Chapter 454: I Suspect the House of Han Once Let Something Slip Through the Net

"Get lost!" Gongsun Xun hesitated for a moment, but ultimately did not expose the fact that the other party had provided a fake list of names at Wang Yun's request. "Return to Shu, tell your father not to stir up trouble. Once I've finished dealing with Liangzhou and some other matters, I will naturally come find him. If he forcibly meddles in Guanxi affairs, he'll simply be courting death!"

Liu Fan nodded hurriedly, then retreated step by step as ordered and got lost.

"One more thing..." Gongsun Xun suddenly spoke again, nearly making the man stiffen with fright. "After you reach Shu, urge your father more often to practice benevolent governance. With the things he's done before, sooner or later there will be backlash... Still not gone?"

Liu Fan nodded hurriedly once more, then again retreated with quick steps, all the way out of the Grand Hall of the General of the Guards' mansion, nearly tripping over the threshold. Only then did he turn around, walk slowly out of the General of the Guards' mansion, calmly exit the gate, mount his horse, and together with the retinue waiting outside and his second brother Liu Dan, leisurely ride along the main avenue of Chang'an City and leave Chang'an.

It was only once outside the city that he suddenly felt as if a layer of mud had been shed from his whole body, light and buoyant.

There was no helping it—it was too hard! The days as a hostage were too hard! Especially for him, Liu Fan, the undisputed heir to Yizhou! From Dong Zhuo to Gongsun Xun, no matter who was in charge, they had to guard against him running away. Even when his family went out to take out the trash, they would be inspected by two on-duty clerks as if checking for thieves.

But now, with the General of the Guards about to annex Xiliang and needing to stabilize his father, he could finally escape the cage and go see his own father... At this thought, Liu Fan almost wanted to embrace his close friend Pang Xi and weep bitterly, then laugh aloud three times!

However, fortunately he knew his second brother was still beside him watching, so he forcefully suppressed his joy, comforted him a little, and even swore by the midday sun overhead, saying that once back in Shu, he would definitely rescue him and the fourth brother, or else be shot dead by random arrows, and so on. Only after much difficulty persuading Liu Dan, who was on the verge of tears, did Liu Fan lead his family and trusted followers, several dozen in all, to set off, galloping impatiently across the Wei Bridge. Only then could he not help but weep and laugh together with Pang Xi... As for those wretched affairs back in Chang'an, Young Master Liu had long since cast them to the back of his mind.

Leaving aside Liu Fan's affairs, on the other side, Gongsun Xun, having sent Liu Fan off, was in the General of the Guards' mansion in Chang'an City, propping his forehead and falling into thought. At this time, the grand hall had long been cleared of idle personnel; sitting on both sides waiting were only Wang Xiu, Jia Xu, Xi Zhong, and Zhong Yao, and none of them seemed inclined to interject.

After a long while, Gongsun Xun finally spoke slowly: "In a few days when we dispatch troops to Wudu, under the pretext of familiarizing with local conditions, bring the Gentlemen Attendants of the Yellow Gate, Fu Gan and Gai Shun, into the army to accompany us."

Jia Xu and the others understood that Gongsun Xun was remembering old ties, wanting to protect the sons of Fu Nanrong and Gai Yuangu, and had nothing to say against this arrangement.

"What about the Grand Herald Zhao Ping, the Grand Coachman Wang Yi, the Commandant of the Guards Gongsun Zan, the Grand Minister of Agriculture Feng Fang, and the others?" Zhong Yuanchang paused slightly, then couldn't help asking about the other few. "Should we give them a little warning and protection?"

"Why bother with those people? Fu and Gai are both still young, and their fathers were loyal ministers who died for the House of Han—what a pity if they suddenly can't turn the corner. But these others? They've been Grand Administrators, served as the Nine Ministers, participated in coups, carved out territories in provinces and commanderies—if they can still stumble over these matters, then truly their lives and deaths are beyond anyone's control." By the end, Gongsun Xun had already put on a look of disdain.

"The other few are one thing, but the key is that the Grand Herald is, after all, one of the few accomplished members of the General of the Right's clan, and he is somewhat weak," Xi Zhong couldn't help but add a reminder. "If something happens to him, the Zhao clan will have no one to carry on!"

"Zhicai and Yuanchang are overthinking it. For that man to have reached his current position, he relies on being so slippery that he always manages to recognize the situation," Gongsun Xun also replied helplessly. "Even if the blood in Chang'an City flows into rivers, nothing will happen to him!"

Xi Zhicai and Zhong Yuanchang couldn't help but feel a sudden understanding.

