Chapter 409: A Lone Rider Can Yet Recover Ten Cities

On the fifteenth day of the eighth month, Zhang Fei took his leave of Li Jin, crossed the river northward from Qin Pavilion, and rode alone into Wei Commandery. From that point onward, military encampments and troops were a common sight along the way. To avoid stirring up trouble, Zhang Yide bypassed the larger cities, instead traveling northwest from Sha Pavilion in Wei Commandery, passing Old Du, reaching Ge City, and there crossing the Fu River once more. By this time it was already the eighteenth of the eighth month.

Yet the man still did not pause for a moment. After crossing the river, without the slightest hesitation, he rode lightly straight toward Julu Commandery due north.

Indeed, Zhang Yide had long since made up his mind on the road: since he had come to repay a debt of gratitude, he must find a place where he could give full play to his martial prowess, and that place was Julu.

Of course, in all honesty, the situation at Handan seemed on a grander scale, but it was currently in a stalemate. Zhang Fei considered himself a mere fighting man, and when it came to martial valor and the art of war, he seemed unable to surpass that Guan Yunchang, so he felt that going there would likely be of little great use. Julu, on the other hand — Zhang Fei had made careful inquiries along the way — though it was said to be a stalemate for Dong Zhao, the Grand Administrator of Julu, in truth he had lost the greater part of the Julu Marsh commandery territory and appeared to be in imminent danger. Moreover, Julu had no famous generals, so going there would surely allow him to be of great use.

As for the news that Yuan's army might go and return again, once he reached Julu, he could simply have Dong Gongren send word from the rear.

Of course, since these reasons were already enough to convince himself, Zhang Yide never truly discerned his own deeper thoughts — in truth, there was another important reason he chose Julu over Zhao: he had worked for years as a partner with Zhao Chancellor Shen Zhengnan in Qinghe, and given his current awkward status, he was somewhat reluctant to face the man. Moreover, in the old days in the army, he had also had some rivalry with Guan Yunchang, and being around him was somewhat uncomfortable. Dong Gongren, on the other hand — though they were not very close, Zhang Fei had always known in the army that this man was a short, dark, stout fellow who treated people with sincerity, was honest by nature, yet possessed wisdom and cunning.

Going to Julu — surely he could stay there more comfortably?

"It really is Yide! Where have you come from, Yide?!"

Sure enough, north of Julu Marsh, outside the official temple at Yingtao City, the seat of Julu Commandery, Dong Zhao — though he had risen to Grand Administrator of a commandery, ranked at two thousand dan — was still as dark, stout, and warm-hearted as in the old days, only with a few more wrinkles at the corners of his eyes. Hearing that someone outside the gate claimed to be Zhang Yide of Zhuo Commandery, and after having a nearby attendant who had met the man before confirm his identity, he was overjoyed and came out personally to welcome him.

"Lord Dong, I trust you have been well since we parted." Zhang Fei, for his part, was perfectly courteous, saluting with clasped hands. "I have come uninvited, and hope you will forgive the presumption."

"I was unwell, but now that Yide has come, I am well again." Dong Zhao could not be bothered with pleasantries. He stepped forward directly and seized the other man by the arm, his face full of earnestness, and right there at the gate of the official temple began pouring out his troubles. "I will not hide it from you, Yide — Julu's terrain is long and narrow, and with Julu Marsh cutting through the middle, it is naturally split in two. I have few troops and, worse, lack bold commanders, so that Xu Ziyuan has taken advantage of his strength to bully us. Now the eight counties and eleven cities of southern Julu no longer heed my orders. I was just about to borrow the might of a bear-and-tiger warrior like Yide to go proclaim a bit of this governor's authority on my behalf... Let us go inside and speak in detail."

Zhang Fei naturally had no objection.

However, once the two had truly entered the official temple, Dong Zhao first set aside public business and introduced Zhang Fei to several people.

"Yide, please look — this is my younger brother, single name Fang." Dong Zhao pointed to a man who resembled him in appearance, equally dark and stout but somewhat taller, introducing him first. "Our family is from Jiyin, so during the campaign against Dong, he was recruited by Zhang Miao, the Grand Administrator of Chenliu, to serve as an adjutant. Later, when Zhang Miao was annexed by Yuan Shao, he was appointed Magistrate of Jiyang County in Chenliu Commandery. Still later, when that villain Yuan's rebellious intent became clear, I wrote to have him bring our entire Dong clan here..."

Zhang Fei hurried forward to exchange courtesies. This Dong Fang, with his deep family learning, was as amiable and approachable as his elder brother, with the complete look of an honest man — no need to say more.

After Dong Fang finished the courtesies and stepped aside, a young man barely past the capping age came forward and first bowed deeply in salute.

