Chapter 430: Unable to Sacrifice This Body, Yet the Heart Has Its Reasons

In mid-April, as Yuan Shao perished and Beihai, Donglai, Qi, and Le’an surrendered almost as entire commanderies and kingdoms, Lu Fan, who held overall frontline military and administrative authority, began ordering the massive army to pivot toward the Jinan region. With over a hundred thousand northern troops pressing on the borders, not only did Guan Hai, Yu Du, and others who had previously occupied Jinan flee in disarray and directly abandon Jinan, but the surrounding Taishan Commandery and Jibei Kingdom under Yanzhou, Langya Commandery under Xuzhou, and even Lu Kingdom under Yuzhou, which jutted forward to the foot of Mount Tai, all nearly simultaneously felt the tremors.

Among them, the newly appointed Governor of Qingzhou, Guan Yu, could be called utterly imperious. Once he arrived in Jinan, he barely paused before, under the pretext of exterminating the Taishan Huang Jin and pursuing Yuan’s army, attempting to enter Taishan and Jibei. Not only that, he immediately reached his hand into Langya Commandery in Xuzhou and issued summons to the various counties of Lu Kingdom.

For a time, the Central Plains were shaken, and nearly everyone feared that this hundred-thousand-strong army massed in Qingzhou would sweep southward and overrun the Central Plains.

"Tao Qian of Xuzhou is growing old; perhaps a single decree could lure him away, and then we could take it at our leisure. Yanzhou was originally... originally the old territory of General of Chariots and Cavalry Yuan; the people there are terrified and disheartened, so perhaps we could seize it while the momentum holds. And once the General Who Guards the West captures Henei and reorganizes the old capital, with Yan, Xu, and Si provinces in hand, the Central Plains will be surrounded on three sides, and everything north of the Great River will be as if in the pouch of the General of the Guards... Your Excellency has received such profound favor from the General of the Guards; do you not intend to accomplish this great deed for him?" Inside a manor courtyard outside Licheng in Jinan Kingdom, a somewhat unconventional banquet was underway. The speaker at this moment was one of the guests, a man in a tall hat and brocade robes, swaying his head, holding a cup in one hand and gesturing emptily with the other, discoursing on the great trends of the realm. It was none other than the former Registrar of the General of Chariots and Cavalry's office, Guo Tu, Guo Gongze.

Hearing this, Lu Fan, seated at the head, momentarily broke into a helpless smile and was about to respond.

"Nonsense!" But just then, someone, without even rising, loudly refuted him, immediately choking Guo Tu into silence. Everyone looked over—it was Xu You, Xu Ziyuan. "How long has it been? If Yanzhou could have surrendered, it would have long ago. That it hasn't surrendered now must mean some major trouble has arisen there! So unless we take up arms again, it is absolutely impossible to pacify it with a mere proclamation... And as for Henei and the old capital... you've been talking for half the day, but I only ask one thing: it's been three months now—has Ju Shou of Yecheng surrendered? As long as Ju Gongyu does not surrender, what talk is there of Sizhou or Yanzhou?"

The first part was still within the bounds of refutation and debate, but once the last sentence was spoken, everyone present, without exception, could not help but fall into a momentary silence.

"In truth, I have also considered that matters have their order of urgency, and people have their reasons for compliance or defiance." Guo Tu paused for a moment, then continued, holding his cup and speaking calmly to Lu Fan at the head. "Setting aside the lands north of the Great River for now, Henei and Wei Commandery are merely a matter of time. As for Yanzhou, first, it borders the territories of Cao Cao and Sun Jian, and is almost entirely flat and open, without obstacles—unlike here, where even after crossing the Great River, Mount Tai still stands in the way, making it truly difficult to dispatch a large army. Second, the people there are stubborn. Moreover, many able-bodied men from Yanzhou died or were wounded in the previous great battle in Hebei. For instance, Li Zheng, the eldest son of Li Gan, who effectively controlled the three commanderies of Jiyin, died under the blade of Guan Yu, the General Who Guards the East. Given such circumstances, it is truly difficult to make them submit easily. So it may well be that they have thrown in their lot with Sun and Cao and cannot be easily taken... But as for Xuzhou, Tao Gongzu's current posture indeed has merit. I beg Chief of Staff Lu to weigh this carefully and not lightly let such a great achievement slip away."

