The Northern Grand Duke
“What?! What happened at Hulao Pass?”
“General Lü was gravely wounded in battle against one of Colonel Gongsun’s subordinates. Physician Zhang managed to keep him alive, but he was struck by some kind of sorcery and has gone mad.”
“Sorcery? Nonsense! There are no such things as ghosts or demons in this world!”
“Colonel Gongsun’s subordinate threw a small lump of iron. The heavens roared, and fragments scattered in every direction. Every soldier and officer at Hulao Pass witnessed it. It seems the rumors that Colonel Gongsun is close with Daoists are true after all.”
Dong Zhuo now held the capital in his grip, yet his rule was far from smooth. Having seized the realm through coup, he naturally had to reward his loyalists with positions—and while he was at it, his own relatives as well. The established gentry of the Clean Stream faction found themselves shut out of the rewards, and their resentment soon fermented into another revolution. The people of this land, formed around the same era as Rome, seemed to share a similar fondness for civil war. The Liang Province troops suffered mounting losses, and in exchange for their blood they purchased the administrative posts once held by the Clean Stream faction. The displaced gentry then flocked to Yuan Shu’s revolutionary army.
“Can we bring Lü Fengxian back to Luoyang?”
“Hulao Pass is completely surrounded. It will be difficult.”
Even in this era, manuals existed for the proper treatment of wounded soldiers—though the times and circumstances often made following them impossible.
“Damn it… Send Li Ru to seal off Hulao Pass. Tell him to ask for whatever he needs.”
“Yes, sir!”
Lü Bu, a man of Bing Province, was a peerless warrior worthy of the title “Lü Bu among men.” He had never lost a battle and had been Dong Zhuo’s secret weapon, the one man who could turn any fight into a victory. Sent to hold the gateway to Luoyang at Hulao Pass, he had once again been undone by Gongsun Zan.
‘…An enemy… or perhaps…’
“Ah, I heard Gongsun Zan has taken Ji Province as well?”
“Yes. What shall we do?”
“A punitive expedition… No, no need for that. I should pay a visit to His Majesty first.”
An idea had formed in Dong Zhuo’s mind.
“His Majesty?”
“Yes. A tripod with two legs wobbles, but one with three stands firm. Wouldn’t you agree?”
“You intend to grant Gongsun Zan power?”
“Me? No… not quite. If I hand him power outright, my own men will complain. I’m merely acknowledging what he already holds. Once I do that, those so-called coalition lords… heh… will tear each other apart trying to strike him down.”
“You mean to use the strategy of setting barbarians against barbarians… But can we truly control Gongsun Zan?”
“We simply leave him be. That fellow has no interest in stirring up trouble just to seize more land.”
“…What makes you so certain?”
“If he were as greedy as I am, he would have marched straight on Luoyang the moment he defeated Fengxian. He would have used that thunderous weapon of his to smash open the gates of Hulao Pass and come for my head.”
“Could it be a spell he can only use once a day?”
“No, no… I think I finally understand. Remember the stories from when he fought the Yellow Turbans?”
Gongsun Zan’s war against the Yellow Turbans had produced surprisingly few casualties. His heavy cavalry charges, the Jincheonroe, and his own fearsome reputation had broken enemy morale before blades were even drawn. The surviving Yellow Turban remnants claimed Gongsun Zan had hurled a “thundering iron bead” at Zhang Jue’s head. Dong Zhuo had dismissed it as coward’s talk, but it seemed they had spoken the truth.
“It isn’t sorcery. It’s a technique. Some new weapon forged with knowledge we don’t possess.”
“Then it’s even more dangerous, isn’t it? If every one of his Liaodong soldiers carries such a fearsome weapon… So that’s why you want to keep him content with a bone to chew on.”
“Exactly. You’ve got it. Ji Province and You Province… Ji and You… Is that old man, the Inspector of You Province, still in Luoyang?”
“Yes. The Prince of Bohai has Gongsun Zan and Liu Bei—Liu Xuande?—some imperial relative we’ve never heard of watching over him, so the old man declared he would remain in Luoyang to serve the Emperor.”
“Good. Send word that I wish to meet him.”
“Yes, Grand Commandant.”
Even with Lü Bu fallen, the siege of Hulao Pass dragged on. Sudden rains had turned the ground to mud, and with Yuan Shao’s army shattered there were no fresh victims left to bleed.
