiangling (Linfen)... seeking an opportunity for a decisive battle! I refuse to believe that as we take city after city, this Guo Tai can hold back?!"

"How shall we arrange the Shangdang direction?" Tian Feng immediately pressed. "Whom to send, with how many troops, to circle around from Shangdang to the rear?"

"Not a single soldier!" Gongsun Xun answered boldly. "The key to this campaign lies in a direct decisive battle. Our army is few in number; if we divide our forces, we will instead diminish our battle strength. And as for the Bobo bandits, how could they not know that the neighboring commandery of Shangdang has fallen into our hands? So even if we do not divide our forces to circle to the rear, they will still be cautious and on guard."

Tian Feng fell silent for a moment.

"Then how many troops do we leave in Shangdang?" Lou Gui asked again.

"Didn't Qian Zhao and Cheng Lian already reach Shangdang with two thousand Henei troops? Let Qian Zhao take those two thousand men to hold Huguan and the southern Yangtou Mountain," Gongsun Xun was already leaving his seat and walking out, but his voice remained full of vigor and his orders crisp. "In any case, if we win in Hedong, he can naturally take his time recruiting commandery troops to maintain order."

"Yufuluo and Huchuquan are still outside the city, earnestly requesting an audience with you, my lord," Wang Xiu, the General of the Gentlemen of the Household Who Maintains Order in the Army, who had remained silent all along, suddenly reminded. "How should we deal with them?"

"Since they so wish to see me, let the two of them serve as squad leaders among the Volunteer Followers, and have Wenze keep a close watch on them!" Gongsun Xiu sneered as he continued walking out. "Their five thousand cavalry shall be divided into five units of one thousand each — two units to be led by Cheng Lian, two by Wei Yue, both serving as deputy generals to Yigong with the rank of Separate Division Major; the last unit to be given to Yuwen Heita!"

"That is still rather harsh..." Tian Feng frowned. "After all, they are the legitimate Chanyu of the Xiongnu and the Right Worthy King, the four-hundred-year orthodox line of the Xiongnu Liu clan."

"Men who surrendered — what more do they expect?" Gongsun Xun had long since walked out of the government temple, only his voice could still be heard. "Were it not that the Meiji Royal Court still exists and we may still need to borrow their influence in the future, I would have hanged those two outside the city long ago! China is in civil strife, and a few mere Xiongnu think they can seize a share of the spoils? Do they truly believe they bear the surname Liu?!"

In the hall of the government temple, the many strategists and military officers were all speechless.

Several days later, on the fifth day of the second month, seeing that the spring planting in Taiyuan was roughly complete, the General of the Guards Gongsun Xun hesitated no more and immediately dispatched the entire army downstream along the Fenshui River, straight for Hedong... The banks of the Fenshui River are the richest area in the land of Jin, a stretch of open terrain, and along the way, armor gleamed and banners were distinct, the advance swift yet entirely visible.

It was only after the great army had set out that Gongsun Xun, while on the march, dispatched messengers far and wide, announcing a large number of personnel appointments:

First among them, naturally, was recommending his clansman Gongsun Yue as General Who Pacifies the North, to be stationed in the Taiyuan commandery seat of Jinyang, and to remotely hold the empty title of Grand Administrator of Jiuyuan.

Next, he appointed the former Grand Administrator of Yuyang, Chang Lin, as Grand Administrator of Taiyuan, and recommended the former Grand Administrator of Yanmen, Guo Yun, as Grand Administrator of Yuyang... this too had long been in the plan.

Not stopping there, Gongsun Xun also recommended the famous scholar from far-off Youzhou, his friend of many years Wei You, as Grand Administrator of Guangyang, and brought the former Grand Administrator of Guangyang, Du Ji, into the army... clearly valuing the man's background as a native of Jingzhao, intending to make use of him for matters in Hedong or Guanzhong.

For the newly acquired Shangdang, Gongsun Xun appointed the famous scholar of Hebei, renowned for decades, the former Chief Clerk to the General of Chariots and Cavalry, Yue Yin, as Grand Administrator of Shangdang, and made his former subordinate Qian Zhao Commandant of Huguan... This appointment was out of concern that Qian Zhao lacked sufficient prestige, so he used Yue Yin, the mentor of Qian Zhao, as a figurehead. Otherwise, with Qian Zhao's seniority under Gongsun Xun, and his mastery of both civil and military affairs, once assigned to a local post, how could he be merely a Commandant?

