Chapter 459: West of Yuzhong, Meeting an Old Friend (Continued)

"By all rights, the bond between us is already severed. But since you are willing to journey west, and have declared yourself a subject, taking me as your lord, then there is once again, to some degree, the duty between ruler and minister — so I have come to see you off." In early tenth month, on the morning of this day, at a terrace by the Yellow River west of Yuzhong City, the key stronghold of Liangzhou, General of the Guards Gongsun Xun personally led a few accompanying civil and military officers out of the city, and there summoned the former overlord of Xiliang, Han Sui. "Do you have anything else to say?"

His hair disheveled and looking somewhat bedraggled, Han Wenyue, upon hearing these words, let out a sigh of relief before he even spoke.

It must be said that over these past ten or so days, Han Sui and his force of seven thousand had not set even half a step inside Yuzhong City. They had been stationed the entire time in a military camp west of the city, selecting the three thousand troops for the westward journey. Not only that, but these seven thousand had also been stripped of their weapons, armor, and warhorses, and were essentially being guarded as prisoners of war by the surrounding army.

So now, with the dust settled and Gongsun Xun coming out of the city to see him, Han Wenyue instead felt a moment of ease.

"May my lord instruct me: how should I proceed on this journey?" Han Sui thought for a moment, then bowed his head and asked. "What is the strategy after exiting Yumen Pass?"

"This is something I would tell you even if you hadn't asked." Gongsun Xun clasped his hands behind his back, looking at the back of the man's head before him. His expression was calm, his tone crisp. "I appoint you as General Who Pacifies the West, acting as Protector-General of the Western Regions, garrisoned at Tancheng. Once your three thousand troops are selected, the Champion General will escort you out of Yumen Pass with three thousand cavalry... After you exit Yumen Pass, your clothing, armor, and weapons will be returned to you. You will also be transferred some military supplies, provisions, and the like. From then on, it will be up to you."

Han Sui raised his head slightly, clearly puzzled. He had been under guard these days, his freedom confined to the camp, and was inevitably somewhat behind on news: "Dare I ask my lord, who is the Champion General?"

Gongsun Xun paused for a moment, then seriously told him the answer: "It is that Cavalry Commandant Zhao Yun, Zhao Zilong, who broke through Wushan in a frontal assault and later crossed the Didao with eight hundred cavalry in a stealth raid. I consider him to possess both wisdom and courage, and to have settled the Liangzhou affair. So yesterday, after the Di King of Xiabian in Wudu and the White Horse Qiang came to surrender, when assessing the merit for pacifying Liangzhou, I ranked him first, appointed him Champion General, and granted him an additional stipend of three thousand dan."

"If the White Horse Qiang have arrived, then the three southern commanderies of Liangzhou are all pacified." Han Sui first showed a look of sudden understanding, then immediately changed his expression to offer congratulations: "Your servant has not yet had the chance to congratulate my lord on pacifying Liangzhou!"

"There is no need for such words." Gongsun Xun narrowed his eyes and replied. "That day when Zhao Zilong crossed the Didao in secret and then set up an empty camp ruse to frighten you off, Liangzhou was, in truth, already effectively pacified. These past few days have merely been an armed procession, intimidating and accepting surrenders."

"The Champion General's first merit in pacifying Liangzhou is truly well-deserved!" Han Sui immediately changed his phrasing. "That day at the Sanchakou to the west, he could be said to be utterly fearless. I imagine it shook not only your servant, but also those ordinarily unruly Xiliang magnates..."

"Wenyue!" Gongsun Xun suddenly interrupted him. "Why must you and I act like this? Moreover, what does my Champion General's conduct, or my Xiliang magnates' conduct, have to do with you?"

Han Sui was momentarily speechless.

"Do you have anything else to say?" Gongsun Xun continued to ask.

"Your servant's family..."

"You, and the family members and clansmen of all officers above the rank of company commander among these three thousand troops you have selected, will all be relocated to Yecheng." Gongsun Xun answered immediately. "General Who Pacifies the North, Zhang Cheng, is stationed in a rather remote area, and the region north of Shanzhou remains somewhat unstable. I intend to have him return first, and he can escort these people eastward along the way."

