Chapter 389: The Great Wall on the Frontier, a Vain Promise to Oneself (2-in-1)

What did Han Tuo, the Tutor of Chen, do?

He burned the grain, of course. The two hundred thousand dan of grain that the whole state of Chen had painstakingly accumulated through these chaotic times has likely turned to ashes by now.

Within the storage district, grain, fodder, lacquered long spears, and fledged arrows were already piled high as mountains, most vulnerable to fire — let alone deliberate arson. And what of the fact that the arsonist was the only nominal two-thousand-dan official in Chen County, the state Tutor who, after the deaths of the Prince and the Chancellor, commanded the highest trust in the entire state?

In truth, when this man came deep in the night and personally hurled a lit oil lamp into a particular storehouse, not a single supervising clerk among the guards tried to stop him.

Quite the opposite — these men of Chen instead subdued the military clerks Sun Jian had left behind. And until Sun Jing saw the blaze raging out of control and personally led the garrison troops there, everyone had stood outside the gate, holding Han Tuo back, silently watching the great fire roar skyward, reducing the fruit of the Chen people’s own five or six years of toil to nothing.

“It is not that I did not want to save it!” Kneeling inside the tent, Sun Jing could not help but weep from heartache at the thought of those two hundred thousand dan of grain. “Elder Brother, this old scoundrel had prepared long ago. Before we reached Chen County, he had emptied a granary in the center and stuffed it full of fodder. I saw it then but thought nothing of it — fodder is proper storage, after all. I never imagined this old scoundrel had long since ordered his own household to hide it full of lacquer and lamp oil beforehand. Then it took only the flame of a single oil lamp, and it was beyond stopping...”

“Say no more.” Sun Jian slumped back into the Grand Commandant’s chair inside the tent, feeling as though even breathing had become difficult. Once a storage district of that scale erupted in a flash fire, no matter how many days it took to burn out, one could only wait for rain or for the great fire to die on its own. He knew this better than anyone, so the matter was beyond salvaging.

Yet the crux of it was that the feeling of gaining something only to lose it again was too bitter, and the feeling of being toyed with in the palm of a decrepit old man’s hand was far too bitter as well.

This fierce tiger of Jiangdong, reckless and untamable from his youth, was a man who by no means feared defeat at the hands of Dong Zhuo, Gongsun Xun, or even his two “sworn brothers.” Having seen life and death so often, he would not even find it hard to accept dying on the battlefield under the blade or arrow of some common soldier... But — and herein lay the “but” — to be tricked and dealt such a heavy blow by an old man, an old man whose hair and beard had gone white, an old man famed for composing poetry, an old man who had once bowed his head and surrendered to him — that was unavoidably hard to accept.

“Han Gong was Cao Mengde’s agent of death, wasn’t he?!” Just as countless officers and commanders in the army arrived upon hearing the news, Sun Wentai, who had been sitting dazed in his Grand Commandant’s chair all along, suddenly shot to his feet. His eyes blazed, brimming with expectation, as he sternly demanded of the elder who had to lean against a soldier’s legs just to remain seated: “It was Cao Mengde who instigated you to carry out this scheme, wasn’t it?!”

“This old man has heard of Cao Mengde,” Han Tuo, still bound, replied calmly. “I have also read his poems and know that his poetry is not badly written. But I have never met him, much less know him... As I just said, I did this only so that in life I would not betray others, and in death I would not betray the dead. That is all!”

Sun Jian was so furious he laughed. “And you have the face to speak of not betraying others in life? In this present chaos, grain is scarce everywhere. Do you have any idea how many lives two hundred thousand dan of grain could save? You set this fire, and yet you still dare claim you have not betrayed others in life?”