“Yuan Shao, my friend… Why did you do it?”
Deep within the makeshift prison built to hold those who broke military law or Dong Zhuo’s spies, Yuan Shao sat bound from head to toe.
“…”
“It’s over. Your own men have already confessed everything. You wanted the post of Governor of Ji Province so you could hold the Emperor hostage?”
“Emperor Liu Bian is Dong Zhuo’s puppet. He cannot be called the legitimate ruler of Han. He is nothing but a figurehead. Cao Mengde! You know this better than anyone! In all of Han, the only true loyalists left are you and me!”
“Yuan Shao, my friend…”
Conflicting emotions warred across Cao Cao’s face: joy that his greatest rival had fallen so absurdly, sorrow that his friend had fallen so absurdly, rage at the treachery of a man he had believed loyal, and self-loathing for having trusted him.
“The late Emperor himself appointed him. If his ability is lacking, then we simply fill the gaps. You weren’t trying to support him—you were trying to hold him hostage.”
“Are you going to insult me the way that street rat Yuan Shu did?”
“I’m asking because I’m curious! Just curious! You come from a fine family, your post as Colonel of the City Gates isn’t low, and neither of us is too old to rise higher. Why dirty your hands with Black Mountain bandits and hostage-taking just to claw for more power?”
“Heh… Heh heh… You’re right…”
Yuan Shao lowered his head and let out a long sigh.
“I wonder why I did it…”
Power had been sweet, yet it had hidden poison within that sweetness. Only after losing everything he had held did Yuan Shao understand.
“Aman, my friend.”
“Don’t call me that. You’re a traitor.”
“Don’t become like me. That’s my final advice as your friend.”
“Of course not.”
“…And if you can help it, don’t provoke Gongsun Zan. Looking back, I realize I was dancing in the palm of his hand from beginning to end. Heh… Heh heh… Aman, how about a wager?”
“Shut up. It’s late. I’m leaving.”
“I think the Emperor—no, Dong Zhuo—no, either way, they’ll give Gongsun Zan both You and Ji Provinces.”
Cao Cao’s steps faltered as he turned to leave.
“Tell him to fight well without Ji Province’s grain stores.”
“…Thanks for the advice.”
Cao Cao walked away. The unoiled door creaked shut, and Yuan Shao’s low laughter seeped through the gap.
Gongsun Zan, Colonel of Liaodong, has punished the agents of Yuan Shao, who dared raise arms against the imperial house, and together with Han Fu, Governor of Ji Province, has safeguarded the safety of the Prince of Bohai. Han Fu, citing advanced age, has requested retirement and recommended Gongsun Zan as his successor. We hereby appoint Gongsun Zan as Governor of Ji Province to bring stability to the realm. Furthermore, Liu Yu, Inspector of You Province and an imperial clansman, has resigned his post to devote himself to serving Us. We likewise entrust the governorship of You Province to Gongsun Zan. We hereby merge Ji and You Provinces into the State of Yan, appoint Gongsun Zan as Duke of Yan, and charge him with shielding Han from the northern barbarians.
“We beseech Your Majesty to grant this!”
“Minister of Education Wang Yun, do you have an objection?”
“Your Majesty, entrusting both You and Ji Provinces to a single man is far too dangerous. Moreover, Gongsun Zan seized Ji Province by force. We beg you to reconsider whether he may truly be called a loyal subject!”
““We beg you to reconsider!””
“Minister of Education Wang Yun, the officials of Ji Province hid the Prince of Bohai—my own younger brother! Do you mean to protect those who dared lay hands on him?”
“Your Majesty, how could we possibly—”
Dong Zhuo used the Emperor as a mere stamp, yet the imperial authority had not vanished entirely. It was a shadow of the absolute power the previous emperor had wielded, but still enough to appoint a single border lord. Dong Zhuo had proposed making Gongsun Zan the Duke of Yan, yet the young Emperor still hoped his brother would not become a puppet like himself. Dong Zhuo was a terrifying man, and the Clean Stream faction he had once trusted now stood paralyzed at Hulao Pass, unable to demonstrate their worth.
“The matter is already decided. I would prefer no further debate.”
“Long live His Imperial Majesty! Long live! Ten thousand years!”
““…Long live, long live, ten thousand years…””
At Dong Zhuo’s lead, the ministers bowed in obeisance. Seated directly below the Emperor, Dong Zhuo himself offered no bow.