"Yide, please look." When Dong Zhao pointed to this man, he could not help but beam with delight, a rare sight. "This lad is called Sima Zhi, courtesy name Zihua, a man of Wen County in Henei, of the same clan as that Sima Lang under our lord's command. In the chaos when Dong Zhuo ran rampant, Wang Kuang governed Henei with endless exactions, and military calamities followed one after another. At just eighteen, he set out with his widowed mother to seek refuge in Changping, but unexpectedly, after passing Zhaoge, on the border of Wei Commandery, they ran into bandits under Yu Du's command. All the other refugees fled, but he alone could not bear to abandon his mother, so he stayed behind and begged the bandits to kill him and spare his mother. The bandits, moved to respect, let him go, and he became known for this... When he reached Yingtao, I heard of his reputation and summoned him. After examining him, I found him truly talented, so I kept him at my side as a clerk. And some days ago, when my brother brought his family here, knowing my niece was not yet betrothed, I had him become my nephew-in-law, with plans to complete the marriage within the year... Tell me, is that not a fine match?"

Zhang Fei carefully looked this Sima Zhi over. The man was tall and slender, his skin fair and clean, his features truly outstanding. He glanced again at the Dong brothers beside him, and was sincerely convinced, declaring without hesitation that this was indeed a fine match!

Just so, after the introduction of Sima Zhi was complete, the three took their seats in the hall, preparing to discuss public business. But before they could speak, someone suddenly came uninvited from outside, apologizing for the disturbance, saying he had heard the famous general Zhang Fei had come and had made a special visit.

Seeing the newcomer, Dong Zhao immediately broke into a smile. He rose again, went forward, and pulled the man over to make the third introduction of the day for Zhang Fei: "Commandery Assistant Sun has come at just the right moment — I was about to send for him... Yide, please look — this is the Commandery Assistant, Sun Kang, courtesy name Gonggao, of the renowned Sun clan of this commandery, recommended as Filial and Incorrupt for ten years, one of the few pillars of this commandery... That scoundrel Xu Ziyuan is truly formidable, and had Commandery Assistant Sun not aided me with all his strength to hold on, I fear these five counties and seven cities of northern Julu would have long since been lost!"

Before Zhang Fei could speak, Dong Gongren turned back around, seized Zhang Fei, and introduced him to Sun Kang: "Commandery Assistant Sun, you look as well — this is Zhang Fei, Zhang Yide, the foe of ten thousand who slew Hua Xiong in a single battle before Hulao Pass. He was originally with Liu Xuande, Inspector of Yuzhou, in Huainan, but hearing of trouble in Hebei and grateful for our lord's past kindness, he traveled a thousand li without hesitation to come aid the fight. This one man is worth a host of ten thousand, and with you two joining hands, our Julu can be free of worry!"

Hearing these words, Sun Kang neither declined nor exchanged pleasantries. Instead, he directly furrowed his brow: "Has General Zhang come alone?"

Zhang Fei was about to answer politely, but unexpectedly Dong Zhao cut in before him: "That is precisely why the two of you must join hands. The Sun clan is a renowned family of this commandery. If they can take the lead in gathering some great households and scraping together some troops to give to Yide, then the southern half of the commandery, already in turmoil, can be pacified in an instant!"

Sun Kang shook his head repeatedly at these words, his brow growing ever more tightly knit: "Governor Dong thinks too much. Since the time of the Yellow Turbans, Julu has been the root of Hebei's chaos, with hardly a year of peace. The population has fled, bandits run rampant — even our Sun clan is barely holding on. How could we possibly gather any troops?"

"But if that is so, the commandery troops of this half-commandery number no more than two thousand. Holding Julu Marsh alone is difficult enough — how can we recover the south of the commandery?" Dong Fang, standing nearby, could not help but interject.

"That is also a matter beyond our control." Sun Kang shook his head repeatedly. "When General of the Guard entrusted the heavy responsibility of Julu Commandery to Governor Dong, I fear he did not foresee today's circumstances either."

Dong Zhao gave a wry chuckle, looking rather embarrassed.

Now, Zhang Fei was a man who, though outwardly rough, possessed inner subtlety — to say nothing of the years he had spent operating independently in Qinghe, which had tempered him greatly. So, hearing this exchange, he had long since sensed something in his heart. Glancing again at Sima Zhi behind him, who had been smiling politely all along but had now turned solemn upon Sun Kang's entrance, he immediately understood.

Thereupon, Zhang Yide, contrary to his usual courteous manner, clasped his hands behind his back and gave a cold snort: "How stingy you all are! I have come a thousand li to aid you in battle, and yet you, a grand commandery, cannot even scrape together a mere few thousand troops? Without soldiers, do you truly expect me to ride alone and pacify the ten cities south of the commandery? You must know that I am a general, not an assassin. Even when I slew Hua Xiong in the battle line that day, the various lords had to gather several hundred armored riders for me to serve as a vanguard before it could be done!"

With these words, he actually flicked his sleeves and strode out of the hall, prompting Sima Zhi to hurry after him in persuasion.

Seeing this, Dong Zhao grew even more embarrassed and smiled wryly, while Sun Kang also turned to stroke his beard and smile without speaking.

Of that day, let us speak no more. After the evening meal, Dong Gongren went again in person to visit Zhang Fei, not even bringing his brother or nephew along — clearly intending to entrust his innermost thoughts. And Zhang Fei naturally had nothing to hide. So the two sat down upon the couch and exchanged all necessary intelligence — such as Gongsun Xun having already reached Zhending, but with his troops not yet assembled, so no word had been spread; or that Yuan Shao, having finished resting and reorganizing, might use this final window to counterattack Handan — and only then did they turn to the situation in Julu.

