Chapter 419: Pondering the Past, Then Knowing the Heart

"Xu Ziyuan said so, and you just believed him?"

The next afternoon, beneath the walls of Handan, inside the central command tent of the Gongsun army's main camp, General of the Guard Gongsun Xun, who had been studying maps and discussing the campaign with several military advisors, suddenly raised his head and glanced at someone below the tent.

Wei Yue felt his skin crawl under that gaze and could only force an awkward smile. "Could it be that Xu Ziyuan was not a spy for my lord, and your subordinate fell for his scheme?"

Gongsun Xun did not answer, merely continuing to scrutinize the map, while Lou Gui and the others took the cue to rise and stand on either side of the desks.

"If that is so, your subordinate is truly a fool!" Wei Yue dared not delay, hastily prostrating himself and knocking his head in self-reproach. "To have actually fallen for Xu Ziyuan's stratagem..."

"How is it merely falling for his stratagem?" Gongsun Xun muttered quietly, leaning over the map before him, then suddenly raised his head to issue an order. "Beat the drums, assemble the generals!"

The many figures in the tent—Han Hao, Zhang Ji, Pang De, Jia Kui, and others—naturally busied themselves organizing the general assembly, while Lou Gui, Tian Feng, Xun You, and the rest also solemnly stood at attention on both sides, awaiting the gathering of the commanders.

Presently, the drums rumbled—it was actually every drum, large and small, in the central army sounding together, striking twenty-seven times in succession, then repeating twice more. This was the highest-level assembly drum; all officers of the Two Thousand Shi and One Thousand Shi ranks in the army, plus the civilian military clerks directly attached to the central army, dared not be tardy and gathered one after another at the central army's location. This was what was called a grand assembly of all commanders.

Immediately after, the increasingly panicked Wei Yue was simply taken by armored soldiers to the command platform outside the tent to continue kneeling in wait. A moment later, Gongsun Xun also abandoned the main tent, bringing several military advisors and close attendants out with him to take a seat upon the command platform. This rammed-earth platform had been erected by Yuan Shao during the first siege of Handan; now it conveniently served Gongsun Xun.

Outside the tent, the army's various commanders and deputies numbered in the hundreds. They had originally been standing above, below, and around the command platform, buzzing with discussion as they watched Wei Yue kneeling in the center. But as Gongsun Xun sat sideways upon the platform, one hand resting on his sword and not uttering a single word, the area around the platform, noisy just moments before, fell into utter silence.

And this, in turn, threw Wei Yue into a panic. The man pondered briefly, then hastily raised his voice again to voluntarily admit his guilt: "Your subordinate is ignorant and incompetent, to have actually let Xu You go..."

"How are you merely ignorant and incompetent?" Gongsun Xun, upon hearing this, did not grow angry but instead laughed. "As I see it, I must have underestimated you in the past, to only realize today the true extent of your abilities, Wei Zidu..."

Wei Yue's gaze flickered as he cast wild glances at his colleagues all around. Cheng Lian, Cheng Pu, Han Dang, Gao Shun, and other old army comrades saw this and felt helpless. The few exchanged looks, and it was Cheng Pu who, after a moment's thought, was about to step forward to inquire about the matter.

But just before he could step out of line, he saw Gongsun Xun glance at him with a faint, ambiguous smile, and was instantly startled, his figure frozen on the spot.

By this time, Gongsun Xun had already turned to Zhang Ji at his side. "Derong, what did that Wei Commandery local officer who surrendered from the camp below Liangqi City this morning say? Speak loudly and tell everyone in the army, lest someone say I have wronged a man."

"Reporting to my lord!" Zhang Ji dared not delay and immediately stepped forward to answer. "The deserter said that late last night, the villain Yuan, along with Ju Shou, Xu You, Guo Tu, Lu Xiang, and other rebel leaders, entered the city from the south gate. Accompanying them was the famous Yuan army warrior Dian Wei of Chenliu. Because Dian Wei's unit was stationed in the camp outside the city and the wounded were placed inside the city, this matter was known to anyone with eyes and ears throughout the Yuan army, whether inside or outside the city."