"Your servant did not mean that." Han Sui waited for the other to finish before forcing himself to speak. "I merely wished to ask my lord if I might see my family once more before departing, so that I might instruct my sons to diligently serve the public good once they reach Yecheng..."

"Denied." Gongsun Xun did not even blink. "With Lingming here, what is there to worry about regarding those sons of yours? Today I came to see you off. Once we have finished speaking, you will set out immediately... Do you not see that the Champion General has already arrived at your camp to urge the troops?"

Han Sui first glanced at his son-in-law, Pang De, who stood not far from Gongsun Xun's side, hand on his sword, staring straight ahead without a sideways glance. He then turned his head to look back at the great banner bearing the character 'Zhao' that had already reached his camp. His expression finally could not help but darken, but after only a pause, he quickly composed himself and assented:

"Yes!"

"Since you are about to leave, if there is anything else you wish to ask or say, ask and say it all now." Gongsun Xun continued, hands still clasped behind his back.

"Once I reach the Western Regions, how should your servant proceed?" Hearing this, Han Sui finally let go completely. "How should I deal with the various states of the Western Regions? What are my authorities and limits?"

"As you please." Gongsun Xun answered casually. "I only require two things... First, that the trade routes to the west, to the Great Yuezhi (Kushan) and Anxi (Parthia), remain open. Second, that the Western Regions be nominally under the control of the Han. If these two things can be accomplished, then even if you were to receive the Nine Bestowments in the Western Regions, as long as you do not flaunt it at the border of Zangzhou, even if you truly proclaimed yourself King of the West, as long as you do not write it in official documents submitted to me, I will not interfere. In summary, when a commander is in the field, there are orders from the sovereign he does not accept. You may handle the affairs of the Western Regions as you see fit! If it truly becomes necessary in the future, Zangzhou will also provide some support."

Han Sui relaxed a little more: "Then naturally, I may, in my lord's name, recruit troops from the small states and wild tribes of the Western Regions there?"

"You may!" Gongsun Xun was utterly decisive.

"My lord is magnanimous..."

"It is not magnanimity, but a difference in where one's gaze falls... For those below, what they seek is to establish a family and career, to achieve merit and fame. For someone like you, what you seek is to be at ease in one place, not ruled by others. For me, at this moment, what I care about is only the great trend of the world. As long as the hearts of the people under Heaven can be broadly won over, and my new policies can be implemented across the realm, then what meaning do those other things hold?"

Han Sui was silent for a moment, then spoke again: "My lord, now that the eleven commanderies of Liangzhou are in hand, your current territory, according to the new plan for dividing provinces, amounts to eleven provinces. According to the old division of the realm into thirteen provinces and one protectorate, it amounts to six and a half provinces. Although the three provinces of You, Bing, and Liang are somewhat poor, they have the advantage of occupying the strategic high ground and possessing military might. So no matter how you calculate it, you already hold one part in two of the realm... Is the reason you repeatedly restrain from using military force precisely because of this so-called great trend of the world?"

At these words, even Pang De, standing nearby, could not help but turn his head back in surprise. On the other side, the four duty attendants, Meng Jian, Wang Ling, Zhao Ang, and Jiang Xu, who had been waiting in silence, along with Fu Gan and Gai Shun, whom Gongsun Xun had specifically summoned, all showed slight changes in expression.

"Perhaps?" Gongsun Xun replied thoughtfully upon hearing this, yet still stood upright with his hands clasped behind his back. "Why do you ask this?"

"I heard my lord continuously refer to himself as 'this humble one,' and found it laughable," Han Sui said with emotion. "Yet when I think carefully, even though my lord holds half the realm, he still cannot properly style himself as a solitary ruler... So reasoning from this, I imagine there must still be great obstacles ahead for my lord. Perhaps hidden within the court, perhaps lodged with the likes of Cao and Liu, but in any case, they exist."

Fu Gan and the others grew increasingly tense.

