Chapter 387: In Youth, Who Knew the Hardships of the World?

Yang Xiu and Fa Zheng’s brawl, aside from giving Lady Gongsun a bit of amusement, really amounted to nothing at all.

After all, it was just a scuffle between two boys with their hair still bound up — and one truly has a foul mouth, while the other truly is petty… Lady Gongsun even said, by fifteen one’s character is set, and these two probably won’t shake those flaws even unto death.

As for unity within the Retainers?

Sorry, no such thing exists.

Or rather, Gongsun Xun’s White Horse Retainers, as a semi-military, semi-political organization with vast prospects, had already been an acknowledged patchwork of factions after its first expansion. Once Gongsun Xun became a powerful figure truly capable of offering these men great futures, this infighting simply surfaced into the open:

For instance, back during the Huangjin campaign, Wei Yue, representing the Retainers of Yanmen origin, had already voiced ‘unease’ over Gongsun Xun’s mass recruitment of Jizhou soldiers into the White Horse Retainers — only to be glared back into silence by Lu Fan.

Later, once Han Dang, Wei Yue, Cheng Lian, and that batch all rose to prominence, the Youzhou native faction became overwhelmingly dominant within the White Horse Retainers. Tian Chou, Tian Yu, Wen Ze, Jiao Chu, Zhang Nan, Yang Kai — old hands and new, scions of great clans or humble families, sons of good households — every last one of them was a Youzhou native, thick with Changping color, so much so that people from other places inevitably faced exclusion.

Then, after a hard-fought campaign against Dong Zhuo, where everyone bled side by side and swept away the extra barriers, they were immediately confronted with a fresh round of personnel rotation — besides the two Tians, Zhao Yun, Wen Ze, and Yang Kai were all promoted and sent out, and the White Horse Retainers promptly welcomed a large influx of sons of high ministers and Guanzhong men.

Precisely because of this, a tripartite standoff has now emerged within the Retainers… Jia Kui and his Hedong companions, however late they arrived, still count as old hands from before the Dong Zhuo campaign, so they quickly gained the support of the remaining Youzhou and Bingzhou veterans among the Retainers, giving them a rather detached air. The sons of high ministers need even less explanation — they moved over as an intact group from the little emperor’s side, with their own ecosystem based on family status and paternal prestige. However, since Liu Zhang is truly a bit too honest, the younger Yang Xiu has instead become their leader. As for the other Guanzhong newcomers, including some Liangzhou hostages, they seem to have neither seniority nor family background — Fa Zheng and Meng Da are even mocked for their marginal origins — but who asked Zhang Ji and Pang De, one civil and one martial, one from Sanfu and one from Xiliang, to be the two new White Horse Retainer leaders personally chosen by the General of the Guards?

The man on the spot matters more than the distant official.

In any case, the three sides have been at odds, tangled up for nearly half a year now, but as long as they don’t delay official business, Gongsun Xun can’t be bothered to care what they do in private.

Finally, as for the cause of this incident — namely, the so-called worry among Guanzhong native scholars that the General of the Guards won’t give them official posts — to be honest, Gongsun Xun doesn’t much care either.

The reason is simple.

First, Gongsun Xun has no intention of indulging these people. If the men who came from Changping can effectively fill the official vacancies in the shogunate, the central administration, and the localities of Sanfu and Hedong, then he has no reason not to use his own trusted troops.

Otherwise, should he, a General of the Guards, go begging three or four times to recruit some so-called famous scholar? Is your surname Zhuge or Xun?

Second, Gongsun Xun is also not prepared to act rashly — to immediately launch some imperial examination pilot in Sanfu and abolish the recommendation system and the like… because this issue may be even more sensitive than land surveys. After all, land surveys infringe upon the economic interests of the powerful families; abolishing the recommendation system is a massive spiritual shock to the hereditary clans who hold political privilege and to all the scholars under heaven.

So it comes back to that same point — it requires a guarantee of an enormous, unprecedented military victory.

