Chapter 421: Civil and Military Alike Share Old Afflictions

"Where is Li Jin?! Tell that son of the Li clan to come see me! Why won't he come before the battle lines to face me — does he dare not?!"

It was early winter, the plants withered and bare. Beside a narrow bend on the southern bank of the Zhang River, seven or eight li east of Ye City, the setting sun shone down. The newly minted Marquis of Pingyuan and General of Zhendong, Ju Yi, bore many wounds and was covered in blood. He had long since lost any hope of escape, yet he still led a dozen or so personal guards in stubborn, desperate resistance, refusing to surrender. His arrogance and ferocity remained as ever, and now, on the verge of death, he shouted harshly toward the opposing commander — a former colleague — with insolent words.

He shouted several times, but no one answered. Yet the soldiers of the Li clan surrounding him and his scant remaining troops hesitated, many glancing back repeatedly toward a certain spot behind them... Clearly, Li Jin was right there at the front line.

"After all, you were once colleagues. General Li, why not go and see him? If he has any final requests to entrust, I imagine it would do no harm." The speaker was Guo Tu, who stood within a shield formation behind a small slope to Ju Yi's left, earnestly offering Li Jin this gentle counsel.

As it turned out, not only Li Jin, but Ju Shou, Cheng Wu, and Registrar Guo Tu, who had accompanied the army, were all gathered there, no more than a hundred paces from Ju Yi. As the latter strained his voice in furious shouts, all four could hear him clearly.

Yet despite Guo Tu — who had clearly come in the capacity of army supervisor — speaking so amiably, Li Jin was somewhat dismissive: "Why does Registrar Guo jest? Everyone knows Ju Yi's background... He comes from a great clan of Pingyuan, but his entire clan was exiled to Xiliang decades ago for crimes. He's long since taken on the manner of a condemned Qiang. After Dong Zhuo's rebellion, relying on a band of outlaws under his command, he seized the chance to migrate back home. Midway, he attached himself to Han Fu, and then was taken in by our Excellency Yuan the General of Chariots and Cavalry. So he fits in with no one and has ties to no one... Calling for me now — what final affairs could he possibly entrust? It's nothing more than a dying wish to disgust me!"

"I have heard it said that a man's words are kind when death draws near," Guo Tu replied with a sneer. "Besides, after General Ju's great deed of saving our lord at Henei, he followed the campaign to Hulao, swallowed up Qing and Yan provinces, accepted the surrender of the Taishan Huang Jin, fought bitterly at Jiudu, advanced into Bohai, fought two battles at Handan, and then that earlier battle... His merits and hardships are complete. If he truly has good words to say, I can report them when I return to see our lord. As for any venomous words before death, then let them be venomous. In any case, it will still be you, General Li, who must deliver the killing blow — what fear is there of a few harsh words?"

Li Jin shook his head for a moment, but after glancing at Ju Shou and Cheng Wu, who showed no particular reaction, he still placed a hand on the saber at his waist and ascended the slope.

On the other side, when Ju Yi saw Li Jin, fully armored, appear in the distance atop the corpse-strewn slope, he planted his saber on the ground and stood, tilting his head back in loud laughter. Only after he finished laughing did he speak with mockery: "I thought you'd be too ashamed to face me. You actually dare to come?"

Li Jin, growing irritated, immediately raised his voice in retort: "What do I have to fear in coming? Do we share some old friendship, or what? And as for today's matter — is it not the consequence of your own doing?"

"How is this the consequence of my own doing?" Ju Yi instantly stopped laughing and demanded fiercely. "Your troops may be special, able to maintain discipline, but as a fellow commander, do you truly not understand my predicament? After a defeat, with my personal troops suffering devastating casualties, how could I possibly restrain them? Defeated as badly as we were... Yu Jin could only surrender to save his life, and I, to save my own, could only let them loot. And once they'd looted Ye City, what else could be done?!"

Hearing this, Li Jin could not help but sigh: "What point is there in saying such things now? General Ju, we were colleagues once. If you truly have any final affairs — say, the young and weak of your clan back in Pingyuan — I will do my utmost to see to them."