As for Tian Chou and Cheng Lian, who had returned by this time, their cases were rather more straightforward.

Tian Chou was only twenty-two this year, still too young to be easily sent out, so he naturally returned to the Volunteer Followers. Only, since his labors on this campaign were arduous and his merit great, he could not go unrewarded, so he was specially given the rank of Major with a thousand-dan salary.

And Cheng Lian, a martial man from the border commanderies, a so-called fang and claw, was, like his former fellow townsman Wei Yue, given command of two thousand troops, nominally a Separate Division Major assisting Han Dang, but in reality a deputy cavalry general directly subordinate to Gongsun Xun.

Apart from this, it is slightly worth mentioning that Gongsun Xun also, on the basis of the achievements in Yanmen, Taiyuan, and Shangdang, recommended Xi Zhong as General of the Gentlemen of the Household of the Forward Army, and Gao Shun as Captain Who Sweeps the Wilderness... this, on the contrary, had long been within everyone's expectations.

Of course, the remaining officers, subordinate officials, and even ordinary soldiers in the army had already had their military merits calculated, been promoted, and received considerable rewards after the earlier capture of Taiyuan and the acquisition of vast wealth and supplies. There was nothing extra to say on this occasion... after all, on a distant expedition of a thousand li, the morale of the rank and file is the last thing to be careless about — how could Gongsun Xun make such a mistake?

And since the great army had rested, been rewarded, been promoted, and was fully equipped, and was moving downstream, its momentum was naturally beyond question.

On the seventh day of the second month, the Youzhou army easily seized Yong'an, the northeastern gateway to Hedong. Unexpectedly, there was not much defense there; after inflicting only a few hundred casualties, they broke through with ease.

On the eleventh day of the second month, the Youzhou army advanced on Yang County. This time, north of Yang County, they encountered resistance from a force of four to five thousand men. The battle was fierce, but they still won easily.

In truth, after the battle of Yang County, there was both good news and bad, but overall, the upper echelons of the Youzhou army had three parts less worry and three parts more ease than before:

First, although it had been anticipated, perhaps because a large number of strongmen and sons of good families were involved, the quality of the Bobo bandits' soldiers was even better than imagined — they could be called fierce and daring in battle... Gongsun Xun even saw among the captives former subordinates who had once been knights of the Three Rivers!

But on the other hand, what they had never imagined before fighting a battle themselves was that the banks of the Fenshui River were far too flat, the ground was firm, and moreover it was springtime with grass growing and orioles flying — it was simply too advantageous for large-scale cavalry operations!

This was tremendously good news!

After all, while the knights of Hedong are renowned throughout the realm, in terms of the number of warhorses, the scale of cavalry, and the elite quality of the cavalry, how could the single commandery of Hedong compare with Gongsun Xun's force?!

Continuing forward, attacking cities and seizing territory, and seeking an opportunity for a decisive battle had already become the consensus among the army's high command!

But just as the great army continued south, fought and won again at Gaoliang Village southwest of Yang County, routing three thousand enemies, and prepared to press south toward Xiangling, someone suddenly, heedless of the chaos of war, came alone as soon as the battle had calmed, and sought an audience right on the road.

"Wei Ji, Wei Boyu?" Gongsun Xun stood beneath the central army canopy and turned his head curiously to ask. "I seem to have heard this name before... but I cannot quite recall clearly. Does anyone here know of him?"

As soon as the words were spoken, Wang Xiang, the army's document clerk, could not wait to cup his hands and respond: "My lord! I have long heard of this man's great name in Henei. As far as I know, this man is the foremost in family lineage in Hedong, foremost in virtue, foremost in learning, foremost in calligraphy, foremost in prose — known on all sides as the foremost famous scholar of Hedong!"

Gongsun Xun and many of the surrounding officers and subordinate officials were dumbstruck.

Yet, many of the aides and Volunteer Followers in the army who had been appointed from Taiyuan, such as Linghu Hua, the heir of the Linghu clan, and Wang Ji, son of Wang Rou of Taiyuan, all nodded in agreement.

