The Way of the Qiang-Hu
Wang Fu walked along with Dong Zhuo, quickly recalling his actions.
Was it around the time a year before Emperor Huan died?
When Duan Jiong won a victory against the Qiang tribes in the Wuwei region, another faction of the Qiang rebel army gathered in large numbers and invaded Sanbo.
Sanbo.
It refers to the Jingzhuo Prefecture centered around Chang'an, and the Zuo Fengyi and Youfufeng placed to its east and west.
If the name included "Jun" or "Guo" instead of "Yin", it meant that the region was a 'capital'.
The Zuo Fengyi and Youfufeng also used "Jun" instead of "Yin" because they guarded the left and right of the capital Jingzhuo 'Yin'.
It was such a special administrative region.
In other words, it could be called Guanzhong, but when referring to it as "Sanbo", it emphasized that this region was the Han dynasty's capital area.
But looking at all of China, Sanbo was biased toward the northwest.
It was a region far from the areas where many Han people lived, like Hedong and Henan.
For this reason, both Qin and Han were uneasy.
'Like the fall of Western Zhou to the Rong, will the capital be captured and fall?'
Perhaps that was the reason Guangwudi moved the capital from Chang'an to Luoyang... thought Wang Fu.
There was also the reason that the rebellion of the traitor Wang Mang had caused the Sanbo region to be desolate while he ruled the country in chaos.
Even if the capital was moved to Luoyang, the Sanbo region including Chang'an was not unimportant.
This region was still included in the 'Siye' which was the capital area.
The Qiang tribes had invaded this Sanbo.
A crisis where the capital area was being violated.
At that time, the general who stepped forward to protect Chang'an from the Qiang was Zhang Hong, and the one who led the vanguard was Dong Zhuo.
The hero who had almost saved the old capital that was about to burn by the Qiang.
That was Dong Zhuo's first appearance that Wang Fu remembered.
"In Luoyang, you're staying here."
The accommodation Dong Zhuo pointed to was neither lavish nor shabby. It was just the right place for someone who had urgent business to stay and then return to their post.
"Go in."
Wang Fu followed Dong Zhuo in, sat across from him with a table in between.
From the rough face, it was hard to imagine, but Dong Zhuo handled matters that required administrative ability well.
"...After achieving victory in Sanbo, you were appointed as the county magistrate in Guangwu County of Bingzhou Yanmen Commandery. Then you went to Yizhou Shu Commandery to serve as the northern garrison commander."
"Then you were made weapons officer in the Western Regions near where you couldn't actually govern... what was it, something about violating some law, and you retired."
"But soon you were made the governor of Bingzhou."
Dong Zhuo chuckled.
"While listing my career one by one, what is it you want to say."
"What are you curious about, the person who has always wandered the frontiers and became the Taishou of Hedong, what words he wants to say to me."
Liang Province, Bing Province, Yizhou, Western Regions, back to Bing Province.
Dong Zhuo had lived his official career wandering the frontiers.
Then suddenly, he firmly took a position in the capital area Siye, the Hedong Commandery attached to the north of Hongnong Commandery.
"Since I entered Siye after wandering the frontiers, is it strange?"
"It's strange."
"I had something I wanted to test."
"What?"
"What habits a person who uses warriors has when using them... and how much bribe he gives to the eunuchs to rise up to where."
This time, Wang Fu let out a light laugh.
"You probably have a rough idea of the latter part."
"I didn't expect to push all the way to Siye in one go."
"...Then, what about the former part."
Both Dong Zhuo and Wang Fu fell silent for a long time, looking at each other.
The first to speak was Dong Zhuo.
"The Grand Commandant Duan's suicide, is it your scheme, Jia Xu?"
"Why do you think that?"
"The Duan Grand Commandant I know wouldn't commit suicide."
"Then what kind of person do you think he is?"
"One who uses war as a means of self-advancement."
Wang Fu couldn't answer to Dong Zhuo's cutting words.
Wang Fu himself agreed with Dong Zhuo, but couldn't express agreement.
"By giving bribes to the eunuchs, I learned why my superior, Grand Commandant Zhang (Zhang Hong), didn't get a title despite the merit of protecting Chang'an. While why Grand Commandant Duan (Duan Jiong) received the title of Marquis of Daoxiang and became a feudal lord."
