Chapter Eighteen: Buying an Official Post (Part Two)

The two eunuchs, though residing in Luoyang, were well aware that the Yellow Turban army had occupied Changshe County. So, upon hearing Xu Kang’s intent to purchase the county magistrate’s position there, they both showed expressions of astonishment.

However, they quickly recovered; the older eunuch gave a signal, and the younger one immediately turned to summon their staff, urging them to carry the boxes of copper coins from the doorway inside as fast as possible.

Their urgency seemed as if they feared Xu Kang might regret his decision. Xu Kang noticed this but feigned ignorance, instead bowing once more to the elder eunuch.

“Sir, the Yellow Turbans now occupy my hometown, have slain our county magistrate, and plundered my kin and neighbors. Such enmity can never be reconciled under the same sky. Thus, I wish to donate for the magistrate’s office, and beg for your approval!”

“Ha, it’s easily done!” The elder eunuch’s eyes crinkled into smiling crescents as the large chests of money were carried inside, his gaze toward Xu Kang filled with benevolence.

“Changshe County is a populous place, the magistrate’s salary equals a thousand piculs of grain. For others, even ten million would not suffice. But seeing your loyal heart for the nation, and as a favored pupil of Censor Cai, I’ll grant your request this time!”

Xu Kang: “…”

Damn, this wretched eunuch really dares say anything!

Though he cursed inwardly, Xu Kang’s face remained full of gratitude as he bowed again.

“Thank you, sir, for your grace. May I ask when I might receive the official seal? The Yellow Turbans are strong, tens of thousands occupy Changshe, Lord Zhu Jun is surrounded, and our side fares poorly in battle. I wish to receive the seal soon, so I may lead troops and provisions to reinforce them. I beg your assistance!”

“What? Such a thing has happened?” The elder eunuch was shocked again upon hearing this.

He knew Changshe County had fallen to the Yellow Turbans and was battling the imperial troops, but he was unaware of the situation. Now, hearing Xu Kang say the enemy numbered in the tens of thousands and even Lord Zhu Jun was besieged, he immediately pictured the defeat at Changshe and the Yellow Turbans advancing upon Luoyang.

With this thought, he dared not linger. After instructing the younger eunuch to treat Xu Kang well, he hurriedly left the Western Garden, heading toward the palace.

Seeing this, Xu Kang needed no guess to know he was going to report to someone—perhaps his superior among the Ten Attendants, or the Grand General He Jin, who commanded the troops.

Xu Kang didn’t know or care exactly whom; he only knew that before long, his goal would be achieved.

Indeed, his guess proved correct. Less than three hours later, the elder eunuch returned, bearing the news Xu Kang desired.

“Xu Kang, your request has been granted by Attendant Zhang. Not only that, Attendant Zhang has petitioned His Majesty to appoint you as Deputy Division Marshal, so you may lead troops to reinforce Changshe. Here is your command token—take it!”

He pressed a copper token into Xu Kang’s hand.

“Go now to the Grand General’s residence, report in, and once you receive the troops, set out at once. Your official uniform and seal will be sent to you before you depart. Hurry!”

Seeing his urgency, Xu Kang could barely suppress his laughter. He bowed again.

“Thank you, sir. I’ll report to the Grand General immediately. Please stay well!”

With that, he gripped the token, turned, and left the Western Garden, heading toward the Grand General’s residence.

The Grand General’s residence belonged to He Jin. Since Xu Kang had visited before, the route was familiar and he soon stood before the gates again.

This time, however, in addition to two soldiers guarding the entrance, there were four Taoist priests in robes, holding dusters.

Clearly, even after half a month, the previous incident had left He Jin with lingering psychological scars.

But this no longer concerned Xu Kang. Upon arrival, he presented his Deputy Division Marshal’s token to the guards and strode confidently inside.

A Division Marshal was a subordinate of the Grand General, and a Deputy Division Marshal was even lower in rank. Thus, Xu Kang did not meet He Jin; he simply registered his information and proceeded to the camp outside the city to muster his troops.

He Jin, as Grand General of the Eastern Han, nominally commanded the empire’s armies, but in reality, he only controlled forty thousand soldiers stationed outside Luoyang.

He was loath to part with these troops, but with an imperial edict, he had no choice but to allocate three thousand men to Xu Kang.

But while the official tally was three thousand, Xu Kang actually received only about a thousand, mostly infantry, with fewer than two hundred cavalry.

Such was the allocation of men, and the supplies were even worse. The rations meant for three thousand were shrunk to provisions for only a thousand—the rest, naturally, ended up in He Jin’s pocket.

After witnessing this, Xu Kang couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.

“Truly, when the top beam is crooked, the rest follows. Even now, they never forget to line their own pockets. The fall of the Eastern Han is no accident. Fortunately, I never expected to rely on these men in battle, or the Yellow Turbans would make short work of us.”

As the saying goes, “Enough ants can bite an elephant to death.” The Yellow Turban army, though poorly equipped and lacking command, was so numerous that in battle they surged like waves, sweeping all before them.

This is the power of overwhelming force!

Moreover, Han soldiers were not like later generations’ armies; they fought only for food, lacked faith, and if the battle was going well, they held, but in adversity, they broke.

In ancient warfare, once casualties exceeded five percent, soldiers fled; above ten percent, the lines collapsed, leading to routs. If the enemy pressed the advantage, total annihilation was only a matter of luck.

Thus, morale was paramount in ancient wars. If it was high, the odds of soldiers fleeing from losses diminished, and victory became more likely.

That’s why, in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, battles began with duels of champions.

For if a commander slew the enemy general before the lines, the boost to morale was immeasurable—half the battle won.

As the saying goes, “Soldiers draw power from their general, the general draws courage from his troops.” This is no mere proverb; it explains why warlords of the Three Kingdoms prized their martial heroes. Even the great Cao Cao spared no effort to retain Guan Yu.

It’s said, “Ten thousand troops can be found, but one great general is hard to come by.”

Take Liu Bei: with few soldiers, he repeatedly triumphed over the Yellow Turbans, thanks to the heroic feats of Guan Yu and Zhang Fei.

Xu Kang knew his own limits; he never intended to risk himself against the Yellow Turbans. His claim to lead troops to reinforce Changshe was merely to attach himself to the glory and earn fame.

“In any case, the Yellow Turbans will soon be defeated by Huangfu Song and his men. All I need to do is bring these troops to Changshe, hand them over to Huangfu Song, say a few ceremonial words, and wait for victory to fall into my lap.”

With this plan, he cared little for how many men He Jin gave him. After receiving his troops, he marched them out of camp, heading toward his family’s estate.

Meanwhile, trouble was brewing for the Xu family.

A man in black official robes, accompanied by more than a dozen followers, blocked the Xu family’s gate. With arrogant bearing, he addressed the furious Xu Fu and the grief-stricken Lady Xu:

“You are mere refugees, yet you disregard the kindness of shelter, repeatedly delay payment of land taxes, and now resist surrendering your deeds. Such actions mark you as villains. I will show no leniency—men, follow me in and search!”

“Yes, sir!”