“How could this old man not know how many lives two hundred thousand dan of grain could save?” Han Tuo still leaned against that soldier’s legs, looking on coldly as he spoke slowly. “I came to Chen a year earlier than Chancellor Luo. I served six years, he served five. In those five years the state was stable and accumulated much. He was never stingy with the stores and never used the commandery as a dumping ground. Counting from the great floods in the central commanderies four years ago, over these four years the Chancellor distributed over a hundred thousand dan of grain to the surrounding regions, took in over a hundred thousand refugees, and even allocated land for them to farm and produce. That is why Chen’s grain only grew more abundant the more it was produced. This old man witnessed all this grain grow from the soil of Chen with my own eyes; I even composed poems in the fields during the autumn harvest... In truth, this old man would rather ask you, you villain — do you know how many families you destroyed and lives you ruined during your battles in Yingchuan? How many people from Yingchuan fled into Chen seeking survival? If I had not burned the grain and instead handed it over to a wicked villain like you who only creates calamity, would that not be creating even greater harm? Would that not be betraying Chancellor Luo and betraying the people of Chen who toiled to farm the land?”

Sun Jian was silent for a long moment, then suddenly burst into uncontrollable laughter. Still unable to contain himself, he turned to the commanders in the tent and asked, laughing repeatedly: “Han Gong calls me a villain — I am actually a villain? Do you all think I am a villain?”

The commanders in the tent had long followed Sun Jian, so none dared answer.

But the next moment, after Sun Jian finished asking and turned his head away, Zu Mao, who had always been hot-tempered, suddenly drew his blade and swung directly at Han Tuo on the ground. At the same instant, Sun Jian also whirled around and kicked Zu Mao flying with one foot, sending the latter tumbling head over heels twice until he rolled right out of the tent.

At this, the entire tent fell deathly silent, as if frozen solid. Let alone interrupting, no one dared even to move a muscle — even Zu Mao at the tent entrance hurriedly flipped over and lay prostrate, not daring to stir... For everyone knew that this tiger, Sun Wentai, was truly enraged to the breaking point!

Amid the utter silence, Sun Jian walked back before Han Tuo, then crouched down with one hand on the ancient-patterned sword at his waist, looking straight at the old man before him. His tone was as calm as if speaking of household matters: “Han Gong... tell me, how could I be a villain? I am one who campaigns against villains for the sake of the state, am I not? You cannot be unreasonable.”

“One who campaigns against villains leads troops into another’s territory and kills a Liu prince of a different state? Kills a chancellor who only knew how to farm, sustain the people, and save lives? Or feigns a guest’s visit and commits assassination at a banquet?” The bound Han Tuo showed not the slightest fear. He glanced at the sword-gripping hand that was only a fist’s distance from his disheveled white beard before raising his head to meet the other’s gaze. “With such conduct, you say you are no villain — then what exactly are you? I heard that the General of the Guards said in Hedong that in chaotic times some people are forgivable, but others absolutely cannot be pardoned. Does that latter category not refer precisely to villains like you?”

“The Prince of Chen died from a stray arrow.” After pausing for a long while, Sun Jian finally explained earnestly. “The one who assassinated Luo Xiaoyuan was the General of the Rear, Yuan Gonglu, not me.”

“Was it not you who attacked Chen and provoked the conflict?” This time it was Han Tuo’s turn to laugh. “As for the General of the Rear... you, this so-called Sun of Yuzhou whom the world ridicules, and the General of the Rear are one and the same — is that not something everyone under Heaven knows? And if this old man remembers correctly, did you two not also kill the Inspector of Jingzhou, Wang Rui, and the Administrator of Nanyang, Zhang Zi, with open torches and drawn blades? You people, for the sake of territory and merit, disregard benevolence, disregard righteousness, disregard reason, and show no pity for the people, wantonly killing the innocent everywhere and plunging the common folk into misery... How exactly do your deeds differ from Dong Zhuo’s? Having clearly done so many such things, why do you still care whether the world sees you as a villain? If you care, why did you do them in the first place? What is this — deceiving yourself while deceiving others?”

By the end of this speech, Han Tuo was panting heavily. And Sun Jian, watching the old man’s white beard tremble faintly with each labored breath, found that his own hand gripping the sword was trembling just as uncontrollably as that beard.

“No need to look at me anymore.” After catching his breath a few times, Han Tuo calmly pronounced his conclusion. “Those who throw the world into chaos are precisely you treacherous villains who falsely claim the name of heroes. When I offered up the grain that day, it was because I feared you would use it as a pretext to massacre the city, and also to send away Chancellor Luo’s surviving family — that was for the sake of the living. Today I burned the grain to avoid betraying the dead, so that Chancellor Luo’s hard work could not become the means for wicked villains like you to kill people. It is as simple as that!”

