The Source of Calamity
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Luoyang, May, 189.
“Grand General, whom do you intend to summon to the capital?” Yuan Shao asked.
“Dong Zhuo of Xiliang and Ding Yuan of Bingzhou. What say you all?”
This was the arrangement He Jin had devised only after much deliberation.
“No. Dong Zhuo is a wolf in human form. Bringing him to the capital will surely invite disaster.” Zheng Tai stepped forward and offered his counsel upon hearing Dong Zhuo’s name.
“You are far too suspicious. You are not fit to undertake great affairs.” He Jin frowned.
“Grand General, I have long known Dong Zhuo’s character. He appears amiable but is ruthless at heart—fierce, greedy, and devoid of benevolence or righteousness. If we rely on his support, we may well bring calamity upon ourselves.”
Lu Zhi and Dong Zhuo had once fought together against the Yellow Turbans, so Lu Zhi understood him rather well.
“You are all merely offering the opinions of scholars. My decision is final.” He Jin rejected their advice.
“Hmph.”
“We shall take our leave.”
Zheng Tai and Lu Zhi both swept out of the hall in anger.
He Jin then ordered Dong Zhuo, Inspector of Bingzhou, to lead his troops to the capital. He also sent his subordinates Wang Kuang and Commandant of Cavalry Bao Xin back to their homeland to recruit soldiers.
For a time, the winds of upheaval swept across the land. Armies rose in every direction, and the capital was shaken.
Only then did Empress Dowager He realize how grave the situation had become.
She hurriedly sent the Palace Attendants, Junior Yellow Gate officials, and the others back to their homes. The eunuchs panicked, trembling like stray dogs, and went together to beg He Jin for mercy.
Yuan Shao repeatedly urged He Jin to take this opportunity to kill them. But when Empress Dowager He pleaded on their behalf, He Jin’s heart softened, and he allowed them to leave.
Yuan Shao was deeply dissatisfied. He wrote to the provinces and commanderies, falsely claiming that the order came from He Jin, and commanded that the eunuchs’ relatives be arrested and imprisoned.
By then, Yuan Shao had made the matter a fait accompli. With no alternative, He Jin could only agree. He ordered troops from all quarters to enter Luoyang and exert military pressure on the court. Grand General He Jin also dispatched men to hunt down and kill the remaining followers of Colonel Jian Shuo. More than a thousand people died, and the capital held its breath.
In truth, during the early founding years of Great Jin, the achievements of Emperor Wu, the dynasty’s founding ancestor, and of Yuan Shao could not be erased. Without the foundation Yuan Shao had laid, Yuan Xi would never have risen so swiftly.
Yuan Xi watched all of this unfold with cold detachment.
At present, he was alone and powerless, utterly incapable of “guiding the rise and fall of the world.”
All he could do was wait quietly for the moment that belonged to him.
News of the Ling Emperor’s death soon reached the Chenliu region. Wang Yun, who had been hiding there to escape the turmoil, hurried to Luoyang to pay his respects. It was the proper duty of a subject.
At that moment, the situation at court was in utter chaos.
The power of the imperial relatives, led by He Jin, had greatly increased. Zhang Rang and the eunuch faction had lost control of the central government and now faced the danger of total annihilation at any moment.
He Jin took advantage of the opportunity provided by local officials arriving to mourn the emperor. He lavishly cultivated and recruited forces loyal to himself. In truth, he did not trust Yuan Shao.
As soon as Wang Yun arrived in Luoyang, He Jin summoned him urgently and explained his intentions, planning to make extensive use of him. Wang Yun was deeply grateful for He Jin’s life-saving favor.
He therefore agreed readily and took up the post of Attendant Counselor.
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Several days later, Gao Jing came personally to the Yuan residence.
He explained his purpose to Yuan Shao and Lady Liu, then angrily took Gao Rou and Gao Yue back home. In truth, the old man’s stubbornness was beneficial to Gao Yue.
As Gao Yue was about to board the carriage, Yuan Xi saw the resentment in her eyes, and his heart grew even heavier.
During the period of national mourning, singing, dancing, music, wine, and lavish food were forbidden. Though the situation was tense, none of it had anything to do with Yuan Xi.
Whenever he had free time, he continued riding through Luoyang with Xu Chu. Otherwise, he busied himself gathering information. He knew that before long, he would have to leave this place where he had lived for so many years—and that Luoyang itself would soon be reduced to a wasteland.
The world was truly unpredictable. Who would have imagined that even he, the second son of the Yuan family, would one day be forced to leave his homeland? How much worse, then, must it be for ordinary people caught in an age of chaos?
Over the next several days, Gao Yue begged her brother Gao Rou to deliver a letter to Yuan Xi. The two lovers met once more in a side room by the rear gate of the Gao residence.
They were so devoted and reluctant to part that Gao Rou found the sight both amusing and exasperating.
Girls truly did favor the families they married into.
On this particular day, Yuan Xi once again took Xu Chu and wandered through Luoyang.
