Chapter 49: A Show of Force (8k2 Combined)

Gongsun Xun and Han Sui were not really that familiar with each other… During his time in Luoyang, he had done his best to engage with these figures, but an un-capped commoner scholar could hardly gain anyone’s trust.

After all, someone as greedy as Xu You was an exception, and Lu Fan was a penniless man of humble origins. As for Han Sui, Han Wenyue, the man before him — he had made a name for himself in Xiliang at a very young age, was nominated as Filial and Incorrupt the moment he was capped, and after arriving in the capital, kept company with men like Cao Cao and Yuan Shao… The two of them had only met twice through Xu You’s introduction, exchanging nothing more than names.

They had not even gotten as far as clasping hands in pleasant conversation!

And now, it was precisely these two slightly unfamiliar acquaintances who sat in the same carriage, jolting and swaying as they hurried toward Luoyang city.

“Stuck again.” Han Sui steadied himself against the carriage and laughed. “It was like this when I came, and it’s still like this when I leave. Has it never occurred to these people to take a detour when the road is blocked?”

Gongsun Xun turned at once and ordered: “Go around to the West Gate and enter the city by way of White Horse Temple.”

“Ah.” As the carriage rounded the bend and took in the chaotic scene at Luoyang’s North Gate, Han Sui continued laughing. “The North Gate is jammed like this — it’s a good thing Cao Mengde is no longer the Northern District Commandant of Luoyang, or today he’d be beating over a thousand people to death!”

At this, Gongsun Xun could not help but laugh along… because it really was quite funny when he thought about it. Cao Mengde had beaten a eunuch’s uncle to death for breaking curfew; this time it was the guests of his childhood friend Yuan Benchu — over a thousand of them — all breaking curfew together because of a traffic jam. If he were still in that post, would he ignore it in the face of the eunuchs’ resentment and ridicule, or would he ignore it?

“Come to think of it,” Han Sui said, suddenly turning serious as the carriage took the detour onto a much emptier road, “my acquaintance with Yuan Benchu came about through a letter of introduction from Cao Mengde…”

“So that’s how it was.”

“When you think about it, Yuan Benchu was hailed as the ‘Paragon of the Realm’ in a single day. When his mother passed away, three thousand guests vied to offer their condolences…” Han Sui continued gravely. “Without the right connections, how could one possibly catch his eye?”

Gongsun Xun held his tongue. After all, the man had been sent to hold him to account, and now that the conversation had reached this point, he feared he would find it hard to respond. No matter what, roaring and behaving rudely before the grave of someone’s recently deceased mother had been witnessed by so many people — there was simply no way to shrug it off… And this matter was neither too big nor too small.

“Speaking of which, does Young Lord Gongsun know why it was Yuan Benchu who became the ‘Paragon of the Realm,’ and not his elder brother Yuan Ji, born of the principal wife, or his younger brother Yuan Shu, also born of the principal wife?”

The expected rebuke did not come; instead, it was a question that seemed to have a long-settled answer.

“Is it not said that Yuan Benchu is innately divinely talented and tirelessly diligent?” Gongsun Xun could only answer in this way.

“I, for one, do not think so.”

Gongsun Xun abruptly raised his head to look at the other man, only to find that in the fading twilight, Han Sui was watching him with a faint, ambiguous smile.

The two locked eyes for a long moment. In the end, it was Gongsun Xun who could not hold back and spoke first: “I would be honored to hear Brother Wenyue’s esteemed opinion.”

“Yuan Benchu certainly has his outstanding qualities, but is he the only outstanding man under heaven?” Han Sui laughed sternly. “I, Han Wenyue, consider myself a hero of the age — why could I not be the Paragon of the Realm? You, the Gongsun brothers, are also outstanding talents of Liaoxi — why could you not be the Paragon of the Realm? To put it plainly, those four words ‘Paragon of the Realm,’ and these three thousand guests today, are eighty percent due to the Yuan clan being Four Generations of Three Excellencies. So, if it were Yuan Gonglu instead, today’s scene would be much the same.”

