Tianshui (2)
Upon hearing the shocking news, I rushed to Chang'an with my elite troops in tow.
But the distance between Chang'an and Luoyang was by no means short. However fast we moved, it took us better than a full day to reach the city — and by the time we arrived, everything in Chang'an had already been reduced to ash.
The sight left every one of us speechless. At the spectacle of an entire city trampled so pitilessly, I shut my eyes, the corners of them trembling.
"...Are you all right?"
Lü Bu had apparently been watching me, and she asked in a worried voice. When I opened my eyes again, there she was, wearing an expression of deep unease, as if she'd been turning something over in her mind.
"I was just thinking about something for a moment."
"..."
Lü Bu said nothing in reply.
Keeping my face composed so that the soldiers I had led here would not waver, I gave my orders.
"Tell the follow-up force to come as fast as they can. Let's handle the cleanup everywhere our hands can reach."
"Yes, sir!"
Had my own overly cautious approach brought about this outcome? Had I needlessly dragged things out, determined to advance in perfect readiness, only to let the moment slip away? Would the right call not have been to strike Dong Zhuo sooner, even at the cost of some losses?
Anyone could surely think that way. But I was hardly an omniscient, omnipotent being — how was I supposed to save every single person? This was a world far too cold and cruel for one to swing between elation and despair over a single death.
If I let guilt gnaw at me over each and every thing, I would simply collapse. Rather than groaning over what had already happened, it was time to start thinking about how to deal with the problem now in front of me.
So several days passed, the follow-up force arrived, and after making a full circuit of the city, I reached my conclusion.
Chang'an had been scorched to the bone. Every last building had been left as nothing but a trace of itself; the only things still alive were the handful of people who had clung to life by sheer fortune. I shook my head at the sheer malice of it — as if he had meant to leave behind not one single thing.
There was no fixing this quickly. Rebuilding the city was going to be a very long game indeed.
But not doing it was never an option, so I might as well write it down as one more venture that would devour money like a hippo at feeding time.
That bastard Dong Zhuo had probably counted on exactly this kind of response when he pulled his stunt. He had looted an entire metropolis, after all — he must have walked away with a mountain of gold and silver, enough to live fat and comfortable until the day he dropped dead.
He bought himself time and money in a single stroke.
Well, well. Two birds with one stone.
...And did he honestly think I would sit back and watch?
This was madness that had crossed the line a long, long way back. Did he really believe that after doing all this and fleeing to Xiliang, I wouldn't come after him?
The moment the bare minimum of cleanup was finished, I was going to collect. In full.
First, we decided to send the children who had lost their guardians to Luoyang, where they would be taken under protection. They were at an age when they needed love more than anything, and they had suffered wounds too deep to ever fully heal — but in an age of chaos, such things were heartbreakingly common.
Everyone capable of labor was to be put to work on the reconstruction of Chang'an. Even the elderly threw themselves into the restoration effort with burning zeal, so given enough money and time, the city could surely win back its old face.
Luoyang's population was already bursting at the seams, so before long we would begin accepting those who wished to resettle and slowly rebuild the city's numbers.
Bing Province, where the nomads come raiding, or a Chang'an in ruins? Even by my own standards, those were brutal options.
Still, people dreaming of a fresh start could be found anywhere, so I expected the migration would not prove all that difficult.
The real problem was money — specifically, where in the world to find it. Manpower and plans meant nothing in the end without funds; no money, nothing gets done.
The first harvest from Bing Province would be coming in soon, and I still had Luoyang, the wealthiest city of them all, so we could probably scrape by until the next tax collection...
I was tapping my knee with a finger, lost in thought, when a single scene flashed through my mind.
The words our darling Empress had once spoken to me, gazing at me with a look full of meaning.
"—My property is as good as yours, after all."
I still couldn't say for certain what she had intended by those words. But she was not the type to take back something she had already said.
If it was the fortune the Emperor of Han had raked in over a lifetime of running the realm into the ground, it could solve this problem! It wasn't for my own private gain, so tongues might wag, but it wouldn't be anything serious!
I shot up from my seat, left the residence, and swung into the saddle.
Seeing me mount, Lü Bu gave me a puzzled look.
"Where are you going all of a sudden?"
"To get money."
"Money?"
She looked even more baffled.
Gripping the reins, I said,
"I'm bringing Gao Shun and some soldiers along too."
"Oh... then... the day you get back will be Dong Zhuo's memorial day."
Lü Bu said in a bemused voice.
"...I'll have it ready for you."
"Thanks."
Turning away from Lü Bu as she nodded, I put Seo Yeo at my side and spurred my horse toward the imperial palace in Luoyang.
Looked like I'd be running myself ragged for a while yet.
