Chapter 94: Disposition (Part 2)

PS: Recommending a book, *Nine Bushels of Talent*… the author is an old friend… known in the community as Xiao Er Meng.

"What happened?" The two nags carrying the hammock between them were hurrying back somewhat abruptly. They had barely gone a hundred paces from the central camp when Gongsun Xun, whose condition had just begun to improve, was jolted awake.

"Young lord!" Lou Gui ran over in some alarm. "Why are you up?"

"I asked you what happened!" Gongsun Xun grabbed the hammock with his right hand and sat up, looking around. And when he clearly felt that the entire left side of his upper body could exert no strength, his mood grew increasingly irritable. "Why are we breaking away from the main force? Why are lamps lit during a night march? And why is Ziheng nowhere to be seen?"

Lou Gui hesitated, wanting to speak but stopping himself.

"Lou Zibo!" Gongsun Xun fixed him with a stern glare.

"There's a mutiny in the central camp!" Lou Gui had no choice but to bow and answer. "Young lord, you are incapacitated. Ziheng was probably worried you'd be caught up in it, so he sent me to escort you to Brother Demou's position…"

"Nonsense!" Gongsun Xun immediately rebuked him. "How could there be a mutiny at a time like this, and in the central camp of all places? The central camp is full of wounded men and comrades who survived the bitter fighting the night before last… what reason would they have to mutiny? And at this moment?"

Lou Gui straightened up and shook his head repeatedly: "Young lord, you don't understand. It really is that Gao Heng from Bohai stirring up trouble… he was never of one heart with us to begin with, and this time he even wants to abduct you to Ningcheng! It's best you come with me quickly to Brother Demou's side!"

Gongsun Xun was slightly taken aback: "What do you mean, abduct me to Ningcheng? Weren't we supposed to return directly to Ningcheng anyway?"

Lou Gui hesitated again, and this time Gongsun Xun quickly caught on: "You're worried my condition is poor and that Xia Yu might plot against me?"

"We have to guard against it!" Lou Gui stamped his foot. "When we cut the arrowhead out that day, we saw with our own eyes that the wound was on the rear left side of your arm. Ziheng spoke to us about it then — that arrow could certainly have come from the Xianbei, but we can't rule out that it came from someone with malicious intent!"

Gongsun Xun remained silent, neither refuting him nor giving the order to continue taking him to Cheng Pu's position.

"Ah, young lord!" Lou Gui grew frantic at this. "Why take risks at a time like this? You must understand, after this battle, that Xia Yu…"

"I know what you're going to say." Gongsun Xun cut him off again. "And I understand what you all mean. But no matter what… Gao Heng was, after all, my subordinate for a few days. I can't just abandon him like this. Besides, knowing his character, I don't believe he would do something like this so-called abduction!"

Lou Gui shut his mouth and said nothing.

"Where is my blade?" Gongsun Xun then asked.

A sturdy attendant standing to the side immediately stepped forward, holding out the 'Broken Blade of Xiang Yu' with both hands.

Gongsun Xun released his right hand to take the blade, but as soon as he grasped it, his body swayed unsteadily. Only because that attendant hurriedly stepped forward to support him did he avoid falling from the hammock.

"Zibo." Gongsun Xun turned to hand the blade to Lou Gui, but withdrew his hand midway. "No, I can't entrust this matter to you… you can't hold the situation down, and your mind is already made up!" At this, Gongsun Xun turned his head to look at the attendant who was supporting the hammock with one arm. "The two companies of attendants have always been under Ziheng's control, and I vaguely find your face familiar… I imagine you have earned considerable trust from Ziheng?"

"Yes, Commander!" This robust and burly attendant quickly replied. "Clerk Lü treats me extremely well and often entrusts me with handling matters among the attendants."

"Your name is… never mind!" Gongsun Xun sized the man up, almost instinctively wanting to ask his name, but ultimately knew this was not the time and could only hurriedly get to the matter at hand. "Take my blade and go to Ziheng. First, assist him in stabilizing the situation; second, tell him clearly that I believe Gao Heng is innocent in this affair, and he is not to harm him!"

"Aye!" The man took the blade with one hand, and only after seeing that the other had steadied himself did he carefully release his grip, step back two paces, bow, and salute. "I will go at once!"

Gongsun Xun waved his hand repeatedly, urging him on.