In fact, before that happens, regardless of how effective personally delivering one’s name card to the General of the Guards’ office proves to be, Gongsun Xun is prepared to maintain this dual-track operating model for a certain period… In other words, he will still recognize the Filially Pious and Incorrupt nominees recommended by the provinces and commanderies below. In the end, who gets used and who doesn’t is decided only when it reaches him.

“We must still accumulate grain and coin, solidify our defenses, and then send out the troops as early as possible.” The next day, on the way back from Duling, seizing the rare opportunity, Gongsun Xun simply sat inside the carriage and discussed his various future plans with his mother. Yet after debating with her for half the day, he could only sigh in the end. “Send out the troops early, and only then can we carry out affairs backed by might. Send out the troops early, and only then can we prevent the hereditary clans and powerful families from merging into great houses. Send out the troops early, and only then can we free our hands to organize the frontiers and lay out the realm… But wanting to send out the troops early — how could that be easy?”

“So what you’re saying, my son, is to build high walls, amass grain broadly, and send out the troops early?” Lady Gongsun summed it up crisply.

“Mother hits the mark with a single phrase, as always.” Gongsun Xun smiled bitterly and shook his head. “But I truly worry that the matter of sending out troops may not be up to me…”

“Weren’t arrangements made long ago in Hebei?” Lady Gongsun’s heart stirred slightly. “Are you actually worried you can’t hold off Yuan Shao for a time?”

“Arrangements were naturally made long ago, and I’m not worried to excess.” Gongsun Xun sighed softly. “But Yuan Benchu acts with ruthless, ferocious decisiveness. In just half a year, he has already swept across all of Qingzhou and Yanzhou, and as soon as spring begins, he’ll likely enter Hebei. The talents of Yanzhou, Qingzhou, and Jizhou are all there, and eight-tenths of the realm’s figures follow the shifting times anyway… Could Mother have imagined earlier that Fa Zheng and Yang Xiu would be fighting under my command? Yet looking at my current situation, one is a son of a high minister, the other a local of Fufeng — if these two were not in my hands, that would actually be strange. And when the time comes, if we count fully, under Yuan Shao’s command, in civil affairs there will likely be Ju Shou, Xu You, Chen Gong, Cheng Yu, Xin Ping, Xin Pi, Pang Ji, and Guo Tu; in martial affairs, Wen Chou, Zhang He, Gao Lan, Han Meng, Yu Jin, Qu Yi, Li Jin, Wu Anguo, and even Dian Wei…”

Lady Gongsun was momentarily stunned.

“Then Qingzhou, Yanzhou, and half of Jizhou — their population is probably comparable to what I control. With such troop strength paired with such a lineup, if they rush to attack Handan before the autumn harvest, at that time, first, I will lack grain and find it hard to mobilize; second, the distance is too far, and I won’t be able to reach them in time to relieve the siege. That Handan, with only Shen Pei there, being breached would be only natural… And once Handan is breached, then Guan Yu at Zhaoge and Dong Zhao at Julu will both be caught in a pincer and can only retreat.”

“Even if Handan is lost, it may not necessarily delay the overall situation, right?” Lady Gongsun came back to herself and frowned slightly again. “Even if Handan is lost, there is still Mount Taixing, there is still Shangdang and Taiyuan. Otherwise, could Yuan Shao not attack Bingzhou and instead strike Zhongshan and Changshan? Your twenty thousand troops, with Han Dang, Zhao Yun, Gao Shun, Tian Yu, and Tian Chou all returned, plus Cheng Pu, fighting on interior lines… you wouldn’t need to fear him.”

“That is indeed so.” Gongsun Xun’s expression grew solemn. “Yuan Shao is not that foolish — to risk me striking his flank at any time through the Eight Passes of Taihang while he bogs down with me in the quagmire of Changshan and Zhongshan. If he can break Handan and take Zhaoge and Julu, then the next step must be to seize Henei and advance on Shangdang. If Shangdang proves impassable, he would then go from Zhuo Commandery toward Changping, and absolutely would not first attack Changshan and Zhongshan, which have extremely deep depth and complex terrain.” Pausing here, Gongsun Xun suddenly laughed again. “And besides, we still have one heaven-sent trump card in reserve…”

“Then what are you worried about?” Lady Gongsun looked down at the fat cat in her arms and sighed, shaking her head.

