Taiheiki

Chapter 218 Together
“Normally it wouldn’t be like this, but this time it’s different!” The steward chuckled as he recounted the whole story, and then said with a smile, “Young Master Benchu, those ignorant brats have been blocking our door every day, shouting and demanding that your uncle stand up and impeach the Grand General for his arrogance. Don’t you think this is making things difficult for us?”

"So that's how it is! No wonder my uncles were pretending to be sick!" Yuan Shao nodded. "Then I'll go see my uncles now!"

"Young master, please go ahead with your business. I still have to deal with the troubles outside!" The steward hurriedly bowed to Yuan Shao, then turned and left, saying, "I really don't know when this storm will end!"

"When will this end?" Yuan Shao shook his head. He had a premonition that everything happening in Luoyang was related to Yuan Wei.

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"Uncle, I'm back!"

"Benchu ​​is back? Good, good!" Yuan Wei turned around, handed the fishing rod in his hand to the servant beside him, and smiled as he pointed to the stool next to him: "Sit down and talk. Was the journey smooth?"

"Thanks to my uncle, everything has gone smoothly!" Yuan Shao replied respectfully. "I have already heard about what happened in Jingzhou. It seems that General Feng suffered a loss!"

“Yes!” Yuan Wei stroked his beard, but his face showed no sign of “encountering trouble.” “Anlu has fallen, and the enemy’s ships can now enter the Han River. The court has dispatched Zhang Boshen to lead troops to rescue them, and they should be leaving in the next day or two. If you have time, you should pay him a visit before Boshen leaves!”

"Bo Shen is leading troops south?" Yuan Shao was taken aback. "Isn't he the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat?"

"This is the General's intention!" Yuan Wei glanced at Yuan Shao.

Yuan Shao hesitated and lowered his head. What did his uncle mean by that? Had Zhang Wen offended the Grand General and been stripped of his position as Minister of the Imperial Secretariat? Or had the Grand General decided to send Zhang Wen to provide reinforcements? Or perhaps both? He didn't know, but he couldn't very well ask. After all, based on his many years of experience, if his uncle was willing to tell him, he would naturally do so; if he wasn't willing to explain, then asking directly would be impolite and foolish.

"How is your recruitment going this time?" Yuan Wei asked.

"Everything is going smoothly. There are a total of four thousand infantry and cavalry, all of them young and strong, and they are all stationed in Heyang!" Yuan Shao said.

"That's good!" Yuan Wei breathed a sigh of relief. "After Zhang Boshen went south, Luoyang was too vulnerable. Your ability to bring back these four thousand men has solved our immediate problem!"

"Uncle!" Yuan Shao lowered his voice, "Has Luoyang really come to this?"

"Yes!" Yuan Wei nodded, and said earnestly, "After the Moth Rebels captured Anlu, their forces have already reached Xiangyang. Once Xiangyang falls, Wancheng will directly face the Moth Rebels' advance. Luoyang and Wancheng are only separated by the Yique Pass!"

As Yuan Wei said, the Luoyang Basin and the Nanyang Basin were historically known as "Wanluo," and the two major groups that established the Eastern Han Dynasty under Liu Xiu were the powerful clans of Hebei and Nanyang. Therefore, after the Moth Rebels seized the entrance to the Han River, they were only one step away from entering the Nanyang Basin. No wonder General Dou Wu used the major recruitment strategy of various provinces.

“Uncle, I just saw a lot of Imperial Academy students gathered outside the manor—” Yuan Shao was interrupted by Yuan Kui raising his right hand halfway through his sentence: “Don’t get involved in this matter, understand?”

"Don't get involved?"

“Yes, I know you usually associate closely with the students of the Imperial Academy in the capital and have made many friends. This time is different. Don’t get involved, don’t express any opinion.” Yuan Wei’s tone was firm, leaving no room for argument: “Otherwise, you should leave Luoyang as soon as possible and go back to Heyang!”

"Uncle, I still don't quite understand!" Yuan Shao couldn't hold back any longer: "General, what you've done this time has indeed gone too far and violated the Han dynasty's system!"

"I know the Han dynasty system better than you, a mere child!" Yuan Wei finally revealed the majesty of one of the Three Dukes: "Let me ask you, if the Grand General knew that you were mingling with these Imperial Academy students, what do you think he would think? Would he think that I, Yuan Wei, am two-faced and trying to frame him? After the eunuchs were wiped out, the current court was built by the Grand General and our Yuan family working together in harmony. Do you know what the consequences would be if the Grand General had a falling out with our family?"

"Of course I know, but isn't it a bit too irregular for a subordinate of the General to go to various states to recruit soldiers?"

"So it's in accordance with the rules to send you to Hanoi to recruit soldiers?" Yuan Wei's eyes gleamed with shrewdness. "Don't forget, Yuan Gonglu is also an official under the Grand General! If the power of the court is a pie, the Grand General will eat two pieces himself and give one to our family. He takes the blame while we reap the benefits, so what are we complaining about?"

"This—" Yuan Shao saw the hidden sharpness beneath his uncle's facade for the first time and was speechless. Yuan Kui turned and took the fishing rod back from the servant: "Our Yuan family of Runan, starting from our ancestor Yuan An, has produced four generations of officials who have risen to the rank of one of the Three Dukes. This is no easy feat; it's all thanks to the six words 'not daring to be the first in the world.' You should think about this carefully! Go!"

"Yes, sir!" Yuan Shao knew the meeting was over. He bowed to Yuan Kui, who had his back to him, took a few steps back, and then turned to leave.

