Chapter 15
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Translator: volt
Chapter Title: Three Days Later: Mengjin Encampment
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[Three days later, near Mengjin Port north of Luoyang. Bing Province Army's temporary encampment barracks.]
The reign title had changed.
From Guanghe to Zhaoning.
"Hou Cheng. I'm counting on you."
"Isn't it about time you memorized it?"
"I did, but it changed again. This head of mine is just too weak with Chinese characters, so forgive me."
Hou Cheng grumbled but still wrote the newly established reign title boldly on a piece of leather with a brush.
Changing the reign title.
The act of renaming the year was akin to refreshing the atmosphere.
The other day.
Exactly three days ago.
A fierce storm of blood had raged through the court.
Nearly two thousand eunuchs had been massacred, and hundreds more soldiers died in the skirmishes.
Above all, the emperor fleeing the palace was news that could make any court minister collapse in shock.
"Changing the reign title to usher in a new era. Not a bad idea."
One might think what difference a mere name change could make, but the intent to renew the mood alone gave it ample value.
"General. Aren't you disappointed?"
"About what?"
"That you couldn't personally rescue His Majesty the Emperor."
To rescue the emperor.
"You could've been Lü Fengxian, the one who saved the emperor from the traitor Zhang Yang."
"Not really."
Officially, it had spread that the eunuch faction had plotted rebellion, and the emperor had been kidnapped by them.
"As long as he's alive, that's a relief."
They said he really had been kidnapped.
The imperial family members I rescued—Empress Dowager Dong had casually mentioned that the Regular Attendant Zhang Yang had fled west with the emperor.
"Ding Yuan the Governor must be the disappointed one."
Ding Yuan had entrusted me with Empress Dowager Dong and Prince of Chenliu before racing west himself.
"He rushed off to save the emperor again, only for someone else to get there first this time."
The cavalry said that the man, who had arrived slumped over his adjutant's horse, had ridden off vigorously on his own when going to rescue the emperor.
"Missed once, snatched away the second time. No wonder he'd spit blood. At his age."
And then he fainted.
From the march?
From old age?
Not at all.
The heroic image of himself saving the emperor had been stolen by another.
"That Dong... Dong something?"
"Dong Zhuo. Courtesy name Zhongying."
Dong Zhuo. Courtesy name Zhongying.
His position would soon change due to his merit in rescuing the emperor, but for now, he held the post of Commandant of the Western Regions.
"...Feels like I've heard the name somewhere."
"Didn't you hear it before? Back when they talked about changing the provincial system from Governor to Inspector."
Come to think of it.
"Was he the guy Ding Yuan the Governor was raging about, the one who nearly took the Bing Province Inspector post?"
"That's right."
There had been a time when Bing Province was abuzz with rumors of someone other than Ding Yuan coming as Inspector.
It had fizzled out in the end, but yes, it had happened.
"So that's him. The guy who almost became Bing Province Inspector is the one who saved the emperor."
Human connections could link up like this.
"I didn't think much of it at the time, but here we all meet."
"You didn't remember him at all, did you?"
"No need to memorize every general operating in some remote Liang Province."
Personally, I had little interest in other regions or locales.
"The only one I'm even curious about is that Gongsun clan from Beiping."
"...Our Bing Province cavalry wouldn't lose to their elite horsemen."
At the mention of the Gongsun clan, Hou Cheng bristled with rivalry.
"True, we wouldn't. But their skill in breeding those fine white horses, or their training methods for handling archer cavalry in full units—I'd love to exchange notes sometime. Name was... right, Gongsun Zan."
If Bing Province had Lü Bu, You Province had Gongsun Zan, they said.
"He shone during the Yellow Turban Rebellion and racked up fine achievements against the Wuhuan and Xianbei."
I'd never met Gongsun Zan in person, unfortunately, but his prowess in leading cavalry was renowned even in Bing Province.
There were tales of his brutal and savage temperament, but you couldn't judge without experiencing it firsthand.
"General, there's a saying: Bing Province's Lü Bu, You Province's Gongsun Zan, and Liang Province's Dong Zhuo."
"Dong Zhuo last feels a bit off, but he's the elder, so whatever."
I'd heard Dong Zhuo was surprisingly advanced in years.
"So outwardly, we're seen as provincial warlords."
He was around Ding Yuan's age, and rumors held that his Liang Province cavalry were no slouch compared to ours.
"Hm..."
Forcing memories to surface gave me a slight headache.
I'd need Hou Cheng's gathered intel for details on the past, but judging by what was visible now—
"Hou Cheng."
"Yes, General."
I recalled events after the palace chaos settled and the emperor returned.
"That Dong Zhuo entered the palace escorting the emperor. And he even supplied grain to our Bing Province Army."
"Yes."
First impressions weren't bad.
He'd shared some of their grain with us for our Bing Province Army.
"Empress Dowager Dong ordered grain sent to us, but the soldiers who transported it were Dong Zhuo's men."
Empress Dowager Dong had supported us with grain, but Dong Zhuo's Liang Province troops had delivered it.
"What was the troops' reaction?"