“Isn’t this just Mother and I chatting idly, touching on the grand situation to come?” Gongsun Xun also sighed and shook his head. “We casually say here that abandoning some city or losing some commandery seems irrelevant to the overall picture… but for the local people, for those directly involved, it is inevitably a matter of life and death, honor and disgrace, even rivers of blood. So unless it is absolutely unavoidable, how can we abandon them lightly?”

Lady Gongsun grew even more silent, and only after a long pause did she respond gravely: “So what I’m saying is, if you’ve grown accustomed to these matters, then bear them alone. Your mother is just a writer of books, and later a businesswoman — no matter what, I cannot bear these things. Managing logistics for you and collecting commercial taxes is about my limit… As for those other matters, haven’t you seen? Your mother is old now, and can’t even let go of a cat, let alone people.”

Gongsun Xun looked at the fat cat, already aged and decrepit, in her arms, and remained silent for a long while… He knew very well in his heart that although his mother claimed to be old, in truth both her body and spirit were in excellent condition. The reason she kept hiding in the carriage was, to a great extent, for this fat cat nearing the end of its life — one of the cats he had personally carried back from the White Horse Temple over a decade ago.

It had been pouring rain then. He and Xu You went to the White Horse Temple together, and on the way back, he carried a sack of cats as payment for handling someone’s business. Then, returning to his lodgings, he happened to run into Gongsun Zan waiting for him. The latter told him that Yuan Benchu was returning to Luoyang… But that was all fourteen or fifteen years ago now.

And it’s worth noting that, in the meantime, Zhao Yun’s neutered tomcat had already died last year; Feng Zhi’s skinny calico had died even earlier. Now the cats kept by those two, as well as by Bian Yu and Qin Luofu, are all the next generation of new cats. Thinking carefully, it seems only Cai Yan’s big white cat is still raised extremely robustly — still the original white cat.

Yet even for this white cat, counting the time, it has only a few years left… One can only say, clothes are never as good as new, but cats are never as good as old.

That afternoon, the convoy hurried back into Chang’an City and arrived before the General of the Guards’ residence. Gongsun Xun, who had long since dismounted to ride horseback, naturally stood in person beside the carriage, watching as Diaochan supported his mother, and his mother, in turn, carefully carried that old fat cat down from the carriage. He then personally escorted them all the way toward the rear courtyard.

When mother and son arrived before the rear residence, seeing that his mother was about to enter, as if by some uncanny impulse, Gongsun Xun, who had originally planned to take his leave and return to the front courtyard to handle the matters accumulated over these two days, suddenly spoke: “Mother, regarding my eldest brother — there is indeed an element of my indulgence, even exploitation, in that matter… Rest assured, as long as he can survive, there will always be a place for him.”

Lady Gongsun turned her head back, her expression utterly casual: “I was only talking about the cat… Handle people’s affairs as you see fit.”

Gongsun Xun shook his head repeatedly and, in the end, took his leave and departed.

And so, amid the eerie chill brought on by the melting snow in Guanzhong, the first year of Jian’an formally arrived.

Next came, first, the Grand New Year’s Court, the melting of ice and snow, the ice floods on the Yellow River, and then the Spring She sacrifice, as well as the busy spring plowing.

Sow a single grain in spring, reap ten thousand seeds in autumn.

Spring plowing and the spring sacrifices hold an extraordinary significance for the Huaxia people. So, whether it was an illusion or not, as the spring plowing proceeded, in just half a year, the entirety of Guanzhong and Hedong — and even western Hongnong, where civilian military colonies had been reestablished — suddenly possessed a sense of vitality, as if a hundred undertakings were being revived and all things were flourishing.

For the scholars and commoners of Guanzhong, who had just endured an exceptionally bitter year, this felt somewhat like a dream… But this dream did not mean their present life was a dream; rather, deep in many people’s hearts, they faintly wished that the experiences of the previous year had been the dream. Only, when they opened their eyes and found that their dead family members were still not by their side, they could not help but feel dejected.

