Chapter 77: Going Out Far to Welcome

Book recommendation, "The Tang Dynasty Military Governor's Affairs"... a rare historical novel set during the An Lushan Rebellion period... Hmm, I'll bet fifty cents the author is a cute boy.

——————I am the divider——————

Autumn had fully arrived, the earlier gales had ceased, and outside the military camp at Pingcheng in Yanmen Commandery (near later-era Datong), recruitment was underway.

Thanks to Gongsun Xun's act of returning the livestock after crossing the Yellow River, and the fact that rations would be issued immediately upon successful enlistment, quite a few of these Wuyuan Commandery migrants — half-soldier, half-civilian, half-farmer, half-herder — actually came to volunteer, leading horses and carrying bows. One couldn't say a full cavalry unit was formed on the spot, but at least the framework was up.

According to the original plan, Gongsun Xun had intended to personally register these newly recruited soldiers, record their information, and bestow favor upon them. But this trip to Wuyuan had stirred many thoughts in him.

In fact, aside from the necessary physical training, ever since returning from Wuyuan, Gongsun Xun would rather spend most of his time placing a small camp stool atop the yellow-earth gate tower where the flag was planted at the camp entrance, sitting there for half a day pondering all sorts of random things, too lazy to bother with such superficial efforts.

"Wenqi." As the door curtain of the second floor of the earthen tower behind him was lifted, Lu Ziheng, hands tucked in his sleeves and looking utterly dejected, walked out and could not help but ask once again the question he had already asked countless times. "Will Lord Liu truly help?"

"He will!" Gongsun Xun, seated on the camp stool, answered as crisply as ever.

"That man, Lord Liu..." Lu Fan still shook his head repeatedly. "Even if he rose to Grand Commandant, would a man like him really be willing to get involved in this kind of matter?"

"That depends on whose matter it is." Gongsun Xun watched the crowd gathering at the camp gate because of the volunteer soldiers, the corner of his mouth lifting — whether in self-satisfaction or mockery was unclear. "Since it is my matter, I'm afraid he has no choice but to get involved."

"I know Lord Liu values Wenqi greatly." Lu Fan leaned against the earthen tower wall, chatting idly with him... It must be said, the earthen tower, which had only been rammed into existence a few months ago, looked especially dilapidated after being battered by the north wind, which only accentuated Lu Ziheng's worried look. "But at his level, a man has principles in conduct, deeds, and officialdom. Let alone the fact that Wenqi is merely a student, I fear even his own son, Liu Song, would find it hard to sway him."

"You've misunderstood." Gongsun Xun narrowed his eyes, gazing at the distant official road with a smile. "The very reason I am so confident is precisely because I know my teacher dislikes getting into trouble..."

"What do you mean by that?"

"What else could it mean?" Gongsun Xun turned back and laughed. "Although my teacher handles matters in a muddle-headed way, his mind is extremely clear... First, he will always know who is right and who is wrong in this matter, and if he truly gets involved, which side to stand on and which side not to; second, he must be even more aware of my, Gongsun Wenqi's, character and conduct, and understands better than anyone that if he doesn't give a push in the direction I want, then I will certainly blow this matter sky-high! When that time comes, it won't be something that can be neatly resolved with just the word 'involved'!"

Lu Fan opened his mouth, but did not know what to say... However, Lu Ziheng, after all, also understood Gongsun Xun's talent for stirring up trouble, so upon hearing this twisted reasoning, he finally felt a bit more confident.

"In that case," after a brief pause, Lu Fan paced behind the other man and asked in a low voice, "how does Wenqi think Lord Liu will help?"

"He won't touch the lawsuit." Gongsun Xun laughed involuntarily. "But recommending talent for the state and urging the court to quickly appoint a new Inspector of Bingzhou — that should be no problem."

Lu Fan understood immediately.

It must be said, because the authority and responsibility of a Provincial Inspector are extremely heavy, most people subconsciously assume the Inspector is an administrative official, a superior to the Grand Administrator... This is actually a major misunderstanding.

After all, the Han inherited the Qin system; administratively, the division is the standard commandery-and-county system. There has never been a province-commandery-county system.

So what is a province? The answer is: it is part of the court's oversight system.

The so-called oversight system naturally refers to inspection personnel dispatched by the higher authorities, responsible for supervising the merits and faults of relevant administrative personnel within a certain scope, then checking the completion of related work, and accepting accusations or issuing commendations on their behalf, and so on.