"Let's discuss the matters of Xiliang and Chang'an again," Gongsun Xun paused briefly, then resumed his questioning. "We set out in mid-August, and before departure we deal with the three external relatives as a deterrent—are there any changes to this original plan?"

"This subordinate believes we should make slight adjustments, to counter Wang Zishi's current strategy of grafting flowers onto a tree," Jia Xu, who had remained silent all along, suddenly rose and saluted in response.

"Speak."

"Within Chang'an City, we must act swiftly, severely, and broadly—immediately impose strict laws and harsh punishments, and carry out the measures at once," Jia Wenhe replied solemnly. "While at the Ma-Han front in Xiliang, we should be slightly slower, gentler, and more lenient. We might as well let Pang, Yang, and Ma return to Liangzhou first, offer some persuasion, and promise them wealth, honor, and safety."

There were only five people in the hall, and once Jia Xu spoke these words, silence fell for a moment, because Gongsun Xun, Zhong Yao, Wang Xiu, and Xi Zhong—all four were frowning deeply.

But after a moment, Gongsun Xun's heart stirred slightly, and he looked at Jia Xu, shaking his head with a rueful smile: "Back in Huayin, it was still the five of us. At that time, wasn't it Wenhe who said that within Chang'an City we should be somewhat lenient, so that things could be accomplished, while in Xiliang we must use the force of a thunderbolt to quickly settle the overall situation? Now, only a few days later, how is it reversed? Wang Zishi's mere strategy of grafting flowers onto a tree—we've long seen through it. Why make such a big move over this?"

"In reply to my lord," Jia Xu answered with a serious expression. "In Huayin, what we discussed was the overall grand strategy, while today what we speak of is a temporary response. The two discussions do not actually contradict each other... Acting severely, swiftly, and broadly within Chang'an City now is precisely to find an excuse later to relax within the city, so as to accomplish great things; and temporarily employing delaying tactics against Xiliang now is precisely so that when we truly dispatch troops, we can strike unexpectedly, forming an overwhelming momentum like Mount Tai pressing down, and settle everything in one move!"

"Wenhe, explain in detail."

Gongsun Xun's heart was increasingly stirred, and he gestured for Jia Wenhe to continue. Zhong Yao and Xi Zhong also couldn't help but raise their eyebrows slightly, clearly also having some realization. Only Wang Xiu, from beginning to end, still frowned as before... but it was certainly not because he didn't understand that he was so solemn.

"As for why I ask my lord to do this, it is actually because this subordinate believes that the two matters of Chang'an and Xiliang should not be too entangled... After all, Chang'an is a political struggle, and Xiliang is a military struggle. Letting them become intertwined will inevitably cause trouble for no reason, especially in Liangzhou, where the lives of tens of thousands of soldiers and the peace of a whole province's common people are at stake. How can the overall situation there be thrown into chaos by mere court intrigues? And these are only surface-level intrigues at that, not touching the root," Jia Wenhe explained methodically. "But the problem now is that behind Wang Zishi's strategy of grafting flowers onto a tree, one of his main supports is to use the Chang'an political situation to link with Xiliang. If we want to sever this connection, why not do the opposite—use a quick blade to cut through the tangled mess, and deliver a shock?"

Gongsun Xun slowly nodded, his heart already fully agreeing with Jia Xu's words: "Wenhe, this is the strategy of feinting to capture while letting go, feinting to let go while capturing—exactly the counter to Wang Zishi's grafting flowers onto a tree... What do Zhicai and Yuanchang think?"

"This subordinate believes it is fine," Xi Zhong responded immediately, and Zhong Yao also bowed in agreement, clearly also in approval.

It must be said, the three chariots Gongsun Xun left in Guanzhong were Wang, Jia, and Zhong.

Among them, although Gongsun Xun did not doubt Wang Xiu's loyalty—he was even quite certain that if it truly came to a desperate moment, perhaps only Wang Shuzhi could disregard everything and resolutely face peril for him, Gongsun Xun—yet given this former early follower's character, he was destined to struggle with such schemes and intrigues.

Jia Xu and Zhong Yao, however, were different. Having been in Chang'an for so many years, with the former's grasp of human nature and the latter's mastery of the inner workings of the court, plus the near-inevitable antagonism between the Son of Heaven, the Han court, and Gongsun Xun, how could these two not have some deep understanding and preparations regarding Liu Yu, Wang Yun, and the interior of Weiyang Palace?