And as the spring plowing progressed, just as the willows by the Wei River were barely putting out the thinnest threads of buds, and the mountains around Guanzhong were gradually turning from yellow back to green, not only did the earlier complaints and nursery rhymes gradually vanish, but someone at court even once again proposed that the General of the Guards should be given the additional title of Grand General, take charge of the Secretariat, and be enfeoffed with ten Battalion Commander to show recognition for his merit in punishing Dong Zhuo.

This was not at Gongsun Xun’s instigation, nor was it secretly orchestrated by his direct confidants… In fact, before the new year, Feng Zhi had tried to stir things up through her father, Feng Fang. But who was Feng Fang? This man had been chosen as a son-in-law by Cao Jie while serving as a Gentleman of the Secretariat; after Cao Jie’s death, he remained a Colonel of the Western Garden; after He Jin’s death, he decisively led troops into the palace to execute the eunuchs. How could such a seasoned old fox be led astray by his own daughter? So without needing Gongsun Xun’s reminder, he had honestly nipped his daughter’s certain maneuvers in the bud.

In other words, this request for enfeoffment, though it could not be completely ruled out that some were trying to curry favor, even if it was flattery, still showed that Gongsun Xun’s rule in Guanzhong had gained stability and a degree of recognition from some outsiders.

Ultimately, this was an age of chaos, an age of chaos where people were dying everywhere. There had even been Dong Zhuo’s brutal act of moving the capital once, which alone reduced the population south of the river by twenty to thirty percent… So after experiencing so much, when stability suddenly returned, why not support Gongsun Xun?

Because of that bit of poll tax uncovered by the land survey?

Because the Changping scholars in dog-fur hats snatched up quite a few official posts?

To put it bluntly, if not for Gongsun Xun, these people would likely have simply abandoned everything themselves and fled for their lives. For instance, Sima Lang would have been in his hometown in Henei, digging for wild vegetables to feed his whole brood of younger brothers; for instance, Hua Xin would have encountered an old man on his escape route and fallen into the most difficult moral dilemma a Confucian scholar could face; as for Fa Zheng and Meng Da, they would have fled together to Yizhou the moment they came of age, to escape famine and avoid starving to death.

These people are truly not stupid. They know very well what era this is — some have even witnessed it firsthand. So why would they oppose the General of the Guards because of these things?

Surely it can’t be because this General of the Guards has monopolized court governance? But has the great Han dynasty ever lacked these two kinds of powerful ministers since ancient times? And don’t forget, this particular powerful minister seems to be legitimate.

Or is it because he is cruel, brutal, and domineering? Because he has killed people?

Yet among the figures under heaven today, how many have not killed? Was it not Yuan Benchu, the so-called paragon of the realm, who slaughtered a whole nest of Nine Ministers back then? Was it not Yuan Gonglu, that starving ghost on the road, who ordered Sun Jian to kill the Inspector of Jingzhou and the Administrator of Nanyang? Even Liu Biao — after entering Jingzhou with a single horse, how did he seize military power? Was it not by inviting the so-called ‘clan bandits,’ fifty-five men, to a banquet, killing them all at once, and thereby seizing their able-bodied men and provisions?

Warlords in a chaotic age — who is any cleaner than the next?

In the first year of Jian’an, people’s hearts yearned for peace, and this was especially true in Guanzhong.

Yet just as the spring plowing was still underway, among the memorials sent from various regions, three special reports arrived in Chang’an City within a span of several days… and sparked large-scale debate and anxiety:

One came from Liu Bei, Inspector of Yuzhou. He claimed that before the new year, he had been invited by Bian Rang, Administrator of Jiujiang, to go to Jiujiang and exterminate the bandits at Shaobei. But Bian Rang suddenly abandoned his post and fled during the New Year’s festival, and his successor, Zhou Ang, was privately appointed by General of Chariots and Cavalry Yuan. Now, he, Liu Bei, has three thousand troops encamped on the banks of the Huai River and does not know whether he should continue the campaign. He requests instructions from the court.

