Chapter 392: Do Not Let Life or Death Blur Kinship and Strife

Gongsun Zan’s night raid relied on three things.

One was the old course of the Yellow River… that broad, shimmering river, so imposing to the eye, was in truth not enough to block a large army.

After all, as a seasonal river, the water had only just begun to flow at this time, and the volume was still insufficient; it merely looked intimidating because of the wide riverbed. Moreover, at this time there was not much silt on the river bottom either, and since it formed the boundary between Pingyuan and Qinghe, in many places during winter it was simply used as a road trodden back and forth by travelers — the riverbed was actually very firm.

Therefore, as long as one was careful and found the right spot, a large force of cavalry crossing the river posed no problem at all.

Gongsun Zan, having been in Pingyuan for nearly a year, naturally knew this well. On the opposite bank, some in Yuan Shao’s army knew it and some did not, but the vast majority of the main forces from Yanzhou absolutely did not — they would only feel a sense of security because of this river.

Another was trust in these cavalrymen… this point is particularly easy to understand. Five thousand cavalry, mostly sons of You and Yan, crossing the river to fight fiercely against Yuan Shao’s troops — no matter what, they would not easily waver or scatter.

And the last, naturally, was the sheer suddenness of this military operation itself.

It must be understood that beforehand, only Gongsun Zan and Tian Kai knew of this matter. And given the situation, the vast majority believed that Gongsun Bogui was planning to flee. Under such circumstances, choosing to abandon the infantry on the Yellow River defense line and suddenly launch a night raid against an enemy with absolute numerical superiority — this truly achieved complete surprise.

How could it be otherwise?

Though Yuan Shao’s camp had many wise counselors and outstanding generals, they were not immortals. At most, the role of the wise counselors was to remind Yuan Shao to be on guard, not to grow overly arrogant and complacent after the great victory at Jieqiao, and then to assist in managing the main camp, keeping it in good order. And the role of the famed generals and brave commanders was, when a real raid came, to swiftly reorganize the camp, rally the troops, prevent a rout, or simply mount a counterattack.

As for the sort who, with a pinch of the fingers, can calculate exactly at which watch of the night someone will come to raid the camp — such a person is either an immortal, a swindler, or a madman… So, every last one of them, as the commanding general of an army, you should have them all dragged out and beheaded.

In truth, what could defend against a camp raid in this era was nothing more than immeasurable things like vigilance, military discipline, and the daily defensive readiness of the troops. But precisely because of this, people would attribute the success or failure of defending against a raid to things that were mysterious and unfathomable.

So, to put it the other way around, swindlers of this sort were actually quite numerous.

“Juye, have you gained any insight?”

That evening, on the open ground outside Yuan Shao’s main tent, a man with a tall headpiece and loose robes, his face like polished jade and standing eight chi tall, drifted over with an immortal’s grace. Yuan Shao, who had been hosting a banquet for his army’s advisors and officers while also discussing military affairs, could not restrain himself and rose directly to inquire.

“The workings of Heaven are vast and indistinct, the stars scattered in their multitudes. Only by observing through the entire night can one grasp a fraction of their meaning.” The visitor was called Cui Zhong, style name Juye, a prominent figure of the Cui clan of Qinghe, especially skilled in star-gazing and widely renowned. Hearing the question, he was unhurried; first he offered a composed salute before the gathering, and only then, pointing to the heavens with a smile, did he address the crowd. “This subordinate has only observed for half a shichen and is already dizzy and unable to make further calculations. I have only gained a rough insight from the general trend.” At this point, without waiting for Yuan Shao to ask further, he cupped his hands again in salute and raised his voice. “Within ten days, regardless of morning or evening, my lord shall surely gain Pingyuan!”

At these words, many at the banquet offered their congratulations, and Yuan Shao was overjoyed, clapping his hands and laughing heartily. He then personally stepped forward, took Cui Juye by the hand, and led him to a seat before returning to his own place to continue the feast.

Before the tent, for a moment, all was jubilant.

Yet amidst the general merriment, two men visibly furrowed their brows — one was Cui Yan, the other was Chen Gong.