The Grand Commandant is one of the Three Dukes, and the Grand Commandant Zhang is one of the Nine Ministers, lower than that.
"Grand Commandant Zhang barely entered Hongnong Commandery and received it as a reward for living."
"Isn't that funny? Zhang's hometown is Dunhuang and Duan's hometown is Wuwei, both are in Liang Province. Yet, no one says anything when Duan enters Luoyang to live, but Zhang is scolded for 'forbidden for frontier people to enter Siye to live...' "
Even that, Zhang was framed and almost driven out to Dunhuang Commandery. Zhang sent a letter to Duan asking for help and finally got permission to hide in Hongnong Commandery.
Again, Wang Fu felt that there was no reason for Dong Zhuo to like Duan Jiong.
"But this time, after visiting Duan's funeral, I thought this. Or, is it because I saw Wang Fu's neck with you?"
"What thought came to you?"
"Eunuchs and generals are ultimately tools of the emperor."
After saying that, Dong Zhuo stood up abruptly. Then he brought a wine bottle and cups from somewhere and placed them in front of Wang Fu and himself.
Wang Fu received the cup and waited for Dong Zhuo's words.
Only after gulping down one cup did Dong Zhuo continue.
"Although the eunuchs' wealth is huge, in my view, it hasn't entered the 'national treasury'... it's the emperor's property. Completely ignoring laws, precedents, and ministers' remonstrances, it's property the emperor can use at will."
Wang Fu immediately reached the point Dong Zhuo wanted to say.
"Offering bribes to eunuchs is ultimately offering to the emperor."
"And it's a process to prove how loyal you are to the emperor."
"Look, Dong Zhuo said, pointing with his cup at Wang Fu.
"If there's a fairly outstanding general, the emperor uses him. But Zhang is discarded and Duan is continuously used. What does that mean? It means Zhang's loyalty is not to be believed and Duan's loyalty can be believed."
"The emperor sees it that way."
Dong Zhuo nodded.
"But Duan Jiong secretly befriended the Regular Attendant Wang Fu and schemed something... anyway, he did things that didn't please the emperor. So, he became useless. As for you,"
Dong Zhuo pointed with the cup in his hand at Wang Fu.
"You saved the Dong clan family who was almost exterminated. Settled the matter with Duan Jiong's death."
A bitter smile appeared on Wang Fu's face.
"The Dong clan family didn't appreciate it, but since Dong Taishou appreciated it, what can I say... "
"...The emperor chose me as the 'warrior to be used after Duan Jiong'."
Wang Fu's hand that was tilting the wine cup stopped.
"Through the bribes given to the eunuchs, Dong Taishou proved his 'loyalty to the emperor'."
"That's right. I not only protected Sanbo from the Qiang, but also proved my abilities by wandering the frontiers all my life."
"So the emperor made me the Taishou of Hedong near Luoyang for now."
Dong Zhuo smiled mischievously and said 'what I want to say', immediately Wang Fu raised his hand to stop him.
"Are you going to say 'Jia Xu, the schemer who couldn't be heavily used like Duan Jiong, tell me a way not to die like Duan Jiong'?"
"I found the right person."
Wang Fu sneered and finished his drink.
But at the moment he put down the cup, Wang Fu felt his heart pounding for a reason other than the alcohol.
And he voiced the thought he had just had.
"I don't like this situation where the emperor, Siye, Luoyang arbitrarily oppress the local regions either."
With this person, perhaps I can give Luoyang a good blow.
"And I don't like the situation where Han people oppress the Qiang and Hu, Qiang and Xiongnu either."
"Hoo..."
Wang Fu narrowed his eyes in interest.
"Is that a thought influenced by Grand Commandant Zhang?"
"You don't like the way Grand Commandant Duan suppressed the Qiang either."
"Because of that difference in opinion, the two of you fought a lot. In the end, it came back to a bad result for both sides."
"I have one question. In the end, the imperial family is not Chu people."
What is he going to say. Wang Fu decided to listen quietly.
"Chu people are far from the Central Plains, to the point of hearing that they are like monkeys. Then, wouldn't it occur to you? Why shouldn't people from Liang Province, Bing Province take power in Luoyang?"
"...Upon thinking about it, I heard that Dong Taishou is on good terms with the chiefs of the Qiang as well."
