Chapter 530: Old Friends See Off a Guest on the Long River Road

In the fourth month of the eighth year of Jian’an, at the end of the month, Emperor Liu Xie of Han, accompanied by the Empress, two Honoured Ladies, and the eldest imperial son, sailed down the river and surrendered to Han Rui, Grand Administrator of Lujiang. The latter immediately, without pausing the carriages and horses, escorted them northward under heavy military guard, returning to Luoyang.

When the news spread, although everyone in the realm understood that after Cao Cao’s death, the replacement of Han by Yan was unstoppable, and that the Han house had drawn its final breath when Liu Bei died, the Emperor was still the Emperor — the embodiment of four centuries of legitimate rule. Thus, Liu Xie’s surrender still shook everyone.

As the news travelled, the four commanderies of Jingnan immediately assumed the most deferential posture. Shi Weiyan at once quickened his pace northward, and needless to say, the last independent warlord, the Sun clan of Jiangdong, finding no alternative, formally surrendered to the Yan army. The seventeen-year-old Sun Quan himself directly brought his entire family north, preparing to relocate the whole household to Luoyang.

And on the day of the Dragon Boat Festival, the fifth day of the fifth month, the entire Sun clan arrived north of Moling City in Danyang Commandery and, with hearts full of trepidation, boarded the Yan army’s river warships… At this point, the last hostile warlord faction under Heaven had vanished.

Whether in theory or in practice, once Sun Quan and Shi Xie arrived in Luoyang, the entire realm would formally be reunified!

In all honesty, this brought relief and anticipation to many, and also left many dejected and heartbroken. But no matter what, the warfare that had lasted nearly fifteen years since the outbreak of the Yellow Turban rebellion was finally coming to an end.

All manner of grudges, affections, and feuds seemed about to be swallowed by the tide of the era.

Upon the great river, several enormous towered warships swayed gently with the wind and waves, while the entire Sun clan boarded the vessels with a bearing that was slightly fearful and cautious.

It must be said, these towered warships had a certain history and story behind them.

Originally, this batch of ships came from the shipyards of Guangling in Xu Province, under Liu Bei’s rule, and were presumably being built for deployment on the great river. After Xu Province was shattered by Guan Yu, Guangling Commandery, led by its Grand Administrator Zhao Yu, chose to surrender the entire commandery. The Yan army swiftly took over and then discovered this batch of towered warships still under construction.

The Yan army, clearly reluctant to see such fine vessels abandoned, continued the construction and took them over. However, after they were launched last year, around early summer, the newly commissioned ships encountered a storm on the river, and two of the five great towered warships sank outright. Only then did people recall earlier warnings about the centre of gravity being too high, and they had no choice but to abandon the project.

But the remaining three towered warships could not simply be dismantled, so they were left on the Yangtze River to serve as ceremonial vessels. Using them today to ferry the surrendered people was, after all, rather fitting.

“Is the entire Sun clan here?” Watching the Sun men, women, old, and young all carefully boarding the ships, a Yan dignitary in his early forties, dressed in brocade robes with a tiger emblem embroidered on the chest and a two-thousand-dan blue silk seal and silver seal hanging at his waist, suddenly sneered from a small slope not far from the shore. Stroking his beard with one hand and resting the other on his sword, he asked coldly.

Those around him naturally dared not be remiss.

The Moling County Magistrate, who had surrendered earlier along with Zhang Zhao and others, stepped forward and offered a brief introduction:

“In reply to the General, the Sun clan is a great clan of Wu Commandery. However, Sun Jian’s full siblings were only one elder brother, one younger brother, and one younger sister… The eldest brother, Sun Qiang, died young, leaving only one son, Sun Ben, who, after Sun Ce’s death, simply surrendered in Yingchuan and now serves in the Volunteer Corps under Lord Yan. The younger sister married Xu Zhen; after Xu Zhen died, Xu Kun led the troops and was the central figure in the earlier Kuaiji rebellion, and also died on the Zhe River. There is also Sun Jian’s younger brother, Sun Jing. Because his son Sun Gao attempted to seize power after Sun Ce died in Hebei and failed, he was toppled by Xu Kun and Zhu Zhi as soon as Sun Quan succeeded, and together with Zu Mao, who had hesitated over Sun Gao, went into early seclusion, refraining from military and political affairs. However, since Lord Yan has issued a summons this time, he has also come, bringing several of his sons. As for Sun Quan and his younger brothers and sisters, as well as Sun Jian’s wife Lady Wu, they have naturally all come. Sun Ce’s wife, Lady Cao, however, returned to her maiden home long ago and is already in the north.”