"I have no final affairs to entrust. Don't you know what kind of man Yuan Shao is? Outwardly generous, inwardly suspicious. This time I nearly drove him into a hopeless corner — he must hate me to the extreme. And even if he didn't hate me, under the momentum of this defeat, to prevent us commanders from imitating such actions, he will certainly deal harshly with my clansmen..."

"Then why did you call for me?" Li Jin grew even more impatient.

"Naturally, I wanted to question you to your face... As a fellow military man, why did you help them kill me?" Ju Yi finally gave vent to the resentment in his heart. "Cheng Wu resented me because I seized the troops of his fellow townsman Xue Fang; Ju Shou because my troops plundered and killed his friends and kin in the same city; even if Yuan Shao wanted to exterminate my clan, I would not hate him, for in the end I did betray him. As for Guo Tu, Xu You, and those who devise schemes, I care even less — different paths preclude common cause... But you? What benefit is there for you in killing me? If I had succeeded as Marquis of Pingyuan, with the might of your Li clan, could you not have openly carved out half of Yanzhou for yourselves? Today I die, so be it — I only resent dying at your hand... Anyone under heaven could kill me, but you alone should not have!"

"General Ju, what kind of man do you take me for?" Li Jin found this utterly laughable. "A military man? Carving out territory? The realm is in chaos as it is now, with death everywhere and battles everywhere — is that not precisely because there are too many who, relying on a few troops in hand, act with reckless abandon? Yet from Dong Zhuo onward to those bandits seizing commanderies and counties, which martial brute who understood nothing of production or the hearts of the people ever met a good end?"

"What production? What hearts of the people? That's because they weren't strong enough!" Ju Yi's face twisted with ferocity. "Strong like Gongsun Xun — can't he do whatever he pleases? And that Excellency Yuan the General of Chariots and Cavalry — why did I believe him when he promised me a marquisate before? Was it not because he had a hundred thousand troops?! In chaotic times, everyone is the same! And you — you should have seized this moment to strike out on your own. Even if you feared the greater situation and dared not, you could at least have bargained with Yuan Shao. Why instead help him kill me?"

Li Jin had completely lost patience: "I came here out of regard for our former collegial bond, to hear if you had any dying words — not to listen to your nonsense... No one says military force is useless, but whether it's the General of the Guard or the General of Chariots and Cavalry, how can they rely on force alone? And if we're merely speaking of strength and weakness, our Li clan could have carved out the three eastern commanderies of Yanzhou from the very start. Why would we need to wait for some Marquis of Pingyuan like you to make our move?"

"So that's it!" Ju Yi raised his face to the sky and sighed. "I truly never imagined you could be so foolish as not to see yourself clearly. You're clearly a martial brute, yet you delude yourself into learning about great righteousness and the people's hearts, thinking those men will respect you and see you as one of their own... But do you truly not understand? The only reason those men use you, respect you, and fear you is that they value the troops in your hands. Where have they ever truly regarded you as a person? Ridiculous that I should try to reason with a fool like you..."

"How could I not understand such a thing?" Li Jin, who had been about to turn away, wheeled back upon hearing this, his expression stern, and rebuked him sharply. "General Ju... Our Li clan has long dwelled in the heart of the Central Plains, and I myself once served as a county magistrate in Yingchuan. How could I not know that those scholars, polite and courteous on the surface, have never truly looked up to me in their hearts? But just because of that, can one let oneself run wild? In these chaotic times, I, Li Jin, am but a mere martial man. I dare not claim to harbor grand ambitions or intend to restore order; nor dare I claim to have lived a life without betraying my heart or failing others, seeking selflessness and fearlessness. But the situation has already come to this — no matter what, I absolutely cannot learn from men like you and become a source of calamity myself! That the scholars look down on military men, that all under heaven fear armed soldiers — it is because of men like you!"

Ju Yi was momentarily stunned speechless.

"Shoot him dead with volleys of arrows." Li Jin turned back, placed a hand on his saber, and walked slowly down the slope, issuing the order as he went. "After he's dead, sever his head and hang it on the gates of Ye City. Let the people of Ye know that the instigator of chaos is dead!"

The dense ranks of Li clan soldiers to either side dared not delay and hurriedly prepared their arrows.

