This is an imperial decree, you know? lol
This is an imperial decree, you know? lol
The Yellow Turbans began as nothing more than a tiny spark in a frontier town.
But that spark raced along the fuse Zhang Jiao had already laid, fed by the despair and hatred of the common people, and spread with terrifying speed.
In the span of a breath, starting from Ji Province, the Yellow Turbans swept through eight of the Han Dynasty's thirteen provinces and their surrounding regions.
The momentum was anything but ordinary, and their theater of operations was so vast that the Han court had no choice but to desperately scrape together every last drop of available military force.
According to the Original Timeline, even the Ten Regular Attendants were forced to recognize the gravity of the situation and play a strong hand — appointing en masse the so-called talents of the Pure Stream Faction, who had been targeted for suppression simply because they opposed the eunuchs. But...
That was a story for later, after more time had passed and they had properly assessed the situation.
Right now, they wouldn't have a moment to spare for appointing the Pure Stream or anything else — they'd be utterly overwhelmed by the SOS signals flying in from every direction.
That was precisely why they had rushed an imperial edict bearing the Emperor's own command to me, of all people — someone who'd been demoted to the provinces as punishment for thoroughly humiliating the uncle of the Ten Regular Attendant Jian Shuo.
"Hmm... The situation must be pretty serious, huh? I never thought those eunuch bastards would actually issue an order with a fancy edict like this."
Ji Ling examined the Emperor's edict, embroidered with golden thread, as if it were some sort of curious trinket, turning it this way and that.
With the large, prominent imprint of the Imperial Heirloom Seal stamped on one side bearing the inscription 受命于天, 旣壽永昌 (Having received the mandate from Heaven, may it endure forever), the document certainly looked impressive — altogether more than just a piece of paper.
If this thing survived and was unearthed some two thousand years later, it would surely become a national treasure and find a home in a museum.
At any rate, the reason the court — or, to be more precise, the Ten Regular Attendants — had resorted to such an ostentatious measure just to hand me a simple 'bandit suppression' order was obvious.
"No matter how you look at it, they can't afford to ignore our clan. And besides, there aren't many generals stationed near Sili with an elite force like this at their command."
"So, in short, let's bury the hatchet and you help us out a little... is that about right?"
"You could say that, simply put. They're the ones who are short-handed and desperate right now."
This whole incident had started when Jian Shuo used some 'legitimate official duty' as a flimsy pretext to have me demoted to the provinces. So even the Ten Regular Attendants couldn't afford to completely disregard the Yuan Clan.
With the Yellow Turban uprising erupting on top of that, from their standpoint, sending an edict and extending a gesture of reconciliation was their only option.
"So, what are you going to do, my lord? Are you going to sweep away these Yellow Turban bandits the way they want?"
"It's a national command, so I'll have to follow it. Now that I've received an imperial edict, refusing could get me branded a traitor."
"Hmm... Still, isn't it a bit of a waste? That's the army you worked so hard to raise. Using it to clean up the mess the Ten Regular Attendants made — that's what this is."
"Heh... Is that so? The way I see it, this is a fine opportunity."
"Huh? What's that supposed to mean?"
A question mark practically hovered over Ji Ling's head as she looked at me with a face that said, 'Eh?'
I looked back at her and smiled deeply.
"You need snow before you can roll a snowball, right? I'll explain the details step by step, but first, get things ready. An order's come down from above, so we'll be clashing with those bandit bastards before long."
"Hmm... I'm not sure I get it... but alright."
Following my instructions, Ji Ling carefully set the edict down and left the barracks.
She still seemed a little uneasy, but overall, as long as there was a fight, she was satisfied.
After Ji Ling had gone, I turned my gaze back to the edict that lay before me.
The content was simple: orders for the Yellow Turban Rebellion Suppression.
It was a little disappointing that they'd sent nothing but a single sheet of paper — no mention of reinforcements, no supplies — but...
Depending on how I used it, this one piece of paper might just prove worth thousands of troops.
Especially in an emergency like this.
*
The Yellow Turbans rose with the support of the common people.
Initially called the Yellow Turban Army, at their height they boasted a staggering strength of up to a million.
But although they claimed to rise for a populace trapped in misery, that cause was soon tarnished as they rapidly began to lose their way.
Organized as a loose network rather than a structured system, the Yellow Turban Army quickly lost control and forgot its original purpose.
As if to say, 'To hell with innate goodness,' the rag-wearing horde abandoned their initial righteous spirit and, before long, began using the weapons in their hands to plunder the same suffering common people.
It did not take long for those who called themselves the Yellow Turban Army or the Yellow Turban Sect to become widely reviled as the Yellow Turbans.
Having effectively devolved into a million-strong bandit mob, the Yellow Turbans wreaked horrific damage across the land — looting, arson, and slaughter — while the Governors and Inspectors of each region began struggling to devise countermeasures.
Among those Governors was one person —
the figure who governed this region of Hedong.
