118 Luan Yi's Bottom Line

Compared to the massive forces led by Luan Yi and Huang Zhong, the expeditionary force led by Xu Shu, Zhang Fei, and Zhao Yun, while traveling a longer distance, found their campaign proceeding with remarkable ease. After routing several small bands of rebels, they arrived directly at the gates of Dongying.

Upon arrival, they were surprised to see the city walls already flying the blood-red cross banners of the Church. The local believers, having heard of the approaching Church Guard, had seized the initiative and launched an uprising against the rebels within.

The Yellow Turban rebels, learning of the Church’s approach and fearing a repeat of the Changyi incident—where the combined forces of believers and the Church trapped and annihilated the garrison—chose to abandon the city. However, upon exiting the gates, they found no sign of the Church’s army. They turned back to retake the city, only to realize they had neglected to bring their siege equipment. Forced to attack with nothing but their hands, they were repeatedly repelled by the determined defense of the townspeople.

When scouts reported the arrival of the main Church army, the rebels found themselves caught between the fortified city and the incoming reinforcements. Desperate, they broke into small groups and attempted to retreat toward Linzi. These fragmented units were the very ones Xu Shu, Zhang Fei, and Zhao Yun had encountered along the way, systematically tracked down and eliminated by Church scouts.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Fei was not pleased but rather incensed. He bellowed, "Incompetent fools! I haven't even had my fill of fighting, and they’ve already crumbled so easily!"

"Indeed," Zhao Yun added, feeling equally frustrated. "We traveled all this way, and we haven't even killed many rebels! How could they be so fragile?"

Xu Shu advised them, "Enough! Keep such talk between the three of us. Do not let Luan Yi hear you. If he knew you felt this way, he would certainly lose his temper."

"You worry too much, Yuanzhi!" Zhang Fei laughed boisterously. "Slaying enemies in battle is a general’s duty; why would our fourth brother be angry? Besides, he is a man of gentle character; I have never seen him scold anyone!"

"That is because you do not know him as I do," Xu Shu replied. "I grew up with him and know his temperament well. He rarely loses his temper because he has not yet reached his bottom line—or as he calls it, his 'principles.' Once you cross those, prepare to suffer." As he said this, a long-buried memory surfaced in his mind.

Seven years prior, the "Seven Scholars"—Luan Yi, Xu Shu (then known as Dan Fu), Guo Jia, Mao Jie, Xi Zhicai, Xun Yu, Xun You, and Cheng Yu—were happily studying at Yingchuan Academy. One day, the seven of them met at the Qifeng Pavilion to drink and socialize. In the midst of their lively conversation, a commotion erupted at the entrance, disturbing their peace.

Luan Yi sent Luan Fu to investigate. Not only did Luan Fu fail to return, but the shouting at the door grew more intense, accompanied by cries and weeping. Luan Yi left his seat to check and found Luan Fu and the pavilion staff in a dispute with several beggars. The staff had pushed an old man to the ground, and his son had retaliated, only to be swarmed and beaten by the pavilion’s men.

Seeing Luan Fu standing by, coldly watching the father and son being beaten without intervening, Luan Yi flew into a rage. He charged forward, struck Luan Fu to the ground, and roared at his staff, "Scoundrels! Stop this at once!"

This was the first time Xu Shu had seen Luan Yi so furious. Luan Fu, clearly having seen this side of his master before, knelt down in terror, as did the rest of the staff, trembling like chaff in the wind. "Master, please calm your anger!"

"What kind of skill is it to bully the weak?" Luan Yi demanded, his face stern. "Go back and each take twenty strokes of the family discipline. Luan Fu, your punishment is doubled!"

"Yes..."

"But, Master... these wretches..." Luan Fu tried to argue, but at a cold snort from Luan Yi, he shuddered and quickly changed his tune: "It was these two who were being unreasonable, so we were forced to act."

"Explain yourself!"

The manager of the Qifeng Pavilion glared at the beggars and spoke first: "Young Master has always been kind and instructed us to provide for the needy. We have followed your orders, so when these two came to beg, we gave them food. But they were insatiable—after taking the food, they demanded money. We gave them a few coins, but they still weren't satisfied and wanted to stay the night in the pavilion. We are a place of business; how could we let two beggars stay? When we refused, they called our shop stingy. I was furious, so I..."

"So you beat them?" Luan Yi’s expression remained stern. "Regardless of the reason, violence is wrong. Especially against an old man. You have disgraced the Luan family name."

"Forgive us, Master!" the manager pleaded.

