“Yellow Sky”: Crisis for the Han Dynasty sample (Act I) -- T. P. M. Thorne
JavaScript is off/unavailable on your browser. You will not be able to experience this website as it was intended without JavaScript enabled.
He mentioned his dismay to the wrong person, and the result of that error -
joining the ranks of Huaxian’s wrongfully-imprisoned - drove his son to journey
to the heights of Mount Tai to seek help from the one group of people that
should have been his enemies: the real criminals of Mount Tai Prefecture.
“This is ridiculous!” Zang Jie
complained as he was bundled into a prison cart. “I’m a warden, not a-!”
“Not anymore,
you’re not,” the prison convoy captain said.
“…But why am I
being taken to the prefectural capital?” Zang Jie asked. “You do nothing about
the thieves, the burglars, the-!”
“Shut up or I’ll
have you flogged!” the convoy captain barked.
“…This is ridiculous,” Zang Jie whined. “What kind
of country is this now…? What madness???”
The door of the
cart was locked, and the procession - which amounted to around 100 armed men -
began the slow journey to Mount Tai’s prefectural capital. Zang Jie shared the
cart with two other men, and he could not help but ask, “What did you do?”
“I spoke out
against the Administrator,” one man replied.
“…So did I,” Zang
Ba chortled. “What about you…?”
A great amount of
shouting prevented the second man from replying: the cart was surrounded by a
gang of hundreds of bandits that had blocked the road and surrounded the
nervous imperial soldiers.
“No trouble, no
blood,” the leader of the bandits said. “Keys.”
The terrified
convoy captain handed the keys to the bandit, who immediately handed them to a
second man - Zang Ba.
“Ayah! What have
you done, my son???” Zang Jie cried. “Mount Tai’s Bandits??? You defy the Han,
defy Heaven, betray the-!”
“Quiet, Father,”
Zang Ba said as he unlocked the wheeled cage. “I am not defying Heaven; I’m
defying evil men that lock up good ones. At times like this, what’s right and
wrong is… different.”
Zang Jie protested
inanely, but he would not have his way: Zang Ba had his new ‘friends’ escort
them back to Mount Tai, where they would now live as fugitives until they got
an opportunity to be honest men once again: a rebellion would be that
opportunity.
*************
11
“Congratulations are in order, Mengde!”
Cao Cao had invited his friends to his new residence in the capital to
share a piece of good fortune: he had been appointed as the North District
Captain. He nodded respectfully toward Zhang Miao, who had been the first to
congratulate him.
“And it’s good to see Ziyuan and Boshe,” Zhang Miao continued.
“Indeed yes,” Cao Cao agreed. “I’m grateful.”
“You’re welcome,” Xu Yòu said.
“I had to come here,” the approachable Lü Boshe declared. “We’ve known
each other years, Mengde, but rarely get a chance to talk now that we’re busy
men, even though my family home is so close to the capital: but how could I
miss this?”
“I deeply appreciate it,” Cao Cao replied. “You and I must make more of
an effort to keep in touch, Boshe. Friends should not let work rob them of
friendship.”
“You are quite right, Mengde,” Lü Boshe sighed.
“Well, I think this is something I have always dreaded,” Yuan Shao
joked. “You with power… Heaven help us. What was Mister Sima thinking???”
Cao Cao laughed boisterously.
“A District Captain: whoever thought the king of mischief would be
policing the capital,” Yuan Shao continued. “Does that mean we are doomed to
never enjoy a cup of wine together again, Mengde?”