Watching this tall attendant turn and run toward the place lit by torches, Lou Gui finally could not hold back: "Young lord, I know you cherish talent, but that Gao Xuanqing is ultimately unlikely to enter your inner circle, is he?"

"Go to the rear camp and find Demou for me." Gongsun Xun shook his head helplessly. "Tell him to bring men over at once, just in case…"

Lou Gui had no choice but to cup his hands hastily and go fetch reinforcements.

And so, for a moment, in the summer night breeze, only one attendant and two nags remained with Gongsun Xun there… He looked around, and finally, carefully avoiding his wound, lay back down into the hammock to stare up at the Milky Way overhead, sighing softly.

At the central camp, not far from there, the standoff between Lu Fan and Gao Heng was not as evenly matched as one might imagine… In truth, once Gao Heng had loudly told everyone around him what he knew, not only the armored soldiers he had brought from Xia Yu's side, but even Cheng Lian, Wei Yue, and that company of trained crossbowmen from Yanmen all began to grow suspicious and uncertain.

Actually, it was not that Lu Fan lacked prestige in the army, but rather that as a mere scholar, he ultimately needed Gongsun Xun's presence to issue orders. As for his own direct subordinates, it was not that he had none — the two companies of attendants in the central camp had always been under his control… However, at a moment like this, did attendants have any standing to speak up?

And in the end, in this situation, why exactly were they taking a detour?!

For a time, Gao Heng gripped his blade, his expression utterly furious. His mouth ran on and on, and the hand holding the blade waved up and down with his words. On the other side, Lu Fan stood opposite him, his expression cold and stern, saying nothing, merely resting his hand on the saber at his waist and watching him with icy eyes.

"I just don't understand!" Gao Heng loudly agitated the soldiers around him. "Why take the long way around instead of the short? The Commander did entrust the entire army to you three, but he certainly doesn't know why you're acting this way! If your hearts are clear, why can't you explain this matter clearly in front of everyone?"

Lu Fan remained stern and silent.

The others might have held their tongues, but Wei Yue, being of a restless temperament, could not help but stick his head out and ask: "Clerk Lü, why exactly do we keep heading east? Just say it — you're not going to make a bunch of us Bingzhou men go to Liaoxi…"

Before the words were finished, this Ming cavalry squad leader's expression changed instantly… In fact, it was not just him. Under the bright torchlight, virtually everyone saw clearly that the attendant leader, the one most trusted by Lu Fan and sent to care for Gongsun Xun, had actually run back. He raised both hands high and bowed, presenting that short blade known to everyone in the camp before Lu Ziheng!

"The Commander is awake?" Lu Fan did not rush to take the blade, but asked coldly.

"Yes!" The attendant lowered his head and answered. "The Commander had me deliver this blade to Clerk Lü, authorizing you to fully handle the disturbance here!"

Lu Fan's expression softened slightly, and only then did he take the short blade. The moment the blade was in his hand, the situation immediately reversed… Not only did Cheng Lian and Wei Yue hurriedly step forward with the air of men ready to obey orders, but the other army officers, and even those former subordinates of Xia Yu who had come over with Gao Heng, all cupped their hands in submission!

In the end, it came back to that one point: after this battle, when it came to the word 'prestige,' there was no one else in this army besides Gongsun Xun worth mentioning… After all, for an army that was certain to die to first win and then escape — it was no exaggeration to say that everyone in this army, high and low, owed Gongsun Xun their lives.

"All troops return to your posts, and continue heading east!" Lu Fan, holding the short blade that gave him immense confidence, looked around and loudly commanded. "I will speak plainly — from the very beginning, I never intended to go to Ningcheng, but I also never intended for you to march all the way east to Liaoxi. I won't hide it from you: if we march east for another half day, we can turn south and enter the border fortifications. We are going to Juyang! Do you all know Juyang? It is the seat of Shanggu Commandery. The Grand Administrator there, Lord Hou, was once our Commander Gongsun's patron, and is also the father-in-law of our Commander Gongsun's clan cousin! Is it not acceptable to travel an extra half day or full day to reach a safer place?"

The whole army murmured assent. Many soldiers were simply desperate to leave this place as soon as possible, and those army officers who were not so easily fooled also breathed a sigh of relief… Ningcheng or Juyang — as long as the deviation was not too far, who would care too much?