Cui Yan frowned for two reasons. One was that he came from a proper Confucian background and his own moral standards were beyond reproach, so he was naturally ill at ease with such superstitious matters that his mentor Zheng Xuan had already begun to vigorously criticize. The only problem was that the man was his elder clansman — a younger brother does not speak of an elder brother’s faults — so it was not appropriate to openly make things difficult for his own clansman.

The other reason, conversely, was precisely because the man was his elder clansman yet still engaged in such practices. As a younger clansman, Cui Yan could not help but worry — saying a few auspicious words based on the general situation like now was naturally harmless, but what if one day things went too far? Would it not implicate the family and the clan?

As for Chen Gong, his reasons for frowning were even more numerous — his temperament was simply like that by nature.

However, the Cui clan was an important means of stabilizing Qinghe. Whether it was Cui Yan the moral scholar or Cui Zhong with his fine exterior, both had to be employed in important roles — there was no helping that. And after all, Cui Zhong had merely shown a bit of cleverness and enlivened the atmosphere; there was nothing clearly blameworthy. Therefore, Chen Gong’s thoughts at this moment were mostly concerned with Yuan Shao’s state — the man, having entered Qinghe, had pressed on the left and triumphed on the right, and could not help growing arrogant and complacent. Now he was even drawing close to such a flashy, insubstantial person, which could not but cause one worry.

With this thought, Chen Gong, seated at the first place on the left, suddenly spoke, addressing Cui Zhong, who wore an immortal’s bearing, with a serious expression: “Brother Juye, I recall that when you first came to see our illustrious lord, you said that the River of Stars is boundless, encompassing all phenomena, and that it corresponds to the great trends and petty men of the earth below, with nothing left unrevealed… Is that correct?”

Seeing that it was Chen Gong, Cui Zhong naturally dared not be negligent, and he also roughly understood that Chen Gongtai found him somewhat distasteful. So he quickly composed himself and faced him, partly with the intent to explain: “What Gongtai says is exactly right, and it is precisely because of this that the star omens are so obscure and hard to name. Take the Grand Astrologer at court — observing the stars for generations, with access to countless records and old charts in the Yellow Pavilion and Eastern Terrace, yet he can only obtain vague portents… If you ask them to speak, they can only say there will be military trouble in the east, bloodshed in the west. Everyone makes their guesses, all in a muddle, and only after the actual event occurs do they suddenly see the light. And at such a time, it requires a wise man like Gongtai to extract from it the way that can be used and to admonish an enlightened lord accordingly.”

“Indeed!” At these words, Yuan Shao at the head of the gathering also grew momentarily entranced. “In truth, it is not only star omens — even the simplest form of qi-gazing is profoundly subtle. For instance, back when Emperor Ling was still alive, someone in Luoyang, after gazing at the qi, spread word that Luoyang would suffer military disaster and blood would flow in the palace. At the time, everyone in the realm thought it referred to Grand General He’s purge of the eunuchs, and some men of talent even believed that Grand General He had deliberately sent people to spread the rumor in order to seek military authority. Later, after I purged the eunuchs, virtually everyone felt that the prophecy had already been fulfilled and there would be no further turmoil… Yet as events shifted, after several twists and turns to this very day, the people of the realm finally awoke to the fact that this saying actually referred to the calamity of Dong Zhuo’s usurpation!”

Among those seated, some knew of this matter and some did not. Hearing this now, all were more or less startled and doubtful.

Chen Gongtai, however, was a man who feared neither heaven nor earth, and he had originally intended to offer some admonishment. Now, seeing Yuan Shao so partial to mystical doctrines, the stubbornness in his heart only grew stronger, and he simply rose to his feet and raised his voice in response: “My lord, these words are gravely mistaken. Cui Juye comes from a renowned family, and what he has studied and transmitted is the orthodox path — how can he be mentioned in the same breath as those who play with rhetorical tricks? Brother Juye, please speak plainly: according to what the star omens reveal, does Hebei belong to the Yuan clan or the Gongsun clan? If you know this clearly yet do not speak, is that not deceiving people? And if you do not even know such a great trend as this, then what use is your study of star omens after all?”