Halfway through hearing this, Wei Yue, in full view of everyone, shuddered violently.

"Bring Commander Xu here on a stretcher!" Gongsun Xun did not follow up by questioning Wei Yue, but instead raised his hand again to signal.

At his instruction, Pang De also personally went down and, with several sworn followers, carried a wounded man onto the command platform. Everyone could see clearly that this man was an Army Commander who had started as one of Gongsun Xun's personal followers, also a cousin of Xu Rong, currently serving in Xu Rong's division overseeing military law, named Xu Xing, courtesy name Zixin.

"No need for formalities." Seeing the other man still struggling to cup his hands in salute from the stretcher, Gongsun Xun quickly waved his hand. "Repeat what you said when you came to the central army today to confess your crime. Where did you encounter Dian Wei and get driven back by him?"

"The guilty general dares not conceal anything." Xu Xing hastily bowed his head and spoke. "Last night, the guilty general encountered Dian Wei in a reed marsh leading to the Fushui River, over ten li southwest of Liangqi City, and thereby violated military law..."

"Why did you go to that place?"

"Reporting to my lord, last night your subordinate was originally lying in ambush several li west of Liangqi City. Later, when General Wei's division to the west suddenly raised torches and returned to camp, your subordinate assumed that after such a commotion, it would be hard to find any more captures there. Thinking that the Yuan army's routed soldiers wanting to enter the city for food would mostly have to circle around to the south to return, I traveled south against the direction of General Wei's march. As a result, I came upon a reed marsh, and only by threatening to burn the marsh did I force Dian Wei out..."

"How large was that reed marsh?"

"Hard to say, but it stretched continuously for several li, running from northwest to southeast..."

"Go down and recover from your wounds." Gongsun Xun kindly dismissed him, then turned with a smile toward Wei Yue, who was not far in front of him. "Wei Zidu, you just came to me saying that last night, west of Liangqi City, whom did you let go?"

The surrounding commanders and deputies suddenly understood, and were all dumbfounded.

As for Wei Yue, he too hastily kowtowed and begged for punishment: "Your subordinate deserves death ten thousand times! But your subordinate truly did not know that Yuan Shao and the others were hidden within. Your subordinate only thought it was merely Xu Ziyuan and his close attendants at the time... All the troops present can testify to this!"

Cheng Lian, speechless with frustration, immediately stepped out of line and knelt down to plead: "My lord! Zidu has always been a muddle-headed fellow... In this matter, though his crime is certainly grave, it was entirely unintentional. I beg my lord, in consideration of his many years of hard service, to grant him a measure of leniency!"

Having said this, the man knocked his head forcefully on the ground without stopping.

Seeing this, not to mention Cheng Pu, Han Dang, and Gao Shun, even Xu Rong, Zhang Liao, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, Tian Yu, Yang Kai, Wen Ze, Yuwen Heita, and other generals also stepped forward one after another to plead. The military advisors, civil officials, and personal guard attendants, however, all refrained from expressing any opinion. And Guan Yu, Xu Huang, Pan Zhang, Guo Jia, and others simply stood with solemn expressions, making no gesture either.

However, as Gongsun Xun sat in the seat of honor and surveyed his surroundings, a faint smile on his face but not a word spoken, those pleading gradually fell silent one by one, then stood awkwardly upon the command platform.

"Juzheng!" Once the platform had quieted down, Gongsun Xun finally looked toward Cheng Lian, the only one kneeling alongside Wei Yue. "You are absolutely right... This fellow Wei Yue has followed me for many years; he always has his merits and hard service. And how could I not know that he, Wei Zidu, is a muddle-headed fool? How could I not have wholeheartedly wanted to give him a good outcome? Not only that, for so many old friends and former comrades, if it were possible, I would want everyone to have a good outcome... Get up!"

As Gongsun Xun spoke, he gradually put away his smile, his expression turning stern. By the last two words, his tone had become faintly harsh.