"Xuzhou cannot be taken either!" Again, it was Xu You who countered coldly from the side. "Several hundred thousand Taishan bandits are scattered throughout Mount Tai, Mount Yi, Mount Meng, Mount Lu, and Mount Lao. Even if Yu Du and Guan Hai are merely bandit leaders, do they not require time to clear out? And how will the shock cavalry that ran rampant across Hebei fight in these mountainous regions? Are the words 'unaccustomed to the climate and terrain' false? If you ask me, if Guan Yunchang truly wishes to go south, then let him try. But do not be fooled by his current overwhelming arrogance—he may well end up being taught a lesson in the ravines of Mount Yi and Mount Meng by Zang Xuan'gao of Langya, who grew up there since childhood... and then he will have needlessly squandered the General of the Guards' reputation for constant victory!"

"So, according to you, the General of the Guards has already exhausted his strength this time?" Guo Tu paused for a long while before sneering in retort. "Just as everyone thought when the General of the Guards first entered the Three Adjuncts? And what was the result? Now, not only have the main forces of Yongzhou and Youzhou been deployed, but even the great armies of Bingzhou and Liaodong are swarming in... What does this show? It shows..."

"It shows that Gongsun Wenqi has truly exhausted his strength!" Xu You declared disdainfully. "I do not believe that after emptying all the stored grain in Changping, he can still have grain hidden in the Hetao; nor that after throwing out the troops of Liaodong, he can still have a hundred thousand Xianbei cavalry hidden in Monan... If that were the case, I would write to him right now urging him to ascend the throne as emperor and quickly overthrow the Han to establish a new dynasty!"

Guo Tu sneered and was about to speak again, but Xu You preempted him and delivered his own conclusion: "Sir, do not always just verbally refute me. If you are so confident, why not make a wager with me? This campaign will inevitably halt at the line of Jibei, Lu, and Taishan. That is to say, at most, we will take everything north of the Great River and east of Mount Tai. The heartland of the Central Plains—whether Yan, Yu, or Xu—is truly too difficult to penetrate. And besides, Gongsun Wenqi does not fight wars merely for the sake of fighting. He is not a brute who sees only territory. Until Hebei is completely settled, he will not lightly start another conflict. Just look at how he divided the provinces. If he had not long foreseen that Xuzhou could not be taken and that Yanzhou would be swallowed by Sun and Cao, why did he not further subdivide the commanderies and provinces of the Central Plains? Nanyang and Runan—each commandery rivals a province in size, the most absurd of all—did he not know that?"

Lu Fan was momentarily stunned by these words, then hurriedly lowered his head, raised his cup, and drank alone.

"What shall we wager?" On the other side, Guo Tu had already been driven to exasperation by Xu Ziyuan. "I know you have always been greedy for wealth. And now, all of us are in the army without freedom and have nothing else. Even if you want to extort money, what can you possibly get?"

"How about wagering our lives?" Xu You suddenly countered with a stern voice. "Whoever guesses wrong shall offer up his head!"

"Have you gone mad? I saw it long ago—you have been out of your mind ever since the Battle of Jie Bridge..."

"Enough." Seeing the two of them growing more and more outrageous, Lu Fan truly could not bear to listen any longer and took the initiative to ease the atmosphere. "The reason for coming here today is simply that early summer has arrived, the weather is fine, and I came specifically to see all you gentlemen and to check if there has been any lack of hospitality... There is no other intention."