Gongsun Xun nodded slowly: “Brother Wenyue’s words cut to the heart of the matter. Still, Yuan Benchu did distinguish himself among his brothers and won the appreciation and recognition of the previous generation…”

“Did he truly distinguish himself?” Han Sui sneered. “Did the two Lord Yuans, especially Zhouyang (Yuan Feng’s courtesy name), truly value this son born of a lowly maidservant so highly?”

By now, Gongsun Xun dared not easily interject — who knew what this unfamiliar Han Wenyue was really about?

“Scions of great clans, each performing their assigned role.” Ignoring the other’s reaction, Han Sui answered his own question, explaining the spectacle of Yuan Shao’s glory today from a refreshingly novel angle. “The three sons of the Yuan clan each have their own part to play…”

What did he mean?

According to Han Sui’s explanation, Yuan Shao, Yuan Benchu’s prominence was very likely a role assigned to the next generation by the foremost clan of the Great Han, the Yuan family of Four Generations of Three Excellencies, with no particular favoritism involved.

For example, Yuan Ji, as the eldest son of the principal wife, was cast as the watchdog. His duty was to diligently study the family’s transmitted “Meng Family Commentary on the Yi Jing,” inherit the title, and, like his uncle Yuan Kui, become one of the Three Excellencies and Nine Ministers who draw a salary while doing nothing.

Another example: Yuan Shu, the second son of the principal wife, was meant to rise swiftly, to secure the best office, the office with the most real power, and the faster and sooner the better — one advancing while his elder brother Yuan Ji retreated, one urgent while the other was deliberate, each supporting the other… Many people say Yuan Gonglu will reach a supernumerary high minister by around thirty; this is not without reason.

As for Yuan Shao, in a sense, he was a kind of venture investment — and perhaps the opposite of what most people think… To some degree, because of his birth, he was effectively a disposable piece in the clan’s game!

After all, in this age, for a scholar to stand out too much was to court risk. One must remember that the last ‘Paragon of the Realm’ was beaten to death by eunuchs in prison.

“But this risk had to be taken,” Han Sui said, as the carriage advanced unhurriedly along the official road outside the moat, then suddenly stopped speaking. “Does Young Lord Gongsun understand the reasoning behind this?”

Gongsun Xun, already spellbound, blurted out when abruptly questioned: “Could it be the vacancy of a Partisan leader?!”

“Excellent!” Han Sui clapped his hands sharply. “Exactly so. I did not expect Young Lord Gongsun to be such a perceptive man… Then do you know who the leaders of the Partisans were before?”

“There are too many figures renowned across the realm among the Partisans, but when it comes to the word ‘leader,’ the ones I can think of are actually few.” Now that the conversation had reached this point, Gongsun Xun relaxed. “If I am mistaken, I hope Brother Wenyue will not take offense.”

“Try me,” Han Sui said, unconcerned.

“The father of the current Intendant of Henan, Zhu Ye — Zhu Mu of Nanyang. Could he be considered a former Partisan leader?”

“Zhu Mu, descendant of a chancellor, of the great Nanyang clan, and the first to advocate exterminating the eunuchs — if he does not count as a leader, who does? He was indeed a Partisan leader through and through.”

“Then, the foremost of the Three Lords, Grand Commandant Chen Fan of Runan… this should be the least controversial?”

“Naturally, no need to elaborate.”

“And then… then there is the previous ‘Paragon of the Realm,’ Li Yuanli. Li Yuanli of Yingchuan should also count as a leader, shouldn’t he?”

“Li Yuanli was the prestige of the Partisans, truly a leader.” Han Sui nodded and smiled. “Let us stop here… I truly never imagined Young Lord Gongsun was such a sharp-witted person, so thoroughly clear-minded!”

Gongsun Xun also smiled.

In truth, the crux of their dialogue lay not in the names of these three men, but in the native places of these three leaders — Nanyang, Runan, Yingchuan.

The Partisan discourse arose in Hebei, but when it truly shook the realm, it relied on the scholars of the three commanderies of Runan, Yingchuan, and Nanyang. After all, Ru and Ying were one body, and Wan and Luo were spoken of together.