But upon hearing this, Cheng Lian grew even more frightened. Far from rising, he instead kowtowed again without stopping.

"Very well, I must at least make everyone convinced and understand what this is all about." Gongsun Xun sighed. "Ask for me this fellow townsman and confidant beside you: what did he mean by, 'If there is no war in the future, how can a mere military man gain merit and establish himself?' Then ask him for me, what did he mean by, 'The lord has the benevolence of a woman, actually forbidding pursuit into the camps beneath the city walls; sooner or later he will bring disgrace upon himself'? And finally, ask him for me, what did he mean by, 'Yuan Shao has promised his subordinates enfeoffment as marquises, yet our lord, who controls the court, is so stingy'?"

When the first question was spoken, Guan Yu, standing nearby, was the first to raise an eyebrow and stroke his beard. When the second question came out, the commanders who had previously stepped forward to plead—from Cheng Pu to Han Dang to Xu Rong, from Zhang Liao to Tian Yu to Zhao Yun—regardless of rank, all turned pale, and Xu Rong and Zhang Liao even broke into a sweat on their foreheads. And when Gongsun Xun finished the last question, Cheng Lian finally jerked his head up sharply. Blood, sweat, and water mingled on his forehead, and his eyes held a look of bewilderment and shock as he slowly turned toward the man beside him.

"Your subordinate... your subordinate..." Wei Yue knelt prostrate there, stammering, at a loss for words.

"The first sentence was what Xu You said publicly to persuade you to let him go south. If you did not agree with those words, how could you have let him leave?" Gongsun Xun sighed slowly. "However, when I heard it last night, I actually did not take it to heart. I merely thought you were truly foolish, plus your old faults of greed, vulgarity, and muddle-headedness had flared up again. So my original intention was to deal with it lightly, letting your merits and faults cancel each other out. I did not even want to stir up too much trouble, lest someone of your seniority, Wei Zidu, with all your connections, would in turn cause me grief..."

Those who had stepped forward in droves to plead were now increasingly terrified and apprehensive.

"The second sentence was something you said publicly in your tent last night, after returning to camp, when you violated military regulations by drinking privately and were half-drunk. When your division's Registrar and Army Commanders, in their fear, came to report to the central army, although I was somewhat angered that you would actually direct this at me, I considered that you are merely a military man who does not understand grand strategy. Moreover, yesterday evening I did indeed suddenly order a halt to the pursuit, having you only sweep the battlefield, which cost many men some spoils—so it could be considered to have a cause. Therefore, at that time, I thought: since we are lord and vassal, I might as well simply reassign you to the rear, which would also count as preserving you. But Zidu, you absolutely should not have—under no circumstances should you have—uttered that last sentence!" Gongsun Xun let out a long sigh from his seat. "Because once you said such a thing, how can I trust you anymore? How can I employ you anymore? And once such a sentence is spoken, who can still guarantee that last night you let Xu You go merely because you were deceived by him? And furthermore, Zidu..."

"Yes!" Wei Yue finally raised his head in panic.

"You and Yuan Shao were also acquaintances back in Luoyang, and you even drank together face to face. So last night, could it be that you actually saw Yuan Shao, but simply felt that Xu Ziyuan's words suited your taste too well? Look, I am so harsh toward meritorious officials. If the war ends all at once, how will you continue to fight and earn merit and rewards in the future? Perhaps you would even end up discarded once the birds are gone! Better to release the tiger back to the mountain, so you can fight a few more battles and accumulate more wealth for yourself?!"

Wei Yue seemed to want to speak but hesitated, and in the end did not immediately defend himself.

Cheng Lian, watching from the side, understood completely—how could he not? The man nearly collapsed and fainted from despair. As for the other commanders, even the few military advisors who had been quite composed before now felt their eyes opened to new possibilities.

Gongsun Xun was likewise stunned for a moment, because he also had not expected this fellow to be foolish and audacious to such a degree. From his perspective, what exactly happened last night actually did not matter much. To say nothing of Xu You, even regarding Yuan Shao—deep down, Gongsun Xun truly did not care whether the man had escaped back or not, nor did he care how many troops the other still had or whether he could hold the city firmly. Otherwise, he would not have ordered the troops to withdraw yesterday.