But just at that moment, from the riverbank behind him, a cold laugh of apparent release drifted over from afar: "You speak as if you yourself are truly clean. With the realm in chaos, aren't you also in the thick of it, blade in hand? Have you killed any fewer men? Killing on one hand while speaking of order under heaven on the other... Though I was raised in Xiliang from childhood and never had the chance to study, I still know a line from Mencius — 'fifty steps laughing at a hundred steps' — is that not speaking of you?"

Li Jin halted his steps on this side of the small slope and turned his head back, his face already contorted with fury... And the moment he turned back, the surrounding soldiers dared not delay and immediately loosed their arrows.

In that instant — one could not say ten thousand arrows flew at once, but a thousand shafts streaked across the air. From the other side, muffled groans rose in succession, and then, in an instant, there was silence.

Li Tuizhi let out a long breath. Too indolent to look further, he simply walked slowly back to where the now-dispersed shield formation had been. And at this moment, Ju Shou, Guo Tu, Cheng Wu, and the others waiting there looked upon this 'enforcer' of the Central Plains' foremost powerful clan with entirely changed eyes.

"I truly never expected before that hidden within the army was a man of such caliber as General Li," Guo Tu said, stroking his beard with a smile. "It is I who was remiss in my respect earlier."

"General Li sees things with piercing clarity and comprehends the great righteousness — he can already be deemed a famed general," Ju Shou remarked with a sigh. "Earlier, during our defeated flight, I came to know Dian Wei. Today's affair has shown me your worth... And it stands to reason — our army holds three provinces and nineteen commanderies, mustering a hundred thousand troops. How could it lack heroes and men of valor? Had we employed you, General, as a theater commander earlier, we would not have suffered such a defeat that day."

As for Cheng Wu, perhaps because he was younger and of lower status, it was not fitting for him to adopt the same manner as the other two. Thus, after hesitating as if to speak, he simply bowed his head in a solemn salute as his expression.

"What use is it to put on such airs now?" Faced with the three men's flattery, Li Jin's expression was extremely dark. "Ju Yi is already executed. The three of you may do as you please... I shall inspect the casualties, do a brief cleanup, and then prepare to march east to the small city of Pingyang to garrison, as per our lord's earlier instructions. You need not concern yourselves with me."

With these words, he paid the three no further heed whatsoever and simply strode away, hand on his saber.

The three watched his retreating figure in momentary silence. Only after Li Tuizhi had gone far did Guo Tu come back to himself. He clasped his hands behind his back and spoke with a rueful laugh: "Looking at it now, it's not just that we underestimated General Li — even the dead General Ju had a point... Once the realm falls into chaos, these so-called martial men inevitably ride the momentum and climb above us. But then, it's only natural — in chaotic times, only strong soldiers and sturdy horses can quell the realm. Whether it's the General of the Guard or our own lord, each may have his own principles, but in the end, they all must rely on blade and spear to make their case."

Ju Shou frowned in response: "What exactly is Registrar Guo trying to say?"

"Nothing, really — just marveling at the abundance of talent in our army..." Guo Tu gave a light laugh, then immediately turned solemn. "And then I wished to take the opportunity to ask you, Master Ju — now that we have indeed recaptured Ye City in one stroke, giving our army a slight reprieve, yet Guan Yu advances with divine speed. Not only has he swiftly taken Shexian, but he is also pressing rapidly south, clearly intending to go via Linlu back to Zhaoge and then on to Liyang, cutting off our army's route south from Guandu. Moreover, Shen Zhengnan has marched east out of Guangzong, faintly suggesting a handover at Dongjun and an envelopment of the entire Wei Commandery... Master Ju, as a native of Wei Commandery, could you instruct me on how we should respond now? Should we urgently divide our forces and rush south to seize Neihuang and Liyang? And should we send troops east to make some response at Guangzong?"

"It is already too late for Liyang," Ju Shou replied, growing somewhat serious now that the other had broached official matters. "But Neihuang must be seized as quickly as possible — we must request our lord to dispatch troops there immediately, or else Ye City will lose its southern screen. As for Guangzong, that goes without saying — we must confront it directly at once..."