However, it must also be said: the father of the Intendant of Henan, Zhu Ye — Zhu Mu of Nanyang — died of grief and indignation after the first Partisan Prohibition; the Paragon of the Realm, Li Yuanli of Yingchuan, was tortured to death after the second Partisan Prohibition; the foremost of the Three Lords, Grand Commandant Chen Fan of Runan, was dragged into prison and brutally murdered on the spot during the September Coup… From that point on, the position of Partisan leader had remained vacant!

And since it was vacant, anyone could contend for it.

For instance, the Yang clan of Hongnong, Three Generations of Three Excellencies, was clearly stirring with ambition. The various lords of Guandong — a few among the so-called Eight Providers, for example — were also somewhat restless… In such a situation, how could the Yuan clan of Runan know where to place themselves? At bottom, although Yang Ci’s status was peerless, he was after all a man of Hongnong, a man of Guanxi, while the backbone of the Partisans had always been figures from the three commanderies of Ru, Ying, and Nanyang… Everyone was waiting on tiptoe!

And besides, during the previous two Partisan Prohibitions, the Yuan clan’s standing by with folded arms had already aroused immense discontent among the scholars. If this continued, did they really think the Partisans were an open-air latrine, to be visited and left at will?

Even the Liu family, high and exalted as they were, could not ignore the Partisans — could the Yuan clan?

So, whether by initiative or by compulsion, unless the Yuan clan of Runan wished to cut themselves off from the scholars of Ru, Ying, Wan, and Luo, they could not possibly abandon this position of Partisan leader.

In that case, was not this Yuan Shao, Yuan Benchu — born of a lowly maidservant, adopted into an empty branch, and quite capable — the perfect candidate?

If one day the endeavor succeeded, the eunuchs were exterminated, and the Partisans flourished, then Yuan Benchu could naturally lift the Yuan clan to even greater heights; if it failed, this Yuan Shao, ‘without father or mother, sole heir to his own branch,’ could be discarded and that would be that.

“This is the way of the great clans!” Han Sui sneered. “If Yang Ci had just two more decent sons, why would he need to take the stage himself?”

Gongsun Xun kept his mouth shut… In truth, by now he was thoroughly convinced by Han Sui’s argument.

To put it plainly, whether Yuan Shao himself was more outstanding than Yuan Shu or Yuan Ji hardly mattered, as long as he was not too poor; whether Yuan Feng and Yuan Kui doted on or detested this son also did not matter, as long as they were willing to let him use the clan’s resources and name; even whether Yuan Benchu himself was proactive or passive was of little consequence… The real key was that, counting from that bloody September Coup, the scholars of Ru, Ying, Wan, and Luo had been suppressed for a full seven or eight years. They were thirsting with desire and truly could not wait any longer!

At this moment, there had to be a heaven-sent leader around whom everyone could unite! And since Yuan Shao turned out to be even more outstanding than they had imagined, he could naturally receive Li Yuanli’s long-distance transmission of the mantle on the very first day and become the Paragon of the Realm!

“Now you understand!” Seeing the other man remain silent for a long while, Han Sui could not help but laugh ruefully. “Yuan Benchu’s affair today was always a play staged by the scholars of Wan, Luo, Ru, and Ying for all the realm to see. And your elder brother — that country bumpkin from a border commandery — actually got angry over this? Does he not understand that in Yuan Benchu’s circle, there was never a place for us scholars from the border commanderies to begin with?!”

Gongsun Xun, sitting cross-legged in the carriage, bowed at the waist toward the other man… because he understood now: the man had come to defend him and his brother, not to hold them to account.

“However, though your elder brother may be somewhat obtuse, I hold him in particularly high regard.” Han Sui suddenly turned serious again. “Those scholars of the Central Plains think far too highly of themselves and regard us men of the border commanderies as nothing. That being the case, one might as well follow your brother’s example, shake one’s sleeves, and leave — at least that spares one the aggravation! In this, he is better than I, Han Wenyue!”