The Yan dignitary, after listening to this convoluted account, seemed somewhat dazed. After a long while, having sorted out the threads, he let out a long sigh: “A tiny Sun clan, holding just two commanderies, could still tear itself apart over a modicum of military and political power to this extent? Only four siblings, yet none of one heart.”

The Moling County Magistrate also sighed with emotion: “In truth, when the Fierce Tiger of Jiangdong, Sun Jian, was alive, the man was a true hero, leading the Sun clan to expand and advance, clearly a major warlord of the Central Plains. How united the entire Sun clan was then! And after Sun Wentai died, though Sun Ce could hardly achieve great things, he could still hold two commanderies and even cast covetous eyes elsewhere; at that time, the Sun clan could still maintain the greater picture. But once Sun Ce died, with a mere fifteen-year-old callow youth at the helm, it would have been strange if chaos did not ensue…”

“What kind of hero was Sun Jian?!” The Yan dignitary forced himself to hear the man out, then suddenly snorted coldly and flicked his sleeves, striding away.

As it turned out, he was heading to catch up with that towered warship.

The Moling County Magistrate was left bewildered, utterly unaware of what he had said wrong. But fortunately, the day was clear and bright, with a gentle, warm breeze. Not long after the Yan dignitary, leading a group of subordinates and armoured soldiers, caught up with the towered warship the Sun clan was waiting on, the fleet on the river set sail northward toward the heart of the river. This county magistrate of surrendered origin was naturally happy to return to Moling and pay no further heed.

Leaving aside the Moling County Magistrate’s innocence, on the other side, the entire Sun clan crossed the river by ship, each harbouring their own thoughts, and the atmosphere was far from pleasant…

There was no helping it — the womenfolk and young children were naturally fearful of relocation, and anxious about leaving their homeland as surrendered people subject to others’ disposal. Thus, from Lady Wu on down, there were many sorrowful faces.

As for the few older males, those who had bound their hair and come of age, the Sun clan that once rampaged across the realm now numbered only four: the father and son Sun Jing and Sun Gao, and the brothers Sun Quan and Sun Yi. And among them, Sun Gao, who had already undergone the capping ceremony, had once, when Sun Ce’s old subordinates had not all returned, contacted Zu Mao, who had returned to Wu Commandery first, attempting to bypass Sun Quan and become the Sun clan’s power-holder. Later, Sun Quan had Xu Kun drive him away. Thus, now that both sides shared a single boat, Sun Yi, a young man of Wu Commandery who had just bound his hair, even glared angrily at his cousin Sun Gao.

Of course, Sun Jing and Sun Quan were not so childish.

Sun Jing had experienced too much, and Sun Quan, though young, was exceedingly deep and shrewd. When the two met, they left Sun Gao and Sun Yi behind and took the opportunity to speak some earnest words in a cabin by the window of the towered warship.

“Your nephew has never met Lord Yan, nor do I know what kind of man he truly is.” Sun Quan was seventeen this year, still not very old, but as the head of the Sun clan — especially the head of a regime on the verge of collapse — the experiences of the past year or two had been enough to mature him, and his perspective had become far more pragmatic.

He knew what truly deserved his concern at this moment.

“Lord Yan is naturally a hero, but a rather strange one.” Sun Youtai, upon being asked, also wore a somewhat dazed expression. “In his youth, the keenness of his spirit was even sharper than your father’s — outwardly firm and inwardly resilient, his edge was the keenest under Heaven. That is no empty flattery… In fact, after your father returned from Mount Tanhan, he often told us about the situation then: tens of thousands were fleeing south, and only that one man led his troops north to attack, and actually managed to burn Mount Tanhan, salvaging a third of the situation. Later, during the campaign against the Yellow Turbans, we fought bitterly through the night, advancing unstoppably. After the battle, your father told me that he had already been utterly exhausted, yet because of a single word of praise from Lord Yan, who was then General of the Gentlemen of the Household of All Purposes, he was so elated he could hardly bear it… These things did not happen without reason.”

Sun Quan slowly nodded: “I also heard Father speak of these matters when I was young… But why do you say Lord Yan is strange?”