"Chief of Staff Lu need not dissemble." Xu You spoke loftily, not even giving Lu Fan face. "We surrendered men have been practically imprisoned by you for a month now. It must be that with Gongsun Wenqi absent, you truly do not know how to deal with us, and so you have delayed again and again..."

Lu Fan could not help but smile bitterly. "Since Master Ziyuan is fully aware, why must you drag it out into the open? We are also in a difficult position..."

"What is so difficult about it?" Xu You sneered in retort. "A bunch of prisoners—we are nothing more than a dish of greens stir-fried with sliced meat on your, Lu Ziheng's, chopping board..."

"How is it not difficult?" Lu Fan sighed even more deeply upon hearing this. "The military officers are one thing; there are established regulations for them—the so-called decimation by lot... But as for you gentlemen, you are called staff officers, yet many of you participated in military affairs. And while you participated in military affairs, you could also argue that you were merely serving as army supervisors under orders. Moreover, those who participated in military affairs often have the merit of surrendering cities, while those who did not participate merely surrendered when the tide turned. On this matter, the army commanders, because of the war, are fiercely adamant and mostly wish to treat everyone equally—decimation by lot. Yet we, on our side, wish to distinguish between civil and military roles but simply cannot draw a clear line. Not to mention, there are many entanglements among you gentlemen..."

Xu You laughed dumbly. The various people at the banquet, some momentarily smug, others slightly ashamed, also reacted in their own ways... In truth, how could they not understand what Lu Ziheng meant?

Not to mention anything else, just consider the captured former Yuan loyalists present here: Xun Chen is the clan-uncle of Xun You; Guo Tu is the clan-elder brother of Guo Jia; Xin Ping is an old friend of Zhong Yao—and all of them are fellow townsmen from Yingchuan. Not only that, Shi Yi and Peng Mou are former subordinates of Kong Rong, and everyone knows what kind of man Kong Wenju is; by now, letters pleading for leniency may well have already been sent. Then there are Guo Yuan, Xi Lu, Cui Yan, and a large number of civil clerks captured in Qingzhou—most of them are disciples of Zheng Xuan. And Zheng Xuan is the junior fellow disciple of Lu Zhi. By this reckoning, these people, along with Gongsun Xun, Gongsun Yue, Gongsun Zan, and Lu Ziheng, are all fellow disciples of the same lineage tracing back to Ma Rong. Not to mention that Zheng Xuan is currently residing in Gaomi in Beihai!

Even Chen Lin, who can only wield a writing brush, could probably invoke the name of a deceased former colleague, Wang Qian, to shield himself, could he not? And Wang Qian had rendered great kindness to Gongsun Xun's political faction; the face of this dead man was absolutely worth the life of a mere scribbler.

As for Xu You, back in Luoyang, he had nearly joined Gongsun Xun's circle. Not to mention Gongsun Xun himself, who among Lu Fan, Han Dang, Lou Gui, and Gongsun Yue was not familiar with him? How had he escaped from Wei Yue's clutches back then?

There was no helping it; this was an extremely practical problem. No matter how one put it, as an exceedingly small elite, the political privileges of the scholar-official class were an objective reality. Since they had surrendered, Lu Fan had to treat them with courtesy, and might even directly release and employ them.

However, before leaving, Gongsun Xun had left behind an iron rule that clearly exceeded Lu Fan's authority: the order for the decimation of military officers. Those who had commanded troops and crossed blades on the battlefield—what else could they expect? Post-battle decimation was already an exceedingly merciful policy for prisoners of war in this era.

Historically, it was not until after Cao Cao had unified the north and the great Hejian magnate Tian Yin rose in rebellion that he halted the policy of total prisoner execution—and was praised for his mercy.

And the greatest problem now was this: when the refined, transcendent scholar-official class, in these chaotic times, had dipped their hands into military power and picked up the blade, was it still appropriate to deal with them in the manner traditionally used among scholars?

No one knew.