Back in his courtyard, Yuan Shao had just finished washing up when a servant announced, "Young Master, Young Master Cao requests an audience!"

"Aman? What's he doing here?" Yuan Shao recalled his uncle's reprimand and felt a surge of unease. "Tell him that I'm serving my uncle his medicine and it's inconvenient for me to see him!"

"Here!"

Outside the Yuan residence, Cao Cao was playing with his riding whip, glancing impatiently at the impassioned students at the alley entrance. Just then, he saw the servant approaching him and was overjoyed: "Finally here! Quickly take me to see Yuan Shao!"

"Excuse me, Young Master Cao!" The servant reached out to stop Cao Cao. "Young Master Benchu ​​is currently serving medicine to Minister Situ and is unable to see you. He requests that you come again the next day!"

"Serving the Minister of Works his medicine, so it's inconvenient for you to see me?" Cao Cao wasn't stupid; he understood that this was Yuan Shao's excuse—he simply didn't want to meet with him at this moment. He impatiently flicked his whip: "Fine, I won't see you then. Tell Yuan Shao that I'm returning to my hometown of Haozhou tomorrow!"

"Yes, sir!" Cao Cao glanced at the Yuan residence, paused for a moment, then mounted his horse and left.

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Outside Panyu city, a military camp.

On a December morning, the cold wave from the north, having passed through the Five Ridges, had only carried a slight chill. Seven hundred recruited barbarian infantrymen arrived at Panyu City. The spikes at the ends of their five-meter-long staffs gleamed coldly in the pale dawn light, and their belts carried slings for throwing stones and leather pouches filled with polished stone projectiles. At the very front of the column, a warrior with tattooed cheeks and wearing a wolf-head hat struck a leather drum almost as tall as himself. "Boom, boom, boom!" The drumbeats were slow and deep, seemingly striking the hearts of everyone present.

Wei Cong stood in the watchtower outside the barracks, with Lu Ping beside him. The leopard that was always by his side was perched on the parapet, watching with great interest the approaching army below.

"Is this the last army you've been waiting for?" Lu Ping asked.

“Yes!” Wei Cong nodded: “We’re just waiting for them. We’ll hold a rally tomorrow morning, and then we’ll send out the troops!”

“These soldiers don’t look like Han Chinese; almost all of them have tattoos on their faces!” Lu Ping has excellent eyesight and can see the soldiers’ faces clearly even from a distance of over a hundred paces.

“That’s right, they were originally barbarians from the South Sea Prefecture! They caused me a lot of trouble when I went south, but they are now my people!”

"They can cause you trouble?" Lu Ping looked at the approaching men in surprise. "Just these people?"

"Yes, they are excellent slingers, and adept at leaping across the rugged terrain with their long poles, making them difficult to deal with in the mountains. My men have suffered several losses against them!" Wei Cong smiled. "They will definitely come in handy this time against the Wuling barbarians!"

"This man is still so considerate of others' feelings! Even though his biggest enemy on this trip north is the Moth Thieves!" A warm feeling rose in Lu Ping's heart. She lowered her head and said, "Let's go downstairs, it's getting a bit windy up there!"

"Are you cold?" Wei Cong turned around. "Okay, let's go downstairs first!"

The two descended the steps, followed closely by their guards, and arrived at the commander's tent. Wen Sheng greeted them, saying, "My lord, the grain and supplies have all been loaded onto the ships!"

"Alright, let the fleet set off first! We'll meet up in Shian (Guilin)!"

"Yes, sir!" Wen Sheng replied, bowing to Wei Cong. "Your subordinate awaits Your Majesty in Shian!"

"Yes, if the allied forces from Gocho arrive first, you need to maintain good relations with them! Avoid conflict, understand?"

"My subordinate understands!"

“Go!” Wei Cong said.

Wen Sheng took a few steps back, only turning to leave when he reached the tent entrance. Wei Cong sighed and began flipping through the documents on the table. Lu Ping sighed, "Do you know? You've changed a lot since that night!"

"A lot has changed?" Wei Cong frowned. "Really? How so?"

“Of course it’s true!” Lu Ping said, “You’ve become serious, and you don’t smile anymore. You used to love to laugh, but now you look both sad and scary!”

"Sad and terrible?" Wei Cong touched his cheek. "Is it like that?"

"I won't lie to you. You can ask your men if you don't believe me!" Lu Ping said. "Actually, you don't need to take everything on your shoulders. Really, life and death are predetermined. General Zhao's death is not your responsibility!"

“I don’t feel guilty about Zhao Yannian’s death!” Wei Cong shook his head. “I’m just worried about what’s about to happen!”

"Worried? Are you worried that we won't win this campaign?"

“It’s not just about winning or losing!” Wei Cong said in a low voice, “Even if everything goes smoothly and I quell the Moth Bandits, countless people will die because of me, unlike in Jiaozhou, where I killed many people, but even more benefited from my actions, and I have a clear conscience about what I did. This northward journey will be different. I will harm many innocent people, but how many will benefit from it? I don’t know. Moreover, I may very well be drawn into the chaos in Luoyang, where very few people can escape unscathed!”

Lu Ping gritted her teeth. Without needing divination, she knew Wei Cong's pessimistic prediction was correct. Although this man didn't possess the mysterious and extraordinary powers she did, he could still make extremely accurate predictions about the future. Perhaps that was why she was willing to entrust everything to him!
"Don't worry!" Lu Ping opened her arms and hugged Wei Cong tightly. "No matter where we go, no matter what happens, I will be with you and face it together!"

Even death?

"Yes, even if it means death!"

(End of this chapter)