The Princess of Bohai's Resolve
“Damn it! Damn it, damn it, damn it!”
In the empty office, Yuan Shao slammed his desk repeatedly, seething with rage. He had secured the post of Colonel of the Capital. That was good, at least. Within the capital province, it was an office akin to a king’s. But inside the Colonel’s headquarters where the true Emperor resided, that “king” held far less power than the title suggested. Too many eyes watched him; he could not freely gather private troops, nor could he wield authority as he pleased when so many high officials of the Clean Stream faction stood in his way. All this just to claim the Colonel’s seat, and he had lost a general who was like his own right arm. No matter how he calculated it, the trade was nothing but loss.
“Gongsun Zan! I treated you as a friend!”
That man must have known An Liang served under Yuan Shao. When Gongsun Zan had returned the Left Colonel post and departed for Liaodong, it was An Liang who had stopped him. They had even shared drinks as drinking companions and met face to face several times.
“Summon my retainers!”
He needed his next move. The Colonel’s post was too small to satisfy Yuan Shao’s ambitions.
I need a plan… I need to find a way. Things must grow more chaotic…
According to his calculations, far greater turmoil should have erupted at Mengjin Port. Even the most skilled guards there could never have matched An Liang’s martial prowess, and Dong Zhuo of Xiliang and Zheng Yuan of Bing Province were wolves at heart; they would have used the pretext of crushing the Black Mountain bandits to march into Luoyang and throw the capital into disorder. Yet every part of that plan had unraveled—because of Gongsun Zan’s whim to simply board a ship.
“Xun Yuqing, Xun Xin. I must seize Gongsun Zan. Prepare a scheme.”
“C-Colonel?!”
“No… leave Gongsun Zan for now. Gather assassins instead.”
“Assassins… you say?”
“It is true that the Black Mountain bandits once received patronage from the Ten Eunuchs, but that was a desperate measure to prevent them from luring the Yellow Turban rebels from the rear during the great rebellion. The ills that would follow were obvious, yet it was necessary to avert the calamity of that age. Once the ministers have clearly understood the causes and consequences of that affair, let them submit their impeachment memorials again.”
“Your Majesty! No matter how great the Yellow Turban Rebellion was, the Han did not stagger so badly that it required such desperate stratagems! Handing treasures and grain to the Black Mountain bandits was nothing less than letting the guest become the master! We beg Your Majesty to see this clearly!”
““We beg Your Majesty to see this clearly!””
Emperor Liu Bian had never received a proper education. He had learned the basics under a Taoist, but that was training for living as an ordinary man, not for ruling the myriad peoples of the realm as Emperor. The Clean Stream faction, by contrast, were political ghosts steeped in the Confucian learning that governed this era, seasoned intriguers who had honed their rhetoric through the long years of the Partisan Prohibition. They were far too formidable for a young Emperor to face, and he lacked the confidence to refute every one of their arguments. It would have been better if the imperial authority had been strong enough, as in the previous Emperor’s time, to simply silence them by force. But after the Yellow Turban Rebellion, the Clean Stream’s influence had grown too great; their mouths could no longer be forcibly shut.
“…Therefore, understand the causes and consequences, then submit your memorials again.”
All Liu Bian could do was buy a little time. Naturally, the confrontation between the Ten Eunuchs and the Clean Stream faction grew ever more heated. Within days it became commonplace for assassins to pass between the two camps, and for unlucky ministers to die as a result.
“Ghh!”
Even He Jin was not safe from that tide of blood.
—Clang!
A metallic scrape rang from the Hosimgap hidden beneath his robes. His body staggered. The assailant fled down the alley.
“General?! Seize him! It’s an assassin! The Grand General has been attacked!”
“Colonel Cao… ugh… I’m fine.”
“Grand General, are you all right?”
“Colonel Yuan gifted me this Hosimgap. With the current state of affairs so turbulent, I’ve been wearing it under my clothes every day.”
He Jin lifted his robes to show the armor. The steel plate over his heart was deeply dented, but not pierced.