Gongsun Xun sighed deeply: “That may be true, but when I came, an elder once warned me that here in the interior, the eunuchs and the scholars are irreconcilable, and though we hail from the border commanderies, we must ultimately choose one side to follow… Given the current situation, we can’t very well throw in our lot with the eunuchs, can we?”

“Throwing in with the eunuchs is not necessarily the answer.” Han Sui remained solemn. “But one must also have some self-respect before the scholars…”

"That is precisely the problem," Gongsun Xun said, shaking his head. "Self-regard must rest on something to rely on. Brother Wenyue's term as a court gentleman is about to end, and he will likely soon be sent back to the Western Liang frontier. Once there, with troops under his command, he will naturally have something to rely on. But we brothers, coming to the capital this time, are merely seeking to study..."

"This is the other matter I wished to speak to you about," Han Sui said, also shaking his head. "It is not that you brothers lack ability. On the contrary, you have too much ability, so much that you have misjudged yourselves and harbored presumptuous hopes... To have gained entry under the tutelage of Excellency Lu and Excellency Liu, and to have earned their regard — that is already the utmost that traveling scholars from the frontier commanderies can achieve. Beyond this, do you truly believe those men of the Central Plains will open their gates wide and treat us as their trusted confidants and right-hand men?"

At this point, Han Sui could not help but rap on the outer frame of the carriage in warning: "You must understand, the final home for us frontier men lies at the frontier passes. Luoyang may be fine, but it is truly no place for us to exercise our talents!"

Gongsun Xun hastily bowed again. "Many thanks for your guidance, Brother Wenyue!"

"Guidance I dare not claim," Han Sui sighed as well. "I merely spoke from the heart today. Besides, this realm is beset with turmoil and chaos; who knows when the situation will turn murky and unfathomable? You and I, both of frontier commandery origin and so congenial in spirit, might as well form a bond of acquaintance, to make it easier to meet again in days to come."

Hearing this, Gongsun Xun could not help himself: "May I ask, Brother Wenyue, why you say the situation under Heaven is murky and unfathomable? These days, the realm is enjoying a rare peace..."

At these words, Han Sui grew even more resigned. "I will not hide it from you. Though I know not how it is elsewhere, in our Liangzhou, ever since the Great Han was founded, the Qiang uprisings have never ceased. The court has campaigned for a hundred years, and though each time they barely managed to suppress them, they have never rooted them out. Moreover, last year, when I traveled from Liangzhou to Luoyang, what I saw along the way — from Jincheng to Chang'an — was almost entirely hollowed out by war. Refugees were everywhere, and bleached bones lay exposed by the roadside with no one to gather them..."

Hearing this, Gongsun Xun was astonished, yet also utterly convinced.

He was astonished because he had originally thought that places like Hebei — stable on the surface but rotten underneath — already presented the visage of a dying age. He had never imagined that in the west, the signs of chaos were already laid bare on the surface. He was utterly convinced because, after all, the Western Liang region had suffered a hundred years of Qiang uprisings and three great punitive expeditions; it was understandable that it had fallen into such chaos. More importantly, in his heart, he was already vaguely prepared: a realm as vast as the Great Han could not possibly collapse overnight unless internal decay and external conflagration struck together.

Whatever he thought in his heart, Gongsun Xun could only say aloud: "Once the various Excellencies of the court have a free hand, they will sooner or later bring pacification."

"The laughable thing is, I thought the same at the time," Han Sui said, growing even more indignant at this consolation. "But only after arriving in Luoyang did I discover that these men from Guandong do not take us frontier commanderies seriously at all. Your Youzhou is still relatively well off; after all, the various commanderies of Hebei all understand in their hearts that if the frontier commanderies of Youzhou collapse, then the flat plains of Hebei will have no further shield. But as for the Western Liang... these Guandong scholars, far from going to win the people's hearts, some even argue that since the west has the natural defenses of the Three Adjuncts, it would be better to calmly abandon the Western Liang — cut off the flesh to stanch the bleeding!"

"Surely the various Excellencies of the court would not be so foolish as to go that far?" Gongsun Xun found it hard to believe for a moment.