"What are you trying to say?" Gongsun Xun narrowed his eyes further.

"Your servant is willing to undertake certain unspeakable matters on my lord's behalf," Han Sui suddenly knelt and kowtowed. "I only beg to be allowed to remain in Han territory! Even if I were exiled to Dunhuang after the deed is done, I would at least have some peace of mind!"

"I thought you had truly made some progress." Gongsun Xun immediately shook his head repeatedly. "Get up. Accept a cup of wine from me, then return to camp, pack your things, and be on your way."

Han Wenyue was utterly disappointed, yet had no choice but to rise... A man whose spine has been broken once always finds it very difficult to stand straight again.

And as Han Sui rose, the Attendant of the Yellow Gate, Fu Gan, who had been instructed beforehand and was well-prepared, immediately brought over a wooden tray. On the tray were simply placed a jug of strong liquor from the Anli Company and two large pottery cups — nothing more.

"Wenyue!" Gongsun Xun personally finished pouring the wine, first handed a cup to Han Sui, then turned back and picked up a cup himself. Finally, his expression changed, and he sighed deeply. "We were once old friends. As for why we turned against each other back then — in public terms, it was naturally because you betrayed the aspirations of your youth, becoming a warlord who only knew how to carve out a territory, and subsequently became a source of the chaos in Liangzhou. In private terms, it was because of the matter of Nanrong back then; I have always deeply hated you in my heart. But later, first, after the battle on the Wei River, I personally hammered Cheng Gongying to death, which vented the hatred in my heart. And now, I have ultimately accepted your surrender, allowing Liangzhou to return to the central authority, which can be considered settling the greater situation... And now, with you leaving for the Western Regions, it is tantamount to exile, and all the grievances and debts between us end here. So I have let the son of Nanrong hold the wine here, and personally offer you a bowl of wine. Let this also be considered, on behalf of Nanrong, on behalf of Cheng Gongying, and on behalf of ourselves, a final settling of old accounts. Is that acceptable?"

Han Sui looked at Fu Gan standing to the side, staring at him with a complex expression, and then thought of Cheng Gongying and Yan Xing. His nose could not help but sting with emotion, and his heart was in turmoil.

And so, almost as if fleeing, the man tilted his head back and forcefully downed the large cup of strong liquor in one breath. When he lowered the cup again, his eyes were already slightly reddened.

Gongsun Xun also drained his wine. As he took back the cup Han Sui handed over, a faint north wind, marking the transition between autumn and winter, happened to drift by, stirring up a cloud of yellow dust.

Gongsun Xun felt a slight stir in his heart, and once again poured wine onto the tray for a second round.

Moreover, after pouring the wine, he did not hurry to hand it to Han Sui. Instead, he bent down, picked up a pinch of yellow earth from the loess terrace by the Yellow River with his fingers, and sprinkled it into one of the cups of wine. Only then did he hand this cup to the other man.

Taking this cup of wine and looking at the dust floating on its surface, a sudden, inexplicable, and intense emotion surged in Han Sui's heart. The intensity of it seemed almost ready to overflow, just like the wine in the cup... His reluctance to leave Liangzhou, memories of the past, nostalgia for the purity of his youth, desire for the great trend of the world, and confusion about the future — all tangled together into a single knot.

He very much wanted to ask Gongsun Xun: was this sudden second cup of wine a compensation for the hasty farewell after their first meeting in Luoyang? Or was it compensation for the hurried westward departure after their meeting in Henei?

And why sprinkle the earth? Was it to tell him not to forget the flavor of Liangzhou's soil, or a hint that he should never return in his lifetime?

Yet, for some unknown reason, Han Wenyue did not utter a single word of these questions. He merely held the cup of wine in both hands, trembling slightly, as if holding something unbearably heavy.

As if perceiving the other's thoughts, Gongsun Xun raised his own cup and said plainly: "There is no particular meaning. I merely wished to urge Wenyue to drink one more cup... Wenyue, I urge you, sir, to finish this cup of wine; west of Yumen Pass, there will be no old friends!"