Cui Juye’s expression did not change, but inwardly he was already lamenting his misfortune. The truth was, he truly did not wish to offend someone like Chen Gong. Yet all around him, every single one of those truly powerful and influential counselors wore an expression of watching a play, and even his own clansman Cui Yan merely lowered his head and drank, unwilling to be drawn into such a troublesome dispute.

As for Yuan Benchu and the military commanders, they were particularly straightforward — by now they had already developed a certain expectation, genuinely wishing that this Cui Juye would divulge a sliver of Heaven’s design: between the Yuan clan and the Gongsun clan, which had the brighter future?

The problem, however, was that with Yuan Shao seated above, and everyone shouting “my lord,” “illustrious lord,” “General” in a jumble, could anyone really expect a second answer?

“I will not conceal the truth from Gongtai and all you gentlemen.” Sure enough, left with no choice, Cui Juye could only steel himself, rise to his feet, and, pointing to the starry sky, give the answer that everyone expected. “Though the star omens are chaotic, several months ago this humble one personally witnessed a great star move northward across the Silver River. From this, it is evident that the great trend of Hebei lies with one who comes from the south! For this reason, when the General of Chariots and Cavalry led his troops north across the river and his summons arrived, this humble one no longer had any doubts and came specially to offer his aid… In other words, the great trend of Hebei is precisely fulfilled in General Yuan’s northern crossing of the Yellow River!”

The first half of this speech was meant for Chen Gong’s ears; the latter half was clearly meant for Yuan Shao’s.

But how could Chen Gong be so easily fooled? The moment the other man’s words ended, he set down the wine cup he had taken the opportunity to lift moments before and continued to press him in a loud voice: “If as early as several months ago Sir Cui already knew that the great trend of Hebei lay with General Yuan, then may I ask Sir Cui, why did you not go and persuade your own elder clansman, Cui Min, Prefect Cui, to abandon his post, return home, and avoid disaster? Prefect Cui currently serves as Grand Administrator of Zhuo Commandery, a position of critical importance. If one day our General of Chariots and Cavalry unifies Hebei, yet Prefect Cui, constrained by circumstances and the duty between lord and subject, repeatedly offers resistance — would that not lead to unspeakable things? Brother Juye, as a man’s younger brother, to sit by and watch your own elder brother fall into the wrong path — do you not fear being ridiculed?”

At these words, Cui Zhong’s expression became utterly mortified, yet he could offer no reply at all. Those around him all whispered and snickered among themselves, and even Cui Yan was implicated, becoming the target of pointing fingers and murmurs.

The fact was, of the three most outstanding men of this generation of the Cui clan of Qinghe, the eldest, Cui Min, was Grand Administrator of Zhuo Commandery and clearly intended to follow Gongsun Xun to the end. Meanwhile, Cui Zhong, who was in Qinghe itself, and Cui Yan, who had gone to Qingzhou to study, had both chosen Yuan Shao… This was not necessarily a case of hedging bets, but rather seemed more like a more conservative drifting with the current.

In all fairness, in chaotic times, such a thing was not really something worthy of mockery — but who told Cui Zhong just now to insist on speaking of Heaven’s mandate and star omens? That made losing face unavoidable.

Cui Zhong stood there awkwardly, several times about to speak, but each time he tried to open his mouth he saw Chen Gong stroking his beard and sneering coldly, and each time he closed it again. Just when his embarrassment was becoming unbearable, Cui Yan finally could not bear to watch any longer. Helplessly, he rose and stepped away from his seat, and of his own accord bowed to Chen Gong with clasped hands, pleading for mercy: “In these chaotic times, a single man is like a drifting duckweed. Preserving oneself and establishing one’s purpose, pacifying one region, serving one’s fate — each encounters something different. At such a time, fulfilling one’s duty with all one’s loyalty is already difficult enough; how could one have the mind to hope for some great trend?”