One could only say that with this extra incident, dealing with Wei Yue had actually become much more straightforward.

But in all honesty, this made Gongsun Xun somewhat dejected.

With this thought, Gongsun Xun looked around and sighed. "Gentlemen, plead no more. Because I myself truly wish to preserve him. In fact, the person here who most wants to preserve him is me. But all of you coming to plead forces me to deal with him today. Because if I cannot deal with him alone today, then in the future, who knows how many of you will continue to cross the line, ruining the bond between lord and vassal that we share!"

The commanders were inwardly alarmed and retreated one after another to their positions. Han Dang and Gao Shun even hurried forward to forcibly lift Cheng Lian by the arms and drag him back into the ranks.

Under the afternoon sun, Wei Yue, finally reacting, felt only a chill down his spine and then frantically began kowtowing just as Cheng Lian had done earlier...

"Zidu, there is no need for such posturing. You have followed me for many years; do you still not understand my temper?" Gongsun Xun said dismissively upon seeing this. "But rest assured, we are lord and vassal after all, so you should also know that at times like this, I am even less likely to betray your dozen-plus years of hard service and merit. Did you not complain that my rewards are too little and my constraints too many? Then today I shall certainly reward you greatly, lest the commanders in the army privately say again that I am not as generous as men like Yuan Shao and Dong Zhuo."

Wei Yue trembled like chaff in a sieve, unable to utter a word.

It was laughable, really. When charging into battle, when had he ever feared death? But today, from the moment he heard those ambiguous words from Gongsun Xun and sensed that the other meant business, he had been so terrified from beginning to end that he could not speak.

"Wei Yue, Cavalry Commandant of Jiuyuan in Bing Province, since we met in the rain at Taiyuan, has served as my vanguard for a full fifteen years, toiling hard and achieving great merit. At Mount Danhan, he followed me through nine near-death escapes; in Luoyang City, he followed me to slay Wang Fu; in Liaodong, he followed me to annihilate Goguryeo. Thereafter, serving in Handan, Zhongshan, and Zhuo Commandery, he always bore his sword by my side. Quelling the Yellow Turbans, campaigning in Liaodong, punishing Dong Zhuo, attacking Yuan Shao—in all these he served as the vanguard..." Gongsun Xun had originally intended to finish recounting the other's merits, but the more he spoke, the angrier he became. Reaching this point, he could no longer control his emotions. Releasing his grip on his sword, he simply stopped suppressing it and questioned sharply: "Wei Zidu, you are my personal retainer from the very beginning! A man like you, with such seniority—why would you ever worry about merit?! Why would your greed be insatiable? In the future, if I have even a tenth, could I possibly give you one bit less?!"

Wei Yue, tears streaming down his face, could only prostrate himself and kowtow.

"Where is Wang Xiang?" Gongsun Xun suppressed his emotions and looked around.

Wang Xiang hurried forward.

"Send a letter to Changping. Have Lu Ziheng send from there three thousand bolts of silk, thirty million coins, three hundred jin of silver, and one hundred jin of gold to his family." Gongsun Xun pointed at the man kneeling before him and barked the order.

Wang Xiang immediately acknowledged the command.

"Where is Ju Zong?" Gongsun Xun continued to summon his men.

Ju Zong hurriedly stumbled forward.

"How much brocade does the army have?" Gongsun Xun asked sternly.

"Not much Shu brocade, only a few bolts, but there are over a hundred bolts of Liao brocade..." Ju Zong bent low to answer.

This was only natural — brocade was a luxury item. In the best years of the Great Han, a single bolt of top-grade Shu brocade could sometimes be worth a hundred bolts of fine silk, and even then it was priceless and unbuyable. Later, when Liao brocade appeared, the value of brocade dropped slightly, but over a hundred bolts of Liao brocade and several bolts of Shu brocade still amounted to an enormous fortune... Gongsun Xun had kept these things with the army, most likely for rewarding his men after a great victory.