“Because Lord Yan is not merely the keenest edge under Heaven.” Sun Youtai grew increasingly dazed. “Your father, for instance, devoted his entire life to martial matters, yet still fell behind Lord Yan. At that time, everyone under Heaven, myself included, thought Lord Yan was likely a figure like Han Xin or Bai Qi. But who could have imagined that it was precisely from then on that the realm gradually discovered Lord Yan could not only wage war, but also pioneer military colonies, promote new policies, recognise talent, refine laws and institutions, and establish a state and its systems…”

“If it were not so, how could he have built this foundation sufficient to overthrow the Han?” Sun Quan gave a bitter laugh. “Uncle, I of course know that Lord Yan’s ability rivals that of Han Gaozu and Guangwu. What I wish to ask is, what kind of character is Lord Yan? You say his keen spirit is overwhelming, surpassing even my father — I can naturally imagine that. You say his talent is unsurpassed, proficient in all things — I can also understand that. But what then? Is he lenient toward others, or strict? What must we be mindful of on this journey? What fate awaits us?”

“I understand your meaning.” Sun Jing, coming back to himself, also sighed. “But rest assured, from what I have observed, Lord Yan still harbours some sentiment toward your father. We need not worry too much about our lives on this trip to Luoyang. I estimate we will at the very least be able to live in peace and stability. And given Lord Yan’s magnanimity and his regard for old ties, he might even extend favour, allowing you and Sun Yi to directly enter the Volunteer Corps or the Imperial Academy, and seek a proper career path in the future.”

“Could I truly?” Sun Quan was genuinely astonished.

“Why could you not?” Sun Jing said calmly. “A mere two commanderies, and in the remote southeastern borderlands at that — do you think Lord Yan would truly have any misgivings?”

Sun Quan could not help but feel heartened: “If that is so, then if we can also rely on Father’s legacy to find good families for A’Yi, A’Ren, and the others — best of all, to arrange marriages with Lord Yan’s household — perhaps our Sun clan might even rise again.”

“You think too far ahead.” Sun Jing frowned for a moment. “And besides, Lord Yan aside, there is another matter that I am extremely worried and fearful about.”

“What matter?” Sun Quan could not help but rein himself in slightly.

“Your father and your elder brother always established themselves through martial force, and committed much slaughter in the Central Plains. In the future, those who make things difficult for us may not necessarily be Lord Yan, but rather many enemies who have already risen to prominent positions… especially your father’s enemies.” Sun Jing spoke frankly. “In my view, what Han Yigong did at Shaxian — that slaughter — clearly went too far, and it was precisely because of his close relationship with Liu Xuande that he lost control. Once we reach Luoyang in the future, regardless of whether Lord Yan grants us a future or not, we must still be cautious above all!”

Sun Quan nodded slightly, but his mind stirred again. Just as he was about to speak, he suddenly heard the clanking of armour and weapons outside the cabin and immediately shut his mouth.

But the commotion, clearly caused by marching armoured soldiers, only ceased when it reached the cabin door. Then someone knocked and called out:

“Marquis of Wucheng, and General Sun Youtai, our Lord Prefect requests your presence!”

Sun Quan and Sun Jing both breathed a sigh of relief, then hurriedly rose and went out to meet the messenger.

However, after walking a few steps with this armoured soldier, Sun Quan grew curious again… Before boarding, he had clearly heard that there was only a Major of a Separate Command leading the three towered warships here. Where had this “Lord Prefect” come from? Moreover, “Lord Prefect” meant Grand Administrator, an office with territorial defence duties — how could he be on the river? A few more doubts quietly crept into his heart.

But though young, the man was always cautious and deep, so he merely exchanged a glance with his uncle and asked no further questions.

They arrived at the top deck of the towered warship, in a large, open cabin with windows on three sides, through which the river breeze flowed. In the centre was a table that seemed nailed to the deck planks. On the table were no dishes whatsoever, only a pot of wine and several cups, all made of wood, swaying slightly with the motion of the ship.

However, at this moment, neither Sun Quan nor Sun Jing had any mind to care about dishes, for from Lady Wu on down, the womenfolk and young children of both Sun Jian’s and Sun Jing’s branches aboard the ship — even the youngest, Sun Ren — were all present. Sun Gao and Sun Yi were also already there. And lining the perimeter of the cabin, inside and out, were no fewer than several dozen armoured soldiers, hands on their sabres, standing in solemn silence!