However…

"I refuse to accept this!" Gao Heng suddenly roared, his neck flushed red. "If that's the case, why couldn't you have told me plainly earlier? And going to Juyang is one thing, but why exactly can't we go to Ningcheng? When I asked you just now, why did you want to send the Commander to the rear camp first? Do you think I, Gao Xuanqing, am deliberately stirring up trouble?!"

Hearing this, the surrounding officers and soldiers halted their steps once more. Lu Fan, meanwhile, fixed his gaze dead on the man, and that short blade was slightly drawn from its sheath — clearly, the intent to kill had already risen!

"Assistant Clerk Lü!" The tall attendant beside him suddenly stepped forward half a pace and half-knelt beside Lu Fan in a posture of begging forgiveness, then did something rather presumptuous… he actually pressed down on that short blade.

Lu Fan was both shocked and furious, but as a scholar, how could he be this man's match? The blade could neither advance nor retreat. In his momentary indignation, he actually stretched out his foot and kicked the man directly, but the attendant seemed not to notice and did not budge an inch, only pressing down firmly on the short blade.

"Normally, seeing that you are a man of gravity and courage, I entrusted all two hundred-plus attendants to you." Lu Fan finally erupted in great fury. "I even planned to recommend you to the Commander for promotion after this campaign. And now, even you look down on me and wish to defy your superiors and cause chaos?"

In truth, had his emotions been stable, Lu Fan's sharp wits would have long since figured out what was going on. But he had been thoroughly disgusted by these self-righteous military men earlier… Moreover, as someone who placed great importance on status, acting as Gongsun Xun's proxy commander while being merely an unranked clerk in the army, he already harbored a deep-seated insecurity. So whether it was Gao Heng, or the earlier perfunctory attitude of officers like Cheng Lian and Wei Yue, or the attendant before him now — their offenses all stabbed directly at the deepest part of Lu Fan's heart!

"Assistant Clerk Lü!" This attendant also saw that Lu Fan was truly enraged and could only helplessly explain. "The Commander gave instructions just now… he told me to tell you clearly that this man Gao Heng is innocent in this affair, and you are not to harm him!"

Lu Fan gave a cold laugh at these words, and only then did he resentfully thrust the blade back into its sheath: "Fine. When it comes to judging men, ten Lu Zihengs cannot match one Gongsun Wenqi. Since he has said so, then this certain someone must indeed be innocent!"

The attendant hurriedly stepped back.

"What exactly does that mean?" Gao Xuanqing, hearing this, grew even more alarmed and furious. "What exactly do you suspect me of?"

"Since the Commander says you are innocent, then I will speak plainly to you." Lu Fan took a breath. "The arrow that struck the Commander actually seemed very much to have come from behind…"

The surrounding soldiers were all greatly alarmed at this.

"How could I ever do such a thing?!" Gao Heng furiously stabbed his blade into the ground before him, his face completely flushed.

"The Commander says you are an innocent man, so naturally it is I, Lu Fan, who has measured the heart of a gentleman with my own petty mind." As he spoke, Lu Fan cupped his hands slightly, as if offering an apology. "However, you must also understand that we did not harbor suspicions without cause. In the entire army, apart from your unit, the rest are mostly the Commander's old Yanmen subordinates… If I did not suspect you, whom else could I suspect?"

Gao Heng's face remained flushed, but he hesitated, wanting to speak yet stopping himself.

"Besides, not to mention that you, Gao Xuanqing, once had old grudges with the Commander and his clan cousin — even when you were sent to our unit this time, do you dare say you did not receive military orders from Xia Yu to closely monitor our unit and urge us to advance? Were there not also orders saying that if things went awry, you could seize and deal with us on the spot? Tell me, was it not perfectly natural for us, the Commander's old Yanmen subordinates, to suspect you?"

Not only did Gao Heng fall into silence, but even the soldiers under his command each lowered their heads… No one was a fool. When Xia Yu sent his own guard captain and direct unit over that day, the implication of supervision and enforcement was almost blatantly obvious! Who could deny it?

"Go on then!" Lu Fan, seeing this scene, also grew somewhat listless and dispirited. "The Major has deemed you innocent, so innocent you shall be... I had intended to seize you, but now it seems that was groundless. I only ask that you cause no trouble and obediently follow the main force. Of course, you need not keep traveling with us the whole way either. In two days, once we enter the pass, you may take your subordinates directly back to Ningcheng. We shall go on to Juyang ourselves!"