Sun Jian rose to his feet, suddenly drew his blade, and directly cut the ropes binding the other man.

“You — spare his life. Find some cart or horse, anything, and send him off to whatever city you like. I cannot be bothered with such a decrepit old man...” Sun Jian casually pointed to the soldier in front of him — the very one Han Tuo had been leaning against to keep his back straight — and said, “Send him out quickly. Do not delay.”

The young soldier dared not say much. He hastily lifted Han Tuo, who was now utterly limp, with both hands and, half-dragging and half-pulling, hurried out.

“Pardon the granary clerks!” Han Tuo, advanced in years and bound for days, was already utterly exhausted, so much so that the moment the ropes were loosened his whole body went weak and numb. Yet remembering one matter, he raised his voice and shouted again: “This matter has nothing to do with them!”

Sun Jian drew a long breath, nodded reluctantly, and waved his hand to urge them on.

Soon after this man left, Sun Jian’s tent fell silent once more, for the others could still see Sun Wentai’s fury and suppressed emotion... Not to mention anything else, this battle-hardened general tried several times to sheathe his ancient-patterned sword, and failed each time.

In the end, he simply thrust the bare blade straight into the ground of the central army tent, then sat back down in his chair, staring blankly into space.

“Uh... Jiang Qin... Chen County... Cao...” Only after a long while did Sun Jian collect himself enough to speak, yet several times he did not know what to say.

“My lord.” Huang Gai sighed and earnestly advised, “He is merely a decrepit, pedantic scholar — nothing more than someone who was on good terms with that Chancellor of Chen and wanted revenge... My lord has a grand enterprise before him. How can you lose your composure over such a matter? Besides, have you not already pardoned him? What more do you want? That was two hundred thousand dan of grain, along with countless military equipment and valuables...”

“You do not understand.” Sun Jian waved his hand helplessly. “But you are also right. The grain, the man — all are in the past now. We are still at war, and with great affairs before us, I should not lose my composure like this... The grain is already gone; brooding over it is useless. We must still request grain from the General of the Rear. And as for the man, so long as he returns safely and reaches some place or other, I will not bother with him again.”

Sun Jing seemed about to speak but hesitated.

“If you have something to say, say it.” Sun Jian immediately noticed his younger brother’s demeanor.

“Elder Brother.” Sun Youtai, unable to hide the weariness in his eyes, cupped his hands and inquired, “Must we truly preserve this man’s life?”

“Indeed.” Sun Jian answered at once. “We must...”

“Then we must be somewhat careful.” Sun Jing tilted his head and said with a mixture of helplessness and indignation. “When that old man set the fire earlier, he was prepared to throw himself into the flames and die. He was only stopped because a granary clerk grabbed hold of him. After I captured him, he still harbored thoughts of seeking death, and only behaved himself for a few days after saying he wanted to see you...”

Sun Jian suddenly realized the truth and immediately dashed out of the tent. Though the commanders inside did not fully understand, from Sun Jing on down, including Zu Mao, who had earlier knelt to beg forgiveness, all hurriedly followed.

Now, once Sun Wentai came to his senses, he left the tent and made a brief inquiry. He learned that the soldier from earlier had passed orders outside the tent, requisitioned an ox cart meant for transporting goods, loaded Han Tuo onto it, and set off from camp along the Sui River toward the nearest city downstream — the county seat of Gushu.

Sun Jian dared not delay. He immediately spurred his horse along the river to pursue, and the surrounding commanders likewise led their guards to follow. Before long, the party spotted an empty ox cart and two bewildered men by the roadside three or four li south of the main camp... One was the carter, who had long since fled to the roadside in terror at the sight of so many riders approaching. The other was none other than that soldier — yet his iron armor was gone.

“Where is the man?” Sun Jian reined in his horse beside the cart and demanded coldly. “And where is your armor?”

The soldier was one of Sun Jian’s own tent guards and knew Sun Wentai’s temper all too well. He immediately trembled, knelt to beg forgiveness, yet dared not fail to answer: “Reporting... reporting to my lord — the man and the armor, the man and the armor are both in the river!”