Or to put it another way, having received others' favor and eaten others' salt, one must be loyal to others' affairs. Gongsun Xun gave Jia Xu, a surrendered general, such great authority, and promoted Zhong Yao from a Gentleman Attendant of the Yellow Gate to the current position of Palace Assistant Secretary concurrently governing Yongzhou... What were they left here for?

At the very least, within the upper echelons of Gongsun Xun's faction, everyone knew full well—Zhong Yao was fundamentally responsible for monitoring the Han court, and Jia Xu was fundamentally responsible for resolving this kind of trouble.

In fact, these two indeed did not stop at merely mastering intelligence. Very early on, based on the developing situation, they had discussed with Xi Zhong over in Yecheng and produced a series of response plans targeting the Han court, and in broad strokes had obtained approval and coordination from the Yecheng side.

When Gongsun Xun had briefly stationed at Huayin earlier, troop inspection was one aspect, but bringing Xi Zhong to meet face-to-face with Jia Xu and Zhong Yao to exchange internal Chang'an intelligence and decide on specific plans was also a matter of course.

What was discussed at that time, leaving aside the final objective, from a strategic perspective, was that while Gongsun Xun annexed Xiliang, he should create a relaxed atmosphere within Chang'an, forcing certain people to take action... In other words, using the legendary fishing enforcement to create an established fact, and then Gongsun Xun, bearing the prestige of a great victory, would return to Chang'an to clean up the situation and launch further grand strategies.

This way, it would neither dirty Gongsun Xun's hands, nor would it be inconvenient to fan the flames.

However, Wang Yun was no fool. He knew that what he was doing actually had limited chances of success, so from the start he chose the strategy of grafting flowers onto a tree, throwing out layer after layer of true and false information, trying to confuse Gongsun Xun's vision and thereby conceal his true intentions.

And Jia Xu's point at this moment was not really concerned about Wang Yun slipping from control, but rather, from the perspective of a Liangzhou native, from the perspective of grand military and state strategy, he worried that if they continued to indulge, a misstep might cause certain fools with military power in Xiliang to misjudge the situation, leading to complications in the Liangzhou situation and triggering unnecessary expansion of the war... After all, war is the most destructive thing, and also what ultimately decides fate. If more people died just because of Wang Zishi's strategy to confuse and obscure, it would be far too unworthy!

Especially in the current situation, no one knew how many among these people in Guanzhong and Xiliang were fools and how many were clever, how many were truly loyal to Han and how many were falsely loyal to Han... So there really was no need to place hope in them.

"In that case, let Jin Xuan, She Jian, Liu Dan, and the three... oh, might as well include Huangfu Li and Zhang Chang—five people in total—come forward together and immediately go to the Secretariat to formally meet with Liu Boan, to denounce the three external relatives for colluding with Wang Yun, stating that the four intend to..." Gongsun Xun spoke halfway, then suddenly got stuck. Not only that, but among the only five people in the hall, several faces momentarily became extremely expressive.

Because Gongsun Xun, as well as his trusted confidants, when it came down to it, actually didn't know what crime these four had committed.

They couldn't very well say that these four had sworn loyalty to the Son of Heaven, so they had to be killed, could they?

Or that these four were trying to let the Son of Heaven, who was beginning to bind his hair, study, marry, and gradually come of age, seize a certain amount of political power from the hands of the General of the Guards Gongsun Xun, so they had to be killed?

Wouldn't that be laughable?

But if they didn't kill them, how could they speak of dealing with them severely?

Political struggle, in its inner essence, has no righteousness on anyone's side, but the problem was that, on the surface, Gongsun Xun was indeed at a moral and procedural disadvantage at this moment.

"We can have these few come forward and denounce the four for plotting against our lord himself," Xi Zhong said with a serious expression. "In fact, some things are already tacitly understood by everyone. My lord need not mind these minor details."

"Of course I understand tacitly, and I believe they have such intentions. These few who are coming forward, whether true or false, probably understand it in their own hearts as well. But in practical terms, isn't it because there is, after all, no solid evidence?" Gongsun Xun mused thoughtfully. "We can't say they harbored resentment in their bellies and slandered in their hearts, convicting them by thought alone, can we? When the time comes and the people are killed, if Liu Yu and the others come asking me what proof I have, how do I answer? 'It must be so'... How can 'it must be so' convince the realm?"

"My lord, this is not the time to be entangled in such things," Jia Wenhe also earnestly advised. "Having a slight knot in the heart today while wielding the authority of thunder is precisely to avoid falling into greater predicaments later... If the plan truly fails, what then? I implore my lord to make a swift decision!"

