Mythical Three Kingdoms

Chapter 1287: Chapter 1241: Gongsun Bogui’s Last Wish

”I am Zhang Yide, who are you?” Zhang Fei shouted loudly, pulling his horse forward, at this moment Zhang Fei’s trusted aide also circled back.

”We are the garrison soldiers under the former Marquis Yi, General Tian, and upon hearing that Lord Xuande has returned to Youzhou, we have come to welcome him.” a cavalryman shouted from afar.

”Whose subordinates did you say you were?” Zhang Fei was taken aback, he seemed to hear the other party say they were under Gongsun Zan, which seemed impossible, then he suddenly remembered Chen Xi mentioned that there would be another local Youzhou reinforcement arriving.

”We are under the former Marquis Yi!” Tian Yu’s personal soldiers shouted, and then they ordered someone to present evidence of their identity, left by Gongsun Zan when he entrusted the border soldiers to Tian Yu, knowing his defeat and demise.

Zhang Fei opened the silk manuscript presented by the other party, he recognized Gongsun Zan’s handwriting, but there were many who could imitate script so vividly, yet with the addition of the seal and the content, Zhang Fei instantly believed it was genuine.

”Line up to welcome!” Zhang Fei immediately ordered his trusted aide to form up and prepare to welcome these few soldiers.

Zhuge Liang also took the silk manuscript handed over by Zhang Fei at this moment. The content was not much.

”My brother Xuande, when you see this letter, I have probably already died, but Brother Liu, you need not grieve for me. I know if I die, it must be of my own doing. Yet, although Gongsun Bogui is dead, there is one unfinished matter weighing on my heart, and I think, Xuande, you wouldn’t want me to die with regrets.”

Zhuge Liang silently read the content of the silk manuscript, Gongsun Zan’s writing was quite poor, yet it exuded a kind of free-spiritedness and naturalness, as if the other party was already indifferent to death.

”Regarding Liu Bo’an, in retrospect, it was merely a personal vendetta. Our political views differed, my death or his retreat, it’s hard to say who lost or won, but the Northern Barbarians are a great scourge to the Han dynasty. In the past, wherever the White Horse Soldiers went, the various Huns fled, but now with the fall of the White Horse and the death of Gongsun, the Northern Barbarians will surely rise up in tumult!”

Zhuge Liang’s expression slightly stagnated, not knowing whether to commend Gongsun Zan for his vision or his extraordinary confidence, but indeed, barely had Gongsun Bogui fallen when the Northern Frontier Barbarians began large-scale invasions.

”The thirty thousand Youzhou garrison soldiers and thirteen thousand Youzhou cavalry I left behind for National Consent are more than sufficient to defend against ordinary Hu People’s invasion, but to deal with the Hu People, merely defending and not attacking can only embolden them.”

Seeing this sentence, Zhuge Liang was somewhat moved at heart. Indeed, Gongsun Zan had many flaws, yet he had a certain charm to be recognized by most of the people in the North. At the very least, leaving behind forces to safeguard the territory after death was something that indeed surpassed Zhuge Liang’s usual understanding.

”In my humble opinion as your brother, if the Hu People kill one of ours, we kill a hundred of theirs; if they massacre a village of ours, we annihilate a tribe of theirs. If the Hu People go south with their horses, then I will go north to hunt the Hu!”

Reading this, even across a silk cloth, Zhuge Liang could feel Gongsun Zan’s undisguised murderous intent toward the Hu People.

”Liu Bo’an once talked with me, saying that slaughter only deepens mutual resentment. I scoffed at it then, and now that I’m dead, I scoff at it still. Slaughter indeed cannot solve the problem, but slaughter can resolve the Hu Captives, killing them to the point where the sky darkens and rivers of blood flow. The westward migration of the Wuhuan was started because of me, and the Eastern Xianbei dare not graze in Youzhou also because I was alive!”

For some reason, Zhuge Liang surprisingly sensed a stirring passion within him, Gongsun Bogui indeed was self-assertive, indeed lacked foresight, but it was undeniable, for the Han People in the North, what he did previously was worthy of a hero.

”If killing ten thousand makes them come, then kill a hundred thousand, if killing a hundred thousand makes them come, then kill a million until the grasslands are bloodied, and the North Sea turns crimson. In the past, the Huns came southward, and Sweet Spring was set ablaze, where are they now? No matter how deep the resentment, how does it matter? Death will ultimately be the enemy’s fate!”

”What do we have to fear, for ourselves we spare no regard for life, for the nation and people what fear do we have of death? How can our great Huaxia allow Hu Captives to defile, my brother Xuande, I plead with you from the Nine Springs below to protect the people of the North on my behalf, and not let Hu Captives blemish the majesty of Huaxia, your brother thanks you.”

After reading the entire letter, Zhuge Liang was somewhat out of sorts, previously when in the Central Plains, he felt Gongsun Zan’s ways were against natural law, but later on, after coming to Liu Bei’s side and encountering the real situation in the North, he gained some understanding of Gongsun Zan.

Yet all the understanding paled in comparison to the shock of holding Gongsun Zan’s letter, this was almost like the last testament of Gongsun Zan. For someone to admit his own strong-headedness while holding fast to his beliefs at the moment of death, could indeed be called a hero.

A chief general who could inspire his subordinates to follow him to death, whatever else, they did have a heroic aspect, and though Gongsun Zan did disgrace himself during the civil war, he never crumbled when facing external threats, even upon death he remembered to sweep away the Hu Captives.

Storing the silk manuscript properly, Zhuge Liang was slightly silent, the letter clearly conveyed Gongsun Zan’s deep-seated killing intent towards the Hu People. If this were an era of peace, he might indeed have become a great hero of the frontier.

Although Zhang Fei had already determined the authenticity of the letter, he cautiously verified it a few more times, finally confirming everything was correct, and then immediately ordered the soldiers sent by Tian Yu to lead them to Tian Yu’s stationed place.

For the contents written in Gongsun Zan’s letter, Zhang Fei believed them. Despite Gongsun Zan having many flaws, there was one thing Zhang Fei absolutely agreed with, Gongsun Zan believed the Han and Hu cannot coexist, and indeed he acted on this belief, if the Hu People slaughtered a village, he would annihilate a tribe.

This is also why later on, when the Hu People saw the White Horse from afar, they avoided it. Gongsun Zan never accepted the Hu People’s threats, even if they captured members of Gongsun Zan’s clan, or his own subordinates, with Gongsun Zan’s character, even capturing his own brothers wouldn’t lead to compromise with the Hu People.

So it came to be that the Hu People resolutely wouldn’t capture those related to Gongsun Zan, for Gongsun Zan’s retaliation was harsher than that of the Hu People, and he was stronger too—strong enough that the Hu People avoided the White Horse. This wasn’t because of kindness or conciliation, it was purely about killing.

Gongsun Zan’s method of dealing with the Hu People was singular—kill, like sweeping a map, wipe them out until there are no enemies left to kill, regardless of whether a smaller one comes, or a larger one, kill until there are no more to kill.

Similarly, Zhang Fei very much agreed with this approach because he was from Zhuo County, he had witnessed firsthand the tragedy of Hu People invasions in his youth, so he bore hatred towards the Hu People. Once he was just a mounted archer, and now he was a commander of tens of thousands.

[General Gongsun, the duty you once shouldered is now carried by me, Zhang Yide. As long as I live, I will ensure that your Youzhou will never again worry about Hu People encroachments!] Zhang Fei silently resolved, Gongsun Zan’s letter stirred up scenes from his memories.