“For now, return to the Imperial Guards and… gather the troops… seal off Luoyang. The assassin struck straight for my heart… ugh, clearly a trained professional.”
“Yes, sir!”
Whoever it was, they had crossed the line.
“Colonel Cao, summon Colonel Yuan. I must see Elder Guo Sheng. After that, call the Tiger and Leopard Colonel so we can arrest the ministers one by one.”
“Is that not dangerous?”
“Colonel Cao, assassinating me would be the act of a fool. If anyone claims to have discovered evidence of who ordered my death… that person is the culprit.”
He Jin had too many connections. Though those connections fought among themselves, none of them would be stupid enough to kill He Jin. Since no fool remained in Luoyang, this had to be a scheme to frame someone.
Cao Cao, summoned by the Grand General’s order, made no attempt to hide his murderous aura. He carried the studded mace he had once used to beat the uncle of Jian Shi to death, flanked by his adjutants, the Xiahou brothers, and his troops. Without even removing his shoes, he strode into the Colonel’s residence and kicked open the door to Yuan Shao’s office.
“Was it you?”
“What are you referring to? As Colonel of the Capital I have so many duties that I cannot possibly guess what you mean.”
“The Grand General. Was it you?”
“Aman, that is a rather grim accusation. Have you developed paranoia?”
“Benchu, don’t cross the line.”
“I don’t know what you suspect, but it wasn’t me.”
“Then why gather assassins? Do my eyes look like knotholes to you?”
“Aman, I’ll speak plainly since it’s you and me. Even if I had planned to kill the Grand General, would I have done it so sloppily?”
“You son of a bitch. So you do have treason in your heart.”
“Watch your tongue. What reason would I, a descendant of the Yuan clan and Colonel of the Capital, have to harbor treason? What more would you have me say to a madman who breaks down my door in broad daylight?”
“Yuan Shao!”
“Cao Cao, I too have men searching for the culprit. I gathered assassins only to keep them from being hired by more sinister men. How many enemies does the Grand General have in Luoyang right now? Because he is so indecisive, he ended up inviting disaster.”
He Jin’s appearance could seem indecisive at first glance. His influence was spread too widely, and he had to consider the interests of every faction when making policy. Yet every decision he made involved careful thought and deliberation, and Cao Cao, who had served at his side, knew this. At least in Cao Cao’s eyes, He Jin was a loyal minister who had worked tirelessly to extend the Han’s lifespan even a little.
“…Was he badly hurt?”
“No. Thanks to the Hosimgap you gave him, he kept his life. He’s resting in his office, a little shaken.”
“That’s a relief.”
“Colonel! We found him! We found him! It was Dong Zhuo! Dong Zhuo did it!”
The name that reached them was one no one had expected.
“Son-in-law, is this truly the right plan?”
“Yes. There is no need to hide it. They will fail to follow Your Excellency’s grand design and destroy themselves.”
“Hmm… this doesn’t feel right. Isn’t it too dangerous?”
At the Wuwei Army of Xiliang, Dong Zhuo had returned to his stronghold immediately after his talk with Gongsun Zan and assembled his forces.
“General, why did you leave Luoyang?”
“Because a bloodbath was obviously coming. If I’d stayed and gotten caught up in it, I’d have lost my head.”
“That is precisely why. At least in others’ eyes, you are not a man who would harm the state. When they hear your name, they will not think of summoning you for questioning; they will imagine an ‘enemy’ using your name and accuse one another of slander while they fight.”
“Oh?”
“Well, if you had wanted an easier path, I would have told you to use Gongsun Zan’s name instead…”
“Enough. Don’t speak of my sworn brother. That would be stirring up a hornet’s nest.”
“General, why are you so wary of Gongsun Zan?”
“Son-in-law, you haven’t seen that head of his, so you can say such things.”
Dong Zhuo was one of the few who had seen Zhang Jue’s head. Torn apart, crushed, burned. The pieces gathered again and sewn with thread. The eyes had been scorched with hot iron until they were half-melted and oozing. Several fragments were missing, leaving the features a grotesque mess.
