Taiheiki

Chapter 329 Messenger

"So, what does Master Feng mean?" Wei Cong asked with a smile. "Could it be that he wants me to eliminate future troubles as soon as possible?"

"How could that be? How could that be!" Feng Kun gave an awkward smile. "Uncle and I are old friends, and this man is indeed talented. If we just let him go back to his hometown to retire, it would be a loss for the country!"

"So, Lord Feng wants me to arrange a post for him?" Wei Cong looked troubled. "That's a bit difficult. You yourself said you could send him out to a post with a salary of one or two thousand shi, but he refused. Does he want to be in the central government? The problem is, positions above two thousand shi are reserved for the Nine Ministers, the Three Dukes, the Secretariat, the Commandant of the Capital Region, and the Governor of Henan. He has the talent, but it's not just about talent. Lord Feng, you should understand what I mean, right?"

"Understood, understood!" Feng Kun nodded repeatedly. The Eastern Han Dynasty was actually quite similar to modern times; local officials in prefectures and counties had an easier time making money than central officials, especially prefects and chancellors, who were considered rulers of their prefectures and wielded immense power. His promise to get Ying Feng a prefectural position was essentially a reward, a large sum of money to repay a favor to his friend. But Ying Feng refused. The only better options were probably a few key positions in Luoyang and departmental leadership, positions Wei Cong would certainly not accept—frankly, it meant a lack of trust. Money was possible, but such central official positions were impossible to offer, and he couldn't give them away.

"General, what I mean is, is there any official duty you need to perform? Salary and such are not that important!" Feng Kun said with a wry smile, "As long as it is for the court and for the Han Dynasty, he will still do his best!"

"Hmm! If it's just for Wei, then perhaps not, is that right?" Wei Cong smiled. "Very well, then let him go on a mission to the Kingdom of Ju!"

"The Kingdom of Gou-ting?" Fortunately, Feng Kun himself was from the southwestern Ba Commandery, otherwise he really wouldn't know where this Kingdom of Gou-ting was: "Are you talking about the Kingdom of Gou-ting of the southwestern barbarians?"

“That’s right!” Wei Cong nodded. “I will have my military advisor send the details of the mission to him when I return. If he is willing, he can reply, and the imperial edict will be issued soon!”

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The Grand Commandant's Residence.

The study was small; more like a cage filled with bamboo slips and silk books than a study. Chestnut wood bookshelves reached the ceiling, further encroaching on the already limited space. The only light source was a bronze fish-head oil lamp on the table, cutting a warm but faint circle of light in the darkness. The air was thick with the mixed smells of bamboo slips, dust, and burning grease.
"Wei Cong sent me as an envoy to the Kingdom of Gou-ting?"

The lamplight cast a deep shadow on Ying Feng's gaunt face. He put down the bamboo slips in his hand, and the bookshelf and bamboo slips made a clattering sound that was particularly jarring in the room.

“That’s right!” Feng Kun sighed. “I told Wei Cong that you wanted to retire and return to your hometown, but he didn’t quite believe me. He thinks you’re too young to go back to your hometown at your age!”

"What's wrong? Can't I go back to my hometown just because I'm young?" Ying Feng sneered. "I must stay in Luoyang. I'm not a prisoner!"

"It's all my fault!" Feng Kun sighed. "I told him about appointing you to a position with a salary of two thousand shi, but you refused. Wei Cong must be angry about that. I suspect he intends to kill you to eliminate any future trouble!"

Time seemed to freeze; outside the window, all was deathly silent. Ying Feng's expression shifted from confusion to shock, then to disbelief. He stared at Feng Kun's mouth: "He wants to kill me?"

“He didn’t say that, but I suspect he meant it!” Feng Kun said, “After all, you know what happened back then, and you’re from Runan. Runan has many scholars who harbor resentment towards Wei Cong. Once you return to your hometown, no one knows what you might do to harm him, so—!”

"Excellent!" Ying Feng clapped his hands. "I still have old grudges with him. Back in Jiangling, I even advised him to send troops to rescue Baling. I guess he's settling all his old scores this time!" He stamped his foot and said, "No wonder he sent me as an envoy to the Kingdom of Gou-ting. My lord, I'm afraid we will never see each other again!"

"This—" Feng Kun was taken aback upon hearing this: "It shouldn't be that bad, right? Wei Cong told me that he will send someone to deliver the details of the mission. If you don't want to go, you can refuse, and the court will not issue an edict!"

"You believe such a thing?" Ying Feng was already in tears. "Wei Cong has long intended to kill me. If I dared to refuse, I would be giving him a reason to kill me. This time, whether I go or not, I will die. Rather than disobeying orders and being executed, I would rather die by imperial decree!"