"Master Ju!" Guo Tu cut him off directly, then, disregarding Cheng Wu's presence, spoke with a grave expression. "That is not truly what I am asking. Rather, I wish to use this matter to seek a definitive answer from you... There are no outsiders here. Please speak frankly to me, Master Ju — after such a crushing defeat at Liangqi, with morale ruined to this extent, can Wei Commandery ultimately be held or not?"

Beside them, Cheng Wu's face immediately showed sudden understanding. This was more like the question Guo Tu truly ought to be asking.

"In my humble opinion, if we commit our full strength, through one winter and one spring, it should still be possible!" Ju Shou gave his answer without the slightest hesitation. "First, although Wei Commandery is flat as a palm, it still has rivers and lakes such as the Fu River, the Zhang River, the Dang River, Huangze, and Jize to provide some cover and delay. Second, not only is Ye City itself tall and imposing, with several satellite cities ringing it, but further afield, there is Neihuang to the south, Liangqi to the north, and to the east, cities like Weicheng, Gecheng, Chiqiu, Yuancheng, and Guantao in abundance... To say the cities are densely packed and interlinked, forming mutual horns — that is no empty phrase. Not only that, but the General of the Guard's army is invincible in the field because of his northern shock cavalry — yet how can northern shock cavalry assault cities? Finally, one must consider the season. Winter is about to set in — how arduous is it to besiege cities in winter? Would the General of the Guard be willing to pay that price? And after spring begins, with his character of considering long-term consequences, will he not need to divert his attention to arranging the spring planting, to guard against famine in case of disaster? And once large-scale spring planting begins in his rear, will his logistics not be constrained? Therefore, I say one winter and one spring — even if some cities are lost, preserving Ye City itself to control the core of Wei Commandery should still be feasible. Only after the spring of next year, when summer arrives — then it truly becomes hard to say..."

"That is sufficient!" Guo Tu could not help but interject with a light laugh. "By the summer solstice next year, we too will have caught our breath. By then, perhaps it will be us seeking him out..."

Ju Shou neither agreed nor disagreed.

"Master Ju," Guo Tu hesitated briefly, then suddenly stepped forward, drawing closer to the other man. "Having your words puts my mind somewhat at ease. But there is one more matter... I wonder if I might take this defensive strategy for Wei Commandery that you just outlined, organize it slightly, and submit it to our lord under both our names?"

Ju Shou grew slightly wary.

"Master Ju," Guo Tu, seeing this, did not mind and instead frankly laid his cards on the table. "Let me speak plainly. Under our lord, the factions are numerous and complex, but in the final analysis, it comes down to the native faction and the outsider faction. The outsiders mostly have seniority and credentials, while the natives are unwilling to have outsiders dwell on their land and above them. This is a natural competitive dynamic — unavoidable. And originally, our lord rose too swiftly and had no choice but to rely heavily on the men of the three native provinces to pacify them, which led to Chen Gongtai wielding power over the three provinces almost like a vice-lord. Now, with the defeat and Chen Gongtai gone, our lord appears to have employed Feng Yuantu, a man who followed him from the start. Yet in the wake of such a great defeat, he will only rely more heavily on you natives of the three provinces — he will not weaken you in the slightest. Using Feng Yuantu seems more like a helpless gesture to display his sovereign authority. In truth, with Chen Gongtai's dying words laid out there, and Xin Zhongzhi incapable of handling affairs, the one who can take over the real power of the headquarters staff — as everyone knows — is you, Ju Gongyu, and you alone..."

Ju Shou fixed his gaze steadily on the other man, neither speaking nor showing any expression.

"I understand your state of mind, Master Ju. Your beloved son lost his life, your hometown was plundered, brothers fighting each other on their native soil — in your eyes, matters of power struggles and profit-seeking must seem utterly insignificant... But Master Ju, once you have boarded the ship, you are no longer your own master. A scholar like yourself, who was personally invited out of retirement by our lord with grand ceremony — could you possibly serve a second master? After one defeat, every problem within the General of Chariots and Cavalry's domain can no longer be concealed. In this winter of existential crisis, could you, sir, truly abandon our lord and leave?" Guo Tu remained composed as ever. "Under the great momentum, it is not just commanders like Ju Yi, Li Jin, and Yu Jin who are helpless — we are all not our own masters. Before coming, I had a heartfelt talk with Xin Zhongzhi. He is, after all, a gentleman who considers the greater good and is willing to no longer contend with you. And I am a petty man who does not cultivate the classics but is skilled in methods and schemes. No matter what, I wish to continue doing things, to continue seeking some authority and responsibility... This strategy — I will deliver it on your behalf, and I will also take the opportunity to formally recommend that you take overall charge of the headquarters staff and command the greater situation in Wei Commandery. I imagine that at a time like this, seeing us reconciled will bring our lord some comfort, and he will continue to trust and rely on me. What do you think, sir?"