Cui Yan’s bearing made Chen Gong feel somewhat embarrassed himself. Moreover, Cui Zhong had already been thoroughly humiliated, so Chen Gong merely returned a slight salute with clasped hands and prepared to resume his seat, letting the matter drop.

But just as Chen Gong was about to sit down, while others might have let it pass, Yuan Shao, seated above, was nursing a grievance in his heart and could not resist taking the chance to offer Cui Zhong a few words of defense.

“Gongtai, why must you be so overbearing?” From the seat of honor, Yuan Benchu set down his wine goblet and sighed, his tone already carrying a hint of drunkenness and a touch of displeasure. “Do you think I do not know that this so-called struggle between the Gongsun clan and the Yuan clan is really only between the General of the Guard and myself, and that the gain or loss of these two commanderies by Gongsun Zan is not enough to decide the greater situation in Hebei? And yet, the General of the Guard has painstakingly built his power in Hebei for ten years — the moment he raised his troops, he had the strength of ten commanderies in the north, and now he sits in control of four provinces and twenty commanderies! As for me, I only began to devote myself to the regions starting last year, yet now I already hold Qing and Yan provinces with fourteen commanderies. If I can further defeat Gongsun Zan and compel Han Fu to submit, I too will have roughly twenty commanderies, and in terms of households and wealth, I will even surpass the remote and impoverished commanderies of Youzhou’s frontiers… To catch up to ten years of Gongsun Wenqi’s efforts in a single year — can that not be called possessing some measure of Heaven’s mandate?”

Chen Gong had originally been prepared to let Cui Zhong off, but upon hearing these words, he instead felt fury rising from his chest and his blood surging. He immediately rose again, his expression stern, and argued back: “My lord’s clan is the second surname under Heaven, with five generations producing three Excellencies and a century of accumulated influence — yet you have been matched by the General of the Guard in a mere ten years… If we are to discuss Heaven’s mandate by this measure, in whose hands does Heaven’s mandate truly lie?! As for this man Cui Juye — my lord has taken Qinghe and employs the sons of the Cui clan as generals to pacify the region; that is naturally beyond reproach. But when it comes to vital matters of state and military affairs, if you believe his sorcerous talk, sooner or later you will bring disaster upon yourself, will you not?!”

At these words, the banquet fell instantly into dead silence. Those seated and those standing alike were all struck dumb with shock… After all, this speech, rather than mocking Cui Zhong, was more an open disparagement of Yuan Shao and the Yuan clan itself.

Had this been someone who could not tolerate such things, he would likely have immediately ordered the man beheaded.

Of course, after a long moment, Chen Gong was the first to recover his senses. Realizing he had lost his composure, he hastily stepped away from his seat and apologized: “Your subordinate spoke rashly under the influence of wine. I beg my lord’s forgiveness.”

Yuan Shao gave a cold snort. He had originally intended to take this way out, but as he thought over the words Chen Gong had just spoken, the more he thought, the more humiliated and furious he became. In the end, he simply covered his face and walked away.

With the host gone, Cui Juye, equally mortified and speechless, likewise covered his face and fled in haste. Chen Gong, still prostrate in salute, found himself in this situation and naturally felt utterly disgraced. He could only rise, flick his sleeves, and return to his own tent. The remaining guests, caught for a moment in unbearable awkwardness, eventually dispersed and returned to their camps under Feng Ji’s direction.

Yuan Shao, back in his own tent, still found it hard to calm his heart. But after a short while, someone lifted the tent flap and followed him in — it was Xu You, Xu Ziyuan, who had been watching the drama unfold all along.

And this, in truth, left Yuan Benchu slightly puzzled.

“Ziyuan is not the sort who is good at soothing people’s hearts.” By candlelight, Yuan Shao, having removed his shoes and sitting cross-legged on the couch, frowned and spoke. “For you to follow me now — is there something else you wish to say?”

“What kind of talk is that, Benchu?” Xu You, hearing this, stroked his beard and laughed scornfully, then sat himself down on the other man’s couch without ceremony. “How is it that I cannot soothe people’s hearts? In my opinion, compared to Chen Gongtai, I, Xu You of Nanyang, can practically be called gentle and considerate!”

