“Actually, before this,” Zhang Jing looked at Xun Yu and said:
“I had no intention of meeting the envoy sent by Governor Cao. However, since the famed ‘Kingmaker’ himself came, I had no choice but to see you.”
“It’s merely an undeserved reputation. General, you take it too seriously.”
Xun Yu calmly shook his head.
The heart that had been hanging in suspense all this time was now nearly dead with despair.
If he had been given a choice, he would rather never have borne the title of “Kingmaker.”
“You are too modest, Sir.” Zhang Jing said:
“They say that true talent always lives up to its reputation. Since you have earned the title of Kingmaker, your abilities must be extraordinary.”
“And if I’m not mistaken, your purpose in coming here is to persuade me to surrender.”
“Your insight is admirable, General.”
At this point, Xun Yu saw no reason to deny it.
After all, it was obvious enough.
Zhang Jing asked:
“Tell me, Sir. If the Han Dynasty were restored to its former glory, would that truly be a blessing for the people?”
“Naturally.” Xun Yu nodded as though it were self-evident.
“And in your opinion, what is the root cause of the chaos under Heaven?”
Xun Yu pondered for a moment before replying:
“The source of calamity lies in the selling of offices and titles, in eunuchs corrupting the state, in the rampant abuses of corrupt officials…”
“I understand.”
A trace of disappointment flashed through Zhang Jing’s eyes.
This celebrated Kingmaker was, in the end, still too young.
The things he saw remained largely superficial.
And given his background, without having experienced life at the very bottom of society, there could never truly be any common ground between them.
“Would you be willing to serve the Yellow Turbans?”
Zhang Jing looked down at Xun Yu, a hint of inner struggle visible in his eyes.
“Thank you for your esteem, General.”
Xun Yu rose to his feet and brushed off his robes.
His expression remained calm.
“Since ancient times, a loyal servant does not serve two masters.”
“You are a rebel against the state.”
“I receive the Han’s salary.”
“This body of mine shall therefore remain a servant of the Han.”
“Hahaha!”
Rather than becoming angry, Zhang Jing burst into hearty laughter.
“A true Kingmaker indeed.”
“A truly stubborn scholar.”
“You receive the Han’s salary and therefore serve the Han?”
“Liu Bang once served as a pavilion chief under the Qin Empire and received Qin pay.”
“If he had possessed even half of your way of thinking, Wenruo, would there ever have been four centuries of Han rule?”
“Besides, where does that salary come from?”
“Was it cultivated by Liu Bang, Liu Che, or Liu Xiu themselves?”
“Do you not understand?”
“The salaries of men like you are paid entirely from the sweat and blood of the common people.”
“They are the people’s hard-earned wealth.”
“How foolish. How utterly foolish.”
“You haven’t even understood the true source of your own salary.”
“If the Han Dynasty were capable of governing the realm properly, bringing peace and prosperity to the people, then I would have nothing to say.”
“But those common folk who have starved to death…”
He paused and shook his head.
“Forget it.”
“Discussing such matters with a rigid scholar like you is simply too tiresome.”
As he spoke, Zhang Jing’s interest visibly waned.
Turning toward the doorway, he began walking out while issuing an order:
“Guards.”
“Take Xun Yu and his entourage to the prison.”
“Provide them with water each day.”
“No food whatsoever.”
“Yes, my lord!”
The young officer standing outside immediately cupped his fists and accepted the command.
“General, wait!”
Having finally lost all hope, Xun Yu could no longer remain composed.
His expression turned grave.
“As the saying goes, even when armies are at war, envoys are not executed.”
“Moreover, I came with sincere intentions.”
“I brought Governor Cao’s gift of five thousand shi of grain.”
“I also came to offer condolences for the late General’s passing.”
“There was no ill intent in my heart.”
He stared directly at Zhang Jing.
“If you act in this manner, General—”
“Do you intend to cut yourself off from all under Heaven?”
Never in his wildest dreams had Xun Yu imagined that a diplomatic mission would end with him becoming a prisoner.
One whose life might be in danger at any moment.
“Rest assured, Sir.”
Zhang Jing turned around.
“I understand the rule that envoys are not to be executed during wartime.”
“That is why I have no intention of using you as a sacrifice to rally the troops.”
“As for the five thousand shi of grain you brought—”
“It is merely Governor Cao returning grain to the people.”
“You should know that there are now hundreds of thousands of people from Yan Province within my camps.”
“The grain they once paid in taxes far exceeds a mere five thousand shi.”