"Bring men and fetch all of it," Gongsun Xun ordered curtly after a moment's thought.

Ju Zong, like the other commanders around him, was somewhat bewildered, but he still hurried to obey. Moments later, several hundred soldiers each carried a bolt of brocade and formed ranks below the platform.

"Would such a reward be to your satisfaction?" Gongsun Xun gazed at the man before him and asked at last. "I am speaking to you!"

"Enough... it is enough!" Wei Yue finally managed to choke out through his sobs.

"Getting those words from you was not easy." Gongsun Xun let out a long sigh. "Lie on the ground and see whether you are truly worthy of this reward... However many bolts of brocade you can bear today, I shall reward you with that many more... All of it will be sent back to your home. I will not go back on my word! Strip off his armor!"

Everyone around was shaken. The duty retainers Meng Da, Jia Kui, and the others dared not delay, and hurriedly led armored soldiers forward to strip off the man's armor, then moved to pin down his hands and feet... But Wei Yue showed no sign of resistance. Instead, after his armor was removed, he obediently prostrated himself flat on the ground.

"Remove the wooden rollers from the brocade and lay it over him..." After speaking these final words, Gongsun Xun simply turned and returned to his tent.

On the command platform, the entire army's officers stared wide-eyed as the armored soldiers busied themselves. They watched as the men removed the wooden rollers and unfurled the brocade. Each bolt, worth a fortune, was inlaid with gold and silver — golden threads and silver wires glittered brilliantly under the sunlight. As they were passed up one after another, Meng Da and Jia Kui at the very front trembled as they took each bolt, first displaying it to all four sides, then gently laying it over Wei Yue's back as if draping a quilt or a cloak.

Immediately, the four armored soldiers pinning his hands and feet released their grip, preparing to restrain him again through the brocade. But seeing that Wei Yue remained silent and showed no sign of resistance, these men, at Jia Kui's signal, simply withdrew.

One bolt of brocade draped upon him — this was something the former wastrel of the Jiuyuan borderlands could never have dreamed of in his entire life, or rather, something he only dared dream of in his sleep.

Three bolts of brocade upon him — that was something Wei Yue could have achieved in Liaodong, when he married the junior wife of Yang Qiu and Lady Gongsun herself gave him five bolts of Liao brocade as a congratulatory gift.

Seven bolts of brocade upon him — Wei Yue recalled his years in Changping, when his wife took part in managing the Anli trading house and the family saved up considerable wealth, and his own son, at the age of seven beginning his studies, was already dressed in brocade clothes.

Fifteen bolts of brocade upon him — Wei Yue's chest began to feel tight, the pressure on his limbs already unmistakable. By this point, he was effectively unable to resist, yet he still uttered not a sound... for he remembered two years ago, after the successful campaign against Dong Zhuo, when he rode a white horse, wore steel armor, and had a brocade cloak draped over him as he arrived before Weiyang Palace. At that time, he had already guessed he was to become a Cavalry Commandant of Two Thousand Shi! But it was also then that he recalled all he had seen and known in Luoyang, and began to yearn for even more.

Thirty bolts of brocade upon him — in the darkness, Wei Yue could no longer breathe, his limbs long since pressed flat against the ground. So he simply gave up thinking, just as today, when Gongsun Xun was about to deal with him and everyone pleaded on his behalf, he himself simply gave up defending himself or resisting... because he knew that he had indeed let his judgment slip again, and Gongsun Xun would not be swayed by pleas. But for some reason, in his daze, he still recalled that afternoon of torrential rain, when he had said to Cheng Lian — something about how since their lives were worthless anyway, following this man and risking their lives was far better than following Lu Bu. And so the two of them secretly left Lu Bu, mounted their horses, and caught up with that man from Youzhou who had spared their lives by the Yellow River. They had followed him for fifteen years, all the way until that man became the General of the Guard.