Sun Jian’s fury surged, and he moved to draw his blade, only to find his waist held nothing but an empty scabbard. He then jumped off his horse and turned to pull the blade from Zhu Zhi behind him. But Zhu Zhi would never let him senselessly kill one of their own without cause, so he hastily dodged aside. At that, Huang Gai and Zu Mao hurried forward together and held Sun Wentai tightly, barely managing to save the man on the ground.

“What exactly happened?” Seeing this, Zhu Zhi stepped forward again and questioned sternly. “A single old man, barely able to move... how did you let him jump into the river? And how did your armor end up in the water with him?”

“I requisitioned a cart and a carter and was ordered to escort the old man to the nearest town, Gushu.” The man knelt on the ground, his face full of grievance, and said, “But just after we left the camp gate, he lay in the cart and pointed at me, insisting that the armor I wore was from their state of Chen... I said it wasn’t. He said that when he leaned against my leg in the tent, he had seen clearly that it bore the markings of Chen armor...”

“And since wearing armor on the road is too tiring, you took it off and gave it to him — actually meaning to place the armor on the cart for easier travel?” Zhu Zhi did not even need to think to know what had happened. “Then did he say he was thirsty, or needed to relieve himself, or offered to wash the stains off your armor so you could see the markings clearly?”

“He got off the cart because he was thirsty.” The soldier answered with a mournful face. “After finding a deep spot and drinking some water, the old man sat by the riverbank and called for me to bring the armor over, saying he wanted to point out the markings to me... Seeing that my lord had treated him with some courtesy, I dared not disobey. In the end, he took it himself, put the iron armor on backwards, and plunged headfirst straight in.”

Everyone looked toward the calm surface of the Sui River beside the road. Seeing that only the spring breeze stirred faint ripples upon the water, they all fell silent in unison.

Yet the very next moment, nearly everyone cried out in alarm — for Sun Wentai, who had survived a hundred battles and feared neither mountains of corpses nor seas of blood, had been so provoked by this news that he fainted straight away.

Of course, it was merely a surge of blood and qi.

The men laid Sun Wentai flat on the road. Someone unfastened a quiver from a horse, went to the river to scoop water, and splashed it on his face. Before the water was even half poured, Sun Jian opened his eyes and sat up. Then, heedless of all else, he snatched the quiver, struggled to his feet, and hurled it into the river.

The quiver struck the water and drifted, bobbing unsteadily. It had barely made one swirl when Sun Wentai on the bank, like a true fierce tiger, roared toward the river. His cry shook the wilderness and startled both banks, striking fear into all who heard it.

Yet this was not the end. After that long roar, Sun Wentai staggered back to the road, lay down upon that ox cart, and then, utterly unable to contain himself, wept without ceasing.

“My lord!”

“Elder Brother!”

The men, frightened beyond restraint, crowded around him.

“Tell me — I rose up campaigning against villains from my youth, pacified Yangzhou, campaigned on the northern frontier, suppressed the Yellow Turbans, attacked Liangzhou... in every battle I was always the first to advance!” Sun Jian covered his face with his hand, his sobs and tears unstoppable. “When Jingnan was in chaos, as Administrator of Changsha I set aside all personal considerations and swept away the bandits of four commanderies. When the campaign against Dong began and the feudal lords shrank from hardship, I alone fought from beginning to end on the southern front, never once speaking of retreat. Even earlier, when I was at Goushi and lacked the strength to fight, I still braved danger and went to the outskirts of Luoyang to rebury the plundered and desecrated tombs... With such conduct, why have I now become a villain instead?”

“Elder Brother!” Sun Jing was utterly speechless. “This is nothing but the ravings of a decrepit old man — why do you keep dwelling on it?!”

“Are they truly just ravings?!” Sun Jian abruptly sat up, his face flushed crimson, and rebuked him indignantly. “How can you not understand? I killed Wang Rui — that was a personal grudge of many years! It was because he first looked down on my origins when he campaigned against the bandit rebellion in Jingnan! I killed Zhang Zi because it was during the campaign against Dong, and when I demanded supplies he refused to give them, so I killed him in public! But this whole sordid affair in Chen — first the Prince of Chen and the Chancellor of Chen, and now this decrepit old man — all three have died because of me. What can I use to defend myself? Tell me yourself — how will the world see me?!”