Yuan Shao forced a dry laugh: “Gongtai’s character is rigid and forthright, but his wisdom is profound, his talent outstanding, and moreover…”

“Moreover, after the affairs of the two Zhangs, Liu Gongshan, Bao Yuncheng, and the rest, the hearts of the people in Yanzhou are unsettled, and Chen Gongtai is the linchpin of Yanzhou’s morale — so he absolutely cannot be easily cast aside.” Xu You, still seated, finished the sentence for him. “And a man like Cui Juye is also someone you, General Yuan, will rely on to maintain Jizhou in the future. For both sides to disregard decorum and stir up such a scene in public — it truly puts one in a difficult position.”

“Ziyuan is indeed better at soothing hearts than Gongtai… But since Ziyuan sees things so clearly, I imagine you also understand my predicament!” Yuan Shao’s bitter smile grew more pained, until gradually he could smile no longer and could only turn helplessly serious. “At Jieqiao, it was clearly Han Wenjie who launched a sneak attack on me, yet everyone says that I, Yuan Shao, bullied the weak with my strength, that I wronged Han Wenjie first. And then everyone says that with the precedent of the two Zhangs and Liu Dai before us, I must not create more bloodshed. So, though I won the battle, I cannot sweep down and take Yecheng in one stroke. Instead, I can only send my nephew and Zhongzhi and those other old hands from Yingchuan to speak kindly and gently to persuade Han Wenjie… Ziyuan, tell me, is there any justice under Heaven in this? I clearly won a decisive victory, my Yanzhou elites are clearly right at Jieqiao, the rest of Jizhou’s combat-worthy troops are clearly all gathered here, the man clearly has not a shred of resistance left — and yet I must still expend such effort and trouble.”

“It’s fortunate that those Yingchuan men and those Yanzhou elites are not here,” Xu You could not help laughing aloud. “Otherwise tonight would have been even livelier!”

Yuan Shao, both hands gripping the couch, shook his head for a moment: “Ziyuan, I already know what you are going to say… You want to take this chance to tell me that I act too hastily, so that the factions among my subordinates are starkly divided, is that it? Yanzhou’s, Qingzhou’s, Yingchuan’s, Nanyang’s — and in a few days, after we defeat Gongsun Zan and compel Han Fu to submit, with Jizhou as the battleground, the Jizhou men, who are weak today, will also rise up. Then it will be even harder.”

“On the contrary.” Xu You let out a long sigh. “Today I truly came to comfort you. And I want to tell you, Benchu — you need not worry that these men will cause some disaster through internal strife, because as long as you are here for a single day, these men may indeed struggle against one another endlessly, but they will absolutely never harbor thoughts of betrayal because of it, nor will they delay your decisive battle with Gongsun Wenqi.”

“What kind of nonsense is this?” Yuan Shao simply rose from the couch and stood barefoot. “Since ancient times, no one has ever heard of a man whose followers were internally divided and collapsing yet could still contend for the realm… It is like a great river flowing forward — it can only gather tributaries to travel east and enter the sea. Where is the logic that it can still flow smoothly by splitting apart?”

“Is it not you, General Yuan, who is speaking nonsense?” Xu You, still seated on the couch, was unimpressed. “Have you ever seen a great river that splits apart? Once the streams have already merged, how could they split again?”

Yuan Shao, standing barefoot on the ground, was momentarily stunned.