Han Sui did not answer directly, but sighed to himself: "From that day on, I understood — the ones who will bring calamity and chaos to the realm are none other than these self-righteous scholar-officials in the court!"

Gongsun Xun was left speechless.

In Luoyang, the night curfew was generally at the second watch, so at this hour it was still considered early. When the carriage rumbled through the city gate and entered the city, the sky had already gone completely dark. Yet the streets were at their peak bustle — lantern-bearing servants of great houses, peddlers packing away their wares, and the carriages of scholars returning from visits. The two men immediately fell silent.

"I spoke out of turn," Han Sui finally said again after an indeterminate time, seeing that the carriage was about to reach his residence somewhere west of the city. "If only we could cut through the tangled mess with a sharp blade and exterminate the eunuchs, then the central government would naturally be unimpeded from top to bottom. At that point, His Majesty and the various Excellencies of the court would have a free hand to deal with the Western Liang..."

"Who could say otherwise?" Gongsun Xun nodded repeatedly, but in his heart he could not help grumbling: the fear was that before that day ever came, this Great Han would already have become 'murky and unfathomable.'

The carriage rumbled to a stop before Han Sui's residence. Gongsun Xun dismounted to see him off.

"Today, many thanks to Brother Wenyue for such magnanimity — not only letting us brothers off lightly, but also treating us with such candor..."

Standing before his own gate, Han Sui could not help but regain a measure of spirited bearing. "Rest assured about today's matter. I will naturally give Yuan Benchu an explanation... It is you who have had the harder time — trouble stirred up by your elder brother, yet you are the one forced to hide away in the mountains."

"This matter... Xun regards it as a deep shame," Gongsun Xun said, quite embarrassed.

"No matter." Han Sui suddenly stepped forward and took the initiative to grasp Gongsun Xun's hand.

Gongsun Xun instantly broke out in goosebumps... In the past, it had always been him grasping others' hands; this was the first time someone had taken the initiative to grasp his.

"Your name is Gongsun Xun, is it not?" Han Sui asked earnestly. "A man of Lingzhi in Liaoxi?"

"Indeed."

"I am Han Sui of Jincheng in Liangzhou, courtesy name Wenyue."

"I shall naturally engrave it upon my heart!"

"Though we had met twice before, I only regarded you as a disciple of Excellency Liu and Excellency Lu. It is only today that I have truly taken note of you." Han Sui spoke with a touch of emotion. "You must know, earlier on Mount Beimang, I was at first merely stirred by your elder brother's heroic spirit, which roused in us frontier men a sense of shared grievance. That was why I took the initiative to step forward and help you smooth the matter over. I did not expect that, riding back with you in the same carriage and conversing so pleasantly, I would realize I had underestimated the men of this realm... That Yuan Benchu was seizing the leadership of the partisans — I observed it for a long time in the capital before suddenly grasping it. Yet you, a white-robed scholar not yet capped, saw through it as clearly as watching a fire. You can be called inwardly brilliant. And now that I think on it, your elder brother, for all his heroic spirit, lacks deliberation. You, on the other hand, can endure a moment's indignity, and may well have a far greater future ahead."

Gongsun Xun hastily lowered his head and protested that he dared not accept such praise.

"If both brothers are like this, then I imagine your clansman Gongsun Yue is no lesser man either." Han Sui finally released his hand. "For Liaoxi to produce three outstanding men in succession — Youzhou is surely destined for peace. As for the Western Liang... well, let us meet again in days to come!"

Gongsun Xun stepped back two paces and saluted with clasped hands.

Each returned home, and nothing more was said of it. The next day, Han Sui once again went to Mount Beimang to pay a visit to Yuan Shao.

Han Wenyue, an outstanding talent of the Western Liang and the most brilliant among this cohort of court gentlemen, had a future beyond measure. Moreover, Cao Mengde had previously praised him highly in letters. Yuan Shao naturally did not regard him as an ordinary man. Thus, he personally emerged from his 'thatched hut' and once again ushered him inside.

After the pleasantries were concluded, before the eyes of the many assembled talents, Han Sui sat upright and said: "I have come this time regarding yesterday's affair. The Gongsun brothers of Liaoxi departed in indignation from before the hut, and I volunteered to go and make inquiries..."