Ju Shou remained silent.

"I know you look down on me, Master Ju — look down on me for still thinking of preserving my own power and position in such a situation. But do you truly wish to exterminate us utterly over this matter? Should we men of Yingchuan deserve to die without a burial place because of that affair of driving out Han Fu back then?" Guo Tu was still unperturbed. "Very well, then — I shall simply proceed in this manner. If you truly cannot bear it, sir, you may submit a letter to our lord and directly expose my petty, selfish scheming. Let us see whether our lord will expel me from the headquarters staff. In truth, in such a situation, were it not for the principle that one who is your master for a day commands your service for life, I would actually rather jump over to the General of the Guard's side and seek a position there!"

With these words, Guo Tu placed a hand on the saber at his waist and, just as Li Jin had done earlier, strode off on his own with his head held high.

Cheng Wu looked at Ju Shou, who had not spoken at all during the latter half of the exchange, hesitating as if to speak. Ju Shou, however, finally gave an awkward smile: "What does General Cheng make of this?"

The title "General" was no mere courtesy — before coming here to recruit local men and former soldiers on the front lines, Yuan Shao had already formally granted Cheng Wu the rank of General of the Household.

Of course, Cheng Wu remained as cautious as before: "I am young — how dare I presume to comment on such great matters? Only, before I came, my father gave me instructions, saying that while I should carefully preserve myself, on major matters I should follow Director Chen in all things. Now that the Director is dead, I simply do not know whom to follow or where to go... Master Ju, you are a gentleman. Since you sincerely ask me now, I have only one thing to say: whether you bid me follow Xin Zhongzhi, or follow you, Master Ju, or even follow Li Tuizhi — one of you true men of stature must step forward for us to follow. We cannot go on in such chaos!"

"When the time comes, heaven and earth lend their strength; when fortune departs, even heroes lose their freedom," Ju Shou sighed with emotion. "These words came from a letter of the General of the Guard that Tian Yuanhao learned when he was living in Wei Commandery and then recited to me. Today, they seem truly incisive... Before, as our lord's power rolled larger and larger, whether it was a temporary defeat, a slight misstep, or internal and external strife — everything could be tolerated. But now that his momentum has collapsed overnight, every direction is a perilous trap. Yet, caught within it, there is no avoiding it. I... I rather envy your esteemed father's foresight in withdrawing early to the sidelines."

The shift in his words midway through made Cheng Wu's heart suddenly clear.

To put it plainly, with Ju Shou's wisdom and insight, he could never truly trust a petty man like Guo Tu in his heart, nor did he believe that this man would be so frank and honest. But in this situation, what could Ju Shou do? His rise to prominence was both inevitable and the only solution — and where was there not trouble?

For instance, Yuan Shao, as their lord, after one defeat, appeared on the surface to still have his resolve, and repeatedly showed signs of rallying. Yet those with true discernment had long seen that inwardly he was fearful and unsettled, that he had still not emerged from the shadow of that day's great defeat. For many days he had made virtually no plans or decisions, merely being pushed along by Xin Zhongzhi and Xu Ziyuan... So with their lord in such a state, what were those below to do?

Then there were the military troubles. Gongsun Xun's grand envelopment strategy could no longer be stopped in time — what course to take next? Guan Yunchang's thirty thousand troops circling to the rear, Shen Zhengnan marching east out of the Zhang River to take Guangzong — although Ju Shou said it could be defended, would truly defending it be so simple? Was there no risk of total, catastrophic defeat?

And these were only the current circumstances. Let it not be forgotten that Ju Yi's corpse was still nearby, that they still stood on a battlefield, and that a great rebellion which had nearly brought Yuan Shao to complete ruin had just been quelled. As for what moves the various lords of the Central Plains to the south would make once news of the defeat spread, and whether other parts of the three provinces would erupt in chaos — none of that was easy to say.

