Section Ninety-Four: Luring X and X Presets
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On the night the Revolutionary Army completed its preparations for the decisive battle, Lu Zhi’s army also established camp roughly fifteen li away.
This time, they had assembled their entire force. Thanks to their outstanding performance earlier, the troops from the Ferry Crossing had finally earned the right to fight alongside the main army, though they had received no official recognition. Yet most of those soldiers looked listless and spoke little, showing none of the excitement one would expect from men who had won a battle, burned the enemy’s provisions, and were preparing to crush them at once.
“General.” The officer who had executed Soldier A approached Lu Zhi before he entered the command tent. “As you instructed, more than seven hundred bandits captured yesterday have all been executed.”
“Very well.” Lu Zhi walked straight into the tent.
They had fought a splendid battle. With the enemy’s provisions and baggage destroyed, their extermination was only a matter of time. Although he did not know why the imperial decree had erased the accomplishments of the troops from the Ferry Crossing, it hardly mattered. They would fight again sooner or later, and he could make it up to them then.
He had also heard about what happened the previous night. According to the report from his own subordinates, bandits had infiltrated the Ferry Crossing contingent and intended to cause trouble, so they had been severely punished on the spot. According to Zhang Da’s report, however, the soldier who had been executed had fought bravely that day, killing several bandits. That night, drunk with wine, he had become distraught upon hearing that his parents had been killed.
He had fought bravely for his country, only to have his parents killed after joining the bandits. It was a regrettable but unavoidable matter. Had Lu Zhi been present, perhaps he would have spared the man’s life. Still, his subordinates had done nothing wrong. A man harboring resentment was a man who could be killed; it was a trivial matter, not worth dwelling on.
As he pondered this, a scout came running from the distance. When he drew near, he fell to both knees and presented a letter.
A soldier beside Lu Zhi took the letter and handed it to him. Lu Zhi opened it and saw that it had been written by the Revolutionary Army facing them.
“Greetings, General Lu. I am Wang Luo, commander of the Revolutionary Army.”
“Our two armies fought previously, without either side achieving victory. Yet you sent men to launch a surprise attack on my camp. Such conduct is unworthy of a gentleman.”
“Now my army is without provisions, and defeat is almost upon us. I have heard that during the Qin dynasty, Zhao Gao’s treachery brought ruin from within: victories went unrewarded, while defeat meant death, and so Zhang Han surrendered to Chu. Today, the calamity caused by the Ten Attendants is far worse than that of Zhao Gao. If you destroy my army, the Han court will neither reward you nor protect you. It will only bring harm upon you.”
“The Yellow Turbans follow a heretical religion and cruelly oppress the people. When you destroy them, you will be ridding the world of a menace. But I am not a Yellow Turban. I belong to the Revolutionary Army. We redistribute fields and land among the people in order to save them. If you defeat me, any reward will be difficult to obtain; if you destroy me, you will only bring harm to the people around you. I urge you to consider carefully where your true interests lie.”
“If you fear the Han court’s censure, then halt your pursuit for a time, and I will lead my troops away myself. We will pass through the commanderies and counties without disturbing them. Should we meet again in the future, I will surely repay this great favor.”
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The letter was written in a pretentiously refined style, half classical and half vernacular. After reading it, Lu Zhi threw back his head and laughed, then casually tossed it into the fire beside him.
“Pass down my order! Prepare the morning meal at the fourth watch tomorrow. Advance at the fifth watch and destroy the enemy’s remaining forces!”
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When Lu Zhi received this letter, two others were also delivered to the Han army’s camp.
One was received by the seven-foot-tall Cavalry Commandant with narrow eyes and a long beard: Cao Cao, Cao Mengde.
“Greetings, General Cao. I am Wang Luo, commander of the Revolutionary Army.”
“The Han dynasty’s mandate has run its course.”
“A nation does not belong to one person or one clan. It is an integrated whole formed by all the people under Heaven. Those in high positions are responsible for governing and coordinating; those below are responsible for farming and fighting. Yet now, the problem is not merely an incapable emperor and negligent eunuchs. The ministers and great clans are selfish as well. They care nothing for the nation and everything for their own families.”
“After holding power for so long, they have developed the delusion that occupying high office is their natural right. Worse still, they regard only members of their own clans as human beings and treat everyone else as less than human. They possess immense wealth and the highest positions, yet refuse to fulfill the duties required of those who govern. They have neither the will nor the ability to administer and coordinate the entire nation.”
