Taiheiki

Chapter 176 Approaching

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About ten miles outside Yongji County lies Yongji Pass, later known as Zhennan Pass or Youyi Pass. Here, the towering Daqingshan Mountains, which stretch between Yulin County and Jiaozhi County, form a gap. Traveling southwest from here for less than two hundred kilometers, one can reach Longbian County, the capital of Jiaozhi County, the heart of the Red River Delta.

"Did your son also take this by catching the enemy off guard?" Yuan Shao asked, looking at the open gate in front of him, somewhat incredulous.

"No, that's not it!" Wei Cong laughed. "I sent someone to inquire beforehand. The captain guarding this place is the son of a merchant, and he values ​​money a lot. I sent someone with thirty catties of gold beforehand, promising him another thirty catties if he opens the city gates. So—"

Looking at Wei Cong's smiling face, Yuan Shao was unsure whether he was telling the truth or not. However, one thing was certain: Wei Cong had probably made thorough preparations for this surprise attack, and his enemies were likely in grave danger.

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Jiaozhi Commandery, Longbian.

South of the governor's residence in Jiaozhi County, near the Thien Duc River (a tributary of the Red River, flowing through present-day Hanoi), lies a secluded residential area on a hill. Local residents know that only extraordinary families could afford to live on this hill; even wealthy outsiders without a proper background would find it difficult to establish themselves here. Only established clans who had lived in Jiaozhi for generations could build their residences on this tranquil hill. Therefore, the locals gave this hill a rather presumptuous name—Huangdigang (Yellow Ground Hill).

The Shi family of Guangxin was one of the few families that could afford to own a residence on this hill. Although the Shi family originated in Guangxin, since the Shi family fled south to Jiaozhou during the Xin Dynasty, at least forty or fifty of their family members had served as officials in various counties of Jiaozhou. Although Wei Cong confiscated almost all of the Shi family's land and servants in Guangxin after the Battle of Gaoyao, the centipede was not dead yet. After the brothers Shi Xie and Shi Wu fled to Jiaozhi County, they quickly gained Zhang Pan's trust and became important advisors in his staff.

"Brother, you're back?" Hearing the announcement from outside, Shi Wu hurried downstairs to greet Shi Xie. Shi Xie looked ashen-faced and dejected. Shi Wu quickly stepped forward and took his brother's arm, saying, "Wash your face first, and have something to eat!"

Shi Xie nodded. He went up to the hall, took off his knife, wiped his face with the help of a maid, ate a couple of mouthfuls of bean porridge, and suddenly sighed: "Do you know? Today at Governor Zhang's place, everyone tried to persuade him for half a day, but he didn't say a word. In the end, he said: 'If it doesn't work out, at most I'll go back to Luoyang and give him the governorship of Jiaozhou.' It's truly outrageous!"

“Brother!” Shi Wu cautiously interjected, “Actually, what Governor Zhang said makes sense. The imperial court has already issued an edict to replace Governor Zhang with that scoundrel Wei Cong. The court is nominally on Wei Cong's side, so Governor Zhang can’t possibly disobey the imperial decree, can he?”

"Nonsense!" Shi Xie roared in anger, slamming his bowl of porridge onto the table, splashing soup everywhere. "Wei Cong is nothing but a bandit who leads a bunch of rabble soldiers to plunder everywhere. Others may not know, but don't you? If he can become the governor of Jiaozhou, then that bandit can become the emperor. There's no such logic to it!"

"Of course I know Wei Cong's background, but the imperial court has indeed issued an edict to let him replace Governor Zhang. Wei Cong has troops under his command, he has both power and authority, and there are rebellions in Rinan and Jiuzhen counties. Which of the heroes in Jiaozhi County would dare to oppose him?"

"This is a chaotic order, it cannot be accepted!" Shi Xie sneered. "I have already inquired about it. Wei Cong was able to become the governor of Jiaozhou this time because of his connection with Grand Tutor Yuan Wei. It seems that he gave him a large bribe, and Yuan Wei actually agreed to it, disregarding the dignity of the court, and actually made him the governor of Jiaozhou. It is utterly absurd!"

“Brother, even if it was a bribe, the imperial edict has been issued, so the moral high ground is on his side. Besides, how many people have bribed their relatives and eunuchs to obtain the positions of governor or prefect over the years? What difference does one more Wei Cong make? And who would dare to use this as an excuse to disobey the edict? If we confront them head-on, we will definitely be in the wrong and it won't end well. In my opinion, we should just forget about it and go to Panyu to ask Prefect Kong to apologize to Wei Cong!”

Faced with his younger brother's earnest advice, Shi Xie finally regained his composure. After weighing the pros and cons, he finally lowered his head: "You're right. If we confront him head-on, it certainly won't end well. We're no match for him in Jiaozhou. How about this, I'll try to go to Luoyang tomorrow and see if I can find a way to remove him from his position as governor. As for you—"

"Brother, please rest assured, I will definitely find a way to restore Guangxin's family business!" Shi Wu said.

