The combined lessons from his elders lasted until noon. Xun Ye went from marveling at the start to marveling at the end, deeply experiencing what it meant for the art of language to be vast and profound.
Background: Dong Zhuo was acting tyrannically, and the various prefectures and commanderies were seething with indignation. Manifestos from the Sangong were delivered day and night to the offices of every commandery, and righteous armies across the realm were all burning with fury.
The same matter, when spoken of by different people, somehow became two completely different things.
His handsome father and uncles described as neutrally as possible what someone somewhere had done, without judging good or bad—only simply analyzing why that person had acted that way.
Good and evil, right and wrong—he needed to discern those for himself. The world was treacherous; if he went out and got fooled left and right by just anyone, then he might as well stay home obediently.
His uncles' intentions were good, but unfortunately there was a Guo Fengxiao beside them who did not hesitate to speculate about human nature with the utmost malice. No matter how proper the preceding analysis was, in the end all that remained in his mind were Guo Jia's voices saying "This man's no good," "This man's no good," and "This man's no good either."
Xun Ye: Awesome!
As expected of the genius Guo Jia—before the Suanzao alliance had even been formed, he had already predicted in advance that the various feudal lords joining the alliance were all a motley crowd. When he made a name for himself in the future, he would definitely tie this man to his side and have him handle the pre-battle taunting.
When Guo Guicai didn't speak, he didn't speak; but when he was let loose to critique the realm, he could compete with Mi Heng for the title of San Guo's number one trash-talker. His skill could easily scold ten Grand Tutor Wangs to death.
Xun Yu and the others were silent, but looking at their family's silly boy with those sparkling eyes, they felt somewhat superfluous standing there.
Fine, it was still better than him having no wariness at all.
Guo Jia accepted the admiration from the little fool in full, swaying his head as he sighed, "Jia and A'niu are of one heart and mind—truly, we regret not having met sooner."
What was he saying—when it came to analyzing the situation, no one could be missing except him. Otherwise, he wouldn't have known that this little fool was also someone who feared nothing more than a world without chaos.
Xun Ye smiled brilliantly. When wine meets a bosom friend, a thousand cups are too few; when kindred spirits walk together, they walk to the end.
No problem!
Everyone else: …
You two have fun, then.
The multi-teacher classroom session ended perfectly. Next came the question of where to go.
Xun Ye's thinking was simple: with strength, he feared nowhere. Zhang Liao's recent work had been recruiting soldiers, so he could just go straight to the military camp by the river and say he wanted to enlist.
The private lessons from his elders were very useful—the situations in both the capital and the regions were now completely clear to him. And his silver tongue wasn't just for show; right now, he could copy the pattern and bluff quite a few people.
In chaotic times, one pacifies the realm with arms, but his head wasn't just for decoration. When necessary, he could also disguise himself as a strategist.
With his elders setting such a shining example, as long as he said he was a scion of the Xun Shi of Yingchuan, the other side certainly wouldn't think his head was empty.
Xun Yu thought for a moment, then asked, "Why not first enter the capital and secure some minor official post?"
Times were different now. Although the situation was chaotic, it was actually easier for the younger generation of the family to enter officialdom than in previous years. Securing a minor post first was a vastly different situation from enlisting as a common soldier with no status. There was still time to arrange it now.
Xun Ye shook his head. "I think I can punch my way to a squad leader or a platoon leader."
The capital's waters ran deep. A nobody like him would make not a single ripple if he dropped in. Compared to using his brain, he still preferred using his fists.
"Squad leader? Platoon leader?" Guo Jia raised an eyebrow and advised with mock seriousness, "Little A'niu, we're aiming for marquis and general—can't be so small-minded."
"One bite at a time. First set a small goal that can be achieved, then go for marquis and prime minister." Xun Ye nodded to himself after speaking, then lowered his voice and said, "The Chaotang is too complicated. I'm afraid that if I go in, I'll be devoured whole. The scheming and infighting among the various factions is too terrifying."
"True." Guo Jia looked at the little fool with fondness. "Our A'niu is pure and kind-hearted. Best to have as little dealings as possible with those crafty old foxes."
With the situation as chaotic as it was now, the Yuan Clan, who had summoned Dong Zhuo to the capital, bore at least half the responsibility.
Dong Zhuo appeared crude and brainless, but a ruthless man who could seize the opportunity to leverage his merit in saving the emperor to enter the Chaotang and rise to the top in one leap could not possibly lack brains. Even if the Xiangguo himself truly wasn't very clever, the strategists and advisors around him were more than enough to let him spar with the Yuan Clan.