Because in the past, the classically trained scholars did not take up blades. This great defeat of Yuan Shao was truly the first time so many scholar-official prisoners had been seen in an army. Thus, Lu Fan wished to release them all together, yet worried about disrupting the decimation policy, which could almost be called a fundamental ordinance of Gongsun Xun's strategy for the chaotic era. He wanted to steel his heart and deal with them, but simply lacked the resolve, and indeed could not bear to. And when he tried to distinguish clearly and drag out those who had commanded troops for separate handling, he found that he simply could not establish a standard or draw a dividing line that would convince everyone.

And so, these people had been kept under house arrest, accompanying the army all the way from Hebei to Mount Tai. As Qingzhou was entirely conquered, this category of people only grew more numerous, to the point where Lu Fan could no longer ignore them, yet he remained utterly helpless.

"I had thought Lu Ziheng was originally a man of prime ministerial talent, but it seems he merely benefited from being an early follower!" After the banquet dispersed and Lu Fan departed, the captives confined within this manor could not help but return to their quarters with heavy hearts. Guo Tu and Xu You, however, each preoccupied with their own thoughts, actually remained where they were, continuing their 'lofty discourse.' Guo Tu flicked his sleeves and spoke first, appearing quite composed, as if the two had not just been arguing at all. "Could he really kill us? And if he cannot kill us, why not take advantage of the great power in his hands to grant us the grace of survival? If he did so, who among us would not be tearfully grateful to him in the future? Would not his position as Chief of the General Staff be even more secure?"

"Guo Gongze, a two-faced, double-dealing man like you—even if he truly saved your life, how could you possibly feel genuine gratitude toward him?" Xu You sat motionless in his original place, giving his counterpart no face at all. "What profound kindness and recognition did Yuan Benchu show you? And did you not hastily sell him out as well? Only the day before yesterday did I learn why the army on the Qinghe road collapsed so quickly—thirty thousand troops, led by you to Boping, and then sold out in one fell swoop... With such a great achievement, no wonder Lu Ziheng finds it awkward to simply kill you."

"Xu Ziyuan, at this point, we are all in the same boat. We live together or die together. Why must you still be so aggressive?" Guo Tu finally could not endure it any longer. "Did you not merely accompany General of Chariots and Cavalry Yuan on his final journey? And did you not surrender in the end as well? If you had died a martyr's death, I would naturally respect you somewhat..."

"If I had died a martyr's death, you would certainly be secretly gloating and mocking me in your heart... For that very reason, I absolutely refused to die a martyr on the spot!" Xu You clasped his hands and retorted sarcastically. "And who is in the same boat as you?"

"Do you think just because you have some personal connection with the General of the Guards, it means anything?" Guo Tu spoke coldly, then flicked his sleeves and stood to face him directly. "The General of the Guards is not here. The one in charge here is Lu Ziheng! And no matter how much authority Lu Ziheng has, he is still merely a subject. And as a subject, he must consider the sentiments of his colleagues; as a subject, his prestige is ultimately only borrowed. His current dilemma lies precisely in this! And what of you? When you borrowed passage from Wei Yue, leading to his execution by brocade, you had already earned the enmity of the entire northern army's commanders, the senior Yuan Cong officials, and even the men from You and Bing provinces... If not for the fact that everyone here shares a common fate, where would your path to survival be? That you have followed along all the way here without accidentally falling into the water or being inadvertently trampled to death by hooves is already thanks to the strict military discipline enforced by the General of the Guards and Lu Ziheng! Let me speak plainly—even if you truly survive this time, given what you did back then, you will sooner or later die a violent death!"