"Oh?" Yuan Shao, it must be said, was twenty-one this year, and indeed possessed a most imposing and dignified appearance. Moreover, from a line that had produced Excellencies for four generations, he had been raised from childhood with an air of nobility. Though now clad in hempen mourning garb, he still appeared extraordinarily poised — clearly a natural-born leader chosen by the partisans. "Is there some account to be given of this matter?"

"What sort of account would Benchu wish for?" Han Sui asked, his expression unchanged.

"It is not what account I wish for," Yuan Shao slowly shook his head. "In truth, after you left yesterday, Feng Yuantu remarked to me that these Gongsun brothers are the cherished disciples of both Excellency Lu and Excellency Liu, and thus cannot be considered outsiders. That being the case, I am not a man incapable of tolerance, and I would not quibble over their breach of decorum before my mother's grave. Only..."

"Only what?"

"Only, I heard yesterday that before the brothers left, they also angrily rebuked Zang Hong, calling him a mere boy... Think on it, Brother Wenyue. Though Zang Hong has indeed just bound up his hair, in coming to offer condolences for my mother, he truly committed not the slightest breach of decorum, yet he suffered this humiliation for no reason. If I, Yuan Benchu, cannot set his heart at ease, would that not chill the hearts of all the talents who have come to visit?"

"Then what does Benchu think should be done to set this Zang Hong's heart at ease?"

"In my opinion, there is nothing to debate on this matter," at that moment, a scholar standing beside Yuan Shao suddenly grew impatient. "One matter should not trouble two hosts. Why not ask Brother Wenyue to lend a hand — whether in person or at a banquet, in the end, have those Gongsun brothers from Liaoxi go and offer an apology to Zang Hong..."

"I, however, do not see it that way," Han Sui immediately set his face sternly. "Is Zang Hong a talent, and the Gongsun brothers are not?"

These words struck a discordant note, and the entire assembly was momentarily taken aback.

Yuan Shao, being in the mourning period, could not very well force a smile. He could only strive to maintain a serious expression as he asked: "Could it be that these Gongsun brothers are also men of rare quality?"

"Precisely so," Han Sui answered frankly. "Yesterday, I did not have the chance to meet the youngest of the brothers, Gongsun Yue. But as for his two elder brothers — Gongsun Zan hates evil as his foe and overflows with heroic spirit; Gongsun Xun is clear-minded and perceptive, outwardly refined and inwardly brilliant... These two surpass me, Han Sui, by far! Furthermore, I have already inquired clearly into yesterday's matter. Zang Hong indeed suffered an unprovoked calamity, but the Gongsun brothers also endured grievances. The three brothers came from afar, yet because of their frontier commandery origin, they were repeatedly slighted by your Yuan clan servants, denied entry time and again, and made to yield only to other great and eminent houses... Such a method of 'treating the worthy with courtesy' — it is only because the Gongsun brothers are so magnanimous. Had it been me, I fear I would have drawn my blade and made blood spill five paces on the spot!"

For a moment, a hush fell over the thatched hut. Only Xu You opened his mouth several times as if to speak, yet ultimately said nothing.

After a long while, Yuan Shao, left with no choice, could only rise and admit fault: "I had not imagined that the discourtesy began with me... But since matters have come to this, does Brother Wenyue have a solution that satisfies both sides, so that both these Gongsun brothers and Zang Hong may set their hearts at ease?"

"There is one method, but it depends on whether Benchu has the sincerity for it." As he spoke, Han Sui remained seated without stirring, calmly accepting the other's apology. This demeanor had already drawn furious glares from many in the hut.

Yuan Shao, however, was after all the 'Paragon of the Realm.' Even faced with such rudeness, he still managed to keep his composure. "Please, Brother Wenyue, grant us your instruction!"

"The matter is simple." As he spoke, Han Sui drew the blade from his waist and, holding it reversed, made to hand it to Yuan Shao before him. "Simply select the two highest-ranking among those Yuan clan servants who were responsible for guiding the way yesterday, dispatch them with a single stroke of the blade, then present one head to Zang Hong and one head to the Gongsun brothers... This matter will then naturally be resolved without worry."

