Chapter 375: Determined to Cross the Red Dragon Over the Long Plateau

By Shangyang, willow hues beckon spring’s return,

By the Wei, peach blossoms brush the water and take flight.

All because the court has gone on progress,

The capital Luo has suddenly lost its luster.

Guanzhong is famed as the eight-hundred-li Qin plain, but geographically, calling it the Wei River Plain is undoubtedly more fitting — and as the name implies, all of Guanzhong exists around this vital tributary of the Yellow River... Huayin lies by the Wei, Baling lies by the Wei, Chang’an lies by the Wei, Maoling lies by the Wei, and even Mei County lies by the Wei.

Gongsun Xun led seven thousand cavalry, reckless of all else, racing west — naturally, they galloped along the flat Wei River highway the whole way.

They left Tongguan at noon on the twentieth day of the fifth month, passed Huayin in the afternoon, and lodged at Zheng County that night; early the next morning, reckless of all else, they again raced westward, passed Hongmen Pavilion in the afternoon, and lodged at Baling that night; and at noon on the third day, Gongsun Xun arrived beneath the walls of Chang’an...

The reason it went so smoothly was twofold:

First, along the entire route, just as Jia Xu had said, they met no resistance whatsoever — and this was not merely the result of Dong Min stepping aside and leaving a military vacuum; more importantly, every city they passed, every official they encountered, all chose, in their bewilderment, a posture of silent cooperation.

If they wanted the gates opened, the gates were opened at once; if they wanted dry provisions, they were promptly offered; if they wanted to requisition mules and horses, it was done immediately... Of course, Gongsun Xun did not tell them to change banners (they were all Han banners anyway), nor did he order them to resist so-and-so or purge so-and-so — he merely displayed his White Horse Banner to identify himself, then told everyone that on this journey, he, Gongsun Xun, had come solely to Mei Fortress to exterminate Dong Zhuo!

In short, along the entire way, the local cooperation was so seamless that it truly seemed as if the court’s General of the Guards was marching at ease through territory under the court’s own administration.

Such smooth progress certainly had deeper causes, but it was not simply a matter of popular allegiance. In fact, on the second night, when Gongsun Xun was at Baling, he came to a realization — that this man Dong Zhongying, being of martial background, placed excessive weight on troops and horses while excessively neglecting the bureaucratic system, to the point that the bureaucratic system under him could only function by borrowing the structure and authority of the central government!

In other words, the reason these people obeyed Dong Zhuo was only because the court was in Dong Zhuo’s hands, coupled with military coercion — not a single local official was directly loyal to him!

This discovery was, for the present moment, an enormous stroke of good fortune, but it was also enough to make Gongsun Xun inwardly vigilant.

Second, and it is somewhat laughable to say, but it is a fact — Gongsun Xun and his troops simply moved too fast... A pure cavalry force, racing along the Wei River highway, meeting no military obstacles along the way, not even entering cities unless necessary — even a courier would probably move at this speed.

So wherever the troops advanced, everywhere they went, faces were filled with astonishment; everyone was shocked and uncertain at Gongsun Xun’s arrival, and in their shock and uncertainty, no one dared make a rash move — yet Gongsun Xun, aside from necessary provisions and rest, simply did not stop, giving these people no chance to entertain other thoughts.

Finally, and even more interestingly, as Gongsun Xun rapidly penetrated deeper, this degree of cooperation and astonishment seemed to be continually deepening in tandem.

“Are you certain you saw clearly?” In Chang’an, someone rushed to report to the Censor-in-Chief Huangfu Song, who was living at home in idleness — and the latter, sitting in his courtyard reading, could scarcely believe it, so much so that the scroll in his hand slipped and fell to the ground. “It was truly the White Horse Banner?”

“It was truly the White Horse Banner!” The messenger kowtowed in reply — it was Huangfu Song’s own son, Huangfu Jianshou.

“Approximately how many troops?”

“Seven or eight thousand, all cavalry!” Huangfu Jianshou answered hastily.