Forty bolts of brocade upon him — beneath the brocade piled like a small mountain, Wei Yue had long since perished. The commanders outside had all realized this as well, for at that thickness, even if suffocation did not kill him, the weight certainly would... But after a brief hesitation, glancing at the utterly still central army tent, Meng Da and Jia Kui continued to lay brocade on top.

In the end, over a hundred bolts of brocade were all spread over Wei Yue's back... According to Gongsun Xun's promise, this enormous fortune of over a hundred bolts of brocade would all belong to Wei Yue's family.

Then the brocade began to be taken back up, layer by layer... Near the end, with only a few layers remaining — no one knew exactly how many — the meticulous Jia Kui noticed something unusual on one layer of brocade and ordered them to stop, then entered the tent to request instructions.

Shortly after, Jia Kui emerged from the tent again and solemnly relayed the order — the General of the Guard could not bear it, and permitted Wei Yue to be buried wrapped in several layers of Shu brocade!

Immediately, armored soldiers stepped forward, carefully wrapped Wei Yue's corpse through the brocade, and carried it down from the command platform.

Throughout the entire process, not a single person saw Wei Yue's deathly appearance. Only the faint traces of blood on the rammed-earth platform told everyone, unmistakably, that this old retainer who had followed Gongsun Xun from the very beginning was utterly gone.

"The Lord Marquis has ordered," Jia Kui relayed again. "All of Two Thousand Shi rank, staff of the General of the Guard's office, and General Zhang Fei are to enter for discussion... All others, return to your respective camps!"

The men's hearts were heavy with mixed feelings. Although Wei Yue's death, Gongsun Xun's fury, and all that brocade had left a deep impression on everyone — still, the earthenware pot that never leaves the well will eventually break. Wei Zidu had brought this upon himself; a warrior trading one life for wealth and honor — there was nothing more to be said. On the other hand, yesterday's battle could clearly have been pressed into the city, yet Gongsun Xun had called it off. Now an entire day had passed, and Gongsun Xun still showed no intention of expanding his victory, instead keeping the troops in place — this was somewhat troubling.

Once everyone had entered the tent and paid their respects, before much could be said, Gongsun Xun came straight to the point: "Yuan Benchu has lost this battle, but he still holds three provinces and nineteen commanderies, with provisions intact and tens of thousands of troops remaining... What do you think should be done?"

Quite a few people looked toward Xu Rong... In truth, when the troops were recalled yesterday, the one who made the most noise was not Wei Yue, but the cavalry commander Xu Rong. It was just that he had not committed the grave taboo of resenting his superior, nor had he committed the laughable offense of letting Yuan Shao escape on the battlefield.

But Xu Rong, having just witnessed the hundred bolts of brocade, was now thoroughly terrified. When the matter was brought up again now, the gazes of the surrounding commanders made his heart crawl with dread — where was the arrogance he had shown last night after the great victory?

"Bojin!" Gongsun Xun called out in a deep voice, directly naming him. "I hear you already had some ideas yesterday?"

"This subordinate spoke recklessly... I beg the Lord Marquis's forgiveness," Xu Rong answered with effort. "I believe that at this point, the Lord Marquis could send out all the cavalry to sever the routes between Liangqi and the surrounding cities, turning it into an isolated, dead city. Then, besiege the city to strike at reinforcements, gradually devour the enemy's troops, and finally break through in one assault!"

"A good plan." Gongsun Xun nodded at once. "But when have you ever seen me storm a strong city or a fortified camp? Yuan Shao is trapped in the city with ample provisions and ample troops. If a cornered beast fights desperately, how many men would have to die before we succeed?"

Xu Rong immediately seized the chance to back down, claiming he was dull-witted.

"You are not dull-witted." Gongsun Xun stared at him and said, "Your vision is limited. Not to mention that you cannot see the greater picture at all, even this siege strategy of yours lacks breadth..."

What could Xu Rong do but agree repeatedly?

"Zibo!" Gongsun Xun finally gestured with his lips.

