The Scheme (2)
Before long, word reached Luoyang that Han Yeong would be withdrawing his army to Yong Province, driven back by Dong Zhuo's mobilization.
"Hahaha!! Your stratagem is truly wondrous beyond measure!"
Ding Yuan burst into booming laughter, marveling at Zhang Yang's scheme and applauding with all his might.
A man who had spent his career wrangling politics against the Clear Stream Faction, he was well-versed in the art of schemes and maneuvering—and he had a natural gift for plots that made use of other people.
The most terrifying thing in this world is a man with nothing left to lose.
And Han Yeong, by an unlucky twist of fate, had left precisely such a man behind as a lingering threat when he came to Luoyang.
That man was Dong Zhuo.
He had lost Yong Province—his vast, fertile domain—along with the loyal, valorous generals who had followed him, his own blood kin, and even his son-in-law, a strategist of exceptional cunning. No one in all the world burned with fury toward Han Yeong more fiercely than he did.
Wealth was sent to Dong Zhuo, who harbored a deep grudge against Han Yeong for driving him out and seizing Luoyang.
The advice that came with it was to use that treasure to ally with the warlords of Yang Province—men who had earned Han Yeong's disfavor at the Battle of Chidi and been passed over for command—and strike Han Yeong from behind.
Dong Zhuo accepted without a moment's hesitation, displaying the same shrewd command that had once led a mighty host, and somehow managed to stage his comeback.
With supply lines to worry about and his base of operations to protect, Han Yeong had no choice but to pull his army back and return to Yong Province.
Even if he went to Yong Province and crushed Dong Zhuo utterly this time, by the time he returned to Luoyang, Ding Yuan would have already consolidated power completely.
Was this not the true meaning of Using Barbarians to Control Barbarians?
If Han Yeong withdrew like this, hollow and defeated, no one in Luoyang would be left to stand in his way.
"Hahahaha!! The whelp let his youth and hot blood run ahead of his head—that's how he made such a blunder!"
Of course, Han Yeong had prepared for exactly this contingency, planning to finish Dong Zhuo off completely before marching on Luoyang—but the Eunuchs' Rebellion had erupted earlier than expected and thrown his plans into disarray. Knowing nothing of this, Ding Yuan busied himself belittling Han Yeong.
"But we must prepare for any eventuality. Summon Zhang Yan and Guo Tai to the capital."
"Yes, we should. He might refuse to let go of power and come lunging back at us."
Promised high offices, Zhang Yan and Guo Tai both declared they would join him at once.
'At last... the world of this man, Jianyang, is within my grasp!!'
Ding Yuan had been seething with rage not long ago, having been spectacularly outmaneuvered by Han Yeong's stratagems, but his simple nature let him forget it in short order.
With supreme power—above one man, above ten thousand—finally within sight, and with the thought of Han Yeong scurrying home in disgrace, his anger had evaporated in an instant.
"...By the way, to whom have you entrusted the defense of the palace?"
"I originally entrusted it to Wang Zhi, but I summoned him to the military camp. For now, it rests with the colonel who was the first to pledge allegiance to me."
Wang Zhi had considerable skill with the sword within Ding Yuan's military household, which was why he had been given charge of the Emperor's protection—but Ding Yuan's blundering had so gutted his forces that he lacked commanders to lead troops, and Wang Zhi had been called to the camp instead.
"A man who defected from Luoyang? Whom do you mean?"
"Colonel of the Vanguard, Cao Cao. So quick is she to read the currents of the age that she came bearing tribute, offering to serve me."
Greedy as he was, Ding Yuan doted on Cao Cao, who had shrewdly presented him with bribes of considerable value.
She had long served in office in Luoyang, was brilliant, and overall excellent besides—there was no reason not to employ her.
She had even dug up the weaknesses of several court officials and presented them to him.
And so Ding Yuan trusted her, gave her important responsibilities, and placed her in charge of guarding the Prince of Chenliu.
"Cao Cao?!"
Zhang Yang knew her name from her days in the Grand General's administration, and his face drained of color.
It was a fact known throughout the realm that she had never cowered before the might of the Ten Eunuchs—when Jian Shi's uncle broke the law, she had beaten him to a brutal death with a cudgel.
As a minor official, she had committed the grave crime of clubbing a eunuch's uncle to death, but Cao Teng—a towering figure of the eunuch world and, in effect, the Ten Eunuchs' own benefactor—was Cao Cao's grandfather, and no one dared lay a hand on his granddaughter.
Her father, Cao Song, was a colossus of the political world in his own right, having served as Grand Minister of Agriculture and risen all the way to Grand Commandant, wielding enormous influence in Luoyang.
Jian Shi had been furious at his uncle's murder and moved to punish Cao Cao, but thanks to her connections he settled for demoting her.
Yet even stripped of her office, she had reclaimed her post in Luoyang as Colonel of the Vanguard through her merits in the Yellow Turban Rebellion, and had served ably as one of He Jin's close confidantes.
Wasn't her sworn friend Yuan Shao, at this very moment, the leading figure of the Clear Stream Faction?
Zhang Yang felt distinctly uneasy about Cao Cao—unbowed by power, and possessed of ability and connections that rivaled or exceeded even Han Yeong's.
"You know of her?"
But Ding Yuan, ignorant of the intricacies of Luoyang politics, knew little of Cao Cao in detail.
"...I do, General. However, Colonel Cao Cao is an exceedingly difficult person to handle. It would be wiser to entrust the Prince of Chenliu's protection to someone else..."
"Heh heh, surely nothing will come of it."