With these words, Gongsun Xun took the initiative, tilting his head back and draining the cup in one go. And Han Sui, finally unable to suppress the myriad emotions in his heart, burst into tears that streamed down like rain. Yet, before the tears could drip into his wine cup, he hastily raised it and drank it all in one forceful gulp.

The dusty wine fell into his stomach. Han Wenyue threw down the cup and, without looking back, hurried down from the terrace and returned to camp. Yet, just as he descended, he happened to encounter Jia Xu and Xi Zhong arriving together at the foot of the terrace, and was suddenly reminded again of Yan Zhong. He had no choice but to cover his face with his sleeve and stumble away... If nothing went awry, he would be escorted by Zhao Yun, turning northwest from the Sanchakou of the Yellow River to the west into the Hexi Corridor, and then journey west all the way, exiting Yumen Pass, passing Dunhuang, and reaching the old lands of the Western Regions via Cheshi. From then on, his return date would be unknown.

Gongsun Xun watched the other's figure disappear into the military camp, then finally bent down to pick up the pottery cup from the ground and carefully place it on the tray in Fu Gan's hands. His face expressionless, he turned to gaze at the rolling Yellow River beside him, hands clasped behind his back, silent.

After a moment, he actually closed his eyes.

Fu Gan did not dare to move carelessly. Jia Xu and Xi Zhong, who clearly had matters to attend to here, also stood waiting in silence. Naturally, people like Meng Jian and Wang Ling did not dare to make any unnecessary movements either. Only Pang De could not help but stare blankly toward the chaotic camp of Han Sui to the west, though his expression was merely one of faint dejection.

On the loess terrace, not even a crow or sparrow made a sound. In the military camp not far away, there was a momentary clamor. But none of this affected Gongsun Xun as he inclined his ear to listen to the roar of the Yellow River.

It must be said that after drinking two cups of wine, and stirred by Han Sui's evocation of old friends and new events, just as Han Wenyue had found his emotions hard to control, this General of the Guards also felt a fierce tiger roaring in his chest, almost ready to leap out.

He had come out in a hurry and had not brought his broken blade. If he wanted to suppress this tiger, he could only rely on the heavenly might of the Yellow River.

No one knew how long it was before Gongsun Xun suddenly opened his eyes and spoke directly: "From here to the confluence of the Tao River, the Huang River, and the Yellow River — that is, the area of Yuzhong and Jincheng counties — this place has great promise. It shall all be assigned to Tianshui Commandery... Furthermore, abolish the two counties of Jincheng and Yuzhong, merge them into one county, and have Zhang Derong build a new city between the two cities. Relocate the commandery seat of Tianshui and the provincial seat of Liangzhou here!"

Xi Zhong and Jia Xu were caught off guard, but still hurriedly bowed and acknowledged the order.

And after Jia Xu acknowledged the order, perhaps because he was a native of Liangzhou, he could not help but add a couple more sentences: "This place can control the passage to the west and indeed has great promise. Moreover, during the Former Han, it originally belonged to Tianshui... Only, now that the most prosperous area has been assigned to Tianshui, it inevitably makes Tianshui seem too weighty, while Jincheng seems somewhat slighted."

"No matter. We can detach Baishi, Fuhan, and Heguan counties from Longxi Commandery and give them to Jincheng Commandery. Also, have Zhang Liao, who is going to pacify the Burning Dang Qiang, make a slight sweep toward the West Sea Salt Lake, and take the opportunity to establish Longqi City there as a county. We can also assign Xi County and Rongqiu Town, south of Tianshui, to Longxi... Apart from this, since Wuwei Commandery is to serve as the framework for Zangzhou, its Zuli County east of the Yellow River would be more suitably assigned to Anding Commandery." Gongsun Xun settled the division of Xiliang in a single breath. "Wenhe is a man of Liangzhou. Do you find this arrangement appropriate?"

"That would be perfectly proper." Jia Xu immediately nodded in agreement. "Only, I would ask my lord to bestow a name upon the new city."

Gongsun Xun noted the form of address, couldn't help glancing at the man, and then responded: "Then I must ask Wenhe to think of a fine name!"