“The nation today is like a piece of wood gnawed hollow by termites. From the outside it still appears intact, but the slightest touch will make it collapse. When that day comes, thousands of miles will lie barren, rivers of blood will flow, and foreign tribes will invade, treating the people of the Central Kingdom like pigs and sheep. It is all close at hand.”
“The common people have neither land nor food, and their lives are unbearably bitter. Thus, incited by the Yellow Turbans, they rose in rebellion. But the Yellow Turban faction is like the Yin-Shang dynasty, placing ghosts and spirits above all else. They engage in no honest production, plunder wherever they go, and harm the people before attempting to save them. Their eventual destruction is inevitable.”
“But our Revolutionary Army is different from the Yellow Turbans. We have our own program: we distribute the great clans’ land among impoverished farmers, then organize production and expand our ranks. All ordinary people under Heaven will benefit from our program. You were born into a wealthy and powerful family, so at first glance this program may seem contrary to your interests. But I have heard that a truly capable man does not concern himself with petty gains. A great man who holds the world in his heart seeks to establish merit for all beneath Heaven and for the benefit of the people, leaving his name to endure through history. Surely he must not become like Huangfu Song and Lu Zhi, driven by selfish desires, the petty interests of their own families, and foolish loyalty, trembling before an unnamed fear while slaughtering the people.”
“I do not expect you to do anything after reading this letter. Besides, my army has just suffered defeat and can barely preserve itself, let alone speak foolishly of recruiting surrendered troops. But blades and arrows have no eyes, and mercy cannot be shown. Every man in my army is prepared to fight to the death. When we face the Han army in battle, if fortune should favor us and we emerge victorious, you and your subordinates must lay down your weapons and bare your left arms as a sign of surrender. When our soldiers see this, they will certainly spare your lives.”
After reading the letter once, the Cavalry Commandant threw back his head and laughed.
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The letter meant for the man with ears hanging to his shoulders and arms that reached past his knees read as follows:
“Greetings, General Liu. I am Wang Luo, commander of the Revolutionary Army.”
“Our army is not the Yellow Turban Army. Our soldiers were originally impoverished commoners, and so our discipline is strict. We never harm the poor. Instead, we distribute the wealth and land of landlords and great clans among them.”
“We have not plundered the possessions of ordinary people, nor have we slaughtered the innocent. You have surely seen how we treat the farmers, and how the landlords and great clans treat them. In my view, the world does not belong to the emperor, nor to the great clans and officials. It belongs to all ordinary people.”
“Why do you think Lu Zhi massacres the people? I believe it is because he is afraid—afraid that our program will take his family’s land and wealth and distribute them among the poor, who suffer hardship and hunger. But if we wish to ensure that everyone has enough to eat, this is precisely what must be done.”
“Cut off a head like a leek, and another will grow; cut off a head like a rooster’s, and another will crow. Officials need not be feared, and the common people must never be treated lightly. Now our entire army has been driven into a desperate corner. Lu Zhi refuses to allow us to surrender and has killed the families of many of our soldiers. This hatred runs too deep. Only by fighting with all our strength to defeat him can we avenge it.”
“Death may be weightier than Mount Tai, or lighter than a feather. To die for the benefit of the people is heavier than Mount Tai; to die while enabling landlords and great clans to oppress the people is lighter than a feather. If you believe it makes no difference whether you slaughter ordinary people struggling to survive, then come and fight us. But if you retain even the slightest compassion for the people, go north and attack the Yellow Turbans.”
“Those Yellow Turbans are foolish, incompetent, brutal, and devoid of mercy. If we are victorious, then for the sake of all the people under Heaven, we will attack them sooner or later.”
However, although the soldier entrusted by the Revolutionary Army searched everywhere, he still failed to deliver this letter into the hands of its intended recipient.
After learning that the Han army from the Ferry Crossing had conquered the Revolutionary Army’s camp, and hearing what had happened afterward, the three men did not bid Lu Zhi farewell. They immediately led their subordinates away.
“The troops from the Ferry Crossing utterly destroyed the enemy camp, yet received no credit at all. Then Lu Zhi’s men killed the families of our soldiers, who died in grief and outrage. What use is there for us to remain here?”
“We would do better to go north and attack the rebellious Yellow Turbans.”
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