"Then let it be done!" Unexpectedly, although Gongsun Xun was momentarily conflicted, he still made up his mind immediately. "We'll act under the name of Jin Xuan, She Jian, Huangfu Li, and the just-departed Liu Fan—these four coming forward to denounce. Zhang Chang need not be involved, and there's no need to go to Liu Yu to file a complaint. However, we can have Jin Xuan and She Jian separately and secretly notify Wang Yun, the three external relatives, and the Secretariat, giving them some time to react. Then have Zhang Liao take action. That kid, born on the frontier, fears neither heaven nor earth, yet knows how to handle things. If instructed properly, he won't botch it. Finally, the order of arrest must follow this sequence: Dong Cheng, Fu Wan, Wang Bin, Wang Yun. If there is resistance, kill without mercy on the spot!"

The four in the hall felt a sudden understanding. Wang Xiu still kept his head down in silence, while the other three were slightly stirred, and bowed their heads in acceptance of the order.

About one hour later, just as the afternoon began, Chang'an City was suddenly under full martial law. Armored cavalry in groups of ten patrolled everywhere in the city to maintain order. Furthermore, Zhang Liao led nearly a thousand cavalry, fully armed and armored, their horses' hooves rumbling as they charged straight for the residence of the Colonel of the City Gates, Dong Cheng.

Facts proved that the sequence of action Gongsun Xun had specifically proposed was well-considered. Although Dong Cheng was a fellow townsman from Hejian with Emperor Ling's birth mother, the late Empress Dowager Dong (it was precisely because of this connection that he was accepted by the pro-Han faction), making him a standard Hebei man, he was, after all, a remnant of Dong Zhuo, having followed Dong Zhuo very early. In his early years, he even served under people like Niu Fu, so his character was rough and violent, entirely in the style of a Xiliang soldier-boss.

Therefore, when he heard Jin Xuan's secret warning and saw the city under full martial law, he understood in his heart that the moment of life and death had arrived. Immediately, without a care for anything else, he opened the hidden armory in his mansion, took out the concealed weapons and armor, and then armed his former troops who had been weeded out after reorganization and kept by him at home, along with numerous servants, gathering a total of four to five hundred men... and actually took the initiative to leave his mansion, attempting to seize the arsenal located northeast of Weiyang Palace.

This move could not be called anything but decisive, yet it inadvertently fell into Gongsun Xun's strategy of luring the snake out of its hole, providing a pretext for Gongsun Xun's ruthless purge of Chang'an.

It must be said, after Dong Cheng's daughter entered Weiyang Palace as an Honored Lady and he himself became Colonel of the City Gates, he, like Wang Bin and Fu Wan, was specially granted a mansion in a subtly strategic location with vast grounds—specifically, on the north side of the main avenue north of Weiyang Palace, toward the west and north. The intention was precisely for him, at a critical moment, to cross the avenue southward and seize the arsenal located between Weiyang Palace and Changle Palace.

Thus, once he left his mansion, he led his four to five hundred former troops and servants, easily surging onto the main avenue before the northern watchtower of Weiyang Palace.

On the other side, Zhang Liao, leading a thousand cavalry, came galloping along the extremely broad avenues of Chang'an City, attempting to arrest this group, and they collided head-on.

Zhang Wenyuan, from afar on horseback, saw this former colleague and his five to six hundred rabble—he said not a word, merely sneered coldly, and urged his armored cavalry forward to trample them. The commanders on both sides neither communicated nor explained; the soldiers under them let out a battle cry, and a melee of cold steel erupted on the North Watchtower Avenue between Changle Palace and Weiyang Palace.

The sudden shouts of battle and the clash of metal threw the whole city of Chang’an into momentary panic — it had been a full five or six years since they had last seen blood.

And the servants of high officials and noble houses who climbed their courtyard walls and witnessed this scene, along with the clerks and guards on duty north of Weiyang Palace, immediately passed word to those behind them… Whereupon the entire city was shaken. Those among Gongsun Xun’s forces who were unaware of the situation naturally dared not be negligent and promptly dispatched reinforcements; Feng Fang, Zhao Ping, and even Gongsun Zan, who lived in the strategic area between Weiyang Palace and the East and West Markets, as well as a great number of ministers and nobles close to Gongsun Xun, all led their household servants out to join the fight.

Thus, in barely half a shichen, the five or six hundred motley soldiers scraped together by Dong Cheng were slaughtered to the last man. The great avenue north of Weiyang Palace was a scene of utter devastation — corpses strewn along the road, severed limbs and broken bodies everywhere, blood flowing like streams straight past the thresholds of the street-side doors. It was profoundly shocking.