In fact, not only does the state dispatch 'Inspectors' to oversee the work of several commanderies within a province, but the commanderies also dispatch 'Postal Inspectors' to oversee the work of several counties, not to mention the Colonel Director of Retainers who oversees officials in the capital and the central region...

In short, people in this system typically hold low rank but great authority in the Great Han Dynasty. For example, a Postal Inspector who can decide the fate of a thousand-bushel County Magistrate might be a minor clerk of only a hundred bushels. A Provincial Inspector who can frighten a two-thousand-bushel Grand Administrator into sleeplessness is ranked at six hundred bushels, the starting point for court-appointed officials. Even the Colonel Director of Retainers, responsible for overseeing the capital and central government, is merely Equivalent-to-Two-Thousand-Bushels, the lowest tier of the two-thousand-bushel rank.

However, these people ultimately represent the authority of their superiors, and their powers are immense... Take the Provincial Inspector, for example. Nowadays, they hold financial power, military power, plus the original judicial investigation power and work review power. Over time, people unconsciously regard a six-hundred-bushel Inspector as equal to a two-thousand-bushel official, or even higher.

It has even reached the point where a strange phenomenon has emerged: if a Provincial Inspector performs too outstandingly, the best course is to quickly promote him to a two-thousand-bushel rank; and if a Provincial Inspector performs too poorly, the best way to handle it is also to quickly promote him to a two-thousand-bushel rank.

For example, Gongsun Xun's theoretical superior, the General of the Household Gentlemen in Charge of the Xiongnu, Zang Min, is now ranked Equivalent-to-Two-Thousand-Bushels. He was promoted precisely because of his outstanding performance as Inspector of Yang Province!

Returning to the matter at hand, upon hearing Gongsun Xun's words, Lu Fan slowly nodded, finally feeling that it was truly possible for Liu Kuan to lend a hand... After all, helping in this way would in no way affect the image of Wenrao, the universally respected elder of the realm.

"But Wenqi," Lu Fan suddenly sighed again, unable to help himself, "I still cannot quite understand. Even if we painstakingly do this kind of thing, it brings us no benefit, does it? Seeing your attitude earlier, it was clear you were truly angered, so I found it hard to dissuade you..."

"You need not dissuade me further." Gongsun Xun pointed at the migrant volunteers before him and said frankly. "From ancient times to the present, and even into the future, so-called heroes have mostly regarded the common people at the bottom as nothing. Someone like me, who gets angry on their behalf — no one would believe it no matter how you explain it. Besides, I am not without selfish motives. Since that is the case, better to ignore what others think and just do things my own way."

Lu Fan immediately fell silent.

Just as the two were sitting and standing on the camp gate tower, chatting idly, several riders suddenly came galloping swiftly along the distant official road. Gongsun Xun and Lu Fan looked together, exchanged a glance of sudden understanding, and then quickly descended the tower together.

"Thank you all for your hard work." Gongsun Xun, carrying a water bag he had casually grabbed from the camp tower, met these riders at the camp gate.

"Young Master." The leader was none other than Jia Chao. Drenched in sweat, he dismounted and, without even taking the water bag, hurriedly reported a matter. "I went to Luoyang to deliver the letter to Lord Liu. After waiting only two days, he told me I could return, saying the court had appointed a new Inspector of Bingzhou... Following your instructions, I stayed on in Luoyang and waited for Young Master Fan to inquire into this new Inspector's background before coming straight back! However, this Inspector traveled extremely fast. We waited only three more days in Luoyang, yet we encountered his procession in Gaodu in Shangdang Commandery (later-era Jincheng)."

"So he's one who values speed in warfare?" Gongsun Xun, upon hearing this, grew even more impatient and pressed further right there at the camp gate. "Then what exactly is this man's background? You should have found out his place of origin, his patron, and his career history, correct?"

"Yes! Reporting to Young Master, this man is a Xiliang native, but was born in Yingchuan. During the earlier Qiang rebellion, he was conscripted as a court gentleman, then fought in Bingzhou under Zhang Huan, one of the 'Three Luminaries of Liangzhou,' serving as a Major of a Separate Command. He accumulated merit and was transferred as Prefect of Guangwu County in this very Yanmen Commandery, then as Commandant of the Northern Section of Shu Commandery, and then as Wuji Colonel in the Western Regions. It can be said he had already reached the threshold of the two-thousand-bushel rank, but was then dismissed for excessive killing while handling the Western Regions' upheaval... Just before the new year, he was recruited by Excellency Yuan Kui to serve as a Military Affairs Clerk in his office, and it was precisely Yuan Kui who recommended him for this appointment."