"They eyed us warily, but they were elite veterans who'd weathered storms like ours. They even helped set up our barracks."
"On Dong Zhuo's orders, no doubt."
"Not the emperor's, that's for sure."
Dong Zhuo was extending a subtle hand of aid toward the Bing Province Army.
"..."
We'd crossed the Yellow River, but coming from Liang Province to Luoyang was no easy feat.
They'd marched just like us, so they must have suffered massive attrition.
Their numbers were only about three thousand—half of ours.
Yet they supplied us with grain and helped with barracks?
"Hou Cheng."
"Yes, General."
"Is Dong Zhuo reaching out to Governor Ding Yuan, or to the Bing Province Army?"
"...You've already figured it out, but if I may offer my view."
Hou Cheng's gaze was squarely on me.
"Dong Zhuo wants to join hands with you, General."
"...As expected."
Simply put.
"Provincials like us teaming up against the capital slicksters?"
Us country bumpkins from the provinces banding together against the capital elites.
"That's what we'd like to think."
Innocently, yes—but politically, it meant something else.
"Why do conspiracy theories keep popping into my head?"
I unrolled the map of the Mengjin Port area on the central table in the barracks.
"The warlords He Jin summoned divide into capital natives and provincials. Our Bing Province Army is garrisoned around Mengjin Port to watch for Black Mountain Bandits, but Dong Zhuo's troops have entered Luoyang."
The map didn't show Luoyang itself, but extend the table and it became the capital.
"Hou Cheng."
"Yes."
"Who gave us this Mengjin Port map?"
"Empress Dowager Dong."
Maps weren't to be shown lightly.
They were state secrets, strategic assets.
"Right. In this chaotic time where we can't see even an hour ahead, we've secured at least one clear ally."
I flipped the Mengjin Port map over.
"Empress Dowager Dong thinks well of us and wants to use our strength."
"Use..."
"In the capital during turbulent times, not everything can be discussed with pure goodwill."
On the back of the map.
'Whether palace guards or provincial troops rebel, signal us to suppress them.'
It simply outlined the route from Mengjin Port to Luoyang and into the palace, stamped with the Dowager's seal.
"Troubling, very troubling."
Our role.
"Suddenly, they want us to act as imperial guards in emergencies."
"General..."
"The moment we leave, the blood winds will blow again. Dong Zhuo's forces are few in number, and Luoyang's generals will want him out. At the center... Governor Ding Yuan."
Six thousand Bing Province troops right next to the capital.
Supposedly to suppress bandits near Luoyang, but really a deterrent against capital rebellion.
"I thought Luoyang's spring of strife was over, but a new round of power struggles begins immediately."
Dong Zhuo.
Empress Dowager Dong.
"These Dong clansmen could get along if they tried."
[Meanwhile, at the Empress Dowager's palace in Luoyang.]
"You are of the Dong clan from the northwest, and I am of the Dong clan from Hegan—how can you call us the same Dong clan?"
The Dowager laid into the hulking man bowing before her.
"Haha, Your Majesty Dowager."
The rugged man with thick black beard.
"Birthplaces may differ, but is the Dong surname common in the realm? This is precisely when fellow Dongs should support each other and join forces."
Dong Zhuo chuckled heartily, thumping his chest.
"This Dong Zhongying has long admired Your Majesty Dowager's noble character from tales told by Dong Sheng."
"...Dong Sheng? Dong Sheng... that would be..."
"He serves under my son-in-law Wu Bo. He's a man who traveled from Hegan to Yang Province, and from afar, he often spoke to me of his respect for Your Majesty Dowager."
"...I'll have to check the family records."
The Dowager's eyes flicked side to side briefly.
"But I don't understand. Why come to me?"
"Haha, this Dong Zhongying merely pays respects to the realm's elder..."
"Aren't you He Empress Dowager's man?"
"...Heh."
Dong Zhuo's lip twisted at the Dowager's sharp tone.
"When the emperor's mother summons me, how could this Dong refuse?"
"..."
"Your Majesty Dowager, I have two paths before me."
Dong Zhuo slowly tilted his head back and began strolling leisurely through the center of the hall.
"One is to accept the merit of rescuing the emperor and become He Dowager's blade."
"Insolent words!"
"Kahaha! This Dong, born on the frontier with a rough nature, is unaccustomed to court etiquette. Forgive my rudeness."
Dong Zhuo bowed lightly, but his thick face showed no remorse.
"The palace has one Dowager's hall, but two Dowagers—"
"Stop beating around the bush. Speak plainly, as your nature demands."
The Dowager closed her eyes and softened her voice.
"Don't bother pretending courtesy."
"Keh heh. Even so, Your Majesty Dowager—how could I?"
"..."
"Ahem! Very well, I'll speak frankly and straight."
Dong Zhuo snorted and raised his hands to the sides.
"After rescuing the emperor and He Dowager, He Jin's soldiers are now gathering under my Liang Province army."
"What?"
"With one summons from He Dowager to this Dong Zhuo, He Jin's men flock to me."
"...!!"
Dong Zhuo clenched his fist tight.