Compared to these matters, the factional struggle triggered by Chen Gong's death and his dying words, grave as it was, and though the slightest misstep could bring severe consequences, was at most just one of many serious troubles!

Having gained some insight and formed some thoughts, Cheng Wu said no more. After offering a salute with clasped hands, he too departed in haste, preparing to take advantage of the recapture of Ye City and the temporarily open roads to hurry back to Cangting and write a letter seeking advice from his own father.

For a moment, in the early winter sunset, Ju Shou alone stood by the banks of the Zhang River, amid severed limbs and broken arms, desolate and helpless… In a daze, he thought again of his own younger brother and beloved son, and could not help but feel a sudden gloom.

In all fairness, had he not harbored great ambitions himself, and prided himself on his talents, desiring to let his dragon’s cry resound to the ninth heaven in this age of chaos, how else would his closest kin have been split into three today? A little self-reproach was only natural.

But Ju Shou was, after all, Ju Shou. The man quickly regained his clarity, and thought it through clearly: the realm was torn and scattered, the four seas all at war. For someone like him, qualified to play a hand in it, he was still a remarkable figure after all. Had he truly been like an ordinary commoner, or even a scholar who shut his door and refused to come out, his entire family would likely have long since perished amid the rampaging soldiers.

Was not Yecheng, the foremost stronghold of Hebei and the capital of Jizhou, also plundered twice within a single year by bandits and routed troops? In terms of the greater military situation, it was swiftly retaken both times, as if there were no serious consequences. But as a local who had long resided in Yecheng, Ju Gongyu knew better than anyone just how many innocent ladies and commoners had died under the blade in those two bouts of chaos!

In such a chaotic age, what right did a scholar like him, who held the realm in his heart and prided himself on his ability, have to stand here pitying his own reflection?

With this thought, Ju Shou gripped the saber at his waist and strode away proudly before the setting sun… As the sun sank in the west, only the stripped, mutilated corpses of severed limbs and blood gradually froze stiff by the riverbank.

—————— I am the dividing line where the Romance mode was defeated by Yuan Shao ——————

“In the early Jian’an years, midwinter, Xun having routed Yuan Shao’s host of one hundred thousand at Liangqi, his might shook Huaxia. Earlier, Shao had defeated the Taishan Yellow Turbans, numbering several hundred thousand, and organized them into military-agricultural colonies. Yet when grain was harvested in autumn, most was requisitioned for military use, and the colonists could not fill their bellies. Moreover, the man in charge of the colonies, one Gongsun Du, was greedy and base beyond measure, oppressing them excessively, executing colonists at the slightest provocation. When word came of Yuan Shao’s defeat, among the colonies under Du’s control was one Guan Hai, a former Yellow Turban officer. He gathered his old subordinates and wept: ‘Those who surrendered in the past did so believing Shao would bring peace to the realm. Now we see he is but a clamorous petty man! And in this winter cold we freeze and starve, while Du is cruel and tyrannical. If we die whether we stay quiet or rise in chaos, then why abandon the will of the Yellow Heaven?’ Thus, using the cry ‘Yellow Heaven, slay Du,’ they rose and rebelled once more, gathering a host of one hundred thousand, raiding commanderies and counties, ranging in and out of Taishan, and Shao could not quell them.” — Records of the Heroes of Late Han, by Wang Can

PS: Thanks to the great master King of Home-switching for the third sponsorship. My apologies. And apologies for indulging in games; I beg you all to forgive me a little, considering that I should write no less than one hundred fifty thousand characters this month.

Lastly, continuing to push books as offerings… First, Stand Users in the Marvel World, a new book by the veteran Korean-entertainment author, the great Faceless One. Speaking of which, Korean-entertainment authors all seem to transition very successfully, except for Ji Cha… he is exceptionally successful. Second, the great master Wai Fengchui’s new book, The Great King Orders Me to Patrol the Mountain. This great master needs no introduction, a major deity of historical fiction. This time it’s an alternate-history mountain bandit opening, worth looking forward to.

(End of Chapter)