Sun Jing was stunned into silence and could only kneel to beg forgiveness.

“You simply do not understand.” Sun Jian’s tone softened slightly, yet his emotions grew even harder to control. “Liu Chong and Luo Jun aside, it is solely Han Tuo’s death today that matters… Think about it — what kind of man was Han Tuo? Is he the same as Zhang Zi or even people like Liu Chong? In his entire life, he only served two terms as State Mentor, and then merely wrote poetry — he had not the slightest moral failing. And this time, with both the State Chancellor and State Lord dead, he first led the people to surrender, preserving the common folk of Chen State; then he sent off Luo Jun’s bereaved family, preserving his colleague’s honor; he burned the Chen people’s own grain, so that a hated martial man and enemy like me could not use their grain to wreak havoc; and now he has gone to his death, journeying to the Yellow Springs to see his old friend, fulfilling the righteousness of dying for one’s lord… This man was pure and spotless, just as he himself said — in life he failed no man, in death he fails no ghost… But have you considered — if this man was pure and spotless, dying cleanly here, then what exactly am I, Sun Jian? If you say I am no villain, then was this Han Tuo a villain? But if he was pure, then if I am no villain, what am I? I have toiled half my life, resolved to rise with blade in hand and fail not the world — yet never did I expect that today I would be struck dead by a single blow from an old man… So it turns out that I, Sun Jian, am merely a villain after all?”

At these words, Sun Jian, overcome with grief and indignation, once more tilted his head back and lay down, covering his face with his hands, weeping uncontrollably.

Among the commanders beside the carriage, most of the martial men still could not understand, but those who grasped reason — such as Zhu Zhi, Sun Jing, and Huang Gai — all fell into despondency. After all, they knew very well in their hearts that Sun Wentai was a hero of the age, and today’s loss of composure and collapse was merely the accumulation of pressure, pushed at last to the breaking point… A man’s collapse is always the result of long accumulation, and then it comes all at once.

The campaign against Dong Zhuo had suffered repeated defeats — at one point he was routed utterly by Jia Xu, Lu Bu, Xu Rong, and others; having finally gathered his old troops and recruited new ones, and having gained the right to continue advancing by pledging allegiance to Yuan Shu, Gongsun Xun suddenly drove straight in from Tongguan and crushed Dong Zhuo, leaving him, Sun Jian, with not the slightest merit or achievement to speak of.

Then came the period when the various lords of the realm each staked out their own territories.

The truth was, the proud and ambitious Sun Jian had thrown in his lot with Yuan Shu and acted as his claws and fangs largely because of the Yuans’ political delivery capability — he truly wanted the post of Inspector of Yuzhou. Yet at this very moment, Yuan Shao suddenly recommended Cao Cao as Inspector of Yuzhou, and Gongsun Xun recommended Liu Bei as Inspector of Yuzhou, causing this last identity of any real value — Sun of Yuzhou — to instantly “devalue.” And when Yang Biao, scion of four generations of the Three Excellencies, personally carried the imperial tally and proclaimed Liu Bei’s legitimate status throughout Yuzhou, the title “Sun of Yuzhou” became a joke and an object of mockery instead.

But the greatest blow was still the recent series of military operations — the two Yuans breaking with Gongsun, himself standing utterly opposed to the imperial court, and then the death of the Prince of Chen and the assassination of Luo Jun — these two matters truly defied all moral bounds under heaven…

In truth, Sun Jian had long anticipated that these two matters would deal a massive blow to his reputation, for the people of the realm would not care whether the Prince of Chen’s death was an accident, nor whether he had known about Luo Jun’s murder. Yet he had never imagined that the blow would be so great, so utterly unexpected, that even rebuttal or resistance would be impossible — Han Tuo had come here precisely to die! He had used his own spotless person to affix an irreversible annotation to the conclusion that Sun Jian was a villain!

The logic could not be simpler, nor more irrefutable — Han Tuo, State Mentor of Han, was a man of flawless purity and cleanness, so the adversary he opposed with his life, Sun Jian, could only be a villain!

How could it be otherwise?

“Where does my lord’s ambition lie?”