"Guo, you scoundrel... Though I do not know what my own end will be, do not imagine you will meet a good one either." Xu You remained seated, yielding not an inch. "I have seen through you completely. Though you possess outstanding intelligence and imposing talent, and handle legal and logistical matters in perfect order, you are far too greedy for power... And I understand you as well. Your Guo clan is a prominent surname in Yingchuan, but Yingchuan has too many aristocratic families, and too many talents stronger than you. Constrained by your background, reputation, and ability, under normal circumstances, you would never in this lifetime attain a position of two thousand shi. That is why you gradually learned to stop at nothing, treating colleagues, superiors, and friends all as stepping stones for your own advancement! When Yuan Benchu was powerful, you schemed to push aside your colleagues to gain his trust. When Yuan Benchu's power collapsed, you even regarded him as something to trample upon. But have you ever considered that such conduct—how could it be tolerated by the men of the north? Do you take them for fools?"

"Because I am greedy for power, you call me Guo the Scoundrel. May I, because you are greedy for money, call you Xu the Scoundrel?" Guo Tu was surprisingly not angered. "Are you the only one who understands others? You were born in the prosperous region of Nanyang and wandered the cities of Wan and Luoyang from youth. On one hand, you toiled over the sages' books, yet found your ambitions thwarted by the Partisan Prohibitions. On the other, you witnessed the ducal houses and powerful nobles enjoying high office while merely wallowing in corruption and excess... And influenced by what you saw and heard, on one hand, you aided Yuan Benchu in plotting against the eunuchs, hoping one day to put your learning to use; on the other, you saw early on that the general trend was hopeless and the realm would collapse, so you became obsessed with wealth and precious objects... When it comes to disgraceful deeds, which of us can laugh at the other?"

"But have you considered," Xu You finally raised his head and stood, "that in times of peace and times of chaos, greed for money and greed for power cannot be lumped together? In times of peace, the harm caused by those greedy for money is greater than that caused by those like you who vie for power. Because in peacetime, the system still exists, and every coin embezzled ultimately comes from the flesh and blood of the people. Whereas peacetime power struggles are merely dogs biting dogs; it is better for someone like you, proficient in law and finance, to hold power than those who only know how to sit and declaim. But in times of chaos? In chaos, greed for money is merely seeking more rewards and seizing more plunder, while vying for power will cause rivers of blood!"

"So that makes you cleaner than me?" Guo Tu finally erupted in fury.

"I do not wish to debate this." Xu You finally spoke, panting heavily. "I only want to ask you one thing... Let us not speak of what came before. But Yuan Benchu, in the end, did not betray you or me. And you and I are of the same kind. I could not bear to abandon him—why could you, without even waiting for his death, so calmly carve flesh from him to seek your own future?"

With that, Xu You pressed his lips together and stared fixedly at his opponent.

Guo Tu was silent for a long time, then suddenly met the other's gaze and spoke calmly: "When the ambush was laid at Jie Bridge, who betrayed Lu Xiang and the ten thousand Yanzhou soldiers? I betrayed General of Chariots and Cavalry Yuan, but saved thirty thousand lives. You did not betray General of Chariots and Cavalry Yuan, yet killed ten thousand innocents... Xu Ziyuan, you and I are of the same kind. I also want to ask you—how could you bear to do it?"

Xu You was momentarily dizzy and disoriented, but could only slowly nod, press a hand to his forehead, and walk away. From then on, he became taciturn and never argued with Guo Tu even once more.

However, confined as the two were within a tiny space, and with communication indeed difficult and news requiring time to travel, they were somewhat like men in a mountain cave unaware of the passing seasons... Not arguing was one thing, but their previous disputes and debates now seemed mostly laughable.

In truth, as early as the beginning of April, after all the surrounding satellite cities had fallen, Ju Shou had taken the initiative to meet with Gongsun Yue's envoy. Ju Zong, who accompanied the army, was overjoyed and personally entered the city to seek an audience with his elder brother, but only brought back Yuan Shao's son, Yuan Tan... Immediately after, the city gates were thrown open, and Ju Gongyu took his own life in the General of Chariots and Cavalry's residence.

And Gongsun Yue, amidst his sighs and laments, had no choice but to head south to Henei to pressure Zhang Yang.