Yuan Shao stared at the proffered hilt, both shocked and enraged. "Is Brother Wenyue jesting?"

"I knew it," Han Sui finally rose unhurriedly. "You scholars of the Central Plains regard us frontier commandery scholars as beneath notice. Since that is the case, there is no need for me to linger here any longer. Before I leave, I have but one word to say to Benchu: I have already promised the Gongsun brothers that I would settle this matter for them. We men of the frontier commanderies hold a single word to be worth nine great tripods! Therefore, if Benchu harbors any lingering resentment, I ask that you lay the blame solely upon me... Farewell!"

With that, Han Sui, paying no heed to what the men in the thatched hut might think, directly sheathed his blade and swept out, sleeves billowing.

"As expected of a man from the frontier wilds!"

"The height of insolence!"

"How was such a man recommended as Filial and Incorrupt, and how was he appointed a court gentleman, and even called a famed scholar of the Western Provinces? Pitiful that my father and elder brother have been renowned since youth, yet can only languish at home. Alas, what a lament..."

"Brandishing a blade — who is he trying to intimidate? Do we not have blades of our own?"

Yuan Shao let out a sigh and calmed the indignant assembly. "Let this matter not be raised again. In the end, it is I, Yuan Benchu, whose virtue is thin..."

"In truth, this matter may not necessarily be connected to you, Benchu," someone suddenly spoke up in dissent. Yuan Shao turned to see it was the Yingchuan notable Xin Ping, courtesy name Zhongzhi. "To my knowledge, Han Wenyue's term as a court gentleman is ending, and he may well have already received an appointment and is about to leave the capital. Having endured considerable contempt from the scholars of the interior provinces during his time in the capital, he is filled with discontent, and it is hard to avoid him seizing on this pretext to vent his grievances."

Yuan Shao suddenly saw the light.

"In the end, it comes down to the frontier folk lacking virtue and showing no desire for civilizing influence!" Someone seized the moment to stir up clamor once more.

"Those people from the borderlands are all unruly and untamable — this Han Sui is like that, and so was that Gongsun brother who bellowed in front of the thatched cottage earlier..."

"This matter..." Yuan Shao was about to speak, but then noticed that Xu You, usually so restless and outspoken, was standing there with a thoughtful expression. His heart stirred slightly. "Ziyuan, do you have any words to instruct me on this matter?"

"Benchu." Xu You stroked his beard and smiled at the question. "I am as close to that Gongsun Xun as a brother — everyone in Luoyang knows it. At a time like this, how could I possibly have any opinion? I must recuse myself. However, with all of you saying 'frontier folk' this and 'borderlands' that... it reminds me of an incident from several years ago."

"Ziyuan, speak freely." After so many years of friendship, how could Yuan Shao not see that the man was putting on an act?

"Seven years ago, Grand General Dou Wu, Lord Dou, joined hands with Grand Commandant Chen Fan, Lord Chen, the foremost of the Three Lords." Xu You sneered coldly. "One controlled the court and military power as a consort kin, the other led the scholars and public opinion as the head of the empire's partisans. At the time, everyone thought exterminating the eunuchs would be as simple as slaughtering a chicken... So why was it that overnight, it was these two who ended up with their heads separated from their bodies? To be frank, Lord Chen was eighty years old then — it's understandable that he was seized in haste by a pack of prison clerks. But why did Grand General Dou Wu, even after fleeing into the military camp, still die without a burial place? Are the eunuchs really that formidable, able to take Lord Dou's head from amidst ten thousand troops? Does cutting off one's balls grant peerless martial prowess?!"

Silence fell upon the thatched cottage, for everyone understood the meaning behind Xu You's words.

It must be said, during that "September Coup" back then, the consort kin and scholar-official alliance had the eunuchs fighting for their lives, yet the eunuchs still could not truly control the situation — precisely because Dou Wu, in his haste, had ridden directly into the infantry camp and held out there.