“Son-in-law, do you know what emotion most effectively prevents war?”
“Fear.”
“That’s right. Fear. And my sworn brother has a genius for creating that fear. I don’t know for certain, but any warlord who clashes with him will be recorded in history by the ugliest means possible.”
Zhang Jue had been proof enough. Despite commanding millions, he had been shattered by a mere ten thousand. He himself had been killed by a stone Gongsun Zan threw, and people refused to believe it, babbling nonsense about exploding rocks.
“It’s wiser for my sworn brother to strike last—absolutely last. Let the other young fools exhaust themselves first.”
Dong Zhuo did not consider retreat shameful, but he was no fool who charged into a fight with no gain. If he fought the troops of Luoyang and the Colonel’s residence, the benefits were clear. Fighting Gongsun Zan’s Liaodong army, however, would bring nothing but harm.
“Crossing into You Province just to steal a few horses is idiotic. Zheng Yuan’s son would be in danger too… but more than that, now is the time to focus on Luoyang. Let’s finish our preparations to move.”
“Yes, sir!”
“That bastard Li Jue will be delighted he finally gets to run wild.”
“You can say that again. He’ll be overjoyed to death.”
“Hahaha! Good. Very good.”
With a hearty laugh, Dong Zhuo raised his banner. Whether formally or because Li Ru’s plan had failed and brought censure, He Jin would summon Dong Zhuo. At least for now, the Clean Stream faction would rise to protect Dong Zhuo as one of their own, and Luoyang would become a muddy battlefield where every warlord gathered.
“Hahahaha! This Dong Zhongying has plenty of confidence in mud fights.”
He sent letters to his sworn brothers and inspected his weapons. A pleasant wind was blowing.
“Colonel! Is this Liaodong?!”
“This is Bohai Port. Liaodong lies several more days east of here.”
“…Your post was quite far away.”
“Still, it has its charms. Even the barbarians are people, after all.”
“Then… am I to be left here alone?”
“You have choices.”
Ah, they probably didn’t use the word “choices” in this era. I wasn’t sure. Either way, the meaning had been conveyed, so there was no need for tedious explanation.
“First, you may govern this place as Prince of Bohai, Liu Xie.”
“Th-that’s…”
“Second, you may live in Liaodong as an ordinary person, Liu Xie.”
“?!”
“Since we’ve come this far, I’ll speak honestly. The Han has no future left. I tried to hold it together as best I could, but once the Yellow Turban Rebellion erupted, the Han’s fate was already sealed.”
Think about it. Rebellions had broken out in eight of the thirteen provinces. In Korean terms, it was like every one of the eight southern provinces rising in revolt at once. Regardless of whether the situation could be salvaged, the moment rebellion erupted, the people had already turned their backs. That meant the country was finished.
“Moreover, it was not the Imperial Army that suppressed the Yellow Turbans, but the Clean Stream scholars who had been hiding in the provinces. The Clean Stream sounds noble, but they were simply local gentry rebuilding their power.”
“B-but aren’t you also a disciple of Lord Zigan, Colonel Gongsun?”
“That is exactly why you must choose. Will you live as Prince of Bohai, receiving Lord Liu Yu’s teachings and becoming a king in these troubled times, or will you live as an ordinary girl in Liaodong, beyond the chaos of the Central Plains?”
Either way, it made little difference to me. This was my own way of repaying a debt after living in this country for nearly thirty years. If she chose to live in Liaodong, I was willing to protect her until the day I died. Lord Liu Yu would disapprove, but… well, it wasn’t as if I had never done things he disliked before. I had done whatever I wanted.
“I… I…”
At her answer, a smile spread across my face.
“As a princess, I will see the Han through to its end. I may be young, weak, and foolish, but… I was born the Emperor’s daughter.”
“Correct answer.”
Again, the other choice would not have been wrong either. Yun would be disappointed—she had been looking forward to gaining a little sister.