At the same time, Cao Mengde, returning from an audience with the Son of Heaven in Chang'an, received a joint invitation from the Li clan of Jiyin, the brothers Zhang Miao and Zhang Chao, who had been freed from house arrest, and the famous scholar of Chenliu, Bian Rang. Leading ten thousand lightly equipped troops north into Yanzhou, he took Chenliu, Jiyin, Shanyang, Rencheng, Dongping, and Lu Kingdom in Yuzhou, which jutted to the foot of Mount Tai—six commanderies in total—almost without bloodshed.

In the end, he halted just at the Ji River, for ahead lay Dong'e, the hometown of Cheng Zhongde, and Cangting, the key midstream crossing on the Yellow River. This was tantamount to yielding Taishan Commandery, Jibei Kingdom, and most of Dong Commandery, which belonged to Yanzhou... In truth, this was also the result of Cao Cao being keenly aware of Gongsun Xun's bottom line and not overstepping it by even half a step.

However, it was precisely at this time that Gongsun Xun had also traveled south to Liaocheng... He had long guessed that Cao Mengde would not let such an excellent opportunity slip by, and he also knew that his own strength was indeed exhausted. Moreover, Lu Fan's request for him to come south was partly aimed at Cao Cao. But even so, upon hearing how swiftly the other had advanced, and further hearing by the riverbank that Xun Yu of Yingchuan had been persuaded by Cao Mengde's three personal visits to leave his home and accompany the army into Yanzhou to take charge of all civil affairs, Gongsun Xun's expression finally changed. He then hastened his journey south, heading directly for Jinan, prepared to cut the Gordian knot and deal with several troublesome matters there.

On the twenty-ninth day of the fourth month, Gongsun Xun arrived in Jinan and, at the great camp north of the city, effortlessly stripped Zhu Ling of his military authority.

On the second day of the fifth month, without even having time to receive Cao Cao's envoys, Xiahou Yuan and Mao Jie, he personally rode out thirty li east of the city to welcome his visiting guest—the great classical scholar of the age and his own indisputably orthodox junior uncle-master, Zheng Xuan.

On the fifth day of the fifth month, Gongsun Xun, accompanied by his son, performed the midsummer Dragon Boat Festival purification and illness-warding rites at Lishui Slope outside Licheng in Jinan Kingdom. He also distributed medicinal materials and conducted sacrifices to comfort the entire army.

In the evening, he distributed all the spoils of war, richly rewarded the three armies, and took advantage of the cool air at Lishui Slope to hold a banquet in honor of meritorious officials. Cao Cao's envoys, the renowned scholar Zheng Xuan, as well as surrendered generals and scholars, were all seated in attendance.

—————I am the dividing line for bathing during Dragon Boat Festival—————

"Zhu Ling and Taishi Ci jointly led thirty thousand Liaodong troops out of Bohai, to Donglai, then on to Liaocheng. They encountered the Grand Ancestor on his northern inspection tour, and Chief of Staff Lu Fan was left to exercise the authority of the General of the Guards' office. Whenever orders were issued, Ci, due to past ties, always complied. However, Ling, considering the General of the Right and the General of the Guards as equal in weight, accepted the tally but not the command, causing Fan much difficulty... By summer, Shao was dead and Qingzhou entirely pacified. The Grand Ancestor arrived in Jinan. In the afternoon, riding alone with the Benevolent Emperor, he entered the Liaodong camp. Without seeing any of the commanders, he went straight to the command platform, beat the drum, and summoned all the soldiers before the platform. The troops, knowing Ling had defied orders and achieved no merit in battle, were mostly terrified. The Grand Ancestor stood on the platform, pointed at the Benevolent Emperor, and said: 'Having nothing to do today, I brought my own lad here. Knowing that many fellow countrymen are present, I dared not fail to show him to you.' The soldiers in the camp all cheered and knelt in submission, ceaselessly hailing 'Long Live!' The Liaodong troops thus all returned to the Grand Ancestor." — New Book of Yan, Volume 60, Biographies, Chapter 10

(End of Chapter)