At this, Lu Fan looked around and urged repeatedly: "Quickly put out the torches and get moving. Let there be no more trouble!"

The crowd seemed to wake from a dream and immediately dispersed. Gao Heng, as if his soul had left him, stepped forward to pick up his waist saber, then lowered his head and walked toward the front of the column.

On the other side, the attendant convict who had gone back to report ran headlong into Cheng Pu, Lou Gui, and their party, who were coming to meet them.

After hearing the situation over there, Gongsun Xun, already somewhat weary, directly ordered Cheng Pu back to the rear guard, keeping only two armored soldiers and Lou Gui here, preparing to turn back to the central army.

The matter seemed to be concluded. Yet after walking only a few steps, just as Gongsun Xun was about to close his eyes, he suddenly heard someone beside him ask a question.

"Major, your servant is presumptuous. May I venture to ask, what fate exactly awaits Xia Yu in this affair?"

Gongsun Xun slightly opened his eyes and glanced over, only to find it was precisely that attendant convict who had left a strong impression on him earlier. His heart stirred slightly. "Zibo, explain it for him."

"This is simple." Lou Gui, walking ahead, began explaining without even turning his head. "Though we do not know the extent of the damage to Xia Yu's main force, it is unlikely in the end that he won. So first of all, he cannot escape the charge of defeat in battle. Moreover, this entire expedition beyond the pass was prompted by his own memorial to the throne. His Majesty and the nobles at court will certainly hold him responsible for the overall disastrous situation. Of course, this man is after all a two-thousand-bushel official bearing a staff of authority, and his foundations are deep. I estimate... it will be nothing more than being carted to Luoyang in a caged wagon, then stripped of his noble rank and demoted in office!"

"So that is how it is." The attendant convict responded with respectful deference, then once again looked earnestly at Gongsun Xun, who was narrowing his eyes. "Then your servant ventures to ask the Major one more presumptuous question... Xia Yu put the Major in a death trap and forced our unit into this plight. Can you truly harbor no resentment in your heart?"

"What nonsense is this petty attendant convict spouting?" Before Gongsun Xun could react, Lou Gui ahead immediately changed color.

Gongsun Xun also turned his head and carefully scrutinized the attendant convict. "What did you do originally, and what crime did you commit?"

"Originally, I was a soldier who answered the call to enlist in Shangdang. I served as a squad leader of armored troops." The attendant convict lowered his head and answered. "Then I committed the crime of murder. I killed my superior officer in the army! Military law is strict; it is unpardonable!"

Even Lou Gui could not help turning his head to size this man up.

"To kill a superior officer in the army and yet survive — your comrades must have all helped cover for you." Gongsun Xun continued questioning. "Why did you kill your superior officer?"

"There was a squad leader under me, a local man. His wife was very beautiful." The man's words were extremely spare, without any embellishment. "The company commander above us took a fancy to her. That squad leader was of unyielding character; he could neither refuse nor resist, so he and his wife committed suicide together. And I, standing between the two sides, could neither stop it nor endure it, so I killed that company commander."

"Then that question you asked me just now — I suppose you were measuring my heart against your own?" Gongsun Xun sighed softly upon hearing this. "Or perhaps, over these past two days by my side, you have heard me speak quite a few words in my sleep?"

The man remained silent and did not answer.

"Indeed." Gongsun Xun looked up at the starlight overhead and suddenly gave a fierce grin. "Several hundred fine men — if they had died in ordinary battle, I would have nothing to say. But this battle, from beginning to end, was riddled with absurdities: first a hasty engagement, then a change of command on the eve of battle, and then a forced division of forces... all merely because of some people's selfish motives! Not to mention that I, Gongsun Wenqi, consider myself a true man as well, and in those preceding days I too was driven by them to multiple narrow escapes from death! My own life and the lives of my subordinates were all held in others' hands... If you could not endure it, how could I possibly endure it?"

The man still did not answer, but Lou Gui could not help turning his head to look back.

"In truth, I will not hide it from you. That day south of the Shuochou River, I already thought it through." Gongsun Xun continued with a cold sneer. "If I died in this battle, then naturally nothing would matter — I would simply count it as my misfortune! But if I, Gongsun Xun, could return alive, I would most certainly regard Xia Yu as a mortal enemy and make a proper effort to let him know the consequences!"

