Chapter 20: Xu Huang, Gongming

Across the Fen River lies the city of Linfen.

Xu Huang had gathered over two hundred men, stationing them in an abandoned village settlement on the outskirts of the city, where some were still rummaging through the ruins. The White Wave Army had erupted from White Wave Valley, which was located just a short distance northeast of Linfen, hugging the Fen River. On the eastern bank of White Wave Valley lay Xiangling, the hometown of Jia Kui. North of Xiangling, following the course of the Fen River, was Yang County, where Xu Huang was stationed. West of the Fen River, across from Yang County and Xiangling, was Pingyang; all these surrounding counties were considered part of the Pingyang region.

Blessed by the irrigation of the Fen River, Pingyang had always been prosperous. But after the turmoil of the White Wave Army, everything was left in ruins. Since the migration of the Xiongnu to the south, the officials and commoners of the Pingyang counties could only survive by clustering around large cities, fortified townships, manors, or military camps. Consequently, Xu Huang’s recruitment drive had gone smoothly; there was no shortage of men in the Pingyang counties who were willing to take risks.

After the Battle of Hongnong, the soldiers of the old White Wave factions who retreated back to Hedong held ranks no lower than that of a Colonel. Although these Colonels received no salary and commanded few men, they were, in name, Colonels nonetheless.

In the morning, Xu Huang was feeding his horses, planning to head to several townships later to recruit more men. When Jia Kui arrived by boat across the Fen River, Xu Huang felt compelled to welcome him personally, simply because of who he was.

After ushering Jia Kui into his tent, Xu Huang noticed him examining the equipment within and asked, "Jia, you were recruited for the Huben Guards, why come looking for me?"

Xu Huang, now in his prime, wore a thick beard and possessed a sturdy, muscular frame, sitting with rigid posture. Like many scholars in the Pingyang region, Xu Huang had lost his family estate and was now alone.

Jia Kui caught a glimpse of two old soldiers with battered armor at the tent entrance observing him from time to time. He smiled and said, "It is like this: the Huben Guards have just been formed and have not yet seen real combat. Major Wang proposed an expedition to suppress the bandits of Jishan, and since you, Colonel Xu, have survived great battles and are a fellow countryman of mine, I have crossed the river to seek your counsel on military strategy."

When the Emperor had crossed the river and arrived at Anyi, he had bestowed titles liberally; Xu Huang had been appointed as a Colonel of Cavalry and Marquis of Duting. This "Colonel of Cavalry" did not refer to a commander of cavalry units, but specifically to one of the three Colonels tasked with commanding and overseeing the Three Rivers Knights Battalion. The Three Rivers Knights Battalion and their Colonels were subordinate to the outer guard of the Yulin Imperial Guards; at this juncture, it was perfectly acceptable for Xu Huang’s troops to be referred to as Yulin soldiers.

Xu Huang stared at Jia Kui: "The Jishan bandits?"

"Yes. We already have guides and insiders. I hope that Colonel Xu can cross the river and instruct us on the proper strategy."

Jia Kui’s expression was earnest and sincere. Seeing this, Xu Huang replied, "Without an imperial decree, it is not appropriate for my troops to participate in battle. If it is merely a discussion of strategy, that does no harm. However, my camp is short on provisions; could you lend us fifty shi of grain?"

Fifty shi of grain was no small amount. When the Emperor himself had run out of food and begged Li Jue for aid, Li Jue had tossed him two sets of rotting ox carcasses.

"Fifty shi of grain is not something I can decide alone. If you are short on food, Colonel, perhaps you should discuss it with Major Wang. I, too, cannot bear to see the sons of my hometown go hungry, and I will certainly speak to my friends on behalf of Colonel Xu."

Jia Kui’s demeanor remained neither servile nor overbearing. "Major Wang has already decided to suppress the Jishan bandits. I only hope that you, Colonel, can provide an impartial account of the situation to persuade Major Wang to abandon the campaign. The Huben Guards are, after all, newly formed and have not experienced war. If there are heavy losses, how would we answer to the elders?"

As he spoke, Jia Kui bowed deeply, projecting the image of one who abhorred war.

"Very well."

Xu Huang also rose to help Jia Kui up. "This matter should not be delayed. Once I have instructed my troops and made the necessary arrangements, I will cross the river with you, Jia."

"Understood. I shall await your arrival, Colonel."

Jia Kui walked out of the tent, and Xu Huang summoned his old and new lieutenants to announce the plan. Several recruited soldiers from Xiangling, upon seeing Jia Kui, came forward to pay their respects and make inquiries. Jia Kui did not hide his intentions, feigning that Major Wang Zhi intended to build his reputation by attacking the Jishan bandits and that he had come to invite Xu Huang to join the expedition.

Xu Huang took three guards with him. After boarding the boat, Jia Kui and Xu Huang crossed the river first. When they reached the opposite bank and the boat had departed, Xu Huang asked, "Jia, has there been some trouble within the Huben camp?"

"No major disturbance, but after our collective deliberations, we have concluded that there are treacherous ministers who will collude with the Jishan bandits and the mixed-blood Xiongnu to launch an attack."