“Did you see it with your own eyes?” Huangfu Yizhen, sitting beneath a tree in the courtyard, pressed the question while still feeling somewhat dazed. “Ahead there is Tongguan and Pujin — twenty or thirty thousand men would be enough to hold off over a hundred thousand. How could the General of the Guards’ troops suddenly appear beneath the walls of Chang’an? And in terms of troop strength, Dong Zhuo’s forces ought to be superior; his dispositions were not flawed either...”

“I do not know how it happened, but they really have arrived!” Huangfu Jianshou, kneeling on the ground, said urgently. “The officer stationed at Xuanping Gate is a former subordinate of our family. After he sent word to me, I went up onto the gate tower myself to look — there is no mistaking it... Father, let us act!”

“No rush for now!” Huangfu Song shook his head, bent down, and with slightly trembling hands picked up the Investiture of the Gods from the ground. “Let me ask you... how did the troops on the walls react?”

“Naturally, they shut the city gates and mounted a strict defense!” Huangfu Jianshou answered at once. “But in my view, the men on the walls are panicked and uneasy. If we exert ourselves and seize one gate, Chang’an can easily change hands! And the grievance of Dong Zhuo repeatedly humiliating our Huangfu clan can be settled as well!”

“It is not so simple.” Huangfu Song clutched the Investiture of the Gods and shook his head repeatedly. “Dong Zhuo is still here, and there is no reason for his main army to have suddenly vanished entirely. There must be something strange about this. If we wager wrongly, then given Dong Zhuo’s way of doing things, the slightest misstep could bring calamity upon our entire household. And besides, the factions in Chang’an are complex — after several rounds of purges, everyone suspects everyone else. A sudden move would inevitably cause chaos...”

“Then...”

“Amid the general panic, the first priority should be to safeguard the Son of Heaven and the high officials.” Huangfu Song looked up at the shade of the tree above and sighed. “I will go at once to see Minister Over the Masses Wang, and ask him, in his capacity as head of the Masters of Writing, to issue orders to draw off a portion of troops to guard the Son of Heaven in the palace, and then summon the high officials for deliberation.”

Huangfu Jianshou was about to argue further, but then suddenly understood, and said with heartfelt admiration: “Father, this is truly the way of seasoned statecraft.”

“If not for our insufficient strength, why would I resort to such petty cleverness?” Huangfu Song shook his head again and again. “I too wish to lead ten thousand riders, bearing the White Horse Banner, sweeping from Liaoxi to Guanzhong for a thousand li... but now it is too late for regrets.”

Huangfu Jianshou was also helpless.

And so, Huangfu Yizhen cast aside his Investiture of the Gods, hastily changed into proper attire, and set out with his son, intending to see Wang Yun... However, the moment they stepped out the door, they ran straight into his nephew Huangfu Li, who had just come down from the city walls and brought his uncle and elder brother the latest news.

“Uncle, Elder Brother!” Huangfu Li gave a hasty salute and then spoke bluntly. “The General of the Guards personally rode past outside the city, then ordered his soldiers to shout, ‘The enemy is but one man, now at Mei County,’ and then led his entire army outside the city, turning north. It seems he intends to cross the Wei Bridge and advance on Mei County north of the Wei, paying no attention to Chang’an at all!”

Huangfu Song shook his head repeatedly, finally seeing the full picture, and then, heedless of all else, left his somewhat bewildered son and nephew behind, turned, and went back inside to read his Investiture of the Gods.

For a time, within Chang’an, there was no great chaos, yet everyone’s hearts were uneasy and restless.

Leaving aside what was happening inside Chang’an, outside the city, as the cavalry formation turned and crossed the bridge before the eyes of several thousand garrison troops, Xu Rong, as the ranking general of this raiding force second only to Gongsun Xun, naturally had to make certain routine requests from a military standpoint.

“My Lord!” Xu Rong spurred his horse over, halted on the bridge, and then, pointing at what was perhaps the broadest bridge surface of the age beneath their feet, asked with a serious expression. “The Wei Bridge is broad and convenient for marching. After the entire army crosses the river, shall we have Wenyuan burn the bridge as a precaution?”