Luan Yi helped the two beggars up, ignoring the filth and dust on their clothes. "Look at them! What a pair of father and son they are! Like us, they have black hair, dark eyes, flat noses, and yellow skin. We share the same ancestry; we are all descendants of the Flame and Yellow Emperors. A million years ago, we were one family. It is only because of misfortune that they have fallen into this state. You show no kinship, only cruelty. Your actions bring me shame. 'The beanstalk is burned to cook the beans; the beans weep in the pot. We are born of the same root, why must we torment each other so?' All Han people are descendants of the Flame and Yellow Emperors; we are one family and should treat each other as brothers. Even between brothers, there may be minor quarrels, but you must never resort to violence. Han people must not strike Han people. Remember this well."

"Yes..."

Xu Shu would never forget that unnamed poem, nor the phrase, "Han people must not strike Han people."

Was the current Yellow Turban Rebellion not a war between Han people? And was this not exactly the scene Luan Yi dreaded most?

Xu Shu shared this memory with Zhang Fei and Zhao Yun, who scratched their heads in confusion.

Zhang Fei, feeling a pang of guilt, said, "Our fourth brother is indeed a scholar; he thinks of things I never would."

"Indeed," Zhao Yun added, always straightforward. "But this is not entirely our fault. Since the Qin Dynasty, there have been countless wars in the Han lands, and no one has ever considered what the master has pointed out. Massacres are common; no one ever stops to think that the people in the city share the same blood as themselves. Take Bai Qi, for instance—he buried 300,000 Zhao captives alive. That is 300,000 lives!"

"That is exactly what sets him apart," Xu Shu replied. "He understands the value of life. Regardless of status, everyone is precious in his eyes, and human safety is sacred and inviolable."

Xu Shu began to grasp why Luan Yi worked so tirelessly to build the Mother Church. In truth, he had initially been skeptical of the Church, staying only for the sake of his friendship with Luan Yi. He knew that there was no "Holy Mother" and that Luan Yi had fabricated the figure to deceive the people. However, after staying in Jinan and observing the results, he realized the true purpose of the institution.

Luan Yi was striving to realize a childhood dream. Using the name of the Holy Mother, he brought the scattered children of the Han back home to the halls of the Church. He taught them that all Han people were brothers and sisters of the same kin. He united them, bound them with doctrine, and transformed them into honest, brave, humble, and polite citizens. He fostered mutual respect and love. This was the ultimate realization of the "Great Harmony" dreamed of by the Duke of Zhou millennia ago.

Admittedly, Luan Yi had succeeded where the Duke of Zhou had only theorized. While the Zhou Dynasty had remained far from that ideal, Luan Yi had turned it into reality, transforming Jinan from chaos into a land of prosperity in just a few years. The people were well-fed, crime was non-existent, and laughter filled the streets.

All of this was due to the guidance of the Church. If the goal was achieved, did it matter if the methods were based on a fabrication? As the Art of War says, one must use the false to mimic the true to achieve victory. If it could defeat the enemy and save the people, what did it matter if it was the act of a gentleman or a scoundrel?

The only limitation was that his territory was too small. If the Church were to be expanded, a new golden age—far surpassing the eras of Wen and Jing—would dawn under Luan Yi’s guidance.

With Luan Yi and Dian Wei taking Langya, Huang Zhong and Xu Chu breaking Changyi, and Xu Shu, Zhang Fei, and Zhao Yun pacifying Dongying, the three armies rejoined and surrounded the rebels in Linzi from three sides.

Deprived of their granaries in Changyi and Dongying, the rebels’ supplies were cut off. With a river blocking their retreat, they ran out of food within three days, and morale collapsed. Hundreds of deserters fled daily, and through them, Luan Yi learned of the rebels’ plight.

Luan Yi was overjoyed. He and his generals agreed to prepare their troops at the third watch and strike at the fifth. The three armies moved in unison, capturing six counties in a single day.

The commandery seat of Linzi was still under siege by the rebels. When the Inspector, Tian Kai, heard that the army from Jinan had come to his aid, he was ecstatic. "Luan Ziqi is the one to relieve my troubles!" he exclaimed. He sent a messenger through the encirclement that night to coordinate with Luan Yi. They agreed to signal each other with fire at the third watch two days later to launch a coordinated strike.

Luan Yi followed the plan, and when the signal rose, the Church Guard and the government forces struck, shattering the rebel forces.

From that day on, the Yellow Turban rebels in the provinces of Yan and Qing were purged, and peace was restored.