"My lord, a messenger from the General's mansion has delivered a document, saying that it was discussed with you in the carriage today!" someone said outside the study.

"Give it to me!" Feng Kun replied, then turned to Ying Feng and said, "Uncle, you should take a look first. In my opinion, Wei Cong doesn't mean that!"

Ying Feng remained silent, his expression grim, clearly having completely ignored Feng Kun's words. A moment later, a letter pouch was brought in from outside. After confirming that the seal on the wax was intact, Feng Kun opened the pouch, took out the letter inside, and read it. He then smiled and said, "Uncle, I told you you were overthinking it! Look, Wei Cong is going to entrust you with an important task!"

Ying Feng took the letter with some skepticism and began to read it. The letter was a thick stack, with two handwritten letters from Wei Cong at the top, followed by several maps and a detailed battle plan. The gist of the letter was that Wei Cong intended to send Ying Feng as an envoy in the name of the Han Emperor to bestow upon the King of Gou-ting the title of General Who Pacifies the Barbarians, granting him the authority to oversee all military affairs in the southwest. He ordered Ying Feng to lead troops southwestward along the Mekong River (also known as the Lancang River), conquering the various barbarian tribes along the river. Then, Duan Jiong would march south from Jiaozhou, launching a pincer attack to seize the southwestern coastal region. The plan was very detailed, complete with maps, clearly indicating that Wei Cong had prepared this in advance and that it wasn't a hastily fabricated scheme to kill Ying Feng.

"How strange, does Wei Cong really not want to kill me?" Ying Feng read the letter carefully from beginning to end, becoming increasingly puzzled.

“You’re overthinking it!” Feng Kun laughed. “He’s probably worried that you’ll turn against him after you return to your hometown. As long as you don’t go back, he won’t kill you!”

Ying Feng nodded, gradually recovering from his earlier excitement, and becoming increasingly astonished by Wei Cong's grand plan: "He's in Luoyang, with the Southern Xiongnu causing trouble to the north, yet he's thinking about things thousands of miles away! This, this—"

"Those in positions of power should naturally fulfill their responsibilities!" Feng Kun sighed. "Uncle, are you going or not? I need to give them an answer!"

“Go, why not go!” Ying Feng raised his eyebrows and said arrogantly.

"Aren't you afraid of dying?"

"I am not afraid of death, I am only afraid of dying an unnatural death!" Ying Feng laughed and said, "If this plan really succeeds, even if I die, I will be remembered in history, and thousands of years later, people will still sing my praises and worship me. This is the kind of death I want, so why would I be afraid?"

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Yunzhong County.

A gloomy haze hung over the grassland, withered grasses spreading across the land. The haze overhead, as vast as the wilderness itself, resembled a giant tent dome, draping this endless plain. Grayish-white skeletons, moss-covered giant rocks, rusted and broken metal weapons, and tattered flags lay scattered across this vast expanse. As mist drifted by, the occasional mournful wail of ghosts echoed, sending chills down one's spine.

No one knows when these skeletons were left behind. Perhaps they were Han soldiers who followed Wei Qing and Huo Qubing beyond the Great Wall during the reign of Emperor Wu of Han; perhaps they were Han soldiers who followed Emperor Gaozu of Han and were besieged at the foot of Baideng Mountain; perhaps even earlier, Qin soldiers who followed Meng Tian in opening up the lands south of the Yellow River; or maybe even Zhao cavalry who followed Li Mu in driving back the Xiongnu hundreds of miles. Before eternal death, the distinctions of friend and foe, beauty and ugliness, victory and defeat among the living are all erased, leaving only these grayish-white bones, broken weapons, and the mournful cries of ghosts that accompany the north wind each time it blows. It seems as if they are pleading with passersby to take their bones back to their homeland, to bury them beside their ancestors' tombs, and to find eternal peace.

Ta-da, ta-da!
The sound of horses' hooves pierced through the thin mist. After about half a while, several riders could be seen, their armor plates clanging against each other. A moment later, the riders stopped. One of them dismounted and walked to a mound of earth. He brushed aside the weeds to reveal the distinct layers of soil on the surface, clearly indicating that it was built of rammed earth.

“The beacon towers of the Former Han Dynasty have now been abandoned!” Zhang Wen sighed.

"There's no way!" The accompanying county official said with a wry smile, "According to the county's records, during the reign of Emperor Xuan of the previous dynasty, each mu of land here could yield one shi of millet. Each household of the guards was granted one hundred mu of land, exempt from labor, land rent, and food. The court only needed to provide clothing and charcoal each summer and winter, and the soldiers could cultivate the land themselves, provide their own armor, weapons, bows, and crossbows, and guard it. But now, with no rain and frequent droughts, and often cold weather, there have been two out of three years without a harvest. The soldiers have to transport every piece of clothing and food from the rear. How can they possibly continue like this!"