"Hmm!" Shi Xie nodded. His younger brother had indeed made a lot of progress after this ordeal, and the burden on his shoulders had been lightened considerably. Thinking of this, he reached out and patted Shi Wu on the shoulder: "Life is difficult, and we can only do our best. As for the final outcome, success or failure, that is not something that ordinary people like us can determine!"

"My two young masters! My two young masters!"

"What is it?" Shi Xie asked in a deep voice.

"Someone from the Prefect's residence has arrived and is standing outside the gate. They say that Governor Zhang has summoned them!" the steward said at the door, his face full of tension.

"Governor Zhang? Alright, I'll be right out!" Shi Xie wiped his face, stood up, and walked out. Shi Wu hurriedly picked up the shaving knife from the ground and rushed after him, saying, "Brother, wait! Your shaving knife!"

"Thank you!" Shi Xie took the sword and hung it at his waist. He looked at Shi Wu's face and said, "A Wu, you can actually set off now. I have a feeling that Wei Cong will take over Jiaozhi soon!"

"Brother!" Shi Wu's eyes immediately welled up with tears. Shi Xie stroked his younger brother's hair and then turned to walk out the door.

When Shi Xie entered, his gaze swept over the familiar faces. He noticed that every face held an unconcealed panic, and some even had tear stains. What had happened? He couldn't help but frown.

"Wei Yan, you've finally arrived!" Seeing Shi Xie enter, Zhang Pan visibly breathed a sigh of relief: "You've already worked hard all day, and I originally intended to let you rest well for the night, but this matter is indeed urgent, so—"

"It's alright!" Shi Xie waved his hand. "What happened? Please speak frankly, my lord!"

"Wei Cong is here!" Zhang Pan said. "Just two quarters of an hour ago, a messenger arrived urgently, saying that they encountered Wei Cong's army on the official road from Yongji County to Longbian, and they are less than ninety li away from here!"

"The official road from Yongji County to Longbian? It's only ninety li from here?" Shi Xie was stunned. After a long while, he asked, "How is that possible? If he took this road, why is there no news from the passes along the way? Especially Yongji Pass, which is strategically important. No matter how powerful Wei Cong is, he couldn't have taken it in a few days. By the way, how many troops does Wei Cong have?"

"Not many, at most a thousand people!"

"Only a thousand men?" Shi Xie's spirits lifted. "Isn't that perfect? ​​Governor, quickly dispatch troops to wipe them out in one fell swoop!" "Things may not be that simple!" someone interjected. "The envoy said that Wei Cong's army is not only flying the banner of the Governor of Jiaozhou, but also the banner of the imperial envoy. If we send troops, we may not only fail to harm them, but also be accused of defying the imperial court!"

"Yes! That scoundrel Wei Cong traveled the road from Yongji County to Longbian, yet news only arrived at such a close distance. This clearly shows that the passes along the way offered no resistance and surrendered without a fight. It indicates that morale has collapsed. What good would it do to send troops?"

"Yes! He now holds the moral high ground of the imperial court. Although he only has a thousand men, if we send troops there, they will likely surrender at the sight of the imperial envoy, and we will end up with the blame on him!"

Shi Xie's gaze swept over everyone in the room, seeing only dejected faces. He gritted his teeth and asked Zhang Pan, "Prefect, what do you think?"

"The situation is beyond human control!" Zhang Pan sighed. "This is the only way! Men, prepare the carriages and horses, and come with me out of the city to welcome the angel!"

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Although he was still too far away to see the design on the flag clearly, he could still make out through the hazy mist that it was a red banner, with a dark dot in the middle that could only be words. After a while, once he saw it with his own eyes, Wei Cong reined in his horse, raised his right arm, and signaled his troops to form a battle line to meet him.

"Is it Zhang Pan?" Yuan Shao asked.

"That's right!" Wei Cong nodded. "But we still can't be sure if they're friend or foe!"

"Godfather, let me go over and confirm your intentions first!" Nie Sheng said.

"Alright!" Wei Cong nodded. "Don't resort to violence rashly, understand?"

"I know!" Nie Sheng replied, kicking his horse's flank before leading a dozen or so riders to meet them. A moment later, he returned: "Father, it is indeed Zhang Pan. He said he is here to welcome an angel!"

"Oh?" Wei Cong laughed: "Benchu, this time the real target is you!"

Yuan Shao smiled but didn't speak. He straightened his clothes, spurred his horse forward, and Wei Cong followed a few steps behind. When they were about twenty paces apart, Yuan Shao reined in his horse and said in a deep voice, "I, the Imperial Censor, have come here by imperial decree. Where is Zhang Pan, the Governor of Jiaozhou?"