Of course, Gongsun Xun also immediately came to his senses... the surname Wei in Hedong must be the Wei clan of Hedong (unrelated to Wei Qing, but descendants of the Ji-surnamed feudal lords that had lasted a thousand years), so their family lineage was naturally the foremost in Hedong. As for the other various "foremosts" — virtue and learning aside — calligraphy and prose, before Wang Xiang and the other scholars of neighboring commanderies, absolutely could not be faked, so these two "foremosts" were likely without any issue either.

That being so, no matter what, he must be seen. Moreover, the man should at this moment be far away at his home in Anyi; for him to come lightly attended through the chaos of war, there must be an important matter!

With this thought, Gongsun Xun simply cut off Wang Xiang's introduction of Wei Ji — something about becoming famous in youth, being called a prodigy, not taking office for over a decade — and directly invited the man to meet.

And when he saw from afar a tall, well-built man in his thirties, dressed with strict neatness, in a high cap and straight robe, walking forward with head held high — though travel-worn, his distinguished bearing undiminished... however, although Wang Xiang and the others instinctively wished to dismount and go to greet him, seeing Gongsun Xun sitting on his horse beneath the canopy, motionless, they could only feel helpless and dared not act on their own.

Others might not know, but how could close associates like Lou Gui and Han Dang not know that their lord's nature of being proud toward superiors and compassionate toward inferiors had flared up again — clearly, he was outwardly silent about these "various foremosts" but inwardly mocking them.

"Wei Ji of Hedong, come to see the General of the Guards!" Yet this man did not seem to mind Gongsun Xun's attitude at all. He simply bowed from below the horse, then came straight to the point. "May I ask the General of the Guards, do you intend to continue down the Fenshui River to attack Xiangling?"

"Indeed," Gongsun Xun answered bluntly. "This is something even someone who does not understand military affairs could see at a glance... Well, have you come as a lobbyist for Guo Tai, to persuade me not to advance?"

At these words, Wang Xiang and the others could not help but look anxious... because the malice in Gongsun Xun's words was far too obvious!

Yet Wei Ji, from below the horse, raised his head and answered without the slightest anger: "To report to the General, I have not come as a lobbyist for the rebels, but I have indeed come to urge the General not to advance further, and moreover to ask the General to encamp here for several more days!"

The atmosphere at the central army grew subtly tense. Gongsun Xun, however, laughed. He had already concluded that this man was no spy, but perhaps a bookish fool who understood nothing: "Speak then — I have won battle after battle, why should I stop here? Do you not know that I am going to campaign against Dong Zhuo? If I stop here, when will I ever cross Hedong and approach Luoyang?"

"Allow me to make it clear to the General," Wei Ji, unhurried, continued to answer with a serious expression. "I was previously in Anyi, and across the river I could see that the villain Dong has already begun relocating the capital... The common people around Luoyang are being seized by armored soldiers, wailing and lamenting along the road, audible across the river... And there are rumors that the villain Dong has issued a death order — the relocation of the capital must be completed before the middle of the third month. Hedong is vast, and I fear the General, no matter what, cannot arrive in time to stop it. Therefore, there is only Chang'an; why speak of Luoyang?"

The men in the army looked at one another in confusion, each more flustered than the last. Even Gongsun Xun’s expression darkened with uncertainty. “Even if we cannot stop the relocation of the capital in time, I should still advance swiftly! You call Dong a traitor — shouldn’t you be helping me cross Hedong at once?”

“General.” Wei Ji answered earnestly. “It is precisely because I count on you to quell the chaos of the realm that I fear even more that you might suffer a mishap in Hedong, lest one day…”

“I already said, the whole army has won battle after battle — what mishap could there be?” Gongsun Xun seemed quite angered.

“May I ask General Wei,” Wei Ji remained unafraid, “in these three victories, how many Bobo bandits have you subdued or routed in total?”

“Over eight thousand!”

“And then you descend upon Xiangling — if another three or five thousand stand before you, what will the General do then?”

Gongsun Xun at once began to see the point.