"Hmm!" Zhang Wen nodded. "This is due to the opportune timing, something beyond human control. Let's go check out the next place!"

"Here!"

The group mounted their horses and rode off to the next destination.

After being appointed as the General of the Southern Xiongnu, Zhang Wen immediately set off from Luoyang and arrived in Yunzhong County in just five days. He then began to inspect the situation along the border and learn about the situation of the Southern Xiongnu after Ren Xiao's death in battle.

"What is the current situation of the Southern Xiongnu tribes?" Zhang Wen asked the minor official beside him.

"It's hard to say!" the clerk said with a wry smile.

"What's so hard to say?" Zhang Wen frowned. "Tell me the truth, and I won't blame you for whatever you say!"

"Let me put it this way!" the official said with a wry smile, "If I said that the people of the Southern Xiongnu weren't actually that concerned about who became the Chanyu, you wouldn't think I was talking nonsense, would you?"

"Oh? How do you mean!"

"As you've all seen, the weather in Yunzhong County has been terrible these past few years, either drought or freezing, with not a single good harvest in three years. But no matter what, the Han people occupy the riverbank land, and their harvests are much better than the Xiongnu's herding. Some Xiongnu have tried to cultivate millet and such, but the problem is they're not very good at farming, so their harvests are less than what they plant, and things are getting worse day by day. You can always see Xiongnu selling their children on the outskirts of the city—"

"What? The Xiongnu people sell themselves?" Zhang Wen was taken aback. "Doesn't the imperial court bestow grain, silk, cattle, and sheep upon them every year?"

"Hey!" the clerk laughed. "The court bestowed these upon the court, and the Xiongnu sold them to them. What does it matter? If you don't believe me, you can go back to the city and look around. Which family doesn't have a few Xiongnu herdsmen or household slaves? There are even more of those children. Their parents couldn't raise them, so they sold them. If a family couldn't have children, or wanted to give their own child a companion, many people bought them. Anyway, it's just a bag of grain. Consider it a good deed!"

Zhang Wen remained silent, but he had already guessed what the official meant. Clearly, the imperial rewards had ended up in the pockets of the tribal leaders, while the people received nothing. This undoubtedly weakened the military strength of the various Southern Xiongnu tribes.

"No wonder Wei Cong sent me here, it really is a mess!" Zhang Wen thought to himself, "If things continue like this, even without Xiutuge's escape, there will be other troubles!"

Zhang Wen inspected the beacon towers and outposts along the border. It was five days later when he returned to the capital of Yunzhong County. However, good news awaited him—reinforcements sent from Luoyang had arrived in Yunzhong County.

"This humble general was clad in armor and was unable to perform the full ceremony; please forgive me, Your Excellency!"

"Fine!" Zhang Wen looked the burly, bearded man up and down. Judging from his dark red cheeks, he must be a man from a border region who was used to the harsh weather of the north. "Are you from Youzhou?"

"Your Excellency is right. I am from Liaoxi, named Gongsun Hao, courtesy name Bo'an!" the man replied. "Five years ago, I was recommended by the prefect to serve as a Gentleman of the Palace, and later as a Tiger-Ben Gentleman and then a Tiger-Ben Gentleman in the palace. This time, I have been ordered to lead troops here to await Your Excellency's command!"

"Tiger General, is he a subordinate of Wei Cong's adopted son?" Zhang Wen thought to himself, but remained outwardly calm: "How many troops did you bring this time?"

"One thousand cavalry, one thousand five hundred infantry, and one thousand crossbowmen!" Gongsun Hao replied, "They are all well-armored and strong men, so you can rest assured, my lord!"

"Then let's go take a look!" Zhang Wen stood up.

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The soldiers were arranged in neat square formations, their bodies protected by knee-high lamellar armor, with shins and arm guards protecting their calves and arms. They looked like steel golems, exuding a terrifying charm.

"Are they all wearing armor?" Zhang Wen asked.

"Yes, all of them!" Gongsun Hao replied with no small amount of pride. "All soldiers have them. The infantrymen have armor on all four limbs and torsos, but the crossbowmen don't. Moreover, even the crossbowmen have a full set of iron chainmail, which is difficult to injure with ordinary bows, crossbows, swords, and spears! These are all made by the General's Workshop according to the new Jiaozhou method of the General. They are truly excellent armor!"

"Oh?" Zhang Wen walked up to a crossbowman and saw that the crossbowman was wearing a silver-gray armor. Upon closer inspection, he found that it was made of many thin iron rings strung together. He pulled on it with his finger and found that the armor was very soft to wear, just like a cold garment.

(End of this chapter)