"Then may I ask the Major," the attendant convict finally spoke again, "in your eyes, is that Gao Heng who caused trouble today truly worthy of being called a 'fine man'?"

"If he were not, why would I have specifically instructed you to save him?"

"Major!" The attendant convict finally spoke his mind. "This matter is not so simple."

"What do you mean?"

"You regard Gao Heng as a 'fine man' who shared life and death with you, yet you regard Xia Yu as a 'mortal enemy'... but Gao Heng and Xia Yu have always been one and the same!" The attendant convict frankly pointed out a crucial point. "And as for this sentiment of yours — setting aside the fact that Adjutant Lu and the others know it perfectly well — take Gao Heng himself. Though he is irascible by nature, being caught in the middle, and now that it has been laid bare so bluntly today, how could he possibly not be aware of it?"

"What exactly are you trying to say? So what if he is aware?"

"Major, you yourself just said that this man is a man of integrity." The attendant convict suddenly reined in the two inferior horses, cupped his hands solemnly, and spoke. "A man of integrity — on one side, he owes the Major the grace of saving his life; on the other side, he owes Xia Yu the favor of having raised him from obscurity. And before long, the Major and Xia Yu will stand in mortal opposition... How is he to find his place between them?"

Gongsun Xun forcibly endured the pain that suddenly struck his left shoulder. After pondering for a moment, he was abruptly jolted to alertness. "Are you saying he will take his own life?!"

The attendant convict lowered his head and said nothing.

Gongsun Xun immediately grew frantic and struggled to climb down from the sling bed.

Lou Gui hurried forward to support him. "Young Lord, why go to such lengths? I understand you cherish talent, but even if this man has ability, can he truly be of use to you? In the end, he is a personal retainer whom Xia Yu plucked from obscurity! In two more days, once we leave these grasslands, we and he will be foes, not friends!"

"Then we shall wait until we leave the grasslands to speak of it!" Gongsun Xun flared up in anger. "Quickly help me down. And you — Lou Zibo, come with me at once to the central army to stop Gao Xuanqing!"

Lou Gui had no choice. He could only cast a deep look at that attendant convict, then went straight off.

And yet...

After a full quarter-hour of frantic effort, behind a small knoll by the roadside, under the light of several torches, Gongsun Xun could only slump down beside Gao Heng's corpse, supported by that attendant convict.

The short, stocky man who just days ago had led two hundred armored soldiers in an unstoppable charge on the Shuochou River now had not the slightest trace of breath left in him.

"The moment I arrived, I searched everywhere." Lou Gui hurriedly explained. "But according to the soldiers beside Gao Heng, he must have come straight here the instant that disturbance over there ended... There was simply no time."

"How could it come to this?" Gongsun Xun sighed heavily. "How could it come to this?"

"My lord, a man of honor may die with unyielding integrity. This man was indeed a man of integrity. It was I who made presumptuous speculations." As he spoke, Lu Ziheng actually knelt directly and offered up his blade with both hands, clearly intending to beg forgiveness. "My breadth of character is unworthy of commanding the central army... But I have one thing to say: when I mocked him earlier, it was not out of malice, but truly because I never imagined he would be so fiercely unyielding!"

"Why would I blame you?" Gongsun Xun pushed the blade back. "Even I did not expect it, let alone you. Besides, your duty is neither that of a scholar nor a warrior — you are my trusted confidant, exercising my authority when I am incapacitated... What you did is what I would have done. In this matter, you and I must bear it together! And until my wounds heal, you shall continue to wield this blade on my behalf."

Only then did Lu Fan take back the short blade.

Gongsun Xun sat before the slope, side by side with the corpse, watching the growing crowd of wounded soldiers and crippled remnants, as well as the many officers who had hurried over. The indignation in his heart grew ever stronger, yet he could only forcibly suppress it. "Take up Gao Heng's body. Wrap it in the sling bed I used before. When we return, we shall give him a proper burial!"

"Major!" Just as everyone was about to act, someone suddenly spoke up in reminder. "Gao Heng is dead. Who will command his subordinates?"

Though somewhat blunt, this question was unavoidable. Gongsun Xun looked around. Han Dang and Cheng Pu were not at his side. Lou Gui was, after all, only a second-rate strategist. Wei Yue and Cheng Lian were somewhat unreliable. For a moment, he truly did not know how to handle this... He had to be aware that if some useless person were placed in that position, trouble would surely follow.