The Runan Yuan Clan was indeed supremely illustrious, but the world did not belong to the Yuan Clan alone as hereditary nobles. Deflecting contradictions worked well at any time—as long as one sowed discord cleverly, the infighting among the great clans would leave the Yuan Clan with their hands full.
Xun Ye: …
Was that a compliment or a dig at him?
Forget it—he'd take it as a compliment.
Guo Guicai was right. This time, the Yuan Clan had indeed lifted a rock only to drop it on their own feet.
His family's grand-uncle had only been given an extraordinary promotion by Dong Zhuo, and he was nearly broken at the spine by criticism. Yuan Kui, who had personally groomed and elevated Dong Zhuo step by step, could hardly escape the torrent of condemnation.
Dong Zhuo clearly no longer wished to follow the Yuan Clan's commands. The scholars he had promoted had flawed reputations but gained real power, while the Yuan Clan members lost face and substance alike—their reputations ruined, and in the court they were suppressed as well.
With the Guandong coalition against Dong Zhuo on the verge of formation, the capital would only grow more chaotic.
He vaguely remembered that Dong Zhuo, in his madness to avoid the edge of the Guandong coalition, had burned Luoyang to the ground and moved the capital to Chang'an. So going to the capital to seek an official post probably really wasn't as fast as going to the army and earning his position through his fists.
Xun Yue and Xun Yu listened patiently, with no intention of making the decision for him. "A-jiao, as long as you have your own plan, that's fine."
One must think thrice before acting. It wasn't that they feared the foolish lad going to take risks—it was that they feared him charging in headfirst without a single thought.
The righteous armies of the various provinces and commanderies were making a great show of attacking Dong Zhuo. Dong Zhuo had his trusted Liangzhou elites to deploy, and Zhang Liao was young and from Bingzhou. Barring any surprises, he probably wouldn't be the one called upon.
A soldier couldn't be afraid of battle, but the one about to enlist now was their own family's child. If they could help it, they'd rather that day on the battlefield come as late as possible.
The foolish lad needed to pack his bags for the military camp, and they too needed to gather their belongings for Jizhou. The uncles gave all the admonishments they could, then each went off to their own tasks.
Mixian was only two hundred li from Yingchuan, but Jizhou was over a thousand li away. When leaving their hometown, many people thought they'd just wait out the storm and then return—they had no intention of going far off to Jizhou.
They couldn't stay in the mountains for long. If the villagers and common folk were unwilling to come along, they'd have to find another way to escort them back to Yingchuan.
As it happened, Fengxiao was also returning to Yingchuan. Though he had guards with him, the chaos outside made it hard to feel at ease. Better to travel back together with the villagers.
Guo Jia muttered something under his breath, but when he saw Xun Yu turn his head, he immediately straightened up and pretended he hadn't said anything at all.
Xun Ye: covers mouth.jpg
I'd like to report—someone named Guo said Uncle Wenruo is like a mother hen.
Guo Jia waved his hand to send his friend off to his tasks, then grabbed the little fool who was stifling a laugh and asked, "Zhang Liao could strike camp at any moment. When do you plan to leave?"
"Why put it off when today works just as well? I'll go take a look in a bit." Xun Ye clenched his fist. "First I'll check the situation, then decide whether to go with him."
After the round of instruction from Emperor Li Er and his father and uncles, he was now full of anticipation for the military career ahead.
Emperor Li Er said there was no such thing as an undefeated general—even he had taken plenty of losses commanding troops over the years.
If even the ultimate six-sided war god Emperor Li Er had lost battles, then a mere soldier like him, who hadn't even fought a single battle yet, had no reason to worry about this or that.
In chaotic times, one pacified the realm through arms. What he needed to consider now was how to make a name for himself on the battlefield, not sit at home fretting over the unsettled times.
The first step was the hardest, but once that first step was taken, infinite possibilities lay ahead.
How to put it—his current situation was far better than he'd imagined.
He was someone who had watched the Hundred Schools Forum. Though he had nothing now, whenever he thought of that so-called "Sage Emperor Tutoring Program," he couldn't help but instinctively recall the tear-jerking "Death of Xun Yu."
He didn't absorb any of the meticulous in-depth analysis—after one episode, all he remembered was the breakdown of the Cao-Xun relationship and their parting ways.