"Your humble servant is here!" Zhang Pan hurriedly dismounted, and his attendants around him also quickly dismounted. Wei Cong and his men followed suit. Only Yuan Shao remained on horseback, appearing somewhat out of place. At this moment, Yuan Shao dismounted, took the imperial edict from his attendant, walked to the open space between the two sides, and loudly proclaimed, "An imperial edict has been issued—!"

"Your subject obeys the imperial edict!"

Led by Zhang Pan and Wei Cong, both sides knelt down, like crops that had been cut down, suddenly appearing much shorter. Yuan Shao unfolded the imperial edict and read aloud: "Wei Cong, the brave and valiant Colonel in charge of suppressing rebellions, is hereby appointed Governor of Jiaozhou and Protector of the Baiyue, with a rank of 1,000 shi as before, to lead the troops of Jiaozhou and the Baiyue Righteous Army to attack the E'zhe bandits in the north! This is the imperial decree!"

Zhang Pan kowtowed twice. His nightmare had become reality, yet he felt a strange sense of calm. Yes, Wei Cong had snatched the governorship of Jiaozhou from his grasp, but he hadn't gained anything in return.

The court didn't appoint him as the governor of Jiaozhou for nothing; he was also tasked with leading troops north to suppress the E'zhai. Considering the original rebellion of the Nine Zhen of Rinan, his troubles would be at least twice as many as mine. Whether it was failing to suppress the Nine Zhen of Rinan effectively or delaying the northward campaign against the E'zhai, the court would use it as an excuse to punish him, even dismissing him from office and convicting him. Thinking of this, Zhang Pan even felt a sense of schadenfreude.

"Lord Zhang!" Wei Cong bowed respectfully to Zhang Pan. "Although we had some disagreements in the past, that's all in the past. We are both men destined for great things, and we should look forward. From now on, we will serve as ministers in the same court. If we help each other, there is much we can accomplish! When you return to Luoyang this time, I hope you will put in a good word for us with His Majesty and the officials in the court!" As he said this, Wei Cong clapped his hands lightly twice, and Nie Sheng stepped forward from behind him, presenting a wooden box.

Wei Cong took the box and handed it over, lowering his voice and saying, "A little something, please accept it, Lord Zhang!" As he spoke, he lifted the wooden box halfway, revealing that it was full of pearls the size of a fingertip. He had been an official in Jiaozhou for many years, so this was not unusual. However, these pearls were all light black, which made them look even more crystal clear when placed on white silk.

“When Lord Zhang returns, he will pass through Panyu. I have a small token of my appreciation to offer you. Please do not refuse it!” Wei Cong said with a smile.

Zhang Pan took the wooden box and put it in his sleeve. He suddenly felt that Wei Cong in front of him wasn't so bad after all. After all, he had been in Jiaozhou for quite a few years and had encountered the barbarian rebellion. It might not be a bad thing if someone could take over his mess and he could return to Luoyang with dignity.

"Then the million people of Jiaozhou will be entrusted to Governor Wei for governance!" Zhang Pan's voice wasn't loud, but it was clear enough for everyone behind him to hear. Wei Cong could feel the trembling of despair—as if he were watching a dam collapse before his eyes, a flood pouring over him. He then untied the official seal from his waist and handed it to Wei Cong with both hands. Wei Cong quickly bowed and accepted it, saying in a deep voice, "How dare I disobey?"

Standing in the crowd, Shi Xie felt his body trembling. Things were worse than he had imagined—Wei Cong had so easily pulled Zhang Pan aside. With Zhang Pan handing over the governor's seal in front of everyone, everything was set in stone. Regardless of what had happened in the past, Wei Cong was now the dignified governor of Jiaozhou of the Han Dynasty. Righteousness was on his side, and anyone who dared to oppose him was undoubtedly a traitor. The thought filled him with utter despair.

"Gentlemen!" Wei Cong bowed deeply to the people behind Zhang Pan. "I am deeply grateful to the Emperor for entrusting me with the position of Governor Zhang. Jiaozhou is located in the southern border region, a land where Han and Yi peoples mingle. It is a vast territory, and now there is Linyi in the south and the E'zhai in the north. It is a time of great turmoil. You are all outstanding people in the state, some of whom have hereditary titles and emoluments, and others who have received imperial favor in their place. Your homes, houses, and ancestral tombs are all located here."

Although I am a rough and uncouth man, I know the gravity of matters. Past events are like fleeting clouds to me, easily forgotten. Let this envoy bear witness: if I harbor any grudges or seek revenge, may Heaven condemn me! I implore you all to assist me as you would Zhang Gong, so that Jiaozhou may be pacified as soon as possible, relieving the Emperor's worries about the south!

Hearing Wei Cong's words, everyone, whether they believed him or not, unanimously agreed. The group then entered Longbian City, and Wei Cong moved into Zhang Pan's former residence.

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(End of this chapter)