Jia Xu, hearing this, did not stand on ceremony. After a moment's thought, he pointed to a prominent mountain range to the southwest and said: "That mountain is called Mount Gaolan. Since my lord wishes to build a new city to hold the road westward, it must be built by the river at the mountain's foot... Why not call it Gao City or Lan City?"

"Let it be Lan City!" Gongsun Xun said casually. "In the future, have Zhang Derong bury a stele at the mountain's foot, stating that it was here Zhao Zilong pacified Liangzhou, and here Jia Wenhe named Lan City, and here he, Zhang Derong, governed Tianshui!"

Jia Xu could not help but laugh awkwardly: "The Champion General achieved extraordinary merit there and pacified Liangzhou; Governor Zhang will govern the people there as commandery administrator in the future. I merely chose a name — what qualification do I have to be placed between those two?"

"Who told you to be a Liang man?" Gongsun Xun said with a smile. "How could the homeland of Liangzhou not hold you, a native son of Liang, in higher regard? It may well be that in the future, when provinces and commanderies are redrawn and boundaries are mistaken, because of this very stele, people on both banks of the Yellow River will come to blows fighting over your native place!"

Jia Xu did not know whether to laugh or cry.

"What did you two seek me out for?" Gongsun Xun finally asked about the main business.

"It is this." Xi Zhong quickly stepped forward and interjected. "My lord, because the Champion General's surprise assault on Mount Wu and covert crossing at Didao was so utterly unexpected, the entire province of Liangzhou was pacified far faster than anticipated... And as for Chang'an... should we not send someone back to report the victory?"

Reporting the victory, naturally, meant striking the mountain to startle the tiger, with the added implication of urging Chang'an to act as soon as possible.

"We may!" Gongsun Xun immediately understood, then glanced at Fu Gan beside him, whose expression remained normal, clearly not grasping what was going on, and simply agreed. "Yancai (Fu Gan's courtesy name), go back in my stead. Tell the Grand Tutor and the Son of Heaven that Liangzhou is settled, and report the matters of dividing the province, altering the commanderies and counties, and Han Sui's journey west. Then tell the court that once I have arranged the general affairs of Liangzhou here, I will go and have a chat with Zhang Lu, the Zhang Tianshi... You may not know this, but I am also versed in the *Taiping Jing*, and count as half a Daoist... but only that. Once Hanzhong is settled, I do not plan to actually attack Shu. At that time, I will return to Chang'an and look toward the Central Plains... Do you understand?"

Fu Gan hurriedly bowed his head and acknowledged the order.

Gongsun Xun nodded slightly, but could not be bothered to give further hints... After all, times had changed. Today he had driven Han Sui west for Fu Nanrong's sake, settling that grudge. If this kid could still jump into the pit, he was either more foolish than Lu Bu or more filial than Ma Chao.

In that case, let him do as he pleased.

As they spoke, the sun climbed higher. Han Sui's force, under Han Sui's leadership and Zhao Yun's armed escort, had already begun to slowly move out. Gongsun Xun watched from afar, patted Pang De on the shoulder, made a casual gesture, and then walked back to the city with his hands behind his back, accompanied by his two military advisors.

Behind them, by the loess platform, the Yellow River still roared as ever.

—————— I am a dividing line inviting you to have another cup ——————

"The famous minister of this dynasty, Jia Wenhe, some say was a man of Guzang in Wuwei. However, your servant Songzhi observes: In Lan City there is a stele, which reads: 'At this place, the then Champion General Zhao Yun pacified Liangzhou; at this place, the Military Advisor and General of the Household Jia Xu named Lan City; at this place, the Grand Administrator of Tianshui, Zhang Derong, governed Tianshui; at this place, the then General of the Guard, whose personal name is tabooed by the founding emperor, gathered two parts of all under Heaven...' The local villagers there all say that Jia Wenhe was actually a man of Jincheng, the old county of Lan City. Were this not the reason, how could he have named this city? Your servant concurs." — *Dianlüe*, annotated by Pei Songzhi of Yan.

(End of Chapter)