Another memorial came from Liu Biao in Xiangyang. He claimed that General of the Rear Yuan Shu, acting lawlessly and arbitrarily invading local territories, not only dispatched his privately appointed Inspector of Yuzhou, Sun Jian, to attack the Liang and Pei kingdoms in Yuzhou without authorization, but also demanded troops and provisions from Chen Wang Liu Chong, and ordered the Administrators of Lujiang and Jiangxia to prepare for military operations to besiege Xiangyang. He therefore requests the court to punish Yuan Shu and send troops to his aid.

The last one came from Gongsun Zan in Bohai. In his memorial to the central government, he crisply and directly listed nine great crimes of Yuan Shao, saying he was without virtue or righteousness, had self-appointed himself General of Chariots and Cavalry, and under the pretext of punishing Dong Zhuo, was actually scheming to carve out his own fiefdom. He requested the court to dispatch troops and punish this man.

Three memorials had arrived. Setting aside Liu Bei’s, which should have been sent around the New Year but was delayed because it had to detour through Liu Biao’s territory, the other two memorials made it abundantly clear: as soon as spring began, the two Yuans could no longer restrain themselves and were stirring restlessly.

In truth, even Gongsun Xun was somewhat taken aback — that Yuan Shao would launch a fierce attack on his elder cousin as soon as spring began was within his expectations, but Yuan Shu’s greed and stupidity caught him completely off guard.

Yet, however foolish Yuan Shu might be, Gongsun Xun instead had to take him seriously. After all, if Yuan Shu was in such a hurry to deal with Liu Biao and Cao Cao, there could only be one reason: he wanted to resolve the problems at his back as quickly as possible, so he could turn around and come for Gongsun Xun.

What other reason could there be?

In other words, this scoundrel’s thinking was essentially identical to his elder brother Yuan Benchu’s — though whether Yuan Shao had egged him on was another question… In fact, according to the conclusions Gongsun Xun and his military advisors had reached after discussion, it was very likely that Yuan Shao had taken the initiative to humble himself, coupled with a promise to sacrifice Cao Cao, thereby luring Yuan Shu into taking the bait.

Throwing that scoundrel Yuan Shu out as a decoy, luring Gongsun Xun south to Nanyang, draining Gongsun Xun’s strength — and very possibly also aimed at buying time.

Why did this stratagem seem so familiar?

In fact, if that were truly the case, then the three memorials could be read as one — Yuan Benchu, the moment spring began, was already rolling up his sleeves, preparing to deal with Gongsun Zan as soon as the spring planting ended, while also turning his opponent’s own tactics against him, exploiting Yuan Shu’s greed and ignorance to counter the General of the Guards far away in Chang’an.

One must understand, given the caliber of Yuan Shao’s brain trust, as long as no freak mishaps occurred, it was only natural that they could devise any number of stratagems.

You, Gongsun Xun, used the authority of the Chang’an court to have Liu Bei appointed Inspector of Yuzhou, disrupting Yuzhou and cutting off the major powers from one another? Then I shall use my own political prestige to seize governing authority over Jiujiang and counter Liu Bei.

You, Gongsun Xun, threw a cousin out here as bait, both luring me into Hebei and draining and delaying me? Then I shall use my even more powerful younger brother to create a threat for you, to serve as bait… Can you, Gongsun Xun, sit idly by and watch Yuan Shu crush Liu Biao, then turn around and threaten Guanzhong? And if you dispatch troops, at the very least it will exhaust you, won’t it?

Once they had thought it through, Gongsun Xun’s several military advisors all fell silent. Even Gongsun Xun himself felt somewhat helpless, because although Yuan Shu was a good-for-nothing, he possessed the sharp blade that was Sun Jian, along with an enormous territory, population, and military strength. Moreover, his stupidity and tyrannical misrule had not yet been fully exposed, and the Yuan clan’s rallying power still held sway through him… If Sun Jian proved stubbornly resilient and Liu Biao failed to hold out, would he himself truly have to enter the fray?

