Han Ji

"I am not a tree. I am a man," Liu Bei said. "If you wish to submit, so be it. There are conditions: First, you must obey orders. Wherever I tell you to graze your livestock, you must graze there. Second, you must not plunder. Anyone who plunders Han people will be punished according to military law. Third, you must perform corvée labor. Every year, you will provide able-bodied men to repair roads and canals, and you will be provided with food and lodging."

After listening, Hiroki thought for a while. "I agree to all three. But I request that the Prime Minister grant us a pasture."

Liu Bei nodded. He ordered that a pasture in northern Youzhou, near Shanggu County, be allocated to the Riwo tribe. That pasture originally belonged to a small Wuhuan tribe, but after Tadun's death, the tribe dispersed, leaving the pasture vacant. A small river flowed through the pasture, with clean water that didn't freeze in winter. Riwo was very satisfied and knelt down on one knee to kowtow again.

After news of the Qiang people's submission spread, some small tribes beyond the Great Wall began to stir. Some small tribes among the three Wuhuan tribes, dissatisfied with Tadun, also sent people to Ji County to sound them out.

Jian Yong met with several groups of such people every day, and everyone said something similar: We were forced to go south by Tadun. We are willing to submit to the court and ask the Prime Minister to allocate a pasture so that we can pay tribute with horses on time.

Jian Yong spoke with each person individually. If an agreement was reached, a contract was written on the spot, and each person kept a copy. If an agreement was not reached, there was no hardship; the person was simply sent out of the city.

By mid-May, tens of thousands of people had settled in resettlement sites outside Ji County. The tents had been replaced with adobe houses, which were made on the spot with mud mixed with chopped grass. The mud bricks were hardened by the sun during the molding process.

The roof was thatched, and the door was woven from willow branches. The house was simple, but better than a tent. Some diligent people had cultivated a small vegetable garden in front of and behind the house, planting greens and scallions. The scallion sprouts were just emerging, tender and green, and smelled delicious. Someone kept chickens, which scratched in the soil in the yard looking for insects and clucking.

The millet seeds had already been sown in the valley. The surrendered Wuhuan soldiers did not know how to use the Han people's plows, so Jian Yong had them draw furrows and sow the seeds. Oxen drew the furrows in front, and the men followed behind to scatter the seeds into the furrows.

Sowing the seeds sparsely in some areas and densely in others, as long as the seedlings emerge, it's considered a success. Han farmers squatted on the ridges watching, but couldn't bear to watch any longer, so they went down into the field to teach them step by step. The two groups couldn't understand each other's languages, so the Han people gestured with their hands to indicate the spacing of the planting, and the Wuhuan people nodded, whether they really understood or were just pretending was unclear.

When Liu Bei left Ji County, he stood at the city gate and looked back to the north. Smoke curled from the chimneys of the resettlement site, some people were hoeing the fields, and others were watering their horses by the river. From a distance, it looked no different from the villages in Youzhou.

"Two hundred thousand," Jia Xu said. "The surrendered soldiers, their families, the Han Chinese who have submitted, and the Qiang people—all added together, that's nearly two hundred thousand mouths to feed."

"Two hundred thousand mouths are two hundred thousand hands that till the land." Liu Bei mounted his horse and tapped his whip twice on his boots. "Ten years from now, the people here will only remember that they are Han Chinese."

Liaodong. Xiangping.

Gongsun Kang stood on the city tower, looking out over the city. Spring came later in Liaodong than in the Central Plains; even at the end of April, ice still clung to the moat. The willows outside the city were just sprouting new shoots, their tender yellow buds still shyly wrapped in brown husks, unwilling to unfurl. The wind blew from the direction of the Liao River, carrying the fishy smell of silt and the cries of waterbirds.

Gongsun Kang was in his early forties, tall and thin, with a long, slender neck and a prominent Adam's apple that resembled a walnut. He wore a thick black robe, the mink fur collar worn bare, revealing the cloth lining underneath.

His father, Gongsun Du, had been dead for almost three years. He took over as the governor of Liaodong for three years, killed more than twenty powerful families who refused to submit, and turned Liaodong into an independent kingdom of the Gongsun family.

The imperial court couldn't govern this area, Yuan Shao couldn't govern it back then, and now that Liu Bei has arrived, he doesn't think he can govern it either.

