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Upon hearing Cai Yong's words, Fei Qian felt the weight in his heart lighten slightly. After all, he had encountered too many people—including those renowned scholars from the eastern regions—who all seemed brimming with confidence, never once considering the possibility of failure.
Although Cai Yong did not explicitly state that the eastern scholars might fail, neither did he deny that their current actions were not entirely righteous. This gave Fei Qian at least a glimmer of hope.
What Fei Qian feared most was that Cai Yong would be like Fei Min, the head of the Fei family—sitting idly in Luoyang, waiting for the dust to settle, believing everything would work out on its own while remaining detached from the chaos.
How could such a good thing exist?
Fei Qian said, "Dong Zhuo rose to power in Xiliang, dominating the Qiang and Hu tribes, and has experienced countless battles. His forces are filled with fierce warriors—how could he easily surrender? Moreover, though the eastern scholars are numerous, each harbors their own selfish motives…"
After listening to Fei Qian's account of the situation in Suanzao, Cai Yong sighed and shook his head, falling into silence.
Some things were not unseen or misunderstood—rather, people chose not to see or understand them. The eastern scholars were not saints; how could they be free of personal desires?
The reason Cai Yong remained silent instead of refuting Fei Qian was because his twelve years of forced exile had given him deep insight into such matters.
Because he had suffered, he understood.
Cai Yong raised his head, his gaze distant, as if reminiscing about something. He said, "...Duke Ling of Jin was no true ruler. Zhao Dun remonstrated with him three times. At first, the duke claimed he would change, yet he never did. When Xuanzi admonished him vehemently, the duke grew resentful and sent Chu Ni to assassinate him. Ni saw Dun in full court attire, preparing for an early audience, and found him napping. Ni withdrew and sighed, 'He does not forget his duties—a true pillar of the people. To slay such a man is disloyalty; to disobey my lord's command is faithlessness. To have either fault is worse than death!' Ni then dashed his head against a locust tree and died... How many such loyal and righteous men existed during the Spring and Autumn period..."
Fei Qian was familiar with this historical anecdote. Duke Ling of Jin was a notorious figure of the Spring and Autumn period, known for his violent and tyrannical behavior—essentially a spoiled, brutal child.
Observing Cai Yong's expression, Fei Qian guessed that his mentor was likely recalling the reign of Emperor Ling of Han. Like Zhao Dun, Cai Yong had repeatedly admonished the emperor, condemning the eunuchs' abuse of power. This earned him the eunuchs' enmity—not only was he imprisoned, but he also faced the same situation as Zhao Dun: the eunuchs hired an assassin to kill him.
Fortunately, the assassin, moved by Cai Yong's deeds, not only spared him but also warned him to be cautious...
However, the key difference between Cai Yong and Zhao Dun was that Zhao Dun ultimately could no longer endure the tyranny of Duke Ling of Jin and had him killed. Cai Yong, on the other hand, lacked the resolve to take such drastic action against Emperor Ling or others.
Moreover, Cai Yong's mention of this story seemed to carry a veiled criticism of the current eastern scholars. Even an assassin had a sense of loyalty and righteousness, while those who constantly preached grand virtues now acted in ways that were downright shameful.
Yet Cai Yong's words gave Fei Qian an uneasy feeling.
Fei Qian said, "Now that conflict has erupted in Luoyang, a true gentleman does not stand beneath a crumbling wall! In the past, when Duke Huan of Qi invaded Cai, Cai collapsed, and he then attacked Chu. At the time, Chu was no match, so its ruler sent Qu Wan to negotiate, saying, 'If you rule with virtue, who would dare not submit? If you rely on force, numbers alone are useless!' How does this differ from the present? Now, there is no virtue within the city and no righteousness outside it. Master, why must you bind yourself here? At the foot of Lushan in Jingxiang, I have a humble cottage. Though it lacks fine furnishings, scholars gather there to discuss the Dao, free from the burdens of official duties. You could play the Lüqi zither—would that not be splendid?"
Fei Qian rose from his seat and bowed. "I beg you to reconsider, Master!"
Cai Yong listened but did not speak, only nodding slightly before shaking his head again...
Fei Qian grew genuinely anxious. This old man nods and shakes his head—what does he mean?
Cai Yong chuckled softly and said, "This matter... shall be discussed later..."
Later?!
Fei Qian nearly blurted out yamete (Japanese for "stop"). Just as he was about to press further, Cai Yong raised a hand to silence him.
Seeing that he could not persuade him for now, Fei Qian had no choice but to relent. Still, he took solace in the fact that Cai Yong had not outright refused, leaving him with a sliver of hope...
×××××××××××
While Fei Qian was trying to persuade Cai Yong, Li Ru was reading a battle report, struggling to suppress his fury...
Niu Fu, what in the world are you doing?!
As a commanding general leading elite northwestern troops and central imperial guards, how could you lose to a band of poorly equipped mountain bandits?!
At such a critical time, all you care about is shifting blame and undermining each other!
Li Ru closed his eyes, gritted his teeth, and forcibly swallowed the rage boiling in his chest. Calming himself, he slowly said, "Order General Niu to station his troops at Shaanxi... Also, summon General Xu here for a council."
The attendant waiting nearby hurriedly acknowledged the order and left to relay it.
Li Ru was well aware of the conflicts between the Xiliang troops, the Bingzhou forces, and the central imperial guards. In fact, he had deliberately allowed these tensions to fester. First, soldiers who wielded weapons and were full of vigor needed rivals—without external enemies, internal competition was a way to maintain their edge. Second, the Bingzhou army had previously been under Lü Bu's sole command, while the central imperial guards were mostly former subordinates of He Jin. Such concentration of power was dangerous; if problems arose, they would be hard to manage. By exploiting existing conflicts and letting these troops suffer setbacks, Li Ru could later step in to restore order, winning their loyalty and dismantling the original power structures...
But this Niu Fu...
Li Ru sighed. Has your lust for official rank clouded your judgment?!
It wasn't that Li Ru didn't understand the Xiliang officers' desire for promotion, but he had strategic reasons for temporarily withholding higher ranks.
What was more important—a general with a prestigious title but only a few hundred or a thousand soldiers, or a mid-ranking commander who could mobilize thousands, even tens of thousands?
What use was a general without real control over troops?
Moreover, Li Ru needed these high-ranking titles to win over generals from other factions and dismantle their armies—just as he had done with Lü Bu...
But these fools...
Li Ru had explained this to Niu Fu, but it seemed he had failed to restrain himself. During battle, the Xiliang troops and central guards had failed to coordinate, allowing the White Wave Bandits to exploit the gap. Worse, they had refused to aid each other, each hoping the other would bear the brunt of the fighting, leading to a disastrous rout.
Li Ru knew all too well the repercussions of news that Dong Zhuo's forces had been defeated by remnants of the Yellow Turbans. He needed someone to crush any rebellious ideas that might arise and extinguish the sparks before they could spread.
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