Gongsun Xun's face showed sudden understanding, but he could not help sneering: "So he is a protégé of the Yuan clan. Has the Yuan clan also begun recruiting figures from the border commanderies? What is his name?"

Jia Chao was just about to take the water bag, but upon hearing this, hurriedly reported the name: "His surname is Dong, given name Zhuo, courtesy name Zhongying!"

Gongsun Xun's expression instantly changed, and the water bag in his hand fell directly to the ground, its contents splashing everywhere.

"Young Master!"

"Wenqi?"

The people around were all shocked and uncertain, and Jia Chao even knelt to apologize.

"It's nothing." Gongsun Xun came back to his senses, bent down with a faint smile, and picked up the water bag again. "It slipped from my hand. This water has already gone cold; you all go into the camp and have some hot soup..."

"Understood." Jia Chao sighed in relief and hurriedly lowered his head in acknowledgment.

"Wait!" However, before they had taken two steps, Gongsun Xun suddenly called him back. "You said this man is extremely fast. If, according to his marching speed, after entering Bingzhou he did not attend to official business or stop in Shangdang, then where should he be by now?"

"Reporting to Young Master, from Shangdang into Taiyuan there are two routes, east and west. According to my estimate, if he took the west route, he would likely have already reached Qixian; if he took the east route, he would likely be at Yangyi..."

"In short, he must already be within the borders of Taiyuan Commandery by now?"

"If he did not stop in Shangdang, that must be the case!"

Gongsun Xun nodded slowly, finally letting the man go.

"Wenqi," as soon as the long-distance riders left, Lu Fan immediately grew agitated, "the man coming is a protégé of the Yuan clan, not of Lord Liu. I wonder if there is any implication in that?"

"Perhaps there is!" Gongsun Xun laughed involuntarily and shook his head. "But whatever the implication, it doesn't matter, because this Dong Zhongying is no easy character himself. In my view, his coming with such speed is most likely precisely because of this matter... And if we judge by that, then nine times out of ten, this Zhang Qi is destined to go rolling back home to be his Qinghe celebrity!"

Upon hearing this, Lu Fan grew even more bewildered: "Is Wenqi perhaps acquainted with this new Provincial Governor?"

"We have long been acquainted in spirit."

"So you don't actually know him?" Lu Fan was utterly speechless. "In that case, where does such a judgment come from?"

"Let's go!" Saying this, Gongsun Xun said no more, but suddenly tossed the water bag he had just picked up into the other man's arms, then, hand on his sword, strode back toward the camp.

"Go where?" Lu Ziheng, clutching the water bag, struggled to follow and asked.

"Ziheng's horsemanship is not refined; you need not come this time. Stay in the camp and handle the routine affairs." Gongsun Xun answered without looking back. "I will take two or three guards and ride light to Taiyuan to welcome the new Provincial Governor!"

"A garrison commander is not permitted to leave his assigned commandery borders without the approval of a two-thousand-bushel official!" Lu Fan grew even more anxious.

"My army is still being recruited at the gate!" Gongsun Xun's cold laugh came from afar. "Where is this garrison you speak of? Besides, since Dong Zhongying thinks so highly of me, how could I, Gongsun Xun, not go out far to welcome him?"

Lu Fan stood stunned on the spot.

"At the end of Emperor Huan's reign in the Later Han, he was made a Gentleman of the Feathered Forest as a son of a good family from the six commanderies. (Dong) Zhuo possessed talent and martial skill, his physical strength rarely matched; he wore two quivers at his belt and could shoot while riding left or right. Serving as Army Major, he followed General of the Household Zhang Huan on campaign against Bingzhou and achieved merit, was appointed Court Gentleman, and bestowed nine thousand bolts of silk, all of which Zhuo distributed to his officers and soldiers. He was transferred to be Prefect of Guangwu, then Commandant of the Northern Section of Shu Commandery, then Wuji Colonel of the Western Regions, and was dismissed. At the end of the Xiping era, he was summoned and appointed Inspector of Bingzhou, bearing the imperial tally to tour the nine commanderies!" — New Book of Yan, Volume 62, Biographies, Chapter 12

PS: There is also a new book group 684558115, those interested can join.

(End of Chapter)