“I will speak plainly.” Wei Ji, seeing the other man’s realization, hastened to explain. “The General follows the Fen River downstream. Ahead lie Pingyang, Jiangyi, Linfen, Jicheng, Pishi, and many other cities held by the Bobo bandits… If Guo Tai still avoids battle, abandoning the cities and simply leading fifty or sixty thousand men into the Lu Liang Mountains to the north to hide, how will the General respond? Hedong has nearly twenty counties — broad land and dense population. If the General bypasses them and rushes straight into Guanzhong, does he not fear his supply lines being cut? And if he stations defenses along the way, with so many cities, how many troops must he leave behind? The General’s only strategy is to sweep Hedong completely clean; only then can he be free of worry and cross the Yellow River with confidence to fight the traitor Dong!”

Gongsun Xun fell into deep thought for a moment.

It was Lou Gui who suddenly cupped his hands from horseback and spoke up: “Lou Gui of Nanyang, may I ask Master Boyu — why are you so certain Guo Tai will avoid battle, and why do you want our army to remain here at Yang County? Could it be that stopping here will instead force Guo Tai to seek a decisive battle?”

“Greetings to the Left Military Advisor General of the Household.” Wei Ji did not neglect the courtesy, but countered with a question. “May I ask the General of the Household — do you understand the situation in Hedong?”

“Isn’t it simply that the great clans gather south of the Su River to keep our lord’s senior fellow disciple, Administrator Wang, secure in Anyi, while the powerful families and sons of good households live along both banks of the Fen River and have therefore banded together as bandits?” Xi Zhong interjected.

“Broadly correct, but there are gaps.” Wei Ji pointed north toward the Fen River and spoke calmly. “In truth, Hedong is divided into three by the Su River and the Fen River… The renowned aristocratic clans mostly dwell south of the Su and north of the Yellow River, rooted in the ancient capital of Anyi — on this point you are not wrong. And it is also true that the powerful families and sons of good households live on either side of the Fen River — but the powerful families live south of the Fen and north of the Su, while the sons of good households mostly live north of the Fen…”

Gongsun Xun’s expression flickered.

“But further north still, in the Lu Liang Mountains, because of the earlier chaos in Guanzhong, many refugees from Guanzhong, Liangzhou, and Bingzhou have fled there, scraping out a bare survival.” Wei Ji continued. “When Guo Tai rose up with the remnants of the Yellow Turbans, he first gathered the starving people in the northern mountains, then swept south, first sweeping up the sons of good households on the Fen’s north bank. He formally launched his rebellion at Bobo Valley by the Fen River, then crossed the river to attack cities and seize territory, drawing countless powerful families to follow him. And at this moment, those blocking General Wei in various places are in fact the powerful families acting on their own. As for Guo Tai and the Bobo bandits from north of the Fen, they have made their own arrangements and are repeatedly retreating and yielding ground…”

“I understand your meaning now.” Gongsun Xun suddenly cut him off directly. “You are saying that Guo Tai could never command those powerful families south of the Fen in the first place… If I drive south with the force of a thunderbolt, he would have every reason to avoid battle and take the chance to abandon those powerful families. But if I stop here and send cavalry raiding in all directions, like a blade hanging overhead, those powerful families south of the Fen would instead have time to band together and jointly pressure Guo Tai to come and fight a decisive battle.”

“That is precisely my meaning.” Wei Ji cupped his hands in salute and spoke earnestly. “General Wei… I do not understand military strategy. I have merely lived here a long time and have a slight grasp of the situation in Hedong. Why not encamp here for now? If what I say proves right, you can seize the moment for a decisive battle and eliminate future trouble. If what I say proves wrong, waiting a few days will not harm the larger plan!”

“Extremely well said.” Gongsun Xun held the reins and gazed north toward the Fen River from horseback, nodding slightly. “I was indeed careless for a moment… But Master Boyu, this matter does not concern you. Rather than sit in Anyi watching for the outcome, you braved the chaos of war and came here alone — what are you after? According to what my staff just said, you became famous in your youth, your family lineage and reputation are said to be the finest in Hedong, yet you have never taken office. Why now, alone and risking danger, come here expressly to aid me?”

Wei Ji shook his head repeatedly. “When the realm was not yet in chaos, I devoted myself to classical texts and calligraphy — was that not permissible? And now that the realm is in turmoil, as a scholar-official, is it not only right to set things in order?”