But what about the grain supplies?

One must understand that if he began mobilizing troops now, it would inevitably render the spring planting that had just concluded in the Nanyang region utterly futile. By autumn, even if he won a great victory and seized Nanyang, given Nanyang’s population, a shortfall in grain would be inevitable… Even setting aside the question of starvation, just considering that his forces would be thrust forward into Jingzhou, further stretching the territory under his control — what then of Hebei? He needed to fight a decisive battle with Yuan Shao in Hebei; how could he afford to divide his attention in the south!

Gongsun Xun was this frustrated, and the imperial court was even more shocked and uncertain, for with Dong Zhuo dead, the two Yuans were among the few men under Heaven who could contend against Gongsun Xun. These brothers, unable to wait, were attempting annexation one after another — one stirring up trouble just outside Wuguan, the other even pointing his spear directly at Gongsun Xun’s cousin… With one misstep, the outcome would be all under Heaven at war.

“Should we… make slight adjustments?” Tian Feng, too, was vexed and unsettled by the sudden turn of events, so much so that he ventured a tentative suggestion. “We still have strength to spare.”

“The grand strategy cannot be altered!” After pondering for several days, Tian Feng’s question instead made Gongsun Xun resolute and decisive. “This is war. We cannot be shaken by posturing or politics. Was the lesson of Liaoxi not enough?! My mind is made up — the decisive battle will be in Hebei! The advantage is ours, the overall situation is ours. We must not let him maneuver us… Let us watch the situation in the Central Plains and Hebei!”

“Setting aside the Hebei situation, in whose hands does the Central Plains situation lie?” Lou Zibo suddenly spoke up, stepping forward to press a critical question.

“First, in Sun Wentai’s hands; second, in Liu Xuande’s hands; third, in Cao Mengde’s hands!” Gongsun Xun answered without hesitation. “I refuse to believe these three men could be held in check by a single Yuan Shu… What if we stake the affairs of the Central Plains on these three?!”

————I am the dividing line of resolve————

“In the first year of Jian’an, spring, the General of the Rear Yuan Shu attacked Liu Biao, the Inspector of Jingzhou; the General of Chariots and Cavalry Yuan Shao attacked Gongsun Zan, the Grand Administrator of Bohai, and also memorialized to appoint Zhou Ang as Grand Administrator of Jiujiang, blocking the path of Liu Bei, Inspector of Yuzhou. Zan was the Grand Ancestor’s elder cousin; Bei was the Grand Ancestor’s younger brother. Biao, Zan, and Bei all submitted memorials stating the crimes of the two Yuans. The Grand Ancestor, acting as regent, thereupon denounced the two Yuans as bandits, abolished their official offices, and proclaimed it openly to all under Heaven. Thus beacon fires rose on all sides, and the realm was once more thrown into turmoil.” — New Book of Yan, Volume 26, Hereditary Houses, Part One

PS: Book recommendation, Back to the Northern Song to Be a Big Shot, a new book by Zhu Jia Da Lang… a veteran quality author of Qidian historical fiction, quality guaranteed. Everyone go take a look, it just hit the shelves.

By the way, a note: the preparations for the giveaway merchandise are nearly complete, so one final reminder — I hope all alliance leaders will take the initiative to contact Han Men (QQ name: Mengxin Intercontinental Missile, the one with the Pikachu avatar), because after this round of prize drawings, all the anniversary events for this wave will be completely wrapped up, and then we’ll prepare to ship (the book review prizes have also concluded, pinned at the top of the review section — everyone pay attention to whether you’ve won).

And regarding this final prize draw, the first-anniversary merchandise giveaway — there are still a dozen or so, maybe twenty spots (I’m really not sure; I participated in the design and discussion of the items, but the ordering and events were all handled by Han Men and the others) specifically reserved for reader drawings… After this chapter is posted, the management will officially set up a thread in the review section. Everyone go in and drop a comment to enter the draw. The gifts are quite nice, thoughtfully made, and are exclusive custom items. You’ll need to contact Han Men on your own initiative.

(End of Chapter)