For Zhao A, expanding the borders belonged to the future.
For now, his foremost duty was to follow General Guan's orders and, together with Governor Zhao Lei, settle the administration of Xuchang.
From Zhao A's own perspective, though Lord Xuande had taken this fortified city without battle and thereby gained immense prestige, it also meant that assuming control over the officials of this former "capital" required far more effort.
The clever and reliable had to be selected. Those who merely drifted along with routine affairs had to be dismissed. Those bound by kinship and private ties had to be marked out. At the same time, the people of Xuchang had to be made aware of Lord Xuande's governance, and preparations had to be made to implement the new policies concerning agriculture, industry, and commerce.
After all, when Cao Cao once escorted the Son of Heaven here, it had not been without purpose. West of Yu Province, leaning upon the Yellow River and looking toward Jingzhou, with ten thousand mu of fertile fields and canals crisscrossing the land, and adjacent to Yingchuan and Chen Commandery, it was a place of advantage.
Thus, even though all now knew that Lord Xuande would surely restore the old capital of Luoyang, the prosperity of Xuchang was not diminished in the least. And this meant that the miscellaneous affairs passing through Zhao A's hands only multiplied.
These hands, which had once gripped a hoe, an oar, and a ring-pommel saber, now at last held a brush, recording official business stroke by stroke with earnest care.
A gust of northern wind spun its way into the hall, stirring the lamplight into wavering shadows and causing Zhao A, bent over his work, to set down his brush and lift his head.
"Is it snowing?"
He stepped out into the dim light and indeed saw scattered flakes falling from the heavens. The north wind swept them along with boundless chill, and Zhao A instinctively drew in his neck, muttering to himself,
"I wonder what the snows of Yan Mountain look like."
A voice answered at once.
"If you are curious, I can speak to the General on your behalf. You might still catch the last cargo ship heading north."
The one present could only be Zhao Lei. Zhao A squared his shoulders against the cold and shook his head.
"When I follow the General north, I will see it myself. That day cannot be far."
Zhao Lei threw back his head and laughed, saying only a single word.
"Good."
Since official business had been interrupted for the moment, Zhao A took the chance to ask,
"Governor, I heard that the Imperial Uncle is no longer in the city?"
Zhao Lei nodded.
"His Majesty defeated the rebels at Ye and restored the Son of Heaven's authority. Our lord has also captured the traitor. These are all signs that the Han is to rise again."
"In another month it will be New Year's Eve. It is only proper that he go to pay his respects."
New Year's Eve…
Zhao A paused. Had Zhao Lei not mentioned it, he might have forgotten. A full year had passed since he joined the army.
When he first left Zigui for Jiangling, the sudden thought of enlisting had been no more than a desire for a decent meal and the hope of taking a wife. Yet after fighting his way through so many campaigns, the pursuit kept within his heart had changed again and again without his noticing.
Gazing at the sky, his thoughts roamed unchecked.
He wondered what the cattle and sheep raised by the Hu tasted like. And the women of the Hu… were they fertile?
At the same time, upon the Ying River, on the lead vessel of a fleet of cargo ships, Gan Gui shouted toward the rear,
"Master Jichang, it's snowing, it's snowing!"
Ma Liang lifted the curtain of the cabin and stepped out, glanced at the sky, and shook his head with a smile.
"A fine snow."
Gan Gui nodded with exaggerated solemnity.
"Indeed, a fine snow."
Yet the moment the words left their mouths, both burst into laughter.
Strictly speaking, neither was wholly a southerner. In his childhood, Gan Gui had followed his father, who depended upon Liu Biao, and lived for a time in Xiangyang. Ma Liang was a native of Yicheng in Xiangyang. These places were not truly cold, yet one snowfall each year could still be seen.
But what they saw in former days and what they saw now were entirely different in mood.
For Gan Gui, he now ranged across the Jiang and Huai, his name renowned, his fierce reputation surpassing even that of his former days as a brocade-sail bandit. He had already returned home in glory to perform ancestral rites for his father. The lingering melancholy born of his father's former dependence on others had long since been washed away. Now what he pondered was only the matter of the navy that General Guan had once spoken of. He earnestly wished to leave his name in the annals.
For Ma Liang, though he once possessed talent and reputation, he had gone unused. Later he cast his lot with Lord Xuande and was entrusted with heavy responsibility, rising swiftly. Yet he then beheld the light screen and learned of his younger brother's affair at Jieting in later generations. To remedy that matter for his brother's sake, he ventured alone into Yangzhou, personally visiting mountain strongholds to link the Hundred Yue in a pincer against Jiangdong. Now the affairs of Jiangdong had gradually grown clear, and his brother had written from Chang'an that he lived at ease. At last, Ma Liang could truly breathe in relief.
Thus, in such a state of mind, as they watched snow descend from the darkened sky, they seemed to discern within it three parts auspicious omen.
Though the fleet had failed to reach the decisive battle in Yu Province, when the main forces of Cao turned westward, they had successively taken Hefei and Shouchun, whose defenses stood empty. This merit was solid and real.
After the fighting eased, Liu Bei therefore ordered from afar that Ma Liang take his seat in Shouchun, and that Gan Gui open the canal routes, transporting the produce of Jiangxia northward by water. The two were accordingly busy beyond measure.
As the year's end approached, both received their lord's summons, commanding them to proceed to Ye to recount their merits.
Seeing that snow threatened to fall heavily, Ma Liang had intended to wait for the next ship, but in the end he was firmly urged aboard by Gan Gui.
"Fortunately General Gan persuaded me, else I might have missed Lord Xuande's summons," Ma Liang said with relief.
Gan Gui, however, seemed thoughtful.
"Now that the snow has begun, this voyage of ours may grow lively."
Ma Liang soon learned what he meant by lively.
From Shouchun they traveled north along the Ying River, passed Shen County and Ruyin, and anchored briefly at Xiang County.
Here the navy divided in two. Several dozen ships would continue north along the Ying toward Xuchang, delivering the goods required for winter.
The remaining vessels would rest briefly, then turn northward from here into the Hong Canal and proceed onward.
Standing at the prow and gazing toward Xiangcheng, Gan Gui remarked with mock gravity,
"With no general atop the walls crying out in desperate surrender, the city seems to lack a measure of color."
Ma Liang immediately shook his head.
"General Gan, speak not too freely. Zang Ba may yet become a comrade in arms."
In the former Jing–Yu campaign, Xiang County had been defended by Zang Ba. Upon witnessing cannon fire, he had thought some immortal master was working magic and had surrendered with unusual decisiveness. The memory remained vivid to both.
Ma Liang knew even more. In later ages, Zang Ba's identity as a former Yellow Turban would earn him much praise. Lord Xuande would likely treat him with particular leniency.
Gan Gui laughed aloud.
"Master Jichang, say no more. I am not a fool. The passengers have arrived. Come, let us receive them together."
Ma Liang turned his head and indeed saw a small boat approaching the shore. The silhouettes upon it seemed faintly familiar.
When the skiff drew alongside and two men climbed up the ladder onto the larger ship, Ma Liang's face lit with delight.
"General Zilong!"
Zhao Yun adjusted the hat shielding him from the snow and smiled at his old acquaintance.
"Governor Ma, I trust you have been well."
Gan Gui stepped forward to pay his respects to Zhao Yun, then began circling the other man beside him, whose face was hidden beneath a hat.
"Father, why are you wrapped up so tight? Ashamed to see your son become Grand Admiral of the Navy?"
"Father, will you return and command the navy? Let your son teach you how to be a Grand Admiral."