“My father was buried three days ago.”
“You are a servant of the Han.”
“My father, meanwhile, was merely one of the people branded as rebels.”
“If I were to allow you to pay your respects at his grave, it would reflect poorly on both my father and yourself.”
“As for why I am imprisoning you—”
“I believe you already know the reason.”
“Governor Cao and I now belong to opposing camps. That we should wage war against one another is only natural.”
“Your reputation as a Kingmaker is known far and wide.”
“Since we stand on opposite sides, allowing you to leave freely would be irresponsible toward the officers and soldiers who follow me.”
“One must remember: mercy toward the enemy is cruelty toward oneself.”
At this point, Zhang Jing’s expression became complicated.
“The reason I tried to persuade you to surrender was because I wanted to give you a chance.”
“The realm now stands amidst an age of chaos.”
“Governor Cao believes: ‘I would rather betray others than allow others to betray me.’”
“As for me, Zhang Yuheng—”
“I believe that in troubled times, talented men who cannot be used by me must be killed by me.”
“My lord is wise!”
Upon hearing this, Cheng Yu was utterly astonished.
His face was filled with sincere admiration as he respectfully saluted Zhang Jing.
“I completely agree.”
“In an age of chaos, one cannot afford to be soft-hearted when selecting and employing talent.”
“A true man born into such an age need not necessarily leave a glorious name in history.”
“Even becoming infamous for ten thousand years may be an acceptable price.”
At this point, Cheng Yu’s loyalty to Zhang Jing had become absolute.
The man’s style of leadership simply matched Cheng Yu’s ideal ruler too perfectly.
“I understand now.”
Xun Yu staggered backward.
At last, he could no longer remain standing and collapsed to the floor.
His face was devoid of all color.
In his heart, he understood.
No matter what happened, the other side would never let him go.
“Hey! What are you doing?”
“We haven’t even eaten yet!”
“What do you think you’re doing?!”
“…”
As Zhang Jing departed, the voices of Xun Yu’s attendants could be heard protesting from the adjoining room.
At the same time, several more squads of soldiers left the governor’s residence to arrest the grain carriers and laborers who had accompanied Xun Yu.
“Come, Zhongde.”
After leaving the side hall, Zhang Jing took a deep breath.
His expression returned to calm as he said:
“Let’s go inspect the trebuchets.”
“Have Bian Xi and Geng Ling accompany us as well.”
“Once you’ve familiarized yourself with them, you’ll be responsible for procuring provisions for the army starting tomorrow.”
“Your subordinate obeys.”
Cheng Yu respectfully accepted the order.
His heart burned with anticipation.
“I’ve long looked forward to seeing the trebuchets that my lord has spoken of.”
In Cheng Yu’s view, with a lord like Zhang Jing, gathering supplies would be a simple matter.
Others might not know which great clans and noble families controlled Yan Province.
But as a native son of Yan Province himself, how could he possibly be unfamiliar with them?
Outside the eastern gate of Lu County stretched an endless sea of Yellow Turban camps.
In an open field stood row upon row of trebuchets.
Each stood over three zhang tall, with crossbeams measuring roughly six zhang in length.
They were imposing machines to behold.
“Wang Du.”
Zhang Jing nodded in satisfaction before instructing the arriving officer:
“Explain the trebuchets to our strategist.”
“Your subordinate obeys.”
Wang Du’s expression became somewhat strange upon hearing the order.
Nevertheless, he accepted it and awkwardly approached Cheng Yu.
“General Wang, I’ve long admired your reputation.”
Cheng Yu was somewhat surprised.
Back in the council hall he had not paid much attention.
Now that he saw Wang Du again, however, he understood certain things.
He had never expected that a former Yellow Turban leader he once fought against would now be his colleague.
“Ahem… you’re too kind, Strategist.”
Wang Du’s old face reddened slightly.
“Allow me to explain the trebuchet instead.”
“Then I shall trouble you, General.”
“This trebuchet differs greatly from the Han Dynasty’s traditional traction catapult.”
“The Han catapult requires at least thirty men to launch a single stone.”
“Not only is its accuracy poor, but extensive training is required before soldiers can operate it effectively.”
The moment the subject turned to trebuchets, Wang Du seemed like a completely different person.
Like a man proudly displaying a priceless treasure, he patiently began explaining the machine’s structure and operating principles to Cheng Yu.
— The end of the Chapter–
TL note : Join Patreon to support the translation and to read up ahead of the release :
https://www.patreon.com/DeCakraWnloverz