A woman with long, deep-violet hair and black eyes.
Tall for a woman, even at a glance, and possessed of a mature and alluring beauty, she was at this very moment staring with cold eyes at a soldier standing before her.
Holding out a resplendent scroll in one hand, the soldier declared in a confident voice,
"As you can see, this is an imperial edict issued by His Majesty the Emperor. Governor, under this decree you are to swiftly dispatch reinforcements and provisions."
"..."
The Governor cast a glance at her subordinate to verify.
The female official beside her took the document the soldier offered and examined its contents.
"It is genuine. Sent by the Emperor. The mark of the Imperial Seal is here."
"... Give it to me."
At her subordinate's words, the Governor frowned slightly, straightened from her slouched posture, and received the edict.
An order for the General Who Guards the North to subjugate the bandits.
And the Imperial Heirloom Seal, clearly stamped.
Having confirmed its authenticity beyond any doubt, the Governor returned the edict to the soldier and spoke.
"I understand. I will deliberate and give you a precise answer shortly. Rest for now."
"Thank you, Governor."
The soldier bowed his head, took the imperial edict, and exited.
Immediately afterward, the Governor turned to the subordinate beside her and said in a composed voice,
"I've been drawn into an exceedingly troublesome affair. How would you suggest we handle this?"
A sudden request for support from the General Who Guards the North.
His rank was lower than hers as Governor, and while he held a degree of autonomy, his position was essentially little more than that of a regional garrison commander.
More importantly, since the General Who Guards the North was under direct central jurisdiction rather than part of Hedong's own forces, she was under no obligation to heed a plea for aid from someone entirely outside her chain of command.
But that single sheet of paper she had just seen had completely turned the situation on its head.
An imperial edict.
Honestly, its actual content was nothing more than an order for the General Who Guards the North to suppress bandits; it did not directly command her to do anything.
Yet one critical line —
the formulaic and largely meaningless phrase about 'cooperating with the Governors to resolve the matter' — forced her to lend a hand in this affair, whether she wished to or not.
It was, after all, an edict bearing the Emperor's will.
Defying it risked being branded a traitor in the worst case, and to avoid that, they had no choice but to demonstrate at least a minimal show of sincerity from their side.
Regarding this, after a moment's deliberation, her subordinate cautiously offered an answer.
"If we think of the future, it would be best to demonstrate only appropriate sincerity. Seven hundred soldiers and about nine hundred seok of military grain ought to suffice."
In a situation like this, even if they earned merit suppressing Yellow Turbans, the credit would all go to that so-called General Who Guards the North.
There was no need to make excessive investments when the returns were so meager.
However.
"That is merely my humble opinion. Judging by your expression, Governor, you seem to feel otherwise."
"Heh... Do I?"
"Is there a reason?"
"You need not know the reason. Give your estimate. What scale would be sufficient to satisfy me?"
The Governor posed the question again with a quiet laugh.
This time her subordinate answered with a notably more serious voice.
"Send two thousand soldiers and around five thousand seok of grain. That is the level that will impose some burden but will not cause any serious problems for our side."
"Good... That seems about right. A contribution of that scale should leave a reasonably distinct impression on the recipient."
"It will. I will also proceed as swiftly as possible. With matters like this, the faster the hand, the greater the effect."
"Do so. Since we're giving it anyway, make sure it arrives first."
"Understood, Governor."
With that, the subordinate bowed respectfully and stepped outside.
The moment she disappeared,
the Governor lay back on the wooden platform she was seated on, and a deep smile began to spread across her lips.
With an imperial edict thrust before her, she could not ignore it entirely, but actively complying with it would have been an equally foolish act.
Yet she, the Governor of Hedong, had given the maximum she could offer.
This was not because of the edict, but due to another factor.
The one who had sent it to her.
'Impressive. To think he'd use a scrap of paper like that to squeeze out hundreds, even thousands, of troops.'
Acquiring power is important.
But even more important is knowing how to use the power you hold to its fullest extent.
Having witnessed countless fools fail at precisely that and come to ruin,
the Governor found herself developing considerable interest in that General Who Guards the North who had pushed this matter forward without hesitation.
'Yuan Shu... was it? This man is the fabled Young Dragon of the Yuan Clan... Indeed. The rumors do not seem to be exaggerated.'
The young Colonel who had done this and that in Luoyang, standing against the tyranny of the Ten Regular Attendants.
She had heard stories that he had been driven to the border between Hedong and Bing Province not long ago and was training troops, but she had never imagined he would make contact with her in this manner.
She had never met him directly, but this man had, in an unexpected way, left her with an exceptionally fresh impression.
Thinking it would be nice to see his face sometime soon, if an opportunity arose...
No — considering his extraordinary ability and the formidable power of the Yuan Clan, perhaps she might even allow herself to expect something more.
Full of anticipation for how this young lord would react upon receiving her 'first gift,'
the Governor of Hedong slowly caressed her own breasts, which she had always considered superior to those of most other women.