Han Ji

Mid-May. Ji County.

The two wooden boxes that Qian Zhao brought back from Liaodong were placed on the table in the main hall of the prefectural governor's mansion. The boxes were made of pine wood, unpainted, with rough wood grain, and marks left by the hemp rope that had been tied around them.

Liu Bei opened the wooden box, glanced inside, and then closed it again. The human head inside, preserved with lime, no longer showed its original complexion, but the outline of Yuan Shao's son was still visible: Yuan Xi's broad forehead and Yuan Shang's pointed chin.

"Gongsun Kang acted quickly enough."

"He's afraid," Qian Zhao said. "He's afraid we'll cross the Liao River."

"It's good that you're afraid. A afraid person won't act rashly." Liu Bei closed the wooden box tightly. "Send these two heads to Ye City. Have Xun Yu display them in Ye City for three days, then bury them. Bury them according to the rites for a scholar-official."

Jia Xu asked, "Why not send it back to Yuan's former subordinates?"

"I won't send them off. To bury them according to the rites of a scholar-official is just a show for the living. There are still many gentry in Hebei who remember the Yuan family. Let them see that I, Liu Bei, am not one to exterminate them all. But let them also see that the Yuan family is finished."

Outside Jixian City, the army began packing up. Tents were dismantled, stove pits were filled in, broken bowls used for porridge were buried in ditches, and horse posts were pulled from the ground, the mud they brought up still damp and covered with grass roots and earthworms.

The soldiers lined up at the city gate, their armor polished and their swords sharpened. They were returning to Ye City from Ji County, watched over by people along the way. The people of Youzhou lined both sides of the official road to see them off. It wasn't just a few old men and women, nor was it a pre-arranged incense table; it was entire villages and towns of people seeing them off.

Men from a village came carrying loads of freshly harvested millet, its golden grain the last autumn's harvest. They poured the millet onto mats by the roadside and knelt, saying, "Prime Minister, please don't go hungry as you pass by."

The village women steamed buns overnight. The buns were made from coarse grain flour, dark in color, but soft and still steaming in your hands. The women stuffed the buns into the soldiers' hands, but the soldiers hesitated to take them. They looked back at their officers, who nodded, and only then did they take them. They took a bite; the dough was coarse, but sweet—the sweetness of fresh grain.

Liu Bei rode on his jade-white horse, the reins loose, letting the horse walk on its own. The people on both sides of the road crowded together. An old man with a cane raised his cane above his head and shouted "Long live the Prime Minister!" A woman holding a baby squeezed to the front, hoping her child could catch a glimpse of Liu Bei. The child was looking at the horse, but Liu Bei's horse was too tall, and even with the child craning their neck, they couldn't see clearly. In frustration, the child tugged at their own ear.

In the middle of the column were the strongest of the surrendered Wuhuan soldiers, incorporated into the Han army's supplementary battalion. They carried newly issued spears, their steps not yet synchronized, but they marched earnestly. Behind the column were the Qiang cavalry, the Shaodang Qiang men led by Riwo, riding on short-legged horses with their manes braided and tied with red ropes. The Qiang men hummed tunes from the grasslands, tunes without words, only the melody of "ah-ya-ya," which was carried by the wind to the roadside, where some people hummed along.

After passing Zhuo County, the official road widened. Farmland stretched out on both sides, and the wheat began to sprout ears. The ears of wheat were still green, and when the wind blew, the wheat waves rolled from near to far, all the way to the horizon.

Farmers in the fields were bending over to hoe the ground. When they heard the army passing by, they looked up and saw that someone recognized the large banner and shouted that it was the Prime Minister. Everyone in the fields straightened up and looked toward the official road.

We arrived in Ye City in early June. The city gates of Ye City were wide open, and Xun Yu, accompanied by civil officials, greeted us at the gate. The guards on the city walls all looked down and paid their respects.

The streets of Ye City were crowded with people. Although the lanterns were not yet ready for the New Year, some people hung leftover lanterns at their doors, while others threw paper flowers down from their buildings. These paper flowers were leftover red paper from cutting paper-cuts for the New Year, torn into pieces and thrown down, scattering them all over the street.

Liu Bei dismounted outside Ye City. He handed the reins to Zhang Wu and walked to Xun Yu. The two looked at each other for a moment. Xun Yu had lost a lot of weight, and there were a few more gray hairs at his temples, but his back was still straight. He held the seal of the governor in his hands and presented it forward with both hands. Liu Bei reached out and took it, weighing it in his hand.

"Wenruo, you've worked hard."

"You have worked hard, my lord. The battle of White Wolf Mountain has brought ten years of peace to the border."