“No need!” Gongsun Xun, who had personally shouted several times beneath the walls of Chang’an and was now drinking from a waterskin atop his horse, lowered the waterskin, wiped his mouth, and remained as blunt and direct as ever. “Do nothing at all — no enemy will come... Dong Min, Guo Si, and Lu Bu might move, but if those three move, Zibo, Yuanhao, and Yigong will immediately pursue, turning their withdrawal into a rout — which is exactly what I want to see! As for the various Dong army forces in Hongnong and Henan, with Wenhe at Tongguan and Boda at Wuguan, they are not worth worrying about!”

“But what of Chang’an?!” Xu Rong pressed, still pointing at the towering walls of Chang’an, still within sight. “We inquired clearly along the way, and just now saw clearly as well — although Chang’an has no field army elite troops, it does have several thousand garrison soldiers. What if someone among them who is skilled in command and loyal to Lord Dong leads troops in pursuit, and coordinates with Lord Dong from within and without at Mei Fortress? My Lord, we have no supply line — if we are blocked, it is we who will fall into chaos!”

“That will not happen!” Gongsun Xun put away his waterskin, slowly urged his horse forward, and could not help but sneer. “Bojin, you still do not understand politics or the human heart. As for those in Chang’an right now who truly have boldness and ability — such as Wang Yun, who controls the court administration, and Huangfu Song and Gai Xun, who hold great prestige in the Guanzhong army — even if they are wary of me, they would absolutely never aid Dong Zhuo again... And in the final analysis, Jia Wenhe’s stratagem has truly struck the vital point. The overall situation in Guanzhong hinges solely on me and Dong Zhuo. So long as I can pin down Dong Zhuo — even if I cannot take the fortress, merely besieging him — the overall situation will tilt in my favor. It truly has nothing to do with anyone else.”

Xu Rong slowly nodded... After the affair at Tongguan, he truly did not dare debate the human heart and politics with Gongsun Xun again.

However, just as Gongsun Xun, brimming with confidence, was preparing to leave Chang’an behind and ignore it entirely, a face-slapping event came as soon as it was called — suddenly, the Luocheng Gate on the north side of Chang’an swung wide open, and several hundred mixed infantry and cavalry, led by an officer, headed straight for the Wei Bridge, causing considerable alarm among Gongsun Xun’s cavalry!

At this, Gongsun Xun immediately began to lose face, while Xu Rong pretended not to notice and hurriedly began deploying troops to meet them. But Zhang Wenyuan, who was originally tasked with covering the river crossing as rearguard, was faster than him — seeing that the enemy had only a few hundred mixed infantry and cavalry, he simply did not bother deploying troops and directly led the several hundred cavalry who had not yet mounted the bridge to turn and meet them... then easily skewered the man from his horse and scattered the several hundred infantry and cavalry before him.

Interestingly, however, a short while later, Zhang Liao, returning in triumph, came to beg forgiveness — it turned out that only after killing the man did he learn that this Commandant Li Su, serving under Dong Zhuo, had actually come to surrender and join the righteous cause!

According to the captured subordinates of his unit, Li Su was a man of Jiuyuan in Bingzhou, and many of his fellow townsmen served under the General of the Guards, so upon seeing the General of the Guards, he was immediately moved to offer his allegiance. It was just that the man had initially assumed Gongsun Xun was entering the city, so he abandoned the northern Luocheng Gate he was guarding and tried to go to the eastern Xuanping Gate to open it in welcome, thus wasting time. And after seeing Gongsun Xun turn toward the north of the Wei, he hurriedly chased after him — which led to the misunderstanding.

Gongsun Xun and Xu Rong looked at each other, at a loss for words. Xu Rong went off to take charge of the overall situation, while Gongsun Xun consoled Zhang Liao with a few words and could only treat this Li Su as an unlucky fellow, then continued the entire army’s advance.

On the evening of the third day, Gongsun Xun led his troops to lodge at Huaili City, the capital of Youfufeng.