Jia Kui faced the Fen River, its surface shimmering. He squinted and said, "Everything in the camp remains as it was; we will prepare for battle only after nightfall. If the enemy attacks, we can defend the camp, but the difficulty lies in securing a victory. If we have your assistance, Colonel, to cut off the enemy’s retreat, the spoils will surely be plentiful."

Xu Huang, his left hand resting on the hilt of his sword, walked half a step behind Jia Kui, also watching the boats on the Fen. "Without an imperial edict, if I mobilize my troops and General Yang holds me accountable, he will surely have my head."

After a pause, Xu Huang continued, "Even if you had an imperial edict, Jia, I fear I could not comply. It is not that I am unwilling; if I were to move my troops across the Fen to engage in battle, there would surely be interference from within my camp. Only by striking with lightning speed could I compel the troops to cross the river. Otherwise, internal strife and contention would shake the morale of the army, rendering them useless."

He turned to look at Jia Kui’s profile. "Killing these spies is easy, but once done, I would have no path of retreat. My life is a trivial matter, but now that the Imperial Court and General Yang view one another with suspicion, if I were to act, General Yang would become a startled bird, which I fear would be detrimental to the Court."

Xu Huang took a deep breath. "I, too, have a burning heart to serve the country, but what can be done?"

"Since you have your difficulties, Colonel, we shall not force you." Jia Kui blinked and said, "In that case, we will simply pursue them in their wake. If the fighting breaks out at night and fires start, I hope you will patrol the riverbank. If we win, you can cut down the retreating bandits to build your own merit... and if we are defeated, and the soldiers flee across the river, I hope you will provide some rescue."

"That is not difficult."

Xu Huang agreed immediately. As long as the actions were within a reasonable scope, he did not mind lending a hand.

Seeing his agreement, Jia Kui immediately said, "The Huben camp has been reorganized; under Major Wang, there are five bureaus in charge of affairs, and I have been appointed as the Clerk of the Granary. The outcome of tonight is hard to predict, but I will provide you with one hundred shi of grain shortly. I only hope that you will collect all the boats in the vicinity; after transporting the grain, claim that you need to transport more tomorrow and keep the boats moored on the south bank overnight."

Xu Huang understood. If the Huben Guards were defeated, many could use these boats to save their lives.

As he pondered this, Xu Huang said, "A clever scheme, Jia. If the boats are gathered at the Jiangyi ferry, the Xiongnu bandits will be unable to cross the river and will be forced to cross further upstream."

Jia Kui merely smiled at this and asked instead, "Among the subordinates of the White Wave generals, are there still men of loyalty and integrity like you, Colonel?"

Xu Huang thought seriously and replied solemnly, "Those who were too eager to show their loyalty to the Court and revealed their tracks have long since been purged by the generals, or persecuted by the chaotic armies of Li and Guo. Those who survive now are like me—confused, unable to distinguish between loyalty and treachery."

"You are too modest, Colonel."

Jia Kui replied, finding it difficult to continue the discussion on this topic. The fate of the White Wave generals and their troops who had first crossed the river to rescue the Emperor was too tragic; many were the fellow countrymen of Xu Huang and Jia Kui. To say that not one in ten survived was a true reflection of the White Wave army that had marched to save the King.

Although Xu Huang was titled Colonel of Cavalry and Marquis of Duting, he knew that such honors were hard to justify to others. Despite Jia Kui’s politeness, it was only because he currently had need of him. Once he turned away and walked off, who knew how he might curse him?

But Xu Huang’s emotions remained stable. Having crawled out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood, he did not care for such trifles. As long as he received the grain promised, he could recruit several dozen more men. These men were far more important than Jia Kui’s friendship or goodwill.

As for the Xiongnu... he had already provided a hint; whether Jia Kui and his companions could grasp it was up to their own fate. In any case, he was truly tired. No matter how much he disliked Yang Feng, he did not want to be stained with Yang Feng’s blood.

As Yang Feng’s subordinate and countryman, he had a moral obligation to serve and defend him, and to maintain his integrity. Though he also had an obligation to be loyal to the Emperor... when these two obligations conflicted, all Xu Huang could do was wait for the result. Given his background, even if he betrayed Yang Feng for the sake of the Emperor, he would still be looked down upon by his fellow countrymen, the nobles, and the scholars, and would be suppressed.

Such was the contradiction. Now, they would gladly kneel on the ground, kiss your boots, and beg you to be loyal to the Emperor and strike out at your former master. Yet, once the deed was done, they would never acknowledge your merit; instead, they would despise and attack your morality and integrity.

The Marquis of Wen, Lu Bu, was a lesson from the past. After the death of Dong Zhuo, if Wang Yun had been willing to listen to advice and respect Lu Bu’s opinions, how could the situation have descended into such chaos?

The nobles had chosen all of this; what could Xu Huang do? If Yang Feng truly ordered him to act, Xu Huang would act. The world had become this chaotic; were the poor nobles truly innocent?