Worse still, when the two of them saw the host waiting in the cabin — that “Lord Prefect” in his forties with the piercing gaze — their hearts turned even colder. The reason was simple: this “Lord Prefect” sat behind the round table without even a gesture of rising to greet them. It was clear that he came with ill intent, and that ill intent did not bode well.

“It is well that the principal parties have arrived.” Seeing the newcomers, this Lord Prefect also gave a cold sneer, the hostile undertone in his words growing even more pronounced. “Everyone, please sit. I specifically declined the matter of entering Luoyang and came here privately precisely to meet with the members of the Sun clan… Halt the ship! Serve the dishes!”

The armoured soldiers outside the door, hearing this, naturally shouted to relay the orders. A moment later, the towered warship dropped anchor and stopped. Once the round table in the cabin was only gently rising and falling, someone brought in some dishes, mostly dry-stir-fried items with the sauce reduced… By now, Sun Quan and Sun Jing had long understood that they were meat on the chopping block and fish on the board. They could only force themselves to remain composed and urge Lady Wu, Sun Jing’s wife, and the others to sit quietly.

Only the young Sun Ren, along with Sun Kuang and Sun Jing’s son Sun Yu — all around ten years of age — were inevitably mischievous. Sun Ren in particular, as the youngest legitimate daughter of the family head, whose father had died early, had been spoiled excessively by all. Now, after sitting down, unaware that disaster loomed, she even took the initiative to reach for a dish with her chopsticks, startling Lady Wu into hastily stopping her. Yet Lady Wu suddenly caught sight of that Lord Prefect stroking his beard and sneering at them, and dared not move further.

“This Lord Prefect, may I venture to ask your name, and why…” At the critical moment, it was Sun Jing, having experienced more, who steadied his nerve, rose, and asked frankly.

“General Sun Youtai need not mind. Though we have never met, we are family friends of old!” This Lord Prefect finally stood up, lowered his head, and poured himself a cup of wine. “I have waited here specifically on this occasion, naturally, to reminisce with all of you…”

Sun Jing had been about to meet him with awe, but suddenly caught sight of the white tiger embroidered on the chest of the man’s brocade robe — the emblem of a high-ranking military officer. Almost in an instant, understanding dawned on him, and his face turned deathly pale, unable to speak further!

It must be said, the White Tiger Robe in the state of Yan denoted a high-ranking military officer, essentially a general who had not yet been enfeoffed as a marquis. And yet this man’s subordinates addressed him as “Lord Prefect,” and he did not deny it. That could only mean this man was a Grand Administrator concurrently holding a general’s rank!

Then who could appear here at this time, simultaneously serving as a commandery Grand Administrator and a general? There seemed to be only one person. And that person was, as it happened, the Sun clan’s greatest mortal enemy!

Sun Jing could not help but exchange a glance with Sun Quan, who had likewise grasped the situation, and they saw the despair in each other’s eyes.

“Lord Prefect Han!” Sun Jing watched as the man personally poured wine, cup by cup, not even sparing the two ladies and the children, while the ship had stopped in the middle of the river — a place where one could cry to Heaven and Earth with none to answer — and could endure it no longer. “You have even set aside the great merit of escorting the Son of Heaven, the Empress, and the Imperial Prince into Luoyang, and come here specifically — what do you intend?!”

“So General Sun has recognised me. That makes things easier.” Lord Prefect Han — that is, Han Rui, Grand Administrator of Lujiang and concurrently General of Towered Warships — upon hearing this, showed no haste. He continued pouring wine for every man, woman, and child of the Sun clan seated at the table, and only then did he calmly take his seat, before sneering in retort. “General Sun was also a party to the matter of my late uncle back then. You ask why I would set aside such great merit and seek out you Sun family members specifically? Naturally, I wish to ask General Sun Youtai: how is it that my uncle, the former Tutor of Chen State under the Han, after being taken by you on a single visit to Sun Jian’s military camp, ended up dead without a burial place?”

From Lady Wu on down, including the brothers Sun Gao and Sun Yi, it finally dawned on them that this was an enemy come to seek vengeance. The latter two, both martial young men, upon hearing this, wanted to resist. But as newly surrendered men, they wore no armour and carried no swords or sabres; moreover, the moment they tried to rise, the armoured soldiers behind them pinned them down firmly in groups of three.

Seeing this, the Sun clan, high and low, turned even paler, yet could do nothing about it.