"You wish to make use of the imperial treasury?"
"Yes, Your Majesty. It is to remedy the monstrous atrocities Dong Zhuo committed in Chang'an."
Granted an audience with the Empress at the imperial palace in Luoyang, I bowed my head respectfully. She sat upon her throne as she always did, gazing down at me.
"If Your Majesty would open the imperial treasury toward the restoration of Chang'an, the myriad people would sing Your Majesty's praises and—"
"Enough, enough. Do as you please — just spare me the honeyed words."
Perhaps judging that my speech would run long, the Empress cut the conversation short and approved my proposal.
"Did I not tell you before? What is mine is yours."
"..."
And there it was again, hitting me square in the chest.
I honestly had no idea how I was supposed to react. Was I meant to call it an honor? For now, I bowed low in courtesy.
"I am grateful for Your Majesty's grace."
"And how many times have I told you to speak at ease with me..."
"How could I ever presume to do so, Your Majesty?"
"Hmph. Knowing full well, and still keeping your distance — that is just slightly impertinent of you."
My head was bowed, so I couldn't see, but for some reason I had a feeling the Empress was sticking out her lower lip in a pout.
"Well, there is still plenty of time ahead. It will be fine."
Having grumbled at me a little, the Empress spoke again in a relaxed voice once some time had passed.
"You must be busy, so I shall not hold you any longer. You may withdraw now."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
At a wave of her hand from the throne, one of the officials in attendance handed me the imperial edict.
"Do come visit often from now on."
With my audience concluded, I took the edict and went straight to see Zhang Jue.
"Welcome."
Zhang Jue, in the middle of her work, greeted me warmly. Without a word of explanation, I handed the Empress's edict to her.
"I'm counting on you."
Quick on the uptake as ever, she caught my meaning at once and took the edict without missing a beat.
"You do seem in quite a hurry."
"Because there's no telling what Dong Zhuo might do next out there."
He had plundered an enormous fortune, so given time, the ranks he had so painstakingly thinned would swell right back up — and then who knew what kind of mischief he would stir up in Xiliang. And if we pushed all the way into Xiliang, the nomadic tribes we would have to fight would only multiply... A genuine headache. But leaving Dong Zhuo be was never an option, so there was nothing for it.
"...I will personally command the restoration work, so please rest at ease."
"I do. I'm trusting you."
I nodded and left the room. Faintly, from behind me, I caught the sound of Zhang Jue's voice.
"I did sense ominous signs of late, but never did I imagine something like this would come to pass..."
Wuwei, Xiliang.
The man working away in his office went utterly white with shock upon receiving a spy's report.
"Dong Zhuo — that madman — sacked and burned Chang'an?!"
"Yes! Enraged by this, the General-in-Chief is said to be marching on Xiliang with every army at his command, leaving behind only the barest defensive forces!"
The man who had received the report — Han Sui, who had raised rebellion in Liang Province — turned deathly pale at this bolt from the blue.
Dong Zhuo was a dead man now. That Dong Zhuo, who had obstructed him at every turn, was about to die was unquestionably a good thing — and yet Han Sui could not bring himself to rejoice.
Because once Dong Zhuo was caught and killed, then what? The General-in-Chief of Han, having come all this way to Xiliang, would surely seize the chance to clear out the province's other thorns in his side while he was at it and set the region in order.
Yes — say, by dealing with the bastards who had used the chaos of the Yellow Turban Rebellion to raise their banners in revolt here in Liang.
"Damn it all! If he's going to die, he should die alone — instead it looks like we're getting dragged down with him as a bonus!"
Facing the prospect of being swept away in the same current as Dong Zhuo, Han Sui clutched his head. He had risen in revolt because he was certain the Han was collapsing — and yet, somewhere along the way, the Han had been quietly coming back to life.
Han Sui racked his brain as hard as he could over how to break out of this situation. Just then, his sworn brother beside him spoke up.
"At this point, there's nothing for it but to beg for forgiveness."
"Forgiveness?"
Han Sui's thoughts ground to a halt, and he turned to look at his sworn brother. Ma Teng gave a nod, joints cracking.
"Of course, words alone will hardly move him to show us mercy."
"...Then what are we to do?"
"What do you mean, what? We show him with deeds — we go out and earn merit, that's what."
At Ma Teng's words, Han Sui felt as though the fog clouding his mind was finally lifting.
"...Sometimes I swear you're sharper than I am."
"Haha! I'll take that as a compliment!"
"It is one."
Rising from his seat, Han Sui strode out of the room, eyes gleaming.
"We will echo the General-in-Chief's army and strike Dong Zhuo from behind."
"Excellent! At last, our revenge on Dong Zhuo is at hand!"
And Ma Teng followed at his heels, laughing boisterously.