“That may be so, but with the realm in chaos and warlords rising everywhere, why take me as the one to set things right?” Gongsun Xun looked down from his height, his expression ambiguous. “I am hardly one of those who humbly welcomes worthy men.”

“I am no flatterer, but seeing that General Wei waited until after the spring planting to move his troops, I understood that you are by no means a man of empty reputation, and that you possess a heart that seeks to bring peace. Not to mention, with Dong Zhuo’s tyranny and excesses at their peak, a hero capable of suppressing him is needed now more than ever!” Wei Ji looked up and answered gravely. “At a time like this, if I do not seek out the General, am I to count on these local bandits to quell the chaos?”

“What of my senior fellow disciple Wang Yi — is he not your commandery governor?”

“Lord Wang enjoys the support of all ranks in the commandery,” Wei Ji answered frankly. “And he humbly welcomes worthy men. His only shortcoming is that he cannot command troops — and moreover, he has no troops. At a time like this, what can one expect of him?”

Gongsun Xun could not help but look abashed. Embarrassed, he dismounted, then cupped his hands slightly toward the other man. “It is I who have been overly suspicious, mistaking a scholar of the realm for an idle talker… May I ask Master Boyu, since Hedong is divided by two rivers into three regions, each with its own circumstances, how exactly should Hedong be pacified?”

The men of the central army, seeing this, hurriedly dismounted as well.

“North of the Fen River, all are innocent commoners, merely seeking a mouthful of food.” Wei Ji put on no airs whatsoever; instead, with a simple cupping of hands, he laid everything out, even with some urgency. “If you can capture and kill Guo Tai, General, do not pursue the matter further. Instead, you should pacify them and let them return home to farm.”

Gongsun Xun’s heart stirred, and he grew increasingly attentive.

“As for the powerful families south of the Fen, these people in truth have no great ambitions. It is simply that they each command thousands of tenant households and common households, and host hundreds or even thousands of retainers — their strength makes it so. Add to that the times of turmoil, and so one after another they have raised troops to occupy cities, townships, and post stations. In name they are rebels, but in truth they are carving out fiefs, merely seeking a precarious ease. The only thing is that the people of Hedong are fierce by custom, and these men are mostly skilled in war — they cannot be left unchecked… If the General can awe all of Hedong in a single battle, he might take advantage of the fighting to draw these men into the army, select those with a sense of shame and genuine talent to serve as officers, use military law to purge the muddled and unvirtuous among them, and then annex their followers! In short, they cannot be allowed to remain in Hedong. Otherwise, once turmoil strikes again, they will have tasted blood and will rebel again sooner or later!”

By now, Gongsun Xun’s gaze toward Wei Ji carried a hint of admiration!

However…

“Then may I ask Master Boyu,” Gongsun Xun could not help but urge when the other had reached this point, “how should the great clans of Hedong over in Anyi be dealt with?”

“It varies by the person.” Wei Ji answered in a deep voice. “Among the great clans of Hedong, there are those of both virtue and talent… For instance, the Jia clan has a youth just come of age, named Jia Kui, who now serves as a commandery clerk in Anyi. I consider this man’s ability to surpass mine tenfold!”

Gongsun Xun could not help but laugh. “A youth just come of age — even if he has some talent and can be shaped, how could he compare to you, Master Boyu? Is it merely because his surname is Jia?”

“It is more because this man saw very early that the realm would fall into chaos. From his youth, alongside his studies, he always led the companions of his village in drilling military exercises, and he received instruction in his family’s art of war.” Wei Ji looked at Gongsun Xun thoughtfully. “And he is open-minded by nature… Although he comes from a great clan, his family was poor. Before he became a clerk, he was so destitute he owned only a single pair of trousers. His brother-in-law’s family, the Liu clan, was well-off, so he went to visit wearing his tattered trousers and stayed the night. The next morning, he left wearing his brother-in-law’s trousers…”

Gongsun Xun was momentarily speechless.

“General Wei, I can roughly guess your thoughts. It is simply that the great clans of Hedong have been content to keep to their corner in Anyi, coexisting peacefully with the Bobo bandits, and this has stirred your indignation, leading you to be suspicious of me and suspicious of the various clans of Hedong… But tell me, can a Jia clan of Hedong so poor that a man must go to his brother-in-law’s house to change trousers, and a Liu clan where the brother-in-law yields his trousers every time — can clans such as these truly be mere empty names?”