"He Dowager praised me and offered the post of Hedong Commandery Administrator concurrently."
"You mean... it's already...?"
"Heh heh. Rescuing the emperor merits only Hedong Administrator?"
Grind.
"It's as good as mine already!"
"Watch your words."
"...Heh heh, my apologies."
Beneath his slipping robe, veins bulged on arms thicker than a man's leg, writhing like earthworms.
"I'll be direct. What will Your Majesty Dowager give this Dong Zhongying?"
"Positions..."
"Can't we discuss rewards for saving the emperor?"
"...Someone might."
The Dowager exhaled deeply and continued.
"For saving the imperial house, all they asked was a camp for troops to rest and rice and meat to eat."
"Not wine and meat?"
Dong Zhuo gaped in surprise.
"He said wine could wait until the bloodstains in the palace settle, to wash away the gore then."
"...Heh heh."
Dong Zhuo's eyes began to gleam.
"Lü Bu."
"..."
"Even in Liang Province, I've heard the name. Undefeated War God. When the Bing Province Inspector post came my way, had it not been for He Jin's message, I'd have brought my Liang base and gone there. Regrettably, connections failed, and I gave it up."
Dong Zhuo snickered, fiddling with his beard tip.
"In Your Majesty Dowager's eyes, does this Dong Zhuo seem greedy, while that Lü Bu does not?"
"At least he doesn't barge into the Dowager's hall demanding positions."
"I see. That Lü Bu might not. But this Dong Zhuo is different."
Thump thump.
"This Dong Zhuo! Wandered the frontiers till fifty!"
The chest-thumping echoed like drumbeats, making the Dowager flinch involuntarily.
"Time to claim the reward for my loyalty to this state!"
"You..."
"Opportunity slips away forever once missed. Will you grasp He Dowager's renewed military authority and rule as regent again?"
"..."
"Or join hands with this Dong Zhuo to oust the Dowager?"
"That is..."
"More frankly: honestly, I'd prefer a reliable elder of the same Dong clan myself."
At Dong Zhuo's brazen words, the Dowager's hands trembled.
"What's blood ties for if not this? In this court full of jackals, best to band together as fellow Dongs."
She couldn't point outside with those shaking hands.
"Colonel Dong."
"...That's it?"
"...For now."
"Tch. Disappointing, but fine."
Dong Zhuo grinned slyly and nodded vigorously.
"Did you offer the same to Ding Yuan?"
"..."
"If so, allow me one wager."
"A wager?"
"Yes."
Dong Zhuo tapped his temple confidently with a finger.
"I have a fine way to seat that general you desire in this court."
"...What did you say?"
The Dowager's voice rose sharply for a moment.
"Truly...? Ahem."
"Heh heh. I know even Ding Yuan can't control him."
"You..."
"I can. My bag of tricks is well-stocked for such things. Should I succeed in seating him here."
Dong Zhuo pointed at the ceiling.
"Far above Colonel— at least General of the Front, no, more."
"He won't be easily persuaded."
"Making it happen is why I keep my advisor close... Heh heh."
After wounded soldiers crossing the Yellow River joined the temporary camp on their way down to Luoyang.
Clang, clang, clang.
I helped erect barracks for them, preparing rest areas alongside the troops.
"General."
"Zhang Liao. Less talk, more work—set that post straight."
"Can't we chat while building?"
Zhang Liao hammered the nail deep, pointing at the sky.
"Rain's coming soon."
"That's why we hurry and shelter from it."
"Governor Ding Yuan entered Luoyang proper, not here."
"Old folks catch their death from a little rain outside."
"Where does the Bing Province Army go?"
"..."
I finished raising the support beam and stood.
"What, want to be imperial guards?"
"I'd prefer over Luoyang..."
Zhang Liao eyed the north uneasily.
"All who crave golden helmets followed Governor Ding Yuan."
"They did."
"About a thousand strong. I worried you might be disappointed, General."
"Why would I? Everyone dreams of glory, and now's the prime chance."
The Bing Province Army had saved Empress Dowager Dong.
Ding Yuan personally had blundered badly but earned pardon on grounds of urgency.
"The Dowager needs soldiers. To save herself or Prince of Chenliu."
"The prince..."
"Capital troops caused a bloodbath in the palace. Led by... Yuan Shao and Cao Cao, right?"
"Yes."
"Drew swords to kill eunuchs and storm the palace—once is hard, twice even harder? New pretext each time."
Drip.
"Rather than endless capital ink leading to bloodbaths, I'd prefer head back to Bing Province bandit-hunting in peace."
Rain threatened to fall.
"But with thieves aplenty scheming to steal the realm, leaving's tricky."
Ding Yuan had issued orders.
Bing Province Army, garrison near Mengjin Port.
Which was also Empress Dowager Dong's command.
"In emergencies..."
"General."
A cavalryman rode up through the rain.
"A guest seeks you."
"Guest?"
"Yes. He said..."
The cavalryman pointed far off to a man approaching slowly on horseback.
"'Mention Yi the Bastard from Wuyuan Commandery, and he'll know'..."