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Yuan Shu watched Sun Jian's retreating figure, and his eyes could not help but betray a look of utter contempt—as though he were staring at a farmer reeking of sweat in a muddy field.
"A southern barbarian, after all, can never be brought to the table," Yang Hong remarked from the side.
Yuan Shu gave a soft, scornful chuckle. "...A shortsighted fool, that's all he is..."
Sun Jian had waited for many days before finally gaining an audience with Yuan Shu, but he had not managed to exchange more than a few words before being hastily dismissed. The reason was simple: from beginning to end, Sun Jian had not brought up the matter of the Imperial Jade Seal. Yuan Shu, therefore, could not be bothered to discuss it further.
Was the Jade Seal a treasure?
Of course it was!
If the Jade Seal were not a treasure, then nothing under Heaven could be called precious. But for the sake of a dead object, Sun Jian was willing to throw away friendly relations with the Yuan family. In Yuan Shu's eyes, this meant Sun Jian would never amount to anything great.
Yang Hong asked, "My lord, would you like me to go and prod him a little, to make things clear?"
Yuan Shu flicked his sleeve dismissively. "There is no need! If I were to speak out, would I not be stooping to the level of some uncouth rustic?"
In Yuan Shu's view, Sun Jian was a man of immense courage, but his character... well, it was merely mediocre. By all accounts, Sun Jian was a seasoned veteran. In his early years, he had participated in the campaigns against the Qiang in the western regions and had once been a subordinate of Grand Commandant Zhang Wen. At that time, he had bluntly urged Zhang Wen to execute Dong Zhuo before the latter's wings had fully grown. Later, when he became a Grand Administrator, not only did he pacify rebellions within his own commandery, but he also frequently crossed borders to pursue bandits.
Yuan Shu's earlier cooperation with Sun Jian had been, to say the least, less a relationship of superior and subordinate than one of mutual exploitation. Sun Jian had helped Yuan Shu eliminate the Grand Administrator of Nanyang, and in return, Yuan Shu had memorialized the throne to grant Sun Jian the title of General.
But times had changed. Dong Zhuo was dead. Thus, this realm under Heaven should rightfully belong to the Yuan family. Yet Sun Jian still failed to recognize this fact. He was truly no different from a pure country bumpkin, clutching a fine object tightly in his hands and refusing to let go, as if he were on guard against Yuan Shu snatching it away!
Was Yuan Shu the sort of man who would wade into a muddy field to snatch something?
Had it been washed clean and presented to him properly, he might have deigned to give it a second glance. But now, things had been made to look as though he, Yuan Shu, was scheming after the Jade Seal...
Utterly tedious!
Yuan Shu waved his hand lazily. "Issue him a few hundred dan of grain and fodder, and order him southward..."
Yuan Shu's original intention was simply to wash his hands of Sun Jian's petty affairs, sending him off with a bit of coin and provisions. Maintaining Sun Jian's few thousand troops had been somewhat burdensome before, but now, it was hardly a problem. Although Yuan Shu did not particularly care whether Sun Jian was willing to hand over the Jade Seal, he also did not want the seal to fall into anyone else's hands—especially not those of his elder brother, Yuan Shao...
But Yang Hong, clearly extrapolating his own interpretation of Yuan Shu's thoughts, pondered for a moment and then declared, "My lord, this plan is brilliant! When two tigers fight, both are bound to be wounded! I shall go and make the arrangements immediately!" With that, he withdrew.
Yuan Shu raised an eyebrow and rolled his eyes. Only then did it occur to him that what Yang Hong had suggested was indeed not a bad idea. Zichong's scheme... hmm, my own thinking is still rather impressive...
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Yang Hong looked at the few bronze palace lamps and various other objects laid out before him and forced a smile onto his face. Addressing Sun Jian, he said, "General Sun is truly thoughtful... Heh heh. Our lord, out of consideration for the toils of the General's infantry, has specially ordered the allocation of some coin and provisions. They shall be delivered to the General's main camp by tomorrow."
Sun Jian was overjoyed and immediately bowed deeply to Yang Hong in gratitude.
Yang Hong waved his hand airily, as if it were a trifling matter, then put on a faintly concerned expression. "General, according to reports received from our scouts a few days ago... has Yangcheng already fallen into the hands of Inspector Zhou?"