Among the proud officials of Luoyang, Ding Yuan cherished Cao Cao precisely because she had been the first to come bearing tribute and curry his favor.
Her military skill and cunning were said to be outstanding as well. Once her loyalty was proven, she would serve admirably as a general to replace Lu Bu.
'....... She knows nothing yet, which is why she saved my life. But if she ever learns of what I did in the past, it would be no surprise if she came for my head.'
It wasn't only that Lu Bu defied him and threatened his position—there were other reasons to cast out his adopted daughter.
It had happened so long ago that no official documents would remain, and He Jin was dead besides. Aside from his own inner circle, no one alive knew of the affair.
'But still, one can never be too careful. I must be prepared to discard Lu Bu at any time.'
Even though she had barely escaped death, Ding Yuan's attitude toward Lu Bu had not changed.
She had all the makings of a rebel, and she dared voice opinions in opposition to his own. However valiant she might be, keeping her in continued service was untenable.
He far preferred an obedient general like Cao Cao to the veterans who had long served in his military household.
"Regardless, I do wonder what Han Yeong is doing right about now."
"No doubt preparing to hurry back to his lair as we speak."
Ding Yuan and Zhang Yang were wearing crooked smiles, sharing a laugh at Han Yeong's predicament of having to crawl back to his stronghold, when a soldier entered.
"General!! A letter from the Colonel of the Vanguard!"
"Oh?"
Ding Yuan glanced over the letter the soldier handed him, skimmed it carelessly, and tossed it aside.
"What is it?"
"Ah, nothing of consequence. Merely word that one Wang Yi, appointed to fill the vacant post of Grand Administrator of Hedong, is departing Luoyang."
Cao Cao's problem seemed to be that she was loyal to a fault. As if a backwater like Hedong mattered.
Ding Yuan paid little attention to whichever official was newly appointed to Hedong.
***
'I'll have to act more boldly from now on.'
I closed my eyes and reflected on how things had gone.
This time, in trying to somehow leverage my knowledge of history's broad currents, I'd let myself be dragged around by circumstances far too often.
There had been things that went wrong from clumsily trying to mirror Dong Zhuo's moves from the original history in Yong Province.
'And judging by what Ding Yuan is up to, an Anti-Ding Yuan Coalition will probably spring up before long.'
Failing to stop the succession and throwing the country into chaos stung, admittedly. But what could I do? It was already too late.
I would finish Dong Zhuo off completely before the coalition could form. Recruit talent, stockpile resources through sound governance, and be fully prepared for whatever came.
Unlike the original history, Yong Province was within our sphere of influence, which meant we could cross through Nanyang Commandery of Jing Province and join forces with the coalition of Guandong.
"...Well. Withdrawing really is the right call, isn't it?"
"Yes, my lord. The opportunity will surely come again."
Jia Xu too predicted this would not be the end, and she approved of returning to Yong Province.
Our army was making preparations to return to Chang'an.
"So. What will it be? Surrender and follow me? Or die here?"
"........"
I put the question to the general kneeling before me in bonds—Xu Rong.
Xu Rong had miraculously survived Pang De's arrow, only to be taken prisoner. When he heard that Ding Yuan had fled with his men and that Lu Bu had turned back with only her own soldiers, the sense of betrayal on his face was unmistakable.
Once his arrow wound had healed, I had summoned him to settle what to do with him.
Though his martial prowess was nothing to boast of compared to other famed generals, I rated his strategic brilliance highly.
He had driven the Tiger of Jiangdong and the Hero of Chaos to the very brink of death—refusing to recruit him would have been stranger than offering.
"........ Take me in, my lord."
In the eyes of Xu Rong, abandoned by the lord he had served, a fierce thirst for vengeance blazed.
"If you will accept a defeated general such as me, I will serve you unto death, like the horse or the dog I am."
"Good. Wise choice."
As an aside, I'd have simply killed him if he hadn't.
If only the man hadn't dug in and held out so stubbornly, we could have taken Ding Yuan's head and won the war outright.
Perhaps that was why some of my generals had argued for his execution.
"Cut him loose."
"Yes, my lord."
At my word, Pang De swept her crescent blade through the air with cool indifference and severed Xu Rong's bonds.
"Why the guandao, of all things..."
"Is there some complaint?"
"...None."
Confronted with Pang De's frosty demeanor and curt words, Xu Rong folded at once.
It didn't show on her face, but perhaps because Pang De too nursed a grudge against Ding Yuan and Lu Bu for Ma Chao's injury, there was an edge to her voice.
Xu Rong, whose stand had very nearly doomed our victory, had earned no goodwill from her.
Xu Rong, who had been struck from his horse by Pang De's arrow and hovered between life and death, had utterly lost his swagger.
'....... In the end, the only thing we gained from this expedition was Xu Rong.'
If this had been an ordinary campaign, I would have been reasonably satisfied with that.
But considering we had failed to stop the succession, lost the Xiliang cavalry to Lu Bu, and seen Ma Chao wounded, the outcome stung more than a little.
If only we had at least secured Xun You, I could have taken some satisfaction in the results.......
The one other bright spot? We'd forged connections with Cao Cao and Yuan Shao.
"My lord."
Just then, Yan Xing—who had been directing the soldiers in preparations for the return to Yang Province—stepped into the tent.
"A man we met before has come asking for an audience with you, my lord."
"Met before? Who?"
"Do you remember the bodyguards of Colonel Cao Cao? He is one of them."
Cao Cao's bodyguard?
'Why would Cao Cao's officer come looking for me?'
"...Show him in."
Puzzled by the unexpected visit, I nonetheless granted him entry—I owed her a favor, after all.