Lou Gui, who had remained silent all along and was effectively the second-in-command in the army, stepped forward upon hearing this and straightforwardly revealed Gongsun Xun's next operational plan: "Yesterday, when the Lord Marquis ordered the troops to withdraw, it was decided after discussion among us in the central command... Because once the enemy was defeated, driving them hard against the city walls might have brought a temporary advantage, but if Yuan Shao thereby lost his main army and fled directly out of Hebei, a standoff across the river would actually be unfavorable. And after returning yesterday, the Lord Marquis discussed with us and also decided to take this chance to encircle Yuan Shao — but to envelop the entire Wei Commandery, blocking his escape to Henan on one hand while continuing to force him to give battle, defeating him easily in open ground. Only in this way can we achieve complete success while minimizing casualties. The first step is to..."

"Those who seethe with resentment because fewer men were killed and they earned less military merit — how are they any different from Dong Zhuo?" Gongsun Xun suddenly interjected again. "I killed Wei Yue today not only because he placed his own will above mine, but also because this kind of warrior's mentality — with troops in hand in chaotic times, stopping at nothing for merit — cannot be allowed to spread in the army. Before, when warriors were pushed aside by the scholar-officials at court, it was indeed unjust. But once Dong Zhuo gained power, did that not precisely prove that the court's earlier concerns were correct? If this ethos takes hold in the army, regardless of rank or seniority, every single one will meet the same end! And next time, I may not be able to produce so much brocade to bestow!"

Xu Rong could hold out no longer and bowed his head to beg forgiveness.

Gongsun Xun did not even look at him, but directly issued orders: "Yun Chang, you shall be one of the main commanders on this route. Together with Xu Huang and Zhang Liao, lead thirty thousand troops. Make some preparations today, and tomorrow head west. First attack Wu'an, then link up with Zijing of Shangdang at Shexian. From there, turn and follow the Taihang Mountains south, retake Zhaoge, then seize Liyang!"

Guan Yu understood in his heart and hurriedly stepped forward with the other two commanders to receive the order: "Once this general returns to Zhaoge, I will never permit Yuan Shao to cross back into Henan from there!"

Gongsun Xun nodded slightly, then cast his gaze left and right: "You should now roughly understand — this plan is to send forces out on both flanks, taking advantage of our army's great victory and the enemy's great defeat, when they cannot send troops out for a time, to create a grand envelopment of the entire Wei Commandery... But while Yun Chang's right wing taking the western route is real, the left route is to be half feint, half real... Who is willing to go to Guangzong and press against Yuan Benchu's waist and belly?"

"Lord Marquis, Guangzong is the strategic nexus of Wei Commandery, Anping, and Qinghe — the pivot of Hebei. In the past, Zhang Jiao made his stand there precisely for this reason. This time, it also directly faces Dong Commandery in Yanzhou, making the description of it as Yuan Shao's waist and belly extremely apt." Cheng Pu, seeing Guan Yu receive his orders, immediately stepped forward to inquire. "But what does 'half feint, half real' mean?"

"It means the forces at Guangzong cannot be too many, nor too sharp, lest Yuan Shao be too afraid to go there. But at the same time, if Yuan Shao truly empties his nest and heads east, it must ensure that Guangzong — an old city isolated on the far side of the Zhang River — does not fall. In short, it is essentially bait! Ten thousand men, of which five thousand are support troops, crossing the Zhang River, a lone force to lure the enemy — who will go?!" Gongsun Xun looked around and asked.

Hearing that it was to serve as bait in the aftermath of a great victory, yet with only ten thousand weak troops, many hesitated. Moreover, it was a separate command, so the commander's rank could not be too low... In short, this kind of task, heavy on hardship and light on likely merit, had always been the hardest duty to assign in the army.

"This subordinate is willing to go!" After a moment of silence — perhaps because of what had just happened with Wei Yue — several men in the tent actually spoke up together to volunteer.

One was Xu Rong, who had earlier bowed his head; one was Cheng Pu, who had already stepped forward to inquire; one was Han Dang, who had barely uttered a word all day; and the last was, unexpectedly, Shen Pei...