By this time, the local officials there, amid their astonishment, had become increasingly respectful and cooperative in attitude, even faintly showing signs of actively offering assistance — this was only natural. Seven or eight thousand cavalry had passed Chang’an without being obstructed by the central authorities of Chang’an, which at the very least indicated that the court’s stance was neutral!

And as mentioned before, these local officials were attached to the court system, so aside from a few who had their own ideas, the only things that could truly influence them were the two factors of tangible violence and the court’s righteous authority.

Gongsun Xun, arriving with his troops, naturally possessed the first; after passing Chang’an, this second factor gradually slipped from Dong Zhuo’s grasp and transferred into the hands of this General of the Guards.

Yet at this very moment, Grand Tutor Dong still had no idea what exactly he had lost.

On the evening of the twenty-fourth day of the fifth month, Gongsun Xun arrived at Mei County and openly garrisoned the county seat, but did not go that night to the fabled Your Majesty Fort — that is, Mei Fortress — to blockade Dong Zhongying... However, his stratagem of beating the grass to startle the snake did not succeed — not because Dong Zhuo kept his wits about him and knew that leaving Mei Fortress at this moment meant dying a worthless death under the cavalry’s hooves, but because Grand Tutor Dong simply did not believe that Gongsun Xun had suddenly appeared at his doorstep with seven or eight thousand cavalry.

Even a joke would not be made in such a manner!

Of course, the next morning, after Gongsun Xun, having finished resting and reorganizing in the city, led his seven thousand cavalry to the foot of Mei Fortress on the outskirts of Mei County, Grand Tutor Dong had no choice but to believe it.

In the summer’s ostentatious bloom, the sky was clear and the air dry. Outside Mei Fortress, five or six li north of the Wei River, Gongsun Xun and Grand Tutor Dong once more faced each other directly. This time, not even a Yellow River lay between them — only the oppressive, stifling air and the blazing sun overhead.

“Tell him!” Gongsun Xun raised his hand and summoned an attendant with a loud voice. “His cause is lost, but in consideration of our many years of acquaintance, if he surrenders now, I will kill only him alone!”

The attendant, upon hearing this, galloped to the foot of the fortress’s high walls and relayed the message in a raised voice.

“Shoot him dead!” Dong Zhuo stood atop the fortress wall, seven zhang high, his eyes bloodshot, his fists clenched, and gave the order coldly.

The surrounding garrison troops dared not delay; a volley of arrows rained down and shot the man sent to demand surrender dead beneath the wall.

Gongsun Xun, neither pleased nor angered, merely glanced at the walls, a full seven zhang high and seven zhang thick, and directly ordered the entire army to construct ramparts and set up camp, preparing for a long-term siege.

Here it is necessary to add a word more — Dong Zhuo's Wansuiwu, that is, the Mei Fortress, though tightly defended, overstocked with supplies to the point of surplus, and with walls so tall and thick they quell any urge to attack, was after all only a fortified manor. Its perimeter was no more than three or four li, and inside were merely three thousand soldiers plus a thousand or two servants and the like — and among them, seven or eight hundred were beautiful young girls rounded up from the common folk and even the imperial court.

In truth, Jia Xu's utter disillusionment with Dong Zhuo stemmed precisely from this matter — he had thought that once Dong Zhuo settled the affairs of the Mei Fortress, he would return to Chang'an, never expecting the man's heroic ambition to decay so swiftly. While all the other heroes under Heaven were toiling diligently among their armies, this Grand Tutor Dong, who had once pressed everyone breathless by military might alone, had actually cast aside the troops at the front to go hunting for beauties in the rear?!

And then, for a long, long time, he was unwilling to stir!

So it can be said that Grand Tutor Dong did not lose unjustly at the front... Perhaps when people speak of the battles around Hongnong in the future, some will surely say it was because so many of Dong Zhuo's subordinates turned traitor, and some will surely say it was because his sons-in-law were incompetent and useless.

All of these are correct.

But if Grand Tutor Dong had been seated personally at Tongguan, would his two sons-in-law have dared to be so incompetent and rage so wildly? Would Xu Rong and Jia Xu truly have betrayed him?

Nothing under Heaven is an effect without a cause — Jia Wenhe truly does not deceive.