"Is there anything to be dissatisfied about? You allowed your father and uncle to kill my uncle, but won't allow me to kill you?" Han Rui raised his cup and drained it in one go, then spoke coldly while pouring another, his words utterly unguarded. "When I came to Lujiang and sought this Tower Ship General post, it was precisely with the intent of personally leading troops to settle accounts with your Sun clan! Yet you lot went and surrendered instead! Do you know, last night after I rushed to Moling Harbor, I tossed and turned, unable to sleep, my whole heart set on stopping the ship mid-river today and scuttling this vessel, sending your entire Sun clan to accompany my uncle in death!"

"Lord Han must consider Lord Yan's reputation..." The river wind blew steadily; Sun Quan had no sweat left, yet still could not hide his flustered state — after all, clan extermination was far too horrifying, and it truly seemed to be right before his eyes.

"I did consider it!" Han Rui drained another cup and poured yet another for himself. "After scuttling this ship, at worst I would simply join you in the river as a funeral companion... I am a proper Grand Administrator acting as General, and before sixty I might well have served as a Province Governor or a Minister of the Terrace. Sinking together with you, with the enmity between our Han and your Sun clans known to all under Heaven, how would the world truly blame it on my family's Lord Yan?"

"But Lord Han did not do this thing!" Sun Quan hastily spoke. "Surely it is only as a last resort that you would be willing to go to such extremes..."

"Lord Han!" Just as Sun Quan was striving to persuade him, Sun Jing suddenly spoke up, cutting off his nephew's efforts.

"What is it?" Han Rui held his cup and faced him.

"Your uncle died by his own hand, throwing himself into the water... But that no longer matters, because my elder brother never once let go of that man's death in his entire life, and I too often turn back to those old memories in my dreams." Sun Youtai's eyes were red-rimmed; he lifted the cup the other had just poured and drained it in one go.

"So what?" Han Rui narrowed his eyes, waiting until the other had finished drinking before pressing further.

"Nothing else, only to say — in all fairness, if you seek vengeance against our Sun clan, we cannot cover it up or evade it." Sun Jing rose to face him; the armored soldiers behind him moved to press him down, but Han Rui raised a hand and waved them back. "Now, I only wish to ask one thing: with all under Heaven soon to be at peace... are women and children also guilty?"

"Naturally not." Han Rui lowered his head and smiled. "Were it otherwise, I would have scuttled the ship long ago."

"If you, sir, could spare the others, my son and I, two grown men, are willing to..."

"Hold, General Youtai! Did Sun Wentai not also kill a bound-haired youth at a banquet back then? And right before the boy's own father's eyes!" Han Rui drained his cup a third time, but did not pour again, only fixing the other with his sharp gaze. "Why is it that when it comes to your Sun clan, a bound-haired youth becomes a woman or child?"

Lady Wu, holding Sun Ren, burst into tears, yet still dared not make a sound; and the two bound-haired youths — Sun Quan was frozen through, barely able to speak; Sun Yi was even more dumbstruck, like a wooden chicken...

As for Sun Youtai, on the ship that had long since dropped anchor and steadied, having drunk only a single cup of wine, he swayed and nearly staggered, forced to brace himself against the table just to stand firm.

Plainly, after these words, the earlier standoff and clash aboard the tower ship vanished entirely; the two sides seemed to have reached a decisive outcome. And Han Rui lowered his head once more, very slowly pouring himself a fourth cup of wine, then held it and waited.

"That was..." After an unknown length of time, Sun Youtai tried several times to speak and stopped, until at last, buffeted by the river wind, he lowered his head in despair. "That was... that was my elder brother's fault back then! The Nanyang affair was so, and the Chen Kingdom affair was so too! He was the one who did wrong!"

Expressionless, Han Rui raised his cup, drained it in one go for the fourth time, then drew his blade and rose.

The bare blade left its sheath; armored soldiers naturally stepped forward at once and pinned Sun Jing and Sun Quan firmly down. Han Rui, blade in hand, came behind Sun Jing without the slightest hesitation — one hand seized the other's topknot from behind, the other suddenly struck with the blade... yet only cut off the other's hair!

The river wind blew wildly; as Han Rui raised his hand and cast it, Sun Youtai's hair was instantly swept out the window, scattering across the river waters.

The armored soldiers released their grip; Han Rui sheathed his blade. Sun Jing had escaped with his life, yet stared back at Han Rui with an expression of utter disbelief.