Sun Jian was Sun Jian after all — after that brief loss of composure, he ultimately pulled himself together, straightened his attire, and rose to his feet, preparing to mount his horse and return to camp to continue commanding his great army. Yet at that moment, Zhu Zhi suddenly spoke up from behind to ask. “Can you speak to us plainly?”

“What is there that cannot be said?” Sun Wentai sat motionless on his horse, not turning his head. “In my youth, what I sought was to be enfeoffed as a marquis on horseback — fame, fortune, and rank. When I met the General of the Guard at Yingchuan, my heart was shaken beyond words, and what I sought was to be like him — to rise with blade in hand and fail not the world. By now, the matter of enfeoffment and such has long passed, yet with the realm in chaos, how could I not wish to strive for an even greater future? But neither have I abandoned the ambition to fail not the world…”

Sun Jian was truly and exceptionally candid today. In truth, every last one of the ambitious warlords at the end of Han suffered from this same schizophrenia — half realist, half idealist… On one side, family, country, and the realm, heroic and impassioned; on the other, private desires in abundance, advancing step by step wherever possible.

Only, early last year, Gongsun Xun, far away in Hedong, had suddenly put forward a third concept — that circumstances dictated all, and whether it was family, country, and the realm, or private selfishness and muddling through, all could be understood. But whatever posture one took, one must not be cruel and disregard the common people — otherwise, one would be as unpardonable as Wang Kuang.

At first, no one paid the message any heed, but as Gongsun Xun succeeded in his campaign against Dong Zhuo and seized control of the central pivot, his three political declarations — from Gaoliang Pavilion to Weiyang Palace to the banks of the Wei River — inevitably drew attention, and for many minor powers, they served to some degree as a warning and admonition.

And this, in fact, was also the great legal and moral support for Han Tuo’s actions today. His conduct after the fall of Chen State not only conformed to the various values of the traditional Han Confucian scholar-official, but he may also have been the first to cite this political declaration and, from the standpoint of the common people at the bottom, raise a voice of criticism against those who stirred up such warfare and chaos.

Or rather, only this old man who cared about the lives of the common folk and had written “Mulberry on the Path” was most qualified to be the first to step forward and launch such a denunciation from such a standpoint.

Of course, in all fairness, such a denunciation was somewhat untimely, and indeed biased.

Yet flaws cannot obscure the gem — his moral and political critique was nearly impossible to withstand, and was certain to be passed down to later ages… Especially for the very target of the critique, Sun Jian himself — the latter was at the critical juncture of transitioning from a mere military commander to a statesman, and he was in fact dimly aware of, and exceptionally sensitive to, this kind of political reasoning.

But the trouble was that he, Sun Wentai, had been born a martial man — unlike Cao Mengde, who had studied since childhood and also managed the common people, and was himself a statesman with his own views; nor like Liu Bei, who had followed Gongsun Xun from the time he bound his hair, was deeply influenced by him, and moreover possessed a resilient character, so that he had formed his own virtue.

This was his tragedy — just as he began to gradually awaken to these truths, the deeds he had done in the past with a martial man’s style had already become settled conclusions. But it was also his retribution, for a man cannot erase the consequences of his actions on the grounds of his own ignorance.

To put it plainly, he, Sun Wentai, had a martial man’s style — that same martial mindset of Dong Zhuo that did not regard human life as mattering. Only, he thought that because he was campaigning against Dong Zhuo, he was failing not the world, he was righteous and awe-inspiring, and therefore could act without bearing responsibility… But this bitter fruit came so swiftly, so fiercely, that it caused even one as strong as Sun Wentai to lose his composure to this extent.

“I wish to ask my lord a few more questions.” Zhu Zhi continued, cupping his hands in inquiry.

“Among us, what is there that cannot be asked?” Sun Jian remained motionless on his horse, not turning his head, merely gripping the reins in his hand and laughing bitterly.

“My lord, in your ‘fail not the world,’ does this ‘fail not’ also contain the principle of failing not the House of Han?” Zhu Zhi raised his head on horseback and asked with a solemn expression.

“What a question you ask, Junli.” Sun Jian turned his head and smiled at Zhu Zhi and the others behind his horse. “Now that I have already lost the hearts of the people and offended the scholar-officials, if I were to fail the House of Han as well, then would I not truly become a villain? In truth, this so-called ‘fail not the world’ can now only barely serve to tell the people of the realm that I, Sun Jian, have never failed the House of Han.”