Although many activities had been canceled and the streets were somewhat deserted, he greatly enjoyed the leisure of riding through the ancient city.
Ordinary households, however, had no such ease.
When Yuan Xi reached the vicinity of Yonghe Ward in the northeastern part of the city, a freight cart happened to be approaching him head-on.
The cart had no canopy. Several large bundles of goods were tied down with hemp rope, and the whole vehicle looked perilously unstable.
Suddenly, one of the wheels slipped. The entire load seemed about to overturn and crush the pedestrians beside it.
At that instant, a soldier leading a horse rushed forward. With both hands, he forced the tipping cart back and held it upright.
“Zhongkang!” Yuan Xi ordered Xu Chu to lend him a hand.
He had clearly seen the soldier’s remarkable skill.
“Yes!”
With the strength of the two men combined, they quickly righted the cart.
“Thank you both! Thank you!” the owner cried, bowing repeatedly in gratitude.
After the cart departed, Yuan Xi could not help studying the young soldier.
The man had handsome features, slightly dark skin, and a well-proportioned, powerful build. He was clearly a capable warrior, and Yuan Xi was eager to make his acquaintance.
“Many thanks for your assistance. Let us part ways here.” The young soldier cupped his hands toward Yuan Xi and Xu Chu, then turned to leave.
Suddenly, as though he had remembered something, he scratched his head.
He stopped and asked Yuan Xi, “Young sir, do you know where the garrison of the Western Garden is located? I would be grateful if you could point me in the right direction.”
“You are a soldier stationed here. How is it that you do not know where the Western Garden is?”
Yuan Xi could not help feeling curious as he studied the soldier before him.
“To be frank, I am under Inspector Ding of Bingzhou and have only just arrived in the capital. I went to the Grand General’s residence earlier, but forgot to ask. I beg you, young sir, to tell me the way.”
The man bowed to Yuan Xi as he explained.
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Yuan Xi’s heart stirred faintly.
“I know the Western Garden garrison very well. Why not come with me? My name is Yuan Xi, courtesy name Xianyi. My father is the Colonel Director of Retainers.”
“Ah! So you are Young Master Yuan. Please forgive my disrespect.”
The young soldier looked astonished. The Yuan family’s reputation was renowned, and even he had long heard of them.
“Not at all! It is only an empty reputation.”
Yuan Xi waved his hand modestly, then led him toward the Western Garden garrison.
The young soldier did not refuse, and the three men rode westward through the city.
Along the way, Yuan Xi asked from horseback, “I do not yet know your honored name.”
“There is no need for such courtesy. I am Zhang Liao of Mayi in Yanmen, courtesy name Wenyuan.”
The soldier answered with clasped fists, his tone neither servile nor arrogant.
This time, it was Yuan Xi’s turn to be astonished.
He had never expected to encounter Zhang Liao, one of the Five Elite Generals, the man who would later shake the world at Xiaoyao Ford. This was a truly valuable find.
His expression remained composed as he continued chatting with Zhang Liao.
Even in the entire history of China, Zhang Liao was an exceptional commander. He would conquer Liaodong, slay Tadun, and defend Hefei. He would stand alone against Eastern Wu, break Sun Quan’s army of one hundred thousand at Xiaoyao Ford, and make his name resound throughout the realm.
He would strike such fear into the children of Eastern Wu that they would dare not cry at night. What unmatched glory that was.
For the two of them to meet here could only be called fate.
Under Cao Cao served a thousand generals and a million armored troops. Yet among the generals who had surrendered from other surnames, those who attained the highest military honors were Zhang Wenyuan, Xu Gongming, and Zhang Junyi.
Within the Cao Wei regime, Zhang Liao’s status stood below only Cao Ren, Xiahou Dun, and Xiahou Yuan. It was for this reason that later generations held him in such high esteem.
In many Three Kingdoms games, Zhang Liao was portrayed as Cao Cao’s foremost general, with outstanding attributes in every category. He was immensely popular: a martial ability above ninety, command above ninety, intelligence in the seventies or eighties, and political ability around seventy.
He was a first-rate general in any Three Kingdoms game.
Before crossing into this era, Yuan Xi had also been especially fond of Zhang Liao. He could not claim to know every anecdote and detail of his history by heart, but he knew the broad outline well enough.
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Xu You was greedy, miserly, and utterly devoted to ornamental carp.
Yet a strange thing happened in Xu You’s household. Every night, one ornamental carp would disappear at a fixed hour. Xu You therefore decided to lie in wait and catch the thief.
He soon discovered that the culprit was Emperor Xuanwu’s pet black panther.
Xu You reported the matter to Yuan Xi, but Yuan Xi refused to accept the complaint. Heartbroken, Xu You could only watch helplessly as the black panther continued its depredations.
He could neither beat it nor curse it. The loss pained him so deeply that, in his later years, Xu You came to spend his days matching wits with the black panther.
Feeling that he was always the one losing out, Xu You would take a few tribute items home whenever he entered the palace, determined to recover his losses.
He refused to suffer at a disadvantage.
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