"The highest good is like water, accommodating all shapes and forms." Xu Ziyuan continued to speak in measured tones, his expression uncharacteristically solemn. "Once streams merge, separating them is no easy task. And does Benchu think those people can gather into the great river of your Chariot-and-Cavalry General's faction simply because they wish to? It is only because they naturally belong to your great river and cannot escape. This principle is just like how great rivers each have their own water systems — the geography and hydrology are fixed, each with its own domain; forcibly altering the course cannot shake the hydrological foundation. Take Gongsun Wenqi, for example: he struck first with his 'Order Seeking the Worthy,' which only attracted a handful of minor talents, yet it already declared his intent. At the Hedong talks, he killed only one Wang Kuang, but thereby established the law that those who harm the people shall die. Moreover, his founding heroes and great generals in the army mostly come from humble origins; years of farming colonies and lecturing in Changping have accumulated several hundred officials, spread out into the villages and districts... So I ask you, in such circumstances, when established clans and powerful houses like Chen Gong, Xin Ping, Cui Zhong, and Guo Tu seek advancement, will they come to you or to the General of the Guard? You and Wenqi, though both seem like endlessly flowing long rivers, are in fact like the Great River and the Long River — each with its own domain, utterly impossible to connect."

Yuan Shao's mind gradually cleared, yet some doubts still lingered: "What Ziyuan says does hold a certain reasoning... But Ziyuan, for subordinates to be in such chaos is never a good thing, is it? And since today you and I speak from the heart, I will be frank with you as well — if these people are allowed to act without restraint, how am I to conduct myself in the future?"

"This is something that cannot be helped." Xu You spread his hands again and smiled. "Benchu, you yourself just said it — Gongsun Wenqi spent ten years laying the groundwork, long ago mapping out the veins between himself and the northern lands, then followed the current downward, naturally forming a river. You, on the other hand, are like the old course of the Yellow River — a jumble of water systems, mud and sand all churning together, so much so that the dikes often overflow and bring disaster... But no matter how turbid the water or how many the disasters, can any of it stop the mighty river from entering the sea? At worst, once the great momentum is achieved in the future, you can follow Wang Jing's example and rebuild the golden dikes and reorder the river channel... The key now is simply to gather the waters and enter the sea before Gongsun Wenqi does, so as to secure the greater picture. A few mixed and chaotic matters can all be endured for now. And by the same logic, for those people, unless they encounter extreme circumstances, or unless you, Benchu, force them too hard, they will find it extremely difficult to defect."

"I have learned from Ziyuan's reasoning once again today." Yuan Shao stared blankly for a long moment, then finally nodded emphatically. "This is just like how Emperor Guangwu re-surveyed the fields after his success, or how Emperor Gaozu cut down the feudal lords after securing the realm... are they not all the same thing?"

"Is that all there is to it?" Xu You stroked his beard and sneered.

"How could it be only that?" Yuan Shao immediately caught on and laughed along. "To re-survey the fields in the future, one must generously grant fields today; to weaken the feudal lords in the future, one must ruthlessly delegate power today... And I already understand what Ziyuan means... Only the wealth and goods I am too embarrassed to take back, so at this moment, I can simply reward you generously!"

Xu You smiled without speaking.

As it happened, this idle conversation between lord and vassal cleared Yuan Shao's heart — Gongsun Xun valued the people and held strong power himself, but the levers of power in the world are finite; when the top and bottom are weighted, the middle naturally gets less, and those unwilling to endure such an arrangement naturally gathered around him, Yuan Shao. As long as he delegated power and benefits to those who could not obtain sufficient advantage from Gongsun Xun, he could naturally unite these people.

In truth, in this age, to forcefully claim that the great clans and powerful houses had any class consciousness is nonsense, but the basic principles are there, the laws of history and class characteristics are there, and a wise man who glimpses a part of them and offers a little interpretation — that is a common thing.

Earlier, Xun Yue had seen through how the great clans monopolized official careers and the powerful houses monopolized the economy; today, Xu You, a man greedy for profit, used profit to discuss the hearts of men under Heaven — both, as they say, hit not far from the mark!

And so, the two cast aside their earlier unpleasantness and talked so deeply that they lost track of time. It was not until the third watch that Yuan Shao finally extinguished the lamp and lay down, while Xu You, having received a reward of several dozen yi of gold, returned home in high spirits. At the same time, even Cui Juye and Chen Gongtai, hearts heavy with gloom, after tossing and turning, each lay down to rest in the Left Camp and the Central Army respectively.