Gongsun Xun swept his gaze over them, finally resting on Shen Pei. He paused briefly, then laughed: "At this stage, does Zhengnan actually want to lead troops?"

"It is not a matter of leading troops or not, but of wanting to take on responsibility!" Shen Pei answered proudly. "In these turbulent times, there is nothing wrong with a great man seeking achievement. And if one can disregard hardship and danger, doing what ordinary men cannot, that too is enough to make a life worthwhile! When a task lies before us, if others are unwilling, I am willing; if others cannot, I can; if others both can and are willing, then why should I not do it as well?"

"Zhengnan is brave in shouldering responsibility — truly a pillar of talent." Gongsun Xun sized him up and nodded slightly. "In that case, you shall go! I will remain here with the main force to oversee the overall situation!"

Shen Pei accepted the order with an affirmative.

Gongsun Xun then looked over the commanders once more, rose to his feet with a hand on his sword, and addressed them with a solemn expression: "Gentlemen... Yuan Shao is this incompetent. Yesterday's defeat has already made his decline unstoppable. And yesterday, as I watched the battle from afar, I also made up my mind... One winter and one spring, at most one more summer and one autumn — making a full year — and I will thoroughly sweep away this wretch and unify Hebei. I hope you all can be like Shen Zhengnan here, brave in shouldering responsibility and sincere in serving the public good. But I hope even more that you can be like him — unflustered and unshaken, maintaining your true hearts while securing the greater situation! The realm is in turmoil, and the road ahead is not so simple. Some things are hard-won; let us walk carefully and cherish them!"

The men bowed their heads and acknowledged the command!

Leaving aside how Gongsun Xun thus reorganized and arranged military affairs, on the other side, atop the walls of Liangqi City, Yuan Shao, forcing his spirits high, spent the entire day with his hand on his sword, inspecting the city walls and the area below, comforting the wounded, encouraging the troops, and gathering scattered soldiers — all while waiting anxiously for Gongsun Xun, who never came. His heart was filled with doubt and unease.

But he waited until evening, only to find that Gongsun Xun was keeping his troops in place. Not only that, but the previously captured Shi Yi, Xun Chen, Yu Jin, and others were simply released and sent back one after another.

This only made people more wary.

By the next day, when a large number of officers who had been subjected to decimation returned to camp in panic, they finally brought terrifying news: Gongsun Xun had sent forces out on both flanks — tens of thousands of troops had left camp, one force heading east, the other west, clearly intending to envelop the entire Wei Commandery.

Yuan Shao, in his alarm, prepared to split his forces in advance and retreat south to Yecheng to observe the situation.

However, just at that moment, shocking news came first from Yecheng — the Xue Fang division, dispatched yesterday to garrison Yecheng, had encountered Ju Yi after entering the city. But the latter, far from returning to the ranks, had forcibly seized the military authority of Xue Fang, who held proper orders, and was allowing his soldiers to plunder freely throughout Yecheng.

At the same time, that scoundrel actually sent an envoy demanding that Yuan Shao grant him the title of General Who Guards the East, the rank of Marquis of Pingyuan, and the post of Chancellor of Pingyuan!

These were the conditions for returning Yecheng.

And it was only at this moment that Yuan Shao finally sobered up completely. The consequences of the previous battle were by no means limited to how many had died and the intensification of conflicts among the high command; nor were they merely the fear of the northern cavalry it had instilled in the rank-and-file soldiers. Rather, a colossal problem had erupted within the entire faction.

After a great victory, one can act with reckless abandon; after a crushing defeat, one finds oneself constrained at every turn... Such is the way of the world.

————I am the dividing line of "such is the way"————

"In youth, brash and keen, he loved to speak of war; his father's learning passed down, yet his skill unrefined.

One defeat, and he could not escape his mother's prediction; who pities the four hundred thousand common souls?" — *Complete Yan Poems*, On Zhao Kuo

PS: Continuing with a long chapter to pay off my debt.

(End of chapter)