"My lord!" As the camp was being raised, Xu Rong and Zhang Liao came once more to request instructions. "There are only three thousand troops in the fortress; we must be wary of Ma Teng and Han Sui. Should we have Wenyuan lead two thousand troops to Meiyang to serve as a screen?"

"Even if those two have a mind to meddle, they will need to hesitate in suspicion for a time before deciding — ignore them for now." Gongsun Xun stood upon a slope, surveying all around, but his gaze settled on the Wei River to the south. "It is Weinan that concerns me... I have heard that earlier Dong Zhuo dispatched a force to attack Yizhou, but they were checked at Hanzhong and halted at Sanguan. The commander is a captain named Wang Fang. This is likely the only enemy reinforcement that can arrive in the near term — we must be especially cautious!"

"Then..."

"What place is that?" Gongsun Xun narrowed his eyes and, pointing to a strange yet extremely conspicuous terrain feature on the opposite bank of the Wei River under the clear sunlight, inquired with a serious expression. "The terrain is rather intriguing — find a local to ask."

None dared be remiss, and in an instant a military clerk in the army who was a native of the Guanzhong region came forward to explain — it turned out that this was a loess tableland by the river, backed against the Wei River, with deep ravines on two sides, cliffs on three sides as they say, and only the southern side, facing the Weinan highway, was a gentle slope — a natural strategic strongpoint.

"My lord," the military clerk spoke with assurance, "this place sits at a considerable height, roughly eight or nine li long and three or four li wide, and has a water source — it can easily garrison tens of thousands of troops... And because this tableland is so vast, for dozens of li around on a clear day everything can be seen distinctly, so it has always been well known."

"It is indeed an excellent place to station troops." Gongsun Xun nodded slowly. "What is this place called?"

The military clerk bowed his head once more: "In reply, my lord, this place is called Wuzhangyuan. How it got its name is no longer traceable."

Gongsun Xun froze there, staring at that loess tableland for a long while without a word. But after a long pause, he finally withdrew his gaze and looked again toward Zhang Liao.

Zhang Liao had long been prepared and immediately bent forward in a posture of receiving orders.

"Wenyuan, I appoint you as Major of a Separate Command, leading two thousand cavalry to cross the river and establish a camp... Do you know what to do?" Whether it was an illusion or not, Gongsun Xun's tone had suddenly grown much flatter, as if his heart had suddenly set down many things.

"Understood!" Zhang Liao raised his voice in reply. "I shall establish camp on Wuzhangyuan — first, to occupy the high ground and keep distant watch over Wansuiwu; second, if the enemy from Sanguan comes from Weinan, I shall lead the cavalry straight down from the tableland and ensure they cannot advance a single step past our main camp!"

"Then go and do it!" Gongsun Xun nodded slowly, then paid him no further mind, instead turning his gaze once more toward the Mei Fortress.

He knew that atop the tall tower in the middle of that place, Grand Tutor Dong must also be gazing back from afar, waiting for the reinforcements from beyond Wuzhangyuan.

————I am Wuzhangyuan, at an elevation of seven hundred meters————

"When Zhuo returned to Chang'an, the high ministers and all officials welcomed him along the road. At that time, Song was Censorate Deputy; Zhuo then ordered all below the Censorate Deputy to bow and humiliate Song. Then, clasping hands, he said: 'Yizhen, are you afraid yet?' Song smiled and apologized, and Zhuo then relented. Upon returning, Zhuo again heard of Song's aunt by marriage — the wife of the late General Who Crosses the Liao, Huangfu Gui — who was still in her prime and of beautiful countenance, and he wished to take her as a concubine. Gui's wife went to pay respects and decline; Zhuo grew angry and ordered servants to beat her to death beneath the carriage, and Song grew even more afraid to speak." — From the Dianlüe, annotated by Pei Songzhi of Yan

PS: Everyone, please be enthusiastic in the book review and chapter comment activities. Also, I'm asking for recommendation votes... I dare not ask for monthly votes! And there's a book group, 931557287, everyone can join.

(End of Chapter)