“I understand.” Zhu Zhi nodded and continued to ask. “Then, speaking of personal ties, are you more grateful to Yuan Gonglu, or do you share a deeper bond with Cao Mengde and Liu Xuande?”

“Is there even a need to ask?” Sun Jian continued to sneer from atop his horse. “Both bearing the same title of Lord of Yuzhou, Liu Xuande truly retreated three stages to avoid me, and while Cao Mengde’s retreat of three stages was somewhat slippery, he at least gave me an explanation… A man is not grass or wood — the oath from the middle of last year still rings in my ears, so how could I be unmoved? As for Yuan Gonglu — when I campaigned against Dong Zhuo, he cut off my grain supply; while I fought at the front, he sent men behind me to do such things… And as a result, when territory is taken, the State Chancellors and Grand Administrators need to be appointed by him, while I must be seen as a villain here by all of Chen State and even the whole realm? Now that things have come to this, must I go even further and bow my head to call him my lord?”

“Then let me ask my lord one more thing.” Zhu Zhi kept a straight face and continued to ask. “The current situation in the realm is clearly a struggle between the Gongsun clan and the Yuan clan… How do you see victory and defeat playing out?”

At these words, everyone from Sun Jian down was struck with awe. After a long silence, Sun Jian once more dismounted of his own accord and approached Zhu Zhi… For a moment he seemed about to speak, then stopped.

Still, Sun Wentai was Sun Wentai after all — after a brief silence, he ultimately spoke his view frankly: “I believe the outcome of this struggle will not be decided in the Central Plains, but in Hebei — it will depend on the decisive battle between the General of the Guard and Yuan the General of Chariots and Cavalry within the next few years. But as the saying goes, victory and defeat have their foundations — looking at the greater trend, if Yuan Gonglu here in the Central Plains can pacify Liu Biao, and then turn back and throw his full strength into attacking Guanzhong, then the General of the Guard will be unable to deploy his elite field forces in Guanzhong, and the outcome in Hebei will truly tilt toward the Yuans. And whether Yuan Gonglu can defeat Liu Biao depends on whether I can swiftly defeat Cao Mengde and turn back to aid him!”

At this point, Sun Jian could not help but raise his head and compose his expression with solemn pride: “Thus, though I dare not say the fate of the realm rests on me, neither am I, Sun Wentai, some nameless nobody unworthy of a laugh… Looking solely at the situation in the Central Plains, victory and defeat rest on me!”

“Since whoever my lord aids will win, then why not abandon the Yuans and follow… the imperial court?” Zhu Zhi finally spoke these words.

“Junli, are you asking me to become a turncoat and a traitor?” Sun Jian stared at Zhu Zhi and asked in return.

“Following the directives of the central pivot in Chang’an to campaign against the Yuans — how can that be counted as rebellion?” Zhu Zhi disagreed. “Did my lord not say he would fail not the House of Han?”

“Why bother to gloss over such things?” Sun Jian gave a cold laugh. “The Son of Heaven is but a boy of ten or so — if Yuan Gonglu can enter the Passes in three or four years, then the central pivot could just as well issue an edict to campaign against Gongsun! As for me, my post as Inspector of Yuzhou and my general’s title all came from Yuan Gonglu — if I then went to campaign against the Yuans, how would that not be rebellion?”

“So what if we rebel?” Zu Mao, standing nearby, could no longer contain his irritation and interjected. “Was it not he, Yuan Shu, who pushed us into rebellion? Forcing my lord to fight his own brothers! Forcing my lord to bear such a foul name! Forcing my lord to suffer such grievance today! Why should we not rebel?!”

By the banks of the Sui River, outside the military camp, the spring wind rolled past, and everyone was silenced for a moment by the words of this rough fellow Zu Mao.

“My lord,” Huang Gai, ever steady and highly regarded by Sun Jian, was the first to break the silence and continue to state his position. “We are all men of Jingxiang and Jiangdong… Previously, our toils in the Central Plains were for the campaign against Dong Zhuo, for the sake of the state — of course there was nothing to say. But now, to be asked to fight desperately in the Central Plains for the private interests of the Yuans, and to be looked down upon by the local people and the whole realm — what is the point of that? And if we campaign against the Yuans, then can we not justly and rightfully strike at Nanyang, strike at Jingzhou, and then settle down by the banks of the Great River?”