Gongsun Xun could not help but laugh again. “But the fact that Anyi has survived so long truly does raise suspicions. The Jia clan may be poor, the Liu clan open-minded, but are there no extravagant and disorderly great clans? You say the powerful families of Hedong are rebels in name but fief-holders in truth — then are there no great clans of Hedong who are officials in name but fief-holding rebels in truth? Master Boyu, it is not that I am harsh, but once a great clan carves out a fief, it is far more troublesome than those powerful families without ambition!”

“There are indeed two such great clans, and they have indeed produced two degenerate rebels.” Wei Ji’s expression did not change. “At present, within the city of Anyi, all troops are controlled by these two men. It is simply that Administrator Wang has served for two years and is regarded as their benefactor, so they have not yet pressured their superior. But the situation in Anyi is entirely in the grip of these two! If the General pacifies the Bobo bandits and moves south to Anyi, I believe you should likewise incorporate these two men, or simply deal with them outright!”

“Which clans, which men?” Gongsun Xun pressed relentlessly.

“One is of the Fan clan, and their leader is called Fan Xian. The other is of my own clan, the Wei clan, and their leader is called Wei Gu — he is a junior clansman of one branch of my Wei clan who serves as steward!” Wei Ji’s expression remained unchanged. “If I had not wished to keep these two from knowing, why would I have come here alone, risking danger? It is true that the powerful families here mostly recognize me, but in the chaos of war, do you think I have no fear?”

The people around looked at one another, speechless. Gongsun Xun, hearing this, threw back his head and laughed loudly. When his laughter ended, he pressed again: “Lord Wei, kin should conceal for kin… A renowned scholar like you is truly rare under heaven!”

“Of course I know that kin should conceal for kin.” Wei Ji, whose expression had remained composed all along, suddenly changed color. “But I have spent many years at home, studying classical texts and laws on one hand while observing the affairs of the times on the other. How could I not understand that this realm has fallen step by step to its present state precisely because there are no more rules, no more law? The collapse of the realm begins with the corruption of men’s hearts! Only by upholding the law for the sake of all under heaven can chaos be quelled and the people pacified! Wei Gu overstepped the bounds first. Though I am but a commoner, how could I set aside the law for private reasons?!”

Gongsun Xun sighed in sudden admiration and could not help stepping forward to grasp the man’s hands. “I thought Lord Wei had come only to offer a plan to pacify Hedong — I never imagined you had come to offer a plan to pacify all under heaven! My staff happens to lack one person to establish laws and regulations. Would Boyu be willing to condescend to take the post?”

“I came for this very purpose — how could I be unwilling?” The man who in another time and space would serve as Imperial Secretary for two generations of Cao Wei immediately regained his usual composure and faced him squarely.

——————I am the dividing line of a clear conscience——————

“When the Grand Ancestor campaigned against Dong and approached Hedong, Wei Ji waited for him at Gaoliang Post. The battle had just ended, and Ji entered the battlefield in a tall cap to pay his respects. The Grand Ancestor, seeing Ji approach, sat haughtily on horseback and mocked him. Ji drew near, performed a deep bow, and said: ‘Does the General wish to attack Dong? If so, you should halt here. If not, you should swiftly attack the Bobo bandits and head south.’ The Grand Ancestor was startled: ‘What do you mean by this?’ Ji replied: ‘The Bobo bandits claim a hundred thousand and are unmatched in battle, yet their leader Guo Tai cannot control the various divisions. The General commands battle-hardened elite troops. If you attack swiftly, Tai will surely abandon the divisions and flee north into the Lu Liang Mountains, leaving future trouble. If the General encamps here and slows the pace, the divisions will have a moment to catch their breath and will pressure Tai into a decisive battle — and you can win in a single engagement. This is what is meant by: haste makes waste, while a slow advance can bring swift arrival.’ The Grand Ancestor dismounted in awe, cupped his hands in apology, and then appointed him Army Major to oversee military law.” — New Book of Yan, Volume 75, Biography 25

PS: Thanks to book friend Qili Gu’s hamster… Alright, the library of Qili Valley — yet another dual-meng benefactor!

(End of chapter)