The answer Wang Fu expected came from Dong Zhuo's mouth.
"Isn't it possible that the Qiang-Hu can rise to the Three Dukes? How about it? Won't you make Luoyang surprised by coming with me?"
Wang Fu silently extended the cup. Dong Zhuo stared at him fixedly and filled the cup.
Wang Fu gulped down the wine in one breath.
He answered with conviction that this time the advice would be accepted.
"First, you have to walk a tightrope between competence and incompetence so that the emperor doesn't use you too highly or discard you completely."
***
Regular Attendant Zhang Yang, following Emperor Liu Hong's command, brought 'a certain person' into the palace.
He was a eunuch who was despised by the managers who claimed to be 'real men' saying they smelled of 'fishy smell', but for Zhang Yang, the smell of the person he brought in now was even stronger.
The humble smell of a commoner.
The smell of rolling in the market.
No culture, the smell of a person who solves disputes with brawls.
"...First, have him bathed."
Ordered the young eunuchs to make him look like a 'person' suitable for the palace.
And walking towards the deeper part of the palace...
An unpleasant face appeared.
"Uncle!"
The other side waved his hand as if happy.
"...Meng De."
Cao Cao, who came up to Zhang Yang, smiled and took Zhang Yang's hand.
"Ah, this is hard to say. Should I say it's regrettable, or should I say congratulations."
"Even if I take Wang Fu's position, it's not something to be congratulated. The higher you go, be careful... especially in front of His Majesty, you know that well."
Cao Cao, who called "uncle" to the dead Wang Fu, was being friendly.
Whether it was sincere or a mask shown to the eunuchs, unknown.
But Zhang Yang found it annoying that Cao Cao might think of him as "like Wang Fu".
"Ah, well, yes. I just got reinstated not long ago."
The death of the Empress Song's father, the gold envoy Song Feng of the Song family, many people were involved.
Cao Cao was also related to some of the Song family and was on leave for a while before returning.
Cao Cao's gaze shifted to the man standing behind Zhang Yang.
"Who is this gentleman whose clothes don't suit him at all?"
"A butcher."
At that, the playful look disappeared from Cao Cao's face.
"You became the empress's father-in-law not long ago."
"Then this person is..."
"Yes. Meng De, the person you are guessing."
"Aigo, sorry, sorry," Cao Cao bowed to the man.
The man hadn't expected to receive such a greeting from a noble house like Cao Cao, so he tried to prostrate himself on the ground, but upon seeing Zhang Yang's signal, he only bowed awkwardly.
Cao Cao left the place as if fleeing, and Zhang Yang sighed.
"Let's continue going."
Zhang Yang led the man called "butcher" to the deeper part of the palace.
Upon entering the hall, the man was bewildered by the luxurious decorations, so he was urged to kneel first.
And then Liu Hong came.
Liu Hong approached the man and smelled his scent.
At that moment, Zhang Yang was tense in case the emperor would dislike the man's scent, but there was no need.
"Smell of animals caught. Smell of blood and flesh, leather and intestines, dung and urine... Interesting, interesting."
"Your Majesty..."
"Ah, you don't have to. Recently your sister became the emperor's principal wife, so you are the emperor's brother-in-law. You should respect your brother-in-law's profession."
"Your Majesty..."
The man repeated "Your Majesty" as instructed by Zhang Yang.
"Haha, is this what you taught Zhang Yang?"
"Yes... Taishou He, when His Majesty asks a question, just answer honestly."
"Even after making you the Taishou of Yingchuan and the Taishou of Lingling, the butcher's smell didn't go away. I like it. There are those who, when given high positions, forget what they originally were."
Liu Hong patted He Jin's back affectionately, saying "butcher brother-in-law".
"So, that's why I entrusted the work to you. Don't forget this heart at all, brother-in-law."
Zhang Yang vividly remembered the time he brought He Jin in front of the emperor before. At that time, the emperor had asked this.
"If you know how to separate the bones and flesh of animals well, do you know how to separate the bones and flesh of people?"
He Jin had responded to the emperor's expectations by cleanly separating the head from Wang Fu's body and bringing it.
"Now, I have to put the brother-in-law by my side and use him directly. I won't give you the Henan Governor position. Wait for the next slaughter."