However, not long after the Yuan lord and vassals had each fallen asleep with their own thoughts, just past the third watch, shouts of battle suddenly erupted along with flames — it turned out that Gongsun Zan, having crossed the river, had finally reorganized his entire army, completed his preparations, and was about to astonish the world!

The Yuan army's linked encampments stretched seven or eight li, with a full thirty to forty thousand troops — on the surface, much the same as when they had just crossed the river, but inside, things were already different. The Yanzhou elite who had come at the start, such as Yu Jin, Li Jin, and Wen Chou, were still garrisoned at the Jie Bridge as a military threat; while the ten thousand or so newcomers were simply local Qinghe conscripts, all raw recruits.

Therefore, as soon as the night raid struck, the army's various sectors reacted inconsistently — some camps immediately blazed with lights and stood firm in strict defense; while other camps fell into utter chaos, utterly clueless as to how to respond.

Gongsun Zan, standing on a gentle slope, watched as the Yuan army's various camps reacted so unevenly after the vanguard set fires everywhere. While delight spread across his face, he also urgently sought an opening for battle.

And indeed, he very quickly discovered an extremely obvious breach.

"Sound the horns and muster the troops!" Gongsun Bogui fixed his stare on one camp that remained in ceaseless turmoil and made his decision on the spot. "The entire army follows me straight to the Left Camp!"

With these words, this 'cousin of the General of the Guard,' who had never before revealed his edge, personally took up a double-headed steel lance and led five thousand Youyan cavalrymen himself, charging straight for the great camp of Cui Juye — he who 'observed the stars and knew the great trends of Hebei.'

On the other side, Cui Zhong scrambled to his feet in panic. Seeing his camp under attack, he was first flustered and at a loss. Then, when he received orders from the Central Army's main camp instructing each army's commander to strictly defend their own position, he could only let the surrounding officers relay the command while he himself remained hiding in his tent. However, his Left Camp was mostly filled with newly recruited Qinghe men; from officers to soldiers, who among them had ever experienced such a situation? Thus, Cui Juye waited in his tent for a long time, but instead of the situation outside gradually stabilizing, new military reports arrived instead — saying that the outer wall of the burning camp had actually been dragged down by White Horse cavalry using grappling hooks, and then the Governor of Bohai, Gongsun Zan, had personally led countless northern shock cavalry charging into his Left Camp.

"Quickly, go to the Central Army and request reinforcements!" After freezing for a moment, Cui Juye finally gave the order, trembling as he sat on his bed.

However, just as the messenger departed, a torch was hurled from afar, landing right beside the great tent where Cui Zhong resided, and immediately ignited.

—————— I am the dividing line of death ——————

"Cui Zhong, styled Juye, was a man of Qinghe in Hebei, exceedingly skilled in the art of star-gazing and well-versed in Daoist arts. At the end of the Han, he followed Yuan Shao into the army as a General of the Household. He faced Gongsun Zan across the old course of the Great River in a long standoff. One night, he feasted and drank himself into a great stupor. Among those present, Chen Gong rebuked him, saying: 'Sir, your arts are profound. Now the old course of the Yellow River lies before us, blocking the great army — can you make it a road?' Cui Zhong, drunk, leaned forward and said: 'To draw a line across water and part the current is an easy matter. However, when I studied the arts under an immortal in my youth, the immortal once warned that if I performed this art, great calamity would befall me.' Chen Gong grew angry and denounced him as a deceiver of the age; Yuan Shao also pressed him. Cui Zhong had no choice, so he took the white feather fan in his hand and drew a line across the river. The current parted, and he declared it had become a land road. Those around him all laughed; Yuan Shao and Chen Gong also scoffed, none taking it seriously. At that time, Gongsun Zan was about to cross the river in a night raid, but the river water was too deep to ford. Suddenly, a white feather fan was seen coming from the west, drawing a line that cut off the river's flow. Zan's army took it as divine aid and crossed the old course in astonished delight. Late at night, they reached Yuan Shao's camp, found Cui Zhong in a great drunken stupor, and beheaded him." — In Search of the Supernatural

(End of Chapter)