And once the conversation turned to the local circumstances of Julu, Zhang Yide did not beat around the bush, but came straight to the point: "May I ask Lord Dong, what exactly was the matter with that Sun Kang today?"

"What matter could it be?" Dong Zhao spread his hands and smiled bitterly across the small table on the couch. "He has been Filial and Incorrupt for many years, his clan is the foremost in Julu, and after the Yellow Turban rebellion, the chaos in Hebei never ceased. The great families of Jizhou mostly set aside their pride, allied with the local strongmen, and gathered people to build fortified settlements. The Sun clan was no exception. So this Filial and Incorrupt Sun, this Commandery Assistant Sun, has both name and substance in Julu. Together with the other great households of the commandery, they practically regard Julu as private property, ready to sell it for a good price... But the previous Grand Administrator, Li Shao, saw the opportunity quickly and was highly skilled — he preemptively offered this commandery to our lord, so that after the campaign against Dong, he easily rose to one of the Nine Ministers. So in his heart, this man has always been resentful..."

"Is this man resentful that Lord Dong is above him, or resentful of our lord's strict laws?" Zhang Fei suddenly interjected.

Dong Zhao, hearing this, could not help but glance at Zhang Fei an extra time, but answered crisply: "I fear it is both."

Zhang Fei understood in his heart.

"In truth, before, it was tolerable," Dong Zhao put away his smile and grew gradually stern. "It never hindered the greater situation. But now that the great households and clans of the southern commandery have also easily received appointments from Yuan Shao, he is naturally even more dissatisfied in his heart. So in every matter he makes endless excuses, and there is even a faint hint that he might offer the commandery to the Yuan clan in exchange for wealth and rank."

"Military affairs are strict — how can we tolerate such an attitude from this man?" Zhang Yide's brow also gradually furrowed. "Why not seize and execute him?"

"The situation was unfavorable before, and without proof or grounds, killing him might have shaken people's hearts and instead brewed a great disaster." Dong Zhao hastily shook his head. "And with his cleverness, he would not have any direct communication with Xu Ziyuan while his clan is all in the north of the commandery. What's more, although the great army has not yet assembled, our lord has already reached Changshan. Even if he does not necessarily know this, he can still sense something in the atmosphere — how could he reveal his hand at such a time?"

Zhang Fei slowly nodded in understanding.

"I had originally intended to endure a little longer, and after our lord assembled the great army and arrived here, then directly seize him." Dong Zhao paused briefly at this point before continuing. "But now that Yide has come, it has instead become simpler..."

"If Lord Dong has a plan, speak plainly. Since I have come here, it is with the intent to do my utmost for our lord."

"The matter is simple." Dong Gongren stroked his beard and answered crisply. "I already have a thorough plan... We should act sooner rather than later."

"Lord Dong, please speak." Zhang Yide could not help but salute with clasped hands, sitting upright and attentive.

"I will give Yide half of the two thousand commandery troops. Tomorrow, Yide will go to the south of the commandery and help me recover those eight counties and ten cities south of the commandery, then drive out Xu Ziyuan, and along the way annex the various clan brigands in the south." Dong Zhao continued stroking his beard and spoke calmly. "After you achieve a great victory, I, in the rear, will borrow the prestige of your great victory to seize Sun Kang and swallow up his clan's soldiers... At that point, I estimate that together we will have over ten thousand troops, and with grain not lacking anywhere after the autumn harvest... we can then simply go and directly launch a surprise attack on Handan, joining with Shen Zhengnan and Guan Yunchang in a two-pronged assault to drive away Ju Shou. Would that not also foil Yuan Shao's plan to suddenly counterattack beneath the walls of Handan? In this way, we will also have swept clean our respective domains, allowing our lord to come and carry out his plans here without any hindrance."

Zhang Yide was momentarily dazed, but in the end could not hold back: "May I ask Lord Dong, how does one recover ten cities south of the commandery with one thousand commandery troops?"

—————— I am a somewhat dazed dividing line ——————

"Lou Gui, Dong Zhao, Jia Xu, Xun You, Tian Feng, and Xi Zhong — in talent, strategy, and plotting, they were extraordinary scholars of the age. Though their abilities in pure governance and overall management differed from those of Lu Fan, Shen Pei, and Wang Xiu, in planning and foresight, they were their equals. The age called them the master strategists of the Grand Ancestor's rise." — Old Book of Yan, Volume 70, Biographies, Chapter 20

PS: Ten thousand thanks to classmate Dilong for the sudden double show of support... It truly makes one proud when a book can move its readers.

Also, to explain last night's matter... I encountered something that cleared out all the manuscript fees I had saved up in one go, and then I was somewhat preoccupied with gains and losses, with no heart to continue writing... I can only say that I am indeed still young... I'll post this chapter first, go eat, and do my best to post another chapter to repay the debt before work tomorrow morning.

(End of Chapter)