Sun Jian froze. He gritted his teeth, and the muscles on his face twitched twice. "...I am deeply ashamed..."
"Aiya..." Yang Hong furrowed his brow and remained silent for a long moment.
Silence was an intangible pressure, and Sun Jian found it somewhat unbearable. He said, "If the Chief Clerk has something to say, please speak freely..."
Yang Hong sneered inwardly. "Speak freely," indeed. Do you truly fancy yourself some great general?
But outwardly, Yang Hong maintained his look of concern. "...To the best of my knowledge, General, some time ago, did you not submit a memorial designating Yangcheng as the administrative seat of Yu Province?"
Sun Jian lowered his head slightly. "That is correct."
"Aiya..." Yang Hong knitted his brow and again fell into a lengthy silence.
Sun Jian began to fidget restlessly. He studied Yang Hong's expression and ventured tentatively, "...Chief Clerk Yang?"
Yang Hong shook his head and sighed. "Why did the General resort to such a disastrous course of action! Once the administrative seat is lost, according to the laws of the Great Han... the General's position as Inspector of Yu Province... aiya..."
Sun Jian clenched his fists tightly. Though within his heart he raged, To hell with the damned laws of the Great Han! Who even cares about Han law anymore?!—he dared not utter a single word of it. He could only grind his teeth and endure.
Did Sun Jian not know this himself? But the situation at the time had been such that the only county he could control in all of Yu Province was Yangcheng, within Yingchuan Commandery. Further south, Yangzhai and most of the counties in Yingchuan were firmly in the grip of the great Yingchuan clans. Sun Jian simply could not take them. Runan Commandery was the Yuan family's private preserve, and the principalities of Pei and Liang were the domains of the Liu imperial clan. In the entirety of Yu Province, there had not been a single place where he could plant even one of his feet!
Where else could he establish his administrative seat, if not Yangcheng?!
It was a pity that Dong Zhuo's repeated attacks had caused so many of Yangcheng's gentry and commoners to flee, turning it into a deserted city. In the end, even Sun Jian himself could no longer hold out there and was forced to withdraw.
But this withdrawal meant the loss of his administrative seat. And losing his administrative seat meant that not only did the title of Inspector of Yu Province automatically lapse, but he would also be held accountable for the crime...
Sun Jian spoke in a heavy voice: "Give me only the coin and provisions, and I can retake Yangcheng in an instant!" If Yuan Shu had not cut off his supplies of money and grain a second time, how could he possibly have been forced to retreat!
"Aiya..." Yang Hong furrowed his brow, shaking his head and sighing. "...Had the city still been occupied by the villain Dong, our lord would certainly have supported the General. But the situation now... Our lord is righteous, respectful, and humble by nature. How could he possibly engage in the act of setting brother against brother?"
Yang Hong spoke with such righteous solemnity that he very nearly convinced even himself—let alone Sun Jian...
Sun Jian sat stunned for a long moment, utterly speechless.
Yang Hong continued, "As things stand now, the General's situation... is truly difficult to settle..."
Sun Jian gave a bitter smile. "To have not been cast aside by the General of the Rear, and to have received the Chief Clerk's generous regard—that is already more than enough for me..."
Yang Hong suddenly clapped his hands together. "General, do you know where the administrative seat of Jing Province lies?"
"Xiangyang," Sun Jian blurted out. Then, instantly, his back shot ramrod straight. "The Chief Clerk's meaning is..."
Yang Hong chuckled darkly. "Liu, the Imperial Inspector of Jing Province, was appointed by the villain Dong. His title is illegitimate and his authority unjustified. Throughout this campaign against Dong Zhuo, he has achieved nothing. In name, he is an imperial kinsman; in truth, he is nothing but a clan-traitor! Our lord has stated that if any senior general can take Xiangyang, he may be memorialized as the Inspector of Jing Province!"
Sun Jian's eyes widened. After a moment of deliberation, he rose to his feet and clasped his fists. "I am willing to share this burden for the General of the Rear!"
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At that time, Sun Jian launched his campaign against Jing Province. Leading five thousand troops, he descended upon Fancheng and drove straight toward Xiangyang.