As for Dong Cheng himself, he was found by Ma Chao, who had been ordered to bring troops to assist, lying among a pile of corpses — only half of his body remained.

With Dong Cheng dead, his residence was confiscated and his entire household arrested. Several ministers, including Zhao Ping and Feng Fang, immediately led a portion of the troops into Weiyang Palace to “garrison” the Imperial Secretariat and the Censorate. The Minister of the Guards, Gongsun Zan, along with several others, separately went to take over the various city-gate garrisons commanded by the Captain of the City Gates.

And Zhang Liao, naturally, immediately set out with a group of reinforcements to find Fu Wan.

But when they reached Fu Wan’s residence, they found an entirely different scene. Fu Wan’s six sons had all donned armor and mounted the walls to hold fast, and were even shouting abuse from the walls in the name of being imperial relatives!

But who was Zhang Wenyuan? A man who feared neither heaven nor earth, nothing more than a wild horse from the northern plains — how could he possibly care about some imperial relatives?

In truth, with Dong Cheng lured out of his lair, matters had by this point already completely exceeded the scope of “investigating a case.” It would be no exaggeration to call it military suppression. Even if Wang Xiu or Zhao Yun had been here, let alone Zhang Liao, they would have been fully justified and could not possibly have stopped.

The troops dismounted, sought out large timbers in the street to use as battering rams against the gate, while heavily armored warriors set ladders to scale the walls, and crossbowmen provided covering fire from the upper floors of neighboring ministers’ residences. On the other side, although the Fu Wan clan was one of the few remaining traditional noble houses of the Han, after the chaos of Dong Zhuo they had little in the way of real resources left…

Thus, the elite troops from Ye smashed into Fu Wan’s estate as easily as dry twigs snapping.

Fu Wan’s six sons were all cut down on the spot. Fu Wan himself attempted to set himself on fire in an upper chamber, but armored soldiers burst in first, dragged him out by the hair, and then, at Zhang Liao’s signal, beheaded him with a single stroke.

By the time the Fu Wan estate was dealt with, evening had already fallen. Zhang Liao continued on to find Wang Bin, but was finally blocked — Grand Commandant Liu Yu and several dozen elder Han loyalist ministers in the court stood in front of Wang Bin’s house. The main gate of Wang Bin’s house was thrown wide open, and Wang Bin himself, leading his two sons and dressed only in white, knelt shivering behind the ministers and before the gate.

Besides these, Wang Yun was also present, his face ashen, standing with head lowered behind the ministers.

It must be said that Liu Yu, like the other ministers in the Imperial Secretariat, had received reports from the very beginning and had originally intended to save lives. But Dong Cheng’s posture had thrown them into a moment of confusion, and Fu Wan’s stubbornness — or pride — in his final moments had made it truly impossible for them to intervene.

Fortunately, however, Wang Bin was an honest man, and Wang Yun was a clever one. Neither made any futile resistance at this moment, and the latter had even used the time difference to proactively contact Liu Yu and Yang Biao, which gave these ministers their chance to block the way — once Liu Yu learned Zhang Liao’s route of action, he immediately led the many Han loyalist ministers to arrive at Wang Bin’s residence ahead of the other party.

“General Zhang, neither your entire clan could bear the name of having slaughtered dozens of innocent ministers, nor would the General of the Guards ever permit you to commit such an outrageous act!” Huang Wan, heedless of the blood still dripping from Zhang Liao’s long spear, went straight to the front of his horse and raised his head to face him. “We already know the gist of this matter. Is it not just the General of the Household of the Right, Wang Bin, and the Grand Master, Wang Yun, who remain? We shall personally escort these two to the General of the Guards’ residence… You need only lead the way!”

Zhang Liao looked down from on high at these people for a long time, then looked at Wang Bin and his sons kneeling in white at the front, and at Wang Yun with his expression of grief and indignation. In the end, he had no choice but to give a slight nod in response.

——————I am the dividing line of Han and traitor never standing together——————

“The Grand Ancestor once sat with the Benevolent Emperor discussing meritorious officials. He spoke freely of each, but when it came to Zhong Yao, he remained silent for a long time. The Benevolent Emperor found this strange. After a long while, the Grand Ancestor slowly said: ‘Yuanchang’s appearance is like Gongda’s, his inner mind is like Wenhe’s, and his conduct is like Gongren’s — I truly do not know how to judge him.’” — New Book of Yan, Volume 72, Biography 22

PS: Continuing to offer a book recommendation, The Aspiration Chronicle of Yilu of the Three Kingdoms.

(End of Chapter)