But news of Liu Bei's slaying of Tadun at White Wolf Mountain in the north had already reached Xiangping. The messenger was a merchant who had fled back from Liaoxi. The merchant had traveled for ten days and arrived in Xiangping recounting the story with great enthusiasm, describing how Tadun's head was displayed on a spear, the three tribes of Wuhuan had all surrendered, and Liu Bei had incorporated 200,000 Han and Hu people into his army. Gongsun Kang listened without speaking, dismissing the merchant to collect his reward, and then sat alone in his study for a long time.

His father, Gongsun Du, left behind the words: "Liaodong is remote; whoever controls the Central Plains will submit to us." But Tadun is dead, the Wuhuan have surrendered, and Liu Bei's army is now in Youzhou. Youzhou is separated from Liaodong only by the Liao River. The Liao River is not wide; in winter, it freezes over, and one can cross it.

"My lord." Prefect Liu Yi walked up from the city wall, his steps hurried, the hem of his robe stained with mud. "A report came from Xuantu County that a group of people, about two thousand strong, entered Liaodong territory from the Liaoxi direction. They were not carrying any flags and were gathering up defeated soldiers along the way."

"The Yuan brothers," Gongsun Kang said.

"Yes. The leaders are Yuan Xi and Yuan Shang. After they escaped from Bailang Mountain, they stayed in Liaoxi for a while. Neng Chen fled and didn't care about them. They then headed east, gathering Wuhuan defeated soldiers and former Yuan clan members along the way, and have now entered Xuantu County. The governor of Xuantu didn't dare to stop them and let them pass."

Where are they going?

"It looks like they're heading towards Xiangping."

Gongsun Kang patted the railing of the city gate tower. The railing was made of pine, blackened by wind and rain, and felt dull to the touch. His father had once said, "Don't take a hot potato."

Yuan Xi and Yuan Shang are now a hot potato. If we take them in, Liu Bei will cause trouble. If we don't take them in, they will stay in Liaodong and refuse to leave. These two thousand-plus defeated soldiers are also a problem.

"Let them come." Gongsun Kang turned and walked down from the city wall. "Once they're here, things will be easier."

Three days later, Yuan Xi and Yuan Shang arrived at the walls of Xiangping. More than two thousand remnants of the army camped outside the city, their tents tattered and their horses so thin that their ribs protruded, and you could count how many there were.

The soldiers' faces were covered in frostbite and cuts from the wind and sand; some had their faces wrapped in rags, leaving only their eyes showing. Most of the swords were dulled, and broken spear shafts were replaced with tree branches, some still covered in unpeeled bark.

Yuan Xi and Yuan Shang entered the city to see Gongsun Kang. The two brothers were so thin that their cheekbones protruded. Yuan Xi's beard was unkempt and disheveled, with graying temples. Yuan Shang was even thinner, his eyes sunken like two black holes, his lips cracked and bleeding, blood seeping from them as he spoke.

Gongsun Kang received them in the main hall of the prefectural governor's mansion. There was no one else in the hall except Liu Yi, who stood to the side. The fire in the furnace was burning brightly, the charcoal inside crackling and sparks flying out and landing on the brick floor, quickly extinguishing the flames.

Yuan Xi cupped his hands in greeting. "Prefect Gongsun. The Yuan family and the Gongsun family of Liaodong have been on good terms for generations. When my late father was alive, he also corresponded with your father, Prefect Gongsun. Now that my brother and I are in distress, we beg the Prefect to take us in."

Gongsun Kang had a servant bring up some hot tea. It was coarse tea with a lot of foam, but it was scalding hot. Yuan Shang picked it up and drank it all in one gulp, his lips trembling from the heat. He then reached for a second bowl. He had been drinking porridge for a while, and the smell of hot tea made his hands tremble involuntarily.

"Please enjoy your meal, Second Young Master," Gongsun Kang said calmly. "What are your plans for the future, Second Young Master?"

Yuan Xi said, "My brother and I want to borrow troops from Liaodong to gather the remnants of the Wuhuan and make a comeback. Although Liu Bei has won, he doesn't have many troops in Youzhou. As long as we can gather troops from Liaodong and the Wuhuan, we may not be unable to fight."

Gongsun Kang nodded without speaking. He glanced at Liu Yi. Liu Yi shook his head slightly, the movement so small it was almost imperceptible.

"Second Young Master, you must be tired from your long journey. Please rest at the inn first. As for the matter of sending troops, allow me two days to consider it." Gongsun Kang stood up and gestured for him to proceed.