However, at that very moment, Gongsun Xun's gaze suddenly fell upon that tall attendant convict. "What is your name?"

"In reply to the Major," the man hurriedly bowed in salute, "your servant's name is Gao Shun. I come from humble and lowly origins and have no courtesy name."

Gongsun Xun fixed his eyes on this man for a long while, then could not help but sigh with emotion. "To lose one Gao Heng and gain one Gao Shun — could this be the will of Heaven? Your character is stern and grave; Gao Heng's character was fierce and proud. Yet both of you hold to the two words 'integrity and purity'... Gao Heng's courtesy name was Xuanqing. I shall give you a courtesy name as well — let it be Suqing. Gao Suqing, I entrust Gao Xuanqing's former troops to you. I hope you can pacify their hearts!"

The faces of those around all changed color, yet not one dared to speak a word.

"Let us go!" Gongsun Xun attempted to stand, but found he was still drained of strength. Only with Lu Fan and Lou Gui both stepping forward to support him was he able to force himself to his feet.

The surrounding soldiers did not dare linger. They hurriedly placed Gao Heng's body onto the sling bed as previously instructed. Gongsun Xun also switched to riding an inferior horse, with Lu Fan personally supporting him and Lou Gui leading the horse from the front. Thus, swaying unsteadily, they made their way eastward through the summer night.

"When we join the army and take the field, we ought not to be squeamish about life and death," Gongsun Xun said at last, pouring out to his two confidants the indignation that had been festering in his heart. "But to die in battle still carries some meaning. A man of martial valor like Gao Heng — not killed by the Xianbei, but because of some so-called favor of being raised from obscurity, he threw his life away by the roadside for a general who is beneath contempt, like a wild dog... By what right? Just because Xia Yu is a two-thousand-bushel official? I do not know whether you two accept it, but I, for one, do not! Earlier, Ziheng told me that a true man's life must not be held in another's hands. I took that deeply to heart. But that only spoke of oneself. Today I have come to understand that it is not only oneself — the lives of all men of integrity and purity should not be held in the hands of such worthless wretches! I, Gongsun Xun, hereby swear an oath: on this return from campaign, not only Xia Yu, but every last one of those worthless wretches at court who were entangled in this battle — if I can kill one, I shall not spare one!"

"Only our lord is fit to occupy the high seat, to hold in his grasp all the men of integrity and purity under Heaven, and to scourge the rotten and decayed!" Lu Fan beside him lowered his voice and answered with all his might.

———————I am a weary dividing line———————

"Gao Shun, courtesy name Suqing, was a man of Shangdang... He was sent out as an attendant convict in the army and came to serve the Grand Ancestor. His character was grave and pure. He was discovered by Lu Fan and often served as his right-hand man. At the end of the Xiping era, he followed the campaign against the Xianbei. After burning Mount Danhan, they turned back. On the road, they encountered rain, and the Grand Ancestor's wounds were severe and difficult to manage. At that time, there was Gao Heng of Bohai, courtesy name Xuanqing, whom Xia Yu had personally raised. He too was in the army. Yu, worried that he himself had been defeated while the Grand Ancestor alone had won, feared he would be blamed, and so secretly incited him to revolt. The situation was urgent and perilous. Shun received orders from Fan, bore the Grand Ancestor on his back and fled, reaching the rear army and safety. The Grand Ancestor grasped his arm, bestowed a blade, and called upon Shun to assist Lu Fan in quelling the unrest. They then returned. Upon reaching camp, he raised the blade to calm the hearts of the troops. Fan also used the Grand Ancestor's might and virtue to rebuke Xia Yu for his lack of principle. Xuanqing, overcome with shame, took his own life and died. When day broke, the Grand Ancestor first gathered Heng's body, then sighed and said: 'Heng was also a man of integrity and purity. Now to lose one Gao Heng and gain one Gao Shun — is this not the will of Heaven? His courtesy name was Xuanqing; yours, sir, shall be Suqing.' Because of the weight of Shun's meritorious service, he bestowed the courtesy name Suqing, and further promoted him from attendant convict to Company Commander. The entire camp looked on in astonishment!" — Old Book of Yan, Scroll 69, Biographies 19, Biography of Gao Shun

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(End of Chapter)