At that point, the outcome was still anyone's guess.

Yet at that critical moment, the eunuchs forged an imperial decree and delivered it to Zhang Huan, the famed general from Liangzhou who had just returned to the capital and was utterly bewildered. The decree stated that Grand General Dou Wu was plotting rebellion, stirring up trouble in the infantry camp, and ordered him to suppress the revolt immediately.

Zhang Huan was a renowned general of the empire, and during the pacification of the Qiang rebellion he had earned the admiration of every army unit in the capital. Thus, leading the five-battalion soldiers he had brought with him, along with the Tiger Guard and Feathered Forest armies dispatched from the palace, he crushed Dou Wu's infantry camp almost instantly.

Dou Wu had no choice but to take his own life inside the camp.

Afterward, by the time Zhang Huan realized what had happened, it was too late for regret. He could only refuse the eunuchs' rewards, return home to teach his disciples, and never again take office for the rest of his life!

But regardless of what became of Zhang Huan, in the months that followed, blood flowed like rivers between Wan and Luo; in the year that followed, countless families east of the Pass were ruined and exterminated; in the seven years that followed, who knows how many sons of renowned houses in Runan, Yingchuan, Wan, Luo, and even east of the mountains and north of the River suffered the Partisan Prohibitions. Possessing family prestige and talent, they could only idle away their days at home — the older generation dying in despair, the younger generation with nowhere to apply their abilities... Indeed, had they not all been driven half-mad by the Prohibitions, how could there ever have been Yuan Benchu becoming the "Paragon of the Realm" in a single day?

And that was not all. If Zhang Huan's actions could still be considered a momentary deception, then Duan Jiong, another of the "Three Brilliant Generals of Liangzhou," had actively thrown in his lot with the eunuchs. Over these years, Duan Jiong advanced and retreated with the eunuchs, hunting down partisans and suppressing dissent, even serving as Grand Commandant for a time... He pressed down on the partisans so hard they could scarcely breathe!

So, returning to the matter at hand, Xu You's meaning could not be clearer — we who gather here are plotting matters that risk our heads, and to accomplish such great deeds, we must draw in military talents from the border commanderies!

Who gave you permission to so despise men of border commandery origin?

"Only, back then Zhang Huan was the General of the Household Gentlemen of the Xiongnu, and the one holding that post today is none other than that Zang Hong's father, Zang Min..." Someone was still unwilling to accept it.

"Not so." Xin Ping waved his hand in correction. "If we are to undertake great deeds within these next two years, then naturally Lord Zang takes priority. But can we truly accomplish anything in just two or three years? If we must wait five or six years, then I fear we will have to rely on the 'martial utility' of this Han Wenyue and even that Gongsun brother. Gentlemen, even if we cannot win over these border commandery scholars, we absolutely must not push them to the opposing side! What Ziyuan has said is exceptionally earnest — Zhang Huan and Duan Jiong are both lessons from the past!"

The assembly fell utterly silent. Though every man present wished he could exterminate the eunuchs this very day — otherwise they would not have treated Zang Min's son, barely past the age of capping his hair, with such courtesy — those gathered here were, after all, men of understanding. They all knew they had no idea how much longer they would have to wait for that day.

"Had it not been for Ziyuan's words, I would nearly have ruined a great matter!" After much deliberation, Yuan Shao could only rise with effort and give instructions. "I am in mourning and it is inconvenient for me to act. Brother Zhongzhi, please go and bring back Han Wenyue on my behalf. Ziyuan, take my sword and kill those two servants who led the way yesterday. Place their heads in boxes and deliver them separately to Zang Hong and that Gongsun brother... and... and offer my apologies on my behalf!"

"Yuan Benchu, scion of four generations of Three Excellencies, dwells in seclusion in Luoyang, broadly gathering claws and fangs, causing all the realm to look askance... It is said that among the rising generation, only Xun and Zang Hong of Guangling can stand as his equals in courtesy!" — Records of Late Han Heroes, by Wang Can

PS: Seeking bookmarks and recommendations. Also, a new book group — interested readers can join: 684558115.

(End of Chapter)