At these words, not only the several commanders, but even the trusted cavalrymen who had followed along were all invigorated.

Sun Jian suddenly saw the light: “You all wish to return to the south?”

At this, even Sun Jing gave a slight nod.

“My lord, when it is time to decide, decide!” Zhu Zhi stepped forward, grasped Sun Jian’s arm, and spoke earnestly. “The hearts of the people in Yuzhou do not submit to us, the central pivot does not recognize us — this post of Inspector of Yuzhou has now become a joke, and the grace of the Yuans has lost its meaning. But if we campaign against the Yuans, then we can justly and rightfully join forces with Liu Xuande, and with Cao Mengde — who has been cast aside by Yuan Shao — at our backs, advance south together! At that time, we can take Nanyang and Jingxiang, hold Yingchuan and Chen State, and to the north we can peer into the Central Plains to fulfill my lord’s great ambition; to the south we can plan for the lands south of the Great River as a place to settle, failing neither those around us… Why should we pull chestnuts out of the fire for others?”

Sun Jian was not a man given to hesitation. After a moment’s thought, he asked two key questions: “Would the General of the Guard in the central pivot be willing to accept me? Would Cao Mengde and Liu Xuande be willing to join forces with me?”

“Such matters I do not know.” Zhu Zhi shook his head repeatedly. “But there is no harm in asking as well… Since sending a memorial through Huanyuan Pass is so convenient, why not ask Chang’an whether, now that the campaign against Dong Zhuo is over, we might return to Changsha? As for Cao Mengde, he is just on the other side of the river — why does my lord not write a letter inviting him out for a chat? You are brothers who pledged to entrust your lives and families to one another — what is there that cannot be spoken of face to face?”

“In truth, even without all this, we can do it ourselves!” Zu Mao could not hold back again. “The Yuans can declare themselves General of Chariots and Cavalry and arbitrarily appoint Grand Administrators and generals — my lord has troops and is skilled in war, so why can he not do the same?”

Sun Jian paid no heed to Zu Mao, but without a word turned his horse around and rode back to camp alone.

Behind him, the commanders were overjoyed and followed one after another… For a time, on the road, only an ox cart remained, along with an unarmored soldier kneeling on the ground, and the placid, unruffled waters of the Sui River.

—————I am the dividing line where resolve has been set—————

“Yuan Shu, styled Gonglu, was the youngest son of Yuan Feng of Runan. Upon reaching adulthood, he became Captain of the Chang River Encampment. He was fond of extravagance and debauchery, rode in grand carriages with fine horses, and used his haughtiness to lord over others. The people of the time said of him: ‘Yuan of the Chang River, the ghost who blocks the road.’ When the realm fell into chaos, Shu went forth as General of the Rear to Nanyang, and also seized Runan and Huainan. For a time his power was great. At the beginning of the Jian’an era, Shu attacked Liu Biao and also sent Sun Jian forth into Yuzhou, shaking the Central Plains and worrying even the Grand Ancestor. It happened that Kong Wenju arrived in Chang’an and paid a visit to the Grand Ancestor, saying: ‘Is Yuan Gonglu the sort of man who forgets his family in service to the state? He is but a dry bone in a tomb — why give him a thought? Only Yuan Benchu, who knows men and employs them well, with elite troops and ample provisions, is enough to shake the realm. You, my lord, should set your mind at ease and await the autumn harvest, so as to annex Hebei — the Central Plains are not worth worrying over.’ After he left, the Grand Ancestor turned to his attendants and said: ‘Kong Wenju is merely an armchair talker — how could I be worried about Yuan Gonglu? I worry only that the scholars and commoners of the Central Plains, encountering this road-blocking evil ghost, will suffer calamity!’” — Old Book of Yan, Scroll 26, Hereditary Houses, Part One

PS: Continuing to offer a book as sacrifice, “The Calamity of Tomorrow,” a new work by the great author Xiong Langgou… A true top-tier author on Qidian, a great author, quality guaranteed — I hope this sacrificial offering can extend my life.

(End of Chapter)