The two walked back to the governor's mansion side by side.

Juancheng.

Cao Cao stood in the study of the governor's mansion. It was raining outside the window, a light drizzle that washed the leaves of the paulownia trees in the courtyard until they shone. He had just returned from Qingzhou, and his boots were still covered in mud from there; he hadn't had time to change them when Cheng Yu and Xun You arrived.

Cao Cao read through the victory report, which stated that Liu Bei had sent his head to Hebei. The report was a copy; the original was sent to the court. It detailed the Battle of White Wolf Mountain:

Leaving Lulong Pass, they traversed two hundred li of mountains, heading straight for Bailang Mountain, where they beheaded Tadun in battle and captured tens of thousands. The report concluded with the statement, "Two hundred thousand Han and non-Han surrendered and were settled in Youzhou." Cao Cao put down the victory report and slapped his hand on the table.

"Tadun is dead. The Wuhuan have surrendered. Yuan Xi and Yuan Shang have been killed by Gongsun Kang. Hebei is all his now."

Cheng Yu said, "Liu Bei's next move will be south."

"I know." Cao Cao stood up and walked to the map. The map now showed newly marked locations in Qingzhou, with Pingyuan, Jinan, and Le'an marked with the character "Cao." The remnants of the Yuan clan in Beihai had also been wiped out by Xiahou Dun last month. Qingzhou was now entirely Cao Cao's territory. But looking west, Jizhou, Youzhou, and Bingzhou were all in Liu Bei's hands.

Looking south, Yu Province was also in Liu Bei's hands. Liu Bei's territory resembled an inverted bowl, pressing down on Cao Cao from the east, north, and west. He now had the sea to the east, so he didn't need to defend that direction. To the north and west, Liu Bei was the only threat.

"Qingzhou must be digested as soon as possible." Cao Cao pointed to the location of Qingzhou with his finger. "Recruit refugees to cultivate land, build salt ponds, and construct water fortresses. Salt fields along the coast of Qingzhou, from Xiapi to Donglai, must be built. If there are not enough salt pans, build new ones, and divert seawater for evaporation. Exchange salt for money, and use the money to support the army."

We also have a navy; we're building ships in Qingzhou. Liu Bei's Gan Ning is already training a navy on the Huai River. If a real war breaks out, it won't just be a contest of cavalry and infantry, but also of naval power.

Xun You said, "A shipyard can be set up along the coast of Xiapi. Timber can be transported from Xuzhou."

"That's settled then. Cheng Yu, you go to Qingzhou to oversee the land reclamation. Fengxiao, you keep an eye on Xuzhou. First, plant crops and boil salt. Once we have grain and salt, we can talk about other things." Cao Cao turned to look out the window. The rain was getting heavier, the raindrops pattering on the tiles. The pomegranate tree in the courtyard was in bloom, a few orange-red blossoms knocked off by the rain and stuck to the blue brick ground. He murmured, "He's fast, I can't be slow."

Jiangdong. Wu County.

Sun Quan reviewed the autumn harvest accounts submitted by various counties in the main hall of the governor's mansion. The new recruits of the Shanyue tribes had been training for nearly a year and were being added to the various armies. The population and arable land of the six counties of Jiangdong were both increasing.

Looking west, Jingzhou was still in Liu Biao's hands. Looking north, Cao Cao and Liu Bei controlled the area north of the Yangtze River. Looking south, Jiaozhou had not yet submitted to the emperor.

A servant led a man in. The man was dressed in a long blue robe, around forty years old, with a square face, a long beard, and spoke slowly and deliberately. He bowed respectfully as soon as he entered.

"General Sun of Jiangdong. I am Jian Yong, and I have come here on the orders of Chancellor Liu Bei."

Sun Quan stood up from behind his desk and looked Jian Yong up and down. Jian Yong was also looking Sun Quan up and down. Sun Quan was seven or eight years younger than Liu Bei, with a purple beard, square jaw, and green eyes. He wasn't tall, but he had broad shoulders. He was mature beyond his years, and his face, though only in his twenties, already showed the composure of a forty-year-old.

"Mr. Jian, please have a seat."

"The Prime Minister sent me, Jian Yong, on behalf of Liu Biao." Jian Yong got straight to the point. "Liu Biao is seriously ill, and his two sons in Jingzhou are vying for the throne. Sooner or later, chaos will ensue. The Prime Minister wants to invite General Sun to jointly attack Jingzhou. After the success, northern Jingzhou will belong to the Prime Minister, and southern Jingzhou, including the four commanderies of Changsha, Lingling, Guiyang, and Wuling, will belong to General Sun."