At first, he'd worried that his beautiful father and the uncles would think his plan was no good. Dong Zhuo was infamous, and going to find Zhang Liao now felt somewhat like running against justice.
But on closer thought, Dong Zhuo was Dong Zhuo and Zhang Liao was Zhang Liao. Zhang Liao was still young now—it was hard to say whether Prime Minister Dong even knew there was a young officer named Zhang Liao under his command. A nobody's choice wouldn't affect the situation in any way.
Besides, their grand-uncle had been personally promoted by Dong Zhuo. Could one call their grand-uncle a claw of the Dong Rebel? No.
The elders valued family interests more, considering more how to preserve and expand the family in chaotic times, rather than a black-and-white loyalty to the throne.
Very good, very good—at least he no longer had to worry about being cast out of the family in the future.
Xun Ye was ready. After greeting his beautiful father and Guo Guicai, who remained in the courtyard, he slung his bow and arrows over his back and left.
The New Year was just around the corner. A couple of days ago there had still been a bit of festive atmosphere, but with too many upheavals these past few days, even that faint trace of New Year spirit had vanished.
At the riverside military camp, Zhang Liao sat listlessly in his tent, unable to muster even the interest to drill troops.
At least when he'd been recruiting soldiers before, he'd had something to do. Now that Prime Minister Dong held all power in his hands, officers from Bingzhou were being pushed aside. And as a commander recommended by Lord Ding to General He's household, he'd landed in an awkward position of having absolutely nothing to do.
The capital was too complicated—he wanted to go back to Bingzhou. If he'd known coming to the capital would be like this, he never would have come in the first place.
He wasn't the only assistant recommended to the capital by Lord Ding. Previously, Emperor Ling had appointed Jian Shuo as Commander of the Western Garden Upper Army to lead the Jinjun, and Lord Ding had sent the Martial Fierce Assistant Zhang Yang to lead soldiers under Jian Shuo's command. Later, when Emperor Ling passed away, Jian Shuo was killed by He Jin, his troops all falling under the Dajiangjun's household, and Zhang Yang was sent back to Bingzhou by He Jin to recruit soldiers and pacify unrest along the way.
Recruiting wasn't a good job, but leading troops to pacify unrest was. As long as one suppressed bandits well, promotion and wealth were sure to follow—there was no better post in the world than leading troops to quell rebellion.
When he'd first arrived at the Dajiangjun's household, he'd been full of ambition, thinking he'd be as highly valued as Zhang Yang. But he never imagined that General He, seeing how young he was, would look down on him entirely—after a single meeting, he was sent off to recruit soldiers.
He had finally managed to recruit over a thousand raw recruits who didn't even know how to fight, only to return to the capital and find that the Dajiangjun's office no longer existed before he could even report for duty. Within days, his former master, Zhijinwu Ding Yuan, had also been murdered through Dong Zhuo's schemes. The various factions were locked in deadly conflict, leaving him unsure even where to begin analyzing the situation.
He Jin thought him too young and unfit for important tasks, and Dong Zhuo had plenty of trusted followers from Liangzhou, so he had no use for Zhang Liao either. Though those thousand-odd raw recruits would only cause chaos on the battlefield, at least someone should come and distribute their rations and point to a spot where he could set up camp and await orders—what was the meaning of this?
The Xiangguo and his trusted generals were important men with poor memories—when would an order ever reach him?
General He was gone, Lord Ding was gone too—was he, a commander from Bingzhou, now barred even from entering the gates of Jingcheng?
What was all this nonsense!
A cold wind blew past, and the soldier standing guard outside the tent announced, "General, there's a young man outside claiming he wishes to enlist."
"Wishes to enlist?" Zhang Liao rubbed his wrist, tossed aside the brush that hadn't even been dipped in ink, and rose to go out. "Come on, let's take a look."
Most men joined the army just to put food on the table, and they typically enlisted in groups when recruitment drives were held. Those who came alone were usually village bullies on the run from murder charges, or unlucky souls with no family to feed and none to feed them.
He had nothing better to do anyway—let him see what this young man seeking to enlist was all about.
And then…
"Xun Ye, courtesy name Ming Guang, from Yingyin, Yingchuan." Zhang Liao looked at the travel pass in his hand with a complicated expression. "The Xun Shi of Yingchuan?"
If he remembered correctly, the current Sikong, Xun Shuang, was from the Xun Shi of Yingchuan.
Wait—with that background, the young man could directly serve under the Xiangguo himself. Was he really not here just to mock him?