And as their eyes met, Han Rui's sharpness was overwhelming; Sun Jing could only lower his head once more:

"The lives of my entire clan rest in Lord Han's hands; the blade has been drawn — why does Lord Han still spare us?"

"If merely having a blade in hand were reason to wantonly take lives, how would I differ from your elder brother?" Han Rui had been sneering almost without pause today; now he returned to his seat and signaled the armored soldiers to release everyone. "But, that said, even Lord Yan killed Lu Bu, let alone me. If the chaotic age had not ended, given my nature, you would be dead beyond doubt today — but is not all under Heaven now united?"

"What of it, that all under Heaven is united?" Sun Jing still could not calm himself.

"With all under Heaven united, the green shoots upon the ridges should be nourished by blood, old grudges should be wiped clean in a single stroke, men's hearts should restrain evil and promote good, and all that lies in ruin should rise anew, so that chaos walks the world no more! With all under Heaven united, even Lord Yan has sworn to act without recklessness — how much more so for me?" Han Rui gave a lofty sigh. "And I will not hide it from you: back then, when my uncle sent the orphan of Chen Kingdom Chancellor Luo Jun to Chang'an, he told me I need not seek revenge... but before, I truly could not suppress the killing intent. It was only when my old classmate Liu Xuande died at the Yu River, and Lord Yan, after seeing the severed head, still did not forget me — knowing my fierce temperament, he personally wrote another letter to Lujiang, speaking to me of the peace under Heaven, urging me to rouse myself and press forward, not to be entangled by the chaotic age and throw away the future in vain."

Having spoken thus far, Han Rui finally, slowly, poured wine once more, and continued:

"Receiving that letter, and recalling my uncle's parting words of old, I was only six-tenths at peace. But then, with one matter after another in Jiangxia, I witnessed with my own eyes the Han Emperor's submission, the four-hundred-year imperial aura gone forever, and heard that old friends, unable to bear the weight of the chaotic age, had died before the peace — only then did my resolve settle! Of course, there was also the sight of your Sun clan's dwindling numbers, with only one elder who still possessed some heroic spirit... Had you truly shown nothing but disgrace, I would have killed you all and been done with it! And without that admission of fault just now, you, who were involved in the matter back then, would more or less have had to make a trip to the heart of the river!"

"Lord Han is magnanimous." Having recovered his composure, Sun Jing could not help but rise and face him with sincerity. "In truth, it is your broad-mindedness, sir, your vast tolerance of others."

"No need to speak of these things." Han Rui raised his cup toward him. "All under Heaven is at peace — let us form a marriage alliance. Otherwise, you will never be at ease... and it would do injustice to the poems my uncle left me."

"How shall we form it?" Sun Quan finally spoke, bewildered.

"Back then, I took in the orphaned daughter of Chen Kingdom Chancellor Luo Jun. I had intended to betroth her to my own son, but as I see it today, such an act would leave the Luo line without heirs... Lady Wu, your daughter may become my daughter-in-law, and that sturdier one may become the Luo family's son-in-law, but must change his surname to Luo, to settle the Chen Kingdom affair."

Lady Wu and all the Sun clan below her hastily rose and bowed in assent.

"Do not lower your heads — men and women, old and young, all of you drink the cup before you with me, to make an end of it, then weigh anchor and cross the river!" Han Rui lowered his head, drank another cup, then suddenly dashed the cup to the floor and shouted sternly.

——————I am the dividing line of bowing in assent——————

"We fought south of the city, died north of the walls; dead in the wilds, unburied, food for the crows.

Speak to the crows for me: 'Lament the strangers, at least!'

Dead in the wilds, surely unburied — how can rotting flesh escape your sons' beaks?

The waters run deep and chill, the reeds and rushes dark and dim;

The fierce riders fought and died, the hobbled horses pace and whinny.

Bridges built upon houses — how to go south? How to go north?

If the grain is not harvested, what shall our lord eat? Though you wish to be loyal ministers, how can that be achieved?

I think of you, good ministers — good ministers truly worthy of thought:

At dawn you marched out to attack; at dusk, you did not return at night!" — "Han Music Bureau: Fighting South of the City" — Han Tuo

PS: Continuing to offer up new books — "Flee for Your Life, Author Lord", "The Long Survival of Ji Han"

The completion event has passed eighty... I reckon I won't be able to save a single cent of this ten thousand.

(End of Chapter)